This is my five hundred and fifty fifth post. Some friends and I were speaking of numbers and their meanings culturally. Devan claimed that eleven was a bad number, Laura pointed out that thirteen wasn't highly regarded. Well, for a great change, 555 is actually not bad. In Thailand, 555 is interchangeable for laughing because in Thailand the number five is pronounced as "ha." So, it very roughly translates to "ha ha ha." It's obviously not used in person but more of a slang online.
555 in the North America is associated with being OK. In the Second World War, the radio response 5X5 means that you have full signal and full strength. 5 by 5 is another way of saying you're alright.
So folks, I'm five by five.
ODETTA
Have you heard of her? I hadn't until about two years ago around the time she died in 2008. Odetta Holmes was born in Alabama but early on in life moved to Los Angeles, California. She made it big in the fifties and sixties as a leading folk artist. Interestingly, Martin Luther King Jr. regarded her as the "The Queen of American Folk." She was one of Bob Dylan's main influences.
He said:
"The first thing that turned me on to folk singing was Odetta. I heard a record of hers [Odetta Sings Ballads and Blues] in a record store, back when you could listen to records right there in the store. Right then and there, I went out and traded my electric guitar and amplifier for an acoustical guitar, a flat-top Gibson. ... [That album was] just something vital and personal. I learned all the songs on that record. It was her first and the songs were:- "Mule Skinner", Waterboy", Jack of Diamonds"
No comments:
Post a Comment