The stage
In a hobbled together wooden shack with faded Bob Marley
pictures, strings of green, yellow and red flags, tattered paintings and soft lights encased in assorted shades of plastic, paper and cloth, folk from all cultures come together to celebrate the magic of reggae.
People sprawl about the spaces in various stages of horizontal-ness. And as the night progresses they lounge ever more deeper into individual spaces of groups, staring at each other in hazed bliss and bewilderment.
A local Thai reggae band play here each week. Its why I keep coming back. I love live music. In any form. I like seeing people perform from their love of the music itself. Nothing better than seeing a musician in their element, playing from a stream of delight.
The characters
And I like watching the characters that turn up every week. I am particularly enamoured with the Thai rastas that breathe life into their dreads and fros, they ooze coolness in their tight jeans and ripped shirts.
Then there are the farangs, locals and visitors, here to participate in the show, languishing about like lazy lizards, some tapping their feet to the tunes, others adrift in conversation and some with more bounce, sway side to side in their hazy, glowing states.
One evening an accented farang started talking to me at the bar.
‘Do you know about chem trails?’
‘No’
‘Well have a look at this. They are spraying us to keep us in the dark.’ He showed me a photo of a cloud. ‘See, look at this cloud formation. I was thinking where I’d seen it before, then a friend sent me this photo. See.’
I looked at the cloud. His eyes narrowed in on the picture, briefly looking up at me.
‘Umm, yes, it could be an eagle shaped cloud.’
‘No! Its chem trails. I take loads of photos of them. Its why I wear a mask when I’m driving. To stop the chemicals entering my mind.’
I nodded. ‘It was nice to meet you.’
As I turned to leave he said, ‘Eat green papaya, it will clean your system of the bacteria that them trails produce. Once you are clear of it, you will become more and more aware, you will see.’
I smiled. The characters around here are just simply fabulous!
I watch the dancers, women moving their hips in rhythmic sensuality, lovingly caressing the air, men sweeping past them to bop around, hoping to get a smile or a brush of a hip.
The music
Thai reggae music is something to experience. Bob Marley never gets tired here. Every Marley hit is repeated continuously, like Ferris wheel that never stops, on and on it goes.
‘Don’t worry, about a ting….’
As a beautiful Thai muma said to me when I asked her what music she likes, she said ‘Bob Marley. Me only like Bob Marley. Bob Marley every – day!’
The most famous reggae band in Thailand is called ‘Job 2 Do’. Their number one hit, ‘Doo, Doo, Doo’ also never sleeps here. I feel like I am truly Thai when I can sing the song’s key refrain:
‘Doo, doo, doo, doo der tan. Tum mai tin tan de Chan Dai.’
The only words I recognise in this song is ‘Bob Marley’.
Hit after Marley hit is played in this shack, along with Doo Doo Doo and then some popular random songs from the 80s and 90s, including Cranberry classic ‘Zombie’, 4 Non Blonde’s ‘What’s Up’, and to make any visiting Aussies bounce with patriotic fever, Men at work’s ‘Down Under’.
The problem is, I want to jump up on stage every time the lead singer sings:
‘Do you speaka my lenguage, he smile hand me sandwict…. You betta run, you betta take cover’
Its a VEGEMITE SANDWICH!! VEGEMITE!!! Every time I want to yell out, its VEGEMITE!! That’s what Aussies’ like!
But the truth is, I love the accented interpretations of these songs, they captivate me with their unique blends of words. Who needs an ’s’ on the end of a word anyway? And ‘th’ is over-rated. The use of ’T’, I would argue, is more than satisfactory.
And even the songs that are like the sacchariferous (ok, its my new favourite word and I love over-doing it) syrupy substance that they insist on putting in fruit shakes here, somehow coming from a sunglassed, red jacketed, Afro singing Thai dude, it seems vaguely palatable.
‘Put on her may up…We go to a party…. a beeutiful laydi… walking around wi me… and then she asked me if she looked alright, and I said, you look wunderful toonigt.’
The joy continues in the tiny wooden shack with rhythmic vibes echoing out across the bay… 1.43am and the crowd begs for more! I want to stay every week, all night, but instead I drag my tired body to bed, hearing a different rhythm as I rest, the waves dancing their own tune against the sea shore.
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