Not really, not yet… BUT, I have an interview on national radio tomorrow (Saturday, 25 January) morning at 11:20.
If anyone wants to listen, you can stream it live on this link. On the menu on the left side, about 2/3 of the way down, click “SA FM” to begin the stream:
http://www.sabc.co.za/wps/portal/SABC/listenlivepopup
The interview is at 11:20am my time. We are GMT+2.
Frankly I think the bandana is over the top and conveys the wrong image. On top of that, wearing one in public is illegal in many locations, including most major cities in the US. Why needlessly draw the attention of the authorities? (Personal opinion)
Can’t tell if serious, jhb. 
Yes it is. The garb detracts IMO.
I don’t think so. I think it looks kind of cool, plus he’s in South Africa so I don’t think US laws apply to him.
Bandannas make me think of summer camp.
Of course US laws don’t apply, but those types of laws are not restricted to the US. And in less politically stable places you are inviting attention if you cover your face.
Well, now that we’ve congratulated frodoslair, perhaps there is room for some more in depth discussion. Many of us are not familiar with the culture in his country, and it might be interesting to know a bit more about what the bandana represents in this context, and why he chooses to wear it associated with his yo-yoing. I think it would be interesting to know.
John Narum covers his face sometimes when he yo-yos on stage. I am curious what it means for him too. I think it’s an opportunity to have a discussion that we might not have otherwise.
Is it the same, or different? Is it the context of where you are yo-yoing that matters most? Is there a difference between yo-yoing on stage in front of a community that knows you, and presenting to a public that has no idea what yo-yoing is about and having an opportunity to make that first impression? :-\
It seems the image did not distract from the story. Did the image actually help draw attention to the yo-yoing and encourage someone to ask questions and cover him in the story? I’m curious what frodoslair thinks of those questions.
He doesn’t yoyo in a bandana all the time. It probably seemed (and is) an amusing visual tie-in to the term “underground”.
Frank typically just yoyos in his everyday clothes… with no bandana on his face… the photographer had other non-bandana images to choose from, too.
Maybe because I’m Canadian rather than American (and hence have a slightly different national culture) but it’s honestly surprising to me that there’s any sort of discussion about it at all. It was an amusing image for an amusingly discrepant slant on a story (the writer, Frank, and all of us know that yoyoing isn’t exactly an edgy revolution… “Free the yoyos!” should have been the tip-off that this is all in good fun).
I figured serviette was South African for bandanna. ;D
I seriously don’t see how this matters at all. The law doesn’t apply there, and its just a pic. Who cares?
The law has nothing to do with it. The image portraying it as an outlaw activity does.
I guess if you’re an outlaw or a gangster, have at it. Otherwise why do you want to look like one?
From a PM I received about this:
Sure, I could have have worn a tutu, but people tend to think that yoyo players are juvenile enough as it is.
Illegal to wear a bandana…? South Africa is a free society and a melting pot of many cultures. (Besides… how else do you keep the chill off your face (or the bugs out your mouth!) when you ride a bicycle…?)
I think this pretty much sums up my feelings on it. And judging by the responses I’ve had from yoyoers and people who don’t throw at all (aged from 10 - 70), seems to be the general consensus.
Modern yoyoing is a niche activity - in that way, it IS underground. The average person on the street has no concept of modern yoyoing. In that sense, the reeducation of the general public does indeed involve a revolution… which is what I was trying to achieve.
That image does draw one in, and immediately makes one realise that yoyoing is not necessarily the same activity that it was 20 years ago. There is enough lightheartedness in that article for people to realise that it’s still all about having fun though.
If this was a joke, well played, very well played!! BUT if you are being serious, a “serviette” is what you would refer to as a “napkin”
I would hope that the readers of the article, too, would exercise common sense and intelligence.
Hope I don’t sound like a sycophant here, but I think for those who don’t know about Frank, it’s worth mentioning that he has done more to give exposure to yoyoing than most of us could ever hope to. Television appearances (without a bandana, even!), a long-running website, seminars… that kind of stuff. I don’t even know his full resume, but he’s done a LOT. At best, I get a handful of people at McDonald’s to go, “Neat! Yoyo looks fun!”
Make no mistake, this Sunday morning paper feature is good exposure, not bad.
I would like to again congratulate Frank on the feature, recognize what he’s doing for the yoyoing community in South Africa and the world at large, and hope to see more stuff like this in the future (with or without bandana… I don’t care…)!
Thanks Greg.
Just to add to that thought:
This paper is very legitimate and read by intelligent people - this is not a “Sunday tabloid” kind of Sunday paper…
My article was also featured in the Lifestyle / Arts section. I made the paper by being a contemporary, urban artist, not by being a gangster. This seems to be very clear to everyone I have spoken to, barring the one or two users who have raised their concerns on this forum.
I think a good spin off topic in general would be the whole “image” of yo-yoing. I go to contests and look around the room, and everything looks so “squeaky clean,” nothing too edgy in the room. That’s my opinion and my observation. I think there is some room for diversity, such as the group of yo-yoers who are tattooed and have something in common, I think that is rather cool (I forget the name of the group).
I was also curious about the bandana, and a small part of it is culture, I’m sure. Most people here wear them on their head, hanging from a pocket, or even around their neck…before wrapping it around their face. There aren’t many people yo-yoing here wearing them, so if someone does, I can understand why they would ask about what it might represent (if anything at all). Frodoslair obviously posting from South Africa, about an article published in South Africa, and sharing it on a board owned and operated in the U.S.A., to be shared with members majority living in the U.S.A. was bound to generate some questions whatever they might be. That should be no surprise really. Beyond “congratulations” the discussion can have more value. That is the benefit of taking advantage of the diversity we have here on the board. It turns out the meaning of the bandana was not that deep at all, just a bandana.
But, as frodoslair mentioned, he will get more attention wearing the bandana than without it. I have to admit that if I was not familiar with yo-yo, and I was flipping through the pages of a newspaper and stumbled on a masked man (so to speak) holding a yo-yo, I am more likely to read on to uncover the mystery. Journalists make headlines and choose photos that will grab your attention, and it is something we see all the time.
The option to go with that photo, and tell the story in that way, is up to the writer. Frodoslair as the subject just tells his story, and probably does not see what photo or words they decide to run with until it’s done and published. I’m sure they had options, and they made the final decisions. Anyone with further inquiry about his group will go to the link he provided in the thread and see that it is just another yo-yo club type atmosphere like anything else we see. For those who don’t like the bandana, they have a right not to like it. I have tattoos, and I have friends who hate tattoos. They have their right not to like it, and I have my right not to care. That’s life I guess.
By the way, the Mortal Kombat yo-yo style video was pretty cool. I haven’t played the game since Sega Genesis, but it’s a classic.
The squeaky clean image you spoke of is there because Yoyos are toys made by toy companies. It’s a traditional view of the yoyo and is what most people think of when they think of yoyoing. It’s unfortunate, in a sense. There are a lot of us who don’t fit the mold in appearance or lifestyle.
The commercially safe image of yoyoing is one of the things hindering its popularity. Frank with a bandana covering is face is better press than a stock photo of a kid who looks like he’s first in line to get a swirly.
^ I agree. Not that we’re saying people with tattoos and bandanas can’t be squeaky clean too, but that’s often not the perception for some reason. My experience in life is not to judge a book by it’s cover, because while sometimes what you perceive is reality…not always. I have learned that a guy in a three piece suit can be a bad guy, and a guy with tattoos and a bandana can be a good guy. I also agree that with some more diverse looks, yo-yoing would gain popularity. Some might discuss at what expense, but I think the good would outweigh the bad.
Frodoslair busking wearing a bandana would turn more heads and make more money on the street than looking like the average guy. It’s part of being a performer. I’m sort of artsy and eccentric in a way, very much an individual, so I get it.
The primary misconception is that Yoyos are only toys, rather than a means of making art.
Consider the overwhelming number of us who come from other disciplines. Artists, photographers, musicians, skaters, bmx riders, jugglers, game makers, filmmakers, and on and on. Edgy images are normal in every one of those interests and every one produces yoyo players.
That clean image of Yoyoers is a product of marketing, not a product of the players.
Precisely, and for those of us who are adults, even teenagers, and have formed personalities, style, and a sense of individuality, the yo-yo can take on a different form of expression. An artist has a certain level of creative license while performing, and the same can be applicable here. Attire is just one way of setting yourself apart from the rest.
I have no problem with a clean image, but I have no problem with an edge either. I think there is room for both…and everything in between.
Well said.
Waylon, this video of you is pure poetry, and sums up so eloquently what I think many of us feel, yet fail to articulate ourselves:
