I was in New York doing what I try to do best: show up for my little girls and support them in their endeavors. My daughter had a volleyball game at her university and I was pumped for the event. Although I do all I can to stay away from work when I am with my kids, I couldn't help but sneak away to appear on one of my favorite radio shows, "Open Line" on 98.7 Kiss FM.
During the show, we discussed all the usual topics for a hot blooded Sunday afternoon: politics, news, African American issues, Obama and more. Toward the end of the show, someone made mention of Robert Plant's appearance on the 'Today' show. My first thought was, "Who in the heck is Robert Plant and why does he matter?" It only took me a couple of seconds to figure out the answer to both of those questions.
Plant is the former lead man for Led Zeppelin. He is also of British decent. Apparently, Plant was mentioning the American influences to his music (check the 1:02 mark in the video). "Spook music" was a genre he stated to be one of his favorites, which obviously got my attention. The host of the show didn't seem to notice a thing, and the 'Today' show hasn't issued an apology or explanation for the incident.
Okay, I tried to think to myself, "What else could he have meant when he said 'Spook music'?" So, I went to Internet University to try to find answers to that question. When I searched for the term "Spook Music" on the web, I didn't find much of anything that might allow me to exonerate Plant for his ill-timed remark.
I saw a band called "The Spooks," but that didn't seem to correlate. I also saw a website that talked about Spook music, but it was referring to a record label that appears to have been created in the last five years. Overall, it appears that both Plant and the 'Today' show might owe black America an apology.
I'd love to hear feedback on this one, as I'm trying to find an explanation. Could the 'Today' show host have been too insensitive to catch this, or am I the one missing the joke? Either way, black people would rather not be referred to as "spooks."
13-Aug-10 - Well-known conservative talk show host Dr. Laura Schlessinger said the N-word 11 times to a caller who reached out to her for help regarding her interracial marriage.
13-Aug-10 - Well-known conservative talk show host Dr. Laura Schlessinger said the N-word 11 times to a caller who reached out to her for help regarding her interracial marriage.
13-Aug-10 - Former Detroit Police Chief Warren Evans resigned. Evans, though, is striking back by revealing text messages between Lt. Monique Patterson and interim police chief Ralph Goodbee.
10-Aug-10 - The niece of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. Alveda King says that same-sex marriage will lead to "extinction" and "genocide."
09-Aug-10 - It appears that Glenn Beck enjoys the idea of comparing black people to monkeys. Beck's latest rant featured him comparing President Barack Obama's America to "the damn 'Planet of the Apes.'"
03-Aug-10 - South Africa's Dudu Tshabalala, a once-high flying executive, now says that she is being ostracized for speaking up against racial injustices at L'Oreal.
05-Aug-10 - Dr. Cornel West apparently has a bone to pick with President Barack Obama. Over time, the good Dr. West has become increasingly vocal in his critique of Obama, and even went as far as to say that Obama treated him "like a cub scout."
05-Aug-10 - Actress Maia Campbell, who was just recently videotaped performing a host of alleged drug-induced antics on a California street, has been arrested, according to Young, Black and Fabulous.
04-Aug-10 - Omar Thornton's family added some details to early reports that he was the victim of workplace racism that was ignored by higher-ups at the company.
I saw that show too. I thought I misunderstood what he said, especially since the interviewer didn't even blink at his answer. Maybe it's British slang for Black American music. Who knows what he was thinking. But I don't expect any kind acknowledgment from the Today Show.
The Today show is not to blame. It was a "LIVE" feed. It's like being in a train wreck, you know it's happening but you can do little about the damage. Blame Plant's lack of being schooled. I'm certain once he's enlightened to American "Sensitivity" he'll offer a sincere apology. A "Today" apology is not warranted.
Here we go again breaking out the race card every time someone forgot our fries at a drive-through. We don't have a right to monopolize the word SPOOK any more than homosexuals have to copyright the rainbow.
By: Jerry springer final thought.. on 9/21/2010 9:49AM
Neutral
Being a 60's child myself, I recall brits using the term "Spooky" as a way to describe how they thought the music sounded. Being (Shortened to SPOOK) offends only those with limited knowledge of the facts and a deep, (cry wolf at the drop of a hat) seeded racism within themselves.
Ugh... Isn't it a shame when true feelings inadvertently pop out? I would hate to think that he is a racist, but what other rationale would there be for using that terminology in referring to the Blues? If you read the comments on the Blabbermouth page many people, seemingly in the need to believe he isn't racist are making excuses for why he would have used that term. I don't think it's a British term. Could he just be old-fashioned? Ignorant? Either way if that is how he feels about black people its better that we all know so fans of his can take him to task.
I take exception to the reference made by Robert Plant about "spook" music in his NBC interview. I feel that it was inappropriate and totally racist regardless of the fact that Plant is English
know the author of this article is a PhD and claims to have done internet research before writing his article demanding an apolgy, but if he had bothered to search "robert plant" and "spook" he would have quickly (it took me less than a minute) to pull up a July 2010 interview Robert Plant gave in which he explained what "spook" music is. As you may suspect is has nothing to do with race. For those of you interested in reading this yourself, below I have reproduced the relevant extract from the July interview and the url for the whole story:
Plant rocks on, talks on about new work by Larry Rodgers - Jul. 18, 2010 12:00 AM . . .
Q: Why did you choose the name of a band from before Led Zeppelin for this project? A: When I was a kid in the original Band of Joy, I wore my musical heart on my sleeve, and I really kicked ass, and that's kind of how I teamed up with Jimmy Page back then. I stepped out of the rank and file of performers. I've kept my vision of what . . . Led Zeppelin was, from album to album, in everything I've tried to do before, during and after that big time in my life. So when I got to playing with Buddy on the Alison Krauss tour, I began formulating an idea of going back to how liberated I felt when I was 17, 18, 19 years old. Whereas Strange Sensation (a Plant group that played Phoenix in 2005) was a contemporary spook (or atmospheric sound), this is much more in the kind of fantastic, organic spook, a freak-out of massive voices one minute and then strange, overdriven psychedelic guitar the next and then maybe the clatter and railing of old-time banjo.
Dr. Watkins, I listen to Kiss-FM Open Line every Sunday and I did again this morning. I had not heard anything about Robert Plants' comments on the Today Show until you brought it to the public's attention, thank you.
I was shocked for one by Plant's degrading comment in regards to Black music and a bit angered that the host or interviewer did nothing to acknowledge that racial slur. It was all very insulting. I have emailed NBC about it this evening.
Robert Plant was not intending to be disparing to black people but was giving a compliment by saying that he fashioned his music after American blues and spook music. Imitation is the greatest form of flattery. Lets not try to be insulted when no insult was intented.
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Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and a Scholarship in Action resident of the Institute for Black Public Policy. To have Dr. Boyce's commentary delivered to your e-mail, please click here. 
Comments: (113)
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By: Susan Smith on 9/20/2010 1:19AM
I saw that show too. I thought I misunderstood what he said, especially since the interviewer didn't even blink at his answer. Maybe it's British slang for Black American music. Who knows what he was thinking. But I don't expect any kind acknowledgment from the Today Show.
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By: ARNEADER on 9/20/2010 9:47AM
No problem, black people should just start dropping disparaging terms about white people with disregards.
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By: The Truth on 9/21/2010 7:00AM
The Today show is not to blame.
It was a "LIVE" feed.
It's like being in a train wreck, you know it's happening but you can do little about the damage.
Blame Plant's lack of being schooled.
I'm certain once he's enlightened to American "Sensitivity" he'll offer a sincere apology.
A "Today" apology is not warranted.
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By: Just THINK about it on 9/21/2010 9:35AM
Here we go again breaking out the race card every time someone forgot our fries at a drive-through.
We don't have a right to monopolize the word SPOOK any more than homosexuals have to copyright the rainbow.
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By: Jerry springer final thought.. on 9/21/2010 9:49AM
Being a 60's child myself, I recall brits using the term "Spooky" as a way to describe how they thought the music sounded.
Being (Shortened to SPOOK) offends only those with limited knowledge of the facts and a deep, (cry wolf at the drop of a hat) seeded racism within themselves.
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By: Renee on 9/20/2010 2:04AM
Ugh... Isn't it a shame when true feelings inadvertently pop out? I would hate to think that he is a racist, but what other rationale would there be for using that terminology in referring to the Blues? If you read the comments on the Blabbermouth page many people, seemingly in the need to believe he isn't racist are making excuses for why he would have used that term. I don't think it's a British term. Could he just be old-fashioned? Ignorant? Either way if that is how he feels about black people its better that we all know so fans of his can take him to task.
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By: Armand Robinson on 9/20/2010 10:51PM
I take exception to the reference made by Robert Plant about "spook" music in his NBC interview. I feel that it was inappropriate and totally racist regardless of the fact that Plant is English
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By: John on 9/29/2010 1:39PM
know the author of this article is a PhD and claims to have done internet research before writing his article demanding an apolgy, but if he had bothered to search "robert plant" and "spook" he would have quickly (it took me less than a minute) to pull up a July 2010 interview Robert Plant gave in which he explained what "spook" music is. As you may suspect is has nothing to do with race. For those of you interested in reading this yourself, below I have reproduced the relevant extract from the July interview and the url for the whole story:
Plant rocks on, talks on about new work
by Larry Rodgers - Jul. 18, 2010 12:00 AM
. . .
Q: Why did you choose the name of a band from before Led Zeppelin for this project?
A: When I was a kid in the original Band of Joy, I wore my musical heart on my sleeve, and I really kicked ass, and that's kind of how I teamed up with Jimmy Page back then. I stepped out of the rank and file of performers.
I've kept my vision of what . . . Led Zeppelin was, from album to album, in everything I've tried to do before, during and after that big time in my life.
So when I got to playing with Buddy on the Alison Krauss tour, I began formulating an idea of going back to how liberated I felt when I was 17, 18, 19 years old.
Whereas Strange Sensation (a Plant group that played Phoenix in 2005) was a contemporary spook (or atmospheric sound), this is much more in the kind of fantastic, organic spook, a freak-out of massive voices one minute and then strange, overdriven psychedelic guitar the next and then maybe the clatter and railing of old-time banjo.
Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/ae/articles/2010/07/18/20100718plant0718.html#ixzz10Mrv4PVU
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By: mdavis9579 on 9/20/2010 3:17AM
Dr. Watkins, I listen to Kiss-FM Open Line every Sunday and I did again this morning. I had not heard anything about Robert Plants' comments on the Today Show until you brought it to the public's attention, thank you.
I was shocked for one by Plant's degrading comment in regards to Black music and a bit angered that the host or interviewer did nothing to acknowledge that racial slur. It was all very insulting. I have emailed NBC about it this evening.
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By: god72father on 9/22/2010 12:10PM
Robert Plant was not intending to be disparing to black people but was giving a compliment by saying that he fashioned his music after American blues and spook music. Imitation is the greatest form of flattery. Lets not try to be insulted when no insult was intented.
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