Character Analysis
Like Rojack, Shago Martin is a confused man trying to move up in the world. Although the details of their lives differ greatly, they're both dealing with many of the same issues.
Shago's a big deal these days, but he's been making music in obscurity for a long time. Think of him as an underground rapper who's been hustling in the independent circuit for years, when suddenly "the roulette of fashion came up double-zero" (7.6) and he becomes the hottest artist on the planet. There are plenty of downsides to this fame—Deborah's request for a charity performance comes to mind—but Shago tries to stay true to his principles.
See, it turns out that Shago was once an idealistic guy. During the early days of the Civil Rights Movement, he and Cherry went down South with the Freedom Riders, a group of activists protesting segregated bus systems. It was actually this experience that shook his idealism—just as World War II shook Rojack's sense of identity. After witnessing so much violence, Shago becomes "afraid" and "lost his dignity" (7.152). Both men, then, are scarred by the past.
There's one big difference between Shago and Rojack, though: Shago never becomes the outright monster that Rojack is throughout the novel. Shago puts on a big show to intimidate Rojack, but it's Rojack who starts the fight and beats him senseless. Ultimately, their similarities only make us wonder how Rojack ended up the way he is—Shago shows us Rojack could be different.