Surfing the Inter-NED

On November 1, 2010 Ned Sublette came to our Real World class and told his about his life. This man had done almost everything in the media world. He’s written books, recorded a song or two and a bunch of albums, he’s even set up his own record label in Havana, Cuba. The record label was originally supposed to be a film production studio but it ended up being in music, which defiantly sits to his style of life. Along with doing a lot in the music business he was his own radio boss as a radio producer for his own segment. As we quickly learned he loved Cuban music, it was more his passion then anything else. He wanted to experience the deepest Afro-African Music, which translated into Cuban Salsa. He had plenty of issues when it came to Cuban laws; one of the biggest issues was getting around them, which fortunately he was able to do. He also created this website called Ned’s List which people sign up for and sends articles and public appearances. It allows his voice to be heard without outselling himself.

We learned one of his books was about his childhood and growing up in a white supremacy area of Louisiana. It mostly focused on New Orleans, having written it a year before Hurricane Katrina hit. Then calling it “The Year Before the Flood, A Story of New Orleans.” He had some major issues in Cuba when his inventory company in Cuba basically told him he no longer could get his inventory. He explained how in 1997 there was music that was sold back to companies because the public was not buying bad music. When someone asked how he ended up where he is, he told us timing is everything and you have to be aware and on top of your stuff or you may lose it. He also told his media never disappears it just gets repurposed. In radio, as I previously mentioned he worked for National Public Radio where he was able to do his segments on what he wanted, which was music history. This out of everything was most important because he found his voice on live television, which empowered him to do plenty more. I have joined “Ned’s List” and enjoy reading what he writes and articles he sends my way