Bob The Drag Queen has taken Harriet Tubman to an urgent and humorous life in his new book, Harriet Tubman: Live in concert.
Bob spoke with Blovity in front of the book launch of the book about how the ingenious idea of a world in which the historical figures of America have returned to life, bringing the main character of the book Darnell, a hip-hop producer in a race fall, who is face to face with the woman named Moses. Even Stranger is that Tubman wants his help to create a rap album on his life.
They said they came up with the idea of story when they were part of the Berkeley Repertoire Theater production 2018 Angels in America.
“He came to me. They said.” I mean, I would not tell myself a story, but I have an obsession with Harriet Tubman and his story because it doesn’t even seem credible, as when listening to all the things they really did, not even real, the life of this woman, right? So I started to have this obsession with her and listen to all the biographies about her, seeing all the representations. “
“I was also very intrigued by the fact that I had only been represented in an important film (at that time), and that was Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Slayer. And then later performed in the movie with Cynthia Erivo and also performed The good Mr. Bird A showtime with Ethan Hawke and Daveed Diggs, “they added.” So there have been many of Harriet Tubman Buzz since then, but I have always been obsessed with Harriet Tubman. When we were younger and we would all have to make our reports of the month of black history, it would always do Harriet Tubman, the more you learn about it, you are like “my God, this is so unreal”.
What anchor the book
Harriet Tubman: Live in concert It may seem to be based on a wild concept, but contains a multitude of facts about the abolitionist hero of real life. Bob talked about how Tubman was really very young when he made many trips forward and south from the north. He directed the foraint of the Combahee River between its 20 years and early 1930’s. And, during all, he kept his secret of people salivating -to kill them. Between being called Moses, a spirit and other names, no one knew that it was Tubman who was saving the enslaved people from captive life. In addition to this, Tubman had an injury to the head of his ex -slave propietary, an injury that gave him convulsions, but also gave him the ability to hear God, to paraphrase the same tubman.
Bob also talked about what it was like to write as Tubman, although we do not know how Tubman sounded.
As Tubman could not read or write, Bob said, he told his story again and again at the abolitionist meetings. But, “people again again and change their voice, (which is) a very common thing. History, they were like:” No one will buy this. “
“We really have no idea how Tubman sounded, he continued Bob.” So I really had to use people in my life, people I have seen through the media. My mother was there too a bit. “
Queer black story and find freedom
The book also emphasizes how black history is not just the story about slavery. There is also a Queer Black History, such as William Dorsey Swann, considered the first person to be identified as “dragging queen” and the first North -American to run a gay resistance group.
“Blacks are (the) real architects of this country. And not only architects, but also contractors, workers and manufacturers of tastes and interior designers and landscapers,” said Bob. “We have played such a fundamental role in this country and it is really interesting as people like (with) Bayard Rustin and Langston Hughes, their restlessness just rubbed -completely from their story.”
Learning about this story helps Darnell, the main character, to learn more about where it adapts to the fabric of society. Based strongly on Bob’s own experiences, Darnell feels that he is constantly disagreeing with society and that he struggles internally with how he really is. Harriet sees him as his next mission, and takes himself on herself to deliver it to freedom at all costs, even if it includes putting the trusted gun on the face.
“When he originally wrote this, it was actually a play and it was a concert. Think how Hedwig and the angry inches or Lady Day to Emerson Bar i Grillor Boys of the altaror Six“, They said.” But after trying to write this as a book, it became impossible to write 50,000 words in the context of a concert. He felt insurmountable. And then I thought to myself, I think it could really be more interesting to talk about the writing of the album than to read about a performance from the album. So it was when I created this character, Darnell, who is based on me. “”
“He is much worse than me, he has more scruples than me, frankly,” Bob continued. “He has the language more than ever. And maybe he should take out of the character I created and really would be a little more (like that) in real life. I would probably have saved some drama. But I created this character because, instead of trying to create all this world where Harriet does all these things … I chose to have someone who perceived Harriet Tubman, but I also made myself in humorizing.
Religion, trauma and underground railway
Darnell’s struggles are rooted in his religious trauma and Harriet’s religious conviction triggered Darnell throughout the book.
“I grew up in the south of Baptist of Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi. Book, I did not want to make a piece about religion.
“… The book is about the feeling of freedom and finding out what freedom means to you,” they continued. “You know, in the queen of the subway song, there is a lyric who goes to the house of the brave, on the Terra Lliure, but what does this mean for me?” And I said a large part of the book is like Darnell cannot feel free. She, she says the discomfort and she is like, “You have a trip and you are not yet allowed to leave.”
Bob’s Hopes and Dream Casting for Harriet
Harriet’s push to get Darnell to freedom, accepting and being proud of whoever, is also based on Bob’s own story. As Bob described being dismayed that his family already discovered his sexuality before his dramatic revelation, Darnell is equally shocked when Tubman and his crew, including his brother, the released slaves who have become a family and the figure of real life Benjamin, he does not literally care that Darnell is gay. The moment recalls when Bob went to Selma, Alabama, during an episode of HBO docuseries We are here.
“I have this interaction with the actual standing soldiers of the bridge of Edmund Petus who were there on Sunday bloody Sunday. And I gave them preconceived notions, thinking that they will judge me because I am gay and because there were these older black women, but they were like” you do not know what we have done, “they said.” One of the women left me aside and it was like: “You know, I am the founder of this company and the founder of this company, Your HIV and AIDS treatments in the 90’s. You have judged us because we are old black women. But the truth is that you do not know what we have done for your community. They were not gay, but they closed me because I was afraid to be tried, and that’s what Darnell does in this scenario. “”
Bob said he hopes that if Tubman would read his book again, they hope he liked the book. But they said, “The truth is that I may be wrong, for everything I know. Harriet Tubman might think that hip hop is garbage, you know what I mean? For everything I know, it can be like” this is the devil’s music. “I have no idea what I would say.
Another person who might think that Bob serves: Doechii, the artist Bob would love to take the job of portraying Tubman if his book becomes a movie.
“I keep saying -but I am very afraid to say -because, if I don’t think I’m great? But in my mind, if I ever had my dream cast, I would love that Doechii interpreted Harriet Tubman. This would be the race pièce for me, honestly.”
For Bob, Harriet Tubman: Live in concert It is an opportunity for readers not only to entertain themselves, but also proud of the history that America has formed for 200 years.
“I hope people can take this information and specifically want to get more information about Harriet Tubman specifically, and about Queer and our contributions to history and the world, what we have created and done by ourselves,” they said. “What we have made at all, especially to people who are black. I hope people take this and want to learn more. I always want people to know more about Harriet Tubman. I just think it is clear that it is more amazing than surprising. And any opportunity to convince someone to investigate, I am (happy). I will be their greatest joy until my last breath.”
