"let your boat of life be light, packed with only
what you need - a homely home and simple pleasures, someone to love and someone to love you,
enough to eat and enough to wear
and a little more than enough to drink:
for thirst is a dangerous thing"

Saturday 21 January 2012

searching for sugar man

I was on my way out the door and I heard this clip on the radio about Rodriguez.  It needed more investigating, so my trip to the nursery has been a tad delayed.   Not many of us 70's teenagers were without the album Cold Fact in our record collection.  I had the CD too (until Gareth hijacked it) and I remember every song word for word on the album.  I saw him when he toured SA in the late '90's and remember the story at the time of how a South African journalist went looking for him to bring him out to South Africa. He did not even know that he was popular in SA as he had not sold many records in the USA.


(In case you want to sing along)

Sugarman
Won't ya hurry
Coz I'm tired of these scenes
For a blue coin
Won't ya bring back
All those colours to my dreams
Silver magic ships, you carry
Jumpers, coke, sweet MaryJane
Sugarman
Met a false friend
On a lonely, dusty road
Lost my heart
When I found it
It had turned to dead, black coal
Silver magic ships, you carry
Jumpers, coke, sweet MaryJane
Sugarman
You're the answer
That makes my questions disappear
Sugarman
Coz I'm weary
Of these double games I hear
Sugarman .........
(don't you love the echo and the way the song fades out?)
The Sundance Film Festival is on at the moment.  Read here.  Yesterday this documentary played to rave reviews, tears and standing ovations.  A major distributor is now wanting to distribute it worldwide. The director of the documentary, Malik Bendejello (from Sweden) is telling the story of two South Africans looking for a presumed dead Rodriguez (rumour had it that he shot himself on stage).   Apparently, yesterday throughout the screening of the documentary Americans were finding themselves bewildered and wondering about why and how this Swede and all these South Africans knew all about this musician from Detroit and they had never heard of him (Hellooo...).

Some background to his visit to South Africa.

Sugar Man was of course the most popular song (Just Jinger did a great version a couple of years ago) but I think it was the song "I wonder" that had most of us South African teenagers dancing, pointing fingers, stamping, giggling and singing the lyrics to our boyfriends or girlfriends (or ex-boyfriends and girlfriends).


I wonder how many times you've been had
And I wonder how many plans have gone bad
I wonder how many times you had sex
And I wonder do you know who'll be next 
I wonder I wonder wonder I do

I wonder about the love you can't find
And I wonder about the loneliness that's mine 
I wonder how much going have you got
And I wonder about your friends that are not
I wonder I wonder wonder I do

I wonder about the tears in children's eyes 
And I wonder about the soldier that dies
I wonder will this hatred ever end 
I wonder and worry my friend

I wonder I wonder wonder don't you?
I wonder how many times you been had 
And I wonder how many dreams have gone bad
I wonder how many times you had sex
And I wonder do you know who'll be next
I wonder I wonder wonder I do

And now while looking for the stuff on You Tube I have found this gem:-


My favourite Paolo Nutini from Glenfield Road in Orchy also knows about Rodriguez.  Made my day!!  Bring back the CD Gareth, before I come after you!!

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