Monday, July 21, 2008

Saul Williams aka Niggy Tardust


Sorry for the poor photos. They were taken with my Blackberry and I was in the very, very back.

You're on a spaceship that's hurtling through outer space at the speed of light. Stars, moons, comets, time itself--whiz by. But you're calm because you have absolute faith in the captain commandeering the ship. His ebony skin is covered in war paint and a crown of feathers
jaunt out of his fauxhawk. Perhaps he descended from the bloodlines of an indian war chief or he’s of a fierce aborigine from the jungles of Peru. His name is Niggy Tardust.

An homage to David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust, Niggy Tardust is Saul Williams’s alterego; although onstage at S.O.B.'s, Williams claims that Tardust is Barack Obama. Is he though? When asked who Tardust was during a recent interview with Blackbook Magazine's Ben Barna, he told the reporter that Tardust was "you." Who is it then? The presidential hopeful or a twenty-something writer? Is he you? Am I, him?

From what I gathered at Wednesday night's show, Tardust is a spirit that's embodied by those who are fearless and commanding. Those possessed strut the line between hate and love; ugliness and beauty. They crow loudly, sound the alarm, and demand peace. They fight under a banner portraying an eagle clutching both an olive branch and arrows in its talons. In order to lessen suffering, one must "question, demand, and fight," Williams/Tardust said before launching into his rendition of U2's Bloody Sunday, a crowd favorite.

There aren’t that many Tardusts in this world, but the ones we have make their presence known.


For Blackbook's take on the show: http://www.blackbookmag.com/article/saul-williams-as-niggy-tardust-sobs/3493

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