* news > THE "PANTS ON THE GROUND GUY" - WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW ABOUT THE GENERAL

American Idol is back, and while I typically don’t enjoy the audition weeks as much as later weeks I have to comment on “The General” Larry Platt. While his original song “Pants On The Ground” has become a YouTube sensation and the highlight of American Idol this week I was amazed to find that there was much more to the 62-year old performer than a commentary on current fashion. His real legacy extends all the way back to the 1960’s when he was a crusader for the Civil Rights Movement in Georgia.

Larry Platt was a student of Martin Luther King Jr. which is quite interesting and somewhat coincidental given that Monday is Martin Luther King Day. In the early '60s when he was only nineteen he worked with activist groups like the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee and Southern Christian Leadership Conference to fight racial segregation in the South and was beaten while participating in the "Bloody Sunday" protest march from Selma to Montgomery in Alabama.

On September 4, 2001 the Georgia General Assembly declared: "For the past 40 years, Larry Platt has given of himself in service to the people of the City of Atlanta, the State of Georgia, and the nation, Larry Platt merits the highest recognition for his many valuable contributions to the Civil Rights Movement and his dedication to the struggle for equality and human rights."

In a USA Today article about the "Pants On The Ground Guy" it was reported that Platt actually got his "General" nickname from prominent civil rights leader Reverend Hosea Williams, who was impressed by his valiant efforts. The General remains a community activist to this day, working with the United Youth Adult Conference and fighting public foreclosures. Hopefully his American Idol fame will bring attention to his humanitarian efforts.

Regardless, "Pants On The Ground" is catchy tune and just plain good advice because you know you’re looking like a fool with your pants on the ground.