In honor of Black History Month, I give you Ralph Waldo “Petey” Greene, Jr. Ultimate rabble-rouser and raconteur, tellin’ it like it is (the rare homophobic comment excluded, obviously). I’ve yet to see Don Cheadle’s portrayal of Greene in Talk to Me (2007), but plan to, even if I’m likely to feel like Under Cover Black Man, who found the biopic’s Hollywood-like caricature antithetical to Greene’s radicality (with kudos to director Kasi Lemmons, all the same). I can, however, vouch for the Independent Lens documentary, Adjust Your Color: The Truth of Petey Greene, which offers a raw, unvarnished portrayal of a street hustler turned shock-jock whose controversial cable-access show, Petey Greene’s Washington, exploded the cultural discourse on racism. Not unlike the brilliant Richard Pryor. Anyway, here’s a few clips to whet your appetite, including one with guest Howard Stern in blackface.
