Rex has left the building. Long live the king! I saw Rex – the reigning king – as a schoolboy and was blown away by his presence. He came on the stage from the rear and our first sight was a shock of sable hair.

“He is so black,” whispered the girl as his ascent revealed his poignant ebony face. We were transfixed as he intoned, “I was a bastard child,” in flawless English, more poetry than prose! Our English English teacher beamed. We were awed to the 10th power – unforgettable. The “b” word would never again be negative to us. That’s all I remember. I came to know Rex well, and could always find him on campus at 6.30 am to run my projects by him until his protective secretary arrived two hours later and said, “Good morning,” in a tone which meant, “Leave, I need my boss now!” Like all great men he was accessible! Never too busy to share ideas! A gifted polymath, he had a lifelong love affair with words and imbued them with coital nuance until they yielded every tincture of meaning while his provocative glances caressed the spellbound audience who reciprocated with orgasmic applause. Still, his true genius was with people. In death as in life “de y-pocrites dem a galang deh” and formidable psychic force silences all. He was part diva, part doyen, yet greater! With what grand statuary shall we memorialise him in Trelawny Square? What scholarships shall we raise in his name? What treats conjure for those who knew him and overawe those who did not? Modesty does not become him. He was Jamaica’s, but the world his stage; he knew and celebrated prowess of spirit, brain and body – a metier of excess! After Rex, they broke the mould! The king is dead!

Role model

If you can wield a bat, sprint, kick a ball and punch someone to pulp in a ring better than most, you are great. But, are you a role model? Does private life matter? Yes! A gifted person is just that. If we tell kids to model their lives on Buju our path is dark. Sharpe, Bogle, Nanny, Gordon faced oppression and acted bravely! We praise them to excess but do not copy their example. We use terms as “genius” and “world-class” freely – hyperbole feeds our self-esteem – we prefer to feel great than work to be great! Who is your role model? As you agonise about relationships, job, money, studies, do you ever think what would Usain, Bruce, Mavado do in this situation? I don’t think so! Who is a role model if not someone you know whose life, actions and words inspire yours? When in doubt my dad, teacher, mom, a mantra of Gandhi’s or Sun Tzu’s is in my mind; never Chris Gayle or jockey Omar Walker. Run like Asafa, bowl like Walsh, sing like Vybz, but are they role models for your life? Maybe!

Even parents are not automatic role models. As Aggie said, “My druggie dad died and my slutty mom did not visit me, thank God, so I grew up normal!” Do we need role models? Yes! But who are they? Are they gifted? Rich? On TV? Not always! Those with inner strength, who face life boldly, train and work like Mr and Mrs Jones are closer to the model than Dready and Princess who escape from reality into a spliff. Bob Marley is “world-class”. Is his life a model for your kids? Usain Bolt was born with brains in his feet. You can’t clone that! He is a role model for sprint. Copy his regimen and you may sprint well. In time, he may have a life worth emulating. Do not let your son copy Mike Tyson. Please! Superstars are achievers, gifted and honed in a single strand of life. A few like Michael Jordan invest wisely, serve their community and have exemplary lives after the hype of fame is gone – true role models!

The media stalked Tiger Woods for years. They bagged him. Now millions miss their sport, thousands their income, writers and sports media lack content and we pray for his return. England’s philandering soccer captain, John Terry, is now on “gardening leave” trying to woo his angry wife home from Dubai. One footballer told how hard it is in La Liga as women shove their pictures, panties, hotel room keys at him all the time. Handsome, athletic, rich, soft-spoken Tiger is not Pope material.

He lives between an opulent hotel suite and a golf course in several countries for most of the year; his path is strewn with nubile blonde white women. His colour choice may be convenience as black women are rare in a golf clubhouse. In some, me and mine are the only blacks. Our Manchester Club is the oldest golf club (1868) in the New World, older than all outside Scotland. When the 18-hole Open emerged at St Andrews in the 1860s we were right there soon after. We are asleep on a gold -mine. All our kids might be a Woods or Wie – but we bad-mouth golf as being “classist”. So blest but stupid! Manchester can be a heritage course. JTB should invite Woods to develop, rebrand and make it a global golf academy and attraction. Pretty black women play golf, but are not hostesses in the world’s golf lounges. We can do this here! Is Tiger your role model? Does his private life matter? Yes. To forgive is divine and Tiger is an overcomer and will rise again! His best is ahead!

Athletes are highly sexed. A fit body releases pheromones to attract the opposite sex; if you are also rich – the ultimate aphrodisiac. For women, sex is invasive and has all the risks of major surgery – injury, infection, etc. For men it’s a “jook and jump”. Sportsmen who are not athletic – some cricketers – benefit too, as a little exercise improves libido. Being a role model is a burden. I can hear Bob sing, “I am not in this world to live to your expectations, I just live to live, don’t falla me, I may not go your way… bee dee dip bap!” What about politicians? The libido of rotund Jacob Zuma and portly Berlusconi is driven by political power – a timeless aphrodisiac – as for kings David, Solomon, their many wives and concubines. South Africa and Italy love their presidents. One is a Zulu role model (a Zulu told me they always leave one wife slot open since affairs are allowed as auditions to fill the vacancy), and the other a model of the Italian gigolo. Here’s my take on role models: be excellent at something, over 45 and living well after the fame is over; keep your personal life private, give to your community and if you are dead, you are a better role model! Our nation is anchored by people in all walks of life who groom themselves, work, play, help others and not usually in the news – good role models. There is one living in your community. Seek him out. Stay conscious, my friend!

Dr Franklin Johnston is an international project manager with Teape-Johnston Consultants, currently on assignment in the UK.

franklinjohnston@hotmail.com