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slackin07
Aloha
2 Posts |
 Posted - 10/02/2002 : 7:49:10 PM
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Not sure if this is the appropriate forum, but this upset me enough to post this message.
Damon Wayans was a guest on the Jay Leno show the evening of October 1st. They were discussing the recent episodes that were filmed in Hawaii for his TV series "My Wife and Kids" . Damon stated that he even bought Hawaiian music during his stay on the islands, but then commented that the music was only good if you are actually in Hawaii. He made the analogy of going to Texas and buying a big cowboy hat, then going to California and feeling like an idiot since the hat is out of the ordinary and doesn't fit in. He then went on to say that he looked at his Hawaiian music CD cover(did not state artist/s) and it was basically "a bunch of fat guys with small guitars". Almost implying that he bought an insignificant CD. Not sure if i was just being sensitive, but I was deeply offended since I play and promote Hawaiian music (traditional, kihoalu, and contemporary).
Slackin07
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Julie H
Ha`aha`a
USA
1206 Posts |
Posted - 10/03/2002 : 12:40:26 AM
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Sheesh, who the heck is Damon Wayans? Never heard of him, must not be very important. I say if he's not part of the Hawaiian music scene, he should be ignored.... Julie
By the way, I always thought many of Leno's guests lack class, and the show is tasteless at times. |
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Pauline Leland
`Olu`olu
USA
783 Posts |
Posted - 10/03/2002 : 12:46:31 AM
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Well I absolutely disagree with his comments on the music. I've never been to Hawaii, but slack key has sure grabbed this mainland haole. I've even fallen for the 'ukulele. I think they fit in everywhere.
The rest of his CD collection may not bear a close inspection.
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Pauline |
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RJS
Ha`aha`a
1635 Posts |
Posted - 10/03/2002 : 01:30:13 AM
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Aloha slakin07,
Don't know who you are, but what the hey, you don't know who I am. And I don't mean to offend.
I saw the show. In my opinion, Wayans is one of the comics who try to pass off anger as some form of smart ass humor. That having been said, I personally think you are making much ado about very little.
Now, if I were going to take Wayans' comment seriously, which I am tempted to do only because of your post, I'd have to say that there may be truth in what Wayans said. A lot of the cd's available at tourist outlets are bad music. (In this case bad Hawaiian music, but that is incidental.) I've bought some stuff after a concert that upon listening to when I can home made me wonder about my sanity. (In this case I'm actually thinking about a concert venue here in San Jose, but I can easily see it happening after a tourist luau in the Islands.) Part of the real problem, as I understand it, is the near lack of good Hawaiian music on the airwaves in Hawaii. I've made numerous trips to the islands, and you gotta search for good stuff. How are tourists gonna get exposed to the stuff and educate their ears. Heck, even our local Hawaiian store, which has an excellent selection of Hawaiian CD's and plays Hawaiian cuts all day, won't play someone like Kekuhi Kanahele. Therefore, in my opinion, rather than kvetch about Wayans, I think a better use of energy would be to work on the radio stations in the old 'Aina.
Raymond
San Jose, CA |
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cpatch
Ahonui
USA
2187 Posts |
Posted - 10/03/2002 : 03:42:54 AM
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| Um, a lot of beautiful Hawaiian music IS made by a bunch of fat guys with little guitars! So what? |
Craig
My goal is to be able to play as well as people think I can. |
Edited by - cpatch on 10/04/2002 5:35:22 PM |
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hapakid
Luna Ho`omalu
USA
1533 Posts |
Posted - 10/03/2002 : 10:12:56 PM
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| Hey! I resemble that remark! Plink, plink, plink...pass the poi. Jesse Tinsley |
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Julie H
Ha`aha`a
USA
1206 Posts |
Posted - 10/04/2002 : 12:34:59 AM
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| HEY! I LOVE those big FAT guys with the little guitars. Hawai'i is one of the few places my oversized sista can get bathing suits that fit! And I do enjoy the cultural milieu that allows everyone just to be themselves, be it 100 or 300 lbs! I jist love that place! Julie |
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cdyas
Akahai
67 Posts |
Posted - 10/04/2002 : 09:32:00 AM
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Everybody is entitled to their own opinion. Good, bad whatever.
No worries, jus go play.
On the subject of radio stations...
Does anybody remember old school KCCN on the am. They would play all the good jams, anounce the time in the Hawaiian language, and have Hawaiian talk hour and language lessons on the air. When I returned to Hawaii to visit one year and it was gone, it bummed me out. The new radio stations that I have heard, even KCCN fm just don't do it for me.
Chris |
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RichardH
Aloha
USA
15 Posts |
Posted - 10/06/2002 : 04:59:43 AM
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Hi all,
Unfortunately, a lot of music recorded by Hawaiians, and young bands living here in Hawaii and getting 'way too much airplay on Hawaiian stations, is comprised of covers from the last 40+ years. If that guy picked up one of those oldie-but-goodie CDs his accessment was narrow, but accurate.
Then again, maybe this was just his first taste of poi.
Richard
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Richard
Grass Shack Records
Kealakekua Bay, Hawaii |
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slackkey
Lokahi
USA
280 Posts |
Posted - 10/06/2002 : 9:41:01 PM
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 Aloha Slackin07!
No let someone like Damon Wayans get to you....He's just a typical Black Comedian, who is very rich and successful says whatever's on his mind. His making that comment about that CD he puchased, and how it made him wanna go to Texas and put on a cowboy hat....ha ha sounds like he may have been listening to "Paniolo Country"! He doesn't realize that, alot of our music is a intermixing of a little bit of Country, and a little bit of Hawaiian!
Another example is Pekelo's "Going to Hana Maui"! You have to understand, that Damon comes from a totally different culture.....He's got that Big Apple (New York City...the Bronx's!)Fast and the Furious mentallity. So Obviously, being in the Islands for that short period, was a CULTURE SHOCK to him. Therefore it's also obvious he has no appreciation for our beautiful Hawaiian Music.
Slackin07....no pilikia...our Love, all of us here on TaroPatch.net, and our passion for Hawaiian, Hawaiian Slack Key, Contemporary Hawaiian Intermix, our Fvaorite Big Hawaiian Musicians like 3-Plus, Baba B, Braddah Iz Kamakawiwaole just to name a few......We are far greater than that comment that he had made on Jay's Show. So my Bruddah no let his comment get you upset. I'm 100% behind you man! A Hui Hou!
slackkey Bill |
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slackin07
Aloha
2 Posts |
Posted - 10/07/2002 : 9:07:44 PM
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I appreciate everyone's comments on this topic. It's difficult for me to shrug off negative and ignorant comments on Hawaiian culture and music since i hold those two so close to my pu'uwai. The natural
instinct for me is to defend.
I haven't really ran into "bad" Hawaiian music. Just different styles and interpretations. Lots of good Hawaiian music out there whether it be slack key, traditional, contemporary, Jawaiian Reggae or fusion. I will say that all the Hawaiian music styles influence my own slack key style.
Bruddah Bill...Eh brah, I think you know where i coming from yah?
Your words speak aloha!
Malama Pono,
Slackin07
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marzullo
`Olu`olu
USA
923 Posts |
Posted - 10/07/2002 : 9:23:24 PM
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this reminds me of a close italian friend of mine who actually gets upset when he hears hawaiian music. he says that it's too soothing. he needs music to pump him up, and hawaiian does the opposite to him. even a fast song, like, say, "he ono" by the ka'au crater boys, is too soothing for him (the words are too lame for him, too; how can you sing a song that is in praise of eating a lot?)
well, they say that you become what you listen to. if my friend ever got used to hawaiian music, he'd probably get the terminal slowdowns.
aloha,
keith
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Keith |
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ManaKapu
Aloha
USA
20 Posts |
Posted - 10/08/2002 : 8:06:59 PM
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Aloha,
I don't get offended by comedians! They perform as noble of a job as musicians in my opinion! Laughter and music are paramount in my life, because they share the same common goal...joy! Some comedians do go over the top some times but I don't let it bother me. The day I let Damon Wayans, or anyone for that matter turn me away from Hawaiian music will be a sad day. As for the comment about fat guys playing little guitars....just to let you know...my guitar is highly offended!!! 
Aloha
Danno |
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cmdrpiffle
`Olu`olu
USA
553 Posts |
Posted - 10/09/2002 : 12:48:59 AM
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Hey all!
Been away for a bit.
To ManaKapu in the last post...it's okay, just let your guitar know that size doesnt really matter. :) ....still refusing to use those little smilies.....
love to all who connect here.
Mike |
my Poodle is smarter than your honor student |
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David
Akahai
92 Posts |
Posted - 10/13/2002 : 12:09:40 AM
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Slackin07, I have to agree that anytime I hear something that smacks of prejudice or injustice, I get pretty annoyed. Jay Leno seems to be a magnet for negative humor and comedians, and I'm sure Wayons was striving for nothing more than cheap laughts at a cheap and thoughtless joke. A few years ago I was enormously offended at a repulsive article published on salon.com. The fact that I'm still referring to this event here indicates that it's still creeping under my skin. This article was written by a wretched woman named Cintra Wilson and the article entitled "My Hawaiian Honeymoon".
Anyway, beloved Iz Kamakawiwo'ole died in the middle of '97, and even today many still mourn his passing. He was a beautiful singer and ukulele player, with a rare spirit which captured the hearts of a cuture. He had such a sweet bearing and presence. Beyond that he was a bridge between races and people, and it seemed to me that his passion was healing and finding solutions to long standing problems and issues of injustice in Hawaii. Perhaps this statement is stretching truth somewhat ... but no, I think he was accomplishing this much. He reached me that deeply .. and I enjoyed seeing his rise since his days with Makaha Sons. I am looking at his framed picture here ... the only entertainer I've ever hung on the wall ... and he fills me with pono thoughts.
Cintra Wilson's article, written just the year after his passing, defamed Hawai'i, local people and customs in many ways. She abused her undeniable wrting ability , glibly coming from such a foul, narcissistic heart and spitting upon the palpable sorrow felt by many. She acknowledged that fact that local people deeply treasured his memory and went onto say that "The wall-sized mural that is featured on the omnipresent Iz displays at book and record stores is a photo taken from his last live performance, where he looks like a behemoth dune of poi, with little black empty holes where his eyes should have been". I feel kind of repuled even posting this quote, but it carries "fat guys with little guitars" one step further. If it makes anyone laugh .. for shame! It smacks of such a wrongness. I felt shock and sadness when I first read this, and outrage that it still exists on salon.com, in spite of many letters to this magazine expressing sorrow and disgust. Interestingly there are still an equal number of letters expressing glee and support for Wilson's clever skills as a writer.
So, how far should we take humor and insult without being affected? I don't know. But we all have our limits. But this site represents not only slack key, but also in a way the culture. And here there are a variety of people with different attachments and backgrounds. But the heart of slack key is local and Hawaiian ..... people who fished, farmed, worked sugar mills, drove cattle ... and this is the music which they developed. I think that here we should take this sort of thing seriously. Remember that some members of this forum enjoy this rich and valuable heritage. Many descendants of the originals have been displaced from the islands because of economic pressures and "progress". But thank God that he halaus, schools and responsible individuals perpetuate the values and culture.
And as far as bad Hawaiian music .. I'm pretty unfamiliar with this as well. Maybe I never liked simulated music by Elvis and Bing Crosby .. but no one would consider this Hawaiian. One general trait which seems fairly consistent is the good feeling with something extra which always seems present .... reggae, contemporary, traditional ... it's usually there. There is simple pop enjoyed by kids .. but I loved some pretty good junk to when growing up. There are the ancient chants and songs by Queen Liliuokalani which reach deeply ... such variety for a small place. In general I love it all, and today listened to Fiji, Kapena and Makaha Sons cds, as well as John Keawe and falsetto. I attach value to all. Certainly the serious musical growth is happening in certain areas, often with a driving social responsibility and consciousness, and in this way I agree with Richard.
And Hawai'i has it's own humor dealing with the various races .. Samoan, Portagee, Haole, Filipino, Pake ... jokes. I love to laugh hard, but there is always a humility and good nature present. It's probably the most succesful melting pot that ever existed. But humor or attacks which are done with a mean spirit tend to always cause my head to snap in the direction of the offender. I would similarly defend Damon Wayon's popoloness if the situation ever occured. I guess this is my point. I don't like mean. Uncle Ray says it well when he frets and becomes emotional about the loss of aloha in this world. It's as serious as it gets. So Slackin07, I think you were dead on and of course you defend it all. And everybody eles ... sorry I get driven lolo. Been eying this thread for a couple days now, and decided to let 'er rip. |
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ohanabrown
Lokahi
281 Posts |
Posted - 10/16/2002 : 01:18:41 AM
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Aloha Ohanas,
To "Bruddah" Slackin07, I too have been eye ball'n your comment for a few days too.
I'd jus like to add a few things more.
It seems that everyone has just about covered
this interesting issue.I'll jus mention 2 things... 1.If he had listen to a slack key CD
i know for sure, his attitude would've been more possitive... 2.Reading and trying to understand the culture,would've open up his whole view about the life style and music of Hawaii.
Malama Pono!
Kevin Brown |
Kevin K. Brown |
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