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THE_TRUTH_OF_RA

                                             September 12, 2020


Someone was asking about how we felt about
Sun Ra's claim that he was actually a space
alien-- an extraterrestrial from the planet        Sometimes he called
Saturn.                                            himself an "angel".

I wasn't sure why they were asking-- myself
I don't think very much about it at all.
You might say the music is evidence it's
metaphorically true.

You could take it a few ways: roughly, he was
delusional or it was clever marketing, or it
was some combination of the two.

Or space aliens seem more like guys from
Alabama than I would've expected.


      Though actually, I think the way I take it--
      and maybe the way most of his fans take it--
      is that he was essentially engaged in a kind
      of performance art.  He played a certain
      character at all times-- or at least when he        Sun Ra fans typically
      was in public, but I've never heard of him          try to follow through,
      breaking character under any circumstances.         refering to the year
                                                          of his death as when
         Sun Ra was acting like a David Bowie             he "left the planet".
         that never quit playing the Ziggy
         Stardust character.

         Though actually, Sun Ra was more like someone
         who jumped straight to playing the Starman.
         He was no simple intermediary...



    "They found out that one of the moons of Saturn
    is a base for UFOs, you see.  So the truth is
    finally coming out. I've been talking about         Actually, this
    Saturn for years, you see.  I don't remember        quote doesn't work
    ever having been there, but I'm sure I'm a          well in text. The
    citizen of Saturn.  But I have been to Jupiter."    calm, reasonable
                                                        tone and the
                    -- Sun Ra                           comedic timing is
                                                        lost.
                                                        
                                                           The pause after
                                                           citizen of Saturn
                                                           is a beat longer
                                                           than the period
                                                           suggests...
                                                        


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