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FEATURES
Just Call Him Yasheve
Masking his Message in Black
By Johan Gooding
Editorial Page Editor
His is a small black book,
with "RIGID" printed in bold
white letters one fourth of the
way down the front. Its simple
design tempts me to flip
through it. It's almost as if the
cover guiltily seeks to hide
what's inside. It's no thicker
than a computer instruction
manual, and he thinks readers
have never read anything like
it.
I could see for myself. I
could reach over, grab it, skim
through it, and give it back. An
apology and a smile would .
smooth things over. Yes—it's
worth it. Yet, I remain patient
and polite, content to simply
stare.
It lies dormant on the
small table between us, beside
an empty cardboard container
of salty French fries, long
forgotten now. Arrgh! What's
inside that book? My mind
tortures me with rapid
explorations of "Rigid’"s
possible connotations, relative
themes and authorial
intentions. And yet I remain
patient; I can sit still as long as
he, I tell myself.
At last, he picks up the
novelette and opens to page
21. It's the only text he allows
me to use for my interview.
"On your feet world ... It's
finally here. Welcome
Armageddon," he reads,
trying to stifle a smile. It's
hopeless. Three seconds later,
he bears a full grin. Then
"Rigid" disappears somewhere
in his backpack. I imagine he's
/\ By the Th
iwiesti
By the Three-Eyed Bandit
ons
1. Shouldn't you be studying for your finals instead
of reading this? 2. How come the bell tower is miss
ing more bells than it plays? 3. If you can make a
flyer about SGA candidates being gay, why can't you
be a man and hang it up in broad daylight? 4. How's
"The Players Club" gonna be about stripping and
have only two strip scenes in it? 5. If Public An
nouncement was no good with R. Kelly, what makes
them think they're any better without him? 6. How
come all Spike Lee movies make perfect sense up until
the last ten minutes? 7. Why do the Phys Ed teach
ers skip class more than the students do? 8. Why do
people keep giving me stupid ass questions to write
here? 9. Why is Merrill Bennekin still gonna bug the
hell out of me even though this is his shout out? 10.
How come there are 1300 Morehouse students with
only 500 beds available and President Massey has a
big ass house and only two people live in it? 11. Why
is walking down the strip better than the Morehouse
fashion show was? 12. How many of y'all paid 5
bones to hear Cee-Lo read some poetry? 13. If I say
"financial aid" five times in the mirror, will Johnny
Nimes disappear? 14. How come it's lunchtime when
adminstration goes to lunch and dinnertime when
they come back? 15. Why does the campus shut down
at 4:00 unless you owe somebody some money? 16.
Who in the hell left the gate open? 17. Since when
did singing about sex over a recycled track pass for
music? 18. Are you on the Spencer Tolliver gradua
tion plan?19. What if you wanted 20 questions and
only got 19?
proud of himself.
His emotions normally
reflect his overall opaque
semblance. He's clad in all
black, from his boots to his
sunglasses. Only a silver cross,
a chain leading into a front
pocket and a few earrings
provide a contrast. His hair is
like a menagerie of ziti pasta
shells. And his name ... call
him Yasheve (Yah' sheev). His
last name, Miller, is too
common and reminds him of
Morehouse English major
courses, whose professors
trouble themselves only with
learning surnames.
When asked about how
those courses might have
prepared him, Yasheve toys
with his last few fries. He's
unable to spit out an easy
answer. "If I felt like I was
really learning," he says
finally, nibbling on a fry, "I
wouldn't have self-produced."
Yasheve curses in a
monotone. "Are you going to
put that in?" he calmly asks
me. I feign mercy and tell him
Shaun Spearmon/STAFF
OUT OF THE DARKNESS that covers him: With a book
released, a promotional CD in the works and a publishing
company in the future, Yasheve Miller is truly the captain of
his soul.
I won't print his answer.
Yasheve's hometown remains
a secret. He disapproves of
florid regional stereotypes,
you see, though they're found
in "Rigid."
After graduation, he's
going to wholeheartedly
invest his efforts in a company
he founded this semester.
Then he might apply for a
grant or go back to school for
an advanced degree if he feels
so inclined. "School is 50-50,"
he says. "For some, it's a waste
of time; for others, it helps
you."
Helping Yasheve now is
his idea this past July to
subsidy publish. He doesn't
wish to stop with books, either.
Yasheve intends to have a
promotional compact disc for
"Rigid." After that, he wishes
to buy back copies of the book
to increase its value. I start to
tell him his idea reminds me
of the Artist Formerly Known
as Prince. "Wait, what are you
Continued on page 9
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