USHER blackens the Fourth of July

Many were annoyed with Usher's Fourth of July show.

But...for the wrong fucking reason.

The big objection among the morons of the world was there was too much USHER.

As if it would've been a great show if instead of four complete USHER songs, he'd substituted a Bruno Mars, Jason DeRulo and Demi Lovato?

The real story here is that Usher blackened July 4th.

The lone telecast of fireworks on American TV was not just a promotion for a Mariah-with-a-Dick by the name of Usher, weighed down by four lame ballads that whined, rattled, oozed and wriggled along familiar bland beats. The 25 minute show almost completely ignored American history and the point of the festivities...Independence Day.

The music for the 25 minutes of fireworks began with a kick to Whitey's nuts, Jimi Hendrix's fuck-up of "Star Spangled Banner." The only "oldie" song was Sam Cooke's ominous and unsubtle "Change is Gonna Come." And the only spoken passage breaking up the music was Martin Luther King thundering, "I have a Dream." Forget Roosevelt, Truman or JFK, or anyone reading lines from Washington, Jefferson, Adams, Hancock and Franklin!

Aside from his own songs, Usher loaded up on sound-alike ballads from other MOR black acts, including Rihanna and Alicia Keys and Kanye, and with one exception ("Diamonds (In the Sky)") none of them had to do with what we were watching, or the patriotism of the day. Just stupid ballads. Was this the time to hear lines like: "So many ways to love ya…I will never be the same without you…" instead of songs reflecting the spirit of 1776? Usher insisted he chose music that would compliment the fireworks display. It didn't. Fireworks are fireworks. They sputter and bang and shoot up and explode in a puff ball. Very predictable, really. All you need is music that explains WHY there is a celebration. That would be patriotic traditional music. Which Usher did not provide.

White? Straight? Over 40? Fuck you! Veterans of World War 2 or Korea or even Vietnam didn't hear anything they could recognize. The great American composers such as Sousa, Stephen Foster, Gershwin, Irvin Berlin or George M. Cohen ("Yankee Doodle Dandy") were not going to be heard. Usher tossed in a lousy Kelly Clarkson stadium anthem instead...a little offering to the "minority" of whites who might be tuning in. And because rednecks are the only ones, besides blacks, who can't work a computer and actually buy CDs instead of pirate mp3s, there was a soiled version of "America the Beautiful" from Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton.

Really, any Martian tuning in (or Chinese or Muslim) would think the USA has a white minority of 20%. The guy putting the show together? Usher. The host? Nick Cannon. Most of the music? Black. Usher's mix-tape had only about 10 seconds of "God Bless America" from the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra and a 10 second edit of Sinatra's "New York New York" (by way of tribute to the city hosting the event) which was quickly covered over with the much longer "Empire State of Mind," with Alicia Keys and an idiotic Jay-Z rap. THIS is the song everyone thinks should replace that old white guy Sinatra for now and forever.

NBC re-ran the fireworks an hour later, adding a quickie 35-minute live show headlined by the nauseating combo of Mariah Carey and somebody named Miguel. They sang a tepid ballad, and both of them looked ridiculous. Again, to placate rednecks, there was a C&W act. Tim McGraw opened the show, because rednecks wouldn't have wanted to sit through all the black stuff. The asshole wore a big ugly cowboy hat that covered most of his face...the usual shitkicker look. And, because gays are always complaining if they're left out, Cher was wheeled out to do a number. The mummified singer barely moved. Her backup dancers did, but she remained in one position sometimes shooting one arm into the air. She sang a dopey dated song about how women have power...except, she forgot that her own daughter became a man.

In the past, PBS would offer a Fireworks special too...with cameras going back and forth to capture the best moments from concerts in Washington DC, Boston, and Philadelphia. That didn't happen. There were shows in those cities. Neil Diamond and Barry Manilow were in Washington, and of course the Boston Pops played the standards. But, fuck that! Now, don't think for a minute I would've been watching that PBS show had it aired, but millions would've tuned in and been happy to have a traditional Fourth of July, and to hear all the songs that they sang in school, marched to, and even hear at a baseball game or boxing match, like "The Star Spangled Banner."

It's true that America is a capitalist country and it runs on TV commercials and the all mighty dollar. It's true that a World War II veteran or some 50-something white housewife in Omaha is not going to waste money on the shit Madison Avenue blasts at 20-somethings and minorities, who must own all the bling, get the fanciest sneakers, own a ridiculously expensive car, buy cartons of beer, rush to see every 3D crap movie, and waste all spare money on fast food and ever-larger pairs of designer jeans. But can't the fucking Fourth of July be spared? Can't we remember why there IS a Fourth of July, and at least give props to a FEW white people? And can't we also be a little less than naive about how fantastic and important Usher, Rihanna or Kanye West's music is? The Russians don't like it. The Red Chinese don't like it. The Muslims don't like it. The Pakistanis don't like it. The image of Usher or Mariah sashaying around gurgling syllables and showing off expensive clothes is probably even more ragingly repugnant to the rest of the world than having some guy in a bad George Washington wig reciting a few lines from the Declaration of Independence before a segue into a Sousa march.

Forget history and you're doomed to repeat the worst of it. The Fourth of July isn't just a night to listen to the latest shitty sound-alike soul and R&B junk while gorging on barbecue and beer. It's a time to remember the founding fathers and the incredible guts, intellect, and TRUE devotion to FREEDOM they fought for. Remember that Washington walked out after two terms as President because he wasn't a fucking Putin or Queen Elizabeth. Remember that while John Adams may have spawned a John Quincy Adams, he didn't expect front page headlines when the kid was born or act like his wife was Kate Middleton. Remember that Ben Franklin didn't think we should have sweat shops so the price of kites could be lower.

John Hancock's idea of freedom would not be to copy Ben Franklin's Almanac and give it away to all his friends because "information should be free." People were only upset because Usher included four of his own songs? The outrage here is that so many forgot that this was not just another fucking excuse to take days of work and let the Red Chinese get further ahead of us. It was INDEPENDENCE DAY. But, assholes, you won't know what you've got until you lose it. Well, with the opiate of apps and meth and stupid simple-minded music and 3D cartoons and dumbed-down reality shows...most of the idiots won't even know what hit them when freedom is gone. The only question is whether Big Brother will be someone from Red China or Google or whether it'll be a Great White Shark swimming over the tops of city buildings submerged under the sea.