Hi Octaman,
I’m a 42 year old South African currently
studying Pastor Russells The Divine Plan of
the Ages,
and I’ve met and randomly correspond with [a Bible student] who
referred me to
your website. As an amateur musician and an avid
long
time roots reggae fan, I was immediately drawn to the concept of
promoting
truth through the medium of music, particularly the reggae genre so, as
you can
imagine, I was thrilled to hear of what you do and immediately explored
your website.
An honest response, if I may … I must
confess that there seems to me a lack of modesty on your part.
I apologise for this criticism since I do
not know you, but please understand the justification of why I feel
that:
- your face on the
cover of your album
- phrases like …
“ there simply aren’t enough heroes”; “super heroes
must battle …”; “Light bearer and instructor to the world”??
- an overly flashy
website with too much emphasis on Octaman
Since modesty and humility are integral
characteristics of true Christian expression, I feel your lyrics appear
not to
be harmonious with your portrayal.
There may be good reason for this and I
would sincerely like you to respond.
Having
said all that, I
LOVE WHAT YOU’RE DOING AND I WHOLEHEARTEDLY SUPPORT YOUR IDEA.
If you would still be interested to
correspond with me after the above criticism, I would be glad to keep
some
connection with you and perhaps share things.
In Christ
[Concerned]
OCTAMAN
RESPONDS
Dear J,
Peace to you in the name of our Redeemer, Yeshua HaMoshiach.
Thank you for your email. I'm pleased you are enjoying the music. I
appreciate your questions and will do my best to answer them. There are
some links on my website which perhaps you have not seen. There is some
updated info on this page:
It offers some inside information on the concept and story behind
Octaman.
I hope these are helpful in explaining some more about the creative
project, which is actually me, as I believe that I am a creative work
in progress, the sum of my experiences having made me "Octaman."
I hope you will see that
I don't
take myself too seriously, as
Octaman
is actually more of a parody than you may have realized.
In answer to some of your other concerns, I offer the following lyrics
from my song "
Psalm
24" which contains a paraphrase from Pastor Russell's work, as he
wrote about all followers of Christ:
"Through
the prophetic word,
they shall not only be
Shielded
from discouragement,
to overcome besetments,
Snares
and stumbling stones so prevalent
in "the evil day,"
Thus *they become the
light-bearer
and instructor to the world*.
Thus
enabled to point out to the world
the cause of the trouble,
To
announce the presence of the new Ruler,
To
declare the policy, plan and object
of the new dispensation,
And to instruct the world
as to the wisest course to pursue"
Thanks again for your email. It's nice to meet another musician who
appreciates reggae, and who reads Pastor Russell. May Yah bless your
efforts to serve Him.
Yours in Truth,
Regan Balman
- a.k.a. Octaman
http://www.myspace.com/octaman1
The "Spoof" Context
Hi Octaman,
Thanks for your
prompt response.
Humble
apologies. I now understand
the “spoof” context of Octaman. An interesting
concept of mainstreaming the brand with satire, thereby appealing to
the youth
and promoting the truth.
I should be more
thorough in my research before resorting to finger-pointing. My sceptic
cynicism has developed over the years by observing hypocrisy amongst
“so-called” Christians, whose self-righteousness appear
to take precedence over love of and obedience to God’s word.
Please send a
sample of your
live performance, if possible.
In Christ
Hi J,
Thanks again for writing. Please know that I appreciate your questions
and concerns and regard them only as helpful. I realize that all
aspects of my performance are not obvious or evident at first look. I
added some additional info to a link I sent you based on your
questions. Here is another link you may not have stumbled across.
http://www.octaman.com/here.html
Thanks again,
Oc
ADDENDUM
Octaman would like to add that, after the first CD it was requested by
some Bible student friends that they would like to see a picture of the
artist on the next CD.
As to the "hero" theme, Octaman as a music act is based on the
traditional reggae music genres theme of comic book figures.
Artists
such as "Yellowman", "Ninjaman", "Super Cat" and "Elephant Man" to name
a few. See an album cover for the reggae artist "Scientist" here.
If the website seems flashy, it is only due to the
extraordinary gift posessed by the one and only Octaman guitarist and official
web designer Skanky Rygmon and his ten fingers! (And he
doesn't even know how to use macromedia "flash".)
Lastly, this is the art of
self-parody, which is the art of self-deprecation, which is the very
essence of true humility, at least that's the way I see it.
