Sag Harbor

The rock is a landmark for the children so that they are aware of the boundaries of “their” beach. Past the rock, they enter the white beach. The rock serves two purposes. It not only keeps the Black people on their own beach, but it keeps the white people away as well. Benji and his friends observe white people stray past the rock, they do a familiar “pantomime” (45). They slow down, consult with each other, and turn around once they realize that the beach is filled with people of every shade of brown. This little routine is satirically described as the boys observe it with binoculars from their windows.

Benji loves music, and he has a wide range of tastes from “white music” to hip-hop and rap. Music by hip-hop and rap artists has a strong appeal for Benji and his friends, who are searching for an authentic Black identity, even though the lyrics about life in the inner city have very little connection to their own lives. When he hears his brother and Bobby rap a limited-edition live recording of a Run-DMC song, he berates himself for listening to “too much Buzzcocks” (an English punk rock band) and not enough rap (170).

In general, though, Benji prides himself on his knowledge of the history and trends in popular music, as seen when he gives a brief review of the “Roxanne wars,” a series of back and forth “answer records” by various artists, started by U.T.F.O.’s record “Roxanne, Roxanne” (234). He is also aware that acceptable tastes in music are constantly being redefined by his friends as they figure out what is cool and uncool, especially in terms of music that is considered “too white.”

In many ways, Benji’s tastes in music are carefully constructed, as he struggles to figure out the right music that will help him fit in better to his social circles. There are certain instances when he admits to the power of music to overwhelm him. He admits to listening to the station WLNG, which plays “cloying,” one-hit-wonder, oldies songs (269). He humorously describes his attempts to hide any evidence that he listens to that station. In a more poignant scene, he describes his experiences at the club before the band UTFO comes on. The music the DJ plays hits him hard, and he finds himself dancing with a feeling of utter un-self-consciousness, a rare moment of letting go of his anxieties.