bigdrumnation

Underground Diaries: Trains of Thought – Martin P. Felix

Reading Time 2 mins“Doesn’t anybody ever know?/Doesn’t anybody ever know?/That the world’s a subway, subway.” – Our Lady Peace “Superman’s Dead” The New York City subway has long held a fascination with Caribbean immigrants. Antigua’s Swallow captured this sentiment when he gave a Caribbean nation roll call in the Subway Jam. Decades before, Lord Invader introduced us to “New York Subway”, a journal about going to Brooklyn to visit a lady, and not being able to figure out his return subway route. When subway artist Michael Stewart was killed by transit cops in 1984, world-famous Haitian-Puerto Rican artist Jean-Michel Basquiat remarked… Read More »Underground Diaries: Trains of Thought – Martin P. Felix

My Public Education was Arrested when I Abandoned the New York Subway — Winthrop R. Holder

Reading Time 2 minsJanuary 16, 2020 “When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe.” – John Muir. The Arrivant? “I was a… rootless man of the world. I could go, belong, everywhere on the worldwide globe.” – Edward K. Braithwaite. In 1975 I was a recent immigrant, a new student at Brooklyn College, when, since one of my professors stressed the importance of current events, I undertook to learn to fold and read the New York Times on my long subway trips. Other commuters–many of whom would get off at the Wall Street and Bowling… Read More »My Public Education was Arrested when I Abandoned the New York Subway — Winthrop R. Holder

II. Engaging an Underground Subculture of Reading — Winthrop R. Holder

Reading Time 2 minsJanuary 16, 2020 In mid-September 2019, I had to retrieve a long-lost book from a friend who works for the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) at the Avenue X Station in Coney Island, Brooklyn. As someone slowly (re)embracing public transportation, I pondered reentering my world of the 1970s and 1980s; I resolved to take the subway. And, since I had not completed that week’s NY Sunday Times, I decided to carry reading material for what could be a three-hour round trip. I recalled my early days navigating the underground. But, of course, distance and time often provide perspective. And it… Read More »II. Engaging an Underground Subculture of Reading — Winthrop R. Holder

III. Begging to Avoid Trouble — Winthrop R. Holder

Reading Time 2 mins January 16, 2020 The daily kaleidoscope of headlines, many in foreign languages, peering out from straphangers’ papers, may have served to remind commuters of the vibrancy of our multilingual, global village when there wasn’t as much government-inspired anti-immigrant sentiment as today. I remember sometimes being impressed by the arresting artwork of a New Yorker cover that I’d buy one. Or a salacious headline, especially from the Daily News or the New York Post, would induce me to buy the newspaper, sometimes only to read half of the article. And, oh, the graffiti, how that “faux-art” led to reflections on what it… Read More »III. Begging to Avoid Trouble — Winthrop R. Holder

IV. A Sense of Camaraderie?– Winthrop R. Holder

Reading Time 3 mins January 16, 2020 I arrived at Avenue X around 3 p.m. and collected the book from my friend. On the return trip, rather than continue reading the Times, I decided to read my recently-retrieved book–The Black Power Revolution 1970: A Retrospective–aware that I might stand out even more. Engrossed in reading Selwyn Ryan’s overview… In 1970, young Caribbean Blacks, like their brothers in the Americas, were preaching the word of Garvey though the language was more radical. What they wanted was… Reorganization of the Caribbean economies on a regional basis with black people as the central focus of… Read More »IV. A Sense of Camaraderie?– Winthrop R. Holder

Adventures In Carriacou During Parang Season — Jeff McNish

Reading Time 3 minsI. Atlantic Crossing: A Scattergun Description #carriacou #grenada #caribbean #sailing #parang Hi Rich*, I wanted to drop you a line to let you know that I had a wonderful time in Carriacou after you had sailed on to Grenada.  You’d have loved much of it.  I’ll include a scattergun description of some of my adventures.  They started out as emails to Bridget, then got cut-and-pasted into emails to other friends.  It’s an elliptical account, but you’ll get the idea.  So, thank you for making the connections that got me started.   I boarded the schooner Alcyone in November 2001 at Tenerife in… Read More »Adventures In Carriacou During Parang Season — Jeff McNish

II. Deep Connection Between People, Land, and Sea — Jeff McNish

Reading Time 5 minsOn Friday, I played with another Carriacou string band — either the Strugglers or the Stragglers—vowels here are really a problem for me. But it was pretty great. But . . . oh, what did I do? I took a bus to Windward, the northeast tip of the island. It’s where the boatbuilding tradition of Carriacou was first introduced, by Scottish people, I think. Wandering around Windward I sensed that the relation between the people here and the sea is really vital and strong. They build all these boats — still do it. On the pier at… Read More »II. Deep Connection Between People, Land, and Sea — Jeff McNish

III. Hillsborough is the Place for Me! — Jeff McNish

Reading Time 3 minsSo yes, Thursday I get to go to Belmont (a village in the southern part of the island) and rehearse with a band for Parang.  Who knows what that could have meant?  Wednesday, I was walking between Hillsborough and L’Esterre (where Sonnel lives) looking for a guest house that wasn’t booked for the Parang Festival.  Along the way, I ran into Sonnel who was coming back from the funeral of the woman for whom they had the wake Tuesday night.  He and I walked to the tire shop of his cousin, Gus (where we’d played Tuesday night… Read More »III. Hillsborough is the Place for Me! — Jeff McNish

IV. A Nice Mix Of Nature And Art — Jeff McNish

Reading Time 2 minsThere’s so much more: Boat-tailed grackles– a bird species Bridget had identified for me in Montserrat on Alcyone’s first pass through the Caribbean.  Googling them I learn they may actually be Greater Grackles, whose range includes the Caribbean.  Frogs run over on the road.  Goats everywhere.  A snake run over on the road. A couple ah donkeys.   I arrived in Belmont around 4:30, met Uncle Winston, the bandleader, and composer (“Margerita!  Seniorita!  We doan wanna play dat ting.  We wanna play tings we kyan nous!  El muchacho!  El Parango!  We doan wanna play dat ting.  We wanna… Read More »IV. A Nice Mix Of Nature And Art — Jeff McNish

V. A Night of Festivities! — Jeff McNish

Reading Time 6 minsI played a wedding Saturday.  Briefly, anyway.  After that, I had achieved guest status. My contact was, Mr. Coy, the father of the bride.  He’s a club-footed tailor who plays some guitar and fiddle.  I don’t understand a lot of what he says; he has a gruff, barking manner.  I had been walking around Hillsborough and people were admiring my ukulele.  A guy (Cecil, one of the Brunswick Strugglers) pulled me into Mr. Coy’s shack/shop where he played my uke.  Tailor Coy’s residence is across the street from the tennis courts, a shed with two windows, a… Read More »V. A Night of Festivities! — Jeff McNish