Why, oh why, won’t Dayton latch on to funk and ride it like a love roller coaster?
It seems to be a financial and cultural waste that this community still hasn’t paid a major homage to the music genre fostered here — mainly in the 1970s and ’80s — that continues to inspire hip-hop and rock artists today.
Something funky — a festival, a museum, an amusement park ride called The Nose — could mean big bucks for the funkytown.
A 2005 report by Team NEO, a development organization, placed Cleveland’s Rock Hall of Fame annual economic impact on Cuyahoga County at $107 million, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
It’s put more than $1.5 billion into region’s economy since opening in 1995, the newspaper reported a year ago.
Granted, funk is a much smaller category than rock, but there are clear possibilities for something cool here.
And why not? Dayton has a genuine claim to “the funk.”
Influential acts such as the Ohio Players, Zapp and Roger, Faze-O, Heatwave, Sun, Slave and Lakeside were formed in Dayton or have Dayton-area members.
And there are still acts such as Cha Buddha, a group that plays Fridays at J Alan’s downtown, celebrating funky music locally.
The city’s Dayton Originals website gives local funk legends props.
“Dayton’s funk masters made the citizens of their city proud and deserve a standing ovation in posterity for sharing their inimitable artistry so generously while putting the world on notice that Dayton is truly ‘The Land of Funk,’ ” it says.
The Stax Museum in Memphis has Isaac Hayes’ peacock-blue 1972 “Superfly” Cadillac El Dorado.
The Motown Museum in Detroit has one of Michael Jackson’s stunning jeweled white gloves.
Surely, Sugarfoot from the Ohio Players could donate a pair of blinged-out bell bottom jeans to The Land of Funk Museum.
The museum would include funk acts from Ohio and the rest of the world, too.
There could be a wing devoted to funk pioneer James Brown. Cleveland’s Dazz Band could donate a joystick or a whip.
Cincinnati’s Bootsy Collins could contribute a pair of star-shaped shades, a guitar, or a gold tooth.
And who wouldn’t want to see the original diaper worn by the late-great Garry “Diaperman” Shider.
If not the original, a Madame Tussauds constructed replica.
Readers respond
Last week, Amelia asked if technology raised or lowered empathy?
Here are some responses from readers. Join the conversation at Facebook.com/daytondailynews.
• “I don’t think it has as a whole. I think we are better connected to each other, and better informed. This phenomena is disturbing, but it’s really no different than everyone slowing down to a crawl at the scene of an accident in hopes of seeing blood. We are all guilty of that.” — Wayne Foutz
• “Yes, it has and made people lazy and dependent.” — John Highley
“Sad but true. This is a sign of the overall deterioration of our society.” — Ron Bowman
What do you think?
What does the Dayton area need to create jobs and generate more revenue?
Contact this columnist at arobinson @DaytonDaily News.com or send a tweet to Twotter.com/ddnsmartmouth
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