I am currently aboard the cruise ship Island Princess, and instead of visiting Picton and Wellington, New Zealand, we have instead passed through Cook Strait in a maneuver to avoid Cyclone Gabrielle and are heading towards Melbourne, Australia.
(I am, indeed, posting selected photos and brief comments about the 31 countries and 50 destinations we will be visiting. These can be found on my Facebook page for those of you who are interested.)
As a result of illness (cold, sore throat, and sinus infection) and the ship’s painfully slow internet, writing, editing, and publishing essays is a great challenge. So I have decided to post a piece I wrote in the past but never presented.
The topic is sensitive, but I’ve been thinking a lot recently about racism and discrimination, and decided to just put it out there. See what you think.
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A few days after vocalist Catherine deCuir and my band presented a House Concert at a friend’s home, I was notified that I’d received an email message from a woman I’ll call “V”:
Greetings Robert,
I really enjoyed the backyard house concert in Piedmont last Sunday. I also appreciated your sharing so many stories about the songs.
The one misstep for me was when you and your singer did the song “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah.” You had said in your intro to the song that you were aware of the racist history of the song. Yet you then said, “But it’s a good song and so we’re doing it anyway.”
I was really upset that you acknowledged that you knew the history and chose to perform it anyway. I almost walked out, as I was that upset. I feel that we have been educated a lot in the last couple of years about the deep horrors that racism perpetuates against Black people daily in this country. Using our white privilege to ignore racism and doing it consciously is a very sad commentary in this day and age. I decided that walking out doesn’t communicate anything. So I am reaching out to ask that you reconsider performing that song in the future.
Thank you again for your wonderful performance and for a lovely afternoon.
V
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Draft #1
Dear V,
You just had to write, didn’t you. Like I don’t already have enough going on in my life without having to deal with this.
Sincerely,
Robert
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Draft #2
Dear V,
Thank you for your message and your kind words. I’m glad you enjoyed most of the house concert.
Regarding “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah”—of the over 70 guests present, you are the only one who’s complained. Although I don’t know you, I’d guess you’re one of those people who finds racism or anti-Semitism under every rock.
Sincerely,
Robert
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Draft #3
Dear V,
Thanks for coming to the house concert.
Just to let you know, you were not on my invitation list but rather were invited by the host. I’ve made sure not to add you to the band’s invite list.
Through many years of hard experience I’ve learned that you can’t please all the people all the time, and this certainly applies to you. I’d recommend that you not attend any future house concerts where my band and I appear.
Sincerely,
Robert
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Draft #4
Dear V,
Thank you for attending the house concert last Sunday.
I appreciate your thoughtful comments regarding “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah.” Sadly, I have already lost too much sleep thinking about this. Besides dealing with serious family health issues and the ongoing Covid 19 pandemic, I do not need this.
I am reminded of the famous Talmudic saying, “No good deed goes unpunished.”
Sincerely,
Robert
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Draft #5
Dear V,
I’m so glad you attended the recent house concert and enjoyed hearing all but one of our songs.
If you can’t imagine how long it’s taken us to formulate and refine our repertoire, organize the correct keys, arrange the tunes, and research and write introductions and histories for each song, I will tell you: 10 years. A long time, and well worth it.
I’m of the opinion that responding to complaints such as yours is not worthy of any time.
Sincerely,
Robert
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Draft # 6
Dear V,
I’m so glad to hear that you enjoyed the afternoon house concert as well as my commentaries on the songs. And you’re not alone! It gives me great pleasure to share these fun and interesting anecdotes with the audience.
Regarding “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah,” a quick search in Wikipedia reveals that you are not alone in your concern about this song. And, of course, there are many arguments that would contradict that belief.
Personally, I’ve already grown weary while weighing the arguments regarding the worthiness of performing it. So I’ve decided to let the Disney organization and their legal team be the final arbiter. Stay tuned.
By the way, if you don’t care for our performance of the song, you might enjoy the original recording, or other versions performed and recorded through the years by Louis Armstrong or The Jackson Five. (The Muppets also performed it.)
Sincerely,
Robert
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Draft #7
Dear V,
OMG, it’s been so many years since I saw Song of the South. I hope they find all of the copies of this film and destroy them. Didn’t they try to do that with Huckleberry Finn and Uncle Tom’s Cabin?
Sincerely,
Robert
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Draft #8
Dear V,
I’m so happy that you enjoyed the house concert. That said, your comments about “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah” gave me pause, and has led me to question what actions, if any, I should take.
Yesterday I had the privilege of speaking with a well-known author and Pulitzer Prize winner. His response when I brought up the issue was surprising—he rolled his eyes, and then proceeded to walk me through the decades of machinations that have befallen the movie and, specifically, the song.
All things considered, I trust his opinion more than yours, and plan to continue to perform it.
As you may recall me mentioning, “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah” won the Academy Award for best song in 1946, and James Baskett received an Honorary Academy Award for his portrayal of Uncle Remus in the film.
Sincerely,
Robert
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Draft #9
Dear V,
Thank you for your kind words, and I’m glad that you both enjoyed the house concert and did not walk out. Since I am not a person of color, I can only take my lead from the prominent Black entertainers who have sung and recorded this song. Perhaps you should get their opinions before making claims of racism.
Sincerely,
Robert
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Draft #10
Dear V,
As a musician and composer, and the son of parents who both developed Alzheimer’s in their 90s, I am strongly aware of the special power that music holds in reaching deep into happy memories of dementia victims.
Time and time again we have performed music from our carefully chosen Memory Care repertoire and delighted in seeing otherwise unresponsive residents smiling, tapping their feet, and even snapping their fingers while they sing or mouth the words to songs located deep in their past memories. I can attest that “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah” is one of those songs. And this holds true for people of all colors and genders.
If I have to make the choice of pleasing them or those who question the political correctness of the song, the choice is easy.
Sincerely,
Robert
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Draft #11
Dear V,
Thanks for coming to the house concert. Glad you enjoyed most of the music.
In contemplating your objection to including “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah” in our repertoire, I was quickly reminded of what a despicable person Stan Getz was in his personal dealings with some women and a few men as well. As a result, we are dropping “The Girl from Ipanema” and all other songs that were ever recorded by him from our song list. The same holds true for every abuser, junkie, ex-con, and petty thief who ever wrote or performed any of the songs in the Great American Song Book.
As you know, Frank Sinatra himself was no angel, so that would include the vast majority of popular songs recorded in the 20th Century.
I hope this makes you happy.
Sincerely,
Robert
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Draft #12
Dear V,
You can’t imagine how delighted I am that you attended our house concert and enjoyed all but one of the songs.
I was thinking last night again about the racist past of our country and decided that from now on I will no longer be using one-dollar bills since, as you know, George Washington was a slaveholder. Fortunately, hardly anyone uses two-dollar bills anymore—otherwise I’d have to ditch those as well since they feature the image of Thomas Jefferson, another slave-holding president.
It’s unfortunate that Washington also appears on the quarter, so I guess I’ll be using more dimes (Franklin Roosevelt wasn’t a slaveowner, was he?). Sadly, nickels are also Jeffersonian, so I will have to load up on pennies. Thank God for Abraham Lincoln.
You’re probably aware of the “Six Degrees of Separation” concept. I must confess that having once met the son of Allie Wrubel, the composer of “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah,” I am only two degrees of separation away from the song itself. On another unhappy note, I once met Walt Disney, which puts me one degree of separation from Song of the South. Oy! I hope you’ll forgive these inadvertent connections.
Sincerely,
Robert
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Draft #13
Dear V,
I really wish you hadn’t attended the house concert.
Sincerely,
Robert
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Draft #14
Dear V,
I certainly cannot hold myself up to be the arbiter of whether a song is racist or not. After all, I once sang “Old Black Joe” while accompanying myself on ukulele—I was 7 years old at the time. Mea culpa! Add to that a list of other personal favorites from that era such as “Darktown Strutters’ Ball,” and anything from Porgy and Bess or Showboat.
I also confess that some of the older kids in my high school put on a minstrel show that I found entertaining. I also once attended a bullfight.
Life can be a difficult road to navigate at times.
Sincerely,
Robert
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Draft #15
Dear V,
I am so weary, and really, really wish you hadn’t attended the house concert.
Sincerely,
Robert
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FINAL DRAFT (sent)
Dear V,
Thank you for writing, and I’m glad you were able to attend our house concert this past Sunday. It’s good to hear you enjoyed many of the songs as well as my introductions and commentaries.
Regarding “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah,” you have given me much to think about. As I mentioned then, I am aware of the decades-long controversy regarding Song of the South. I’ve reviewed many articles about both the movie and the song and, after extensive thought, I believe there is much to disagree about.
Foremost, the song is not the movie. It was interesting to discover that “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah” has been recorded by a number of Black performers.
When we perform this song—particularly at retirement and memory care facilities—I am continuously amazed at the joy it brings to residents of all races, many of whom can often barely recall their own personal history. But retirement facility or not, people generally love the song and are happy as they sing along. Life is short and one of my primary goals is to use the music I perform to bring joy to people.
As a composer and performer I’ve long struggled with the complicated issue of separating art from the artist. Without difficulty I am able to come up with names of musicians, actors, writers, and artists who have produced wonderful work; but as people, they were/are terribly flawed individuals.
As far as “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah” is concerned, I do not believe it is a racist song, and I am not alone.
As an older Jew, I am not insensitive to either racism or anti-Semitism. And I certainly do not, as you say, feel I am consciously using “our white privilege to ignore racism.” Please be careful when making such a statement.
There is at least one song in our repertoire that comes from a movie that featured an actor later revealed to be a Nazi sympathizer. There are others written or performed by persons who have turned out to be physically abusive. While all of this is tragic, I try hard to keep the artist separate from the music. This is what the Israel Philharmonic did when it decided to perform works of Wagner.
You and I do not have to “agree to disagree,” but I do want you to know I appreciate your sensitivity as well as your kind words about our recent performance. I’m sure you’re aware how much effort goes into such a production.
Sincerely,
Robert