mr16's shoebox: DRINK IT, DRINKY!

For those unsurprisingly not aware of this obscure movement, Flim Flam originated amongst African and West Indian immigrants on the East coast of America in the late 80’s. Amidst an alien culture still thirsty for pop and rock stars, incandescent with make up and fawning for publicity, Flim Flam spawned in an isolated pocket of newcomers oblivious to the image conscious, fashion heavy iconography of the media. Following more in the wake of early Jimmy Cliff material, Flim Flam’s roots were cemented when the likes of Jojo Rundiru (a former Black Panther and Reggae artist) and his friends, discovered Punk.

Rundiru tops the list of most popularly accepted pretenders to the throne of the original fathers of Flim Flam and was largely considered the first to herald this bizarre infusion of Ska, raga and punk brass band. Coming hot on the heels of the Shim Sham movement, Flim Flam was nevertheless only acknowledged in its twilight as a genre in its own right. Typically, the mainstream music industry only recognised Flim Flam during its death throes, when the creativity of its founding members was beginning to flag. Such wagon jumpers as Jonny Orange’s band, Glass Of Water Drink, capitalised on the newfound publicity: just at the time Rundiru’s generation was quitting the scene, claiming the innovation had gone stale, Jonny Orange seized the opportunity to cash in on a niche in the market.

Lyrics from Jonny Orange’s “Glass Of Water Drink”:

Drink a glass of water drink
Swallow it down
Take a deep breath and hold it
Tense your throat muscles
Mouth all shut tight
With every step emit a little grunt
Walk down the stairs
Down the stairs
Walk all the way down the stairs
Making this noise
Making this noise
Making this noise with each step
Well done
Idiot

Despite the sudden corporate interest in this scene, Orange’s band was, strangely, the only band to gain either success or credibility – and this was short lived. As the old fans of Rundiru followed his shunning of the new scene, the new fans quickly became aware of a deep-seated resentment between what they had previously considered an original, new brand of music, and the authentic progenitors of the movement. In a sudden torrent of American music magazine articles, composed of generously copious interviews with the (now very vocal) Rundiru, Orange came under heavy criticism for hijacking a theme and presenting it as his own.

Over a period of just two months, EMI had attempted to release such titles as This is Flim Flam, Now That's What I Call Flim Flam, The Best Flim Flam in the World EVER, NOW Flim Flam, The Best of Flim Flam Featuring Smimmy Shammy, Club Flim Flam Remastered - The Dilly Dally Remix, and Country Jill’s Selection of Flim Flam. Due to a threat to sue from Shimmy Shammy, EMI were forced to recall all the records bearing his name, when it was discovered that the material was bootlegged and had been contracted to a bogus agent, claiming affiliation to Shimmy Shammy’s recording line. Country Jill reneged on her contract in response to the sudden turn in publicity and EMI subsequently made half their money back from an out of court settlement. The remainder of recordings sold poorly due to a widely publicised view that none of the material was authentic, holding many tracks by Glass Of Water Drink and a selection of bands purported to be “Second Hand Flam” or “Ham” as those calling themselves “true fans” now termed them.

For the second time, Flim Flam crashed and burned, this time failing to rise from the ashes. It is not surprising, then that the movement was never heard in Europe, with its creators tiring of credit and its pretenders and record companies silent in humiliation. Nevertheless, from the few years that Flim Flam thrived underground, a scant 52 recordings still survive of the original first wave of Flim Flam.