Well, here we're introduced to our first major villain. In fact, the main antagonist of this story (The Magnificent Charley) may just be the most horrible, despicable person in the entire book. (And that's saying a lot).

The Magnificent Charley is a former criminal who starts his own traveling freak show tour. He uses orphaned children and animals in his shows, but his main attraction is a werewolf. Every full moon, his audience watches a scrawny man named Noah shapeshift into a "demon hound from hell." Children in the audience are allowed to feed raw meat to the creature, who is trapped in a steel cage.

It's implied in the story that The Magnificent Charley sexually and physically abuses the children and animals he enslaves. (Like I said earlier, he's a terrible human being). This is one of the longer stories in the book because I originally wrote three different versions and then combined the best of all three. This actually works out great because it results in lots of twists and turns throughout the story. It's hilarious (and sometimes violent) entertainment.

I don't want to give anything away, but let's just say that Charley's greed and use of an exotic pet may come back and bite him in the ass. Perhaps literally. ​

A young couple in their early '20s buy their first home together. Francis and Martin are the opposite of the stereotypical couple. Francis is the leader; she wears the pants in the relationship. But she often wishes her boyfriend would "man up." Their first week at their new home, they hear high-pitched giggling and movement coming from their basement. Well, one day they decided to investigate and were in for quite a diabolical surprise.
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This was another of the first stories I worked on. Like "The Magician and The Beast,"  this story underwent a lot of different drafts and rewrites. I am a huge boxing fan, and if you follow my career you'll see that I've interviewed former heavyweight champions like Larry Holmes and Shannon Briggs. I was itching for a great boxing story, and it took me two years to get it perfect.

Rebecca McCrary is a terrible boxer having no success. She has lost all eight of her fights by knockout. One day her experimental cousin gives her breast implants injected with huge amounts of testosterone. The result is that, although Rebecca looks exactly the same (only with bigger boobs) she can punch as hard as three men put together. Her career now goes in a completely different direction as she puts her opponents to sleep in the opening seconds of each fight, thus becoming an athletic media sensation similar to the early days of Mike Tyson and Ronda Rousey.

​But people soon realize that she's downright dangerous to fight as she literally cripples her opponents. As Rebecca punches her way to a title shot, she soon learns that everything has a price. ​

"Last Thoughts" was fun to write. It's about a womanizing politician who is cheating on his wife. But everyday, his wife catches him in the act and murders him a different way. It's like he's trapped in an endless loop where he's doomed to die at the hands of his enraged wife. Can he escape?
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This one is perhaps the most psychological tale in the book. Marco is a drug dealer who spends more time in the streets than with his girlfriend and their infant son, Pedro. He finds himself at a crossroads after almost getting killed during a drug deal robbery attempt. He struggles between doing the right things and the wrong ones. It's a lot more deep and interesting than I can reveal here, but the ending is very psychological.  I think Christians and Psychology professors would especially like this one.
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A grieving divorcee is being humiliated by her ex-husband on social media. In the meantime, she is secretly a necrophiliac working at her father's funeral home. I can't really reveal too much about the plot without giving away a lot surprises, but you'll love this one. It's hilarious. Also, a character from a previous story makes a cameo appearance here in a shocking plot-twist. Click HERE to read the story for free! Feedback is always appreciated, or else I'll sick that gremlin on you.
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Both the comedic and dark parts of my mind were in full swing when I wrote this one. "Mail-Order Bride" centers around Ernie, a sad old man with no family, but a secret past. His best friend is a supportive, wise-cracking buffoon named Duncan who is slowly dying of cancer. Duncan convinces Ernie to look for love on the internet. It doesn't take Ernie long to find an exotic beauty named Alegra from a small pacific island called Togana.

Two weeks later when she arrives, she is more than a little strange. She will spit on your hand instead of shaking it. She'll piss in your food.  She even refuses to wipe her ass. I mentioned earlier that Ernie had a secret past. Well, Alegra has a secret of her own...
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This was another of the early stories I wrote from top to bottom in late 2014. It's an exciting, unpredictable and violent affair, but unfortunately there's not much I can say about the plot without giving it away. All I can say is that a family is under attack from someone who appears human from the distance, but doesn't appear human up close. ​ And it's up to a short-tempered 10 year-old boy and his bratty sister to save the day....
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This is another one I can't give too many details on. But a youth counselor named Al is concerned and creeped out by a new child at the facility he works at. The kid doesn't blink, doesn't really talk, and never changes his stoic facial expression. What's worse is that everyone at the facility, both the kids and the staff, are getting sick at an alarming rate. What's going on? Things get far worse one night when the kid surprises Al by arriving at his house.
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See The Press Release Here.

To celebrate the Kindle release of Southern Terror tomorrow, here is a sneak peek at one of the stories! This one is the story of a lonely necrophiliac mortician  swearing revenge on her womanizing ex-husband. Click the story title below to find out what happens to them in SoUtHeRn TeRrOr, or click here.

​Submitted for the approval of all my fans and Duggermaniacs worldwide, I call this story.....

Stay tuned for the release of the paperback version of SoUtHeRn TeRrOr, which will be released later this week!

 (Memphis, TN) On January 18, 2017, a terrifying new book appeared for sale on Amazon.com. The book is called "SoUtHeRn TeRrOr," a collection of 12 humorous, yet terrifying stories from the sick and twisted mind of a young award-winning journalist from Tennessee named A.J. Dugger III. (OK, so my mind isn't really sick and twisted. I'm just trying to set an eerie mood here).

​A short description of the stories follows:

“Alerts From The Grave” --- A porn star receives text messages and emails from her dead husband

“The Dark Road.” --- A sibling rivalry between two sisters is put to an end after a trip through the woods turns into a night of pure terror.

“The Magician And The Beast.” --- A unique animal is the attraction for a sinister traveling magician.

“Giggling in the dark.” --- A young couple hears weird laughter and noises coming from their basement..

“The Power Of The Punch.” --- A struggling female boxer is given breast implants that give her the strength of three men. But everything has a price...

“Last Thoughts.” --- A womanizing politician is killed by his wife over and over in an endless loop; each death more brutal than the last.

“7 pm.” --- After almost dying in a street fight, a young drug dealer struggles to get his life and family back on track. But can he?

“Dirty Underwear.” --- A necrophiliac mortician gets a taste of her own medicine...

“Mail-Order Bride.” – A lonely old man finds a beautiful bride online, but he soon regrets his choice.

“The Intruder.” --- A family is fighting for their lives against an intruder who may be a bigger threat than they think.

"The Special Child." --- A youth counselor is concerned about a foreign child who has gotten everyone sick.

“The Scarecrow.” – A young reporter's first news assignment is to write an article about a scarecrow that walks at night.

The book's author has been a horror fan since his childhood. "Horror is my favorite movie genre," said Dugger.  "I had a lot of stories that I wanted to tell, so I figured that an anthology would be the best route to go."

​There is something within these pages for everyone. In the short stories you'll find suspense, ghosts, werewolves, gremlins, vampires, zombies, demons, murder, mayhem, betrayal, twist-endings and more. The loosely-connected tales take place in a fictional southern town called Malo.

​"It's a very adult book," Dugger explained. "Supernatural and weird things do indeed happen, but the characters are grounded in realism. People can be cruel, lonely, jealous, misguided, insecure, etc. As a result of this, there is bad language as well as violent and sexual situations in Southern Terror, but it's all done with a wink."

Being a natural comedian, Dugger couldn't help but throw in his epic silliness.
"My humor is sprinkled all over these stories. Everyone who has read it laughed their socks off."

​Southern Terror has been compared to other horror works such as Tales From The Crypt. "That's what I wanted," Dugger said. "Twilight Zone, Are You Afraid of The Dark, Tales From The Crypt...these are shows I grew up with and still enjoy. I like how on anthologies, every story is different; different situations and different characters. It keeps you on your toes. In Southern Terror, each story has a personality of its own."

In my opinion, Season 1 of The Walking Dead was easily the best. Yes, it was short. (Only 6 episodes). But it was short, sweet and fast paced story telling. It moved fairly quickly and introduced the characters in exciting ways. In only 6 episodes, I really cared about these people.

However, it was Season 2 that further developed these characters and many of them began transformations that evolved into the characters they are today. Today, I'll break down how this second season transformed Rick, Hershel, Daryl, Carl, Glenn, Maggie and the others into the stronger characters they developed into. I'll start with everyone's favorite redneck - Daryl Dixon.

Daryl underwent a huge change throughout the season. In season 1 when we're introduced to Daryl, he is a hostile, racist redneck. He's short-tempered, irrational, emotional and wants serious revenge on our homie "T-Dog" for leaving his brother Merle abandoned on a rooftop in Atlanta in handcuffs. During season 1, you could argue that Daryl was somewhat of an antagonist and a liability, even trying to kill Dr. Jenner in the CDC. (If Jenner had died before opening the doors, the group would have surely  been doomed).

In the second season, however, we began to see a new Daryl Dixon emerge. First, in the season's premiere episode (What Lies Ahead) Daryl actually rescued T-Dog, who was about to become walker chow due to a bad cut on his arm. This was likely a surprise to all viewers, as Daryl hated T-Dog's guts in all prior episodes. Of all people to save T-Dog, it was Daryl. This put an interesting spin on things and showed that he actually cared about anyone whose name was not Merle.

Perhaps feeling guilty for failing to rescue his brother Merle, Daryl worked harder than anyone else to find the missing Sophia. He began to find something of a role for himself as the group's hunter. When it was discovered that Sophia was dead all along, Daryl went into a depression and again isolated himself from the group. But he was smart all along, even realizing that Shane killed Otis despite Shane's story of Otis dying a tragic hero. He also envied Shane's position as Rick's right hand man, telling Dale, "Rick just looks to Shane...let him!.. This group is broken." Daryl felt that the rest of the group (with the exception of Dale) looked at him as white trash.

Perhaps sensing the ever-growing tension between Rick and Shane over leadership, Daryl finally stepped up in Judge, Jury, and Executioner. He served as the group's enforcer, beating the snot out of Randall to get information out of his about his rival gang. Also, when Rick attempted to execute Randall, he made sure to bring Daryl with him along with Shane. This was the beginning of Rick beginning to trust Daryl. By the episode's end, Daryl officially became Rick's right-hand man when he put down a dying Dale. After that, Rick recruited Daryl to go with him to drop Randall off. Though the plan didn't work out (Shane kidnapped and murdered Randall before they could) it showed that Rick trusted Daryl and looked to him for support. After Shane was dead, Daryl became Rick's closest male ally, something he still is today.

We also saw Daryl open up a bit this season as he developed a soft spot for Carol. Both Carol and Daryl had been abused previously (Carol by her husband Ed, and Daryl by his brother and father). The two bonded over this and became something of an item. To make a long story short, Daryl Dixon became the anti-hero fans love during season 2.

Perhaps Rick was the character who grew the most during season 2. Rick began the second season as the same man he was during the first. He was smart, negotiable, and maintained his morals. However, this began to change as the episodes progressed this season.

The turning point was the moment the zombie Sophia came staggering out of Hershel's barn. Though the entire group was shocked by this, Rick (perhaps feeling guilty) was the one who walked forward and blew her zombie brains out.
Rick began to lose hope and transitioned slowly into a darker character after this point. In fact, during the very next episode, (Nebraska) Rick swiftly murdered two manipulative hoodlums named Dave and Tony in a bar. He did it without hesitation, and it was a shock to the viewers as much as it was to Glenn and Hershel. If the group had encountered Dave and Tony in previous episodes, Rick would have tried negotiating with them or outsmarting them somehow. Killing them would have been the absolute last resort. But Rick's natural cop instincts and darkening mindset spelled doom for Dave and Tony, the latter of whom fell into a pool of his own piss after being shot.

But Rick still tried hanging on to his morality. He insisted on bringing an injured Randall back to the group's farm. Later, after Shane attempted to kill him at outside of a school, Rick came back for his friend. (18 Miles Out). Shane famously told Rick in that episode, "You can't be the good guy and expect to live....you can't keep them (Lori and Carl) safe." Shane felt that Rick's good intentions would get him and the group killed, and constantly told him that the "right decision is the one that keeps us alive!" Shane was right, but Rick didn't realize it until later.

But Rick still had a lot of heart, as he couldn't bring himself to execute Randall a few episodes later. But the former sheriff reached the point of no return when he murdered Shane. From that moment on, Rick became emotionally distant - his only priority was to keep his group safe. He was now a cold, relentless leader. Even his wife Lori was treated with a sort of imperious disdain. Though Shane was dead, his spirit lived on in this new version of Rick. Although he briefly gave up leadership during the first half of season 4, Rick returned to his "ricktatorship" later in the series. At the start of the second season, Rick was an everyman still living by the rules of the pre-apocolypse. By the end, however, he was a hardened warrior who had fully adapted to the new world.

Andrea began the season as a suicidal wreck. But she gradually developed a bond with Shane and shared his survival mindset. Shane taught the blond how to shoot accurately, and Andrea looked to be on her way to becoming the badass that she is in the comic books. The third season successfully ruined this by making Andrea become The Governor's slut puppy, but that's another story for another blog. The Andrea of season 2 became a warrior and a big asset to the group with her shooting and fearlessness.

Glenn made a big impact the previous season as the group's speedy supply runner. He was swift, brave and likeable. He continued his resourcefulness this season, but along came Maggie, who made a "man out of him." It was during his time on the farm that Glenn became less of a nerd and more self-confident, stemming from the moment that Maggie told him the truth. "For a smart guy, you're really stupid." That's when Glenn gradually eased up on letting the group use him as a guinea pig and became less reckless, as he wanted to live and protect his new girlfriend at all costs. The beginnings of "Warrior Glenn" can be found on the farm in season 2.

To save a little time, I'll do these two together. The Greene family was in denial of the walker-infested world around them. Hershel had his family believing that walkers were just "sick people" and that there would be a cure. He was so delusional that he locked up his undead family members and other walkers in his barn. Maggie smartened up first when Glenn saved her from a walker attack on a supply run. She even tried to warn her father of the danger outside of the farmlands. Hershel, however, didn't see the truth until Shane repeatedly shot his zombified neighbor Louise in the chest multiple times and she kept coming forward. "Barnaggedon" was when Hershel realized he had been foolish. From that point on, he relinquished his leadership to Rick, realizing that he had been right all along. And, had the barn not gotten overrun at the end of the season, Hershel was going to let the group stay in the house. Despite all of the terrible events surrounding his family and friends, Hershel maintained his religious beliefs, giving some of the group members something to hold on to. After Dale's death, Hershel became the group's moral compass and token "wise old man" character, though he remains a fan favorite to this day.

Carl was probably the second most hated character of the season, one notch under his embarrassingly stupid mother Lori. While it was Lori who screwed up the most during the season, her son was nearly her equal. The dumbest thing he did (and came to regret) was taunting a walker caught in the mud by throwing rocks at it, and when the damn thing got loose, Carl ran away and didn't say a word about it to anyone. Later, that same walker followed Carl to the farm and made a snack out of Dale.

Carl learned from this, however, and kind of made up for it by gunning down the zombie Shane who (again) tried to kill Rick. (Shane just doesn't give up, does he?) Carl just couldn't stay in the house this season, but this is partially the blame of LORI, who never kept her eye on him. (She was too busy manipulating Rick and Shane and crashing Maggie's car).  We learned in season 2 that Carl was a great shot with a gun. My point though, is that although Carl didn't change much here, this was the beginning of the tough and fearless Carl we have today.

Other characters underwent minor changes throughout the season but not as extreme as the characters I mentioned above. Carol, for example, became a bit hardened after the loss of her daughter, even refusing to attend the funeral. It wasn't until seasons 3 and 4 that she became the tough, badass Carol that she is today. Likewise, Beth was also present during season 2 but did not develop as a character until seasons 3 and 4. If I missed anyone or if you have any thoughts or comments, feel free to leave them below!

Have a Dugger Day! :)

I've been a fan of the Walking Dead since Season 1. That first season sucked me in fast, and to this day, no other TV show has made me so intrigued from the very beginning. I'm a horror fan, but what really impressed me about the show was the storytelling. It wasn't about the zombies; it was more about the characters, their motives, and how they were reacting to the world around them.

But something went wrong along the way, and this season is the first time that I've purposely missed episodes. Everyone has their own opinion, but this is why my interest in the Walking Dead has been waning.

 The television show was developed by Frank Darabont, who is most famous for directing films such as The Mist and Shawshank Redemption. Darabont has his own way of storytelling. When he was the showrunner for The Walking Dead, we had a lot of flashbacks to give us more information on the characters. For example, Shane looked to be an asshole for trying to steal Rick's wife. This is true, but there was a flashback showing Shane attempting to rescue Rick's comatose body from the hospital. He did what he could to bring his buddy back to life, and didn't give up until the hospital's power was shut off by the military. Even when he did give up, he put a table in front of Rick's room to keep the undead from getting to his body. You could say that Shane saved Rick's life by doing so, as this prevented walkers from eating him while he was in his coma. This one little flashback shows Shane in a more sympathetic light, and that he truly cared for Rick.

Frank Darabont did a great job of introducing us to these characters but was let go by AMC in the middle of filming season 2. The writers of the show even teased the fans in the episode Judge, Jury and Executioner. The characters on the show were divided regarding what to do with the fate of a young prisoner named Randall. Some wanted to spare him and others wanted to kill him. A similar argument happened when Darabont was let go; some cast and crew wanted him to stay but other personel wanted him gone. The character Dale became walker chow in this episode because his actor, Jeffrey DeMunn, wanted out of the show due to Darabont's departure. Funny how the writers put their real life drama into the show and in both scenarios, DeMunn made his exit.

However, Glenn Mazarra swiftly replaced Darabont, and the ratings stayed high. Mazarra didn't like flashbacks and rarely used them, but he did increase the show's action and pacing. Under Mazarra's direction, the Walking Dead became an action show. Season 3 moves at such a fast pace that the TV series had almost caught up with the comics and season 4 had to do some stalling, but I'll get to that later.

Glenn Mazarra left the show before Season 4 started, and Scott Gimple took his place as showrunner. I'm not saying it's primarily Scott's fault, but it was during his tenure that we started to have some bad episodes. After the attack on the prison, the show increasingly began to focus only on certain characters for each episode. For example, we might have an episode focusing on Rick, Carl and Michonne one week, then the next episode is about Daryl and Beth, then we have an episode about Glenn, Tara, Abraham, etc. Basically, you only get to see your favorite characters once a month!

That is one of my main hang-ups. In season 3, there were plenty of episodes that swung back and forth between the prison group and Woodbury. Why can't the show do that now? You can have an episode that keeps you updated on all the characters in different locations. But lately, we'll get an episode all about Daryl being tortured as a prisoner, and then next week we'll get an episode devoted only to Tara.

My next complaint is about the show's shock value. Last year, the character Glenn appeared to be eaten alive by walkers. We had to wait a few weeks to discover his fate, as the show spent each week with a special episode on one or a few characters. (This is getting old, folks). Weeks later, when we finally had an episode that cut back to Glenn, we discovered that he somehow hid under a DUMPSTER and escaped the walkers!! Come on, man. The show has been leaving these ridiculous cliffhangers to keep people coming back. The most notorious one was at the end of season 6, where the show made us wait a whole summer just to see whose head Negan bashed in.

I could be wrong, but it looks like the show is desperate to keep viewers, but its methods are having the opposite effect. The ratings have been sinking lower and lower each week. To me, the show has not been the same since Darabont left. And all of my favorite characters, (Shane, Dale, Hershel, etc) are all long dead. The show's original cast and characters were the best, in this writer's opinion.

While I'm ranting, I have one last complaint. And it's about our homie Theodore Douglas, aka "T-Dog." First off, I have a problem with his name. "T-Dog?" Was that the best "homeboy hip-hop" name they could come up with? It sounds like a backup dancer for MC Hammer. Why couldn't they just call him Theodore or Teddy? Maybe even Doug? I dunno.

But what really disgusted me is their lack of interest in developing his character. T-Dog had a lot of lines in the first season and the first half of the second. He was featured as much as any of the regular supporting characters. And then, after zombie Sophia emerged from the barn, T-Dog suddenly went mute. When Glenn Mazzara took over the show, T-Dog had no lines or contributions whatsoever. It got to the point where fans joked about this on the regular. But again, when Frank Darabont was producing the show, T-Dog had plenty of lines.

I don't like how T-Dog how never developed. I felt like the writers were keeping him around because they had big plans for him later, and were getting the Rick/Lori/Shane storyline out of the way. After all, Beth and Carol were initially background characters who eventually got developed and became strong. This wasn't true for T-Dog. The writers kept him around just to suddenly kill him off after three seasons. It's a shame because we didn't know much about him, and he was doing a great job as the group's enforcer in season 3. While Daryl was Rick's right-hand man, T-Dog stepped up as the group's muscle. I think AMC regretted killing T-Dog with no development, because the other male African American characters since him (Bob, Morgan, Tyreese, Father Gabriel, etc) got plenty of character development and impacted the show's stories greatly.

Also, the character of Andrea became a stupid slut, sleeping with the Governor even when she knew of his evil nature. But in the first two seasons, Andrea was one of the show's best characters, becoming a walker assasin under the tutelge of Shane. This is getting redundant, but again, things went wrong when Darabont left.

I'm on a roll so I'll keep going. Props to you if you're sticking with me this far. I think The Governor storyline went on far too long, beginning in early season 3 and not ending until the season 4 mid-season finale. The Governor was not a bad villian per se, but it felt like he was only there to be a villian. He was a lunatic and his reasons for it are kind of understood, but Shane was the more interesting and realistic villian by far. He was Rick's best friend, and he betrayed him. People like that are the worst kind of villains because they know you're vulnerabilities. When a person close enough to you to be your brother does the same things that Shane did, it can be a lot more dangerous than someone who randomly pops up to antagonize you. Shane's gradual slip into madness was very believable and understood. If he didn't have his obsession with Lori, he would have been an awesome leader.

But looking back at things, Shane was ahead of his time. His calls were a bit more brutal (killing Otis, freeing the walkers from Hershel's barn, etc) but they were the right calls. Rick was still holding on to his humanity when Shane was increasingly becoming hostile, but he began to change after Zombie Sophia emerged from the barn. In the following episode when he killed Dave and Tony in that bar, we knew that Rick was becoming a darker character. Later, when Rick killed Shane, he became Shane. Rick became the darker, ruthless leader that the group really needed; the guy that Shane was pushing him to be.

Around the same time, Daryl Dixon's character was becoming more of the anti-hero. If you take a closer look at the Better Angels episode, you see that Daryl was already becoming Rick's right hand man even before Shane's death. Daryl stepped up in a big way when he put down Dale, which Shane, (as Rick's second in command) should have done. It's the  little smart, subtle changes in the characters like this that kept me intrigued with the show for so many years.

The season 7 mid-season finale is tonight. I hope it doesn't disappoint. I hope you enjoyed my thoughts on the show so far. It's not too late to turn things around.

I miss journalism. I miss the days when my phone wouldn't stop ringing. I miss planning my interviews with big celebrities. I miss telling stories every week in the newspaper, whether it was about something as small as a teacher winning a "teacher of the year" award to something as big as NFL Legend  Joe Theismann coming to town to give a speech. But most of all, I miss the writing.

I've always been great at expressing myself with words on paper. As early as the third grade, I would write "horror" stories or adventure novels and read them to the class. Even back then I knew I had a gift. Naturally, I knew that journalism would be my career choice. Immedieatly after college I started a career freelancing for different newspapers, magazines, and a few online news outlets.

It was fun. It was exciting. And I never knew what I'd be reporting on next. I gained a reputation for being a fun and trustworthy reporter. Many local people would only trust me to cover them for a story; indeed there were a lot of people and organizations I wrote about numerous times. They loved a good A.J. Dugger story. Famous people took note as well. I'll never forget Joe Thesimann's manager calling a paper I once wrote for requesting that "A.J. Dugger meet us in downtown Nashville so Mr. Theismann can talk to him." I had a similar experience years later when I interviewed former Heavyweight Champion Larry Holmes. After the success of our interview and accompanying article, he asked me to help with contributions and editing to his upcoming book. The late Denise Matthews, (formely known as the singer Vanity) enjoyed my work with her as well. After becoming an Evangelist she generally avoided the press, but liked my work and trusted me, giving me the opportunity to share her message through my journalism. We also became friends. She called me often. However, the experience became bittersweet because she died the following year, so I was the last reporter to interview her. Although sad, it makes that interview even more special.

But around the time I graduated from college in 2009, the economy was in the crapper. Deep in the crapper. In fact, at the newspaper where I interned the previous year, I was there to witness 35 jobs get cut. However, as I expanded my resume, I found work relatively easily.

But that's when the journalism took a big hit. These days anyone can be a journalist. All you have to do is "go live" on Facebook, or become a blogger on a news site. But there's no real money in doing that. What happened to the days when you could get a real journalism job where you had salary wages and benefits? What happened to the jobs when you spent your day alternating between typing and making phone calls at your desk and running out to cover stories? That's become a thing of the past.

It's frustrating when you get hired by every place you apply for, but all they can offer is freelance opportunities and all they pay is maybe $35 or $50 per article you write. That can't pay the bills. The way journalism is today, it has to be a side job. That's been my experience for the past two years. I can write all I want for chump change, but doing all that research, writing and interviewing isn't worth it for $35. Newspaper sales and advertising are at an all-time low. Newspapers and magazines are not making half the money they once did, so all they can afford to do is offer writers freelance opportunities for chump change.

The bright side, however, is that you can become famous easier using social media as a journalist. If you want the fame, go for it. It's easy to promote yourself these days. But the money is terrible. I don't personally care about the fame, although I wouldn't shove it away if it came. But I want to make money doing what I enjoy.

I published my first book a few years ago and hopefully my next one will be out next year. I'm trying to inch my way back into writing. It's just kind of discouraging knowing that there's no real money to make in doing it anymore.

I want to write full-time again. Currently I'm a teacher's assistant working with at-risk children. But that's not where my heart is. I'd rather go back to doing what I love. I've been a scribe for a good while now, but I realize that there are more experienced people in that field than me. If anyone has any suggestions on ways to get full-time work again, give me a holler.

On the boxing section of this website, I started a thread a few years ago asking if Fight Night Champion Protagonist Andre Bishop was a real boxer, would he be an all-time great? The discussion among fans is pretty divided, both stating good opinions on why he is or isn't. However, one way to determine if he was the real deal or not is to see how he does head to head with some of the greatest heavyweight champions. 

Muhammad Ali would embarrass Andre the way he did most of his opponents. Too fast, too pretty. Andre was a very capable boxer, but what does he bring to the table that could help him beat Muhammad Ali? For starters, I don't see how Andre could cope with Ali's speed. Granted, Andre would be too smart to wear himself out trying to blast Ali with lunging haymakers the way Sonny Liston did. I don't think Andre would leave himself open for too many counters. But he would lack offensive opportunities against Ali. No way does Andre knock Ali out, especially considering Ali had one of the best chins of all time and Andre was not the world's biggest slugger. Andre would not give up, but I see Ali winning a boring decision over Andre, who would patiently try to press and catch Ali but not land enough punches to make a dent or score points.

Winner: Muhammad Ali by unanimous decision

Andre would show a lot of heart against Rocky Marciano, but that may be the exact thing that gets him killed. I would personally pick Andre to beat a lot of sluggers. But not Marciano. Unlike Isaac Frost, Marciano would not tire. No matter what strategy Andre attempts, Rocky is going to keep coming. To make another Isaac Frost comparison, Isaac got weaker and weaker as the fight progressed; Marciano had a habit of getting stronger. Due to Andre being a counter-puncher, it is possible that he takes advantage of Rocky's crude swings and hurts him with counters. Like Ezzard Charles, Andre could alternate between brawling and countering, which frustrated Rocky to a degree because he didn't know what to expect at any time. That would be Andre's best strategy.

But Andre never faced anyone quite like Rocky. Both guys had heart, but Rocky's was bigger. I don't see Rocky giving in and staying on the floor in a fight against Raymond Bishop the way Andre did. I dunno. This would be a fast-paced war of attrition that Andre would not be prepared for. I see Andre doing OK against Rocky in the early rounds, but once Rocky finds his rhythm, Andre would be unable to keep Rocky off of him and would take a beating, leading to a late round stoppage. I imagine this fight would be similar to Rocky's fights with Archie Moore and Ezzard Charles.

Winner: Rocky Marciano by TKO during the late rounds

I don't see any way for Andre Bishop to beat Joe Louis. He may surprise him with a good right hand, but that wouldn't be enough. Joe was arguably the best finisher of all time, sometimes setting you up for the knockout as early as round 1 and you wouldn't know it. In each round he's working you over at his own subtle pace.

​Joe would sometimes end things early if his opponent hurt him (Tony Galento, Max Baer) or if he viewed him as a threat - (Max Schmeling, John Henry Lewis, Buddy Baer, etc). Given Andre's reputation for winning fights with a broken hand, knocking out Isaac Frost, I believe Louis would see him as a threat and not waste time once the bell rings.

Once The Brown Bomber hurts Andre with his first significant punch, it would be the beginning of the end. That's when Louis would put his finishing blows together and put Andre to sleep. Andre can't out-slug Louis nor can he out-box him. Andre may get a good lick in here or there, but this fight only lasts as long as Joe wants it to.

Winner: Joe Louis by Knockout

I think Andre is capable of beating Lennox Lewis, just as the old version of Holyfield nearly did in late '99. I'm not saying it would be an easy task, however. Andre would have to get past the long telephone pole jab of Lewis and be aware of that right hand or uppercut when he gets in range.

But I feel that Andre could be smart enough to pull off a victory here. Lewis had a habit of abandoning his jab when guys repeatedly hit him in the body. (See his battle with Ray Mercer and his rematch with Holyfield for references). If he employs a constant body attack early on, Andre would be able to manipulate Lennox into a close-range brawl, which works to Andre's advantage. It's possible that maybe he'd counter Lewis and sneak something past him to get a knockout, but most likely he'd win a close decision in a toe to toe war. If old Holyfield and Ray Mercer could nearly push Lewis to the brink by forcing him into a shoot-out, then I think Andre has a real chance here.

Winner: Andre Bishop by decision, but it could just as easily go the other way.

This would be basically the same as my prediction on a bout between Andre and Rocky Marciano. Joe Frazier would be swarming all over Andre. I doubt Andre would be able to fend off an attack from Smokin' Joe.  Watch Joe Frazier at his peak during the years 1970-71. The way he cut the ring, combined with the fierce and relentless tenacity of his attack, makes him one of the best heavyweights ever. He fought at such a frantic pace that not many guys would survive.

Like Marciano, Frazier does not tire. So any hope of wearing Frazier down for a late stoppage is futile. Andre doesn't have the big punch of a George Foreman to stop Joe, and he's not built for a nose-to-nose 15 round slugfest with him either. Joe works him over with big hooks and body attacks, eventually stopping him with a thunderous left hook. Andre would be too battered and beaten to continue.

Winner : Joe Frazier by late TKO

I don't see Andre being able to cope with Larry's jab, stamina and toughness, both mental and physical. With big wins over men such as Shavers, Cooney, Norton, Witherspoon, etc, Larry has enough experience under his belt to make Andre look like an amateur. I just don't see Andre posing a threat to him unless he exposes Larry's weakness of dropping his left hand after the jab and cracking him with an overhand right. But if Larry could survive a near-fatal knockdown from Shavers (and keep in mind that it took THREE knockdowns from a peak Tyson to keep Larry down) then Andre doesn't have a puncher's chance of stopping Larry. Larry would give Andre a boxing lesson and Andre would not be able to keep up.

Winner: Larry Holmes by unanimous decision

Two counter-punchers. In this fight, Andre would be forced to fight as the aggressor. He can't sit back and try to counter Johnson. He'd have to lead, and it wouldn't go well for him. Jack (like Ali and Louis) has too much in his bag of tricks for Andre, who would be in far over his head in this fight.

But on the other foot, Andre has a puncher's chance against Johnson, who had a suspect chin. I think Johnson would slap Andre silly for the most part, but Andre has a puncher's chance and had a history of outsmarting some of this opponents. Would it work against Johnson? I'm not sure. Johnson might just be too tricky for Andre. But in a 12-15 round fight, Andre would find a way to set up the big punch he needs.

Winner: Andre Bishop by knockout

 Evander Holyfield is probably the best heavyweight to compare Andre to. Both guys had great strategies and ring intellect to make up for their lack of size, both were natural counter-punchers, and both achieved huge shock victories as underdogs. But Evander had more experience than Andre. Much more. And he beat much better competition than Andre, whose biggest victory was over Isaac Frost. The Evander Holyfield of '96-97 would find a way to beat Andre in a competitive fight while it lasts. The well-conditioned Andre Bishop who defeated Isaac Frost was a very patient fighter who has a legit chance against almost anyone, but the Evander Holyfield who demolished Mike Tyson and Michael Moorer in the late '90s was a more proven warrior with enough ring experience to get the win.

Winner: Evander Holyfield by TKO during the late rounds.

To make it short, the Klitschkos would beat Andre. They were a little too patient for Andre to find anything to play off of. While Isaac Frost was similar in size to the Klitschkos, he fought a predictable and stupid fight, trying to blast Andre out of the ring during the early rounds. The Klitschkos would bide their time and counter. With a lack of punches to counter and play off, Andre wouldn't be able to bring anything to the dance. He would be on the outside of their long jabs all night. Andre could attempt to work them over with body shots, a'la Isaac Frost, but the Klitschkos wear their trunks up so high that he might get disqualified for "hitting low." There's just too much against Andre in a battle with these guys. He loses by decision or maybe a knockout if the Klitschkos decide to later in the fight.

I realize that Wlad and Vitali are two different fighters and fans of theirs may be offended that I grouped them together. After all, Vitali is a more awkward fighter, but has the better chin and is more comfortable in a slugfest if the opportunity arises. Wlad, on the other hand, is more of the classic boxer-puncher type. He arguably hits harder than his brother, but doesn't take a punch as well and avoids aggressive encounters as much as possible. But to save time here, the Klitschkos would beat Andre the same way, which is why I put them together in this list.

Winners: The Klitschkos by Unanimous Decision or late TKO

Sorry to group these guys together, as they all had different styles. But I'm confident that Andre knocks them all out. Foreman and Liston were big, crude men who hit like trucks. But they could be outsmarted (as Muhammad Ali proved) and they faded during the later rounds. Ultimately, Andre facing them would be repeats of his battle with Isaac Frost.

​Max Baer had better stamina than Liston and Foreman, but his crude haymakers would leave him open for counters from Andre.

Tyson and Dempsey were smaller than Baer, Liston and Foreman, but they were at their best during the early rounds. Andre was smart enough to avoid getting caught up during their early blitz and would take them apart when they slow down after round 4 or 5.

Winner: Andre Bishop by late knockout

     Like the rest of the world, I was shocked by the untimely death of Michael Jackson on June 25, 2009. Being a huge Michael Jackson nerd, I was excited when it was announced that his final rehearsals were being edited into a "rockumentary." I've always been a fan of watching my favorite musicians create their art, both in the recording studio and on stage.  I wanted to see how Michael's creative mind worked as his crafted his show. Unfortunately, there isn't a lot of footage of Michael recording in the studio or creating his stage shows, so This Is It was going to be a rare treat. However, just knowing that these were Michael's last days on earth made the movie bittersweet. Regardless, I found my ass sitting in the movie theater that fall during the movie's opening night.

   In March 2009, Michael launched a press conference in London, announcing a series of concerts there. This was news to me, as Michael had told Ebony Magazine two years prior that he would not tour again.  However, a comeback was definitely looming. There were stories floating around that Michael was recording a new album, working with artists like Neyo and Will.I.Am. Michael Jackson fan sites erupted in 2008 when a duet between Michael and Akon leaked to the internet, confirming that new music was indeed being recorded. So, new music was coming and a new tour was officially announced. The King of Pop was coming back! Who's Bad? 

The film opens with heartfelt introductions by Jackson's dancers, which gives way into a performance of the pulsing Wanna Be Starting Somethin.  Right away, you see that Mr. Jackson moves as confidently as ever and still has command of the stage. Halfway through the song, we witness Michael announce the concerts at the previously-mentioned press conference and oversee the auditions for dancers. (I was in my last semester of college at the time. I seriously considered auditioning, but I chose to graduate instead).

As the film progresses, you can't help but forget Michael's controversies and find yourself drawn more and more into his talent.  You stop noticing his pale skin and gaunt figure and remember why you fell in love with Michael Jackson in the first place. While many people praise Michael for his dancing and showmanship, some of brilliant performances in This Is It will remind viewers that the man could sang.  At times, his voice sounds as pure and confident as it ever has. Listening to his falsetto soar on Human Nature proves that Jackson hadn't lost a note.  I Just Can't Stop Loving You is another example of the performer not needing theatrics to entertain his fans; he can move you with his voice alone. In my opinion, his voice sounded as if it were about to peak again. 2009 Michael Jackson sounded just as phenomenal as 1983 Michael Jackson.

​Though more than once in the film he holds back vocally, stopping to say, "I'm trying to warm up my voice." He rarely went all out during these rehearsals because he wanted his voice to be at its best for the shows.

The same is true with his signature dancing. While he still moved with flawless precision, he noticeably held back a bit at times. However, there were times when he stepped it up a notch, particularly during his electric performance of Billie Jean. Overall, Michael's dancing was as funky, sensual and eye-opening as it's ever been. 

​  As was always the case with Michael Jackson productions, there are innovative surprises. Smooth Criminal opens with a vignette where Michael is digitally inserted into the 1946 film Gilda. After Rita Hayworth flirts with him, he is then chased by a jealous Humphrey Bogart in a gun-chase. It's fresh, fun, and not something you expected to see. Thriller also features a new vignette which includes a creepy house, ghouls, zombies and a foggy graveyard. At the climax of the song, Michael emerges from a giant black widow spider and dances with the undead. 

Many of the star's big hits are performed in the film, ranging from Jackson 5 songs like I Want You Back to later songs like Earth Song. Though his talent was ever-present, the passage of time reveals some minor changes in Michael's persona. Fans may notice that his speaking voice had underwent a change. The falsetto whisper has been replaced by a more resonant tone. Likewise, Michael still had plenty of energy, but it was less "childlike" than previous years. This Michael Jackson appeared more like your hip uncle than the man-child we're used to seeing.  Watch him strut into the press conference with the gangsta stroll!! lol.  

Before I forget, take a look at the full Smooth Criminal vignette below.

* Though I commend the film's producers for the superb editing job they did in the short time they were given, it's obvious at times that some of the performances were uneven. Sources close to Michael have said that he could barely make it through a single song, which is why there are times when he is wearing two or three different outfits for a single performance. Also, some songs combine live vocals with pre-recorded album vocals or even vocals from demos recorded long ago. People who aren't Michael Jackson fans may not notice this, but it didn't fool me.  This is a minor con, though, as they had to do whatever they could to make the sketchy performances appear complete.

* I was disappointed that there was no new music. Performing old hits made Michael appear to be living off old glories. The show looked like it would be great, but new music would have been a plus.  

 I really hate that Michael died. That sucks, and what pours salt in the wound is the timing of his death. People got so caught up in his personal life, physical appearance and allegations that they completely forgot what a great entertainer he was. This show would have reminded people why he was Michael Jackson in the first place.

But the This Is It film accomplishes this feat also. It sucks you in and you get caught up in the magic of Michael Jackson. His charisma, his mystique....you become a fan during these two hours. There are no little children around. No chimps or other exotic animals. No controversy. Just a mega-talented man working and motivating his crew to create the greatest show on earth. 

I gotta rate this 5 stars out of 5. 

This Is It *****

Last week I had the privilege of interviewing one of the most underappreciated R&B singers of our time. Yep, on the other end of the phone was the raspy-voiced baritone singer Jon Jon from the R&B/New Jack Swing group Troop! 

Troop had five #1 singles on the R&B Billboard Charts back in the day, among them a brilliant cover of The Jackson 5's All I Do Is Think of You, Spread My Wings, and a cover of The Deele's song, Sweet November. In this edition of Straight From The Duggerman, I'll explain how I got in touch with Jon Jon and provide commentary on our conversation.

I grew up listening to New Jack Swing. My parents owned a lot of those CDs, including Keith Sweat, Al B. Sure, Guy, Tevin Campbell, SWV, etc. When I got older, I realized that New Jack Swing was my favorite genre of music. That combination of hip hop rhythms and R&B melodies is a beautiful marriage. One of the best (and most underrated) New Jack Swing groups of all time is Troop. I've always liked their music but it wasn't until browsing youtube several years ago that I was reminded of how great these guys really are. In each and every performance, they put on a show. Not only were their moves memorable, but those guys gave every performance 110%. And it shows. I like their sound and their style. How can anyone not like performances like these?

If either of those performances failed to move you, you have no soul. LOL! I became a big fan. I listen to Troop all the time in my truck. How did I get to chat with Jon Jon, you ask? Here's what happened.

Imagine you randomly get a twitter notification like this one.

That's right. It was Jon Jon from Troop! I wasn't following him. In fact I didn't realize he was on twitter. It happened so randomly and I immedieatly followed back and told him how jealous I was of his singing voice and how his growling vocals gave Troop a real edge. He responded kindly. In fact, he appeared kind to all of his fans by interacting with them and retweeting. He was easy to talk to. I didn't detect the slightest bit of ego. I asked him if he'd mind doing an interview with me.  His answer was a quick yes, and we exchanged contact info.

If you listen to the interview above, you can tell easily that we had a good chat. I'm so used to interviewing celebrities that I don't get starstruck anymore. I can be myself 100%. I broke the ice by asking if I could join the group as a bass singer, which got a nice laugh. I also had him rolling with my hilarious impersonations of his singing. Honestly, I think as far as lead singers go, Jon Jon was the secret ingredient. Alan McNeil and Steve Russell are fantastic singers, but both are tenors. Jon Jon gave the band a mature, masculine energy in the same way that Johnny Gill does it for New Edition, or the way David Ruffin did it for The Tempations. Every singing group needs that raw gospel singer to round out their sound, and Jon Jon was that guy in Troop. He didn't get as many leads as he should have, but he always had a presence when he took the mic. Listen to him shine on You Take My Heart With You from the group's Deepa album.

I asked him everything I wanted to...questions about their superhuman dance routines, their future plans, influences, comparisons to New Edition, etc. He was really open and honest. 

One thing I admire about Troop are the obvious Michael Jackson influences. One of their biggest hits was a cover of a Jackson 5 song, and their 1992 album, Deepa, has the same rhythmic/melodic flow of the New Jack Swing songs on Jackson's hard-hitting Dangerous album. While listening to the tracks on Deepa, you almost hold back waiting for Jackson's voice to appear at one time or another.  Listen to tracks like Keep You Next To Me, She Blows My Mind and Strange Hotel and you can easily feel Jackson's spirit. 

Apparently, The King of Pop's brother Tito felt the same way. According to Jon Jon, (who is friends with Tito's son Taj) Tito made his sons (3T) listen to Troop's entire music catalog before they started recording their first album, Brotherhood. That is quite a compliment. Another Jackson connection was the fact that Troop worked with some of MJ's cheorgraphers like Jeffrey Daniel. Listening to Troop's music, especially Attitude, Deepa and Sumthin Sumthin, takes me back to that golden New Jack Swing era when we had Soul For Real, Hi-Five, Jodeci, TLC, Bobby Brown and so many other talented R&B singers on the radio all the time. I like it when music takes you places, and no matter what Troop album you play, they do just that.

The biggest surprise to me during the interview was how open Jon Jon was about the band's current situation with former lead singer Alan McNeil, who goes by the name Al Mac these days.  I noticed that Al Mac hadn't been performing with Troop for a number of years, but he sung on on the band's new single Forever, which was recorded and released last year. On the track, Al Mac opens and closes the song with his signature vocal riffs. So I thought he was back in the group. Personally I thought the song was so-so, but hearing all their voices on one song was magic, especially since every member got a chance to shine at one part or another.  I actually thought this single was released to promote  a long-awaited new Troop album, but no such luck. 

But this goes to show how fans can never quite tell what drama is going on within a group at any given time. Apparently Al Mac had to be convinced to sing on Forever.  "We had to fight tooth and nail to get him to record that song," Jon Jon said.  Al Mac emailed his vocals to Steve Russell and was never in the studio with his former bandmates when they recorded Forever. 

With hurt in his voice, Jon Jon also revealed that  Al Mac made some bad choices and has been blackballed to a degree by the music industry.  That sucks to hear.  Wow.  All groups go through rough patches like this one. I believe in time that Al Mac will be singing with Troop again someday. Heck, if The Temptations could do a reunion after all they went through, surely Troop can! It may not be soon that it happens, but I don't believe this is the end of Al Mac's association with the group.

Al Mac's voice is certainly missed during the live shows but as Jon Jon told me, the fans now get to hear more Jon Jon, which is a plus. I think it's a great idea for Jon Jon to sing Al Mac's old parts. A familiar voice is much easier to digest than that of a new member. A new member may be added to the group, so I hope Jon Jon took my inquiry about joining as a bass singer seriously.  (Hint hint). LOL!!

I enjoyed my chat with Jon Jon and I'm glad he was open and fun to talk to. He retweeted our interview a few times and is really appreciative and  interactive with his fans. I hope to meet Troop in person when they perform in Nashville. I'll make sure I'm there to cover the show for The Tennessee Tribune. Until then, I'll "spread my wings" and see you in "Sweet November."

Welcome to the second edition of "Straight From The Duggerman" where I provide commentary of my celebrity interviews. Last week, I blessed my fans with a detailed behind the scenes look at my interview with 2x heavyweight champion Shannon Briggs. Today I'm going to talk about my two interviews with a heavyweight in his own right, Tariq Nasheed.

I became a fan of Tariq Nasheed during my college days. Before meeting my wife, well, let's just say I was the big man on campus regarding the ladies. It didn't matter if they were white, black, 20 or 40, I discovered that I had serious connections with women. Self-confidence and talking the talk can lead you a long way. (Fellas, remember that if you struggle with the ladies). 

I first became aware of Tariq Nasheed when he appeared on the MTV show, Made. He helped coach an insecure, overweight kid into becoming a ladies man. What struck me is that Tariq told the young man almost all of the same things I would have told him. Tariq schooled the young lad on style, confidence, overcoming shyness, everything. I felt as if I was coaching the kid with Tariq! Not long afterward, I started listening to his radio shows and peeked at his book The Art of Macking and noticed that Tariq and I think a lot alike when it comes to picking up women. I became a fan almost right away.

In addition to offering relationship and dating advice, Tariq is also a social commentator, talking about things in society that people don't like to discuss. If you're wrong, Tariq would call you out. It didn't matter if you were white, black, male, female, whatever. Tariq told the truth and said the things that needed to be said. He still does. 

In 2011, Tariq independently dropped a documentary called Hidden Colors on an unsuspecting public. To this day, everyone I've talked to who has seen it loved it. The film uncovers many truths about African American history that is not taught in schools. For example, while watching Hidden Colors, you'll learn that Africans were once kings and queens before slavery. You'll discover that the famous composer Beethoven was part African American, and there's also a part of the movie that breaks down what Jesus Christ really looked like.  In the film, Tariq brought on world-renowned scholars and documented evidence to prove these things. 

The movie went on to become an underground smash despite a lack of public promotion. In 2012, Tariq announced that a second Hidden Colors film was in production. Sensing that the media would ignore this one too, I wanted to do my part in helping to promote this documentary about our history.  I reached out to Tariq via Facebook. I sent him a link to my professional website so he could become familiar with my resume, and we planned a phone interview. Below is our phone conversation.

We chatted a little bit before I hit the record button on my voice recorder, so when I broke out in my James Earl Jones impression at the start of the interview, he couldn't contain his laughter. So yes, the big gut laugh you hear from him at the start of the interview is real. (If you watch my interviews, you'll notice that I'm a great icebreaker).

I got to ask him everything I wanted to. We covered Hidden Colors 1 and 2, Tariq's upbringing, self-confidence, women, etc. As he always is during interviews, Tariq was real smooth and easy to talk to. I must confess to omitting one question, however. There's a point during the interview when I asked Tariq to say whatever came to his mind first when I mentioned certain words. I was tempted to say Payroll The Pimp, someone who Tariq famously roasted for an entire radio show several years ago. When the show began, Tariq was playing 2Pac's diss song, Hit Em' Up, so you knew what time it was. Listen to it here.

But anyway, Payroll The Pimp is obviously not Tariq's favorite person. I was curious of what his reaction would be, but I did not want to make him mad!! lol.
One thing I learned years ago from Oprah Winfrey about interviewing people is that you don't wanna piss them off because A) It's bad journalism ethics, obviously. And B) It's really hard to get them back once you've asked an upsetting question. All that trust and bonding you've earned is suddenly gone and unlikely to return. Looking back, I don't think Tariq would have gotten upset if I mentioned Payroll The Pimp, but just to be on the safe side, I didn't want to take the chance.  I didn't want one question to turn this into a disaster. Besides, I wouldn't want someone to mention my worst enemy to me  if I were being interviewed. So I let that question stay in my notebook.

But anyway, we had a good chat and I was proud to be a part of promoting Hidden Colors 2. I was a fan of Tariq and glad to interview him. However, this wouldn't be my last time interviewing him.

In September of 2013, Tariq said on one of his U-Streams that he'd be lecturing at Tennessee State University in Nashville, TN. I live in Clarksville, which is a little less than an hour away. Tariq was hard at work on Hidden Colors 3 at the time, so I figured I'd interview him in person since the opportunity arose. I briefed him on Facebook a few days prior to his lecture so he knew I'd be there to talk to him.

Despite wearing my press badge, getting backstage to interview Tariq was almost as hard as getting backstage to interview Michael Jackson. His security was fierce; Mean-looking brothers standing all over the place wearing suits with bow ties. They blocked each exit and staircase. I assumed that they were from The Nation of Islam, but they said they were Masons. I wanted to interview Tariq before the lecture, but his handlers told me to wait until afterward because he was getting ready. I did get a few glimpses of him walking around in his street clothes 20 minutes before he went on. We exchanged glances and he gave me the "wassup" head nod. A good sign. He changed into a blue suit and hit the stage. I watched him speak and took a few pictures of him for the paper I was covering the event for. (The Tennessee Tribune). 

Shortly after he finished speaking, I ran into him backstage. Imagine my big smile and dreads bouncing everywhere.

Me: Tariq! What's good, fam?

Tariq: What's up! You're with The Tribune, right?

Me: That's right.

"Let's head on back," he said, gesturing to follow him to his locker room. Before we went back, he quickly posed with a female fan and I snapped a picture of them on her cell phone. Seconds later, we went back to his room and chatted a bit as I got my voice recorder and cell phone ready. The result was this interview.

I didn't have a lot of time because Tariq was quite busy, but I got to ask him everything I needed. I covered a lot of ground with him during our original interview, so most of my questions on this night were about the upcoming Hidden Colors 3.

I'm sure you laughed quite a bit during this interview. I've fallen into quite a groove of chatting with celebrities, so I can be myself 100%. I aim for my interviews to flow more like conversations rather than a job interview or a damn police interrogation. This puts my sources at ease. 

Yes, I shamelessly plugged my book, The Dealers: Then and Now. (Buy it if you haven't already!!! Great story!!!) Dang. I did it again. But anyway, this was a chance for me to plug my book AND get vital information about book promotion from Tariq all in one go. He's a best-selling author. Who better to get advice from? I got the desired results - got some extra book sales  and many of Tariq's followers became fans of mine as well. This interview, coupled with my interview with former Heavyweight Champion Joe Frazier's son Marvis a week later, resulted in my twitter and facebook followers rising pretty damn high over the next few weeks.

Back to the interview. Tariq towered over me. I couldn't help but note how big the guy was. When I told him he made me feel like Gary Coleman by comparison, I was being completely honest. We had a good chat and the people around really enjoyed watching our interview. Normally the saying, "A good time  had by all," is cliche, but in this case it was true. There was a friendly family vibe backstage.

There was one thing that disappointed me: I was the only journalist there. I expected at least a few more. No photographers, no news cameras, nothing. Just me. You'd think the black press would be interested, at least. After all, Tariq is one of the few people out there pushing to tell the real story of African Americans and willing to speak up on things that other people, both white and black, remain silent about. Tariq is a best-selling author, film director/producer, and relationship expert who has appeared on Vh1, MTV, Conan O'Brien and Jay Leno. But I was the only reporter in attendance. It's sad to me that people don't consider this news. Tariq needs support. He gets a reasonable amount, but it should be twice as much as what it is. 

Wait. I did meet another journalist there. He didn't cover the event but he did interview Tariq over the phone some time later. His name is Bryson Clark and his website is here.

While I'm at it, The Hidden Colors  movies are not about racism, nor are they anti-white. The films just tell the stories about African Americans that are omitted from the history books in schools. It's education, pure and simple. But some people see it as a threat. Most education channels (like PBS, for example) refused to air it. If the films had been about black people suffering as slaves, I'll bet you anything that PBS would be more than happy to air them then.

My article about Tariq ran in The Tennessee Tribune a few days before the event to publicize his arrival. 90% of my articles headline on the front page, but for some reason this one didn't. Personally I think someone like Tariq speaking at TSU was worthy of the front page, but it's not up to me.  Also, the article didn't run online either. I attempted several times to scan the article, but it's difficult to get it all on one page and get the words clear. So I'm posting the article and the picture that ran with it below.