Too Black for B.E.T.

Philadelphia Weekly

April 9, 2008

Editor's Picks

Too Black for B.E.T.

Fri., April 11, 6pm. Free. With Spank Rock + William Pym. Mad Decent Mausoleum, 531 N. 12th St. www.jaysonmusson.com

If Barack Obama’s race speech sparked a fuse leading to the powder keg of race relations in America, former PW contributor Jayson Musson’s Too Black for B.E.T. is an acetylene torch firing directly on the pile of gasoline-drenched rags draped over its lid. A collection of poster designs featuring unabashedly offensive treatments of heretofore taboo topics like interracial divisions and intraracial disputes, Too Black addresses supersensitive issues with the delicacy of a jackhammer. Whereas Obama’s discourse encouraged Americans to openly discuss matters not often “expressed in polite company,” several of Musson’s designs contain images and phrases entirely unsuitable for even the most depraved of dialogues. It’s exactly that brand of extremism that allows Musson to pull off such a coup. By going so over the top, Musson is able to inject subtle commentary and healthy doses of humor into a product that’s otherwise simply ludicrous. Surely nobody in their right mind equates Osama bin Laden with Jesus Christ, right? Perhaps not, but as Musson points out, they’re both “persuasive men with beards.” Complementing Musson’s offbeat spins of logic, Spank Rock spins beats on records. Come for the posters party; stay for the throwdown at Diplo’s new joint. (Joshua Valocchi)