I've been thinking a lot about power friendships. It’s a term I should coin because I use it so often. We all see Power Couples on tv or various memes about powerful couples and couple goals and the like. While not everyone will be fortunate enough to experience or be in a “power couple”, everyone can and will if they haven’t already, experience a power friendship. I’m so intrigued by the concept of “Power Friendships” that I’m writing an entire film about it. But let’s linger on the concept of Power Friendships for a bit. These are the friendships that change your life. The connections that build you up. The friends you fall in agape love with for one reason or another. Those ride or die friendships where they become family. The people who can pop up on you or call and say, “Hey, I’m around the corner. You home?”.
I’m honestly struggling if I can be transparent, with how to convey or what I wanna say rather, about Power Friendships. I feel like if I can figure out what I want to say, the how will be a piece of cake. I just feel that collectively we’re in a space and time where we may need to pay attention to our friendships and show our friends how much we love them and the difference they make in our lives. How they call us higher, make us reach further and love and support us.
This intrigue with friendship started when I discovered that 2 of the biggest legends in modern day black culture had a 40 year Power friendship that isn’t really known about or widely talked about. I was so intrigued by this particular friendship that I decided to make a film about it. It started as a love story about Miles Davis and Cicely Tyson but my research led me to stumbling across an interview where Miles was talking about Bill Cosby and how close they were and how he and Cicely got married at Bill’s house simply because Bill wanted him to. I’m like wait a minute! These two giants were friends? Not just friends but close enough to where Bill was his best man in that wedding in 1981. My attention was immediately diverted there because that was the real story. Boy meets girl….blah,blah,blah. Some other time. Man meets iconic jazz musician. Man becomes a world famous comedian. Man runs into the jazz icon in the Chicago airport in 64 or 65 and a 40 year friendship ensues. That was the story.
Having a story is one thing. Being clear about what you want to say is completely different. I know for now I just want to shine a light on the concept of power friendships and how two separately powerful people can come together for mutual benefit in a platonic space that allows them both to fully realize their individual significance and enjoy a friendship that boosts their self esteem. I don’t know about you but 99% of the people I consider friends are literally a flex. They are community leaders, activists, artists and some of them you know from tv or will know very soon.
Their presence in my life literally boosts my stock. Me saying," that’s my homeboy" or "yeah that’s my bestie”, is a true honor because ALL OF MY FRIENDS ARE TOP TIER. So as I still struggle in my writer’s torment to convey the universal thread in my POWER FRIENDSHIP film, I wanted to just write out my thoughts as clear and concise as possible in the hopes that I may be able to nail down what’s evading me right now. It didn’t work. I have faith I’m gonna figure it out though.Because it’s something that needs to be said and as soon as I figure it out what that is, I’m gonna say it.