My Music Blog
A blog for music now? Well, Movies, Music and Sports have always remained my three lifelines. Every memory I hold and cherish is primarily associated to one of these three lifelines. Reading and writing complete the top 5. And since I'm trying to organize my thoughts on movies and sports into 2 separate blogs, its only fair that music gets its own space.
Music always had the power to bring back memories.
For instance, every time I hear the song 'Shine' by Collective Soul, my mind drifts back to 1993/94 and all the little things associated with that time period - the lame ass T.V we had in our bedroom (parents had the better one in their room), the dark grayish trousers I used to wear all the time, my American cousins trip to Madras for the first time in years (I hadn't seen them in 8 years) and how excited I was to have them around and how proudly I showed off that we now had M.T.V (Music TeleVision) on Doordarshan! And speaking of MTV (and permit me to reminisce a bit) I remember it was highly controversial when it first came along with STAR TV package and was later taken off after much brouhaha, due to its risque' music videos and replaced with a more mellowed, conservative Channel V. Funny how 14 years later we see music videos which are 5x more risque playing 24/7 on Indian television channels. Time changes everything.
Almost a year later after it was booted off the STAR TV Package, MTV made a comeback on Doordarshan. DD2 to be precise. I distinctly remember reading a column on the Hindu titled - Sleeping with the Enemy, which moaned about DoorDarshan's poor choice of partners and I could only chuckle to myself. I was excited! I could finally get to see MTV!! Imagine! Finally the possibility of watching naked women! Wet, naked, blonde, white women (or women of any color to be honest)! Or so I was incorrectly informed back then. But could a guy my age ask for anything more!?! Remember this was 1993, the PC & Internet revolution was yet to come, in fact I didn't even know a word such as Internet or Web existed, and MTV presented probably the only avenue to explore the evil side. The curiosity to explore the fairer sex in its most natural form.
The possibility of listening to some great music was least of my priorities. Only later did I realize that the MTV shown on DoorDarshan was heavily censored, monitored and a rather toned down version of its self. And probably I'd expected a little too much from those videos in the first place. After all MTV did break barriers but were never pornographic.
Recall a young Rahul Khanna, one of the first Indian VJ's, being so cool, laid-back, self-assured and cocky. Having watched him come on the telly everyday,I'm certain, I must have sub-consciously, mimicked his behavior in some ways, and definitely in terms of arm movements, slowing down my speed of talking so I could be understood by others (although there are times even these days that I talk too fast to be understood), and of course a sorta mixed Hindi-American accent (which continues even today).
MTV definitely broadened my horizons and taste in music. From Collective Soul to REM, from Beastie Boys to Snoop Dogg to ENIGMA to Guns N Roses, Gangsta Rap, Hard Rock, Metal Rock, World Music, I experienced the diversity of music in terms of form, presentation and attitude but united and propelled together by basic concept of melody and rhythm.
My life was never the same and I continue to dive into this Ocean of Music. MTV also exposed me to the music video culture. At its height they represented a creative genre - longer than an advertisement but shorter than a feature, they provided the ideal avenue to present content in a hip, stylish, edgy manner. But its gone downhill quickly since. These days I rarely bother watching music videos. They take so much away from the quality of music, with its prosaic, repetitious, tiresome ideas and presentation, which almost always hinders the flow of the song. Its true that music is best seen with ears.
With regards to the non-existent skin show? Well the disappointment in MTV quickly washed away and STAR Movies was on its way..
What is Rahul Khanna doing these days? Last saw him playing an overly emotional, romantic, weakling in the hindi movie - Dil Kabbadi. Never did get that foot into Bollywood, despite coming from a family of actors and having performed quite competently in 1947-Earth and Hollywood/Bollywood (or was it the other way around) both under the able direction of Deepa Mehta.Pity, cos he has a lot to offer.
But coming back to music; music has always been an important facet in my life; more so than the pleasure one derives from listening, but also what the song/music represents. My mind has always associated music with memories. So in a way, music plays the role of a pointer (C++ reference), a sort of key to hidden, locked away memories, from a different time period or era.
For instance, A.R Rahman's Taal, his composition Taal se Taal Mila, (REMIX) takes me back to 1999, my times with NIIT friends, discovering Bombay Chaat house (aka Bombay Halwa house) right outside NIIT. Bunk class to attend the rehearsals for the NEXUS culturals at buddy Nagaraj's terrace, sitting on the parapet, watch the girls and (the two guys) practice their routines with gusto (to the above mentioned REMIX) and would later sponsor their dinners at some nearby eatery. I also remember growing in love with the song Kahin Aag Lage, from the same album, after having listened to it a 100 times on my Walkman. This was of course when we listened to music on cassette tapes. If you had to re-listen to a song you had to rewind it all over again.
Kids have it so easy nowadays don't you think? Going a bit off the tangent here. But they don't have to strain themselves with simple, menial tasks such as rewinding a cassette tape. They might not be even aware such tasks or technological issues existed.
If you want to hear a particular song, you just skip to it. If you want to hear it again and again, press a button and poof, it repeats endlessly.
You want to watch a T.V show without interruptions? Easy. Just DVR it and skip the damn commercials.
Want to watch a movie without paying for it? Just download a HQ DVD print from the Internet or watch it online. And it only takes a few hours to download it so there really is no waiting time.
Like a song and want to own it? Scan i-tunes store or any of the other countless mp3 websites and you can own your song for a few cents.
Want to compile your own collection of songs into one play list? Just drag and drop the songs into a fucking play list. Boom you're done. We called it mixed tapes and it took hours to get one recorded.
And you can have a customized play list for every occasion - one for while you're working out, while you're driving, while you eat dinner, while you're on a train/subway, when you're walking on the street by yourself and feeling lonely, when you're walking on the street and you are pissed. So on and so forth. You name it.
Feel like reading a book? Look for it online and you'll probably find a free version.
Want to capture a beautiful painting in the sky, filled with a glorious tinge of orange surrounded with the metallic silver/grey lining of clouds and just the hint of the sun hidden away. Well you don't have to stand there and try to memorize every color, every nuance, every frame into your mind and pray that you'll remember it when you want to see it again. Instead you can take out your high resolution camera phone or your digital camera and shoot away.
Internet and Technology have changed the way we look at things and how we go about our daily lives. I don't dislike the comfort technology brings me today. It allows me the convenience of doing things faster. And better. But I can put it in perspective since I've seen both worlds and I know the effort I've gone through to achieve those small tokens of happiness. I remember, I used to listen to music on the radio, on the FM Channel, and I had to wait for my favorite song to come on so I could record it. If not for radio, there was just one store I knew of, which had a good collection of western music. I'd mark down the songs which I want recorded and the guy in the store would charge Rs.100 per tape.
Now, we have wonderful websites like Pandora, which not only help you listen to the song you're looking for, but categorize and classify that song, based on certain parameters, patterns, structures and play all songs which confirm to those parameters. Essentially helping you identify songs you might like hear even if you've never heard it before. Amazing! I wonder if kids these days will ever appreciate how easy they have it.
I'll set up the music blog link shortly.
Nav
Music always had the power to bring back memories.
For instance, every time I hear the song 'Shine' by Collective Soul, my mind drifts back to 1993/94 and all the little things associated with that time period - the lame ass T.V we had in our bedroom (parents had the better one in their room), the dark grayish trousers I used to wear all the time, my American cousins trip to Madras for the first time in years (I hadn't seen them in 8 years) and how excited I was to have them around and how proudly I showed off that we now had M.T.V (Music TeleVision) on Doordarshan! And speaking of MTV (and permit me to reminisce a bit) I remember it was highly controversial when it first came along with STAR TV package and was later taken off after much brouhaha, due to its risque' music videos and replaced with a more mellowed, conservative Channel V. Funny how 14 years later we see music videos which are 5x more risque playing 24/7 on Indian television channels. Time changes everything.
Almost a year later after it was booted off the STAR TV Package, MTV made a comeback on Doordarshan. DD2 to be precise. I distinctly remember reading a column on the Hindu titled - Sleeping with the Enemy, which moaned about DoorDarshan's poor choice of partners and I could only chuckle to myself. I was excited! I could finally get to see MTV!! Imagine! Finally the possibility of watching naked women! Wet, naked, blonde, white women (or women of any color to be honest)! Or so I was incorrectly informed back then. But could a guy my age ask for anything more!?! Remember this was 1993, the PC & Internet revolution was yet to come, in fact I didn't even know a word such as Internet or Web existed, and MTV presented probably the only avenue to explore the evil side. The curiosity to explore the fairer sex in its most natural form.
The possibility of listening to some great music was least of my priorities. Only later did I realize that the MTV shown on DoorDarshan was heavily censored, monitored and a rather toned down version of its self. And probably I'd expected a little too much from those videos in the first place. After all MTV did break barriers but were never pornographic.
Recall a young Rahul Khanna, one of the first Indian VJ's, being so cool, laid-back, self-assured and cocky. Having watched him come on the telly everyday,I'm certain, I must have sub-consciously, mimicked his behavior in some ways, and definitely in terms of arm movements, slowing down my speed of talking so I could be understood by others (although there are times even these days that I talk too fast to be understood), and of course a sorta mixed Hindi-American accent (which continues even today).
MTV definitely broadened my horizons and taste in music. From Collective Soul to REM, from Beastie Boys to Snoop Dogg to ENIGMA to Guns N Roses, Gangsta Rap, Hard Rock, Metal Rock, World Music, I experienced the diversity of music in terms of form, presentation and attitude but united and propelled together by basic concept of melody and rhythm.
My life was never the same and I continue to dive into this Ocean of Music. MTV also exposed me to the music video culture. At its height they represented a creative genre - longer than an advertisement but shorter than a feature, they provided the ideal avenue to present content in a hip, stylish, edgy manner. But its gone downhill quickly since. These days I rarely bother watching music videos. They take so much away from the quality of music, with its prosaic, repetitious, tiresome ideas and presentation, which almost always hinders the flow of the song. Its true that music is best seen with ears.
With regards to the non-existent skin show? Well the disappointment in MTV quickly washed away and STAR Movies was on its way..
What is Rahul Khanna doing these days? Last saw him playing an overly emotional, romantic, weakling in the hindi movie - Dil Kabbadi. Never did get that foot into Bollywood, despite coming from a family of actors and having performed quite competently in 1947-Earth and Hollywood/Bollywood (or was it the other way around) both under the able direction of Deepa Mehta.Pity, cos he has a lot to offer.
But coming back to music; music has always been an important facet in my life; more so than the pleasure one derives from listening, but also what the song/music represents. My mind has always associated music with memories. So in a way, music plays the role of a pointer (C++ reference), a sort of key to hidden, locked away memories, from a different time period or era.
For instance, A.R Rahman's Taal, his composition Taal se Taal Mila, (REMIX) takes me back to 1999, my times with NIIT friends, discovering Bombay Chaat house (aka Bombay Halwa house) right outside NIIT. Bunk class to attend the rehearsals for the NEXUS culturals at buddy Nagaraj's terrace, sitting on the parapet, watch the girls and (the two guys) practice their routines with gusto (to the above mentioned REMIX) and would later sponsor their dinners at some nearby eatery. I also remember growing in love with the song Kahin Aag Lage, from the same album, after having listened to it a 100 times on my Walkman. This was of course when we listened to music on cassette tapes. If you had to re-listen to a song you had to rewind it all over again.
Kids have it so easy nowadays don't you think? Going a bit off the tangent here. But they don't have to strain themselves with simple, menial tasks such as rewinding a cassette tape. They might not be even aware such tasks or technological issues existed.
If you want to hear a particular song, you just skip to it. If you want to hear it again and again, press a button and poof, it repeats endlessly.
You want to watch a T.V show without interruptions? Easy. Just DVR it and skip the damn commercials.
Want to watch a movie without paying for it? Just download a HQ DVD print from the Internet or watch it online. And it only takes a few hours to download it so there really is no waiting time.
Like a song and want to own it? Scan i-tunes store or any of the other countless mp3 websites and you can own your song for a few cents.
Want to compile your own collection of songs into one play list? Just drag and drop the songs into a fucking play list. Boom you're done. We called it mixed tapes and it took hours to get one recorded.
And you can have a customized play list for every occasion - one for while you're working out, while you're driving, while you eat dinner, while you're on a train/subway, when you're walking on the street by yourself and feeling lonely, when you're walking on the street and you are pissed. So on and so forth. You name it.
Feel like reading a book? Look for it online and you'll probably find a free version.
Want to capture a beautiful painting in the sky, filled with a glorious tinge of orange surrounded with the metallic silver/grey lining of clouds and just the hint of the sun hidden away. Well you don't have to stand there and try to memorize every color, every nuance, every frame into your mind and pray that you'll remember it when you want to see it again. Instead you can take out your high resolution camera phone or your digital camera and shoot away.
Internet and Technology have changed the way we look at things and how we go about our daily lives. I don't dislike the comfort technology brings me today. It allows me the convenience of doing things faster. And better. But I can put it in perspective since I've seen both worlds and I know the effort I've gone through to achieve those small tokens of happiness. I remember, I used to listen to music on the radio, on the FM Channel, and I had to wait for my favorite song to come on so I could record it. If not for radio, there was just one store I knew of, which had a good collection of western music. I'd mark down the songs which I want recorded and the guy in the store would charge Rs.100 per tape.
Now, we have wonderful websites like Pandora, which not only help you listen to the song you're looking for, but categorize and classify that song, based on certain parameters, patterns, structures and play all songs which confirm to those parameters. Essentially helping you identify songs you might like hear even if you've never heard it before. Amazing! I wonder if kids these days will ever appreciate how easy they have it.
I'll set up the music blog link shortly.
Nav
Labels: Childhood, Down Memory Lane
posted by Nav at 1:22 PM
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