Pants On The Ground

The latest superstar American Idol whose fame is sweeping across the country, is a 62 year old from Atlanta, Georgia. His name is "General" Larry Platt and he put on a ground breaking performance when he appeared before the judges Simon Cowell, Mary J. Blige, Randy Jackson and Kara DioGuardo in Atlanta, Georgia.

During his audition General Larry Platt performed what is becoming a hit song, "Pants on the Ground".The General's message to those who wear their pants below the waist has quickly spread across the country via YouTube. His message is simply, "lookin like a fool with their pants on the ground".

Platt's song has become so popular that it has become the most downloaded song of January 2010. And while General Platt is way over the required age limit (28) to be on American Idol, it's highly unlikely that record executives haven't taken notice of the popularity of his song. Remember American Idol, William Hung and his song She Bangs? 

Expect to see ringtones and other marketing items from this overnight sensation. In fact, "Pants to the Ground" t-shirts are already being sold on e-Bay.

Pants on the ground
Pants on the ground
Lookin’ like a fool with your pants on the ground

With the gold in your mouth
Hat turned sideways
Pants hit the ground
Call yourself a cool cat
Lookin’ like a fool
Walkin’ downtown with your pants on the ground

Get it up, hey!
Get your pants off the ground
Lookin’ like a fool
Walkin’ talkin’ with your pants on the ground.

Get it up, hey!
Get your pants off the ground

Lookin’ like a fool with your pants on the ground 

So popular is this song that there are remixed renditions of the song popping up all over YouTube.

While the world is having a great laugh at General Pratt's American Idol performance, this 62 year old has quite a legacy that is more serious than his recent performance.

General Larry Platt is a long time civil rights activist. As a child he was shot in the eye, attacked by police dogs and suffered multiple beatings. Platt has called himself a "general of the civil rights movement" and continues to work as an activist in Atlanta and elsewhere.

In 1963, Larry Platt began working with the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), a committee organized to fight segregation. Among their tasks were fighting segregation in public places including restaurants and to organize student sit-ins. Platt was also a student of the late Dr. Martin Luther King and worked with the United Youth Adult Conference to help get volunteers to search for missing and murdered children in Atlanta's Metropolitan areas.

Reportedly, Platt was beaten during the Bloody Sunday march while attempting to cross the bridge from Selma, Alabama, to Montgomery, but that never stopped his efforts. Platt received the nickname, "General," from the Reverend Hosea Williams due to Platt's heroic efforts on behalf of the civil-rights movement.