Demis Roussos and 80's memories
"Music is the short hand of emotion" Leo Tolstoy.
It happens often, a favorite song will spark off memories of people, places and events from my past. As if every song starts a fresh note of history. It includes any thing from current events, relationships, a stage in life to the news on radio. The other day "The Prayer", a duet by Celine Deon and Josh Groban triggered a stream of memories over 20 years old. Something about the passionate, sensitive orchestra and operatic voices of a lady and a young man led me back to the house I grew up in. I indulged.
I opened the gate, trotted down the steep drive way and rang the door bell. Aguti rushed to open the front door thinking I was a visitor and I was in some respects. I smiled, thanked her and locked the door behind me. While she returned to the kitchen, I rushed into the sitting room, dropped my bag and pulled out the maroon cassette briefcase that sat under the table, below the music system. I searched for a particular artist - the reason I'd traveled back in time. I scanned through from Lionel Richie, Kool and the Gang, Culture Club, Michael Jackson, Donna Summer to Wham!, when finally there it was, I’d found it! Demis Roussos. I opened the case and sighed with great relief, thankful that the tape was in its right jacket.
Demis, is a large bearded man whose shaky voice filled our house often.
In the early 80's my brother
Andrew obsessed with his music, played it consistently. After a while we all learned the choruses, memorized our favorites on side A and B of the cassette and hummed along effortlessly even singing sometimes; " Perdóname If I hurt you I am
sorry, I´m just a stranger who came from nowhere one rainy day". .
I returned to 2014, sat at my computer and YouTube saved the day! I found ; "Good bye my love good bye", "Forever and ever", "We shall dance"...
I reminisced about a time and a place when children played more with each other and less with gadgets. When we waited for UTV to open at 6:00pm. When Simon and I hurried to finish homework so we could watch The Electric Company.
When Morgan Freeman and President Milton Obote still had big black Afros.
When President Milton Obote held political rallies in all 32 districts of Uganda:
Obote: "a yu! a yu!
People: "a UPC!"
Obote: " In Mba-ra-ra"
People: "a UPC"
Obote: "And in So-ro-ti"
People: "a UPC"
Obote: "What about Pakwach?"
People: "a UPC"
Obote: "Everywhere"...
When Venancio
Okello twirled his baton, raised his shoulders and matched ahead of the
Uganda police band swaying to the song
"eeeh ma-ma!, a UPC, the congress of the people". When scenes of determined black South Africans demonstrating against apartheid and
being shot flashed across the TV screen. When Mrs. Ofungi run the best ice-cream store in Kisementi.When Ssebagala's Ugantico was the only Super Market in Kampala.
When we traveled to Serere for third term holidays with 6 children in the back seat of a Toyota Corolla. Demis Roussos playing on the car radio. When paper bags filled with Hot-loaf bread, blue-band margarine, zesta jam, Tree-top juice and Maria biscuits were loaded into the car boot to be eaten on the journey and while in the village.
Saturday breakfast at Katonga road: Melting butter on crispy toast, milk tea and a lady bird book in hand preferably "Hansel and Gretel" spotted with the history of many previous breakfasts.
I remembered the hunger pangs at 3pm, when the fridge and the cupboards were empty. When the last raisins meant for baking had been nibbled and the honey licked clean off the saucer.
"DRUM" magazines and cutouts of "Love is"strewn over a blue, white and red home-knitted table cloth. Rays of sunlight streaming into the living room, the heavy flowery curtains drawn and fastened in a knot. The sweet smell of homemade toffee on a shiny Saturday afternoon.
Relatives and family friends who dropped in for a visit unexpectedly. The fear that gripped me when tasked with fetching charcoal from the outside store at night. How I run, my heart throbbing like an incessant African drum beat during imbalu, imagining how "red-green" and other ghosts fabricated by older brothers Simon and Peter were going to catch me.
And so I leave you with my favorite song "My Friend The Wind", and perhaps you will notice the similarities between Demis and Tevye my favorite character in "The Fidler On The Roof" :-). And yes Leo Tolstoy was right to say, "Music is the short hand of emotion.
It happens often, a favorite song will spark off memories of people, places and events from my past. As if every song starts a fresh note of history. It includes any thing from current events, relationships, a stage in life to the news on radio. The other day "The Prayer", a duet by Celine Deon and Josh Groban triggered a stream of memories over 20 years old. Something about the passionate, sensitive orchestra and operatic voices of a lady and a young man led me back to the house I grew up in. I indulged.
I opened the gate, trotted down the steep drive way and rang the door bell. Aguti rushed to open the front door thinking I was a visitor and I was in some respects. I smiled, thanked her and locked the door behind me. While she returned to the kitchen, I rushed into the sitting room, dropped my bag and pulled out the maroon cassette briefcase that sat under the table, below the music system. I searched for a particular artist - the reason I'd traveled back in time. I scanned through from Lionel Richie, Kool and the Gang, Culture Club, Michael Jackson, Donna Summer to Wham!, when finally there it was, I’d found it! Demis Roussos. I opened the case and sighed with great relief, thankful that the tape was in its right jacket.
Demis, is a large bearded man whose shaky voice filled our house often.
In the early 80's my brother
Andrew obsessed with his music, played it consistently. After a while we all learned the choruses, memorized our favorites on side A and B of the cassette and hummed along effortlessly even singing sometimes; " Perdóname If I hurt you I am
sorry, I´m just a stranger who came from nowhere one rainy day". .I returned to 2014, sat at my computer and YouTube saved the day! I found ; "Good bye my love good bye", "Forever and ever", "We shall dance"...
I reminisced about a time and a place when children played more with each other and less with gadgets. When we waited for UTV to open at 6:00pm. When Simon and I hurried to finish homework so we could watch The Electric Company.
When Morgan Freeman and President Milton Obote still had big black Afros.
When President Milton Obote held political rallies in all 32 districts of Uganda:
Obote: "a yu! a yu!
People: "a UPC!"
Obote: " In Mba-ra-ra"
People: "a UPC"
Obote: "And in So-ro-ti"
People: "a UPC"
Obote: "What about Pakwach?"
People: "a UPC"
Obote: "Everywhere"...
When we traveled to Serere for third term holidays with 6 children in the back seat of a Toyota Corolla. Demis Roussos playing on the car radio. When paper bags filled with Hot-loaf bread, blue-band margarine, zesta jam, Tree-top juice and Maria biscuits were loaded into the car boot to be eaten on the journey and while in the village.
Saturday breakfast at Katonga road: Melting butter on crispy toast, milk tea and a lady bird book in hand preferably "Hansel and Gretel" spotted with the history of many previous breakfasts.
I remembered the hunger pangs at 3pm, when the fridge and the cupboards were empty. When the last raisins meant for baking had been nibbled and the honey licked clean off the saucer.
"DRUM" magazines and cutouts of "Love is"strewn over a blue, white and red home-knitted table cloth. Rays of sunlight streaming into the living room, the heavy flowery curtains drawn and fastened in a knot. The sweet smell of homemade toffee on a shiny Saturday afternoon.
Relatives and family friends who dropped in for a visit unexpectedly. The fear that gripped me when tasked with fetching charcoal from the outside store at night. How I run, my heart throbbing like an incessant African drum beat during imbalu, imagining how "red-green" and other ghosts fabricated by older brothers Simon and Peter were going to catch me.
And so I leave you with my favorite song "My Friend The Wind", and perhaps you will notice the similarities between Demis and Tevye my favorite character in "The Fidler On The Roof" :-). And yes Leo Tolstoy was right to say, "Music is the short hand of emotion.
"I'll hear her voice and the words that he brings from Helenimou
Sweet as a kiss are the songs of Aghapimou Soft as the dew is the touch of Manoulamou
Oh oh oh
Sweet as a kiss are the songs of Aghapimou Soft as the dew is the touch of Manoulamou
Oh oh oh
We'll share a dream where I'm never away from Helenimou, Blue are the days like the eyes of Aghapimou Far from the world will I live with Manoulamou
Oh oh oh"
Oh oh oh"
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