Stone Cold Jam #6: Tokoloshe Man (John Kongos)

The Artist: John Kongos

The Album: Tokoloshe Man (1971)

Pay attention and you may learn something.

John Kongos was/is a white South African dude, who put some pretty good tracks in the early Seventies, kind of in a Thunder Clap Newman or Bad Fingerish sort of vibe. He never really made a dent in the US, although the Happy Mondays made the college charts in the early 90s covering Kongos' tune "He's Gonna Step On You Again" (their version was called "Step On" and they added the essential lines:"He's twisting my melon, man, cause he talks so hip man. Call the CCCCCCops!") In the UK, he made the Top of the Pops. (But really, doesn't everyone?)

The Mondays also covered this Stone Cold Jam for a Electra covers compilation called "The Rubiyat"

Now, about Tokoloshes. The Tokoloshe is a sort of wee zombie dwarf that has, according to my sources, one buttock. Could it be that Ronnie James Dio appeared to the Xhosa people sometime in early history?

Kongos' Tokoloshe appears in the middle of some kind crazy all out bell ringing hootenany with strings, and tribal drums, and stratocasters all going off at once, like Bollywood to the nth.

So, picture youself caught up in this crazy carnival weirdness at some rave out on the Veldt, when all of sudden this hairy wee brown dude with one buttock appear before you. I'm guessing he has bucked fangs and a mono-brow. *Poof* He's there, staring at you, and you look around at all the ritually crazed dancers, and no one else seems to notice him. He points a chicken bone at you and suddenly you are locked in place, staring into his milky, Ray Charles eyes.

The Tokoloshe merely assures you that "Tonight is the night is the night", and although it sounds like it wouldn't be assuring, it is. He then defiantly flexes his one buttock and wanders off unnoticed by the raving mass of humanity. Later you get laid. So he was right, tonight WAS the night. Right on, Tokolshe Man. Thanks for getting me laid.