Blog Entry 2025–Ep14} (Episode #183)
Originally Livestreamed on July 12th, 2025
(LINK) https://youtu.be/qKM-sjzaCH0

ORIGINAL YOUTUBE DESCRIPTION: Dewey Crumpler is a Master African American multi-dimensional artist whose art was recently featured on a PBS documentary that displayed his beautiful art that was influenced by the Black Freedom, Black Power, Black Studies and African Independence movements of the sixties and beyond, as well as by issues of globalization and liberation today. Dewey Crumpler’s works are in the permanent collections of many museums and centers of art including the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the San Francisco DeYoung Museum.

FIRST THOUGHT OF THE EPISODE IDEA: Interviews do not progress like this. Dr. T’Shaka has spoken about the format he uses to view into the knowledge and wisdom held by his guests as Conversations more so than interviews. This exceeded even this modest title. After some technical difficulties that almost prevented the livestream from occurred, difficulties which lingered throughout the first two hours of this episode; Baba Crumpler, a Grandmaster Artist, demonstrated the appropriateness of that title being affixed to his name. Ironically, if the technical difficulties hadn’t hampered the early portion of the broadcast, that which causes my praise may have not occurred. Due to those difficulties, Baba Crumpler was given more time at the outset to speak about the origins underlaying his thinking processes behind his artistry. The lingering technical issues, while frustrating the flow of the show, drove the conversation in a manner enabling the planned structure to – it seems – reveal significantly more that may have been previously scheduled. Exactly what am I speaking of?

How the influence of a statement by Malcolm X sent a young Baba Crumpler into a journey so far reaching its effects are still felt by him at this advanced age. The freed up time enabled this journey to become more unraveled by the autobiographer who used the time to explain the personal evolution in his artistic creations, weaving these stories with philosophical revelations and cultural truths, many very simplistic in name but far reaching in insightfulness. From Malcolm X the discussion moved to Thaddeus Monk and then John Coltrane; though before these two came James Browne and the Black Church’s connection to African rhythms. After them, or maybe more precise, through them, Monk and Coltrane, a broader critique of Capitalism, Neoliberalism and Colonization along with a placement of revolutionary thinking emerged. There are so many layers to this conversation that a proper transcript would be required to allow the listener to appreciate all that was laid out within the timeframe covered.

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