Shanklin Responds to Barack 'Negro' Critics

Editor’s Note: Republican National Committee Chairman Mike Duncan said he was “shocked” that former Tennessee GOP leader Chip Saltsman sent committee members a CD featuring a 2007 parody song called “Barack the Magic Negro.” The ditty was written by comedian Paul Shanklin, who since 1993 has been featured on Rush Limbaugh’s radio show as the “Man of Many Voices,” with songs lampooning public figures.

This story is based on an interview Shanklin gave Newsmax earlier this year.

Paul Shanklin figures, at best, his songs make people laugh, and perhaps think a little. So he was largely unprepared for the firestorm sparked by a parody tweaking critics of Barack Obama.

Shanklin got the idea for his controversial tune “Barack the Magic Negro” in March 2007 after reading a column titled “Obama the Magic Negro” by David Ehrenstein in the Los Angeles Times. In the column, Ehrenstein compared Obama to the stereotypical shallow black movie character that exists only to aid the white protagonist.

“Magical Negro” is an offensive Hollywood term that has been applied to characters played by the likes of Sidney Poitier, Morgan Freeman and Will Smith, to name but a few. Almost as soon as Ehrenstein’s column ran, Rev. Al Sharpton joined the anti-Obama chorus, saying the Illinois senator hadn’t done enough to champion black causes.

“I started humming it around the house after I read the column,” Shanklin told Newsmax. “But I seriously questioned whether it was appropriate for the show.”

For one thing, Shanklin knew the issue required a lot of explanation up front. “It’s a horrible thing to say about Barack,” Shanklin said. “The guy earned his way. For people on the left to try to attack him and shoot him down early, it was amazing.

“When Sharpton jumped on board, I thought I had to do something with it. I figured if people understood what this is about, it was going to be good.”

The resulting parody quickly rose in popularity on the Limbaugh program, playing repeatedly through March and April. In it, Shanklin imitates Sharpton shouting through a bullhorn to the tune of Pete Yarrow’s classic “Puff the Magic Dragon,” with reworked lyrics such as:

Barack the Magic Negro lives in D.C.
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/575124/barack_the_magic_negro/