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Around Town

Gym Dandies

By Dave Faries
Staff Writer, The Prague Post
July 25th, 2007 issue

Rock and rap artists once left trails of destruction and broken bodies in their wakes, histories littered with ransacked hotel rooms, grievous bullet wounds, the needle and the damage done.

The stars of popular music lived like modern-day pirates. There was a spirit of rebellion, a commitment to the anthem of sex, drugs and music.
But somewhere, somehow, civility crept into this reckless world. The icons of both genres began writing children’s books or sponsoring recreation programs for inner-city youth. Hip-hop ganstas became fashion designers, comfortably hanging around the runways of New York City.
So it’s no surprise that last Tuesday, before their stage appearance at T-Mobile Arena, the progenitors of brutal New York rap, the guys who blurted “I’ll ****in’ tie you to a ****in’ bedpost with your *** cheeks spread out and ****” on an early ’90s track — the Wu Tang Clan — hit the weight room at World Class Fitness Center on Wenceslas Square.
Guys like RZA and Masta Killa, politely waving down the attendant to inform her, in almost apologetic tones, “Our hotel told us to come here.”
Ghostface Killah once rang out in fury, “Just me and you, mother****** just me and you; I put trademarks around your ****in’ eye.” Yet there they were, six of the eight, calmly listening to gym rules and nodding.
Nice guys. When a friend of mine struggled to finish just one more set of sit-ups, Raekwon rose to provide some encouragement, sending a “You go, girl” in her direction.
OK, so it’s not the Babe promising to blast a home run for some kid wasting away in a hospital bed, but members of Wu Tang have been convicted on felony charges, killed in self-defense, started fights and seen one of their own, the legendary Ol’ Dirty Bastard, keel over in the studio. They can ignore those of us sifting through nice, safe choices like home or pub after work? Tram or hoof it? Two more reps or quit and move on?
They don’t need to acknowledge the faces of everyday life, but they do — at least on this occasion.
Perhaps it’s a sign that hip-hop, like rock ’n’ roll before it, has reached a more mature stage in life. The clan supports young rap artists, and many members took up other responsibilities, such as producing music or even acting. Raekwon helped out on a documentary, for example.
Method Man (Clifford Smith’s stage name, derived from martial arts films or from New York slang for marijuana, depending on who tells the story) appeared in primetime television commercials. Another rapper, Snoop Dogg, has commercials under his belt, as well.
Same route taken by the Beatles and Rolling Stones, bad boys of a previous generation.
Other gym rats left the guys to their paces. No one pulled a “You’re the Genius, aren’t you?” or tried to catch Masta Killa’s eye — not surprising, really.
If you were to scribble out a list of people least likely to share a leg lift machine with you in a Prague fitness center, Ghostface, Raekwon or any of the group would be reasonable additions.
Outside of context, celebrities appear pretty much like the rest of us. It’s possible, therefore, few people recognized group members shuffling around the gym — except for a passing thought of the “that guy looks kinda like RZA” variety.
Besides, their concert was scheduled for 7 p.m. So those guys clustered around the free weights at 7:30? Naw, couldn’t be …
Five warm-up acts kicked off the gig at the arena. Wu Tang, I’m told, finally stepped onstage around 11:30. They shifted into gear quickly. Thanks perhaps to maturity, possibly to a good workout, and kept the party going until sometime close to dawn.
That left the arena littered with cups and napkins and the icons of hardcore hip-hop fit for more.
Dave Faries can be reached at
dfaries@praguepost.com

Dave Faries can be reached at dfaries@praguepost.com


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