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rosettastone.com/L-E-V-A-R.

1:16

Hi, I'm LaVar Burton, and this

1:18

is LaVar Burton-Reed's. In

1:21

every episode, I handpick a different piece of

1:23

short fiction, and I read

1:25

it to you. The only

1:27

thing these stories have in common is

1:30

that I love them, and I hope you will, too.

1:38

Y'all, I find today's story

1:41

completely fascinating.

1:44

I mean, it's a story about

1:46

a man who I

1:49

mean, it's funny, it's beautifully

1:52

spare, and it is very

1:55

complicated. In

1:57

fact, I actually don't want to say much more about

1:59

it before... we begin. I

2:01

think it's better to let Percival get

2:03

his hooks into you first. It's

2:06

from Percival Everett's collection of stories

2:08

entitled, Damned If I Do, published

2:10

by Gray Wolf Press. Now you

2:12

might remember Percival's name from two

2:14

other stories that we have read

2:16

on the pod or maybe

2:19

you've even seen the new movie

2:21

directed by Cora Jefferson called American

2:23

Fiction, one of my favorite

2:25

movies of the year which was based

2:28

on the book Erasure, one of

2:31

Percival's novels.

2:33

And so now if

2:36

you're ready let's take a deep

2:38

breath. And

2:54

begin. The

2:57

appropriation of cultures

3:01

by Percival Everett. Daniel

3:11

Barkley had money

3:14

left to him by his mother. He

3:17

had a house that had been left to him by his

3:19

mother. He

3:21

had a degree in American Studies

3:23

from Brown University that he had

3:25

in some way earned but that

3:28

had not yet earned anything for

3:30

him. He

3:32

played a 1940 Martin guitar with a Barkley's

3:36

Berry pickup and drove a

3:38

1976 Jensen Interceptor

3:41

which she had purchased after his mother's

3:43

sister had died and left him her

3:46

money because she had no children of

3:48

her own. Daniel

3:52

Barkley didn't work and didn't

3:55

pretend to need to, spending

3:58

most of his time reading. Some

4:01

nights he went to a joint

4:03

near the campus of the University

4:05

of South Carolina and played jazz

4:07

with some old guys who all

4:09

worked very hard during the day

4:11

but didn't hold Daniel's condition against

4:13

him. Daniel

4:17

played standards with the old guys,

4:19

but what he loved to play

4:21

were old-time slide tunes. One

4:24

night some white boys from a

4:27

fraternity yelled forward to the stage at

4:29

the black man holding the acoustic guitar

4:31

and began to shout, Lay

4:34

Dixie first! Lay

4:37

Dixie first! Daniel

4:41

gave them a long look, studied

4:44

their big-tooth grins and the

4:47

beer-shiny eyes stuck into puffy

4:49

pale faces hovering over golf

4:51

shirts and chinos. He

4:54

looked from them to the uncomfortable expressions on

4:57

the faces of the old guys with whom

4:59

he was playing and then to the

5:02

embarrassed faces of the other college kids in

5:04

the club. And

5:11

then he started to play. He

5:15

felt his way slowly through the chords of

5:17

the song once and listened to the dead

5:19

and hushed as it fell over the

5:22

room. He used

5:24

the slide to squeeze out the melody of

5:26

the song he had grown up hating, a

5:29

song the whites had always

5:31

pulled out to remind themselves and

5:33

those other people just where they

5:35

were. Daniel

5:39

sang the song. He sang

5:41

it slowly. He

5:43

sang it, feeling the

5:45

lyrics, deciding that the lyrics

5:47

were his, deciding that

5:50

the song was his. Old

5:54

times there are

5:57

not forgotten.

6:02

He sang the song and

6:04

listened to the silence around him.

6:07

He resisted the urge to let satire

6:09

ring through his voice. He

6:11

meant what he sang. Look

6:16

away, look away, look

6:18

away, Dixieland. When

6:28

he was finished, he looked up to

6:30

see the room full of eyes on him. One

6:34

person clapped, then another,

6:36

and soon the tavern was filled with

6:39

applause and hoost. He

6:41

found the frat boys in the back and

6:43

watched as they stormed out, a

6:45

couple of people near the door chuckling at them

6:47

as they passed. Roger,

6:50

the old guy who played tenor sax,

6:52

slapped Daniel on the back and said

6:54

something like, ride on, or

6:58

cool. Roger

7:00

then played the first few notes of Take the

7:02

A-Train, and they were on. When

7:09

the set was done, all the college

7:11

kids slapped Daniel on the back as

7:13

he walked toward the bar where he

7:15

found a beer waiting. Daniel

7:20

didn't much care for the slaps on the

7:22

back, but he didn't focus too

7:24

much energy on that. He

7:27

was busy trying to sort out his

7:29

feelings about what he had just played.

7:32

The irony of his playing the song

7:34

straight and from the heart was made

7:36

more ironic by the fact that as

7:38

he played it, it came

7:41

straight and from his heart as

7:43

he was claiming southern soil or

7:45

at least recognizing his blood in

7:47

it. This

7:50

was the land of cotton, and

7:52

hell no, it was not forgotten.

7:56

At 23, his anger was fresh

7:59

and typical and So was his

8:01

ease with it. The

8:03

way it could be forgotten for chunks of

8:05

time, until something like that

8:07

night with the white frat boys or

8:09

simply a flashing blue light in the

8:11

rearview mirror brought it all back.

8:15

He liked the song, wanted

8:18

to play it again, knew

8:21

that he would. He

8:24

drove home from the bar on Green Street

8:26

and back to his house where he made

8:28

tea and read about Pickett's Charge

8:30

at Gettysburg while he sat in the big

8:33

leather chair that had been his father's. He

8:36

fell asleep and had a dream in

8:39

which he stopped Pickett's men on the Emmitsburg

8:41

Road on their way to the field and

8:43

said, give me

8:45

back my flag. Daniel

8:55

and Sarah went to a grocery market to

8:58

buy food for lunch and Daniel's dinner. Daniel

9:01

pushed the cart through the pigly wiggly while

9:03

Sarah walked ahead of him. He

9:05

watched her large movements and her

9:08

confidence stride. At the

9:10

checkout, he added a bulletin full of

9:12

pictures of local cars and trucks for

9:14

sale to his items on the conveyor.

9:18

What's that for? Sarah asked.

9:21

I think I want to buy a

9:23

truck. So

9:26

I can drive you around when you paint your

9:29

nails. Daniel's

9:34

friend Sarah was a very large woman

9:37

with a very large Afro hairdo. They

9:39

were sitting on the porch of Daniel's house

9:41

having tea. A late

9:44

fall afternoon was mild and

9:46

slightly overcast. Daniel

9:49

sat in the wicker rocker while Sarah

9:51

curled her feet under her on the

9:53

glider. I

9:55

wish I could have heard it. Yeah, me

9:58

too. Personally,

10:00

I can't even stand to go in that place.

10:02

All that drinking. Those white kids

10:04

love to drink." Sarah

10:07

studied her fingernails. I

10:10

guess. The place

10:12

is harmless. They seem to

10:14

like the music. "'Do

10:17

you think I should paint my nails?' Daniel

10:19

frowned at her. "'If

10:22

you want to.' I

10:24

mean, really paint them. You

10:26

know, black. Or with red, white,

10:28

and blue stripes. Something like that."

10:31

She held her hand out, appearing to imagine the

10:33

colors. "'I'd have

10:35

to grow them long.' What

10:37

are you talking about?' Just

10:40

bullshitting." Later, after

10:43

lunch and after Sarah had left him alone,

10:46

Daniel sat in his living room and picked

10:48

up the car sale magazine. As

10:51

he suspected, there were several trucks he

10:53

liked, and one in particular, a 1968

10:55

Ford three-quarter

10:57

ton with the one thing it

10:59

shared with the other possibilities, a

11:03

full rear cab window decal

11:05

of the Confederate flag. He

11:08

called the number the following morning

11:10

and arranged with Barb, Travis' wife,

11:12

to stop by and see the

11:15

truck. Hey

11:30

everyone, it's Ted from Consumer Cellular, the guy in

11:32

the orange sweater, and this is your wake-up call.

11:34

If you're paying too much for wireless service, you

11:37

don't have to keep having that nightmare. Consumer

11:39

Cellular has the same fast, reliable coverage

11:41

as the leading carriers for up to

11:44

half the cost. So why keep spending

11:46

more than you have to? Seriously, wake

11:48

up and call 1-888-FREEDOM or visit consumercellular.com.

11:50

Savings based on cost of Consumer Cellular's single line 1, 5,

11:52

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11:54

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11:57

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12:00

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12:02

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with skilled professionals to get all your home projects

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done well. Visit angie.com. You

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can do this when you Angie that. Well,

12:18

let's get back to our story. Travis

12:25

and Barb lived across the river

12:27

in the town of Ermo, a

12:30

name that Daniel had always thought suited

12:32

a disease for cattle. He

12:35

drove around the maze of tracked homes

12:37

until he found the right street and

12:39

number. A

12:42

woman in a housecoat across the street

12:44

watched from her porch, safe, inside

12:46

the chain-link fence around her yard.

12:49

From down the street, a man

12:52

and a teenager who were covered

12:54

with grease and apparently engaged in

12:56

work on a torn apart Dodge

12:58

Charger mindlessly wiped their hands and

13:00

studied him. Daniel

13:03

walked across the front yard through a

13:05

maze of plastic toys and knocked on

13:07

the front door. Travis

13:09

opened the door and asked in a

13:11

surly voice, what is it? I

13:15

called about the truck, Daniel

13:17

said. Oh, you're

13:21

Dan? Daniel

13:23

nodded. The

13:25

truck's in the backyard. Let

13:28

me get the keys. He

13:31

pushed the door too, but it didn't catch. Daniel

13:34

heard the quality of the exchange between

13:36

Travis and Barb, but not the words.

13:39

He did hear Barb say as Travis pulled

13:41

open the door, I couldn't

13:44

tell over the phone. Got

13:47

him, Travis said. Come

13:49

on with me. He

13:52

looked at Daniel's Jensen as they walked through

13:54

the yard. What

13:56

kind of car is that? It's

13:59

a Jensen. Nice. Logan.

14:02

Is a fast. Now. I

14:04

guess. The

14:06

truck looked a little rough. A

14:08

pale blue with a bleached out hood

14:10

and a crack cross the top of

14:12

the windshield. Travis.

14:14

Open the driver's side door and pushed the

14:16

key into the ignition. Is

14:19

a strong runner. He said. Daniel

14:22

put his hand on the faded hood

14:24

and felt the warmth. Knew that

14:26

Travis. It already warmed up the motor.

14:30

Travis, turn the key to the engine

14:32

kicked over. He

14:34

nodded to Daniel. Daniel nodded

14:36

back. He looked

14:38

up to see a blonde woman looking on

14:40

from behind the screen door of the back

14:43

porch. Clubs and

14:45

the alternator new this year Travis step

14:47

backwards to the one of the bed

14:49

in the thin. Air

14:51

some rust back here, but

14:54

bottoms pretty, Some. Then

14:57

attended to the sound of the huge.

15:00

Mrs just a little he said.

15:04

Soon Apple says that. Daniel

15:06

regarded the Rebel flag decals covering

15:08

the rear window of the Cavs.

15:10

touched it with his finger, To

15:14

that thing of peel right off

15:16

Stratasys. I

15:19

like. Daniel sat

15:21

down in the truck behind

15:23

the steering wheel. Modified tickets

15:25

were spent survey Travis of

15:27

toward the house in back

15:30

to Daniel Breaks good with

15:32

for as I. Noted.

15:37

Shut the door is long fingers

15:39

rapped over the edge of the

15:41

have Lowered class. Then you'll notice

15:43

that one of the man's fingernails

15:45

was blackened. I'll just take it

15:47

around the block or two. blonde

15:50

woman was now standing outside the door

15:52

on the concrete steps daniel put the

15:54

trucked in here and drove out of

15:56

your past his car and down the

15:59

street by the man and teenager who

16:01

were still at work on the charger.

16:04

They stared at him, were still watching

16:06

him as he turned right at the corner. The

16:09

truck handled decently, but that

16:12

really wasn't important. Back

16:15

at Travis's house, Daniel left the keys

16:17

in the truck and got out to

16:20

observe the bald tires while Travis looked

16:22

on. The

16:24

ad in the magazine said 2000. Yeah,

16:28

but I'm willing to work with you. I'll

16:31

tell you what, give you 2200 if you

16:33

deliver it

16:36

to my house. Travis

16:38

was lost, scratching his head and looking

16:40

back at the house for his wife

16:42

who was no longer standing there. Whereabouts

16:45

do you live? I

16:47

live over near the university near

16:50

five points. 2200

16:53

Travis said more to himself than to

16:55

Daniel. Sure, I

16:58

can get it to your house. Here's

17:00

200. Daniel counted out the

17:03

money and handed it to the

17:05

man. I'll have the

17:07

rest for you in cash when you deliver

17:09

the truck. He

17:12

watched Travis feel the bills with his skinny

17:14

fingers. Can you have

17:16

it there at about four? I

17:19

can do that. What

17:27

in the world do you need a

17:29

truck for? Sarah asked. She

17:32

stepped over to the counter and poured herself another

17:34

cup of coffee. Then sat back

17:36

down at the table with Daniel. I'm

17:39

not buying the truck. Well, I

17:41

am buying a truck, but only because I

17:43

need the truck for the decal. I'm buying

17:47

the decal. Decal?

17:50

Yes, this truck has

17:53

a confederate flag in the back window.

17:55

What? I've

17:58

decided that the rebel flag

18:01

is my flag. My blood

18:03

is southern blood, right? Well,

18:07

it's my flag." Sarah

18:10

put down her cup and saucer and picked up a

18:12

cookie from the plate in the middle of the table.

18:15

"'You've flipped. I

18:17

knew this would happen to you if you didn't work. A

18:20

person needs to work. I

18:23

don't need money. That's not

18:25

the point. You don't have to

18:27

work for money.'" She stood

18:29

and walked to the edge of the porch and looked up

18:31

and down the street. "'I've

18:33

got my books and my music.

18:37

You need a job so you can be

18:39

around people you don't care about, doing stuff

18:41

you don't care about. You

18:43

need a job to occupy that part of

18:45

your brain. I suppose

18:47

it's too late now, though.'" "'None-the-less,'

18:52

Daniel said. You should have

18:54

seen those rednecked boys when I took Dixie from

18:56

them. They didn't know what to

18:58

do. So, the goddamn

19:00

flag is flying over the state capitol?

19:03

Don't take it down. Just take

19:05

it. That's what I

19:07

say. That's

19:10

all you have to do? That's all there is

19:12

to it?" "'Yep.'"

19:16

Daniel leaned back in his rocker. "'You

19:18

watch old Travis when he gets

19:21

here.'" Travis

19:28

arrived with the pickup a little

19:30

before four, his wife pulling

19:33

up behind him in a yellow transam. Barb

19:36

got out of the car and walked up

19:38

to the porch with Travis. She

19:41

gave the house a careful

19:43

look. "'Hey, Travis,'

19:46

Daniel said. "'This is

19:48

my friend, Sarah.' Travis

19:50

nodded hello. "'You

19:53

must be Barb,' Daniel said. Barb

19:56

smiled weakly. Travis

19:59

looked back. at Sarah, then back at

20:01

the truck, and then to

20:03

Daniel. You sure you

20:06

don't want me to peel that thing off the

20:08

window? I'm

20:10

positive. Okay. Daniel

20:14

gave Sarah a glance to be sure she

20:16

was watching Travis's face. Here's

20:18

the balance, he said, handing over the

20:21

money. He took the truck

20:23

keys from the skinny fingers. Barb

20:26

sighed and asked as if the

20:28

question were burning right through her. Why

20:31

do you want that flag on the truck? Why

20:35

shouldn't I want it? Daniel asked.

20:38

Barb didn't know what to say. She

20:41

studied her feet for a second, then regarded the

20:43

house again. I mean,

20:45

you live in a nice house and drive

20:48

that sports car. What

20:50

do you need a truck like that for? You

20:53

don't want the money? Yes, we want

20:56

the money, Travis said, trying to

20:58

silence Barb with a look. I

21:02

need the truck for hauling stuff, Daniel

21:04

said. You know, like groceries

21:06

and he looked to Sarah

21:08

for help. Books, Sarah

21:11

said. Books, things

21:14

like that. Daniel held

21:16

Barb's eyes until she looked away.

21:19

He watched Travis sign his name to the back

21:21

of the title and hand it to him. And

21:24

as he took it, he said. I

21:27

was just lucky enough to find a

21:29

truck with the black power flag already

21:31

on it. What?

21:35

Travis screwed up his face trying to

21:37

understand. The

21:39

black power flag on the window. You

21:42

mean you didn't know? Travis

21:46

and Barb looked at each other. Well,

21:52

anyway, Daniel said, I'm

21:55

glad we could do business. He

21:57

turned to Sarah. Let me.

21:59

take you for a ride in my new

22:02

truck. He and

22:04

Sarah walked across the yard, got

22:06

into the pickup and waved to

22:08

Travis and Barb who were still

22:10

standing in Daniel's yard as

22:12

they drove away. Sarah

22:15

was on the verge of hysterics by the

22:17

time they were out of sight. That

22:21

was beautiful, she

22:23

said. No, Daniel

22:26

said so sweet. That

22:29

was true. Hey

22:45

everyone, it's Ted from Consumer Cellular, the guy

22:47

in the orange sweater, and this is your

22:49

wake-up call. If you're paying too much for

22:52

wireless service, you don't have to keep having

22:54

that nightmare. Consumer Cellular has the same fast,

22:56

reliable coverage as the leading carriers for up

22:58

to half the cost. So why keep spending

23:00

more than you have to? Seriously, wake up

23:02

and call 1-888-FREEM or

23:04

visit consumercellular.com. Safety based on cost

23:06

of Consumer Cellular's single line 1, 5 and 10 gig data

23:08

plans with unlimited talk and text compared to lowest cost single

23:10

line post-paid unlimited talk, text and data plans offered by T-Mobile

23:13

on Verizon January 2024. You

23:17

can host the best backyard barbecue. You

23:22

can find a professional on Angie to

23:24

make your backyard the best around. Connect

23:30

with skilled professionals to get all your

23:32

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23:35

to outside, outside. Repairs to

23:37

renovations. Get Get started on

23:39

the Angie app or visit angie.com today.

23:43

You can do this when you Angie that.

23:47

Now, let's get back to our story.

23:56

Over the next week, sightings

23:58

of Daniel and... his truck

24:00

proved problematic for some. He

24:04

was accosted by two big white men and

24:06

a 72 Monte Carlo in

24:08

the parking lot of a 7-11

24:10

on Toonot Road. What

24:13

are you doing with that on your truck, boy? The

24:16

bigger of the two asked. Flying

24:18

it proudly, Daniel said,

24:20

noticing the rebel front plate on the

24:23

Chevrolet. Just like you,

24:25

brothers? The

24:28

confused second man took a step toward

24:30

Daniel. What did

24:32

you call us? Brothers!

24:36

The second man pushed Daniel in the

24:38

chest with two extended fists, but not

24:40

terribly hard. I don't

24:42

want any trouble, Daniel told

24:44

them. Then

24:47

a Volkswagen with four black teenagers

24:49

parked in the slot beside Daniel's

24:51

truck, and they jumped down, staring,

24:54

looking serious. What's

24:56

going on? The driver, and

24:59

largest of the teenagers, asked. They

25:02

were admiring our flag, Daniel

25:05

said, pointing to his truck. The

25:09

teenagers were confused. We

25:11

fly the flag proudly, don't

25:14

we, young brothers? Daniel gave

25:16

a bent arm black power

25:18

closed fist salute. Don't

25:21

we? He repeated. Don't

25:24

we? Yeah, yeah.

25:27

The young men said. The

25:30

white men had backed away to their

25:32

car. They slipped into

25:34

it and drove away. Daniel

25:38

looked at the teenagers, and with as serious

25:40

a face as he could manage, he said,

25:44

Get a flag, and fly it

25:47

proudly. He

26:01

then looked at Daniel. Your

26:04

truck?" he asked. Daniel

26:07

stopped cleaning the windshield and nodded. Wilson

26:11

didn't ask a question, just pointed at

26:13

the rear window of Daniel's pickup. "'Power

26:17

to the people,' Daniel

26:19

said and laughed." Daniel

26:26

played Dixie in another bar in

26:28

town. This time with

26:30

an R&B dance band at a banquet

26:32

of the Black Medical Association. The

26:36

strange looks and expressions of outrage

26:38

changed to bemused laughter and finally

26:41

to open joking and acceptance as

26:43

the song was played fast enough

26:45

for dancing. Then

26:48

the song was sung slowly

26:51

to the profound surprise of those

26:53

singing the song. "'I

26:57

wish I was in

26:59

the land of cotton.

27:03

Old times there are

27:06

not forgotten.

27:10

Look away, look away, look

27:13

away.' There

27:22

were several men, many

27:24

cars and trucks in

27:27

Columbia, South Carolina sporting

27:30

Confederate flags and being

27:32

driven by Black people.

27:35

Black businessmen and ministers wore

27:37

rebel flag buttons on their lapels

27:39

and clips on their ties. The

27:43

marching band of South Carolina

27:45

State College, a predominantly Black

27:47

land-grant institution in Orangeburg, paraded

27:50

with the flag during homecoming.

27:54

Black people all over the state

27:56

flew the Confederate flag. The

28:00

symbol began to disappear from the

28:02

fronts of big rigs and the

28:05

back windows of jacked-up four-wheelers. And,

28:09

after the emblem was used to dress

28:11

the yards and mark picnic sites of

28:13

black family reunions the following Fourth of

28:15

July, a piece of

28:18

cloth was quietly dismissed from

28:20

its station with the U.S.

28:22

and state flags atop the

28:24

state capitol. There

28:27

was no ceremony, no

28:29

notice. One

28:32

day, it was

28:34

not there. Look

28:37

away. Look

28:39

away. Look

28:42

away. We've

29:00

talked before here on

29:02

the podcast about Confederate

29:05

monuments and the

29:09

importance of removing them. And

29:11

I know that in some

29:14

parts of this country it's a very

29:17

controversial thing. There

29:21

is an awful lot of history

29:25

and pride, I must

29:28

admit, that goes along with

29:30

attachment to those

29:32

Confederate generals,

29:36

their statues, and the flag.

29:39

I get that. I do. I

29:43

suppose what I'm trying

29:47

to understand is why,

29:50

with the

29:53

world being the way it is, why the

29:57

resistance? And I

29:59

guess I could say that. come down on

30:02

the side of, I don't think

30:04

it's so much their attachment to

30:06

the history and

30:08

the meaning. I kind

30:11

of think that it's more of like they

30:13

don't want anyone to tell them what to do, right?

30:17

The resistance is really about feeling

30:21

like there's being something taken

30:23

away from

30:25

them. And I

30:27

understand that too. It

30:29

sucks, right? Having

30:32

what you've always

30:34

known to be there and

30:36

identified with suddenly falling out

30:38

of favor, out

30:40

of fashion. You

30:42

know, there's this conversation

30:45

happening in the country now about the

30:47

word woke, right? I like the

30:49

word. I like what

30:51

it stands for. I personally enjoy

30:54

being in a state of

30:56

awake. I like

30:59

being in a state of

31:01

wokeness. But

31:03

that word has been co-opted

31:05

and made to

31:08

mean something else, something demeaning,

31:10

something derogatory. And

31:14

that's what I think is so fascinating about this

31:16

story that in

31:18

co-opting this symbol of

31:21

the Confederacy, which

31:24

at the end of the day,

31:26

let's just say it one more

31:28

time for those in the back

31:31

row, the Civil War was fought

31:33

over states rights to own human

31:35

beings. And

31:39

that flag and those

31:41

Confederate statues of

31:44

traitorous generals are

31:48

part of that symbol, part

31:51

of that thinking that

31:54

it is okay to own

31:56

other human beings and not just own

31:59

them. abused

32:03

them in the most horrific

32:05

of ways. And so Daniel

32:08

in the story takes

32:10

that symbol, that Confederate

32:13

flag, that and that

32:15

song, that song

32:18

that when I hear

32:20

it, wow.

32:26

And he makes that song

32:28

his own and he finds

32:30

himself in the song. And

32:34

I love that. At

32:37

the end of the day, I

32:39

think this story is about

32:43

power and how

32:45

we choose to wield it. Daniel

32:47

is a wealthy black

32:49

man with time on his

32:51

hands to think about shit.

32:55

And what he decides to do is, and

32:58

it's born out of an honest

33:00

moment of emotion. He's

33:03

asked to sing a song and

33:06

his immediate response is, why

33:08

would I want to do that? But

33:10

then as an artist, he

33:13

begins to get into it.

33:15

And as an artist should,

33:17

he finds himself in that

33:19

song. And yes, he

33:21

is a Southern man with

33:27

Southern roots. And

33:31

he is able to see himself

33:34

in the words of that song. And

33:36

then he translates those feelings to the

33:39

one symbol that is

33:41

universally identified

33:44

with the lost cause, the

33:47

stars and bars. And he takes

33:49

that and he makes it his

33:51

own. And

33:53

it just blows

33:56

people's minds. They

34:03

can't fathom why he

34:05

would do this and it just

34:08

short-circuits them. And I think that's

34:10

the brilliance of the story. That

34:15

it's possible by

34:19

engaging in a radical

34:23

act of... What

34:27

is it? That

34:33

by engaging in a radical act

34:36

of confuzzlement, that

34:41

one can take the sting out

34:44

of the previously impossibly

34:47

painful. Our

35:03

producer on this episode of LeVar

35:05

Burton Reads is Julia Smith. She

35:08

is the best in the business, y'all. Our

35:10

fabulous researcher is L.D. Lewis. Always

35:13

happy to have you aboard, my sister. We

35:15

had additional research support this season

35:18

from Talon Stradley and Josephine Marjorana,

35:21

editing and sound design by

35:23

the extraordinary Brendan Burns, who

35:25

also created our feed. My

35:28

great thanks to Percival Everett and Grey

35:30

Wolf Press for allowing me to read

35:33

his story today. You can

35:35

find it in his collection entitled Damned If

35:37

I Do. If

35:39

you enjoyed this podcast, please tell a

35:41

friend about it or leave us a

35:44

review on Apple Podcasts. Like I say,

35:46

share the short fiction wealth. LeVar

35:49

Burton Reads is a production of

35:51

Stitcher and LeVar Burton Entertainment. Our

35:54

executive producers are Josephine Marjorana and

35:56

yours truly, LeVar Burton. on

36:00

the internet. I'm levar.burton on

36:02

Instagram, at levarburton on X,

36:04

or you can simply go

36:06

to levarburton.com. You can

36:09

also join my book

36:11

club at fable.co/levar. I'll

36:14

see you next time, but you

36:16

don't have to take my word for it. You

36:47

can start your day off right when

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you find a professional on Angie to get

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Connect with skilled professionals to get all

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your home projects done well. Visit angie.com.

36:59

You can do this when you Angie

37:01

that.