BILLIE HOLIDAY . . . . "STRANGE FRUIT" . . . . EVERYBODY NEEDS TO BE AWARE OF THIS BRILLIANTLY BRIEF AND BLEAK OBSERVATIONAL PERIOD TUNE . . . . ONE OF THE MOST SOCIALLY SIGNIFICANT SONGS EVER PENNED . . . . SUNG BY A WOMAN WHO NOT ONLY LIVED THROUGH THE PAIN OF THE TIMES BUT HER OWN ONGOING AND DESTRUCTIVE HELL.

SOMETIMES I FIND MYSELF IN A REAL MAUDLIN FRAME OF MIND, ANYTHING CAN SET IT OFF . . . . MAYBE THE SPIRIT OF MY SAMOAN GREAT, GREAT, GREAT GRANDMOTHER PUSHES ME TOWARDS INTROSPECTION AND REFLECTION ON MATTERS SUCH AS THESE . . . .

IN WHATEVER FORM I FIND IT, I CAN ALWAYS STAND AGAINST RACISM . . . . EVEN THOUGH MISS HOLIDAY WAS ADDRESSING A SPECIFICALLY AMERICAN CONTEXT, THE THEME IS UNIVERSAL . . . . BLACK, WHITE, RED, BROWN, YELLOW, GREEN, BLUE, POLKA DOTS, CHRISTIAN, JEWISH, ISLAMIC, BUDDHIST, HINDU . . . . WHATEVER . . . . WE'RE ALL JUST YUMAN BEANS . . . . IT'S THAT SIMPLE.

***** HAVING PUT MY DOLLAR'S WORTH OUT THERE, ONE QUICK ADDENDUM . . . . ANYBODY OF ANY RACE, COLOUR OR CREED IS CAPABLE OF BEING NOTHING MORE THAN A COMPLETE DOUCHEBAG DIPSHIT . . . . NO DISCRIMINATION IN THAT ONE EITHER . . . . A WANKER IS A WANKER WHEREVER HE, OR SHE, HAILS FROM . . . . .