A-RAB:
"You cut it out, ya hear?
You're only makin' me scared and that scares me!
(Police whistle. Arab grabs B.J.)
Last thing ever is to let a cop know that you're scared or anythin'"
Back in High School I was in a gang called the Jets.
My name was A-RAB..
not exactly politically
correct but it was 1975, long before the PC noose was dangled around our necks.
The cinematic version of West Side Story was on TV the other night so I had to watch it...
I never realised how gay all of the gangsters looked (nttiawwt)...I wish that real gangs pranced around like this.
Come to think of it why didn't Mel Brooks ever do a spoof on WSS?
How about 'Men In Fights'.
After watching the movie I ran downstairs and grabbed my script to find some of those goofy lines that I had..
most of which were nonsensical substitutes for swearing like "Cracko J
acko"others were ethnic ..
"Thees ees for steenk bombin' my old man's store"
It was totally fun to be in 'the show' especially when I sang Officer Krupke in my tonsil splitting falsetto,
"Eek!
Officer Krupke, you've done it again.
This boy don't need a job,
he needs a year in the pen.
It ain't just a question of misunderstood,
Deep down inside him,
HE'S NO GOOD!"
This made me realise that 'society' has not really made any progress in dealing with gangs. Here in Whateverpeg, like everywhere else, there are all kinds of Gangs: Native/African/Asian/Biker.
If only these guys danced around and sang their hearts out.
The same root causes that perpetuate the formation of substitute families for these young people still exist and we all know what they are.
Perhaps some day the collective 'we' will make more of an effort to help young people stay out or get out of gangs before we are forced to warehouse them..
atleast the ones that we can salvage.
'cause otherwise..when you're a JET
YOU
STAY
A
JET!!
Ha Ha Ha!!!
ReplyDeleteSo you were A-Rab! The little troublemaker. Now all you do is report punks like that to the cops.
Have you achieved Feng Shui yet on your blog remodel? All those moving signs make my head spin.
And I note proof that your first name back then was Don, not Donn. Maybe that's another West Side Story.
"Let me tell you about Ahab the Arab
ReplyDeleteThe sheik of the burning sand
He had emeralds and rubies just drippin' off 'a him
And a ring on every finger of his hand
He wore a big ol' turban wrapped around his head
And a scimitar by his side
And, every evenin', about midnight
He'd jump on his camel named Clyde, and ride
Silently through the night to the sultan's tent where he
would secretly meet up with Fatima of the Seven Veils,
swingingest grade "A" number one US choice dancer in
the sultan's whole harem"
audan,
ReplyDeleteUree-ah! I love it. You're right the twisted logic of the gang is usally a step up from the horrible disfunctional family that they leave behind...it always comes back to mass sterilization don't it?
((sigh))
winky whippersnapper,
Ironic isn't it that I turned out to be Mr. Kravitz.
WHAT!My little banner makes your head spin?! Go Feng Shui yourself. stop putting all of those gawdawful music videos on yours..nyeh!
You Bunyak you know that I added the 'n' (or dropped the 'ie') in College and I am plan to add the ie back when I'm 60...unless I get knighted then I'll be stuck with Sir Donald.
I would so be scared of The Jets.
ReplyDeleteI mean, didn't they have a hit song in the eighties? R&B?
Anyways...yeah, I am shaking.
A man in tights doing a changement de pieds and a demi-pointe really gets me all a skeered.
A-rab? Whatever for> :)
awaiting,
ReplyDeleteThe Jets,"ooooh I got a crush on you!"
Westside looks so dorky now that we've had 2 decades of gangstas in da hood..fo sho.
I have 2 daughters dancing their way to a Fine Arts Degree in University so I appreciate your insightful comment..
Can you imagine gang bangers punching you and yelling
"OOCHIE..
what are you made of sssteel?!"
mj,
ReplyDeleteooops..
That song is right up there with GuiTARZAN,
and his jungle band,
Well he's all you can stand,
so give him a hand,
GuiTARZAN.
ooh ooh eeh eeh ooh ooh eeh eeh ooh ooh aah aah.
Homey, I love the new look~! ;) Nicely done, you Jet you.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, you stay a Jet.
Only this morning I was talking with a client and one of my staff about when I was working on Oklahoma (trying to remember one of the names, I still can't recall who sang "Kansas City")BUT I was truly reminded that we never get those things like musicals out of our systems, once we've been involved. It's been *cough*20*cough* years since I did Oklahoma and I still know the lines.
You stay a Jet.
Gangs and gang wars
ReplyDelete...........
actually I ran out of words!!
Ok. It was Will Parker.
ReplyDelete"everything's like a dreeeeeam in Kansas City...it's better than a magic lantern show..."
Uh huh. =P DOOD...I've BEEN to Kansas City. I really don't agree. I do like the giant gambling riverboat though. It looks neat.
tidalgrrrl,
ReplyDeleteSing along...
When you're a Jet
You're a Jet all the way
From your first cigarette
to your last dying day.
When you're a Jet
If the spit hits the fan
You got brothers around
You're a family man!
You're never alone,
You're never disconnected-
You're home with your own-
When company's expected,
You're well protected!
Then you are set with a capital J,
Which you'll NEVER FORGET
Till they cart you away,
When you're a Jet
You stay
A JET!!!!!
gautami,
At a loss for words?!
Say it ain't so!!!
Just don't catch me hearing you sing, "Everything is Beautiful."
ReplyDeletemj,
ReplyDeleteI promise...but how about Caveman?
"Gotta find a woman
gotta find a woman
gotta find a woman
gotta find a woman".
He'd go down to the lake where all the woman would be swimming or washing clothes or something. He'd lookaround and just reach in and grab one.
"Come here...come here".
He'd grab her by the hair.
You can't do that today, fellas, cause it might come off.
You'd have a piece of hair in your hand and she'd be swimming away from you (ha-ha).
This one woman just lay there,
wet and frightened.
He said:
"Move...move".
She got up.
She was a big woman.
BIG woman.
Her name was Bertha.
Bertha Butt.
She was one of the Butt sisters.
He didn't care.
He looked up at her and said:
"Sock it to me sock it to me sock it to me sock it to me sock it to me
sock it to me sock it to me sock it to me
Oh no say it ain't so..you were a jet.....I thought you looked familiar...that's it we can never hang together cuz well i grew up as a S.N.O.B. Fort Garry against the St. Norbert boys. Oh well i guess i can maybe forgive you for being a jet only cuz well now....i'm a Beach Bum...traded my colors in... Read the Sun yesterday and one of my former boys is El Presidente of La Familia a puppet gang for the Bandido's... I wonder if he still has my back..
ReplyDeleteAlas here in Winterpeg it seems everyone is jumping into my other gang the Vigilantees. All are tired of the lack of justice being given to those that keep stealing our stuff. and the they say we need to buy a immobilizer otherwise we will not get insurance..hmmm.. how about stopping the criminals from stealing instead of punishing those that can only afford a set of wheels that seem to get stolen. Car gets stolen and somehow its my fault for having a bad day and forgetting to put the club on the car.
Where is the justice A-Rab...where's my baseball bat.... i want to go hit a few baseballs....what were u thinking?
hodedoodle,
ReplyDeleteOn Sunday my brother (who runs an auto shop) told me how to get past an immobilizer..DOH!...now those little asshole hackers who smash and grab can steal any car...even the '07s with their supposed foolproof upgrades...ARRRGH..
just leave a mousetrap (ready to go) in the glovebox for those little fingers to find.
I love The West Side Story. Go Jet Go! ;p
ReplyDeleteI like this post. Makes me feel my age. Thanks for nothin'!
ReplyDeleteSad little person that I am, I can remember the lyrics from most 40s,50s,60s musicals.Is this a good forum to share the fact that I once sang "I caint say no" on stage? Probably not!
Donn(with a superfluous n),I like the new banner.Very Klee/Kandinskyish.Ignore the nay-sayers!
And I like your picking up on Andrea's Zappa comment at my place.Go back there and check the URL for titles, just in case Mrs. Queen go give you da gong for good deeds to da 'hood.
Very much enjoyed my time spent strolling through your site...as a poet and an avid reader, I found it both enlightening and enriching. I thank you...
ReplyDeleteA-rab hehehe ;-) Gangs and gang-wars...I know alot abt em living over here!
ReplyDeleteHE u know...Im not so hopeful abt this guy after all...I'll tell u all abt it later. Some men r just fakes, trust me.
Keshi.
Recently I read Gangs (Tony Thompson), a study of Britain's notorius underworld culture. Pretty scary, to be fair. But I guess armies are mostly just gangs, kind of.
ReplyDeleteBertha Butt!!! OMG!
ReplyDelete*keels over laffing*
This is off topic but since when did that stop me?
ReplyDeleteTHIS is what just came on the radio...
Running Bear loved Little White Dove
With a love big as the sky
Running Bear loved Little White Dove
With a love that couldn't die
Arghhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!
So THIS explains how you ended up here!
ReplyDeleteSo THIS explains how you ended up here!
ReplyDeleteThanks for coming by...very kind of you. That would be Dismal Swamp, NC...
ReplyDeleteman! i thought i was somewhere...psychedelic! I love this layout and graphics! will be back for more...on a rush!
ReplyDeleteI could just imagine you prancing around to this....perhaps???
ReplyDeleteJet - By Paul McCartney
------------------------
Jet! Jet! Jet!
I can almost remember their funny faces
That time you told 'em that you were going to be marrying soon
And Jet,
I thought the only lonely place was on the moon
Jet! Oo Jet! Oo
Jet! Was your father as bold as a sergeant major?
Well how come he told you that you were hardly old enough yet?
And Jet,
I thought the major was a lady suffragette
Jet! Oo Jet! Oo
Ah, mater, want Jet to always love me?
Ah, mater, want Jet to always love me?
Ah, mater, much later
Jet! With the wind in your hair of a thousand laces
Climb on the back and we'll go for a ride in the sky
And Jet,
I thought that the major was a little lady suffragette
Jet! Oo Jet! Oo
And Jet,
You know I thought you was a little lady suffragette
Jet! Oo
A little lady. My little lady, yes
Has anyone else noticed that smug look on his yearbook pic?
ReplyDeleteWow, I had no idea you were such a badass! ;) Cute pic!
ReplyDeleteirene,
ReplyDeleteThere are a lot of great songs in that show..
my favorite is
"could it be? Yes it could.
Something's coming, something good.
If I can wait! Something's coming, I don't know what it is
But it is gonna be great!"
dinahmow hum,
Those old musicals were pretty corny but they are so catchy..Good ole reliable Nathan,
Nathan, Nathan Detroit!
Old man river,
dat ole man river,
he must know sumpin'
but don't say nuthin'
he jus keeps rollin'
I will go back and get Zappa-ed!
lettershaper,
Why thank you..I shall add you to my ever growing list of poets like margie, don, perspective, green eyed lady ....
keshiroo,
This dude sounds like he is going to find a wife as if he were picking out some new shoes...did he just wake up one morning and say 'hey I should get married' and then he saw you in the video store and said 'Mommy I want a wife can I have that girl who lives around the corner' and she said 'First you make your bed and take out the garbage...after you do all of your chores we can talk about finding a wife for you.'
Did I oversimplify the sitch?
Jammer,
That is an interesting observation..the US Army would be the richest gang with a budget of 55 billion or whatever the hell it is...
my fave Army movie id full metal jacket..
I am always spellbound by the first hour watching the drill sargeant psychologically dismantle the young men and then reconstruct them into warriors.
mj,
Come heeere!
Running bare hee hee..they just don't write them like that anymore...great beat..
DUM dumdumdum DUM dumdumdum
THE michael,
I heard ya the first time..
as they said in the show..
"I'm depraved on account of I'm deprived."
hammer time,
Mmmm sounds like a wonderful place!
ghosty,
ReplyDeleteYes well I may have gone overboard but small things amuse me and I sat there playing with the typogenerator for hours and then I couldn't decide which one I liked the best...still can't.
lee,
Oh yeah..I also like a couple of his others such as 1985, Give Ireland Back to the Irish and of course Maybe I'm Amazed..oh and Venus and Mars and She loved her biker like an icon..
One of us should do a post on all of the lyrics that we THOUGHT we heard..that might be fun.
mj,
That candid smug as a bug in a rug photo from the playbill is probably herbally enhanced...it was the 70s!
christine,
And don't you forget it!
What did Pee Wee tell Dotty in his Big Adventure...
"There's a lotta things about me you don't know anything about, Dottie.
Things you wouldn't understand. Things you couldn't understand. Things you shouldn't understand!"
A big fat Bob Marley joint, right?
ReplyDeleteActually, it looks like you just got laid.
mj,
ReplyDeleteHA HA HA!
They didn't call it HIGH school fer nuthin'! It was totally like That 70s Show.
OOh, call me a dork, a theatre geek, a dancer...but Krup-you (said ever so endearingly since I'm new here and have no idea how to kid you), I loved seeing remakes of West Side Story! Granted, a family member of mine acted in an off-off-off version (as on the floor fundraiser little production), so I cracked up hearing my relative try to sing to raise funds for charity in a nonfalsetto voice, but so off-key there's no word for it. (In my defense I was only 10 yrs old, so taste is not a factor. )
ReplyDeleteOMG- I just read your daughters are in Fine Arts at Univ.
I better warn my daughter before she goes off to theatre arts school...yowser
Homo (after that totally wrong gay comment about the dancers, I just had to shorten your name...)butt only for this post, so it seems music was also on your mind on Tues- Lol re: Bertha. So cruel a song, but so ridiculous it was funny.
My gosh, you write a lot. You must be retired. Did I see uh "60" is approaching soon? Don't want to miss your BD. I bet there'd be quite a party in here!
Fun post.
Whoops my comment had diarrhea of the fingers. I'm not retired(have 100 yrs to go before I sleep), but I type obscenely fast, but often with typos I do not correct in comments.
ReplyDeleteThx again for the smiles to start my day!
you were in a gang...? oh! my! word! so did you also dance around like in wss?
ReplyDeletegel,
ReplyDeleteI have one word for you....decaf!
Just kidding I like it when comments are chock-a-block full of random ideas. My daughters aren't wild like I was because I lied to them about how much fun I had back in High Shool...pffft...I told them that I wished that I had worked hard and spent the entire time studying.
You can call me HE or Homey or Donn whatever you'd like..I am trying to figure out the inapropriate gay comment but it isn't coming to me so I'll move on.
I am not retired and I would write twice as often if I could stay up more than 18 hours per d((CLUNK!))
angel,
Did you say dance around like a wuss?
HE ur spot on! Cos thats exactly wut he turned out to be LOL!
ReplyDelete**'Mommy I want a wife can I have that girl who lives around the corner'
hahahaha!
Go read my latest post and u'll know wut I mean hehehe.
Keshi.