I haven't seen  Passing Strange  on the stage yet, but I did watch the movie directed by Spike Lee. I felt a special stake in the production, as it was written and composed by Stew aka Mark Stewart, a singer/songwriter/musician hailing from Los Angeles whose band The Negro Problem was one of my favorite bands of the '90's. Continuing with my focus on obscure small bands that never made the leap to mainstream success, this one is a little different, seeing that Stew won a Tony (Best Book) for his rock musical extravaganza. It always feels good to see something you championed way back in the day get the attention you always knew it deserved. Stew's songwriting talent has been criminally overlooked for far too long, and the success of the musical has only emboldened him to create new and more things for the public to consume and digest. 'Tis a pity The Negro Problem didn't make it to the big time (they toured with the likes of Counting Crows but never rea