From 'Barry' To 'Barack': Occidental College Video Has The Story

Hey! As it turns out, Ben Smith's Remainders post from yesterday did contain an item that had (potentially) great meaning and suspense! Namely, this video from California's Gold, featuring an interview with Eric Moore, a college chum of President-Elect Obama's from his days at Occidental College.

Moore talks at length about how he and Obama, with members of a circle of "culturally diverse" and "international" friends, participated in campus demonstrations against apartheid in South Africa, and how Obama first began to demonstrate his skill as a speaker. But this is not the great meaning-slash-suspenseful part! As it turns out, it may have been Moore who got Obama to go from Barry to Barack:

Way back when, Moore asked him, "What kind of name is Barry Obama? For a brother, you know, it's very unusual." Obama told Moore about his parents and how his real name was Barack. As it turns out, Moore had recently been to Kenya, specifically, the village where Obama's father came from. "I told him, Barack is a strong name...you should rock Barack."

Moore goes on to say that the use of Barry seemed to be an "accommodation" that made it so he didn't have to "explain himself all the time." Of course, if Moore had called him up in the 1990s to advise Obama to maybe change his middle name, because, man...you want to talk about having to explain yourself to people!

Anyway, the secondary appeal of the video are these pictures of Obama that Moore took, cold chillin' at college:

Here's the President-Elect, during a period of time when he was known as "Kanye Blagojevich Obama." [Not pictured: the Weather Underground.]

And here's Obama standing by some fountain in his "Indonesian shirt," looking for all the world like a guy who totally has a valid birth certificate from the State of Hawaii:

[WATCH.]

Comments

[retroredux]

Mr. prez rockin the fro-you're doing it right!

[BetterDeadthanRedState]

Sure it could have been Moore. More likely it was Barry Manilow or Marion Barry.

[Banji81]

It's almost comical to watch the interviewer. I hope he's not a professional journalist; if so, he kind sucks. Too enthusiastic, and kept trying to put words in Moore's mouth... Interesting on the whole, but nothing new. Basic gist: Barack Obama was born for greatness.

[DFC]

That's KCET's Heuell Howser (sp?). You have a point. A couple seasons back the Simpsons featured a parody of him as "Howell Huser", literally right off the turnip truck.

[StevenWells]

Huell Howser has been a fixture on Los Angeles public television for over 30 years. What makes his style effective may not be apparent in one interview, and you kind of have to see him over time to appreciate why and how it works, but there's nobody better at getting people to open up and reveal things even they hadn't suspected would be entertaining. At his best with ordinary folks you'd see anywhere, he can find nuggets of interest in what would appear to be the most mundane things, and his seemingly unpolished approach is a key element to his success and longevity.

[AdamVillani]

Don't rag on my man Huell. OK, so he may be something of an acquired taste. But watch a couple episodes of California's Gold and tell me you don't get hooked.

[llmitchellb]

Thankful he went on and used "Barack". If he ran as Barry imagine the right SCREAMING "His name's Barack! His name's Barack!'
They hissy fit all over the place!

[MzPenny]

ok I tried to start it and then stop it to let it "buffer" - but it STILL stops and starts. Can;t watch it! HELP!

[MeloMelo66]

I am having the same problem:(

[wordz]

Me too.

[BurgessPenguin]

Who are those t e r r o r i s t s he's palling around with? LOL

[KillBillV2]

He's SOFA KING cool!

[eden4barack08]

LOL!

[Aabby]

lol, YES HE IS!

[gallonjug]

I know. Is this really happening?!
Thanks George Bush for being SOFA KING incompetent that we get an intellectual, international, cultured, open-minded african-american president! God Bless America!!

[wordz]

Pinch me!!

[LindyK]

Looking at the earlier College Lost Years photos, it kind of looked like Obama had his nose done, but I wasn't sure. From these pictures, it is clear he has. The bridge of his nose is narrower now.

[Texdude]

Wadda you a plastic surgeon? I don't think so or you'd know people's faces change as they mature.

[KillBillV2]

No he didn't, it's because he lost all the weight in his face.

[barackobama4prez]

lol...I seriously doubt it. he has afterall, kept the same clothes in his closet until Michelle forced him to upgrade. But he's alot more slender now, thus..the slender look nose.

[Whatashame]

He didn't get his nose done. When you loose weight and you grow tall and skinng like he did your nose and your face shrinks.

[retroredux]

ummmm, no-I think that's what we call here "baby fat"-he was still maturing, even though he was in college. I've noticed many young men's look drastically change at this time of growth-I have a couple of nephews who did the opposite-skinny as kids but their bodies filled out in their early 20's-it happens.

This is a dude who has been known to wear the same pair of slacks for 10 years-not the plastic surgery type, unless his nose was broken aty some point, and there's no evidence of that.

[avocats]

This is as complicated as why Elizabeth is known as Betty, Robert as Bob, William as Bill, except on formal documents.

[amjodo]

You can watch a lot more Huell video at http://www.kcet.org/local.

[Arbos]

Why is this hard for everyone to understand? I too grew up with a funny name. I chose to be called the Americanized version of my name to avoid embarrassment when teachers mispronounced it on the first day of school each year. It wasn't until College that I realized that my name was unique, special, and most importantly MY NAME.

I don't get why this is such a big story.... is it because there are so many Mike's, Susy's, Bill's, and Dave's in this world who couldn't fathom the perceived disadvantages having a unique name as a kid who just wants to blend in?

[Ignorancedestroys]

tell me about that my first name was oritsetsegbemi and my teachers call me Mr. Alphabet. I always had to explain the meaning of my name

[Poldolino]

ok, when you are president we know the nation has gotten over the name issue.

[cityzenjane]

Considering how much garbage was thrown at him because of his name by ignorant knuckledraggers during the campaign..­... it seems pretty obvious that a minority of Americans will and have always treated those not named John or Jennifer Smith negatively.

Look at the whole debate about whether or not African - Americans who have been here since the founding of the country - something like LaShawn or whatever. People think it is OK to discriminate overly against someone with that sort of name.

We need to look at this as a nation and get over it.

[vote-obama]

barack= coolest dude this side of the universe.

[adv2int]

Agreed.

[ohiomark]

What is he going to do with that "Hussein" name, change it to Harry?

[vote-obama]

no he is keeping it just so he can watch you go crazy every time he says it.

[eden4barack08]

He's already WON the election nitwit. Get OVER IT!!

[vote-obama]

he is going to keep it, just so he can watch your head explode every time somebody says it

[beautifuldisaster]

LMAO!!!

[rampagent]

LOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

[ojim]

He is "articulate and clean" as well.

[vote-obama]

and you are inarticulate and dirty but you don't hear me complaining about it.

[Js420]

I inhaled.. many times, that was the point. love that quote

[eden4barack08]

Refreshing honesty in a politician. SO RARE!

[adv2int]

I laughed hard when I heard it in that interview. I couldn't believe that he had actually said it.
And then you had Clinton who said he did it but didn't inhale, lol really?

[Poldolino]

truth be told, bill clinton is jealous of that line at least once a day!