As an old newshound with a nose for a good story, the Manumission affair in Ibiza, has always intrigued me. The party defined a generation and the island has not witnessed its like, ever since it left Privilege many moons ago. The ringmasters of the colorful circus, were brothers Andy and Mike McKay, who were ably assisted by Dawn Hindle and Claire Davies, along with their adopted son Johnny Golden and a motley family of other notorious misfits and outlaws. The party was very much a child of its time, born in the last days of a more innocent Ibiza, when commercialism was not as prevalent as it is today. In my chats with Andy McKay, he always felt that the party would resurrect itself in some form but he saw production fees as a major limiting factor – costs were a lot cheaper back in 1994. In the last decade he focused on building Ibiza Rocks into the success that it is today and I now get the feeling from him, that he is ready for a new challenge and that Manumission could play a part in his future. There is a now a stir in the Ibiza air around Manumission that I have not witnessed before, and a convergence of the elements required to make it happen, may be starting to align themselves in the Mediterranean sky.
The other half of Manumission, Mike and Claire McKay, one senses are ready to get back into the race after a long hiatus. Their Cinemission/Missionary Theater vehicle is on the starting grid and looking for a suitable venue and driver with finance. It now looks increasingly unlikely that the Booom association will be a runner. Last November the blog reported the good news that communication between the previously estranged McKay brothers, had been re-established. Families and siblings are always falling out with each other, but at the end of the day, blood is a strong bond and life is too short for wasting it in yawning. There is much goodwill and support on the island from people who want to reunite old friendships and celebrate the 20th Anniversary of Manumission. A generation who need to pay homage to what Manumision stood for – an ethos of freedom and fun and a reflection of their halcyon days in Ibiza. Manumission deserves to be recognised for what it brought to island culture 20 years ago. In the real spirit of Ibiza, it belongs to Ibiza and its party people, not to any corporate individual or entity, as that would go against what it stood for in the first place – freedom from slavery. If you really love something you should set it free and I feel that the people who love Manumission the most and understand what it meant, not just to them, but to a generation of people who were part of it, will do the right thing and celebrate its anniversary with the pride and respect it deserves.
UPDATE 7/4/14 One half of Manumission, Andy and Dawn McKay, set for Monday nights at Pacha? read more here
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