Johnny B. Goode
I didn’t suddenly wake up one day and say, “I’ll write a story about a rooster — and better yet, a rockstar rooster!” It was a gradual desire that suddenly jolted awake like the strumming of an electric guitar.
The initial idea came from one of my favourite 80s movies — ‘Back to the Future.’ I was mesmerized by the scene from the movie where Marty McFly blasts his guitar, playing ‘Johnny B. Goode’ in front of an astounded crowd after time-traveling back to the 1950s. This moment was something I found philosophically intriguing. What happens when something so unfamiliar and revolutionary is introduced into a new environment? Will it be accepted, or seen as a challenge — perhaps even a threat? Marty ends his guitar solo by saying, ‘I guess you guys aren’t ready for that yet.’
My rockstar rooster, Ronny, might not be a time-traveler; however, the passion for self-expression is a quality that he and all artists of the world share. I placed him in his natural environment (a typical barn), which he cohabits with his barn-mates: a horse, a pig, and a duck. While the other animals go about their regular routines, sleeping and munching on food, Ronny has one thing in mind: to play music, persistently and endlessly. Gradually, the entire barn becomes animated by Ronny’s tireless devotion to rock-n-roll.
You might ask, why would a kid be interested in a tale like this? Precisely for the reason you and I (as old and unimaginative adults) read books and watch movies. To get inspired by concepts that are out-of-the-ordinary and yet, in a peculiarly personal way, remind us of what we are missing in our lives. Perhaps they even unravel the hidden gifts that we have left long buried, the sing-song rhymes of our youth that ask to be given a voice again.
The story of Ronny is a response to the artist’s struggle — the creative soul who is left dreaming without a dream. What if the dream is waiting for us to wake up and bring it into full force and action? This does not consist of slumber, hesitancy or holding back because of fear. It is an invitation to pick up our banjos, take centre stage of the barn, and blast our keys from high to low, swinging left to right. The sheer confidence and power of doing what we love might be something unexpected, but what is more beautiful than surpassing hindrances and limitations that we have placed on ourselves? Like Ronny, let us embrace the true spirit of ‘rock-n-roll’ — letting go of any sense of control!
