STR † THE FREEDOM BLOG©

Dear Readers

I am honored to present to you this short and exclusive interview with one of my favorite artists, Denny Blaze. I hope you’ll appreciate this completely non-political article, here on STR, the Freedom Blog.

STR: Denny, thanks so much for talking to us. We at ShelleyTheRepublican were quite thrilled that you agreed to this interview.

DENNY: Thank you for your interest in me and my music. I appreciate the coverage.

STR: As you might be aware of, STR : The Freedom Blog is a Christian conservative project. We dedicate your work to the Lord Jesus Christ and try to present a deeply religious viewpoint. Let me come right out and ask you: Do you believe in God and accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior?

DENNY: Yes, I am a Christian. My favorite scripture is John 3:16.

STR: A good friend of mine sent me the link to your youtube video in which you perform as the Average Homeboy. I fell in love with the video right away. There is a certain quality to it that is extremely appealing to me. I must say I am deeply impressed by the dedication and passion you presented. It makes me extremely sad that you didn’t get any significant recognition up until so many years later. How did it make you feel?

DENNY: I’ve seen many major record labels use my ideas in their material. That was disappointing. Though, I enjoy making music. So, I just kept making more and more material. It does feel good to finally have my material being downloaded around the world. My most exciting music moment (so far) is…when I was standing in Times Square in New York City when we were making the recording for the Vh1 TV Show, “The Top 40 Internet Super Stars.” New York is such a powerful city, and I was thankful for Vh1 to give me recognition.

STR: In the iTunes store there is the old as well as a new version of the average homebody for sale. I bought the old one, but not the new one. I have to admit that I like the original much more. The new version is too diluted by fancy background voices. To be honest I wish you would have been more loyal to the original concept. Your thoughts?

DENNY: The original keyboard version of Average Homeboy does seem to be more popular on iTunes. I think that version has a comical appeal to it since it was made so long ago. Most younger people don’t understand the technology from the time period when Average Homeboy was made. It was recorded with nothing more than a keyboard sample beat and a microphone that went into a cassette recorder. There were no CDs back then, and I didn’t edit the song at all. I just pressed “play and record” and went one time through. Also, there was no Internet back then.

STR: There are certain lines in the lyrics of the Average Homeboy song that could be considered slightly “racist”. Quote: “I don’t live in a box – nor was I raised on the street – as you can see – I’m not black – I don’t do drugs and I’m not on crack”. I personally believe that you are accurate and fair saying that, but did hateful liberals ever accuse you of insinuating that Negroes take drugs and are raised on the street?

DENNY: Anybody who knows me…would laugh at that. I judge people individually. There are good AND bad white people. There are good AND bad black people. You probably noticed that my friend Jeff, who happens to be black, was featured in The Average Homeboy video. Still, at the time when I made Average Homeboy, there weren’t really any white solo artists who were making rap videos. Even today, the few white rappers who made it to the major record labels, don’t share my middle class perspective. There has always been a ghetto and gangsta appeal to rap music, and I’m neither of those. I’m an educated, middle class guy…who likes to rap. You don’t have to be “Riding Dirty” to like rap music, and I don’t “Ride Dirty,” lol. I don’t smoke, drink, or do any kind of drugs. Really, if your are not “Riding Dirty” in the first place, then, the police or anybody else…won’t catch you “Riding Dirty.”

STR: I imagine it must be incredibly hard to become successful in the music industry. Are you still hopeful it will happen for you? What are your plans for the future? How can your fans support your efforts?

DENNY: With all of the amazing technological advances, the music industry is rapidly changing. I’m a perfect example of it. These days, via the internet, you can get your material out to the masses instantly, and consumers aren’t going out to the record stores as much. With “File Transfers” you don’t even need a physical product. I think that “Success” is being able to do…what you love to do. I’m very blessed to be able to do that. Currently, I’m still working on smoothing out my rapping, ha ha. I’m also working on another CD project, and I’ve been contacted by a few television and movie producers. Hopefully, you’ll be seeing The Average Homeboy on Network TV again and on The Big Screen. I keep all of my friends and fans updated on my website: dennyblaze.com . My CDs and DVDs are available there, and I have all kinds of merchandise such as: T-Shirts and Ringtones!

STR: Let me close this interview with a nonsensical question: Do you still eat Froot Loops?

DENNY: Yes, I love all kinds of cereal. There’s no doubt that Froot Loops are my favorite.

STR: Is there anything else you like to add?

DENNY: Thank you for sharing my story, and I hope that your readers will just be BLAZED!

STR: Once more, thanks so much for taking the time to answer my questions, Denny. It has been a privilege. Please keep in touch.

Denny Blazin’, the Average Homeboy, Ladies and Gentleman. Please support him by visiting his website, rating his amazing video on youtube or, even better, buying his music on iTunes.

God bless you. Thanks for reading,
Shelley N. Goodman