Re: Rambling on about Cuba....

[Michael Goldbard <m@gbard.com>]

Patrick and Duane,

While I can't share any firsthand experience of Cuba having never been
there, one fortunate aspect of the Cuban revolution has been the insulation
of Cuban musical culture from many recent outside influences which might
otherwise have submerged it.  While American popular music caters to the,
IMHO, somewhat undeveloped tastes of adolescents and young adults, Cuban
music is sophisticated, complex and polyrhythmic, intended for an adult
audience.

So while the pleasures of "ron del barrilito" and peerless cigars might
hold some attraction, I'd prefer to spend my nights at El Palacio de la
Salsa with a permanent grin induced by Los Van Van or one of the other
great bands with which Cuba brims.

The beauty and charm of the Cuban dancers at their resplendent best would
likely provide many memorable photos for the M camera user.

	Michael


>Duane, thanks for your reply about Cuba.  I confess to having tried
>peeling-paint photos once or twice but I never found the results
>particularly memorable.  And with respect to the opportunities for bargains
>in Cuba, I also don't cheat on my wife but occasionally I like a good
>cigar, and a good "ron del barrilito" is an amazing thing that will stand
>up to a fine cognac or a single-barrel bourbon.
>
>>From what one can tell from the outside, Castro really succeeded in
>duplicating the Soviet "miracle."  He took an impoverished uneducated
>people with a repressive government and replaced them with an impoverished
>educated people with an even more repressive government.  Let's hope that
>Cuba can eventually climb out of its hole in the same way that many of the
>ex-Soviet bloc countries are climbing out of theirs.
>
>Still it's supposed to be a fascinating country, and it is the last place
>in the world where one can see a Soviet-model state in action.  I grew up
>hearing about the Soviet menace, but was too late to see it in Europe.  I'd
>like to see what's left of it in Cuba now, because one thing's for sure --
>it's not going to last another ten years.
>
>-Patrick