Friday, February 02, 2007

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.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Music is good, especially when it's 99 cents! I have a thing for adults with braces and if I wasn't married I just might find a brace face to date. Either that or convince my man to wear them again. (=

LeS said...

Yeah, but hula did yesterday :)!!!
See, we won't let you rest upcake-cay ady-lay.

And you know just how juiced up I must be right now with you writing about music and all...dear me.

(and I like tall lanky nerdy guys with glasses - yumster)

the kitschen table said...

OOOOH! Stevie ray! I fell in love with him in 1984[?] at a concert on the lawn of University of Buffalo. I was with my deadhead creep of a boyfriend. Cindy Lauper came out and rocked the house in her twirly girly skirt and punked out hair....BUT Stevie Ray came out and blew the lid off the place! He won my heart when he told a story about a fan who came backstage and gave him a vintage guitar that day...he was so thrilled that he played it the whole concert. He just couldn't believe the guy had just given him this great gift. But, really, can you imagine a better place for a guitar than in the arms of Stevie Ray?!!!Even now, 20 years later, when he comes on the car radio I crank it as loud as I can and remember that cool, cool man.

Julie

Rebel Girl said...

I saw Fela.

I saw Sunny.

I never saw Stevie ray.

I miss you mama but I love your cupcakes.

I do check in you know.

xo - LA

Anonymous said...

hey grrl...

kristen told me to wander over and visit you because we both mentioned Fela on our blogs.

now that i've read your whole entry, i'm getting the distinct feeling that we are existing in parallel music and crush universes. i love fela, king sunny ade AND stevie ray vaughn. fuck yeah!!!

julie said...

Good taste in music! Just wondering, have you ever heard of Alejandro Escovedo? I saw him here in Maine last year and he was fantastic. Brooding, intense and he rocks too.

Speaking (or not) of upcake-cays, after drooling over your photos for the past few weeks I wound up going to the Magnolia bakery (famous in NYC) last weekend for the first time - those suckers weren't vegan but they were dreamy! We brought home a box and they are looong gone.