Meine TopTitel vom Monat August:

1. The Rolling Stones – Angie (1973)
2. Queen – Another one bites the dust (1980)
3. U2 – An Cat Dubh / Into the Heart (1980)
4. Talk Talk – Another Word (1982)
5. O.M.D. – Annex (Peel Session) (1983)
6. Midnight Oil – Antarctica (1990)
7. And One – Anguish (1991)
8. A-ha – Angel in the Snow (1993)
9. Keimzeit – Amerikanische Liebe (1993)
10. Element of Crime – An einem Sonntag im April (1994)
11. Erasure – Angel (1995)
12. Moby – Anthem (1995)
13. Bloodhound Gang – Along comes Mary (2000)
14. Eskobar – Angels (2000)
15. Madonna – Amazing (2000)
16. Rammstein – Amour (2004)
17. Phillip Boa & The Voodooclub – And when the magic fades (2005)
18. Jakobínarína – 17 (2007)
19. Mattafix – Angel on my Shoulder (2007)
20. Mando Diao – A Decent Life (2009)

What I’m listening to this morning.

Find the music video for Big City Life by Mattafix here.

Something really “un-electro” – but still perfect for a day like today!! (Sunday, sunny, warm, lazy, hangover, wine, park, water, friends, blue sky)

Enjoy!

• Mă gândesc să trec pe Tumblr. Nimic prea personal, wordpress just sucks sometimes, mai ales cand vine vorba de teme pentru blog.
• M-am îndrăgostit de două melodii :

• Îmi vine să fug din ţara asta pentru că – pentru a mia oară – îmi dau seama că avem un sistem de căcat. Tipele de la primării nu cunosc procedurile legale, nu ştiu nici măcar să dea copy-paste corect de pe o cerere, secretariatul facultăţii la care sunt îndeajuns de fraieră să mai dau şi bani, nu este în stare să elibereze o adeverinţă de student pe motiv că nu a început încă şcoala (deşi eu am nevoie urgent şi se zice că-s legitimată and all), iar fiecare hârtiuţă de care – doamne fereşte – ai nevoie te costă şi durează de la 10 zile în sus. Asta după ce completezi nu-ştiu-câte formulare şi dai nu-ştiu-câte copii xerox la nu-ştiu-câte acte în nu-ştiu-câte-părţi.
• Mi-e dor de Bucureşti groaznic. Mi-e dor de prietenii de pe acolo, mi-e dor de ieşiri, mi-e dor de un alt mediu, mi-e dor..
• Lucrez la 2 eseuri simultan. Începusem cu ceva proză scurtă dar se pare că s-au prelungit ideile mai mult decât m-aş fi aşteptat.  Încă sunt în dubii dacă o să le postez.

Like a Version is a segment on the Australian radio station Triple J. It was created by Mel Bampton as part of the Mel in the Morning program. Currently the segment pops up whenever artists are available and willing to do it, though mainly on the Breakfast show. It involves Australian, and more recently, international artists playing live, acoustic versions of some of their favourite songs. This segment’s popularity has led to, so far, the release of four compilation CDs.

Samples of the 4 Vol Set:

Vol 1 Damien Rice – “When Doves Cry”* (Prince)
The Cat Empire – “Hotel California” (Don Felder/Don Henley/Glenn Frey)

Vol 2 Tegan and Sara – “Dancing in the Dark” (Bruce Springsteen)
Missy Higgins – “Moses” (Patty Griffin)

vol 3 Mattafix – “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” (Green Day)
Saosin – “Time After Time” (Cyndi Lauper)

There was one Aussie artist on the Vol 4 and on the DVD edition who I wanted to make note of. C.W. Stoneking. He has an awesome cover of the White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army” however I could not find a copy anywhere on the net. Here’s a video of it but its not available to watch in the US….ugh!

If you would like to watch another (more recent) vid of him check out Jungle Blues below.

The Non US version of “7 Nation Army” (White Stripes)

and Jungle Blues:

track listing Vol 1:

Grinspoon – “The Drugs Don’t Work” (Richard Ashcroft)
The Pictures – “Milkshake” (Pharrell Williams/Chad Hugo)
Jebediah – “Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head” (Burt Bacharach/Hal David)
Salmonella Dub – “Get Up Stand Up” (Bob Marley/Peter Tosh)
Speedstar – “There Is a Light That Never Goes Out” (Steven Morrissey/Johnny Marr)
Little Birdy – “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’” (Lee Hazlewood)
The Cat Empire – “Hotel California” (Don Felder/Don Henley/Glenn Frey)
End Of Fashion – “Quicksand” (David Bowie)
Bertie Blackman – “Tyrone” (Erica Wright/N. Hurt)
Goodshirt – “Gouge Away” (Black Francis)
Love Outside Andromeda – “Andy Warhol” (David Bowie)
Darren Hanlon – “Don’t Stop” (Christine McVie)
Damien Rice – “When Doves Cry”* (Prince)
John Butler Trio – “Message in a Bottle” (Sting)
Gorgeous – “Little Suicides” (Anton Fier/Lori Carson)
Lazy Susan – “Are You Old Enough” (Paul Hewson)
Betchadupa – “Sweet Dreams” (Philip Judd)
Starky – “Show a Sign of Life” (Josh Malerman/Mark Owen)
Serena Ryder – “Illegal Smile” (John Prine)
Missy Higgins – “Moses” (Patty Griffin)
Big Heavy Stuff – “Hyperballad” (Björk)
Donavon Frankenreiter – “Stay Young” (Graham Lyle/Benny Gallagher)
Clare Bowditch – “Hallelujah” (Leonard Cohen)
Track 13 by Damien Rice contains a portion of Led Zeppelin’s “Babe I’m Gonna Leave You” (Anne Bredon/Jimmy Page & Robert Plant)

Like a Version: Volume Two
22-track compilation CD released in 2006 ©Australian Broadcasting Corporation and distributed by Warner Music Australia.

Gyroscope – “Monument” (Jebediah)
The Herd – “I Was Only 19″ (Redgum)
Eels – “I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man” (Prince)
Sophie Koh – “Creep” (Radiohead)
Spoon – “Upwards at 45 Degrees” (Julian Cope)
Sarah Blasko – “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” (Elton John)
The Drones – “Words from a Woman to Her Man” (Beasts of Bourbon)
Lior – “The Needle and the Damage Done” (Neil Young)
Holidays on Ice – “The Holiday Song” (The Pixies)
Crooked Fingers – “Long Black Veil” (Bill Frisell/Johnny Cash)
Tegan and Sara – “Dancing in the Dark” (Bruce Springsteen)
Evermore – “Relapse” (Little Birdy)
Holly Throsby – “Mistress” (Red House Painters)
67 Special – “Scar” (Missy Higgins)
Live@Subs – “Rolled Up” (Long Beach Dub Allstars)
Mia Dyson – “Can’t Let Go” (Lucinda Williams)
The Panda Band – “My Mistake” (Split Enz)
The Mountain Goats – “Wild World” (The Birthday Party)
Kate Miller-Heidke – “Little Water Song” (Nick Cave/Bruce Pisek)
The Tea Party – “The Maker” (Daniel Lanois)
New Buffalo – “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” (Nina Simone)
Willy Mason – “The Way I Am” (Merle Haggard)

Like a Version: Volume Three
20-track compilation CD and 10 video DVD released in 2007 © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and distributed by Warner Music Australia.

Track listing – CD
Ben Folds – “Such Great Heights” (The Postal Service)
Sharon Jones – “This Land is Your Land” (Woody Guthrie)
Eskimo Joe – “Hey” (Pixies)
Josh Pyke – “The House at Pooh Corner” (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band)
The Magic Numbers – “Crazy in Love” (Beyoncé)
Bob Evans – “Beautiful to Me” (Little Birdy)
Mattafix – “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” (Green Day)
The Bellrays – “Highway to Hell” (AC/DC)
Shout Out Louds – “Streams of Whiskey” (The Pogues)
Pivot – “Woman” (Wolfmother)
Custom Kings – “The Boys of Summer” (Don Henley)
SubAudible Hum – “Africa” (Toto)
Gomez – “Breakfast in America” (Supertramp)
Blue King Brown – “You Don’t Love Me (No, No, No)” (Dawn Penn)
The Kill Devil Hills – “Look at Miss Ohio” (Gillian Welch)
The Zutons – “Runaway” (Del Shannon)
Macromantics – “Jump” (Kris Kross)
Broken Social Scene – “Kennel District” (Pavement)
Angus and Julia Stone – “Tubthumping” (Chumbawamba)
Something for Kate – “Rock the Casbah” (The Clash)
Track Listing – DVD
Ben Folds – “Such Great Heights” (The Postal Service)
Eskimo Joe – “Hey” (Pixies)
Bob Evans – “Beautiful to Me” (Little Birdy)
The Bellrays – “Highway to Hell” (AC/DC)
Custom Kings – “The Boys of Summer” (Don Henley)
Gomez – “Breakfast in America” (Supertramp)
Blue King Brown – “You Don’t Love Me (No, No, No)” (Dawn Penn)
The Kill Devil Hills – “Look at Miss Ohio” (Gillian Welch)
Macromantics – “Jump” (Kris Kross)
Something for Kate – “Rock the Casbah” (The Clash)

Like a Version: Volume Four
19-track compilation CD and 14 video DVD released in 2008 © Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Track listing – CD
Regina Spektor – “Real Love” (The Beatles)
Katalyst feat. Stephanie Mckay – “Hang Me Up To Dry” (Cold War Kids)
The Panics – “Wide Open Road” (The Triffids)
CW Stoneking – “Seven Nation Army” (The White Stripes)
British India – “And I Was A Boy From School” (Hot Chip)
Plan B – “Stop Me If You Think You’ve Heard This One Before” (The Smiths)
Crowded House – “Everybody’s Talkin’” (Harry Nilsson)
Saosin – “Time After Time” (Cyndi Lauper)
Lou Rhodes – “Satellite” (Elliot Smith)
Dappled Cities – “More Than A Woman” (Bee Gees)
Bit By Bats – “Orinoco Flow” (Enya)
After The Fall – “Only The Good Die Young” (Billy Joel)
Paul Kelly – “Rehab” (Amy Winehouse)
Snowman – “Strange Fruit” (Billie Holiday)
The Veils – “State Trooper” (Bruce Springsteen)
Nouvelle Vague – “Ever Fallen In Love (With Someone You Shouldnt’ve)” (Buzzcocks)
Jamie T – “Hoover Street” (Rancid)
Little Barrie – “White Light / White Heat” (The Velvet Underground)
Emilie Simon – “I Wanna Be Your Dog” (The Stooges)

Youtube me amargó la vida.

Pues últimamente y desde hace varios meses, le he estado dedicando tiempo a conocer nueva música y encontrar ese género/estilo que sea mi preferido (hint: no es el rock) y me he dado cuenta que tengo una debilidad por los grupos de música dos dos electrónica, dos dos lenta, generalmente con la dulce voz de una vocalista mujer (aún no tengo una definición exacta). De tanto probar encontré un grupillo llamado Mattafix y descubrí una canción que siempre que la escucho me pone un poquito de buen humor. Pueden escucharla en el siguiente video bootleg.

Si, ya sé que de electrónica no tiene mucho y que el grupito deja entrever como que algo de reggae quizá, pero el caso es que entran dentro del estilo aburridón-sin-pena-ni-gloria y que a nadie le importará que tanto me divierte. Y luego descubrí esto:

Así es chicos y chicas, en realidad son dos Hip Hoperos wannabe venidos a menos, pero hagan favor de notar que en el grupo no hay ninguna mujer. Así es, las altísimas y suaves notas de, me imaginaba yo, la vocalista, las canta un morenito que, siento yo, no tarda en vestirse de reggaetonero.

No sé, es una impresión muy fuerte, como la de cuando descubrí que lo mismo pasaba con Gnarls Barkley o Miranda. Llámenme como quieran pero yo digo que no puedes cantar asi y esperar que te consideren hombre. En serio, vean el video y díganme si no la primera impresión que les da es que esa no puede ser su voz y algo bizarro está pasando ahí.

Por eso decidí que recurriré al siempre asombroso poder de la negación. Para mi seguirán siendo dos negritas jocosas, como eran en mi mente en un principio.

J’ai bien remarqué que pour être blogueuse, il faut avoir une vie sexuelle trépidante et ça m’inquiète un peu. Si tu veux du Q, quelqu’un, à mon grand regret, ce n’est pas ici que tu vas en trouver. Si tu veux vraiment du Q, quelqu’un, je t’autorise à quitter cet espace de bien-être-bonheur-et-chasteté, pour aller t’encanailler sur des blogs de mauvaise vie : là, là et là. 

J’annonce solennellement à ceux qui sont restés que j’ai 26 ans aujourd’hui (on s’en fout, on veut du Q). Les jours rallongent, les bourgeons bourgeonnent, les papillons papillonnent et le temps passe, inexorablement (on veut du Q ! on veut du Q ! on veut du Q !). Soit, puisque mon anniversaire n’intéresse personne, je peux vous raconter mes vacances en Corse. Je voulais me prendre en photo sur la plage, pour vous éblouir de bronzitude, mais mon appareil était cassé. Au retour, dans l’avion, j’ai réussi à le réparer de mes propres mains et je n’en suis pas peu fière, ma technique ayant consisté à le secouer très fort et à souffler dessus.

(on veut du Q !!! on veut du Q !!! on veut du Q !!!…). Mais, qui squatte mes parenthèses, bordel ? Pas de Q ici, j’ai dit. Du sujet platonique uniquement. Tiens, comme je cadre expérimental, je vous la fait sans amorce du hublot :

(DU Q DU Q DU Q)

Bon, puisque mes talents photographiques vous laissent de marbre, et que je tiens à préserver les règles de bienséance que je me suis auto-fixée, je vais vous parler d’amitié. 

Personnellement, j’ai longtemps cru que mes amis et moi étions colocataires : ils passent leur vie dans mon salon, ils dorment sur mon étagère… Mais après avoir visionné les 10 saisons 2 fois, j’ai du me rendre à l’évidence : les personnages de Friends ne sont pas mes amis. D’abord parce qu’ils sont amis entre eux (et aussi, accessoirement,  parce qu’ils n’existent pas).

N’empêche que de Dawson à Friends, en passant par Quand Harry rencontre Sally, on peut difficilement évoquer l’amitié sans s’interroger plus avant : l’amitié homme-femme est-elle possible ? 

Digression : les amitiés entre mecs sont souvent plus durables que les amitiés entre nanas. Ca a l’air d’un cliché et vous avez sûrement des tonnes de contre-exemples, n’empêche que… Je pars du principe qu’il existe toujours un rapport de séduction dans les rapports humains, même dans les amitiés femme-femme et homme-homme. Et j’ai l’impression que la dynamique de séduction tend vers la rivalité, chez les unes, tandis qu’elle génère une émulation collective chez les autres.  

Ca me fait penser à un truc. Les hommes se serrent la main pour se saluer. Les femmes s’embrassent. Il est une théorie selon laquelle l’accolade est l’occasion rêvée de poignarder l’autre dans le dos. Tandis que la poignée de main permet de prouver que l’on ne porte pas de couteau. 

Je n’ai pas peur des généralités, je poursuis : les mecs ont entre eux des rapports plus francs. Historiquement, peut-être que ça s’explique. Les hommes préhistoriques étaient obligés de s’unir pour affronter les obstacles naturels. Leur survie dépendait de la cohésion du groupe. Un homme préhistorique qui chasse seul le mammouth a tout de même moins de chance de réussir son coup qu’un groupe de chasseurs organisé. 

Dans une tribu, je crois que les hommes avaient tout intérêt à se regrouper, tandis que les femmes avaient tout intérêt à se distinguer les unes des autres (pour être choisies). Je m’égare. J’évoquais l’amitié homme-femme. Et mon anniversaire aussi. Je vous ai dit que j’ai 26 ans ? C’est le genre d’âge qui ne m’aurait pas paru possible, biologiquement parlant, avant de l’avoir. 18 ans, 20 ans, 25 ans… ça peut s’envisager. Mais 26 ?

L’amitié homme-femme, c’est une aberration naturelle, si on y réfléchit. Oui, je passe du coq à l’âne (encore un proverbe. Le jour où j’aurais casé tous les proverbes de la langue française sur ce blog, j’arrêterais de blogguer…) Non, je n’ai pas encore bu. Mais, j’ai bien prévu d’aller boire, alors je me dépêche de finir ce post.

Qu’est-ce qui pousse un mec et une nana à devenir ami ? Une certaine attirance intellectuelle, peut-être. Une attirance à caractère non sexuel a priori. Sauf que TOUT est sexuel. Alors, ça ne marche pas cette explication. J’en tente une autre… L’amitié homme-femme est le fruit d’une attirance sexuelle refoulée. Puisqu’elle est refoulée, elle donne lieu à une production imaginaire : l’ami(e) devient un être asexué(e). On lui attribue le caractère sexué d’un enfant = on sait qu’il appartient à un genre, mais c’est comme si sa sexualité n’avait pas encore de but.  

Ce qui permet l’amitié entre un homme et une femme, c’est donc l’infantilisation.  

Et parfois, il suffit d’un rien pour que cette production imaginaire s’estompe… Ouais, je sais ça craint les références adolescentes des années 90, mais bon, j’étais adolescente dans les années 90, alors quand Dawson voit Joey habillée en robe de bal pour la première fois, l’image de la gamine en basket qui montait le rejoindre dans sa chambre disparaît. Une chanson de Blondie, une main posée sur un levier de vitesse… et de Blondie à la main, de la main à la vitesse, y a comme quelque chose qui dérape. 

Sinon, dans l’avion, y avait Thomas Dutronc, mais je ne l’ai pas pris en photo, parce que je préfère éviter autant que possible, de passer pour une cinglée.

Et sans aucun lien, si ce n’est la crise au Darfour…

You all know we heart Mattafix. Their unique global style music is the bomb, and always guaranteed to have you running to the dancefloor. These guys are very well traveled and we love the fact that they allow different places to influence their music and sound. They truly exemplify this new global generation that we all live in. We recently had an opportunity to grab a few moments of their time, to ask them some questions. Their answers come from Marlon Roudette (lead singer),  Enjoy it below:

10 QUESTIONS FOR MATTAFIX:

1. Which countries have Mattafix visited so far?

On our first world tour we visited about 40 countries in 18 months or something ridiculous like that. I much prefer a longer time in each place to really get to know it but sometimes we’re in and out before you can grab a sandwich!

2. Out of all the places that you have personally been to, which is your favorite? (why)

I have many places that are my favourites for different reasons. Italy for food, Switzerland for the scenery, etc. Eastern European countries are pretty wild from a musician’s point of view and we’ve done a couple of shows in Israel, where the crowds go absolutely mental (and the women are stunning)!

3. If you could live anywhere on the planet, where would you choose to live? (why)

At the moment I’m choosing London. It’s where I was born and find it easy to work here. However if my career wasn’t a factor I’d go back home to St. Vincent and the Grenadines which is where I grew up.

4. If you could choose anyone  to perform a song with you, who would your dream collaboration be with?

Wow, so many. Stevie Wonder, Salif Keita, Sam Cooke, Kings of Leon. All these dudes would make me look woefully inadequate on stage but it would be worth it!

5. Who/What inspires your music (ie. Are there other musicians who you look up to? Do you get inspired by cultures/countries? How do you bring that through your music?)

I think the first step for me is musical history. I’m a real fan, so I’m constantly researching new and old music that I have not heard before. It’s great to know what sounds you like because you’ve heard them somewhere.

6. Is there a particular universal message that you try to share through your music?

Positivity. That’s all really. Even the sad songs tend to have an undercurrent of hope.

7. Who would you most like to thank out there & why??

So many people have helped me on my journey. Mainly my mother for bringing me up in a way that prepared me for the world, but she also had the most fierce record collection so I grew up listening to top tunes.

8. What would you say your favorite book is?? What book are you currently into right now?

1984 by George Orwell is probably the most prophetic book I’ve read but it’s not the most original answer. Right now, I’m on “A Thousand Splendid Suns” by Khaled Hosseini.

9. If your phone rang right now, who do you hope it is??

Barack Obama (asking if I wanna quick game of basketball of course).

10. What do you think makes you the type of people you are? (any particular skill or life philosophy that you guys live by??)

Lots of different factors make us who we are I guess. Your upbringing, the books you read and the people you hang with. Maybe it’s in the genes, who knows….

website: www.mattafix.com

photo by: mattafixdarfur (via flickr)

Mattafix é um duo do Reino Unido, composto por Marlon Roudette e Preetesh Hirji. O seu som é uma fusão entre Hip Hop, Rock alternativo, R&B, Reggae, Dancehall, Blues, Jazz y Soul.Tenho ouvido bastante e esta música é a minha preferida.

Watch this beautiful music video is from Mattafix,  featuring a very important message from Matt Damon.

The location featured is on the border of Chad and Darfur.

The song comes from Mattafix’s second album called, Rhythm and Hymns

The band has stands for bringing people together, preaching a positive message and showing everyone a good time. Their name lest we forget, is an evolution of  the St. Vincent take on the popular Caribbean expression “problem solved” – “matter fixed”.

Imi doresc sa fiu iar mica. Sa fiu acasa la ai mei, cu ai mei. Sa ma aduca tata in carca de la bunica, dormind pe umerii lui.

Sa ma mangaie mama in par si sa imi citeasca povesti.

Sa fac traznai pentru care tata ma acoperea.

Sa imi cumpere tata guma turbo si mama sa imi faca ciocolata de casa.

Sa o rog pe Elena sa se joace cu mine.

Sa fiu la bunica-mea in curtea aia imensa, sub vie, citind povesti.

Sa privesc lumea din nucul ala batran si sa nu simt nimic care sa imi zabreleasca sufletul.

Sa fiu mica si nebuna si atat de libera, atat de necomplicata, atat de nepasatoare, atat de dornica sa nu ma fac mare, atat de naiva, atat de inocenta, atat de increzatoare, atat de….

Mi-e atat de dor de ai mei incat la ora 5 dimineata, acum, imi vine sa ma urc intr-o masina si sa ma duc acasa si sa ma bag in pat langa mama.

Le vreau pe toate inapoi, copilaria aia atat de fericita, fara ingradiri, fara constientizare, fara durere, fara implicatii, fara responsabilitati, fara jocuri si complicatii absurde.

Pentru ca urasc jocurile si mizeriile si meschinariile si tin prea  mult la sufletul meu (inca) nepervertit. Pentru ca i have to stay true to myself or nobody else will.

No more hiding. No more games. No more lies. Mastile cad. Sa mai fie povara si pe alti umeri….

Mattafix – To & fro

“Now I see it all,
right before me,
your little story.
My role was on the page,
I refused to play in your
tragedy.
I feel no remorse while
you deal with yours.
How you feeling lately?
Well no one more got
close to me before.
Lady you betrayed me.

To & fro,
is how my thoughts
would go,
while I was looking for,
my release.
You should know,
I had to let you go,
now and forever more,
I’m out of reach.”

Si potrebbe dire quasi: dal Salento con amore. “San Siro live”, il confanetto dei Negramaro appena uscito, che comprende un cd con tredici tracce (dei quali quattro inediti) registrate durante il concerto a Milano e un dvd con 21 tracce inedite dei concerti, è come al solito un prodotto di qualità.

In alto trovate la cosa più bella dell’album, vale a dire “Meraviglioso“, la loro versione di un brano di Domenico Modugno del 1968: una sorta di omaggio ad un grande maestro della loro stessa terra. Fra gli inediti troviamo due brani che fanno parte della colonna sonora di “Italians“, film di Giovanni Veronesi. i tratta di “Your eyes”, versione inglese de “La finestra”, incisa con gli inglesi Mattafix e “Blu cobalto“, in versione elettrica ed acustica.

Nel dvd si trovano quasi tutti i grandi successi della band salentina, in versioni molto particolari. Spiccano “Giuliano poi sta male” cantata e suonata con Mauro Pagani della Pfm, Antonio Castrignanò e i Tamburi del Salento e quattro brani rieditati con la collaborazione dei Solis String Quartet, il quartetto d’archi napoletano che il grande pubblico ha conosciuto nel 2006 per la sua partecipazione al Festival di Sanremo al fianco di Noa e Carlo Fava col brano “Un discorso in generale“.

Big Ciy Life

This is a song in jamaican creole, mostly, by Mattafix a Brit band. Its hit the top in singles in 2005 across Europe, even in Australia, but surprisingly few people have heard about it here in the US..actually not surprising at all. The taste in music of the general American populace leaves  a lot to be desired. Not that I do not enjoy music here, but I am a tad biased towards the Brit music scene.

So this song apart from being catchy has some ponderable lyrics (if you can make out the accent). I lay out a bit for you..and then will go on to the rest of my post.

“…Big City Life,
Me try fi get by,
Pressure nah ease up no matter how hard me try.
Big City Life,
Here my heart have no base,
And right now Babylon de pon me case.

People in a show,
All lined in a row.
We just push on by,
Its funny,
How hard we try.

Take a moment to relax.
Before you do anything rash.

Don’t you wanna know me?,
Be a friend of mine.
I’ll share some wisdom with you.
Don’t you ever get lonely,
From time to time
Don’t let the system get you down”

I love big cities, I love the noise, the crumbling infrastructure, milling crowds of really busy people who all have somewhere to be..and like the song says..not a moment to relax. The sheer vibrancy is unmatched by a resort style living and however much you might crib, you feel at home at these mad mad melting pots. I have lived and worked in Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad,  and visited Djakarta, New York, Zurich and Calcutta to name  a few. The way the twilight dawns on a big city is and how a city never sleeps holds endless fascination for me. However different the cities might be from each other, the underlying fabric and the steel in people and above all the quirky matter of fact sense of humor stays the same.

I live in Tampa, Florida and it is one of the cleanest cities in America, I live in a quiet suburb…very resort style.I know of friends who have chosen to buy houses which are miles from a decent breakfast place. And all I can can say is I crave the madness, and the method in the madness like never before. I had trouble falling asleep initially (apart from Jet lag) as i missed my ambience..if you have seen Madagascer, Alex the lion falls asleep to noise of gnarling traffic! Oh how I relate.

Recently when I traveled to Boston/NY, I felt reborn. People honk, they manage to walk on non existing pedestrian paths and the subway system overflows, stinks and thats what I want. Is it becauseIi like to be invisible, lost in a crowd? I dont think so. I was 5 months pregnant when I traveled, and traveled alone as I like to (I even like to Lunch alone..but hell no I am not a loner). P was worried about my prancing around the bad bad city like that and specially worried about me on buses, subways, trams! But isnt that the point of an effective public transport system which is sadly nonexistant in the rest of America? I would not be surprised if NY one day asks to be a different country all together..the living is so NOT American

I am conditioned ino being a conservationist and it comes to me naturally. If I can take a bus, i would not bother for a car, If i can walk, I will not take the bus. So now you know what I exactly think about the Auto Bailout for the GM, Ford and Chryseler’s of the world! That is what big city living and struggling does to you, and its good. There is no wastage, not of food, not of water, not of space. Infact theres hardly something like Personal Space in that milieu. And you end up meeting more like minded people like you than you would ever somewhere else. It offsets the whole idea of’ ‘Oh I am alone in this big big city’. No You are not! There are atleast a million like you …as long as you know how to reach out!

Unlike P, and we have views about this which are a world apart, I do not align myself with the idea of Cars for everybody in the family, remote living and working, minimum interaction with Bourgeois and pathologically clinically clean living. Hell no!

I miss getting lost

I miss the ugly road side food which tastes Oh-so-good!

I miss the public transport, the street performers, the museums

I miss the skyscrapers, and the way they hide the sun, because when you finally see it from your 15th floor office, you thank god for all the beauty in the world

I miss the pride associated with living in a big city

I miss the constant background noise and ghoulish smells

I miss the race for the movie tickets because you can never get the show you want, they are always running full

I feel like a fish out of water!

Like John Masefield said a long time ago in ‘Sea fever’..I must down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky, And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by..

I feel the same way …just not the lonely sea and the sky!

P.s Big city life has been documented gazillion times over the years, in movies, popular literature, and art. One of my favourite depictions and a hard hitting one at that is a 1998 documentary by Michael Glawogger called Megacities. It chronicles the underbelly of Mexico, Mumbai , New York and Moscow! Like Salaam Bombay. Do wach if you can get your hands on it.

Till then amigos, I go back to listening to the song, which by the way P obsessively listens to all day long! What an irony

I (DeAnn) have liked Mattafix since I first heard “Big City Life” when we lived in Germany.  This is the latest single.  I heard it for the first time yesterday.  I really like it.

Good old hijacking. In the 70s hijacking for political purposes was a kind of business as usual. Liberation parties, people’s fronts, other movements and organizations – basically terrorists and guerillas always found ways to hijack planes, divert them somewhere, keep the passengers as hostages and blackmail politicians and governments to release their mates or give them money to buy more guns from the same governments and politicians.

There are hardly any successful hijacking actions in history, but at least they were in the spotlight of the media for some days and they could draw the attention of the world to their goals, their movements, their fanatic ideas.

Until September 11, 2001 hijacking was a pathetic game of some idiots. Unfortunately the hijackers in 2001 were not idiots at all. But that was a different story and soon we’ll have the chance to remember it on the 7th anniversary.

Sun Air Hijack – 26 August (2 days ago)

Now those retro style hijackers are back for a short time. Some guys in South Darfur, Sudan hijacked a plane that was on its way to Khartoum, the capital. The plane was diverted to Egypt, but Cairo did not allow them to land, so finally they ended up in Lybia. The next day they released all the passegers and then, a day later they released the crew and surrendered. Their aim was to fly to France. Nothing else. The best part of the story is that they claimed to be members of a Darfur rebel group, the Sudan Liberation Movement. The only problem is that the movement immediately denied they had any relationship with these fellows.

Living Darfur

Apparently there is no sense in what they did. But before we call them idiots (they are in a way), let’s mention that there have been heavy conflicts between the people of Darfur, who would like to be independent from Sudan and the Sudanese government. Besides that there are other conflicts, but let’s make things simple. A day before the hijack the Sudanese army attacked a refugee camp in Darfur. I am sure that people, who are victims of these killings are desperate enough to do anything they can in order to get themselves and their families out from that hell. Even though hijacking a plane does not solve anything.

See the map below.

Map of the Darfur region

There were several celebrities, who expressed their opinion about the Darfur conflicts. The most well-known piece of art on the topic is the song Living Darfur of the band Mattafix. It’s actually a lovely song and in the following video you can see Matt Damon adding some emphasis to the story by his appearance in an intro.

Enjoy the song and let’s celebrate the fact nobody was wounded in this tragic-comic hijack.

By Szafi