“The thing behind the thing”: Malcolm Gladwell and Kenya Paris find an inspiration in a similar place
Through television programs such as “Black-ire”, “#Blackaf”, “Grown-RISH”, and films like “You People”, Kenya Paris has become one of the most powerful creative voices on how to talk about race in America. The magic of Paris work is its ability to explore complex issues such as race and layer through a comic lens and make them within the reach of wide audiences.
His shows and films are funny enough to be on networks like ABC and Netflix, but they are still excited enough to nullify people like President Donald Trump. Trump once tweet in response to an episode of “Lions” about anger, there will be a “white” show.
When I sat with Barris in a recent episode of “Salon Talks”, he shared with me how humor about the race revolves around something deeper and the reason is that it is “and”The turning pointAnd “and”Extremist valuesThe author Malcolm Gladwell hit an unlikely friendship.
Paris said: “We realized that we love coming to things behind something, and the thing behind the thing. This was our relationship.” The friendship led to its latest project, “extraordinary suspects”, an audible original to participate in it. An interview with artists, athletes and influential people who are not only talented, but they change the world through their work. Among the guests are former professional basketball player Suu Bird, music producer Dr. Dre, and the governor of Maryland Wes Moore.
“I think the person I was more blown [by was] Paris said: “I think Wes Moore may be president. I think he should have run for the presidency. There is no crime for Kamala,” Paris said.
Watch the “Salon Talks” episode with Kenya Barris here, or read a question and answer from our conversation below, to learn more about Barris who works with GladWell after he became a great admirer, his creative operation, and beyond his next project, which is the reshaping. Truman’s offer. “
The next conversation was gently edited for clarity and length.
You and Malcolm Galladwell are a great team. Have you seen your people, comrades, as an unlikely partnership at the beginning?
I was a great admire. “The Point of Transformation” changed my life. People like us, we read these books and start the base of 10,000 hours and things like that. He does not realize that the cover holds these things. We love it ** t. He began to say things we already knew, but we did not know how to put them [words].
I saw him in a restaurant called Gjelina in Los Angeles. I remembered his picture and was sitting. I walked to him and I was like, “I never do this,” as people always say, but I really don’t do it. When you see a writer, it is like seeing a porn star, and I say that because you saw someone you have this crazy intimate relationship that you will not usually see. When you read a book, this relationship you invest more than [with] Actor, from the singer. I went up to him, and it couldn’t be cooler. We shocked friendship and we were like, “We have to do something.”
It really supported me on “#blackaf”. He called and was like, “This is my favorite program. This is one of the best comedy”, and put it there in time. I was like, “Malcolm Gladwell is watching this.” We started talking and realizing that we love to come from things behind the thing, and the thing behind the thing.
Have you ever collided with heads in philosophies or approaching?
No, we actually loved the fact that we came in S ** T from different places. It finally ended in the same place that is the thing behind the thing, but it was supportive, so he was like playing in his world.
“We wanted to have people who influenced our lives in crazy and crazy ways.”
It is a very fun guest list. How do you choose guests, comrades?
We wanted to make sure that we did not get the people who were in the rotation of podcasts. I was Dr. Dre, because Dre does not do that [podcasts] He is my hero. I think [Malcolm’s] Ursula Burns was great, so whoever people did not know, but she is, do you know what I am saying? We wanted to have people who influenced our lives in crazy and crazy ways, but we may not know about them. You might know their name, you don’t know exactly what they did, but they had an impact on the whole world.
What is the biggest surprise from the guest of this season? Who spoiled your head?
Drai can qualify in many self-scientific ways, which can qualify for the Olympics in the shooting, can play the piano-self-studying. [He] She produces more crazy albums that you heard from people who were never thought about, and were just a real emotional man. She thinks NWA, but a man is very contemplated.
I think the person I was in the most [by was] Wes Moore. I think Wes Moore can be president. I think he should have run for the presidency, and no crime for Kamala. Wes Moore is my attractiveness – really, really, he took a state and its heart – and has a plan for anything you are talking about. I read his book, “The other Weiss Moore“And change [me]. He went and found someone with the same precise name, the same neighborhood, [and showed] How easy to take two different roads.
I am in Los Angeles now, we have fires. There is this amazing director, Nadia Halmann, I want her to direct a documentary entitled “The Story of two City”. Now I want to run the cameras and see Palisades and Altadena, and I see how the fire [damage] It is dealt with in these two cities. So it is a bite of “The Other Wes Moore”.
The Ava Duvernay interview was superior to me. To know that she had to raise external funds to be able to get the “original” was a shock. It seemed to surprise you too, or is this something you went through?
I exploded from that. This book was one of the best books that I read in a long, long, long and long period, and she cried. The fact that she entered into a really interesting novel, and that she had to raise money after her success. But perhaps the best thing because she should do what she wanted to do.
She also said something strong about what it really took to get something. He made it through these notes and the ability to look at this final project and say: “Well, is still a slightly partial mine.” Can you talk to that? I imagine that you would make something like “Lions Live”, those notes from ABC were coming.
They say the movie is made three times. Once when it is written, once when it is photographed, once when it is edited. But I am thinking about TV, as soon as you get a little success, it stops a little more. Films are completely different. You have to get
“I used to look at the tomato scale, and now I look at the degree of the audience.”
Written, then you have to make someone make it, then after that, you have to go [edit]And in all these points there are notes. The scenario, [there is] A ton of notes. When you get it, make the studio there, a lot of notes. When you edit it, a ton of notes. What you end up in a movie – unless Scorase, Adam Mckay or Fincher – is a big difference from what started as a text. I think Ava, in collecting the same money, may have much had much that would have to do the normal director to do.
With all your success, does critics matter? Are they still hitting a nerve and moving?
Of course they are important, but I feel less. I used to look at the tomato scale, and now look at the degree of the audience. I made a movie, “Shaft”, and I think he is the hero in the difference between the tomato scale and the audience. It was 95 to 17 or something like that. Critics go to movies, and if they have an agenda, they will take this agenda with them.
I feel at the end, I go to movies like I go to school. I feel you should go to watch a movie. I don’t know if you have seen “Popstar”. For me, “Popstar” is one of the most sleeping movies. Andy Samberg, crazy, crazy, crazy, funny. He did not get a good tomato. You have to go to watch a movie for yourself.
A large component in your art that takes on race conversations. I would like to claim that shows such as “Black-Rish” and films like “You People” have made these conversations easier for people outside culture. You watch the “Black-ire” episode or the “#blackaf”, and you will get a glimpse of our experience. When I see the power of art, I cut the TV and say, “What happened in the 2024 elections?”
right. I think this shows the different opinions that we have as people. When Trump was gathered here in Madison [Square Garden]They said: “There is a whole island of garbage there, called Puerto Rico.” I was like, “Oh, he did. He couldn’t say that. [In] New York? He cannot say that. ”The next day, which I understand, his Latin voters rose.
“If you know how to hit your audience and serve your audience, you can win every time.”
I think there is psychology that I do not know, and that some people realize who understands how to manipulate things and overcome things. My friends will make movies and I love, “This is crazy. This is the crazy movie.” Then the next thing I know, breaks the records.
Tyler [Perry] It is a great example. Tyler is my son. He told me that he knows his group and proved that time and time over and over again. It was like, “F ** K Tomato.” He does not care about what tomatoes are. He just made a movie on the Amazon [was] The largest common event in the history of the Amazon. More people subscribed to Amazon because of this movie – that people were talking about – more than any other movie in the history of the platform.
Super serves his place, knows his fans, and knows what to do. I feel that there is a certain form of brilliance for that. If you know how to hit your audience and serve your audience, you can win every time.
Are you worried that Trump will make you create a presentation entitled “White-RISH” then “#Whiteaf?”
He brought me. He used to say how he was racist believed that “black” was. It was like, “if someone made a width called White Eych, and how my racist …” I was like, each show is called at all. This is called “Friends”.
What after you?
I think the most enthusiastic thing about it is now on the side of the movie, I am re -imagining “The Truman Show”. It is a black version of “The Truman Show” where the beauty of Truman is a child who grew up in the cap, and the cover is not really present.
The Hood is a building created by this company for people to see it at home, such as, “Can you imagine living like the beauty of life?” This is what he feels in the cover at times. This cannot be a lot of police shootings. When you start looking at it from this side, you start feeling a kind of construction, and this is something I feel very.
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