Lemon Andersen performs "Please don't take my Air Jordans"

Translator: Joseph Geni Reviewer: Morton Bast

Prevodilac: Milena Jocic Lektor: Tatjana Jevdjic

"My Air Jordans cost a hundred with tax.

"Moje džordanke koštaju sto sa taksom.

My suede Starters jacket says Raiders on the back.

Moja somotna "Starters" jakna ima natpis "Raiders" na leđima.

I'm stylin', smilin', lookin' real mean,

Imam stila, smejem se, izgledam vrlo opako,

because it ain't about being heard, just being seen.

jer nije bitno da te čuju, samo da te vide.

My leather Adidas baseball cap matches

Moja adidas kožna bejzbol kapa slaže se sa

my fake Gucci backpack. (Laughter)

mojom kopijom Guči ranca. (Smeh)

Ain't nobody who looks as good as me,

Niko ne izgleda tako dobro kao ja,

but this costs money, it sure ain't free,

ali to košta, sigurno nije džabe,

and I gots no job, no money at all,

a ja nemam posao, uopšte nemam para,

but it's easy to steal all this from the mall.

ali lako je ukrasti sve ovo iz tržnih centara.

Parents say I shouldn't, but I knows I should.

Roditelji mi kažu da ne smem, ali ja znam da smem.

Got to do what I can to make sure I look good,

Moram da učinim sve da izgledam dobro,

and the reason I have to look real good, well, to tell you the truth, man,

a zašto moram da izgledam dobro, pa, pravo da ti kažem, čoveče,

I don't know why. Guess it makes me feel special inside.

ne znam. Valjda se tako osećam bolje iznutra.

When I'm wearing fresh gear I don't have to hide,

Kada nosim novu odeću ne moram da se krijem

and I really must get some new gear soon

i stvarno moram da nabavim nešto novo uskoro

or my ego will pop like a 10-cent balloon.

ili će moj ego eksplodirati kao jeftini balon.

But security is tight at all the shops. Every day there are more and more cops.

Ali obezbeđenje je strogo u svim radnjama. Svakog dana tu je sve više i više policajaca.

My crew is laughing at me because I'm wearing old gear.

Ekipa mi se smeje jer nosim staru odeću.

School's almost over. Summer is near.

Škola je skoro gotova. Leto se bliži.

And I'm sportin' torn Jordans.

A ja nosim pocepane džordanke.

I need something new. Only one thing left to do.

Treba mi nešto novo. Samo jedno mi preostaje.

Cut school Friday, catch the subway downtown,

Da pobegnem iz škole u petak, odem metroom do centra,

check out my victims hangin' around.

odmerim svoje žrtve koje gluvare unaokolo.

Maybe I'll get lucky and find easy prey.

Možda ću biti te sreće da nađem lak plen.

Got to get some new gear. There's no other way.

Treba mi nova odeća. Ne postoji drugi način.

I'm ready and willing. I'm packing my gun.

Spreman sam i voljan. Pakujem utoku.

This is serious business. This ain't no fun.

Ovo je ozbiljan posao. Ovo nije smešno.

And I can't have my posse laughin' at me.

I ne smem da dozvolim da mi se ekipa smeje.

I'mma cop something dope, just wait, you'll see.

Maznuću nešto dobro, samo čekajte, videćete.

Come out of the station, West 4th near the park,

Izlazim sa stanice, 4. Zapadna blizu parka,

brothers shooting hoops and someone remarks,

drugovi bacaju na koš i neko dobaci:

'Hey homes, where you get them Nik's?'

"Hej brate, odakle ti te najke?"

I says to myself, 'Yeah. I likes 'em, I likes.'

Ja mislim u sebi: "Da. Sviđaju mi se, sviđaju."

They were Q-tip white, bright and blinding my eyes.

Bile su bele, sjajne i zaslepilie mi oči.

The red emblem of Michael looked as if it could fly.

Majkl na crvenom amblemu izgledao je kao da će da poleti.

Not one spot of dirt. The Airs were brand new.

Ni trunka prašine. Džordanke su bile skroz nove.

Had my pistol and knew just what to do.

Imao sam pištolj i znao sam tačno šta da uradim.

Waited until it was just the right time, followed him very closely behind.

Čekao sam pravi trenutak, išao tik iza njega.

He made a left turn on Houston, I pulled out my gun,

Skrenuo je levo kod Hjustona, izvadio sam pištolj

and I said, 'Gimme them Jordans!'

i rekao: "Daj te džordanke!"

And the punk tried to run.

I dripac je pokušao da pobegne.

Took off fast, didn't get far. I fired,'Pow!'

Brzo je pobegao, nije otišao daleko. Opalio sam: "Pau!"

Fool fell between two parked cars.

Budala pade između dva parkirana automobila.

He was coughing, crying, blood spilled on the street.

Kašljao je, plakao, krv se prolila na ulicu.

And I snatched them Air Jordans off of his feet.

I maznuo sam džordanke sa njegovih stopala.

While laying there dying, all he could say

Dok je ležao tu i umirao, sve što je mogao da kaže

was, "Please man, don't take my Air Jordans away."

bilo je: "Molim te, čoveče, ne uzimaj mi džordanke."

You'd think he'd be worried about staying alive.

Pomislili biste da je trebalo da se brine za svoj život.

As I took off with his sneakers, there was tears in his eyes.

Dok sam mu skidao patike, oči su mu se punile suzama.

Very next day, I bopped into school

Već sledećeg dana, upao sam u školu

with my brand new Air Jordans, man, I was cool.

sa mojim novim džordankama, čoveče, bio sam kul.

I killed to get 'em, but hey, I don't care,

Ubio sam za njih, ali hej, baš me briga

because now I needs a new jacket to wear."

jer mi sada treba nova jakna."

Thank you. (Applause)

Hvala. (Aplauz)

For the last 15 years that I have been performing,

Poslednjh 15 godina koliko nastupam,

all I ever wanted to do was transcend poetry to the world.

sve što sam želeo je da prenesem poeziju celom svetu.

See, it wasn't enough for me to write a book.

Vidite, nije mi bilo dovoljno da napišem knjigu.

It wasn't enough for me to join a slam competition,

Nije mi bilo dovoljno da se prijavim za slem takmičenje

and while those things hold weight,

i dok su te stvari bile bitne,

it wasn't the driving force that pushes the pen to the pad.

nisu bile ono što je teralo olovku na papir.

The hunger and thirst was, and still remains:

Glad i želja bila je i još uvek je:

How do I get people who hate poetry

kako da nateram ljude koji mrze poeziju

to love me?

da vole mene?

Because I'm an extension of my work,

Zato što sam ja produžetak mog rada

and if they love me, then they will love my work,

i ako vole mene, voleće i ono što radim,

and if they love my work, then they will love poetry,

a ako vole ono što radim, onda će voleti poeziju,

and if they love poetry, then I will have done my job,

a ako vole poeziju, onda sam završio svoj posao -

which is to transcend it to the world.

da je prenesem celom svetu.

And in 1996, I found the answer in principles

1996., našao sam odgovor u principima

in a master spoken-word artist named Reg E. Gaines,

poznatog umetnika usmenog izražavanja Reg E. Gejnsa,

who wrote the famous poem, "Please Don't Take My Air Jordans."

koji je napisao poznatu pesmu, "Molim te, ne diraj mi džordanke".

And I followed this guy everywhere until I had him in the room,

Pratio sam ga svuda dok se nismo našli u sobi

and I read him one of my pieces,

i pročitao sam mu jednu od mojih pesama,

and you know what he told me?

i da li znate šta mi je rekao?

"Yo' wack.

Ej, budalo.

You know what the problem is with you, homie?

Da li znaš koji je tvoj problem, brate?

You don't read other people's poetry,

Ne čitaš poeziju drugih ljudi

and you don't got any subordination for verbal measures

i uopšte nemaš podređenost verbalnih mera

to tonal consideration." (Laughter)

značenju tona." (Smeh)

Now he kept on rambling

I nastavio je da brblja

about poetry and styles and Nuyorican Friday nights.

o poeziji i stilovima i njujorikanskim večerima petkom.

Now I could have quit. I should have quit.

I mogao sam da odustanem. Trebalo je da odustanem.

I mean, I thought poetry was just self-expression.

Mislim, smatrao sam da je poezija samoizražavanje.

I didn't know you actually have to have creative control.

Nisam znao da u stvari treba da postoji kreativna kontrola.

So instead of quitting, I followed him everywhere.

I umesto odustajanja, pratio sam ga svuda.

When he was writing a Broadway show, I would be outside of the door.

Kada je radio na brodvejskoj predstavi, bio sam ispred vrata.

I would wake him up at, like, 6:30 in the morning

Probudio bih ga u pola 7 ujutru

to ask him who's the best poet.

da ga pitam ko je najbolji pesnik.

I remember eating the eyes of a fish right out of the sea

Sećam se kako sam jeo oči ribe sveže izvađene iz mora

because he told me it was brain food.

zato što mi je rekao da je to hrana za mozak.

Then one day I told him,

Onda sam ga jednog dana pitao:

"Reg E., what is subordination for verbal measures to tonal consideration?" (Laughter)

"Reg E., šta je podređenost verbalnih mera značenju tona?" (Smeh)

And he handed me a black-and-white printed out thesis

I on mi je dao crno na belo odštampanu tezu

on a poet named Etheridge Knight

o pesniku po imenu Eteridž Najt

and the oral nature of poetry,

i usmenoj prirodi poezije

and from that point,

i od tada,

Reggie stopped becoming the best to me,

Redži nije više bio najbolji za mene,

because what Etheridge Knight taught me

jer ono što me je Eteridž Najt naučio,

was that I could make my words sound like music,

bilo je da mogu da učinim da moje reči zvuče kao muzika,

even my small ones, the monosyllables,

čak i kratke, jednosložne,

the ifs, ands, buts, whats,

ako, i, ali, šta,

the gangsta in my slang could fall right on the ear,

i ono što je gengsta u mom slengu može da prione na uvo,

and from then on, I started chasing Etheridge Knight.

i od tada, počeo sam da jurim Eteridža Najta.

I wanted to know which poet he read,

Želeo sam da znam kog pesnika je čitao

and I landed on a poem called ["Dark Prophecy: Sing of Shine"],

i naišao sam na pesmu po imenu "Mračno proročanstvo: Pevanje o sjaju",

a toast signifying that got me on the biggest stage

zdravica koja me je dovela na najveću pozornicu

a poet could ever be:

na kojoj pesnik može da se nađe:

Broadway, baby.

Brodvej, bejbe.

And from that point, I learned how to pull the mic away

I od tog trenutka, naučio sam da sklonim mikrofon

and attack the poetry with my body.

i napadnem poeziju svojim telom.

But that wasn't the biggest lesson I ever learned.

Ali to nije bila najvažnija lekcija koju sam ikada naučio.

The biggest lesson I learned was many years later

Najvažnija lekcija koju sam naučio došla je mnogo godina kasnije

when I went to Beverly Hills and I ran into a talent agent

kada sam otišao na Beverli Hils i naleteo na lovca na talente

who looked at me up and down

koji me je odmerio od glave do pete

and said I don't look like I have any experience

i rekao da ne izgledam kao da imam bilo kakvog iskustva

to be working in this business.

za rad u ovom poslu.

And I said to him, "Listen, punk fool,

A ja sam njemu rekao: "Slušaj, glupa budalo,

you're a failed actor who became an agent,

ti si propali glumac koji je postao zastupnik,

and you know why you failed as an actor?

a da li znaš zašto si propao kao glumac?

Because people like me took your job.

Zato što su ti ljudi kao ja uzeli posao.

I've traveled all the way from Cleveland and Essex

Došao sam čak iz Klivlenda i Eseksa u istočnom Njujorku,

in East New York, took the local 6 line up to the hookers of Hunt's Point

odvezao se šesticom do drolja Hanters Pointa

who were in my way on my way to master the art of space,

koje su mi bile na putu dok sam savladavao umetnost prostora

and the one-to-infinite amount of man, woman and child

i mali ili beskonačni broj muškaraca, žena i dece

you can fit in there only so I can push them

koji mogu tamo da stanu samo da bih ih gurnuo

to the back of the wall with my experience.

uza zid svojim iskustvom.

People have bought tickets to my experience

Ljudi su kupovali karte da vide moje iskustvo

and used them as refrigerator magnets to let them know

i koristili ih kao magnete za frižider da ih podsete

that the revolution is near, so stock up.

da je revolucija blizu, zato budite spremni.

I'm so experienced that when you went

Toliko imam iskustva da, dok si ti išao

to a privileged school to learn a Shakespearean sonnet,

u privatnu školu da učiš Šekspirove sonete,

I was getting those beats kicked and shoved into me.

ja sam te ritmove upijao i gurao u sebe.

I can master shock of "The Crying Game" with the awe

Mogu da savladam šok "Igre plakanja" sa zaprepašćenjem deteta

of a child being called an AIDS victim by a bully who didn't know

koga siledžija naziva žrtvom side i koji nije znao

that it was his father who gave it to my mother,

da je njegov otac bio taj koji je to preneo mojoj majci

and that's a double entendre.

i to je dvostruko značenje.

I'm so experienced that when you went to the Fell School

Imam toliko iskustva da, dok si ti išao u školu "Fel"

and all the rich little fairy boys decided to sponsor a child

i sva bogata deca rešila da sponzorišu dete iz nje,

in it, that was me, but kicked me out when I was caught

to sam bio ja, ali su me izbacili kada su me uhvatili

teaching the fairy boys how to rob the PATS off a pair of Lee Jeans

da učim male bogataše kako da iz "PATS-a" ukradu par "Lee" farmerki

and bring them to VIM. Let me see Chekhov pull that off.

i da ih donesu u VIM. Da vidim Čehova da to izvede.

Sanford Meisner was my Uncle Artie yelling silently to himself,

Senford Majzner bio je moj ujka Arti koji je tiho vikao samom sebi:

"Something's always wrong when nothing's always right."

"Nešto je uvek pogrešno kada nikad ništa nije ispravno."

Method acting is nothing but a mixture

Realistična gluma je ništa drugo do mešavina

of multiple personalities, believing your own lies are reality,

višestrukih ličnosti, verovanje da su vaše sopstvene laži istina,

like in high school cool Kenny telling me he wanted to be a cop.

kao kada mi je u srednjoj školi kul Keni rekao da hoće da bude policajac.

Dude, you go to Riker's Island Academy.

Čoveče, ideš na "Riker's Island" akademiju.

I could make David Mamet

Mogu da nateram Dejvida Memeta da

psychoanalyze my attack on dialogue,

psihoanalizira moj napad na dijalog,

Stanislavski be as if he were Bruce Lee

Stanislavskog da bude kao Brus Li

kicking your roster of talentless students up and down Crenshaw.

i šutira vaše netalentovane studente duž Krenšoa.

So what, your actors studied guerrilla theater at the London Rep?

Pa šta ako su vaši glumci izučavali gerilsko pozorište u londonskom repertoarskom teatru?

Let me tell you an ancient Chinese Saturday afternoon

Dozvolite da vam ispričam drevnu kinesku

kung fu secret.

kung fu tajnu.

Boards don't hit back.

Daske ne uzvraćaju udarac.

You think black entertainers have it hard finding work

Mislite da crni zabavljači teško nalaze posao

in this business? I'm a suspicious mulatto,

u ovom biznisu? Ja sam sumnjivi mulat,

which means I'm too black to be white and too white to be doing it right.

što znači da sam previše crn da bih bio beo i previše beo da bih to izveo kako treba.

Forget the American ghetto. I've cracked stages in Soweto,

Zaboravite američki geto. Vladao sam pozornicom u Sovetu,

buried abortion babies in potter's field and still managed to keep a smile on my face,

sahranjivao bebe abortusa na zajedničkom groblju i ipak uspevao da zadržim osmeh na licu

so whatever you curse at me to your caddyshack

i kako god me izvređali kod vašeg

go-for-this, go-for-that assistant when I walk out that door,

donesi-ovo, donesi-ono asistenta, kada izađem,

whatever slander you send my way,

koju god klevetu da mi uputite,

your mother.

tvoja mama.

Thank you. (Applause)

Hvala. (Aplauz)