i.d.

I loved the 80's.
I loved the fashion; e.g. smith slouch socks, williwear, Swatch watches, Genera, Zodiac shoes, (The stuff I could afford) and the Armani, Hugo Boss and unconstructed suits worn on Miami Vice (Which I could not yet afford.).
I loved the music; Hip-Hop was still fairly new and New Wave artists were producing videos for the newly created MTV.
I loved the Art; Basquiat, Haring, Scharf,...
I loved the resurgence of Black America; Spike Lee movies, The Cosby Show, Hip-Hop, the relevance of HBCU's,...
For me, these were the times which most influenced my outlook on life.

Of all things 80's - Miami Vice was probably the television show which provided my biggest archetype.
No not Tubbs, but Crockett.
Sonny didn't have to wear a tailored suit to project power - to this day, I still wear cool, unconstructed, designer clothing.
Sonny always got the girl.
Sonny often broke the rules if it was the best of many bad options.
It didn't matter that Sonny was white - to me, he projected the same image of some Hip Hop stars today.
(Isn't Jay Z more similar to Crockett than he is to Tubbs?)

I never really thought about the shows influence on my life until I attended a party at a local social club recently.
The club consists of Black men who all have letters before or after their names when being introduced.
"You a bad motherf...!" one said as we sat at the bar.
As I was being clowned by a group of titled men, a thin, tall, pretty, etc. woman mentioned that I still had a girlfriend and that I'd better not do what these other men were there to do.

Among these men, I'm like the Merovingian (An outsider who seems to know what others do not  or one who knows what others do not want known about themselves.)
The thing about running clubs on all social strata and across all races is that one hears everything.
People get tipsy and they begin to get comfortable with and trust those around them.
There is no need to listen to gossip - most people will tell their business on their own.
From with whom one may have slept, robbed, cheated or killed to where one goes to church - people always talk.
But unlike the Merovingian - I can never repeat what I know.
I can only act in a way or mention in passing something that may result in a desirable outcome without being messy.
It's as though I have to pretend to be a criminal in order to deal with criminals.
It's as though I have to live the life of a well-connected, well-dressed, undercover vice cop.
And sometimes - the ish gets old.