As children, people in the UK have traditionally played a mimic game called "Simon says" . When I was a child growing up in the late 70's early eighties we played with an electronic game called "Simon" in which the objective was to mimic patterns of
light and sound.
As I grew older I remember watching
Roger Moore (who later played
OO7 ) as Simon Templar in "The Saint".
As a teenager I was into skating and american hardcore punk I used to go skating and to gigs with Simon P aka "
Pigdog". Who gave me and my two brothers the nickname "The Fiddlers Three" because my mum played the violin.
At university I met another Simon who was quite hardcore in his animal right activism.
Just after I finished University I began studying
Yellow Dragon Fist Kung Fu The from the Chinese teacher a Taoist/Buddhist named Master
Simon Wong. At around this time I was working around the corner from the
Temple where we trained , one of my colleagues also trained kung fu with a different school his name was Simon B aka Abrantee. At the time he DJ'd with a crew called "90%" it was Simon that gave me the
nickname "Kung Fu Vicar". In part due to a rather dodgy suit I had picked up at a second hand shop.
I remember the day before his birthday I went to see the rapper "Pharoahe" Monch who had a big hit at the time with a tune called "Simon Says" so i bought the tune as Birthday present. The following night I was late for the party due to a "techno girl" I was dating (who I have blogged about elsewhere) in "
Knights of the Jaguar" we entered the party which was in full swing and it felt like we were the only Caucasians there, we received more than a few looks as if to say "did you take a wrong turn" but I confidently walked up to the DJ Box which was filled with the 90% crew. I handed the 12" vinyl to Simon who took one glance and slapped it on the deck to a "Rawkus" applause the whole place erupted to the chorus of "Simon Says"
Simon B wasnt the last Simon to school me in the magickal percussive patterns of Afro beats. I'd started training the Brazillian martial art Capoeira as taught by Simon A aka
Mestre Fantasma.