MovieChat Forums > Searching for Sugar Man (2012) Discussion > All white audience

All white audience

posted 12 years ago by ciocio-2
15 replies | jump to latest

I know there was still plenty of division amongst different races in South Africa in 1998, despite progress made (as there probably still is), but was a little surprised to see nothing but white faces in the audiences in the '98 concert footage. Was that truly the makeup of Sixto R.'s fan base in South Africa back then? Anyone know?

Anyway, I enjoyed this movie, and am glad to get info here, from other folks, about his success in Oz, in the '70s and '80s. He's coming to Dallas soon to perform. Anyone here seen him perform lately?

Multiplex: 100+ shows a day, NONE worth watching. John Sayles' latest: NO distribution. SAD.

[–] mikedonn71 12 years ago

Dallas? I wish he'd come to KC.

I don't know why black South Africans weren't as hip on Sixto's music, but at least the white guys in the audience were liberals. It's better than having a pro-apartheid crowd there, I guess.

[–] tallard 11 years ago

Black folks had had their own rebellion music, they didn't need some pale dude's music. But for the Caucasians in South Africa, it was their first rebellion music. It's the whites who arrived late at the game.

***So I've seen 4 movies/wk in theatre for a 1/4 century, call me crazy?**

[–] rza42o 11 years ago

Great point. Also, the vast majority of fans WORLDWIDE in that genre of music are white. It would be like throwing an NWA reunion tour ANYWHERE and wondering why the audience was 95% black.

As far as American sport audience's. Ive been to 20 MLB stadiums around the country and near 100 NFL games in Tampa and the crowd mirrors the diversity of the city, like another poster said. OBVIOUSLY black people compose a minority of the population of the USA so there would be more whites than blacks in total

- Why do you wear that stupid bunny suit?
- Why are you wearing that stupid man suit?

[–] Joel Cairo 11 years ago

Very prejudiced and uninformed opinion on hiphop and it's fans worldwide. I'm pretty certain if NWA tourd Europe (where I am from) crowds would be mostly white.

[–] bsharporflat 11 years ago

Great point. Also, the vast majority of fans WORLDWIDE in that genre of music are white. It would be like throwing an NWA reunion tour ANYWHERE and wondering why the audience was 95% black.

Well, don't let Joel Cairo nitpick you. Perhaps *beep* Wit Attitude would draw a mostly white audience in Europe, since they have so relatively few black people there. But obviously NWA is an African-American group with an African-American name performing music aimed at an African-American audience.

The fact also remains that the vast majority of fans in the world of folksy, hippie music like that of Rodriquez are white people. I would have been far more shocked to see an all-black audience at Rodriquez' concert in South Africa.

Rodriguez plays acoustic guitar on stage. I wonder who plays acoustic guitar for NWA, heh.

[–] bj_arni 11 years ago

It would be like throwing an NWA reunion tour ANYWHERE and wondering why the audience was 95% black.

I'm sorry to inform you, but a NWA reunion tour today would bring about a 95% WHITE audience.

transongeist.com

[–] jnatch 12 years ago

I wonder the same when I go to or see footage of american football or baseball games, heck even basketball. Why is the audience so white, is it financial, is it just the african american culture isnt interested in going to things live? I always found that curious. So someone coming to the US may think "hmm 15%of americans are black,blacks like sports, but only like 1% of those in attendance are black, what gives?

[–] krupocin-1 11 years ago

Are you American or is this just an observation from small clips you've seen? I ask bc I live in urban NJ and am a huge NBA & NHL fan so I've been to Knick/Nets/Sixers and Flyers/Rangers/Devils/Islanders games and the population at the game pretty much mirrors that in the city it's played. The Sixers crowd is pretty much 40% black and I've seen a Hawks game in Atlanta where it was probably 75% black, mirroring the surrounding population. Now if you're watching Green Bay Packers or Minnesota Timberwolves or Phoenix Suns games that's a different story, bc those are very non-black areas.

[–] tm7246 12 years ago

From what I've heard of african Pop music, it sounds nothing like Rodriguese's music. It's like American Opera. I doubt if you'll see too many Blacks at your local opera venue (or heavy metal fans).

[–] ciocio-2 12 years ago

There seems to be such a diversity of styles of popular music in various parts of Africa. I could certainly imagine Rodrigues' music being appreciated by plenty of black folks there, but there was so much separation then, it probably wasn't much known of by them. I think some performers, like Johnny Clegg and his colleagues, managed to cross the lines more, but perhaps not a lot. As to opera, we have a pretty good contingent of black folks supporting and/or attending performances by the Dallas Opera here in North Texas, as well as, of course, a fair number of them singing in the performances. I'll take your word on the heavy metal.

Multiplex: 100+ shows a day, NONE worth watching. John Sayles' latest: NO distribution. SAD.

[–] lvgemst2 12 years ago

Rodriguez's popularity in South Africa really blossomed in the 80's when there was still apartheid. His music was spread by word of mouth in schools, which were segregated. Therefore it's obvious to see why his popularity only really grew amongst white youth in SA.

[–] goran-v 11 years ago

I wondered that too but then I figured only white youths could have his albums during apartheid.

P.S., this is what part of the alphabet would look like if Q and R were eliminated. - Mitch Hedberg

[–] bsharporflat 11 years ago

Right, it is a combination of cultural differences and apartheid. Black S. Africans wouldn't connect some crazy Mexican-American folk movies with their plight the way white S. Africans would.

I give credit to the white audience though. We can be fairly confident that most of the were (or would have been if they were old enough) very firmly anti-apartheid.

[–] GuineaPig 11 years ago

If you pay attention to the documentary they mention that Rodriguez was popular among the white liberal audience. They never mention black people. I imagine he reached all the white people who were fed up with the apartheid government but he never reached the black people.

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[–] TheManInOil 11 years ago

My guess is that black audiences were more into their own protest music and didn't have the nostalgia for his album that white audiences had.

"I'll book you. I'll book you on something. I'll find something in the book to book you on."