'Strange' tale of Flavor Flav (Strange Love?)

LIFE IN THE POP LANE


'Strange' tale of Flavor Flav Rapper's cred takes hit


By Renée Graham, Globe Staff  |  January 25, 2005


As a member of Public Enemy, Flavor Flav was part hype-man, part flesh-and-blood cartoon character, yet he was far more than his spastic dance moves, oversize sunglasses, and mouthful of gold teeth.


More than a mere fool, he was hip-hop's Fool in a grand Shakespearean fashion. His comic relief played off rapper Chuck D's agitprop lyrics and the Bomb Squad's angry wall of sound production, and befitting a man whose signature accessory was a dinner-plate sized clock dangling from his scrawny neck, Flav always knew what time it was.


Like the Fool in Shakespeare's ''King Lear," Flav knew more than he showed, and he was no less politically minded than Chuck D. His purposeful simplicity allowed him to deliver bitter truths whether he was dismissing such icons as Elvis Presley and John Wayne in ''Fight the Power," or denouncing police negligence is ''911 Is a Joke."


Now, sadly, it's Flavor Flav who's the joke, a reality-TV clown.


Every Sunday night, there he is on VH1's ''Strange Love," a spinoff of sorts from last season's installment of ''The Surreal Life," where washed-up celebrities try to revive their faded fame by letting cameras film them as they live together in a rented mansion.

From Public Enemy to Fuffydom?

posted it on his website.

Flavploitation?

January 20, 2005

Its the systematic one-sidedness of the production companies that are chosen by these big corporate entities. There hasnt been any change in Flavor at all, he's always been the same crazy cat from day one. No offense for his friend Bridgitte but his TV potential has been there long before that pairing. Vh-1 choosing of this show Strangelove, is a smack in the face of all else Flavor has done. The reality dragging of his personal life exes and children is uncalled for. The meshing of his performance life with PE probably doesnt bode well with what the group stands for with its fam and followers. I hear that, but at the same time as adults and gentlemen that we are, respect is gonna be there for ones personal space.

Choices are left up to the individual, and within reason anything said and done at this stage is pended upon this. Its not a boys club. Years ago with the Griff thing there was a whole organizational dynamic that was personal within the group that led to myself making decisions. From that point afterwards I definitely spaced the situation out. But now with this situation i must at least comment because i see some troublezones. I stepped up to look at this as another test on the way things are. More than a few shows with Flavor were proposed with more of a stable upstanding profile, ideas from production companies of color.

Rejected with the premise of alluding that flav didnt have what it took to star a show by his damn self. Typical corp-whiteboy reaction as they actually thought it was Flav AND Bridgette that made that surreal life click. I'm bias but on the real...,Bridgette could've been anyone.

Now the trouble on this strangelove show, (which they shoot in a 10-14 day period, only to have myself to answer 6 months later about a re-run to some clueless tv soul about what they thought was current.) is that theres a scene that i saw a short clip of Flav in conflict with 3 of his kids and ex back in the hometown. Lord, i hope not. This has been a topic in barbershops and hair salons across black america, which is twice as sad because that and topics launched by BET,UPN,urban radio are fed to black people. Bread and circus sht that the masses of blackfolk flock to news of that type while world events, politics, and issues of community concern are catagorized as either too deep, boring, or non black if such a stupid thing. A test, as i spent the greater part of last year trying to get Son Of A Bush out of office on national tv and radio while blackfolk asked what i was up to while being pied-pipered into whitemale boarded corporate owned urban media. All that and as expected it was the Surreal Life that got their attention like fruitloops compared to wheaties.

da man! It is "Bread and circus sht" alright and, though I'm not remotely related to Flav, embarrassing. I've only seen clips (the one where he says "I want to give you a baby." :puke:) but they were enough to send me OUT of the room, not even taking the time to pick up the remote.

A test, as i spent the greater part of last year trying to get Son Of A Bush out of office on national tv and radio while blackfolk asked what i was up to while being pied-pipered into whitemale boarded corporate owned urban media. All that and as expected it was the Surreal Life that got their attention like fruitloops compared to wheaties.

Ain't that pitiful? I did hear Chuck D on NPR before the election and he was damned powerful but I'm sure more young people have seen Surreal World than listened to his pre-election rundowns.

LOL! You know, I have this picture of you watching FF telling "his" Gitte that he "wants to give" her "a baby" and you RUNNING FAST......(zoom) OUT of the room!

BTW, he and Chuck D are from Roosevelt LI.

Mina :hi:

Either that or this was his best effort at being a hip-hop trivial pursuit card...

Public Enemy, to me, was always Chuck D. Always.

But Strange Love, which VH1 is insistent on making just a "look at them, they're so stupid and silly", can be very sweet and sincere.

They are being exploited (both of them) by VH1 for sure though.

the old, OLD sitcom AMOS AND ANDY. Were we laughing with them OR at them? That's the problem I'm having with "Strange" love.

I think many are benefitting, including the main players.

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:rofl:

I watched from start to almost finish (mis-set the VCR and missed the final). I knew he'd pick Hoopz, but I see that it wasn't the other way around. I think he kept New York for kicks, but that's just me. :crazy: That's the way the cookie bounces. :P

She was on 106 & PARK telling the audience about her movies, interviews and future plans (none which include her "prize" :rofl: ). Also, Hoopz is a bit "X" rated. Not sure this is the road she should travel. She has a positive image going for her as a result of the classy way she handled herself. She admitted being taken aback with her celebrity and didn't know so many people watched the show. What an error. Everyone watched the show and it was discussed all over the web.

I wish her luck!

As for Flav, I'm sure FLAVOR OF LOVE 2 will return. I wish him luck in finding true love. :loveya:

UGRR :hi:

I watched the first one because I've never seen a Batchelor-type show with a non-white star. If there's going to be a second one, my only suggestion is that all of the contestants have to be over 30. There are plenty of hot women over 30, even over 40. (I know that Flava turns 47 this year.)

There are plenty of hot women not young enough to be his daughter so let him be their problem ;-).

Ok seriously, I've watched a few episodes and while I think in many ways he and the women were all being exploited and manipulated it's difficult to feel sorry for them because they're so damn busy exploiting and manipulating other people.

"you knew the job was dangerous when you took it"--Super Chicken

Also, the aftermath/reunion is on this coming Sunday night. Hot women throwing furniture and punches! :hide:

Better than Springer. :rofl:

Flav and Hoopz didn't quite hit it off, but they're still friends. Everyone still hates New York, New York is still full of herself. At least Flav confirmed why he kept her--she was there for him and him alone, and wasn't there to make friends. (Aside: IMO, it's a bad idea to keep anyone around who doesn't play well with others. x() Last of all, there may be a Flavor #2.

can you believe it?

One time was enough. I think I'll pass this time.

show was a MONSTER hit for VH1 and I think that surprised them. With little, if no publicity, for the first FLAVOR OF LOVE, the show turned out to be a mega, MEGA hit! Someone was asleep at the switch. So they are doing it again except I think it won't be the mega hit as the first show. From the little bit that I saw of it, they are trying to emulate the first show. But it seems so strained and stressed. The comic "accidents" don't seem real like the first time we saw New York strut her stuff. The first show has totally original, totally believable women. I heard about the toilet "accident" one of the girls was suppose to have had in the current show. I mean come on! Toilet humor???

I think I'll pass as well.

UGRR :hi: