- Claudine House/Staff Photographer
Spice peforms at Red Stripe Reggae Sumfest's Storm Front, Montego Bay, St. James, in July. The deejay has had to give up her 'good good' Gucci perfume.Kavelle Anglin-Christie, Staff Reporter
Jamaican musicians and entertainers probably never thought they would see a day when their instruments and accessories are considered a safety threat, but they have.
After British police foiled a terror plot involving as many as 10 U.S.-bound planes three weeks ago, there have been stories of missed shows, bad weaves and damaged instruments.
Deejay Spice is usually well put together and loves to make a fashion statement. It's, therefore, no surprise that she was distraught when the necessities to maintain her look were no longer within reach, in that ever-handy carry-on.
'Everything them tek way'
"Wha day, I was travelling and them a say me can't carry no toothpaste. Mi good, good Gucci perfume them confiscate. The security say to me 'sorry Spice, but yuh can't carry this' and smile when she say it, so me know wha dat mean, say a tek she a tek it. All a mi hair items them gone - mi mousse, mi hair glue, so if mi hair a pop out when me reach a farin me can put it back in. Everything them tek way. Oh Lord...," she said.
Included on the list of banned items are mascara, aerosols, mouthwash and lotions.
"It has affected me badly. It's been terrible because of the fact that I don't like to check on my luggage when I travel, mainly because you have to wait so long. Sometimes, you are just going away for a one show and you only have one bag that you want to take on," Spice said.
Concern
Spice also voiced her concern about the banned items still being on the plane, despite not being allowed in a passenger's carry-on luggage.
"What I want to know is that them say you can't travel with things like gel because dem a put bomb in there and lotion as carry-on, but you can put them in the luggage that you check on. The things still a travel pon the plane anyway, so I really don't get it," she said.
Deejay Mavado, said he missed a show because of the long lines at the security checkpoint. "More time it hackling and them mek people miss them show and them thing deh. One time me a rush fi a flight, but because of the delay, me miss it and mi show did di same night. When me reach a di party inna di night it done already and di promoter a cuss say him want back him ting cause me never show up. Mi cyaan deal wid dem tings deh," Mavado said."The security step up, but no matter what the people dem still a go find a way fi get round it if them want,"
Ihunda Hewitt, promoter of 'Cancer Affair' and other shows in the U.S., witnessed Spice's dilemma when she arrived to perform at one of his recent shows. He said after her perfume and other cosmetic items were confiscated he didn't have a problem purchasing them for her.
"It wasn't a hassle for me really. It was inconvenient for her not having these things and since getting them for her wasn't convenient for her, I did," he said.
He said though the new security measures had been inconvenient for the artistes he books; both parties "look at the bigger picture".
"International artistes need the exposure and they in return can help in the exposure of your show," he said.
Hewitt also said though there was the risk that an artiste may not turn up for the show because of the airport delays, he is willing to take the chance and "fortunately that hasn't happened to me yet".
Feeling the impact
Rolando 'Phonso' Wilson of Gumption Band said it's the musicians, or rather their pockets, that feel the impact of the new measures. Though the new rules are barely three weeks old, he said the band's equipment has already been damaged.
"It has a big impact because the most affected person in the band is the guitarist. Normally, we bring the guitars and put it in the overhead, ,because to do otherwise would be very risky ... The very day that they had the threat we were travelling there (England) and they were saying that we couldn't bring our equipment on the flight with us. So we were wondering what if something should happen to the guitar and they were saying that in times of terror they are not responsible if anything should happen to the items," he said.
"It is unfair and that is exactly what happened. The bassist, his guitar was damaged. We were travelling from Holland to Sweden when it happened," Wilson said. He explained that replacing a bass guitar is anywhere between US$1500 and US$2000.
"Then when we got there, we couldn't get our luggage because they had so many of the small stuff to sift through. We ended up staying at an airport hotel and luckily we got our luggage the next day. We were the luckier ones, because some people didn't get back theirs at all. After that the promoter tried to rent a guitar, but it was in such bad state that we just had to end up making temporary repairs to our own guitar and use it," he said.
No longer a joyous event
Wilson explained that going on tour is no longer a joyous event to write home about. "In America all you have to do is travel across borders to the different states, but if it's a European tour, then you have to end up flying to many different countries. So if you're on a four-week tour, then you are going to end up making connections for four weeks and for those four weeks, you pray that the equipment arrives when you do and that nothing goes wrong with them," Wilson said.
"The way it affected us is that we will have to change our travelling plans; I don't know how, but we will have to come up with something, maybe ask promoters to rent equipment for us to use, but that is going to be an extra burden on the promoters. Another thing we could do is probably put the items in hollow cases and after you do all that, when you get to the venue, the luggage might still not be there so we would be left at the venue without instruments to play with," he said.
With that said, Wilson believes that entertainers, particularly, musicians, should be given special consideration.
"But then again they usually say that we are the problem ones because we travel so often, so I don't know if they are going to give us special consideration, but it would be nice," he said.
-File
Saxophonist Dean Fraser is very wary of checking in his delicate instruments.
Fraser huffs, Fraser puffs...
Saxophonist Dean Fraser sometimes travels overseas four or five times a month and says he now finds it "devastating".
"Travelling is devastating in a lot of ways. First and foremost I am an instrumentalist who cannot afford to take his instrument, if it is not on the plane with him - and already, I've been through so many problems with that," said Fraser.
"They have called the police on me already in Europe, and again in the same Europe they offered to call them in another time because I refused to put it on the plane. But over there one look at you and no one wants to hear what you have to say. Mi guitar player almost had to fight a staff member from (the airline). (The staff member) was running him down trying to take the guitar away but he wouldn't give it to him," Fraser said.
Extensive list
On an extensive list of banned items compiled by the Transportation Security Administration, U.S.A., nowhere there does it mention music equipment. Of course, there is the section which mentions "tools greater than seven inches in length".
If, however, one had an electronic instrument, maybe it would fit under the heading of 'electronic devices' along with laptops and phones, which are allowed.
Fraser explains why it is so difficult for a musician to part company with an instrument - and it's not only for the love of the music.
"People might not understand. I play a Selmer superso saxophone; that is one of the most expensive instruments there is. It costs US$5,000 and I have two of them. Now these things are extremely delicate; just the slightest of bounce and it can dent the instrument or throw off the tune of the instrument. That means that while some notes will play, others won't. Now if a bounce can damage the instrument, what will happen when they are exposed to the luggage and baggage treatment?" he asked.
"The instruments need to be on you at all times, because if not when they arrive they won't be good again. If something happens to the saxophone, it costs US$1000 to repair. Repairing an instrument is not something you can say 'fix this' and it's okay, like walking into an electronic store. So if I want it fixed I have to do it in America, because the only person who did it out here died," Fraser said.
Another problem
"Another problem that I have is that we can't carry the oil for our instruments. The trumpet has valves and the trombone has slides and for the trumpet you need to apply the oil and trombone either oil or cream. Now if we can't take it on the plane with us what if when you get overseas you are unable to find a music store that sells these things in time for your show? I don't have a problem if they scrutinise and check the instruments, but it's looking really grave when it comes to musicians," he said.
If you've ever seen Fraser clutch his sax and give music his all, you know he means it when he says "but so far I have defeated them. But one of these days you are going to hear that me going to jail because me wouldn't put the instrument on the plane."
- Kavelle Anglin-Christie
