The sun is shining on South Africa. South Africa is home to the 2010 World Cup. And the world it getting a glimpse of a South Africa they may never have seen...or heard before.
A vuvuzela is not a lady's hoo-ha. No, no, no that's something else altogether. A vuvuleza is a plastic one-note horn. And do fans blow them when there's a goal or a fabulous play? No. No? That's right they play them constantly from the opening minute throughout the game and into extra minutes.
To the viewer it sounds like your watching, or listening to, a giant bee-hive. Oh, and it's very, very annoying. They are annoying to the point that there have been discussions about banning them. Players have complained that the noise is constant, deafening and it puts them off their game.
The vuvuzela is not unique to South Africa. If you listen carefully you'll hear the odd honk at a baseball or football game. But what is unique is the sheer number of them at each match. And the sound that sheer number makes. It's as if those people doing the honking never take a breath. It's unbelievable. As a result, there's no passion in the game. There's no "oooh" or "aaah" over a great play. There's no explosion of "yaaaahh" when there's a goal. There's no chanting, clapping or singing.
Just this bloody, constant "mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm"
for 90 minutes.
But don't take my word for it. Listen for yourself...
It's like the song "Flight Of The Bumble Bee", except played on a trumpet with one note...and the trumpet player's on steroids!
Soccer will never be the same.
Did I say the sun was shining on Africa? If you want my opinion you can take your bloody vuvuzela and stick it where the sun don't shine.
An earlier version of this post first appeared on Sound Off To America.
An earlier version of this post first appeared on Sound Off To America.
Comments
As far as American viewership doubling, that would mean that there have been at least 12 people tuning in to listen to the vuvuvelas.
I hang my head in shame!
The boys annoy me with it with just one or two blows, I can't imagine an entire game. AT least not til I clicked on the video.
That is annoying.
If they ban them, at least people won't be able to smuggle them in. Too dang big!
Word verification today is atiffle.... I thing that's a brouhaha that occurs between vuvuzela players when they try to out-vuvuzela each other.
I'd heard about this on NPR but hadn't seen one til now.
I'm a brass player (french horn) and I think it would be fun to try one of these, just to see if I could produce anything approaching REAL music. Or at least something not quite as annoying as this.
That, plus the fact that it would allow me to put "Vuvuzela" on my resume. My boss would be proud.