If Music Could Talk - AUGUST 24TH 2008- guest hosts from Siberia for the second hour!

PODCAST LINK

original setlist with russian spellings here

If Music Could Talk - Charles Williams subbing for me last week

PODCAST LINK- - awesome show.. thanks Charles!!!

please note that this show is in two parts (so RSS feeds and Itunes will only recognize the first one, thats how enclosure links work on blogger unfortunately-- go to the original link for the second part : http://www.radio4all.net/index.php/program/28883)

Mission Accomplished!

I am still amazed that I was actually able to make it to the Unforgettable Tour 2008 in Uniondale (Long Island) NY this past weekend (which also turned out to be Indian Independence Day -- and , a full moon!)


( thanks to all my friends who made this amazing weekend trip possible for me... you are all such wonderful friends - you know who you are! If not, I'll thank you in person when i see you again! )

I'll write my own thoughts about the show later when i get caught up with everything else.. but this review from the NY Times pretty much says it all. Check out the slide show too.

Wow, ok.. now, back to work and... (sigh..).. my former reality.

If Music Could Talk Aug 10 2008

PODCAST LINK Aug 10, 2008 -Indian music samples in Hip Hop and more.... (including some cuts from my most recently found stack of Northern Soul/etc 45s)

here's a cool article from the Voice from 2003 that inspired me to do this particular program..

Bollywood Night-- August 9th 2008- at Cous Cous! (Richmond VA)

A dance night celebrating Indian music and film- featuring a unique mix of classic and modern Indian dance music selected by dj carlito -this party gets the place jumpin' every time-- don't miss it!

bollywood tabloids continued (just thought i'd expand on one of the previous posts a bit)

in an earlier post i proposed that a recently publicised argument between between Sharukh Khan and Salman Khan was some sort of new phenomenon.. as if the worst things about Hollywood had somehow rubbed off on them...

but after looking through some old magazine covers from India-- Stardust, Filmfare, Super, etc- from the 60's and 70's, it seems that these tabloids have been feeding the rumours, accusations, and alleged scandals for years... see the pictures below- they are proof that the media fed voraciously on any bit of personal info they could find about Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bhaduri (now Bachchan), Vinod Mehra, Zeenat Aman, Shabana Azmi, Smita Patil, Hema Malini, basically, everyone's life was open game for reporters whose livelihoods depended on keeping the rumors alive... so it's nothing new...



the argument between Sharukh and Salman might be a prime example of pettiness among these younger actors, but it's usually amplified and distorted by the media, as they are so good at doing-(see the classic feud between Zeenat and Shabana that sold so many papers back in the day?)- i guess it's always been this way. Without a doubt, the media must have fed off of the troubled life of the legendary Meena Kumari- possibly the media even assisted her tragic downward spiral. Some stars get very harsh criticism when their human side starts to show. Maybe Hollywood and Bollywood were never really that different in terms of the drama behind the dramas.

From Super Magazine -1970s -"Everyone's talking about it.. Some journalists justify it, you dear reader love every minute of it, Gossip, Scandal, the stuff that sells magazines, makes the sordid glamorous, the innocent sordid, and makes unknown people stars overnight or stars into ciphers with the stroke of a pen. But what is gossip? Where is it spawned and how does it spread? Is it good, bad, or is it like the truth above [labeling]?? and what does a gossip writer feel like?"

alas, tabloid scandals are just one more of those things we share universally, all around the world- these dramas are catharsis for millions of people worldwide whose imaginations get wrapped up in wild fantasies of the turbulent lives of their movie star idols.. no matter how totally fabricated or blown out of proportion. In fact, for the press.. the more outrageous or shameful, the better.. it should also be noted that the stars themselves often feed the gossip for publicity ; )



so how have these older bollywood stars kept it together for all these years and still remain so dignified? the younger artists should learn from these great legends- Amitabh , Hema Malini, etc.. who didnt burn out early on and are still acting even today.. surviving this kind of scrutiny, you must really have some hidden reserve of strength, humility, and patience -- many of these actors have survived some real tragedies (Zeenat Aman went through some very troubled times, as many of these actors have..) and for the most part they've kept their dignity intact despite the shameless scrutiny of the press.. it's a testament to the true character of the older generation..

PODCAST - If Music Could Talk Aug 3, 2008

PODCAST LINK - If Music Could Talk -Aug 3, 2008 - on WRIR Richmond Independent Radio

press conference Unforgettable Tour 2008

what a powerful message it's about time this happened right? ? The youtube clip was taken down.. so I'll have to paraphrase

Mr Amitabh Bachchan on why he's bringing the tour to the USA he said something like -- " there is a sort of over-saturation in the west so there is growing interest in other things now.. Indian cinema is gaining credibility where before it wasn't taken seriously... people are interested in Bollywood all over the world now"

(I have to agree with Mr. Bachchan on that ... and "saturation" is a polite understatement.. we're sick of the same old thing over and over here and we want something real!! )

Aishwarya was equally eloquent saying "it's about communication.." "we're all coming together very rapidly! " "there is alot of exchange in every field accross borders"