Murray Street and Prostitutes – Your Questions Answered

Ever since I started writing for Outlish, I have been getting tons of fan e-mails from readers across the world.  Most of my fan mail comes from Nigeria, where not only have I developed an especially big following, where I also keep winning the lottery without even entering. Now that’s star power! The bulk of my other fan mail is mostly from people in Trinidad wishing to know “exactly where I work on Murray Street” and “what time can they come see me”

The Chosen Many: Believe it or not you are in a cult

Living in a commune, worshiping the chosen one, kinky group sex, drugs, suicide… Sure cults sound like fun. But in truth they are destructive groups that can cause a lot of psychological harm to its members. Don’t think a sensible, rationale person like you could get mixed up in a cult?

Well… if you were in a cult, would you know? I recently found out that I am not just in one, but several cults. The signs were too obvious, kind of like the rules all cults obey. Read on for a refresher. Please note that if you need to read this to know if you are in a cult, you’re probably in one already.  Check the signs. Cults have:

Q & A with filmmaker Dalton Narine

Dalton Narine

He has written for The Village Voice, been the Features editor at Ebony, as well as The Miami Herald. He is a decorated Vietnam veteran and has won awards for his writing on post-traumatic stress disorder.

Somewhere in between all of this, Dalton Narine has also managed to make an astounding 14 films, all set in Trinidad and Tobago, making him one of the most high-profile filmmakers in the Caribbean. His latest feature ‘Mas Man Peter Minshall’, which chronicles the life and work of Peter Minshall, won Best Documentary at the New York International Film Festival in 2010.

Here is a conversation I recently had with Dalton, in which he talks about what it was like working with Peter Minshall, and why the word ‘documentary’ can be tricky when you are looking for funding.

A Conversation with Noble Douglas

This is a video that was made after the Noble Douglas Dance Company celebrated their 25th anniversary-'DAM 25'. In it Dave Williams , a member of the company conducts a short interview with Noble Douglas.
The young girls seen at the start of the video are not  dance company  members but are in fact members of the Lilliput Dance Company.
The photos   in the film were all taken by Rodell Warner who had exclusive access during the night of the performance. Some of the dances depicted were made by other choreographers as well as Noble Douglas.

Religion and Relationships: Golden Balls and Sexual Fantasies

I remember the moment it happened. We were drinking rum in a bar in Chaguanas. She talked about studying in Japan, her two dogs, how to choose a good tennis racket, and how the Soca mafia operates. I was trying to sound smart, telling her about my love for “The Killers”, and why “Spider-Man 2” was a work of art.
It was going great. She was laughing, I was laughing, and then she dropped it on me.
“So what religion are you?” she said, softening her tone of voice.

An Open Letter to Mayor Louis Lee Sing:

Dear Mr. Lee Sing,
I am writing you this letter to commend you on your efforts to, as you put it, "rid Port of Spain of the problem of vagrancy". Finally, someone has a solution to the vagrant problem.

Homophobic T&T: One Foot in the Closet

Last week I posted a YouTube video on my Facebook wall, made by an American comedian, addressing the recent spate of gay, teen suicides in the States. An FB friend, let's call him 'Bob', decided to comment on the video saying, "Gays could do what the f@ck they want. Once they don't come around me", followed up with the more insightful "They could all kill themselves, don't really care". Now it would be easy to dismiss Bob as an idiot, after all he sounds like one, but on closer inspection of Bob's Facebook page, you'll discover that listed in his favourite music are Britney Spears, Whitney Houston, and Aretha Franklin.