The Food Of Love – Soca

 

Soca Queen (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

Chances are, you have never heard the word Soca before.  You may have heard Soca songs but just thought it was called Caribbean or Island music.   Soca is an acronym for SOul and CAlypso.   It could also very well mean SOul and Caribbean as it is the soul of the Islands.  Our ‘feel good’ music, our party music, our come together music.

 

Soca is my favorite music.  With an uptempo beat like no other, lots of brass and bass, I cannot sit still while the beat of a sweet Soca music is in the air.   I jump and wave, wave something, wine my waist, whatever the song urge me to do.  Or I try the newest soca dance move.  There’s always a new dance.

 

Soca is one of those types of music that could pick you up when you are down.  It lifts your spirits and get you in a party mood, whether you are into partying or not.  Soca is the ultimate dancing music and an opportunity for dancers to grab a girl, any girl and ‘wine up’ behind her.  (Wining is the gyrating of your hips).   Dancing soca music is quite simple.  You basically do whatever you feel like. Move an arm there and a leg there,  it’s all good, as long as you try to maintain a rhythm.  There’s nothing quite like seeing a ‘whitey’ keeping up with the islanders dancing Soca.  A couple of months ago, I was at an after party and I noticed a white guy wining on a black girl.  He was giving such a good account of himself that I went over and fist bumped him.

There are some notable Soca artistes known for producing songs that are specifically aimed at getting you to get off your chair.  Allison Hinds, known as the Soca Queen, Machel Montano, Skinny Fabulous, to name a few.  The old stuff with guys like Mighty Duke, Crazy, Gypsy and Blue Boy is still untouchable though.

 

It does not exactly make you want to fall in love, except maybe with the music, but it does a fine job in elevating your heart rate and putting a smile on your face.  Soca could very well be the best therapeutic genre of music out there.  It is not however, the food of love.

For a sample of Soca music, go to YouTube and type ‘Soca Music’.

 

Related articles

• Queen of Soca Alison Hinds to Perform at “Girl Power” Concert in Florida (repeatingislands.com)
• The food of love – Rap
• The food of love - Country

 

But is it art?

Yoko’s Latest Art Exhibit

Yoko Ono, wife of famous Beatle John Lennon, is a renowned artist.  Well so they would have me believe.  Her art is being shown at some prestigious gallery in London.  Her latest is three neat piles of dirt.  Yes, I did say dirt, of the plain old variety.

Ok, I am being a bit harsh, I am sorry.  It wasn’t just the three piles of dirt, there was also a poster with the words, ‘War is over’.   There!  Yoko Ono’s masterpiece!  Well I’ll be damned! The things they call art these days.  My poor art teacher would be turning over in her grave right now if she was dead.  Wait, is she dead? Who was my art teacher anyways?

Did I also mention that one of Yoko’s past masterpieces is a green apple resting, quite comfortably I might add, on a plexiglass box?  Yes, just an ordinary, plain apple relaxing on a box.  I should quit with the colorful descriptions as they do make them sound artistic.  The skill! What extricate positioning!  Oh and if you are wondering, when the apple rots, it is simply replaced by another green apple.  Eat  your hearts out you would-be artists out there.  If artistic abilities were food, Yoko would be the epitome of a starving artist.

To be fair, Yoko Ono is not the only so-called artist churning out masterpieces that look like something your toddler accidentally made.  No sir, there are countless others.  Some even get grants from the government.

This was a few years ago, right here in Winnipeg:

A Manitoba artist receives $15,000 from the Canada Council to string up dead rabbits

The discovery of 12 decomposing, maggot-ridden rabbits dangling from trees might arouse suspicions in some observers’ minds that a sadist had too much time on his hands. Nevertheless, such a macabre display has attracted hundreds of visitors to the St. Norbert Arts and Culture Centre (SNACC) near Winnipeg. Moreover, the display, entitled “Monstrance,” was made possible with support from the Canada Council for the Arts, which gave 42-year-old Winnipeg artist Diana Thorneycroft a $15,000 grant in June. The exhibit allegedly examines humanity’s reverence for carnality.

Now on that note, I am beginning to entertain the thought of showing off my own lack of artistic prowess.  I am a bit twisted and can come up with some masterpieces of my own.  A flat tire lying on a bed of roses?  Maybe a pair of broken glasses on a pile of manure?  How contemporary does that sound?  (I really have no clue what contemporary art is but I am a fast learner).  I am sure I could conjure up something to tease the taste buds of the art world.  I might even be able to secure a government grant.  Stay tuned.

To be fairer, maybe it’s me that have a problem recognizing art for what it is.  Maybe I am raw and uncultured. In that case, this is just my take.

Quick Fix Saviour

A Brazilian commercial has caused the birth of a superstar in that country and around the globe.  The ad is shows a guy trying to sell a condominium. He says, “It would fit my family nicely except for my daughter Luiza, who is in Canada.” (Luiza was studying as an International Student in Vancouver).  Luiza unknowingly became an overnight sensation from that random line, for doing nothing.  She went back home last week to a media frenzy.  It has also started a trend of people composing songs with lyrics parodying the now famous statement. Needless to say, Luiza is now giving interviews and showing up everywhere in Brazil as a celebrity.

It’s interesting the way we as a society are quick to bestow importance on those undeserving of it.  We are always on the lookout for the next big thing, the next idol, someone we can follow and emulate.  Sometimes, emulating these idols means giving up our morals and sacrificing our very souls but we do it anyway.  We dress like they do, we consume what they consume and do so until the next big thing comes along.  It is a strange phenomenon.

We might not readily admit it but we are truly starving for something big in our lives.  We realize that there has to be more to it than waking up, going to work day after day after day.  That is why we are so quick to embrace our Quick Fix Saviours.  (A term I invented).  They are our attempt to fill in the blanks in our lives.

What do I mean by Quick Fix Saviours?  Like I said, we, generally speaking, are starving for something, something to fill the void and the emptiness,  so we embrace our own forms of Saviours, Rock Stars, Movie Stars, Pets or material possessions.  These have one main thing in common, they are all just quick fixes.  They do not fill our emptiness  permanently. They cannot guarantee us anything. Unfortunately, the one who promised that he could give us eternal life and happiness, is ignored.  The only Permanent Saviour.

As humans, we suffer from nearsightedness. We tend to miss to big picture because we seek instant and fleeting gratification. We want it now.  Instead of going into a restaurant to sit down and enjoy our meals, we prefer the quick drive through service, even if it means eating while driving. Drive through ATMs and even drive through weddings are signs of our need for quick fixes.

Instead of seeking out the next American Idol, the next Justin Bieber or even that Mega Church Pastor with the Golden Voice, why can’t we eliminate the middle man and go straight to HIM? From what I read in the Bible, the man is the real deal. What do we have to lose?

Related:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2012/01/21/luiza-brazil-canada.html