I have done many a deed that could make even a demon blush, however, when I commit such acts it is with either with a consenting gal and all necessary paraphernalia and/or there are no witnesses… In other words there is a time and place for deeds not daring but rather flaring as in cursing/scatologia.
So after outlining my concerns earlier this year when Iron Sharpen Iron had cursing for cursing’s sake, I was rather stunned when Le Mot Juste decided to follow suit and walk down the same ignominious path.
Even myself, got caught up in the frenzy, when I tried horridly to do a guest slam… Yes, I know I cannot slam but everyone kept asking for me to do it – those who slam, perform! Those who cannot? Review or comment, which is where I should have stayed. My topic was ONE NIGHT ONLY and when I sought a rhyme for “nite,” guess what? I used ye olde time Bajan word, sh**e!
But that was far into the night, before intermission (I say that for a reason), the show started well with Maxim – our friend from Sarpignan, who as always blew the audience away, here’s his video – the L10 makes a real difference!
Then after the music, the spoketry; spoken poetry, began. Gibsy, from the group Az-Man went up on stage with Matthew Murrell to do what seemed to me like a caustic version of Adrian Green and DJ Simmons (it was a twisted mirror version of their theme for “Iron Sharpen Iron“). Their doggerel was called “Rawness” and in it they were quite denigrating for women.
Khalil Goodman in the Friday edition of the Barbados Advocate called it “depraved” and his co-worker Alyson Holder left the front row and got herself a drink. “Rawness – no lime and salt can fresh this!” or a phrase to that effect, precise journalism does not live here, kiddies, if that scares you? Boo, go ‘way!
At no point in the evil little dreck was a reason given for all of the “Rawness” so it can only be assumed it was done purely for “Rawness’” sake? Alicia Small had a nasty look at virginity being taken and Daveney Ellis from CBC tried to show how raw he was by declaring he’d have anal sex without Vaseline with either Gibsy or Matthew’s girlfriends, why? What does it prove?
If I want to get washed in cuss, there are numerous options – go to any fish market here, stand on Nelson Street, watch a Richard Pryor DVD or rent Eddie Murphy’s “RAW“! There are clever ways to curse and not seem so which, ironically, is exactly how Matthew Murrell won the slam with the story of his walking about barefoot!
He’s 6’5″ and his shoe size is like 17 – since it is such a task to find his correct shoe he goes unclad and thus he declares, “I don’t give a foot!” Now, that’s funny and clever – “You can suck my callous!” may be real borderline but it can still draw many a snicker.
I said it before and I’ll say it again, what if a young cop wishing to earn his spurs was sashaying by and heard Limelight and decided to close the whole place down? What then? Better to use near-cursing like Matthew’s baring his sole! If I step out of line at a karaoke, and I have – like trying to do my own version of Julio and Willie’s “To All the Girls I’ve Loved Before,” then the host has no problem in letting me know I better watch it!
Kojo Alleyne and Selena Thompson were a gleeful part of the bad-wagon; “Santa” from Kojo is like Shrek on LSD and is a twisted departure from childhood to adultness with more vileness added, while Selena imagines telling construction workers that make catcalls at her to “CARRY YUH C**T” which, if done in reality would stop those naughty builders right?
Yet Selena can actually get sentimental and praise her BF and declare that her love for him is “so so so so so so wide, that the Equator is too tight,” and the audience exploded in approval!
Melissa Goddard and DJ Simmons can slam without being vile. Melissa savaged the media with “A Cry For Help In The Midst of Silence” which lambasted the ridiculousness of call-in programmes since the media does nothing but what politicians declare as being safe to do, in and out of voting-season.
DJ Simmons gave tribute for Enricco Bohne and Le Mot Juste, while another great part of the show was Aisha and Sankofa who are a father & daughter team – he drums and she sings and boy does she sing! She is 17 but can interpret India Arie’s “I am Not My Hair” superbly and also has original tracks like “Don’t Touch” or doing “Golden” from Jill Scott and her own composition “Music” as an encore. Stefan Walcott guested on keyboards and Maxim provided bass.
I spoke to Aisha and was not surprised to learn that while Jill and India are in Aisha’s songbook, so are Ella Fitzgerald and Peggy Lee!
That was during Intermission…
When I discovered two kids between 12 and 11 were present (Enricco Bohne looked shocked but did nothing about it).
That’s 2 kids too many. What standards are we setting those children? Granted they may hear worse but if no one draws a line, should we be surprised when these same kids are so wild that they draw a bead – on us?
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