Ask me anything

[Trevor]

So, Trevor, my good man, what song reminds you of a happy time in your life?

OK, this is going to be an emotional one for me but here goes.

In my second year of high school in 1982 we had our annual inter-house sports day - I went to an English public school and there were houses for sports for day scholars and boarders, boys and girls - and on that day, all of us in my sports house MacDonald suddenly realized that if we just pushed ourselves a little harder, we could win the sports for the first time in 40 years.

Then, the unthinkable happened.

We won.

We were screaming, crying, hugging each other and our sister house Hamilton was with us too. I didn't sleep that night: what a wonderful day.

Flash forward to 1996 with the Atlanta Olympic Games: I was watching the closing ceremonies and Gloria Estefan performed the song "Reach". Halfway through the song, I remembered that wonderful summer day at Chaplin High School, Gweru, Zimbabwe and my shoulders started to shake and I almost collapsed with emotion, crying but happy tears.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuRnNRHcN4A

That day we put our spirits to the tests and we tried our very best << Happy tears!!

That song will always take me back to that day when the stars aligned and things went well for me and my school friends.  

[Trevor]

So, Trevor, my good man, what song reminds you of a happy time in your life?

Here's another one.

In 2000, a screening of the film Shangani Patrol (directed and written by my mentor David Millin ASC) was organized at a museum in Pretoria and was attended by more than 100 ex Zimbabweans - the film deals with that country's history. Among the ex Zimbabweans were my Mom, my Dad and me: the guy projecting the film.  

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ditsong_National_Museum_of_Cultural_History

It was like the wheel had come full circle for me: my parents took me to see my first film in 1974 - at which I told them that my one day chosen career would be in movies - and 26 years later, I was in a cinema, screening a film with them in attendance.  

Mom stayed in the audience and Dad was with me in the projection booth. When he saw the 35mm projector and watched me thread it, he asked me "How the [bleep] do you start this thing, son?" I said "You just flick a switch, pray and hope for the best."  

I was also a little confused, I must say 

https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/cinemeccanica-victoria-35mm-film-310040895

The result of the screening was I received a standing ovation from the people there, my folks were proud of me and my mentor David Millin who had passed away not long before the screening took place, was smiling down on me.

Here is the main title theme (from 1:44)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWMg_UHgpWc

[FatFreddysCat]

Are there any decent heavy metal bands in South Africa?

The only one I know of is the band Fokofpolisiekar. 

Never heard of 'em but I'll give 'em a listen.

[bob]

The rareist hardest to find thing you've found as a film archivist?

[Trevor]

The rareist hardest to find thing you've found as a film archivist?

Two things: of the numerous silent films made in SA from 1910 - 1930, many of them were destroyed and never archived, only a few still survive, like De Voortrekkers [The Pathfinders, 1916] and King Solomon's Mines [1918].

The other rare and hard thing is a film made by David Millin ASC, one of my career mentors in 1968. Entitled Majuba [Marjooba] Hill of Doves, this epic film ran to nearly three hours and was very popular at the box office but the local distributors MGM cut it down to just over 90 minutes and the footage was never replaced. I have been searching for that footage for many years, no luck.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Majuba:_Heuwel_van_Duiwe

[Trevor]

Another event / song reminder occurred in my last year of high school in 1984 and it is also school related.

I was still in MacDonald and was chosen to be part of the inter-house quiz team for that house and my team mates were Lenfesty Shoko and Jasvant Keshav.

Between the three of us, we managed to win the night - I think that's where my trivia knowledge started to help me in life - and it was another success story for my house.

I didn't have a car then (only got one in 1993) so I walked home, hyped up and thrilled by what my team-mates and I had pulled off. The streets were dark and gloomy, it was a little windy and this song played in my head.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZ2oXzrnti4

[Rev. Powell]

Do "read" and "lead" rhyme? 

[Trevor]

Do "read" and "lead" rhyme? 

They do, to me anyway. You pronounce both differently and both are fine. 

[bob]

Are you the Key Master? 

[Trevor]

Are you the Key Master?  

Yes, Zuul's Hardware, Refrigerator and Keycutter Services at your service  

[pennywise37]

this one will stump you why are the stupidest people allowed to breed? and why is it legal for them to do so? there should be a law

[RCMerchant]

Do "read" and "lead" rhyme? 

They do, to me anyway. You pronounce both differently and both are fine. 

What if you read it as "red" and "led"?
Like- I already read that book. I READ a book. Or blood is "red"?
Or "lead" is 'I led the troops to victory!' or 'I will beat you with a lead pipe!'
This is not a serious question. It's just something that came into my brain at the moment.

[Allhallowsday]

Do "read" and "lead" rhyme? 

In old poetry I've seen "spelling" rhymes before and of course, as RC said, like red and led...

[pennywise37]

no doubt you've prolly seen it in my poems i'm sure lol

[Trevor]

this one will stump you why are the stupidest people allowed to breed? and why is it legal for them to do so? there should be a law

The stupidest people ever were my birth parents (never knew them).