Every Saturday, we’ll be posting a new illustration by David Lester. The Mecca Normal guitarist is visually documenting people, places and events from his band’s 26-year run, with text by vocalist Jean Smith.
“How’d it go at the no-show?”
At the airport in Grenada
wearing cowboy boots
and a vintage nightgown—pink
m-m-m-multiple machine guns pointed at me
accidentally visiting Grenada, March 1979
The New Jewel Movement
a Joint Endeavour for Welfare
Education and Liberation
was carrying-out a near-bloodless coup
to establish a people’s revolutionary government
I was on vacation from my newspaper production job
with my boyfriend—the newspaper’s photographer
two Nikons around his neck
After a brief, but intense interview
we were taken to a hotel of their choosing
and told not to check-out
check-out
check-check-check
until leaving the island
when a driver would arrive to take us to the airport
When the other tourists on our flight
heard about the instability
they all flew to other islands
they all flew to other islands
they all flew to other islands
In the middle of the night
we listened to Michael Manley
Jamaica’s then prime minister
speaking in St George’s Square
Most of the town’s population was there
waiting for Peter Tosh
who never did show up
show-up, show-up, show-up
It was rumored that Fidel Castro might speak
—another no-show, no-show, no-show
“How’d it go at the no-show?”
