Celebrity abuse

Given the fact that in one week Michael Jordan gives a tirade of a speech at his induction into the basketball hall of fame, bashing all those people whom he figured were out to get him.

And in light of Serena's uncalled for behaviour on the court at the US open, and let us not forget that great display of humility by Kanye West; can it be fair to say that a good many celebrities lack humility and all that goes with it? (forgiveness, compassion, understanding, etc)

Not saying don't lose your cool, but it sure looks childish and ugly when you behave a certain way.

Glad I'm not a celebrity of some sort. Then I'd lose myself.

Manners

So...one thing I have noticed among various cultures is the use (or misuse) of manners.

I was born and grew up on what the rest of this planet considers a 'third world country' in the Caribbean, what most would consider a simple life.

Now it can be debated till the cows give milk that we aren't a third world nation anymore, and that we as a country are making strides to 'first world' status. And at the opposite end there are those who would argue for dear life that we will never leave our 'world rating'.

But there is one thing I hope to never see change on our little twin isle republic. It's our manners. Not everyone has it, but most citizens regardless of race, creed and religion say 'Good Morning', 'Good Evening', 'Excuse me', 'Thank you', 'Take Care', etc.

Not all, but most. Complete strangers pass by my street everyday and tell me hello. Isn't that the 'normal' thing to do? Shouldn't that be the standard world-wide? You see someone passing you by, you look them in the eye and say 'Good Morning'.

That's what I grew up knowing - telling people hello. If this country is so backward by international financial and social standards, then how come we West Indians know our manners?

Like I said, not all of us have manners, there are many hooligans running around in this place. But what's wrong with telling a stranger hello, it's a matter of acknowledgement and respect. Or at least so I thought.

Over time I have met genuine, decent people from all walks of life, from various countries. Now I don't know if it's a cultural thing, or if it's the fast pace of life in a big city or what. But I do know that the rest of the world can afford to learn a thing or two from the Caribbean.

Telling a stranger hello doesn't mean you want anything from them, it's just that; saying 'Hello'.

I hope we never lose that here in Trinidad, I actually enjoy telling strangers 'Good Morning', it makes me feel like I'm human. Aren't we all still human?

A & E: Arts & Expression

I'm not a fan of that word 'entertainment'. It always seems as if that word implies that people are boring creatures that need to constantly stimulated visually or otherwise they lose interest and wither away. So people need to be entertained and stimulated by the TV, the radio, the cinema screen and by artists.

I must admit at times when I'm out having a good time I enjoy myself to the point where I can say that from a consumers' view I was 'entertained'. I understand what it means for a host to entertain guests. But still, I just hate that word from the point of being an artist myself. I don't feel I have any responsibility to 'entertain' anyone.

I know people figure most musicians/artists' sole purpose is to entertain them, that most people get irritated by art they can't understand, that the average citizen instantly gets annoyed by music he/she dislikes or is unfamiliar with, when out at a pub/club/live music venue.

But if I may suggest something, it would be this: Most musicians/artists/dancers/film-makers write/create pieces of work that we, ourselves believe in. We create because we want to leave marks of our craft around, long after we're gone, so that people can appreciate it for what it is - art, expressions of opinion, thought, something that will challenge the average person to think differently.

Thats all we really want, not to entertain you, but to express our opinion on some subject matter so that you - the average person, the viewer/listener/consumer can be enlightened in some form or fashion by our work. If you 'get it', then great. If you don't get what we're trying to say, well thats great too. But we never signed any agreement to entertain you, certainly not for any price you paid at the door. We signed a mental agreement with ourselves to work and create a subject of work that we would be proud to call our own, because we love what we do.

And we publish our work - be it in live performances, recordings, drawings, films, theatre, dance so that we can share what we do with you - the world. We hope you understand what we aim to express through our art. But please don't expect us to entertain you.

There's a huge difference between an artist (in all its' fashions) and an entertainer

I humbly hope one day that A&E will change from Arts & Entertainment to 'Arts & Expression'

Can we be truly Independent here in Trinidad & Tobago?

Today is our 47th Anniversary as an independent nation. We're independent on paper, but in reality we are still a plantation economy. We are owned by multinational corporations, by the almighty oil dollar and by the banks. We are a slave to what they want. Our government is a slave, a puppet, a joke.

I'm grateful to live on a supposedly independent island, where I can do relatively within safe reason, what I want. But we are far from independent.

We were bought and sold by the corporate man, who fooled those who wanted to be rich, enslaved others and made the majority bitter that they didn't have what he has. We all want to be rich, now we fight for the useless scraps that are left. But why can't we be independent from the North American philosophy?

Why can't we enrich our people so we become self-sufficient? We have such a great country and we're pissing it away. I blame our government for just kissing the asses of the North and for not teaching and leading us in being really independent and more importantly Inter-dependent on each other here in Trinidad and Tobago.

Happy Independence my country. May we renew our oath to our home and make here a better place.

Accountability

In light of all the tragic accidents that happened last weekend on our roads and in our waters here in Trinidad & Tobago, I just have one question: Will those people who committed these acts of known negligence be prosecuted by the law? They should be, to the fullest extent.

And if not, then why? They should be held accountable for what they did, whether or not they were fully aware of what was happening at the time, their actions have left five people dead and two seriously injured.

I know the circumstances surrounded each case is different, but one thing is certain in both instances. Neither the driver of the truck nor the boat should've been doing what they did. They should've been prevented from getting behind the wheel.

So now, in light of all this tragedy, I want to know will they be held accountable? They should be.

We all need to be more aware and courteous to our neighbours around us, because by our actions/inactions we may cause serious harm to innocent bystanders.

We have way too many accidents on our roads and now we have it on our seas. We need to be more careful. We drive way too wrecklessly.

God help the families of those victims heal in time.

Not getting lost in Berlin

So I didn't get lost in Berlin. I wondered around a bit, things turned a bit different. In every situation there's three sides to every story, the truth lies somewhere in the middle.

The band played 3 great shows in Berlin and Nuremberg. I think playing in St. Katharina's bombed out church was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I only wished I had gotten better pictures to document this.

I only saw Germany for a few days and France for less than a week. I didn't get much sleep and that's the only way to see a new place - wide eyed, dazed and confused and in awe; like that of an innocent child. I walked, I swam, I drank and I had the time of my life.

We should always be open to seeing a new place as it is, just taking it all in; kinda like updating new files to our own hard drive of memory. I only hope now for more opportunities to avail themselves so I can visit Europe next year - preferably playing music along the way.

I pray for time to fly quickly.

I want to thank everyone - family and friends who put me up for 6 & 1/2 weeks while I travelled through Canada and Europe. It's strange to be without a permanent home for that length of time. I am grateful and humble for all the hospitality extended to me by all. I can never repay you.

I saw some amazing sights, experienced some cool things, some not so cool things and played some great music with my comrades. I am forever in-debt to God for giving me the grace to do this.

I am graciously trading in my back-pack for my own bed. I now plot my voyage home. It'll be good to be home.

Roam

In the middle of Berlin, I find myself in a strange situation.

I can either go out with a few people who are doing me a patronizing favour almost by taking me out, or I can stay home and write, or I can go out and explore and get lost in this city with an unfamiliar language; all by myself.

I'm choosing option C and will probably write about it in my next post.

I would like to thank my father who always told me to never kiss anyone's ass. And I would like to thank my mother who always told me to never accept a last-minute invitation. It's a form of patronizing that the world can do without.

Thanks folks.

Next post: getting lost in Berlin.