.

.
I was 10 years old and watching the NBA All Star game. My favorite player was Dr.J. who would go on to be the the MVP of the game, but what I remember most was my 10 year old white South Dakota mind swimming in mystery at the sights and sounds of Marvin Gaye’s version of the national anthem. Sexual Healing was a big hit at the time. And this game was being played in Inglewood at the forum in LA in 1983 a urban area rife with racial tension.
Now when I see this I tear up a bit. Marvin stopped touring a few months later. He spiraled into paranoia & depression. He moved into his parents home and became a recluse. His father shot & killed him in a fight they had in April of 1984.

God Bless you Marvin Gaye for freaking out all us ignorant white folk on a Sunday afternoon in Ronald Reagan’s America. May you rest in peace.

.