Hey Neighbour #3
From Conversations with Boulez: Thoughts on Conducting by Jean Vermeil (Oregon: Amadeus Press, 2003), pp. 74:
Clarity derives from an understanding attained partly through reflection, partly through experience. As you go along you realize that reflection contributes to experience … But at first, one’s ideas are naturally hazy; one reflects, but sometimes the music does not respond as one expected.
First things first, I wish you a merry belated Christmas and a happy New Year in advance. I hope you all had a wonderful time. If you didn't, I'm sending you loads of love and light. This is, I hope, the last post of the year. But then again, let's see how it goes. Previously, I told you all that my friends and I had spent at least 45 minutes watching a female DJ perform. She occasionally left her DJ deck to dance, energising the crowd. Most people were nodding their heads and swaying gently from side to side, as if to R&B. I was expecting that a few people would mimic some of the popular internet dance moves, but alas, that didn't happen. I think we all acted too cool for school. I also realised that in a crowded space, it's challenging to dance freely, especially when certain moves require more room. However, if you and your friends are skilled dancers, I'm sure people would make room for you to showcase your talent, similar to how space is made in a mosh pit. Also, demographics and location mattered. In some neighbourhoods, if you were at a bar and didn't dance or at least burst a few moves, people would assume you were acting too cool. In other neighbourhoods, dancing might lead others to perceive you as probably being drunk or trying too hard. I think people were caught between these two positions. The 'same people' who didn’t dance to Amapiano were the ones who happily jumped and sang along to Kendrick’s music. You might be wondering, did I dance? Of course not. Would I have danced if I knew some moves? Hmm. Since I'm trying to overcome my shyness, I probably would have burst a few moves. I particularly like the dance move where you point your index fingers upwards and move them slowly from left to right. Let's assume the demographic wasn't particularly fond of the Amapiano genre. How, then, can you, as a performer, put on such a show that even those who are indifferent are left saying ‘wow!’? 🍋
As I wrote in my previous post, although Zakes didn’t do anything out of the ordinary, the way he presented himself and performed made me reconsider my stance on House music. Many musicians are so focused on creating music that they forget to hone their performance skills, yet these two aspects are inseparable. Musicians, after all, are sometimes called performers for a reason. They should attempt to give the audience a spellbinding experience as often as they can — one they would at least remember for years. That wasn’t the only thing I noticed: Yes, there are a few successful female DJs, and I believe this trend will continue. However, there aren't as many female producers. The reason for this is unclear to me. Music production is still predominantly a male-dominated space. I suppose the emergence of a very successful female producer could inspire more women to enter the field. You can define success in the space using any metric you like, but I’d use money, influence, fans, reach, and quality of output. This might sound naive, and I am open to being corrected, but at the moment, I don’t see anything stopping women from entering the space. There are tons of YouTube videos if you want to learn how to produce music. Creating and sharing your music with the world has never been as easy as it is today. So, what then could be the bottleneck? I am genuinely curious about this. As usual, there could be a lot of factors that I am oblivious to. After we left the DJ’s performance, I was so pressed and needed to ease myself. I find euphemisms amusing by the way. Anyway, with no cell reception, I asked my friends to wait by an event banner so I could find them afterward. As I searched for the loo — no, it wouldn’t be called ‘bathroom’ or ‘rest room’ in this case — I noticed some guys urinating by another banner. Since, I was not comfortable doing that with them, I continued my search for the loo. When I finally found it, there was a long queue. 🍎
There were no visible signs indicating whether the restroom was for males or females. In the queue, there were both men and women, which I found odd. I assumed there was a single entrance that would probably divide into two inside. However, I was mistaken. The men had joined the queue under the same assumption, not realising that it was actually for the women's loo. I asked the person in front of me if this was the line for the women's loo, and she wasn’t sure either. Eventually, a guy approached the line and informed the men that their loo was on the other side. I told him thank you and God bless you thinking how helpful it would have been if there were glowing signs for guidance. The moral of the story is this: In life, make sure you’re in the right line or headed in the right direction, rather than just assuming you are. Or at least be open to input from others who have a larger part of the picture than you do. That aside, until that moment, I hadn't realised that lines for the women's restrooms tend to move slowly. I believe you can be oblivious to certain things, not because you don’t care, but because they fall outside your realm of experience. However, once you're exposed to the experience, whether directly or indirectly and you choose not to change your actions or the way you think, then it doesn’t just become a case of wilful ignorance but plain callousness. Anyway, my struggles didn’t end there. When I reached the men's loo, one of the temporary plastic toilets had burst, leaving pee all over the floor. Interestingly, as you walked through, other guys would warn you not to step in it, a gesture I found quite thoughtful. The place reeked of urine. Since there was already a stream of pee, many guys didn’t bother to aim anymore. This situation exemplifies the Broken windows theory which states that, ‘If a window in a building is broken and left unrepaired, all the rest of the windows will soon be broken. This holds true in both affluent and rundown neighbourhoods.’ 🍅
The same principle applies to dishes. In a household with more than four friends, predominantly male, each of them is more likely to wash their dishes after they use them if the kitchen sink is empty. However, if there are already dirty dishes in the sink, they will continue to add more until it becomes an eyesore. We can extrapolate this principle further: people observe how you treat yourself and then treat you in a similar manner. Once they perceive that you lack self-respect, they will feel justified in treating you disrespectfully. Pushing this concept further, I think African governments should only issue ‘build and maintain’ contracts, including potential penalties for companies that deliver substandard work. In Africa, at least, infrastructure is often built but rarely maintained, leading to its eventual breakdown and deterioration. Without a ‘build and maintain’ contract, construction companies are tempted to use substandard materials. For instance, if a road deteriorates, it typically becomes the problem of another contractor or another elected government. However, with a 'build and maintain' contract, they have no choice but to use high-quality materials from the start. If they perform shoddily, they are responsible for the repairs and could possibly face legal consequences. But then again, corrupt government officials in collusion with contractors will always find ways to game the system. Anyway, after finishing in the loo, I returned to my friends. I am always intrigued by our use of euphemisms for natural bodily functions. Some might say it’s ‘too much information’ to discuss such topics, as if it’s taboo. Well, tough luck, dear reader, because nothing is off-topic on No Brow. Moving on, another aspect I didn’t take into account was my choice of shoes. Since the event was held outdoors and roads directly in and out of the venue had probably just been ‘done,’ there was dust everywhere. I wore one of my favorite pairs of sneakers, and, to be honest, they ended up completely covered in dust, as were the legs of my jeans. As for those who wore white sneakers, I can only express my sympathy. And for those in sandals, I can only say, shem. 🍄
If you wore sandals, you’d come out of the event looking as though you had been fasting and walking with Jesus for 40 days and 40 nights in the desert. Unlike beach sand, which you can easily brush off, this dust clung stubbornly to everything. A friend of mine wore boots, apparently she got the memo. So, next time, I'll opt for boots, probably Doc Martens. We live and learn, after all. I own a pair of black Reebok sneakers that I usually wear to potentially dusty places. I should have worn those instead, to obviously add more character to them. They might look dirty, but then again, luxury brands are now selling ‘distressed’ sneakers for thousands of dollars. Cars were covered in dust, which seemed like a telltale sign of attending the festival. The next day, while I was running errands, if I noticed any car layered with a significant amount of dust, I would think to myself, ‘What are the odds that they didn’t go to the festival?’ Fortunately for us, we didn’t attend the following day, despite it being a three-day event. It rained, and I can only imagine how slippery and yucky the venue must have been. I do envy those who managed to attend all three days; it must require the energy of an athlete. Kendrick was scheduled to perform at 10:45 PM, so my friends suggested we grab some food before then. At the venue, cash wasn't accepted; instead, you had to queue to load money onto the wristbands attendees got at the entrance. Once we had topped up our bands, we set out to find food. I was particularly craving chips, something I knew my stomach wouldn’t reject. Despite the abundance of food kiosks, the long lines at each were quite demoralizing. I wasn’t keen on standing any longer due to the increasing cold and aching back, and none of the kiosks seemed to offer anything related to chips. All I now wanted was either water or maybe an energy drink. My friends ended up waiting in line for almost an hour to get their food. 🌲
Since I didn’t come into this world to die in a queue, I sat with another friend on a bench and chatted away while people-watching. While we sat there, we noticed the crowd beginning to shift towards the stage, signalling that Kendrick was about to perform. It’s quite interesting to observe the dynamics of a crowd, which seems to have a mind of its own. In it, the individual seems to disappear, absorbing the energy of the crowd and becoming one with it. If a crowd decides on anything, it’s final. Imagine the power held by a person or group that can control the mind of a crowd, either to agitate or to calm it. Politicians, media moguls, and religious leaders, I believe, have mastered the language necessary to do this. This language isn’t necessarily complex; with careful observation, one can learn and master it. Musicians, I think, understand this language by default. When Kendrick appeared on stage, the crowd roared in excitement. We then moved closer to the stage, keeping a sensible distance from the main crowd—I’d say a couple of feet away. Besides, the towering screens located at different points offered a clear view of the musician. I think I have an innate fear of the immense capacity of a crowd. On a different note, I think in life, you need to know when to be part of a crowd and when to separate yourself from it. You will always belong to a crowd or a set of crowds, whether it's in culture, religion, ideology, nationality or even systems of government. With the right communicator, we can all be easily manipulated to behave reprehensibly. However, choosing to stand apart, especially when the crowd seems to be misguided or ‘infected’ by harmful ideas, requires courage. I often use zombies as a metaphor for crowds. By the way, I am a huge fan of zombie movies and have watched many films in the genre. My favorite is World War Z (2013). That film has significantly influenced how I see the world. People assumed at the start of the COVID Pandemic that the virus would hit Africa really hard. 🌿
But interestingly enough, I think it affected Africa the least. This reminded me of several scenes from the movie, where zombies avoided infecting certain people. Another aspect I appreciated was Brad Pitt's character’s observant nature in the film — he noticed things that others deemed insignificant. What had stumped scientists and global governments was ultimately solved by paying attention to the little things. I might write about the film one day but that day is definitely not today. Jesus! back to Kendrick. He performed songs from his latest album along with some from his earlier ones. The crowd sang along to the energetic parts and remained quiet for rest. It struck me that songs can be intentionally crafted for concerts. I was aware of this, but the realization fully dawned on me in that moment. Examples of what I am talking about include Queen’s ‘We Will Rock You’ and ‘We Are the Champions,’ and even bands like Rammstein and AC/DC have a few. Kendrick has songs like ‘Humble’, ‘Bitch, Don’t Kill My Vibe’, and ‘DNA’ that fit this category. I would label these types of songs as ‘Marionette Music’ because the musician has total control over the audience. As a musician, having about 20 such songs in that vein could set you up for life. How can a musician achieve that? Only heaven knows. Then there are the sing-alongs, where the crowd sings the song from start to finish, not just the melody or energetic parts. Only a few musicians have that kind of repertoire. Kendrick’s performance was different. He wasn’t jumping or running around the stage, even though his music possesses the energy for such antics. It seemed like he was only using the muscles needed for his performance, without expending unnecessary energy. I suppose every musician needs their own signature style of performance. Anyway, from time to time, some young guys came out to dance and skate around the stage, reminiscent of the usual sights at traffic lights in South Africa. In my opinion, this didn’t enhance the performance because that wasn’t anything particularly new to the audience. 🍃
If his intention was to pay homage to South African street culture, then it makes sense. However, if that wasn’t the case, then it appears his management didn't fully consider the peculiarities of the country in which he was performing. He could platform or collaborate with local talents who do something similar. As I write that, I think musicians should include collaborating with the locals in their artistic practice. I was quite impressed by his performance because, like he said in one of his songs, ‘It's levels to it, you and I know.’ In my mind, his mastery of his craft is a level of achievement that any musician should aspire to reach and surpass. In essence, it’s black excellence at its finest. As I watched the performance, I was getting thirstier and needed water. Luckily for me, a friend of mine knew a guy who was walking around, alongside another chick, with a transparent bag full of a particular brand of energy drink. He offered my friend two cans. Since she and my other friend do not like energy drinks, I drank both. While I was drinking the second can, I thought to myself, ‘I hope that in the new year, while I am minding my own business, good things will come my way without much struggle.’ Because what happened there was just a miracle. Anyway, just before Kendrick was done performing, we were on our way to where we had parked. You could see that people were exhausted and just wanted to head home to sleep. Although it was way past midnight, some people didn’t make it out of the parking lot until 3AM. As I drove back, my friends were busy sleeping. It was a beautiful night; the city was lit up, and people weren’t driving like maniacs. I dropped my friends off, got home, took my clothes off, curled into bed, and told myself, ‘Never again,’ and then giggled because I knew that wasn’t true. I was looking forward to the next festival. ☘️
If you asked me what my thoughts were about my experience, I’d say it was a mixture of 'meh,' interesting, wow, intriguing, annoyance, WTF, exhaustion, etc. I felt those things at different points during the event. To sum it up, I think it was a really beautiful event and I highly recommend the next one, that’s if the event organisers decide to make it a yearly thing. This is my longest post ever. If you've read it all the way to this point, I salute you for your patience. I had told a friend yesterday that instead of another instalment of this post, I’d write 3000 words because I wanted this to be the last post of the year. I also can’t write another installation anyway, since we’ve only got 1 day left in the year. All in all, I wish you all the very best in the new year. May your 2024 be way better than the years before. Thank you to all those who have read, shared, and supported the newsletter and its author. I listened to so many albums while writing this post but I am too exhausted to list them. Anyway, sending you all love, peace, and light. 🍁
Thanks for reading. If there's anything you'd like to chat about, or if you have any questions, feel free to shoot me an email. I'd love to hear from you. :) 🍿