Greetings,
"When
an old person dies, it is like a library burning."
~ Alex Haley, ROOTS
Well, at age 62, Moe Keale was not yet a old person.
An old soul, perhaps. For about a year, he
too was Heaven's
Reject because on March 12, 2001, Moe 'died' for a few minutes
before he was gently booted out of Heaven. In his case, he
was shoo-ed away.
It was a heart attack
that felled this giant of a man while he was, of all things,
exercising for his health at a 24-Fitness center on Oahu's windward side
where he lived. While "dead," Moe saw his nephew and fellow Hawaiian music
entertainer Israel "IZ" Kamakawiwo'ole, who passed
on in 1997, coming through -- not the pearly gates --
but the threshold of a "7-Eleven" store.
In pidgin, IZ told his
Uncle Moe, " E, Unko, you no can come insai yet; dis Heaven.
Not yo' time. (Translation: Eh, Uncle, you can't come in here;
this is Heaven. It is not yet your time.)"
Moe was
resuscitated by police officers,
and whoosh, back to Earth, he returned. The Honolulu paper wrote about it here:
>> Honolulu
Star-Bulletin: A Second Chance
A year later, on April
15, 2002, it was Moe's time. His mission was
accomplished.
>> Honolulu
Star-Bulletin: Hawaii Entertainer Dies at 62
It been a year since
that happened. Last week, on June 15, 2003, a large group of Moe's
colleagues, friends and supporters gathered at The Shannon Center in Whittier,
California for an evening of tribute to Moe in song, dance, and
reminiscing.
Just as I type those
words, I hear Aloha Joe on his Internet Hawaiian music radio show
describing that
night:
"It was a four --
no, a five -- Kleenex night," says Aloha Joe (AJ).
Yes, it was that
kind of night. DH and I kept mopping each
other's tears that kept streaming down our
cheeks. Don't get me wrong. It was not at all maudlin
or depressing. That night of tribute was, instead, a joyous night of
celebration of a life well-lived. We were often laughing
through our tears.
Now Aloha Joe is
announcing that he is dedicating a song from his wife Helen to me from Keali`i Reichel's CD, MELELANA.
Last Saturday, she dedicated "I Will Be There" to me from
the same album. This song holds significant personal meaning for
me. Almost weekly, another regular listener, "Gi", requests it for his
friend in Hawai`i. When
that listener did not call in last week, Helen remembered.
Aloha Joe says he's
picking a song from the Melelana CD that is linked to Moe. Oooo,
chiiiicken skin (that visceral sensation that happens when the
Spirit is moved). Aloha Joe recalls a conversation with Moe
soon after MELELANA was released. Moe, he said, could barely
contain his excitement that Keali`i Reichel had recorded his song.
"And he (Keali`i)
did such
a good job," said a thrilled Moe to Aloha Joe.
I
feel the warmth of Moe's smile, as we both listen to Keali`i's
rendition. I imagine that Moe is delighted that
his song , Hanohano `O Maui, is being heard around the world on
computer radio.
Moe, am I glad those head slaps of yours go
right through me! And yes, Moe, you caught my
attention. I caught
the hint. Today, I will begin to build that "library" in
cyberspace for you. With Aloha.
Give my Aloha to
Braddah IZ.
~~~~~
An
E-Mail to Aloha Joe
Mahalo e Helen and AJ for
Hanohano `O Maui... It is breathtakingly
beautiful. I sense Moe is doing some
heavenly nudging with your dedication and song
selection from Keali`i's MELELANA. You see, I
was in the midst of posting an entry about
Moe in my personal journal just as you
dedicated the song to me on the computer waves.
I'm feeling that Moe wants me to
share parts of that personal entry to a wider
audience. His way of telling me that his
unique way of sharing Aloha is not for my
eyes -- and memory -- only.
I was first introduced to Moe
at IZ's funeral. That week, just before
our Hawaiian language class at UH, Manoa began,
we were leisurely browsing a Ward Warehouse
record store and came upon Moe's CD -- IMAGINE
-- the one with the lei around the world. A
picture worth a thousand words. Of the
hundreds, if not thousands of CDs in that store,
it's the one that caught our attention.
Well, we absolutely fell in love
with Hanohano `O Maui at "first
hear." That night, I happened to be
talking on the phone with Uncle Charlie Maxwell
on Maui and held the phone to the boom box so he
could hear the song. He too immediately fell
in love with it.
Uncle Charlie happened to be looking
for a hula song for his wife's (Aunty Nina's)
ha~lau to perform at the Merrie Monarch
Festival. He found it in Moe's song and
that year, because the MM competition is
televised state-wide, Moe's enchanting song went
from somewhat obscure to maximally exposed.
Remember that Keali`i is, himself,
a kumu hula and FROM MAUI. This song
caught his ear, and he too must have fell in
love with it. It was co-written with Moe by
Kahikina de Silva, a young woman who
expressed her love for Maui in Hawaiian words. Moe
put her lyrics to music. Kahikina happens
to be the daughter of yet another kumu
hula, Mapuana de Silva, who is also a
regular Merrie Monarch participant.
For us older folks who cherish
the language, Kahikina, represents the `o~pio
(youth) who resoundingly assure us that the
language will live on.
Keali`i featured Kahikina
and another talented, young composer, `Iliahi
Paredes, on the beautifully produced video
portion on the MELELANA CD, which also
plays on your computer as a DVD. Please check
that out if you haven't; MELELANA's
technological capabilities is
stratospheric, yet remain 'hidden' and
unexplored by most, especially those still
relatively new to the computer. It is a
masterpiece on many levels, chockful with
"goodies" that are not obvious.
Some things happen in roundabout
way. This is one of them. And you
two are now a part of this circle.
So, in his way, with your timely
dedication, Moe is making sure I pay attention.
His way of "slapping" my head (smile).
I am paying attention... his message of Aloha
will go further than if you had not so
thoughtfully dedicated Hanohano `O Maui to me.
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