# A Spike Lee Joint

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-spike-lee-joint/96741>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [December 4, 2001, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-spike-lee-joint/96741 "2001-12-04T00:33:37Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\
**Post date:** [December 4, 2001, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-spike-lee-joint/96741/1 "2001-12-04T00:33:37Z")

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I’ve enjoyed the one or two Spike Lee movies I’ve seen, but why are his films labeled “A Spike Lee Joint”?

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**Author:** ![hegel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/cab0a1/32.png) [@hegel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hegel)\
**Post date:** [December 4, 2001, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-spike-lee-joint/96741/2 "2001-12-04T01:01:26Z")

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“Joint” is slang for a movie. Spike Lee wants to appear hip.

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**Author:** ![stolichnaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bcef8e/32.png) [@stolichnaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stolichnaya)\
**Post date:** [December 4, 2001, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-spike-lee-joint/96741/3 "2001-12-04T01:15:58Z")

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I guess. More specifically, joint can mean anything produced by an artist, such as a song. As such, it fits the way Lee uses it. Seems like he hasn’t produced much besides ass-marks in the courtside seats lately though.

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**Author:** ![elelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f0a364/32.png) [@elelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elelle)\
**Post date:** [December 4, 2001, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-spike-lee-joint/96741/4 "2001-12-04T03:08:37Z")

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A Joint, as in “Juke Joint” is the kinda place you’d want to be congregating with yer fellow men in your off work hours. I’d imagine that Spike is alluding this tradition; the place you make things happen on your own, without anyone breathing down your neck on what you should be doing.

Go ahead on with it!

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**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\
**Post date:** [December 4, 2001, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-spike-lee-joint/96741/5 "2001-12-04T05:17:16Z")

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When I was growing up in New York anything that was really good was “the joint”. As in: Man that movie was the joint! Or My ma’s cooking is the joint!

So I always read it as Spike Lee’s really good thing!