Gaffa

[Alan Carter <cartera@x500.bt.co.uk>]

Hi,

The Katequote in the FAQ denies this so who am I to disagree, but...

The FAQ reckons gaffa is a reference to the thick, gluey tape
(gaffer tape) used to control cables when setting up a gig.

I have a feeling it is a play on words. There is an Arabic word
Qaffa (like in the boss of Libya - G and Q seem to be
interchangeable when moving from Arabic to English).

My Arabic speaking friend tells me it means "unbelief". Now lots of
KT songs include Sufi images (mind as house, unconsidered reactions
like the braying of donkeys, talking drums, the whirling of the
dervishes, Gurdjieff etc.)

Apparently the Sufis use lots of Arabic words because by and large,
over the last 1000 years Islam has been particularly welcoming to
the Sufis.

So in a song where the protagonist is having a spot of bother on
the Enlightenment front ("that girl in the mirror - between you
and me she's not going anywhere"), she is suspended in *unbelief*.

Well, it makes sense to me!

Alan

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Alan G. Carter - cartera@x500.bt.co.uk          +44 1344 822816 Voice
BT London Software Engineering Centre           +44 1344 822812 Fax
                     "You want my cousin Zebulon" - RAH
                     32 Belle Vue Terrace, Great Malvern, 
                    Worcestershire, England alan@gid.co.uk
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