Saul Williams to embark on Tar Spangled Banner tour

What do David Bowie, Bono, Public Enemy and Trent Reznor have in common? Obviously, they're all musicians, but what else? What do those four music icons have in common? What ties the cross-dressing husband of a supermodel, the world's most famous musician turned activist, the rap group that gave the world both Flavor of Love and Chuck D, and a man once nicknamed Stimpy together?

The answer? Saul Williams. All four of these seemingly diametrically opposite acts influenced Williams' latest studio album, The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust! in one way or another.

From Bowie, Williams hijacked the title.

From Bono, the song "Sunday Bloody Sunday," as shown in the following music video:

From Public Enemy, Williams sampled excerpts of the song "Fear of a Black Planet," for the third track on his album, entitled "Tr(n)igger." And from Reznor, he drew inspiration, production and a "lovechild."

No, not a literal lovechild. (Although, pause for a moment and imagine what that baby would look like. Answer: kind of awesome.) Together, Williams and Reznor wrote and produced The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust! in its entirety, an album that Williams termed "ghetto gothic" to Vulture.

Now, Williams is about to embark on the requisite tour in support of NiggyTardust!, a trip that he's decided to call The Tar Spangled Banner Tour. Look for him this spring as he tours across the land of the free and the home of the brave.

O say, does that Tar-Spangled Banner yet wave:

March
12 - Austin, Texas @ SXSW*
13 - Austin, Texas @ SXSW*
17 - Vancouver, B.C. @ Plaza Club*
18 - Portland, Ore. @ Aladdin*
19 - Seattle, Wash. @ Neumo's*
21 - San Francisco, Calif. @ Slims*
22 - Santa Barbara, Calif. @ Club Mercy*
24 - San Diego, Calif. @ Casbah*
25 - Los Angeles, Calif. @ Troubadour*
26 - Tempe, Ariz. @ Clubhouse*
27 - Phoenix, Ariz. @ Chandler Gilbert Community College^
28 - Phoenix, Ariz. @ Estrella Mountain Community College^
29 - Albuquerque, N.M. @ Launchpad*
31 - Dallas, Texas @ The Loft*

April
1 - Houston, Texas @ Warehouse Live Studio*
3 - New Orleans, La. @ The Parish*
4 - Atlanta, Ga. @ The Loft*
6 - Annapolis, Md @ Ramshead*
7 - Washington, D.C. @ 930 Club*
8 - Boston, Mass. @ Paradise*
9 - New York, N.Y. @ Irving Plaza*
11 - Philadelphia, Pa. @ Trocadero*
12 - Northampton, Mass. @ Iron Horse*
13 - Montreal, Q.C. @ La Tulipe*
14 - Toronto, O.N. @ Mod Club*
16 - Ann Arbor, Mich. @ Blind Pig*
17 - Cleveland, Ohio @ Grog Shop*
18 - Chicago, Ill. @ Martyrs*
19 - Minneapolis, Minn. @ Varsity Theatre*
21 - Boulder, Colo. @ Fox Theatre*
22 - Aspen, Colo. @ Belly Up*
23 - Salt Lake City, Utah @ Kilby Court*