Music, Uncategorized

FARAWAY PLACES & CURTAIN CALLS

by George Blamey-Steeden

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA‘The Final Curtain Call’ by Zoolon 

‘I met a white man who walked a black dog

I met a young woman whose body was burning

I met a young girl, she gave me a rainbow

I met one man who was wounded in love

I met another man who was wounded in hatred’ 

Bob Dylan from the song ‘A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall’

I was having my hair cut the other day. The barber who comes from a country a long way away asks me if I’m the ‘musician bloke’. I verified that that was possibly me. So, even though he’s got a load of people sat there waiting for a haircut, he goes and gets his flamenco guitar from out the back. He tells me he’s been playing for 15 years or more. He takes a seat. He plays guitar. Sublime music. Made me shiver. He lets me have a go. Flamenco’s not my specialty but I do OK.

Then he tells why he took up the flamenco guitar. Where he came from is a country where the regular people live in fear – I’ll not name him or the country; it doesn’t feel right. Anyway, his older cousin back when was heralded as the ‘best flamenco guitarist in the land’ but the government had censored his kind of music. He got taken away, tortured for weeks on end then shot dead – just for being a musician! All true, by the way – no fiction. The barber took up playing guitar in honour of his cousin and to put up two fingers at the regime that killed him.

The story inspired me to write these words. I’ll have to grow my fingernails seriously long and brush up my flamenco technique if I’m ever going to get a song out of it. It sings more like an audio poem or nearly a rap right now. 

FARAWAY FLAMENCO

In faraway places he puts on a show

Picado style, tirando and tremolo

 

The maestro with his cedarwood guitar

Played flamenco style, in the café tea total bar

 

They say he was the best musician in all the land

Acclaimed, adored, always played on demand

 

But suddenly his world went cold and dark

When from the shadows came an oligarch

 

Got told flamenco ‘violated good taste and decency’

Locked him up, tortured him, sadistically

 

At first light in a courtyard up against a wall

Shots rang out, he took his final curtain call

 

It happened then, it’s still happening now

The Crescent Moon fights with an ‘up for it’ Holy Cow

 

The ghetto’s Star of David never castes any light

One less artist on the stage tonight

 

His god forsake him when he was most alone

Where his body lies?

In a place unknown

Here’s an example of flamenco guitar from the great Yannick Lebossé.

For streaming and downloads of my albums on Bandcamp;

Apart from Yannick Lebossé & Bob Dylan – Copyright © 2018 Zoolon Audio.  All rights reserved.  Unauthorised copying, reproduction, hiring, lending, public performance and broadcasting prohibited.

56 thoughts on “FARAWAY PLACES & CURTAIN CALLS”

    1. Thanks for reading, Holly. In some countries – re Google – I discovered it’s the flamenco dance that some devout religious people think is out of order, so I guess killing the music man was just par for the course. Thanks again ~ George

      Liked by 3 people

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    1. Thank you. It wouldn’t be so bad if it was fiction not fact. It would also be a good thing if more people on this dying planet were like you – compassionate and feeling the story told. Thanks again ~ George

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

    1. Thanks. You’re spot on right. All I wonder about is the question, ‘are there enough good people around? The revolution is just a tee-shirt away – I hope. Thanks again ~ George

      Liked by 2 people

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  6. Pingback: FARAWAY PLACES & CURTAIN CALLS — Zoolon Hub | Rethinking Life

    1. Thank you. It was a truly sad story. The worst bit is that I have no reason to doubt that it’s all true. I guess that’s another good reason why I prefer animals to humans. Thanks again ~ Zoolon aka George

      Liked by 2 people

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      2. I agree 100% IA, and even if animals don’t/didn’t have the benefit of compassion humans have but rarely use, animals do the stuff animals do. Humans have no excuses. That makes animals OK for me. Thanks again ~ George

        Liked by 1 person

  9. Thanks for sharing this sad and touching story. I love flamenco guitar, and I can play a bit, not as good as the guy in the video you posted. 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  21. Pingback: FARAWAY PLACES & CURTAIN CALLS – Timeless Wisdoms

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