Vonlolly Ringing a Bell!
"Ringing my bell" how young ladies describe
what a 'donger' is for.
The 1950-60s, down under, was an era long before there was any sort of equality between the sexes and homosexuality was illegal, if not punishable by death. It was a time when women and children were not welcome in pubs, which were frequented only by men served only by barmaids. Bizarrely, these drinking dens closed at 6pm.
It was also a whites only society, (there weren't many of the aboriginal inhabitants living in cities) deeply conservative and distrusting of anything cultural, european, or asian. Its only saving grace apart from aussie rules football, was an ethic of not kicking a man when he's down.
Click on arrow for Booty Butt
by Thugnificent.
But, even in this repressed society there was still music and we don't mean any high-faluting stuff, just good old 'a cappella' rap. For young schoolboys, this song was their introduction to the delights of human sexual and social engagement.
'Charlotte the harlot lay lying
two piss pots supporting her head
surrounded by black boys and bastards
she turned on her left tit and said...'
This favourite was sung with great gusto as they cycled along the dusty
roads that led to and from their academies of learning.
"I've been f****d by the dirty old Irish
I've been f****d by the dirty old jews
and I've come to sunny Australia
to be f****d by bum bastards like youse."
These enlightened lyrics helped to educate even the most unimaginative young minds and proved useful instruction when they attempted social intercourse with young immigrant ladies freshly arrived from Europe.
My first ever record purchase, the Trashmen's "Surfin' Bird", a great favourite at surfers stomps,
has finally been recognised as the fine bit of musical mayhem it is, with a whole episode
of Family Guy devoted to its primal rhythms and potent lyrics.
"A-well-a Bird bird bird
Bird is the word
A-well-a Bird bird bird
Bird is the word
A-well-a don't you know about the bird
Well everybody knows that the bird is the word
A-well-a Bird bird bird
Bird's the word
A-well-a, bird...
Surfin' bird
Bababwuwuwuhehhehhehhehbbbbbbbbbbbbbb, aah
Pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa=pa-pa-pa
Pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-ooma-mow-mow
Papa-ooma-mow-mow."
etc.
Praise the Bird and the Trashmen who, apparently, still perform at family gatherings.
But, the real killer was on the b-side, a great hot rod song, 'A-Bone', dedicated
to californian hot rods, muscle cars and sexual innuendo.
For me the run-out on this song always had a lot of thinly veiled sexual ambivalence.
"You don't know what my A-bone's got.
You don't know what my A-bone's got.
You don't know what my A-bone's got.
Whatever it was that it had, I really wished I had one like that...
Over the years the blacktop has been well pounded: Bo Diddley (and Jonathan Richman) 'Roadrunner',
Jan and Dean's 'Dead Man's Curve'. Prince's 'Lttle Red Corvette', Space Monkeys vs Gorrilaz 'A1M1',
Mercury Rev's 'Goddess on a Hiway'.