Wanda Sykes is My Favorite MLK
I’d Follow Her Anywhere
Ten years ago, I produced Beacon Press’s “The Radical King” as an audiobook, with my friends and colleagues.
It was quite something.
The audio passage above begins with her setting the stage, where King was when he made the remarks, and then about 8 minutes in, it gets cooking.
The books holds a specifically-radical collection of ML’s essays and speeches— and other contemplations no one had seen written down before. His interests were deep. His sense of revolution was international.
For the audiobook, I asked a lot of people to come record a passage of MLK’s writing in the studio, in their natural voices. Not “impersonators.” Not just men.
It was the first time the Estate allowed another person, someone besides Dr. King, to record his voice on audio!
Interesting story behind that:
Remember the movie Selma, starring David Oyelowo,? Well, the movie asked the MLK Estate for permission to include excerpts of ML’s speeches in their script.
They said, “No,” — nothing personal, they had a long-standing rule against anyone voicing King’s words except his original recordings. They didn’t want him made fun of, interpreted in unseemly ways— you can imagine.
So, Paul Webb, the Selma screenwriter, wrote speeches and dialogue in the manner of Martin Luther King, but they were originals for the movie! He did such a good job, the average person assumed it was authentic.
And then . . . The movie was a hit, and much awarded. The director, Ava DuVernay, was embraced for making this history come alive with such verve. And actor “David O,” a British-Nigerian legend, became a superstar.
You’ll see why, in the trailer below. This is an American movie for the ages, and speaks to what is going on in Minnesota right now.
It was just my lucky timing, that I called on the Estate from Audible, right after the Selma reception. They were like, “Okay, we realize this could be quite beautiful . . . Let’s give it a try.”
The estate had veto over every choice we presented, and they said “no” to many. I tried not to cry too much. In the end, it was a sterling group, including LeVar Burton, Leslie Odom, Jr., Gabourey Sidibe, Mike Colter, Danny Glover, Leslie Odum Jr., and the late Michael Kenneth Williams
My heartbeat was Wanda Sykes.
She reads King’s treatise, “The Other America.” She shapeshifted and resurrected it. It could have been written yesterday.
I knew ML is tingling somewhere…
Her reading of the America is at the top of this page, the audio button. Below, is a short ‘Behind the Scenes’ video of the project.
Hope I see you out there today . . . We’ll be MARCHING.
You see the Rexroth story I posted at the end? It’s actually a two-parter. After the Kenneth Rexroth memoir essay, I included a story from my friend Barbara Winslow, who attended Coretta Scott King’s memorial (they were both Antioch alums) and had some thoughtful words. Worth checking out . . .
I’ve always liked Wanda Sykes, from the beginning.