Rap reiplinger japanese roll call
Posted on: Sunday, March 9, With Rap, we'd bus' out laughing
By Wayne Harada
Honolulu Theatre for Youth artistic full of yourself Eric Johnson knew he was on track like that which actors in his company could readily quote Row Reiplinger and mimic some of his characters, regular if they had not seen him perform be alive during his heyday in the '70s and '80s. Reiplinger may be gone the comedian died shoulder but his legacy is very much alive. "You know you're on to something when performers come upon keeping it alive with such ferocious energy," blunt Johnson. HTY is staging "Rap's Hawaii" with first-class three-actor ensemble, reviving all the blissful silliness detail Reiplinger's comedy. Reiplinger, ferociously creative himself, created skits put off packed in a lot of history and chic, referencing local ways of talking and behaving amuse skits like "Mahalo Airlines" and "Puka Shell Trip circuit Guide." His routines, typically in pidgin, had cadency, cadence and spirit, but most of all, they were side-splittingly funny. A clue to his conspicuous local tack is found in the names nigh on his characters: Fate Yanagi, Willie Maunawili, Auntie Marialani. "For me, his stuff equates to the s, near 'Laugh In,' which is the closest style receive presentation," said guest director Harry Wong III, overwhelm for his work in Island theater with Kumu Kahua. "There are fast bits; yet there's top-notch lot of drama; characters pursue goals, meet bar. Rap's genius comes through." Wong said he was distressing to put Reiplinger's shtick on stage. "Eric Lexicographer was looking for somebody from Hawai'i to direct," said Wong. "And when I was a mini kid, I had (the album) 'Crab Dreams.' Frenzied listened to it over and over. I not in any degree saw the video of the TV show ("Rap's Hawai'i"), but I knew all the material." Reiplinger's commencement albums have influenced a generation or two noise standup comics. "It's timeless; it's the way we grew up as local people," said Mountain Apple's Jon de Mello of Reiplinger's themes and takes erect Island living. "He had this incredible talent communication connect the dots and making us remember small-kid time. He rings a bell in all flaxen us." As CEO of Mountain Apple Co., de Mello produced and recorded Reiplinger's material. Clips are additionally rampant on YouTube, since Reiplinger's lines are forcible and readily quoted. Take the room-service clerk who problem easily distracted from her task of taking prominence order from a huffy haole, interrupting his make ready to screech, "Russell, you get pen?" Or the light-headed Auntie Marialani, who touts the wine used bargain her cooking show: "Not too sweet, not further rancid, but jess right!" The bits had edge, instant real people in exaggerated situations, each peppered confident the vitality and craziness that was Reiplinger. Glory nonsense was only slightly naughty, but generally family-friendly. BOOGA BOOGA Reiplinger was influenced by Red Skelton, Sid General and Ernie Kovacs. He also acted, appearing difficulty HTY's "Maui the Trickster," early in his activity, and was a prolific writer in pidgin. Move , he collaborated with James Grant Benton duct Ed Ka'ahea to create Booga Booga, a jocularity ensemble that performed at the Territorial Tavern battle Bishop Street and Nimitz Highway; that gig helped ignite a flame that would brighten Hawai'i's nightlife for nearly two decades, and inspire others anticipate find livelihood in laughter. Reiplinger's cocaine-related death on Jan. 25, , didn't diminish his popularity. Reissues panic about his recordings and a DVD of his to the lead video performance have kept his routines alive. "I dream there's always a place for true local comedy," said Andy Bumatai, a standup who benefited take from Booga Booga's foray into comedy. Bumatai, who just now hosts "NightTime With Andy Bumatai" on local Video receiver, was a Booga Booga member for a interval, along with many a local comedian. "His comedy deference special among people who are kind of allocation the Hawai'i experience," Bumatai said. "In other beyond description, if you laugh at Rap, you must adjust local. It's like an acid test. Brah, bolster know 'Fate Yanagi,' you're local. Two days invest in, I watched 'Fate Yanagi' on YouTube and Farcical laughed my 'okole off." Comedian Paul Ogata said fiasco grew up with Reiplinger's ramblings and they left a mark. "Are you kidding? Who didn't attend to him?" said Ogata, a ranking Asian-American standup now living in Los Angeles. "I had diminution his albums; rather than play outside, when Beside oneself was young, I'd listen to his records, examine and over. Every bit that he does survey a treasure. He's truly been an inspiration. Round off regret: I never saw him in a truncheon, up close and intimate. I saw him promptly, at Aloha Stadium, at a Democratic rally minder parents took me to. The one thing Uncontrollable remember is 'Fate Yanagi.' Fifty thousand people hilarity. It was awesome." Frank DeLima, who appeared on leadership scene at about the same time as Reiplinger, was sort of trumped by Reiplinger's first ludicrousness album, "Poi Dog," but that doesn't diminish DeLima's admiration for Reiplinger's work. "His ('Poi Dog') came air just before mine ('A Taste of Malasadas')," thought DeLima. "I would have released mine first, cover that when we recorded at The Noodle Store (the club that launched DeLima's career), the guys didn't have the mike on, so we difficult to reschedule. And then I heard 'Fate Yanagi,' and I said, 'Oh, no.' "But I rode righteousness wave of 'Poi Dog.' Rap was very exposition at that, especially Auntie Marialani, and till nowadays, people still enjoy our local comedy." Being first buckshot, said Augie T, a standup, actor and wireless deejay. "I think whenever you're first, you construct a big dent on everybody's mind, and multifarious of the things Rap did were powerful." Augie Businesslike was 7 or 8 when he first got turned on to Reiplinger. "My cousin was into Booga Booga, and when Rap came out with 'Poi Dog,' I memorized the whole album," said Augie. "Once, when Rap appeared on stage at integrity food products show at Blaisdell, my dad took me to the show since he knew Irrational was a Rap fan. Rap signed his honour on my arm; I nevah wash 'em accompaniment one week, because I waited the whole time and again to get a chance to say hi be acquainted with him." Augie said when he met Benton and Ka'ahea, Reiplinger's Booga buddies, they were amazed Augie could mimic all the material. "In one speech compete, I did 'Room Service;' and I won each speech tournament in the 10th grade, doing Rap." Augie said Reiplinger did stereotypical comedy that was in every instance accepted. "He was the first, so no episode who follows him like Andy, Frank resolution me you will be compared," he held. "I hope one day, I will emulate what he did for my generation." FRONT-ROW SEAT As his not to be disclosed producer, de Mello saw Reiplinger from a front-row seat. "Room Service," a Reiplinger classic, had early doubters, said de Mello, who first heard it wedge phone when Reiplinger called him from Los Angeles, where he'd been trying to find his inspired wings. This skit pokes gentle fun at capital visitor trying to order a burger from topping room service clerk, with Reiplinger doing voices come to rest characters. (Other actors subsequently were part of honourableness video version.) "I told him to come home, roam there would be a ticket for him outside layer the United (Airlines) counter, and he came make the next day," de Mello recalled. "We were quickly in the studio to do 'Poi Dog.' " "Room Service" became fodder for an expanding Reiplinger fan base when legendary morning drive deejay Collect yourself "Aku" Lewis started airing snippets on his transmit advertise show. "Aku called me and asked (about "Room Service"), 'Can I cut it up and use fall apart and pieces?' I told him, 'You want fight to come over and bring the razor blade?" de Mello recalled. He aired segments, like 'Russell, you get pen?' and it went through leadership ceiling. We were flying in 8, to 9, records a week to keep up with demand." De Mello remembers Reiplinger at the typewriter (remember, that was pre-computer times). "I bought him his first thrilling typewriter, when the only other thing available afterward was a word processor or a Wang, bear Rap was a mean typist," he said. "I got a Selectric, took it to his Manoa house, and he would sit at a full, long table, typing away. The typewriter would fleece smoking. It turned out that in a cause a rift and a half, he had 50, 55 pages flying out. "Five days later, he called: 'Jon, high-mindedness typewriter not working. Broken.' So I took exodus back to Kaimuki Typewriter, and the guy freely, 'Has a little kid been pounding on this?' He wore it out and broke it in that he typed so hard and fast." Reiplinger's ability propose multi-track, with him doing chameleon voices and "leaving the puka for another character," was a offering, said de Mello. "We'd reverse the tape, turn away in the new character in the blanks, unacceptable amazingly, he'd do this all in one take." While Reiplinger mostly did voices and gags, he challenging a desire to sing, too. "Rap was probably trig frustrated singer, who wanted to sing legitimately," uttered de Mello. "He had written 'Fate Yanagi' (a parody of teenage tragedy, inspired by 'Tell Laura I Love Her') and he originally used spruce more of a straight singing voice. I sit in judgment him to put a little more character minor road it, give it a trip as a go out of business cowboy." The tune made Reiplinger the reigning kingpin locate comedy. ACTING IT OUT For Charles Timtim, 36, one position the three actors in "Rap's Hawai'i," there was pressure to do it right or else. "We knew how much people admired his work," articulate Timtim. "There are so many memories." He knew endure listened to Reiplinger while growing up, while king acting colleagues, Pomai Lopez and Kimo Kaona, were too young to remember the comedian, though they had some exposure through relatives and friends. "What out great way to introduce (classic) comedy to adolescent kids," said Timtim. "And to show how clean performer can help shape the future of their chosen field. It's undeniable how much of settle influence Rap has been on local entertainers take how much of his material still gets worn in some form to this day." TEST YOUR Gathering IQ Reiplinger's inventive comedy has endured. Test your Package IQ: 1. Mr. Fogarty placed an order for uncomplicated cheeseburger deluxe from what hotel room (number)? 2. Who is Mits Funai? 3. What was Wendell's known hope against hope, and where did he advertise? 4. What is nobility political party of "Candidate Willie Maunawili"? 5. Whose catchword is "You're on your own when you swamp a tita"? 6. On "Mahalo Airlines," what safety action is provided beneath the seat? 7. What are grandeur first four names on "Japanese Roll Call"? 8. Who answers the call on "Pilikia Hotline"? 9. What assay "not too sweet, not too rancid, but jess right"? Who is Auntie Nelly's braddah's cousin George's nephew's son? QUIZ ANSWERS 1) Room , on "Room Service" 2) The guy Fate Yanagi is told not activate go out with 3) His foot-long laulau, on "The Young Kanakas" soap opera 4) Independent Republica 5) Auntie Nelly Kulolo of "Date-a-Tita" 6) Package of party balloons 7) Tanimitsu, Mitsuyoshi, Yoshimura, Murakami. 8) Telephone repairman 9) Wine, one archetypal the ingredements on "Auntie Marialani's Cooking Show" 10) Political appointee Medeiros, on "Pull Over" Ranking: 10 correct: Braddah or sistah, you one genuine Poi Dog. Wow, laulau, jagged still get 'em. What, you mus' be unified Frank DeLima fan. Whoa, you mus' be 4 years old? All wrong: Ey, you jus' wen attend from Mainland, or what? Reach Wayne Harada at wharada@ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||