I’m in mourning…for Mad Men that is

After watching Jon Hamm FINALLY win a Emmy last night for his portrayal of Don Draper in AMC's Mad Men, I was inspired to write this post.

The first time I saw the show was in class my 2^nd year of university. I had a wicked prof who made us study the show as part of understanding the history of the public relations industry. The show’s ability to portray a time where office minibars, sexy secretaries and dapper male executives were the norm was a perfect case study for the class titled Gender Equality in PR.

Beside the accurate sexual inequities we studied in class, I loved the authenticity of the sets, costumes and the writers’ clever tactics of intertwining historic events into the story-line. But, what made me continue to watch the show after class had ended was the self-destructive behavior of Don Draper. I tuned in week after week to watch his downward spiral of emotional turmoil.

He was a successful Ad man with a charming ability to sell happiness to his clients, but the irony was that he failed miserably at achieving it in his own life. What made his character appealing, despite his faults, was my desire to root for him. From two failed marriages to his melt down to Hershey, I genuinely wanted him to be happy and was sad for him every time he destroyed his chance.  

I think the evolution of my desire came from his relationship with Peggy. He was her mentor who rescued her from her own self-destruction and fraught for her talents to be recognized. It seemed their relationship was the only one Don got right. It was like they both knew each other’s true self-worth and never let either forget it. This relationship was always an underlining story that would pop up just when you forgot their profound history. Here is a clip that I think conveys that:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RTS8wODHf

Mad Men's ability to take brilliant writing, talented actors and skillful cinematography to make a show that viewers will never forget, is what I think the art of storytelling is all about. 

I not upset that the show ended, it had to. The beauty of this day and age is that I have Netflix’s where it has become the cultural norm to binge watch your favourite shows over and over again any time you find yourself mourning for its characters. I see a week full of Mad Men season one in my future.  

Straight Outta Compton is the soundtrack to my youth

I know what you’re thinking, how can a kid from the Canadian prairies have anything in common with N.W.A? Simply a love for hip-hop.

I saw the movie on the weekend and loved it. The cast did a great job portraying N.W.A in particular O'Shea Jackson, Jr. He played his dad, Ice Cube, so perfectly it made me wonder if the reason they waited so long to make the bio pic was for Junior to grow up.

A review in the Los Angeles Times said that the movie follows the evolution of hip-hop culture that gives the fan base that made hip-hop what is today a chance to see the story on the big screen. As I danced along in my seat to the music while watching the movie in the theatre, I found myself travelling down memory lane.

I grew up right smack in the middle of the hip-hop revolution. My room was covered in 2PAC posters and my soundtrack of choice was Dr. Dre’s The Chronic. I listened to that CD so much I wore it out and had to buy a new one.  "Nuthin But A “G” Thang" is still my all-time favourite hip-hop song.

As teenagers, my friends and I were always looking for ways to express our frustrations with the world around us. We did typical rebellious things like changed our hair colour, talked back to teachers and even got in a little trouble with the local law enforcement. In the eighties and early nineties we found a lot to be angry about and this movie reminded me of those times. I remember the 1992 LA riots and the Rodney King police trial. It was such a confusing time and hip-hop music gave us clarity and we felt it forced the rest of the world to pay attention to what was going on in Southern California.

Once you strip away the parts of the movie that make it a flashy blockbuster you’re left with a great story about a group of friends from the same neighborhood who just wanted to make music to help express frustrations about their world.

I’m not saying that N.W.A was perfect, far from it, but they deserve credit for creating a paradigm shift in music which open up doors for artists to express themselves in new ways.

I think Ice Cube said it best, “Our art is a reflection of our reality.” For me this movie is a reflection of my adolescent journey to adulthood. One that was full of its challenges and frustrations - and of course hip-hop. 

But this movie, as amazing as it is, only scratches the surface on the many stories left to tell about the creation of the hip-hop culture. My hope is its success will inspire Tinseltown to make more bio pics.

Article referenced: http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-et-ct-straight-outta-compton-box-office-record-20150830-story.html