This R. Kelly Trial Update Will Not Improve Your View Of Him, Society

I guess as a music news site, we’re compelled to cover the R. Kelly trial, and I did have some enthusiasm for the whole saga at the beginning, but trying to keep up with the goings on in the courtroom each day gets a little depressing.

Whether he is guilty or not, I can’t pretend to know, but if the non-sexual aspects of the story told through the testimony so far are true, R. Kelly probably should have realized a high-profile trial was in his future.

According to Lindsey Perryman, a former assistant to R. Kelly, and now a “record executive”, the alleged female participant in the famed video would come over for sleepovers at the Kelly compound, complete with sleeping bag, as well as regular after-school visits to do homework. Perryman mentioned her high esteem for R. Kelly and his family, but also asserted she believed it is Kelly and the girl in the video.

The other big event of yesterday’s testimony was some confusion about the chronology of the alleged victim’s dental work. One friend of the girl’s family testified she did have braces when the video was allegedly shot, however, prosecutors showed in court a music video from the same time period where she did not have braces. Maybe it’s just me, but reading accounts of orthodontics in the midst of coverage of a pornography trial is just a bit disconcerting.

While I can’t quite place the relevance, there was also testimony regarding the “Space Jam” themed mural at R. Kelly’s former home. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, “the mural shows Kelly playing basketball against the cartoon Tasmanian Devil while Michael Jordan referees. In the stands sit other Looney Tunes characters, including Yosemite Sam, Elmer Fudd, and Foghorn Leghorn — who holds a sign reading “Go R. Kelly!” Oh, R. Kelly, you might or might not be guilty of a truly awful crime, but you have impeccable taste in decorating.

Ex-aide says R. Kelly on sex tape with girl [Chicago Sun-Times]