Musical Promiscuity

It’s become quite a pattern.. Whenever a source of good music dries up, I start falling into the abyss of listening to the endless chatter of keyboard and mouse clicks around me. Then suddenly, somehow I stumble upon something decent if not amazing. This time its Jango.com’s turn. I was enlightened about it by a very “No Rock Music” person. I reluctantly tried it out and surprisingly, it turned out to be a pretty decent site. Also, it’s still one of the few sites, yet to be blocked to Indian IPs. It’s not really in the same league as Pandora but it will work for the time being. It’s got a pretty decent preset playlist. As soon as I hit on the classic rock channel the speaker stared blaring “Panama” by Van Halen, after that came Doors’ turn and the mood was set. It did get stuck a few times with some sort of error but it wasn't too hard to get around it.

The thing is I need to listen to music all the time. I have been listening to music all the while in school and college, which explains my shoddy grades. But in office, it’s different. It adds a bit of drama to my usual drab job. It envelops one from all the mediocrity being fostered around. Also, it cushions the disgusting yawns of my boss and gives me an alibi to ignore his summons. Oh, I forgot, it also inspires. So, every time I automate a process which helps my client to spare few extra bucks to buy a beer, there is a Dylan or Santana whom I thank.

Mad Drums..

Amazing bass and drums solo by Godsmack..

Check it out...

Another City Passes By..

My last few days in Bangalore went by too swiftly to let me realize how I much I was about to miss that city. At that time I was way too distracted by the lure of the glitzy big city I was heading to. Bangalore came during a time when I just left the aegis of home and jumped into the fire of the “real world”. Well the real world turned to be overrated but Bangalore I fell in love with.

The city was magnificent. It had great weather, trees all around, a college which was ready to take me in and the smell of a new city ready to take the mantle of greatness from other metros. Over the last seven years it did waver a lot from it initial promise. But, lot of things got their sheen back after a small hiatus.

Bangalore was place where I learnt the ways of life. I turned from a pampered gullible child too scared of seniors on the first day of college to a guy who fought hard to get his way in the workplace. It certainly gets the credit of changing almost everything about me. I got my taste of rock and beer from the evenings I spent head banging in haze or listening classic rock and jazz sipping ice tea in Java City. It lets me boast of the great concerts of Satriani and Maiden I went to. It has to be blamed for the black rock band tees I wear all the time and all the kannada curses I spew out when I am disgusted.

It was my friends in Bangalore who taught me how to tuck in a shirt properly, made me understand the tricks of a good bottoms-up and the difference between classic milds and kings. It was my friends in Bangalore who encouraged me when I had another crush and lightened me up when I realized she too was committed. The list just goes on and on. Seven years is long time and with all such memories it’s hard not to miss the city.

It’s true, in time the glamour of Mumbai will replace some of the fond memories fade away. Until that time comes up every time I lazily sit in my balcony staring at the vast sea, it will be the memories of Bangalore which I will be cherishing.

Pic courtesy: http://www.shunya.net/Pictures/South%20India/Bangalore/BangaloreSunset1.jpg

I AM BACK!!!!!

(Heh!! I always wanted to say that)

It’s not like my last trip to Goa was so traumatic that I decided to stop writing. That has been put away long back and another trip is already on the cards. The last few months have been a bit crazy for my laid back standards.

After spending a whole 7 years living like a hippie and making my kidneys go through all sort of gastronomic experimentations I decided to call it a day and head back Mumbai where a very cheap and therapeutic spa called home was warmly inviting me to experience its goodliness. But then how could the supreme forces have let me just have what I wanted. Being generous is really not their forte, is it!! So I ended up facing the apathy of the guardians of my “9 to 6” universe. All sort of alibis failed to persuade those cold hearted devils. Taking cue from others I started to earn myself some leverage against them and after 3 months of struggle I finally got it and predictably was transfer to Mumbai immediately.

So now I am in basking in the glory of the persistent rain, humidity and the stinking trains of Mumbai. It’s been a bit difficult fitting into the city’s vibes, but then this is what I asked for.

But on a brighter sarcastic side the world has hardly changed in the last few months. The TV still sucks, may be a tad bit more. Batman is still my hero and source of entertainment. Good book stores are still hard to come by. People are too snooty and honk a lot. I am still single much to the dismay of my mother and suspicion of my father. Parents don’t realize, the world is a boring place for the really really smart.

70’s Longing

For the last few weeks I was on one big “70’s movies” binge. The list included Midnight Express, Chinatown, Saturday night fever, sudden impact, Dirty Harry, Grease and many others. Was time spent worth it? Well let’s just say it was badly required after watching scores of zombie, vampire, and doomsday movies. How much of that can a simple mind take? But let’s leave that for a more depressing night. Let me get into bit more of my sudden interest in these movies.
One thing about most of these movies is that they are comparatively uncomplicated and clean. The plot is hardly ever like a walk in a maze, yet it doesn’t make me yawn either. The characters are easy to recognize and the villain is as complicated and sinister as some of the college going kids of our time. They just come and shoot you instead of getting into all the disgusting, blood splurging ways of today’s slayers. They had this accepted cheesiness in then which is so loathed today. I mean they could approach a girl and say “can we be friends?” and not get stoned for saying it. They didn’t have the prop up of today’s computer generated graphics yet they had the brilliance to still be enjoyed by us after 40 long years. They have this uncanny characteristic of make me feel nostalgic about them even though I wasn’t even born when these movies came out. Somehow they make me remember the days when life was all about coming back from school and going out to play with my friends.

Call me stuck up but I do wish we still lived in times where they played Bee Gees in the discos.

Yet Another Vacation

My vacations in Mumbai are full of comfort generally afforded only by the hip-hop junkies. Sorry, dear critics I cant be my usual humble self here. Something to do with the city air I guess. My mornings usually start at noon when my mom asks (sarcastically) “Son, Do you want breakfast or lunch?” Days are generally spent surfing web or reading a book in my balcony over looking the sea until the next meal magically arrives. Never realized Wi-Fi could be such an amazing tool to use at home too. Evenings are spent mindlessly roaming around a nearby park or gorging on vada pavs at some road side stalls, while dinners go by arguing with Dad regarding which channel to watch over a glass of wine.

This is what a perfect vacation could be like, something which will put life to a complete halt but just a while. You don’t have to introspect or do as some people say “find yourself”. It could be about sitting and doing things just because you like doing them. Something which is completely useless and crass like sitting in the park and waiting for two excessively chatting fat ladies trip over a tree’s exposed roots. Well that’s just an example. You can find something which suits your taste, but you do get the point, right?

I certainly don’t argue with the belief that faster the life, the more you get to see of it, but heck if you don’t stop once in a while who’s going to pick up the bits that were dropped behind. After all its these bits which add the glitter in the otherwise grey and competitive life.

Life, Somewhere else..

"Why did you volunteer for Rangashankara?" I wonder what do I say to that. It had nothing to do with any aspirations of trying to be an actor, writer or a director. No had no intention of hitting on any actress too. No I didn't. The simplest answer I generally give is, I was getting bored and needed to pass my time somehow. But thats certainly not all.

It was for the sheer fun of doing something I was not meant to do, I was not expected to do. About doing something I was not good at but wanted to be. It was about being part of something which was not another trash people ignored. It was about getting a feel of how a theater works. It was about seeing how a whole festival is pieced together from scratch and turned into this magnificent collage of performances from so many different parts of the world. It was about meeting people. People who are so passionate about theater that they don't bother about the fact that they having a hard time making end meet. They are hardly bothered about the fact that they don't have the time to go partying and getting sloshed. Sit with them and they can talk about their work for hours. That certainly never happens in our offices, do they?

The days I spent there, I did all all sorts of work there was to be done. It certainly was something I would like to do and cherish again at some other level. But the whole experience was also a bit about feeling good about myself.

Jimi's Mania..

After a long search, I finally got my hands on two decent posters in Landmark. One is a “Psychedelic” Jimmy Hendrix another Pink Floyd’s “The wall’s cover art”. Not exactly the one's I wanted. There was hardly anything to choose from. But better than other stuffs they had including a Jessica Alba from Sin City poster.

The guys said they get them from London. But with a price of 250 bucks I am not sure whether I should trust them or not. Anyways heck why do I care! I got what I wanted. The print is really good and they are large enough to hide the crack on the wall from my landlord. But still I am looking for a particular U2 poster. I wonder where they have kept it hidden.

(Pic courtesy: http://en.easyart.com/art-prints/Celebrity-Image/Jimi-Hendrix-(Psychedelic)-331449.html and http://www.arktimes.com/blogs/rockcandy/Image/pink_floyd_the_wall.jpg)

Clint's Torino...

Just finished seeing Gran Torino by Clint Eastwood and it was great. The story of a hardass Korean war veteran mentoring and protecting Hmong family next door has Clint's signture all over it. The movie and any of his movies will make you realize that when it comes to good movies the only things matter is a amazing story and a breath taking performance. Its amazingly subtle. Its hardly ever about any incident but always about relationships. Relationships you wont find everyday, everywhere but is more fulfilling and can altersomeone's whole life.

Through the movie one wonders why its called "Gran Turino" named after the 1972 car that Clint owns in the move and treats like a old war friend. But everything falls into place as he sings,

"Gentle now, the tender breeze blows.

Whispers through my Gran Torino.

Whistling another tired song.

Engine humms and bitter dreams grow.

Heart locked in a Gran Torino.

It beats a lonely rhythm all night long"

Yet Again...

Why do I always get an urge to write about this city whenever I am here?

I have no friends here nor have I stayed here long enough for the nostalgia to hit me hard enough. Yet I am always the "little wide eyed boy" when I arrive here and the "Lonely old man" when I depart.  Maybe I long for the sheer determination of the city to have a good time no matter how grand and impractical it is. I mean in which other city can one do the following things in a single weekend:

• Go to a live gig in a happening pub.
• Watch a Anupam Kher play.
• Watch people show off their Ferraris, Lambos, Porshes in Kala Ghoda.

Its not even these extravagances which excites me. Its the fact that these  things are just a part of every other day which really amazes me. There is no concept of "moderation" here. Everything has to reach its limits and beyond. Have a close look at any passer-by's face. You will find a tinge of arrogance. As if being able to live here certifies that they have the audacity to be the first one to break all norms and then show the entire country how it's done. 

This place doesn't make me realize what I already have. It reminds me of everything I need to achieve somewhere in the future.

If you haven't realized which city I am talking about, then maybe it's time you need to explore a bit...

Passion's Fruit..

How passionate are you about the work you do? Ask this question and you might end up getting some extreme answers. Some say, “I just love the challenges and the hurdles I face everyday in my work”. While some lesser fortunate guys would say, “I just switch off my mind when I come to work.”

I went to this local rock concert last Sunday. The bands were mostly local and were being massively criticized for their performance. But what really overwhelmed me was seeing these guys keep on playing their music so single-mindedly. I am sure they had their own doubts on the music they are making. Yet they had the enthusiasm to come on the stage and have a good time. That kind of passion and conviction is something I myself lack in life and obviously crave for.

I must admit the one thing which drew me to places like Barcamp or any local concert is to see these people who are so avidly engrossed in their work of interest. The fact that they are more interested in the process rather than the end results has always amazed me. These people are always enjoying the moment rather than bothering about the future.

It’s funny that while we are wasting our time judging them, these guys got the entire stage for them and are having the most amazing time of their lives.

Even better than the real thing..

Phew!! At last, Hope arrives after 5 years of listening to the sham of wannabe Alt Rock bands. Will No Line on the Horizon bring back the glory days of rock?

Well, the gods of Dublin do have their mysterious ways and I am nobody to question them.