Week 24, 2009 MJ

Its been 3 weeks since i last posted my weekly 5 songs. Its been quite an exciting 3 weeks. For 2 weeks I was glued to what was happening in Iran. There was hardly any time for music. Looks like Ahmedinejad will rule for another 4 years. But it will not be easy for him. The people of Iran have made a serious dent on the Islamic Republic Regime & the "Holiness" of their Supreme Leader. Iran had still not died and Michael Jackson died leaving his traumatic last 10 years on earth. So I would post 5 songs of MJ that moved me & blew my mind away.

1) Smooth Criminal - My favorite MJ video.

2) Bad

3) Beat It

4) Billie Jean Perhaps his most popular song.

5) Black or White This might not be his best song, but this was released when MTV came to India. We watched this day & night.

6) The Way You Make Me Feel

7) Liberian Girl

The list is endless. So I'm gonna stop. Most of my fav songs are from his BAD album. Mainly because my friend had a copy of that album & I made a copy of it. I wasnt even aware of MJ's existence when Thriller came out.

RIP Michael. We will miss you. You will live forever.

RIP Michael Jackson

The biggest Popstar, the King of Pop died at 50. I'm happy for him. His life had become a living hell. Most people felt sorry for him. I hope he finds peace in the next world. He gave us so much great music. His music is the most universal in its appeal. From Tokyo to Lagos to Bombay to London to Brazil to LA. There will never be a star more universally loved & admired than him.
When I was growing in Amdavad in India, Indian economy had not opened yet. there was no Cable, no MTV yet. My friend Asheet's father was living in Zambia. So Asheet would go to Africa every summer & bring back lots of VHS tapes of music videos. There was one tape he made specifically of all MJ videos. We watched it over & over again. The video of Smooth Criminal is the one that blew us away. So thank you Michael for giving us so much joy & happines in our lives. And making people from every corner of this world dance to your tune. The magic of your music knew no boundaries.



RIP

Iran on Fire

Authors & their work to read

I just found a paper while clearing out junk from my workspace. Its almost an year old. I had made a list of books to read while at work. Before I lose it again, I decided to put it online so that i can come to it anytime anywhere.

1) Richard Price - Freedomland, Clockers, Ladies Man
2) Reynolds Price - Kate Vaiden
3) Philip Roth - Portnoy's Comlaint, The Counterlife, Everyman
4) Elmore Leonard - Glitz, LaBrava, Hombre, Get Shorty
5) Hanif Kureishi - The Black Album, Love in a Blue Time, Intimacy
6) Erica Jong - Fear of Flying
7) John Irving - Water, Method Man
8) Harunki Murakami - A Wild Sheep's Chase
9) Umberto Eco - The Name of the Rose
10) David Grossman(Israel) - The Yelow Wind, The Book of Intimate Grammer
11) Guenter Grass(Germany) - Tin Drum, Cat & Mouse, Dog Years
Naquib Mahfouz(Egypt) - Palace Walk

Week 21, 2009

A historic speech by Obama to Muslim world is what this week will be remembered for. Mystery behind the disappearance of the French plane from Brazil.

1) Heroes - TV On The RADIO . A great cover of David Bowie song.

2) We Run LA - Ya Boy ft. Dr Hollywood

3) Wolf Like Me - TV On The Radio

4) Dolly Dagger - Jimi Hendrix

5) Cajun Moon - Herbie Mann. Could not find the original. Youtube is filled with the JJ Cale song by the same name.

Week 20, 2009

This week I spent all my music time on Talking Heads & the Love Like A Sunset by Phoenix. In between these songs slipped by.

1) Hits from the Bong - Cypress Hill

2) I Got You Dancing - Lady Sovereign

3) Lushlife Project - Wurlitzer

4) Take Me To The River - Talking Heads

5) The Captive Mind - The Helio Sequence