DJ Spooky’s ReBirth of a Nation paints the White House black
July 6th, 2009 by Ben Westhoff in Music news
ReBirth of a Nation screening. Free with RSVP to substancetheory@gmail.com. Free drinks. 9:30 p.m. Sun., July 12. Le Bam Art Space, 1540 Monroe Drive. 404-512-0329. www.bamartspace.com.
Best known as an experimental electronic musician, DJ Spooky, aka Paul Miller, has also won positive reviews for his remixed version of D.W. Griffith’s classic 1915 film The Birth of a Nation. The silent film, known both for its influence on the development of cinema and its racist imagery, is based on the writings of Baptist minister and playwright Thomas Dixon, who “presents racial conflict as an epic struggle with the future of civilization at stake,” Miller imparts over e-mail. “That’s basically the end-all be-all of The Birth of a Nation.”
Miller’s remix, however, titled ReBirth of a Nation, is a chopped up and reconstructed version of the original. It decontextualizes Griffith’s work, giving it a new plot that Miller roughly describes as such: “Black person gets elected. White people go crazy!”
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Correction: An earlier version of this post listed the wrong byline. It was written by Ben Westhoff.
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