Funky Chickens

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One of the sources of creative vitality in Third World popular cultures is the uncanny ability to seize on local or global events and use them as symbols or metaphor, or simply to re-purpose names and words from the news for the purpose of entertainment that, by virtue of this method of assembly, is never completely innocent and certainly not mindless.

Also evidenced, not coincidentally, in the best hip-hop, this instinct to appropriate the signifiers of large and possibly uncontrollable events and redeploy them in the service of local meaning results in a constant renewal process in which, as one signifier runs its course, another emerges to supplant it, bringing with it new nicknames for objects in regular use — minibuses, beer bottles, bank notes, lengths of cloth — and new jokes and new dances and new fashions.

With “Bird Flu,” her new single, your girl M.I.A. taps into this endlessly rich seam. Vaguely mysterious, unpredictable, global in scope and potentially catastrophic, the bird flu that moved across several continents in 2006 was perfect for semiotic appropriation. Especially since birds, especially poultry, in various stages of ecstasy or distress have long been inspiration for dance moves — the Funky Chicken and the Dirty Bird come to mind. So it’s a chicken stuttering across a dusty village street that sets, in the video, the rhythm for the song, and much dancing, declamation, and additional avian imagery ensues. No connection to the “real” bird flu, and yet, all the connection in the world.

It’s a cool song, but before we rush to celebrate its originality I want to share with you another Bird Flu song that actually predates homegirl’s.This one came out in Côte d’Ivoire immediately after the disease scare passed. The hot style there now is called coupé-décalé; it’s a dance-driven pop that has taken French-speaking Africa and its diaspora by storm, supplanting soukouss as the let’s-get-down party sound of the moment. It’s also a very democratic music: the production values are pretty liberal and pretty much anybody can make a track and see if it catches. A guy called DJ Lewis did that with “Grippe Aviaire” (Bird Flu), which generated a little mini-crazy of people flapping like chickens wherever Francophone Africans congregate. Watch it here: the video is grainy and homegrown but it makes a cool compare-and-contrast exercise with Miss Maya’s track and imagery, with different beats, moves, and locations but a similar and salutary gonzo energy.

Bonus cut: the definitive treatment of the Funky Chicken, by Rufus Thomas at the classic 1972 Wattstax concert.

133 thoughts on “Funky Chickens”

  1. It’s really fun (and easy since it’s not exactly Bharatanatyam) to do dappan-koothu if you have the right beat. Toddy or other booze adds to the fun, but it’s not really necessary. You know what’s even more fun? Watching the dudes doing this dance in front of a funeral procession. The dead person’s family pays for the booze for these 4 or 5 characters.

  2. Lani, I wonder if your perception of Maya (stuck up was it?) has coloured your view of her music.

  3. I can’t help laughing when I read about Desi artists in UK. How can this milky faced, choir boy voice desis make grime/hip hop music. It baffles me that someone listens to and watches their music videos. I like MIA’s attitude. Go all the way girl.

  4. Wow — interesting discussion! Personally I love the track and the video, but what everyone says about the Tamil Tiger chic makes me think. In London there is major LTTE activity and there was a news report recently about how Tamil businessmen in England live in constant fear of extortion by Tiger reps. There is also a problem with Tamil organised crime, with Tamil youths killing and fighting each other in gang disputes, so much so that Scotland Yard set up a special team to tackle this issue. Being Gangsta and trading on all that Gangsta-Militant look when you hang out with upper and middle class white luvvies and trust fund trendies in Notting Hill is one thing, the reality for Tamil youths caught up in real gangster life and pressure in Tooting and Wembley is something else altogether. Keeping it real? I don’t think so.

  5. Milky faced choir boy voice desis? I’d be laughing too if I saw any of them!

    Word. Respec’.

  6. Snapper, do Tooting gangstas rep Tooting? Do they claim Tooting? How do they reconcile the name? Even droppin’ the ‘g’ at the end don’t make Tootin’ mo’ fierce! Tooting sounds like a place that would be home to a life-size Thomas the Tank Engine for kiddies to ride while slobbering over Tootsie pops.

  7. It’s not that she was stuck up, I was equally as stuck up back. Her music is whack- not because of the beats, not because of the production, not even because of the dumb lyrics (I actually loved Galang), but because of the references to war and tigers – she was marketing herself like that before anyone knew her in fashionable circles, and I could just see right through it. Then she goes gets her deal and she exploits it to the max. Meanwhile various relatives of mine have got caught up in the conflict in Sri-Lanka while she milks it but I don’t even want to go into that. There are artists I know who can sing, write, rap, conscious-lyrics and get no deal on the underground. M.i.a from london via wannabe Portobello and trendy-shite Shoreditch, more like. A total subterfuge of reality which I aint buying.

  8. Tooting is a major desi area of South London with a big Sri Lankan populace. The MP is a local Pakistani guy born and raised there.

    Any readers in England might have seen the documentary on Sky One a while back about gangsters in the UK fronted by Ross Kemp, and they did a whole programme on Tamil gangs of London. It was pretty brutal.

  10. Some links – Tamil gangs of London

    Burger joint sword terror

    That last story is pretty typical of the kind of stuff that happens. A lot of young Tamil men have been killed by other Tamil men in gangster warfare in the last ten years in London, never mind the ones just beaten up or maimed and intimidated. Of course they are a minority amongst Tamils the majority of whom work hard and are decent people. However, the Tamil Tigers has brutalised some Tamil youths in England, maybe bigging them up blindly isnt so cool when you look at it like that, particularly as she is a London Tamil girl. Just brings a different perspective to it all, don’t you think? Especially when you’re all about keeping it gangster and keeping it real.

    I still love her beats though, yo.

  11. I actually work in Tooting (a Tamil Sri-Lankan area in South London, less ‘gangster’ than poor) and most of my mental health patients are Sri-Lankan Tamils all of whom are refugees and illiterate men who had troubled youths. The LTTE definitely have a part to play in that, all were involved with that group or had their families ripped apart by them. The LTTE are corrupt and attack their own people forcing children to fight and have a history of violence and rape in North Sri-Lanka. Tooting’s hindu temple holds ‘community’ events held by the LTTE and extortion and brainwashing are very welcome. Maya’s friends and lovers are white and trendy. Head to Colombo and you’ll see freedom among Tamils who haven’t been coerced into joining, head to Jaffna and you’ll see women and children living in fear from the LTTE and reprisals from the Sinhalese government. The situation is dire and its shitty seeing a grown woman glorifying all this and cashing in on victim culture to make a quick dollar while satisfying her ego.

  12. Lani,

    looks like you know a lot about Sri lanka. Are you a Sinhala or a Tamil?. This doesn’t mean what you are saying is not true. But just to get a perspective of where you are coming from.

  13. I’m mixed as are so many Sri-Lankans don’t forget. My dad was a Communist and Tamil and also suffered under the Sri-Lankan government and mum came from a middle-class Catholic Sinhala background. Both left Sri-Lanka because of the social, ethnic strife and both have friends that are Tamil and Sinhalese and intermarrages in their families (Jaffna Tamils who left for Colombo). At the end of the day I’m thoroughly Sri-Lankan and know London well – regardless of my mix, I do know what I’m talking about. The M.I.A package has done well to highlight the conflict which is one of the most under-reported conflicts in the world, but all for the wrong reasons. If I ever meet Maya again, I will be letting her know what I think.

    In the UK the LTTE are known for damaging a country that would otherwise be beautiful, peace-loving, tolerant, highly educated and shouldn’t be churning out maimed, psychologically damaged refugees, deprived of any schooling faster than you can say Afghanistan. I hope you Desi yanks and Canadians wise up soon if you really care.

  14. I think the discussion here is partly how is one going to set out being whatever it is MIA is…diasporic/mash-up/Third World….?

    I actually wonder, what is the term for it? For example, as a punjabi, I would resonate more with a Surjit Bindharkia (RIP) or Mesopuria than Bally Sagoo, but on another level ADF were great to me as well, and totally right.

    Is this performance mash-up/Third World? I would say it is, but in a different way than MIA

  15. Thanks Lani.

    I have no fixed opinion on the conflict. I do think a federal solution like India has now would serve the purpose..

  16. What Lani demonstrates is that this conflict is fratricidal in the truest sense: brothers killing brothers. There’s no way to separate Tamil from Sinhalese, we are in each others blood.

    Getting back to MIA, the criticisms are over both art & politics. I love Wagner’s music but am pretty sure I would have detested his politics. I do like some kinds of rap but don’t find this compelling. And I find her politics reprehensible.

  18. Everything said, respect to MIA for doing her thing without apology….(do some aspects of South Asian culture need to practice bigging up women who do their own thing?)

  19. I actually wonder, what is the term for it? For example, as a punjabi, I would resonate more with a Surjit Bindharkia (RIP) or Mesopuria than Bally Sagoo, but on another level ADF were great to me as well, and totally right.

    Why would you identify with Mesopuria and not Bally Sagoo? Mesopuria is from Birmingham. ADF were good when they were good but I don’t think they’re good anymore.

  20. Why would you identify with Mesopuria and not Bally Sagoo? Mesopuria is from Birmingham. ADF were good when they were good but I don’t think they’re good anymore.

    I like Bally Sagoo a lot, but Mesopuria is attempting to do more of what I attempt to do when I listen to bhangra……he is more attuned to trying to sing in Punjabi for example. I have nothing against Bally Sagoo’s music….without him who knows where bhangra might be

    ADF were good I agree, not even sure when/if they’ve had a recent album

    Btw, congrats England on the cricket win! 🙂

  21. Sahej did you read that Bobby Friction article I linked to on the news tab a few days ago? He compares the music scene in the UK with the USA, cool readings, he reckons:

    1. New York is Desi music central in the US 2. San Francisco is the most amazing and beautiful city in the US 3. LA is just on another level as are its Desi’s 4. Too much Leftfield and Hip Hop artists in the US Desi scene – where’s the Pop culture? 5. The (US Desi’s) don’t know just how much talent they have 6. We (UK Desi’s) should be afraid, very afraid!!!

    So my prediction is five years from now there will be an epic musical battle between the US and the UK, and Desi music will be the winner.i>

  22. I don’t see how the US is going to get on the same level as the UK as a nationwide thing, its still too regional…I don’t think the UK-wallay have much to be worried about! The big stars are not on the same level as the UK, but who knows it might happen

  23. Btw, congrats England on the cricket win!

    Cheers mate! Monty has cemented his place for the World Cup as the primary spinner and there’s another Indian guy who might be selected, Ravi Bopara, if he doesnt make the World Cup he will be a face for the future, he played a couple of one dayers in Australia. Two Sikhs in the England team will be brilliant. Add Sajid Mahmood and the whole thing gets even more brown.

  24. Can’t get much better than England over the last week! Also, Collingwood was amazing! England are my favorite team, India is just too lost in its long-ago history…we need a Punjabi Hindu on the team too, Red Snapper start mentoring! 🙂

  25. The gaana beat that she samples is nothing out of the ordinary but it’s funky that she decided to bring that into her videos…!

  26. Can’t get much better than England over the last week! Also, Collingwood was amazing! England are my favorite team, India is just too lost in its long-ago history…we need a Punjabi Hindu on the team too, Red Snapper start mentoring!

    I’m only half-Punjabi on my mothers side dude, but I agree, we definitely need some Hindus repping on the sports front for England! However I’m going to push my kids towards football first! We need desis playing that game! If an Indian ever makes the England team it will dwarf everything else. But we don’t even have a single Brown in the Premier league, there are a couple in the lower divisions and that’s it. I think it will take another generation for that to happen.

  27. acha teek bro, will look for little Red Snappers on the pitch in the near future! 🙂

    big up MIA again

  28. Sahej, don’t get what you mean by whatever in parantheses. You know what? – I was looking forward to MIA getting rid of her baggage with the tigers and her dad, but this latest video’s last frame killed it, and the general fending off of the criticism she received as more fodder for a tune. No, criticism aint just from corporate record companies who think she’s too subversive. As for ‘doing’ one’s ‘thing’ as a dark brown woman: I’m doing it and doing it well, many people are doing it, hope you’re doing it etc. I always show love to artists who deserve it especially those who have a strong message they abide by (Public Enemy, Fun da mental, Lady Shokran etc.), desi female writers/activists like Arundahati Roi. MIA doesn’t deserve the big up – was produced by the ‘Sugababes’ producer for f***’s sake, and should stick to bubblegum ‘galang’ style tunes and not pretend to be anything more.

  30. Sahej & Red Snapper,

    I’m not using this as yet another excuse to sneak Shilpa Shetty into an SM conversation, but apparently she’s seriously considering anchoring a British version of an Indian show called “Cricket Star” — basically a cricket equivalent of American Idol. Should be interesting to see the game (and aspiring cricketers) given such a high profile in mainstream British television, especially if it’s during primetime and has a large viewing audience.

    Lani,

    I’m from London too. As you can tell from my username, I’m not exactly a southie, so I just wanted to say thank you for your excellent and enlightening posts on the issues within the capital’s Tamil community. My contact with them has been fairly limited (apart from a tiny handful of friends back when I was college about a decade ago, and one family my parents are good friends with), so it’s been thought-provoking and informative to read about a British desi community I’ve had very little interaction with.

  31. big up MIA again
    Everything said, respect to MIA for doing her thing without apology….(do some aspects of South Asian culture need to practice bigging up women who do their own thing?)

    So let me get this straight, someone who romanticizes an organization that advocates totalitarian rule in a liberated Eelam gets a pass for being a female artist!?

  32. Lani, the parentheses thing was directed at a tendency I see for some aspects of south asian culture be react negatively to a south asian woman not towing to assumed cultural restrictions. Not directed at your comments, which I find informative

  33. louiecypher, not sure where you got from my comment to what you are saying, they are completely on two different tracks of thought

  34. Thanks Jai. Anytime. I think we all know (ethnic communities in London- such a melting pot in the small ‘fatherland’) how important it is to spread peace and healing among communities that have been at war.

  35. louiecypher, not sure where you got from my comment to what you are saying, they are completely on two different tracks of thought

    I guess my comprehension of “street dialect” is pretty low, I mistakenly thought you were suggesting that MIA was worthy of respect for her artistic endeavors/gender no matter how obnoxious (and contrary to SM’s purported progressive anti-communal stance) her political views were.

  36. Again, I have no clue as to how you got from my statement to yours. Where in the above did I use “street dialect?”

  37. I mistakenly thought

    whatever mistake you made, you cleared it up without even needing an explanation. Interesting that.

  39. Again, I have no clue as to how you got from my statement to yours. Where in the above did I use “street dialect?”

    Post #68: “Everything said, respect to MIA”. In retrospect, I don’t think there is anything nonstandard in your usage. I could say “I respect Shockley’s contributions to solid state physics, but despise his views on race” and that would make perfect sense

    Post #77: “Big up MIA again” . I thought this might be akin to “Mad props to XYZ”, but am not sure. Can you help me out?

    Apologies, I am what some kids refer to as a “pointdexter”

  42. apologies for the blatant colorism in that video

    Louiecypher, I was bigging up gal for doing her ting, not for what her ting is…..but as an artist, I think its quite difficult to ascertain exactly what political meaning is meant by a work of art, as there is interpretation involved, and not even knowing her political views to any tolerable degree, I can not comment on what she might or might not think vis a vis violence. Btw, I don’t know a single thing about this guy Shockley yaaro

  43. Shockley da geezer dat won da Nobel prizize for inventing the semiconductor transistor yo ! Him make dis inane parley possible yo ! Him believe dat all us chocolate peeps are stupid yo ! Ya gotta separate the scizience (or rhyzimes) from da geezer yo ! Shockley make it soz I can transport myself to Dennys in fuel injected comfort yo ! I’m outie yo !

  45. eh gallia menu bilkul nai samaj aye yaar mai tha ganaa sondu see, Hans Raj Hans da

    Sahej, it’s not fair to transliterate Punjabi, yaar 🙂 Especially when someone has already self-identified as Sri Lankan. If someone wrote to me in Tamil I’d be completely flummoxed.

    Thanks to Lani and loucie for the insight. I guess I have never taken MIA very seriously, and consequently have written off a lot of her posturing as just immature. It’s really helpful and interesting to hear a more serious/informed point of view.

    Also, much love for fun^da^mental.

    Sahej, how can you not like Bally Sagoo yet like MIA?

  46. I missed where he said he was Tamil. But I don’t think he was being totally sincere, so I was just f-ing with him like I think he was f-ing with me. Nothing to do with being punjabi, tamil, or anything

    I don’t like MIA all that much, I was just contrasting MIA into a comparision between Mesopuria and Bally Sagoo.

    I was just messing around, hope no one was offended.

  47. Gosh, I feel so left out.

    I hear about Punjabi gangs and Tamil gangs. Where are the bad a$$ Telugu gangs?

  48. Apparently Fun da mental’s West London studio got ripped apart lately, mysteriously. Some believe that MI6 were sending out a nasty message to the crew for sticking up for UK Muslims being interrogated by the British authorities. If there’s prejudice and racism directed at anyone these days, its the Muslims, especially Pakistanis and Bengalis.

  49. while i’m treading dangerously close to speaking for the other, i think i can safely say that the entire Cicatrix household gives the bird flu a whopping thumbs up.

    I liked bobby’s article.