De One Man Parrang Band

Call him Journalist, Broadcaster, Editor, Managing Director, or plain and simple Shelley, de passing of Shelley Clarke, last Friday, has left us short of ah Bad-man Journalist in SVG and indeed de wider Carry-Beyond, and perhaps de Die-us-poorans who keep in touch wid home.

As Editor and co-founder of de News Newspaper Shelley was bold! brave! fear-less, harsh; sometimes too harsh maybe . But he believed in de Principle and Ethics of Journal-is-him and never failed or feared to report ah story like it is/was. From day No1 he held de reins of de NEWS alone. most ah de time “De One Man Media Band” , and foh over thirty (30) years de paper was ranked “ El Numero Uno” from thence to hence, well till now! Ah record. It was Shelley and two other shareholders/owners of de paper, who came to my home one night, and persuaded me to write my first Newspaper column “One Love”. He freely shared his knowledge, and ah could have called on him foh any info pertaining to my present column “De Love Vine!” And ah want to say Thank You Shelley! Rest Peacefully!

De One Man Pah-Pah-Wrong Gang

Dis Christmas feeling does mek me Glad! De music of course is getting better. Ah pick-up ah slight element of un-Christ-mass-like lyrics trying to raise its ugly head in some ah de songs. Ah wish de Committee would nip it in de Bud. Carlton “CP” Hall is Lie-Za’s fair-foh it, she was telling me dat “CP” has ah good Parrang:” De one man Parrang Band,” in which he is playing all de instrument: “Banjo, Cuatro, Guitar, Mandoline, Maracas, Tambora-Drum…” She say is straight Christmas Parrang, but Lie-Oh, her boy-fren who writes Kaiso, come-plain dat “One Man Parrang Band” has ah “double entende”ah double meaning, and knowing “CP” he could picong ah song to fit any sit-yuh-hear-shun, whether is in Par-liar-mint or Cabinet. How Lie-Oh told her wid all de unsolved crime, gin-aside, rape’n senior citizens, de name ah de song should be “One Man Pah-wrong Gang!” So ah asked her if she ever listened to de Christmas Parrang “Santa Brokes”. She lol den she told me dah’s ah ole song, Santa Brokes long time, since twenty-four Christmases ago. Foh dis Christmas “Give ah lickle something dis year!” And wid dat is gone ah gone again.

One Love Bassy

Bassy Alexander is a land surveyor, folklorist and social commentator.