iPod Crushing

I would be fearful to say aloud that I have a crush on Fela, even if it were true. I think he's the type that would come back from the dead to explore the possibilities. You have a crush on me you say? And then I'd be locked in a basement wearing nothing but rain boots and a collar because that's what Fela likes to see me in. From what I've seen and felt from him, even from a distance, this is my guess anyway. On a side note: Fela once married 22 women at once, which was deemed as sexist and degrading. I thought it was more like a performance piece, his own statement ironically against African polygamy. When he went to jail in the midst of his all-out war with the Nigerian government, he divorced at 22 and denounced the practice as sexist.

King Sunny Ade is also in my new iPod rotation and I'll crush on him all I please, just like I did back in the day. I've also seen him in concert; 35 piece band, swaddled and queen-like backup singers and dancers -- not like Fela's resentful and grunting crew -- and Sunny, beautiful and sparkling. There's a long scar on his cheek, scuffing up his perfect face just enough. His voice is slight and sweet; his band so controlled, on point, the slide guitar makes the heart sway. I was told over 20 years ago that Sunny Ade was the Lawrence Welk of Nigeria. Who gives a shit! I happily don't know the nuances of Nigerian culture enough to be jaded; I don't know what's dorky and not.

Ah man, you know who's on after Sunny? One of my smoldering, darker crushes, Stevie Ray Vaughn. When I first saw him on TV, shaded by his hat, swollen jaw line, miscapped teeth (I have a thing for fucked up teeth) and eyes rolling back in a heroin haze, I blazed a hole in the tube's glass. His licks were so sad and meaningful. But what did me in was when I peeped just the head of his full-chest peacock tattoo. I was a goner. When he died, my boyfriend at the time, El Conguero, said, "Good. Now I don't have to worry about him anymore." Which just told you volumes about his personality.

Music is good. And life is good. And notice I didn't say upcake-cay once in this post.