The Last Don

The event invite was posted literally hours before the start of the show. However there was no question who and what patrons came to see, the Rickards Bos. premiere of the possible TV/video series ‘‘The Last Don’’, last Thursday (June 26) at the Kingston On The Edge’s Film On The Edge held at Redbones Cafe. The show chronicles the life of music producer/promoter and all round iron balloon popper Josef Bogdanovich. The production value on ‘‘The Last Don’’ project far surpasses what is seen now on the local television line-ups. It’s refreshingly good to be constantly spoiled by quality work as the Rickards Bros. and it’s easy to see ‘The Last Don’ crossing over to other markets.

One gets the feeling that Joe is the only straight man in this cosmic joke he chooses to inject himself in, which is being a sore thumb in the dancehall landscape. Reminicent of a Rodney Dangerfield stand-up set, Joe gets ‘no respect’, not even from those who work for him, as he constantly finds himself on the recieving end of a dial tone in the middle of important business calls and constantly being bombarded with excuses and the cop outs of "you haven’t paid your dues yet". One is left to wonder how much longer he should keep at it seeing as he already pulled down 15 years in this music business.



Eveyone is a character, they just don’t seen to know it. However it doesnt overwhelm, instead in some crazy way it brings harmony to the piece. Unknown to them is the chaos which pacifies all involved and one gets the feeling that if printers miraculously worked and everyone showed up on time and did their jobs their worlds would just fall apart, plugging them into darkness and despair.

It seems Joe prides himself on taking on promethean tasks and makes a name for himself by 'popping' iron balloons, a perfect example of which is artist I-Maroon with the most insane song ever ‘Mi Salt’. Among other acts in his arsenal include up and coming dancehall pop act Magma and veterans Nanko, Fantan Mojah and the Blonde Ras himself Harry Toddler.



One can’t help but feel love or something like sympathy for good old Joe as he seems to be the ultimate underdog in the Jamaican music industry. Eventually you are seduced by his sheer obliviousness to how bad things really are around him and all the vultures that seek to pick his pockets clean. By far the line that embodies Joe's actions and expriences and subsequent relationships with the people he comes in contact with, and was so eloquently said by none other than the Blonde Ras Harry Toddler when he describes his first impressions of Joe on their inital meeting.
"See a whiteman a carry some money ya fi gi we."