Revised - Phase Three Writing

Rethink Locks: A Homegrown, Organic Movement

Once upon a time, growing locks meant something—it had conceptual significance.

Thick tufts of rolled, matted hair denoted liberation, devotion,
commitment, and a dedication to spirituality. Locks had nothing to do
with hairstyles. Rather, locks declared freedom and symbolized the
breaking of psychological slavery, imperialism, and colonialism.

Since then, locks evolved from personal expression to product, sales,
and trend. You can buy them in a package. The standard locking
procedure for many people nowadays feels canned and comes with a
warning, by me: a five-year, organic-only locking maverick. You go to
the hair shop, order up, and "PING!" What do you have: generic,
mass-production-style locks caked with product, forged together with
heat, and done with impersonal care; 75 dollars on average to start,
and 50 dollars every other week to maintain.

Committing to locks compares to having a child. A lifelong,
time-consuming, and sometimes disappointing and frustrating
commitment, your locks will need attention, care, nutrition, guidance,
discipline, and training. That said: why not rethink before starting
yours? Why not grow your own organic locks?

Typical of mass production, quality gets lost in the fray of cranking
out multiple versions of the same things. Natural hair shops line
urban streets like trees line suburban streets. Locktician is actually
a word and an occupation! The result: people paying top dollar for
natural hair. Don't get caught up. Do them at home. Grow them
naturally; discover homegrown locks.

With a twist.

Contrary to the dread stereotype, there will be no dusty, dirty
hair—just clean, healthy locks, chemical-free and guided by nature.
You'll also save a buck or two and learn to pamper yourself through
hair.

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I see you bubbling all over the place -- you're yeasty, and I think it's grand!

The Last "Phase Three"

Like Mark said: Either the movie works or doesn't. You move on. You revise.

Onward, then, means a focus on the end—the last Phase Three Words & Images project I have to think about. Yay. (Not that I didn't love this class—I did and learned a lot. I'm convinced that this class could possibly be the only course of this grad program). am ending the semester on a breezy note: with a simple topic that I can rattle on about for hours.

My topic: how to grow dreads. My title: Rethink Locks: A Homegrown, Organic Movement. I'm posting the introduction to my booklet for your perusal. I have not yet sent this to Stephanie, so comments are welcomed. (Though, to be honest, I'm happy to just throw something on paper to say it's done).

Rethink Locks: A Homegrown, Organic Movement

Once upon a time, a decision to grow locks held weight—it had conceptual significance. Having thick tufts of rolled, matted hair denoted liberation, devotion, commitment, and a dedication to spirituality. Back then, locks were not a hairstyle; rather, locks were an expression of freedom and, often, a symbol for breaking the psychological effects of imperialism, colonialism, and/or slavery.

A choice to lock hair must celebrate, commemorate, honor, and act upon the history, meaning, and intent of such an iconic hairstyle.

Not that locks nowadays don't have meaning, but instead of seeing bursts of individual expression atop dread heads, locks now are mass-produced, "genericized," something to get done, a trend—a meaningless move for no other reason than that locks have mainstream acceptance.

A choice to lock hair must also embrace the 21^st century and future generations of people who will create new reasons for donning dreadlocks. Times change; people change; history changes.

This guide will marry the two ideals with a return to homegrown, organically cultivated locks—regardless of concept. Rethink locks. Why? For the sake of preserving tradition? Yes—but also because synthetic locks are an oxymoron.

Like most mass-produced products, quality gets lost in the fray of cranking out multiple versions of the same thing—such rings true for locks. Natural hair shops line urban streets like trees line suburban streets. The word locktician actually has meaning—and those people earn money from that vague title. The result: a phenomenon of people who pay top dollar for a "natural" hairstyle—locks caked with gel and forced together by heat. Does that not defeat the purpose?

While the best-case scenario would bring the dreadlock revolution completely back to its roots, reality says that mainstream locks and the unoriginal concepts behind those locks will prevail. Fine—but at least consider growing locks instead of making locks. You owe the revolution that much.


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I see you bubbling all over the place -- you're yeasty, and I think it's grand!

Fiction: I'm Just Not That Into You

This project sprung a surprise lesson on me: I'm not that into fiction. I've never been a huge novel reader, gravitating mostly towards literary journalism and other types of nonfiction. I rarely watch movies. I'll watch a sitcom or HBO series here and there, but my TV repertoire consists mostly of news and commentary, reality competitions, game shows, and a variety of niche cable network: Weather, History, HGTV, Food Network, etc. I don't write fiction either. Everything I write infuses a tangible, even aggressive sense of me and my perspective. I guess I had never really looked at these patterns, but now that I'm faced with this story telling assignment, it's interestingly clear. I'm about facts, not fantasy. I'm creative and imaginative, but more in the problem-solving sense.

 

I figured the most challenging aspect of the project would tie between planning, since I'm so "in-the-moment," and Flash, because of a re-learning curve. Maybe even the graphics, since I'm more a typography person. On the contrary, plotting a fictional story has my head spinning. I didn't consider until now that the story, quite possibly, doesn't have to be fiction, or could be clearly based on a poem. Can abstract graphics, color, and type interpret a poem or talk about real life in nonfiction terms and still succeed as a two-minute silent film?  

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I see you bubbling all over the place -- you're yeasty, and I think it's grand!

Project 5: Storytelling - Diary of Some Mad Black Hair

I grappled with finding a balance between my inclination towards serious subjects and the importance simplicity will play in executing a successful short film for project 5. I also worried about being predictably unfunny and maybe too straightforward. Fingers crossed, my story ends up being that satisfying happy medium between the two.

This isn't a Diary of a Mad Black Women parody, so I'm not sure the title is appropriate. I like that it's familiar enough (to the intended target audience for this project) to grab attention while making clear the subject of the film. It may not fully convey the tone of the story either; essentially somber, since the main character, a strand of hair, dies as a result of a chemical relaxer.

The story's perspective will reflect the life and death of the hair follicle that suffered chemical processing, told through the silent narrator (haven't quite defined what that means for my story yet...how silent is too silent and not so silent to meet the writing requirement...).

I'm still working out details—particularly, I'm focused on imagery. I'd love to do something different for this project, a skill I'm reaching waaaay back for that I have not used in a long time. Truthfully, I'm not into the animation thing and hope to speed through the project, but if I can tap into myself, that buried knowledge and experience, and translate my brain through this long, lost medium, the project could be the most rewarding of the entire semester.


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I see you bubbling all over the place -- you're yeasty, and I think it's grand!

1000 Words Isn't Enough

Is anyone else struggling to keep to the 1000 word maximum? Granted, I can be a chatterbox (not literally, but the writer-equivalent to that). But somehow, one thousand words for my piece seems to scratch the surface of my topic (How to Buy Reggae). I can't wait to get some feedback tomorrow. This is my first draft and I haven't done any heavy editing, so I'm all ears and eyes. Although I feel like my idea is simple enough, clearly I still need to trim the fat if I can't fit it within the limit.

Main Topic: Dancehall Reggae (as narration, commentary, and storytelling)
Organizing Principle: Plotlines and Characters
Client: Vibe magazine

How to Buy Reggae: A Guide to the Unknown
by LaDonna LaGuerre

Reggae.

What five words come to mind first? Bob Marley and the Wailers?

Bob bares the responsibility of representing a basic, mainstream image of reggae—a genre largely understood as a one-dimensional continuation of drums. He croons softly in the backdrop of tourism commercials. His name always comes up first when asked, 'Hey, do you like reggae?" The natural response: "Yeah, Bob Marley's cool."

We knew reggae as jolly, positive music that seeped out of Jamaica in the 1960s, irrigated throughout the world, yes, thanks to Bob's legendary music. Unfortunately, for Bob, reggae has moved on. While peace music and slave songs will never die, modern subgenres, like dancehall, infuse and entrance a new generation of music lovers. Reggae got over dub plates and steel drums

and got into riddim riders, DJs, and dance moves, creating a fresh, 21^st-century Jamaican sound.

One problem: Dancehall can boggle the mind. Fast-flowing rhymes, a clamorous bass line, Jamaican patois, and rich, allegorical lyrics can turn off the layperson listener, or even the traditional reggae fan, from getting into this genre of music—too many barriers. A true dancehall fanatic can attest to its exclusive, almost cult-like feel.

Vibe knocks the wall down between hardcore dancehall and the average person with an interest in, and possibly an intimidation of, reggae. Before you go fishing for download sites or hit up your local music shop, read on. Learn how to buy reggae (and, maybe, how to understand the music you are buying, to which you'd be listening nonstop after pressing play on the first track).

Now you know: reggae used to mean Bob Marley and now takes on an inclusive and more contemporary definition. It's hip, energetic, and, cool—but who knew also complex? Your dancehall lesson does not end with a historical timeline.

Making your dancehall purchase always starts with format selection: DJ mix or an artist recording? The novice listener generally feels more comfortable with the latter; with experience, you move on to understand the significance and pleasure of the DJ mix—deejays sometimes have greater impact on the dancehall scene than the artist, who often cannot gain popularity without them (tabled for lesson two).

Now, to the important questions that will define your purchase:

Are you feeling tough?

Think you're a bad ass bitch?

Depressed?

Love pussy?

Need something familiar?

Hate your government?

Remember, complexity and dancehall go hand in hand. Reggae consumers do not just buy reggae—they often invest in the messages, points of view, or paradigms of the artist writing and performing the lyrics. A tough guy will buy a different type of dancehall than someone wanting to overthrow the government. Dancehall tells stories of the multi-faceted Jamaican experience, one that could involve everything: from street violence, poverty, marijuana, and self-pride, to Jah (a God-like figure), women, humor, and homophobia. These songs speak to all those plots, and others, constructing vibrant Jamaican characters (and caricatures)—which needs analysis and consideration before making a move to checkout.

Plot: Mi Bust Mi Gun

Character: The Rude Bwoy

Back in the day, in a famous reggae classic, the artist tells you: "Six million ways to die—choose one," followed up with a demonic laugh and a head-bobbing beat. Buying Badman brings you to the dangerous streets of Jamaica, the garrison, like a musical version of The Wire. Sample Badman lyrics: Bawl, Mama, bawl now. Hey Mama, buy a wreath for your son, 'cause he fucked around, now he's gonna die by my gun. And now you're gonna cry when you come, when you see his body on the ground.

Plot: Catfight

Character: The Bad Gyal

For a female to make it in a male-dominated profession, she must find an edge to be a cut-above the rest. She needs to claw her way for respect and recognition from her peers. So what if her claws dig into the faces of fellow female artists? A Bad Gyal purchase, a lyrical catfight, not only uncovers the competitive nature of the dancehall industry, but also the daily reality for Jamaicans who compete on the island for basic resources and life necessities. Sample Bad Gyal lyrics: Excuse me, miss, make me teach you some tricks. Just like a doggy, me mek him sit. Gal yuh man a lust after my kibbles and bits, 'cause me have the tactics fi ease his spirits. Watch me—make me upgrade yuh man. Me will sen him bak in better condition. When I'm done with him he'll be my likkle Superman. A nuh my fault make yuh man lust afta me.

Plot: Depression and the Black Man

Character: The Deep Brother

Peel away Jamaica's shiny façade of sand, beaches, Hedonism, Spring Break, and honeymoons and what do you find? Well, after the weed—what do you find? Shanty towns with tin roof houses. Parents working hard like slaves to feed and educate children. Frustration, poverty, and depression. Listening to the Deep Brother talk about his hard times requires empathy, passion, and possibly a drive to change the world. Sample Deep Brother lyrics: Exercise every day and I'm still not fit. My kids are hungry and I ain't got shit. What I'm gonna do, what I'm gonna do? What would you do?

[Note: I want to continue my classification to touch upon each of the question defining questions above, but last check I was at 984 words, so I'm forced to stop with a clear, finalized piece.]

(Conclusion)

Almost out of the first 21^st-century decade and, finally, dancehall has omnipresence. It's everywhere—and I don't mean Brooklyn, NY. Once upon a time, reggae acted as a backdrop to fruity cocktails, beach trips, or as the faceless bong mate. Today in the U.S., reggae blasts out of commercial radio stations, saves the night at a typical hip-hop club venue with patrons don't dance, and recognized by cable television conglomerates as viable sources of new content. Most importantly, reggae can now be a part of your music collection, chosen deliberately, carefully, and with confidence. Tomorrow, it can be pumping out of your iPod headphones.

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I see you bubbling all over the place -- you're yeasty, and I think it's grand!

How to Buy Reggae -- Classification Project Ideas

I'm forcing myself not to overanalyze. My usual MO is to overconceptualize and leave myself a day to execute. I gotta change that. In one week, two professors threw me under the microscope: Dina from Type said (paraphrased) that "I'm clearly smart. I seem to overanalyze. I need to tone down the concept and focus, too, on being visually creative...". Stephanie said that my work looks like I need to slow down. Allison, bluntly, said "You are clearly not giving yourself enough time." So I get the point. It's all (or mostly) about the execution. Get an idea and move on.

ARGH.

Naturally, that all sounds good, but here I am, in the same familar boat. What is my classifying principle? I'm glad to have been able to chat with Casey during Type yesterday to help flush out (and simplify, thank god) my concept.

So far, my title and basic premise is: How to Buy Dancehall Reggae. My purpose, I guess, is to demonstrate the complexity of dancehall reggae. Mostly, I'm saying: "Look at all this beautiful reggae; you'll never be bored -- there's so much to choose from."

But beyond that, dancehall reggae is largely misunderstood (in terms of "language barriers" as well as purpose) and, by default, overlooked and often not taken seriously, or even ridiculed. Even worse, dancehall reggae has a bad rap with certain types of groups and people. My opinion, thus far in life, is that the real, true dancehall following is like a big ass cult and certainly not for everyone. Seems to make sense. But as I listen in the car, dance to it while cleaning, bob to it while working, I always ask, aloud: HOW CAN ANYONE NOT LIKE REGGAE?

What I find most exciting and interesting about dancehall is the "riddim [rhythm] phenomenon," where producers make a beat and gives it to several reggae artists (or DJs - a reggae term for the artist -- not the guy spinning the records), who then turn around and make their own songs—essentially a selection of short stories all based on a common riddim. I love listening to see who is saying what, what lyrical techniques are in use, who is on what riddim, and most importantly, what stories are being told and how the artists and stories compare. Reggae as both a narrative or poetry, as well as a tool for cultural commentary, doesn't resonate with most mainstream music listeners -- or even reggae listeners who stick to roots & conscious.

I want to answer questions about reggae -- demystify the genre. My research alone proved this need and the lack of good information about dancehall. I found a lot of CD reviews and articles about Bob Marley. That's pathetic.

So, for How to Buy Reggae, I've come up with some categories, or types, of dancehall. I need to figure out where to focus, what to eliminate, and how best to choose an organizing principle.

Typical Dancehall Topics (this list can be subcategorized, to a give sense of the wide topic range)
Political commentary (government)
Poverty
Church
Self-care (hygiene, keeping your house clean, taking care of your kids)
Youth violence
Jah (religious)
Gangsta/Badman
Anti-Gay
Pussy Worship
General sexual explicitness ("slackness" is the reggae term)
Anti-Oral Sex
Bedroom King (male)
Bedroom Queen (female)
Comedy
Ganja
Dancing
Cat fighting
Cultural Pride
Love songs (usually called Lover's Rock)
Safe sex and sexual practices
Youth (education, health, well-being)
Relationships
Family
Food

Some ways to classify are:

• To convey a certain mood, emotion, or state of being (like, if you're feeling tough, buy gangsta...if you're feeling sexual, go for slackness...if you're in love, go for lover's...)
• To understand Jamaican culture (the various topics represent different facets of Jamican life and culture, like "The Gangsta Jamaican, The Slack Jamaican, The Praying Jamaican, The Poor Jamaican, etc.)
• To answer the basic question of "WTF is reggae?" (I would group the topics above by larger categories - sexual, gangsta, social awareness, etc.)
• To promote reggae artists (The classification itself would be the artist and the information write up would discuss the type of reggae he records)
• To translate lyrics and meaning and to gain new understand about reggae (This is twofold: 1) in the language barrier sense and 2) in the double entedre sense, which makes up for a lot of reggae -- most of it is one big metaphor. So, for example, a famous comedian once joked about a common phrase in dance "Lord, have mercy," which he heard as "laura mercy" and wondered: "Who the fuck is Laura Mercy?" I would select lyrics from a song from each category, translate, and discuss/put in conext).

I said I wasn't overanalyzing, right? Laura Mercy!

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I see you bubbling all over the place -- you're yeasty, and I think it's grand!