... the real-time web-interview lasted just over one hour ... seems some people can't live without periodic updates on their favourite castmembers from
Stargate franchises ... one question put to me was, "
what would people be surprised to learn about you?" ...
... my unimaginative answer went straight for the mildly anachronistic fact that I have a
Geography/Archaeology Bachelor's degree, but I could just as easily have spoken about my predilection for analog audio - the type preserved in concentric grooves on retro-vinyl platters known as
records ...
... my overwhelming preference is, not surprisingly, for
Jamaican music-forms, but my tastes are eclectic enough to embrace multiple genres, which makes for a large collection of diverse direction ... no longer the reigning format of issuance,
records are now irreverently found (if at all) in dusty corners of thrift-stores, junk-shops and clearance-houses ...
... on a recent excursion to one such emporium, which has yielded a full set of sharp kitchen knives, sundry furniture items and utilitarian bric-a-brac, I made a foray into the boxes of
forlorn LP's, in search of a way to turn one dollar into its weight in gold ... emerging grimy, but clutching a dank smelling sleeve which would regress me to the early/mid
1950's ...
... y'see, these were times when
Bob was still in short pants,
Ska and
Rock Steady weren't yet heard, and a word like "
Reggae" might have earned you a straight-jacket for sheer randomness ...
... back then, indigenous music in Jamaica was called Mento, a more afro-percussive folk-style than the popular Trinidadian sound-of-the-day, but similar to the casual ear and consequently often marketed as Calypso ...
... as it turns out, this relic really is as represented, cool calypso, significantly featuring typical ribald lyrics and uncredited vocals from Gene Wolcott a.k.a. The Charmer (later to become Louis Farrakhan, Nation Of Islam leader), among others ...
... I've noticed copies of this relatively rare record sell online at prices ranging from $20 to $150 depending on condition of the playing surface and the state of the cover ...
... and indeed, it is that cover that leads anecdotally to a most titillating tease to this curious collector ...
... chiffon shrouded show-girl
Venus LaDoll, who graces the front, proves an enigmatic enough figure to outshine calypsonians ... my research reveals beguiling photos of this dancer-cum-comedienne turned
burlesque stripper, whose act held "
hip-tossing" sway in and around the years
1953-1955 ...
... the sexy pics and the "bump and grind" descriptives, by themselves, would've been sufficient to keep my interest ... but ...
... "let them eat cheesecake!" could be the post-script riposte, as this lady, who reportedly tripled her income by embracing the time honored art of striptease, may be best remembered for being awarded "a small fortune" by a food manufacturer after testifying in court that she found a bug in a can of potted ham ...
... yep, y'heard it here kids, record collecting can be fun ...
