Bollywood Night - July 11 2009

Michael Jackson - pictures from back in the day

beyond the fact that many of these images are burned permanently into my brain from seeing them as stickers on our elementary school notebooks...
....Michael Jackson, and his image and likeness, was literally everywhere during the initial Thriller craze.. ( including blatant commercial tie ins to advertising campaigns for E.T. & Pepsi .. actually, the Jackson POP machine was already in full gear by the time I found out about him, the Jackson Five already had their own cartoon and each member apparently had their own Fan Club long before i had heard Billie Jean.. i just got in on it when they stepped it up a notch.. thats right, the 80s... and my generation was the target audience )



it seems to me that these photos (click the collage below) give away so many interesting and disturbing hints to the mystery behind the troubled life of michael jackson. i dont know what it is, but looking at the pictures of him from youth and his early career, i feel like i almost understand him a bit better.. but it's just a glimmer of truth trying to escape from a cloud of chaotic overexposure that should probably be called the Michael Jackson Empire...
i found most of these images on ebay last night as i was perusing the tidal wave of posters, certified autographs (with photos from the actual instance it was signed for proof and authentification! lol ), concert t shirts, domain names, action figures, etc that is now flooding the auction site in the aftermath of michael jackson's death.. i find it very similar to the opportunist memorabilia hawkers who crowded the streets of the financial district and canal street just days after 911... the tabloids seem to be having a good time with this too... and i guess im not much better than that since im posting this collage up... but i just feel like these photos say something about this mythical and notoriously troubled person.. maybe its because it's just so obvious, looking at the early photos, that he must have had a a pretty painful childhood.. after talking with a friend of mine who works with troubled/abused youth yesterday.. i began to think about it a little bit... and then reading some of the accounts from family members about how his father treated him. .(read the CONTROVERSIES section of this wikipedia entry) . and some of the things he seems to have become obsessed/fixated on later in life... it almost seems to all fit together .. its just too bad that his stardom didnt allow him to work through any of the mess he went through growing up..





it's pretty sad looking at the picture of him above with the dog, or with his little sister janet (who it seems he really relied on years later during all the scandals) sitting on that wall (see below)... and especially when i see the expresion on his face standing next to his father.. you dont have to be a psychoanalyst to see that he doesnt look happy..



beyond the idea that Michael Jackson himself was "a victim" as Quincy Jones has stated repeatedly, it seems he allowed himself to go into a very dark place because of it... allowing himself to rationalize behavior that was hurtful to others (who really knows to what horrible extent?), self destructive, and ultimately fatal.... It's sad that he wasnt able to see how far off the deep end he had gone until it was too late.. or maybe he already knew it and thats why he was hiding his face all the time ..... there are just so many mixed up parts to the story of his life...i hope those he left behind, his children, his family, will also find some peace. i guess the only positive way to look at it, as melodramatic as it sounds, is that hopefully now he's in a better place ... there's absolutely no denying that his music changed the world, and the positive energy of his music will live on in our hearts forever

Singapore 60s 100 greatest box set -- online seller

i got this box set last week and it's really excellent.. well worth the money...
i was able to order my copy from someone who was involved in the project release.. but he has informed me that it is now available from a Singapore online bookseller -- here

If Music Could Talk - Jun 28, 2009

PODCAST LINK

16mm "nationalist" film about Indonesia

Indonesia - a new nation in Asia

R.I.P. Michael Jackson

- favorite song by my first favorite singer from the first LP record album i ever owned.. (ok, at the suggestion of an online peer i rephrased the previous wording "musical hero" because yes, he may have lived his life in a way that was not exemplary, but i did love his music from an early age, and always will...)

a very interesting science: Visual Anthropology

I cant believe i've never heard of this before.. but i just came accross the term "Visual Anthropology" when I found this book online, which seems like it could be a fascinating resource and, if it isnt a total bore and full of useless facts and lists and dates, may really broaden my view of VISUAL documentation of Indian Culture, beyond the highly fantastic and stylized "Bollywood" as it is referred to.... First thing i need to do is find myself a copy of this book.

India has a LONG tradition of painting for purposes of story telling-- and photography has probably been present in India since the invention of the camera...

my collection of postcards from the turn of the century , containing rare images in sepia tone from Thailand, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Peru, Mexico, Trinidad, Jamaica, India, and Africa, was, i guess, my first foray into the world of "Visual Anthropology" ... but i think ive been exploring this field for basically as long as i can remember... studying my own ancestors, and then launching from there into the rest of the world, through images.. which, like music, can transport you to places you might have never dreamed of... and in the case of images from days past... places no one will ever visit again....

suddenly, a more contemporary manifestation of this term comes to mind.... YOUTUBE.... which has opened up a vast new frontier in this science of visual anthropology.... because we are documenting our lives, our culture, everything, so much more often--- and storing it there... on Youtube.. in fact, the whole world is doing this...

also now, for some reason, im remembering a photography exhibit i saw at the VA Museum of Fine Arts years ago before they renovated.. I am pretty sure it was a collection of photographs from India.. i remember some of them being really beautiful... wonder if i can figure out what that exhibit was called.. maybe theres a catalogue somewhere..

oh, and speaking of "Visual Anthropology" -- here's an old school film about Maharashtra - i edited the really bad stereotypical commentary out and added music from an old library record called "Folk Music of Maharashtra"
(quality will improve soon-- just uploaded)
part 1

part 2

excellent Malagasy Photo & Culture site (Madagasgar)

www.MADANIGHT.com

lots of cultural info, links, videos, and some incredible pictures

check out this photostream from a music festival in 2007





( im becoming a big fan of malagasy music )

100 Greatest: Singapore 60s – The Definite Collection-- REVIEWED

READ THE REVIEW

oh im so excited that my copy of this collection is in the mail on the way to the states.... when i get it, you'll be hearing it on my radio show... hopefully followed by an interview with the creator/curator of the collection....

If Music Could Talk - June 14 2009 - Hott Muzik for the Summertime

PODCAST LINK - JUNE 14th 2009 - If Music Could Talk

Bollywood Night - June 13 2009

Bollywood Superstar Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in Cusco Peru

Aishwarya Rai in Cusco Peru

part 1

part 2

part 3

BREAKING NEWS: Bollywood Fever has been declared a pandemic!!!!

read here : Bollywood dance craze hits America

and here: Bollywood craze grips even Peru also here - (here is a youtube video taken by some Aishwarya crazed fans who found out she was going to be in the airport in Lima! it's madness!! )

and here: Poland's Bollywood craze

and also here : Bollywood craze brings Pakistani boy to Indian jail

and in Turkey! and Germany too!

outbreaks of "Bollywood Fever" have also been reported in South Africa, Spain, and elsewhere..


oh noez! and it's not just Slumdog Syndrome anymore.. its a full on pandemic! but do not be alarmed, this is no time to panic... on average 8 out of 10 people exposed to Bollywood actually enjoy the experience, while others are so bewildered and awestruck that they go completely INSANE!!!! you can too! - this Saturday Night.... at Cous Cous --- 900 W Franklin Street, Richmond VA

If Music Could Talk - Podcast - june 7, 2009

Last Sunday's show featured Special Guest Dj - Semih - a fellow music lover, film connoisseur, deep thinker, and world traveller who has lived in Richmond for several years now.

I met Semih at the local film rental place, and he always had the coolest music playing when I walked into the store - the type of music that compels someone like me to ask "what is this we're listening to? and where on Earth did you get it?"
Besides knowing a lot about Turkish psych musicians like Mogollar, Baris Manco, etc - he also hipped me to some great electronic artists like Four Tet and Gotan Project, as well as newer Turkish artists like Baba Zula and Ceza.

He'll be going back to Turkey for a little while, and will also be traveling to various other destinations.. so this show is the last chance we'll have to enjoy his selections for an indefinite period of time, unless he sends us some tunes from his travels abroad.. which he hopefully will.

thanks for sharing the music Semih! I hope you'll return with more great stories from your journeys around the world.

PODCAST LINK

Cornershop - "brimful of asha" - interview link, and ini mina dika (sung by asha bhosle)

brimful
Adjective
(foll. by of)completely filled with

Adj. 1. brimful - filled to capacity; "a child brimming over with curiosity"; "eyes brimming with tears"

brimfull, brimming
full - containing as much or as many as is possible or normal; "a full glass"; "a sky full of stars"; "a full life"; "the auditorium was full to overflowing"

explanation of the song by the group, and a little interview with asha herself here

asha sings "ina mina dika"

If Music Could Talk - 5/31/09 - soul on 45, bhangra, bollywood, and more

funky soul from the dusty crates, bhangra, and some other assorted new releases

PODCAST LINK

if you thought 70's Bollywood dance numbers were funky...

Try a few from Kollywood)...

INSAAAAANE!!!!

Ilaiyaraaja- Sakala kalaa vallavan - Ilamai Itho Itho


"Varathu Varathu" from Thoongathey Thambi Thoongathey

Stravinsky's Rite of Spring premiered on this day in 1913

Igor Stravinsky's ballet score The Rite of Spring received its premiere performance in Paris on May 29, 1913, provoking a riot...

'



Part 2

Part 3

Compagnie Heddy Maalem performance excerpt

Wunmi live in NY June 3rd

click image for detail

early Hip Hop in Indian dance music

Sharukh Khan in Chaahat : Daddy Cool


( check out the early 90s hip hop influence!)

Baba Seghal - Pump up your style


AR RAHMAN -Petta Rap


Gujurati rap song


and dont forget Gurdeep!!


Adagada - Sathyam (this one is pretty scary actually.. )

Greek Festival of Richmond this weekend

information here May 28-31

Greek art inspired coloring projects for kids here

Temptation - Arash feat Rebecca (not new, but cool!)

Persian singer Arash has been steady making hits for a while now - songs that appear in Bollywood movies or just end up being club hits, so its an interesting cross cultural collaboration, a phenomenon which is nothing new in India or the "Arab world" (is that what folks call it now? i hear that all the time)

I need to look up Rebecca, but i like her voice...

its also worth mentioning that many Indian and Arabic songs are hits in Russian clubs and vice versa... This one song has what sounds like 4 or 5 different cultural influences going on.. can you name them all? ; )

If Music Could Talk - May 24 2009 - Memorial Day Musical Meltdown

lots of classic reggae cuts from the early days, some beautiful psychedelic sounds from Indonesia, then, mind-bending psych-rock from Brasil... and some brand new releases in between to round the whole show out..

PODCAST LINK

Joseph Pereira, expert on Singapore 60s pop, teams up with Philips to release "100 Greatest Singapore 60s - The Definitive Collection"

This is really an incredible box set! It's a miracle that Mr Pereira was even able to make it happen given the usual pessimism of big labels to re-release their 60s material.. luckily Philips knew that they had not only a huge archive to pull from, but also, a resident expert in Singapore to make the selections....(Unfortunately, I dont know where you can BUY IT unless you live in Singapore or, like me, have an incredible connection with the creator of this box set - if you leave a comment expressing your interest, maybe they'll get it distributed here someday!) Ive been lucky enough to make contact with Mr Pereira over the past couple of years in my own hunt for information about music from Singapore and Malaysia, and he's been such a generous and knowledgable person to correspond with. Mr Pereira wrote an excellent book on this subject a few years back called "Legends of the Golden Venus" - a book telling the history of the Singapore Pop scene in the 60s. I bought two copies of this book and I know there are other copies floating around in cyberspace so if you can find it, get it! (might be able to order it here) Reading his book, you will know the REAL story of how these excellent Singapore pop artists started and rose to regional and (thanks to his latest triumphant project: "100 Greatest Singapore 60s - The Definitive Collection ") global popularity. 100 songs, 5 cds --- all classic pop from the golden era in Singapore.

below, read some words from Mr Pereira describing this project (thanks to "SINGAPORE 60's POP MUSIC HALL OF FAME" blog for the shared info!) :

"The onset of the Sixties saw Singapore well poised to ride the waves of international pop trends. It had been a scant six years since the first wave of Rock and Roll hit our shores. To the elders it had seemed like the end of civilisation as they knew it. This was youth culture. At once mysterious and alluring. The elders had no part it. The music was for the most part unintelligible but it conveyed its message to the young. Soon a few of the brave were venturing forth creating what they heard on records. Singers, duos and trios abounded. Only a few bands such as The Stompers and Esquires formed before the Sixties loomed.


It was a Cliff Richard and The Shadows concert in Singapore held in November 1961 that opened the floodgates. Suddenly light bulbs popped in more than a few budding Singaporean musicians. The blueprint for a band. Lead guitar, rhythm guitar, bass guitar and drums. Fronted by a singer. Suddenly bands were forming all over the island and clamoring for gigs wherever they could get it. The entrepreneurs, owners of restaurants and night clubs sensed an economic opportunity. If they could offer venues for the bands to play in that would bring in the punters. They were not slow to follow it through. Venues mushroomed round the island and then tea dances were held over the weekends. To be young in the Sixties was to be spoiled for choice. Shows almost every night and bands and singers by the dozens.


It would not be long before the recording companies would come sniffing. They were skeptical initially. Yes there is a lot of excitement but would it sell. Into the fray entered Philips. They signed Ruby Wah and released an EP which contained Jazz and mainstream oriented material. Respectable sales but no real indicator. Then they decided to take a chance on a vocal quartet fronted by the irrepressible Susan Lim. This was the Crescendos. Their first two releases sold upwards of 25,000 units and hit number one in both Singapore and Malaysia. At that time, Malaysia and Singapore was considered one market and it was not uncommon for a single to be released simultaneously in Singapore and Malaysia and followed by a long haul tour the length and breadth of Malaysia.


Suddenly the gates were swung wide open. Philips decided to go whole hog. Their talent scouts checked out venues and shows all over the island beginning 1964. There was a joke then that the depth of talent in Singapore was so deep that semi finalists of the Radio and Television talentime of that year were being signed. The artistes that you hear on this collection shows that diversity. Philips signed a wider range of talent than other labels. They were not afraid to take a chance on bands playing Rhythm and Blues such as The Cyclones, Bryan Neale, those playing the new fangled Soul such as Denni Wilson and The Commancheros and even emerging psychedelic which peeps out via Clansmen and Stevie Lorraine.


However pop still ruled the roost and artistes such as Naomi and The Boys, Shirley Nair and The Silver Strings, The Thunderbirds, Wilson David, Sonny Bala and The Moonglows, The Dukes with their various singers, Henry Suriya, Veronica Young and Heather provided plenty of releases in that direction. The releases became a flood in 1965 and fans were delirious knowing that each week would bring new releases from Philips. They did not disappoint and soon enough by 1966 had the largest roster of artistes in Singapore. They also entered the Malay and Mandarin market when they realised that Pop Yeh Yeh and Mandarin Pops had their own following.


For a four year period from 1965 to 1968 Philips had a major presence in the Singapore music scene and made names like Naomi Suriya, Shirley Nair, Heather, Thunderbirds, Cyclones, Alan Lyford household names not only in Singapore but also in Malaysia and even in Brunei where some of these acts did shows. This five cd box set of Philips Sixties depicts a time in Singapore's pop music history when the universal fever for pop also reverberated here and the breadth of styles and music played here reflects that diversity. Perhaps a feat never to be repeated.


By Joseph.C.Pereira, Author of "Legends of the Golden Venus"

Natraj, doing some excellent dance moves on his website

NATRAJ

(thanks for the link Natrajan!)