I was ‘talked into’ doing my first spoken word session as I arrived at The Dirty Word @Totem Theatre, Alice Springs. The night was packed and part of the writers festival but a great welcoming vibe. I recited the words to Cocoyogo and the new tune FAQ in particular went down a treat. Wow, people hanging off your every word - very cool.
Heres the original musical FAQ tune as requested as the second song at my Railway Club gig recently in Darwin.
It took me many months to finish writing and then longer still to get the guts to perform it. So far ive played it 50:50 in “safe spaces” ie arty lefty friendly spaces where people are listening and a couple of times just in pubs where theres quite varied audiences. I’m getting better at still doing my okka accents in front of potentially okka listeners (sometimes I actually fear for myself afterwards, but hopefully its all taken in good spirits). Yes the ‘larrikin’ spirit (in particular: just messin with people for fun) is a something to be fearful of for brown persons.
I was going to type up the lyrics when we make a proper vid for it, a bit like Abe’s brilliant my apology but at the request of my folks (who haven’t heard this tune untill now) I’ll type them up here. Also the sound quality at Annies place wasn’t fantastic despite spending 2 hours in there trying to tune the system. Gah. Abe is over here by the way or embedded way down below somewhere
FAQ To help you yes its true
FAQ helping you, helps me too
FAQ To help you yes its true
You get asked some of the same questions time to time
FAQ helping you, helps me too
It’s no problem, No worries, It’s fine
[Repeat]
So ahh, where ya from, originally?
Sri Lanka via the west of Sydney but perhaps if wish to know someones cultural heritage or identity than that’s the question, you should ask
So were ya born ere or were ya born there?
Neither actually, allow me to explain simply,
The thing about us migrants is that we’ve moved around
In the middle east you’ll find my birth town
My parents working accross country borders
Saving to raise a child and migrate to Australian waters
Hopefully this is making some sense to you
Fortunately its just another F A, F A Q
FAQ To help you yes its true
You get asked some of the same questions time to time
FAQ helping you, helps me too
It’s no problem, No worries, It’s fine
[Repeat]
So you speak pretty good english for an Indian, not much of an accent
Ahh, Sri Lankan like I mentioned before
I guess they teach it reasonably well in Australian suburbia
Don’t forget my culture was also colonised
Leaving english language, portugese music, dutch height
- and like many colonies weve spoken english for generations
Don’t assume it’s limited to just a few great nations
You look like Osama are you Muslim or something?
Osama Bin Laden? is that what you see?
I call upon you to improve your dark person literacy
Can you tell me why a whitefella with a beard is a bikie, bushie, swagman or ned kelly
But a brown bearded man is a muslim, a threat, a terrorist suspect
Y’know, theres this other thing, about Osama
He didn’t perish amongst hit squad drama
He lives on these shores, a business he’s started
A lanscaping service, he hides in your garden
FAQ To help you yes its true
You get asked some of the same questions time to time
FAQ helping you, helps me too
It’s no problem, No worries, It’s fine
[Repeat]
Osama Bin Laden, Osama Bin Laden
He ain’t really dead he just hides in your garden
Osama Bin Laden, Osama Bin Laden
Yes all the impressions are verbatim or based on actual things said to me with only the slightest creative license used. The only time ignorance and racism is fun is when your writing a song about it and people are providing you with suprising fresh material. You can have all this and more just for being a migrant in Australia today. LTH
credits
from Croc Fever [single],
released September 17, 2013
Mixed by Michael Henshaw live
A one-man party on stage, Larry has been striking strangers with his brand of Hilarious Hiphop since 2012, when he abandoned
the drumkit and ventured out alone - armed with just a looping pedal and his voice. He makes mouth music which leaves audiences dancing, thinking and giggling all at the same time....more
UK rapper and composer Oscar reconnects with his youth on a sleek, diaristic LP influenced by ’90s hip-hop and '00s R&B. Bandcamp New & Notable Apr 21, 2024
