Just like a Waving Flag!

Somalian by birth and based in Canada, K'Naan's Waving Flag had 'anthem' written all over the song. And why not, this song connects with one and all across socio-economic, cultural and continental strata like no other! Especially in our times, with some real tough monsters like terrorism, global climatic backlash, economic imbalance staring at us - we have but music and sports that bring the whole world closer.

Not being much of a rap aficionado, K'Naan's Troubadour kind of held me in much fascination specially for the Kirk Hammett (Metallica) track and a host of other stars like Mos Def, Damian Marley, Chubb Rock, Chali 2na, Adam Levine and David Bisbal. However Waving Flag stood out like a shining star amongst all of them. And the magic it spreads is infectious!

Imagine a stadium full of cheering waving flags, be it for a concert or a game - the entire universe converges into one single roar. With FiFA 2010 to be held in South Africa ~ the world's most popular sport now has a new chant - Waving Flag by K'NaaN. Now I know many who feel sick about our national anthem or even Rahman's rendition of Vande Mataram, should they be in such an arcade full of populi roaring Olé Olé Olé, I'm sure they'll taken in by complete awe and no corner to sulk!

And such good timing as yet another beautiful and earnest movie by Clint Eastwood - Invictus (Oscar nominee - Best Picture 2009) starring Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela and Matt Damon as the captain of the 1995 rugby team of the still apartheid hit South Africa. I was taken aback by the amazing Afro-tribal OST which in fact very finely uses an African version of this song.

Finally I leave you with a quote from the movie and the video of FIFA 2010 anthem (Mexican Version):

I thank whatever gods may be

For my unconquerable soul

I am the master of my fate

I am the captain of my soul.

Belus

This is not a review.

Finally the epic album is out and leaked into cyber space. Varg Vikernes's murder driven facist past and through various stages of ideological shifts, we have an album Belus - 'nicknamed' (as he says) as 'The White God' or the Nordic Baldur. Varg has always been fascinated with Balder's exploits and hence this album begins with the death of Baldur plotted by a certain Luken to the resurrection of Belus at the 'konklusjon'.

Musically it gives all old Burzum fans the shivers, though his vocal range has dimmer-ed. However without getting too critical and as a die-hard Burzumuzik fan, its a great album to spend some wonderful misanthropic time with. Also as I said earlier, this post is not a review - its rather a musical mouthpiece.

This is what Varg has mentioned on Belus in various press articles:

“The album has been made according to my heart and spirit, and not to fit into any particular genre or category, or to live up to anyone’s obvious expectations. The music can best be compared to the music of some of the old Burzum albums; in particular the ground breaking Hvis Lyset tar Oss and the atmospheric brilliances of Filosofem, only the ambient parts present on these albums has been almost completely left out on Belus. There is no special reason for this, other than coincidence and the fact that I have for some time made more and better music on the guitar rather than on the keyboard.”

“Inspiration for the album has come from a variety of sources, and I find my inspiration from fairy tales and myths, from classical music, from memories of what once was, from traditional music, from fantasy, from the wind and weather, from deep forests and running water, from the sky and the sunset, from misty mountains and from yellow leaves falling from age old trees.”

“My ambition with Belus is to create something I — and hopefully others too — can listen to for years and years to come without ever growing tired of it, and at the same time to share with my audience the experience of getting to know Belus, as he might have been perceived by the ancient Europeans.”

"The combination of lyrics and music makes this a fairy tale different from most others, and should appeal to all those who like transcendental music and love to see different things from a different perspective. “If I can make you dream when listening to this album, I believe I have done a good job.”

“I am aware of the black metal association with the name Burzum, and I have no real and serious problem with that, but I personally see no reason to place Belus in any category. I think Belus musically transcends all existing categories, but if I have to choose one — and for the sake of simplicity — I will simply place it in the metal category.”

And finally what Varg says on the controversial album name -

"When I used the name "The White God" for my next album I had no idea it would stir up so much fear and irrational emotions. To me this is just a nickname of Baldur, whom the album is all about. No ambiguity intended.

The title of the album is,"Belus", the so-called Indo-European name for Baldur/the White God. I could have used any European name for this deity, but I chose this one because it is the oldest known name and because it is pan-European."

Belus releases worldwide on 8th March 2010 on Byelobog Productions.

Belus' Doed (Belus' Death)

Abiogenesis

Indigenous people making indigenous music. Abiogenesis, a Grammy nominated band from Nagaland, India. This song will take you to where it belongs. High up amongst the Seven Sisters delving into the misty hills where freedom lives.

This song speaks about Mount Saramati - the highest peak of Nagaland. The message is clear - peace, love and harmony.

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Youthanasia

I can never get over this album.

Glad that it happened to me pretty early in life.

Mighty Hails \m/

Lessons in Inebriety

1. *Symptom*: Cold and humid feet. *

Cause :* Glass is being held at incorrect angle

(You are pouring the Drink on your feet). *

Cure: *Manoueuvre glass until open end is facing upward

2. *Symptom*: The wall facing you is full of lights. *

Cause : *You're lying on the floor. *

Cure: *Position your body at a 90-degree angle to the floor.

3. *Symptom:* The floor looks blurry. *

Cause : *You're looking through an empty glass . *

Cure: *Quickly refill your glass!

4. *Symptom*: The floor is moving. *

Cause : *You're being dragged away. *

Cure: *At least ask where they're taking you!

5. *Symptom:* You hear echoes every time someone speaks. *

Cause : *You have your glass on your ear and tryin to drink from it *

Cure: *Stop making a fool of yourself!

6. *Symptom*: Your dad and all your brothers are looking funny. *

Cause : *You're in the wrong house. *

Cure:* Ask if they can point you to your house.

7. *Symptom:* The room is shaking a lot, everyone is dressed in white and the music is very repetitive. *

Cause* : You're in an ambulance. *

Cure:* Don't move. Let the professionals do their job.

*Picture Courtsey:: http://stylecrave.com/2009-04-03/most-expensive-whiskies-in-the-world

Thou Shalt NOT Kill

I do not want to write sincere homages or any of the mawkish blabber.

JUST LET US HAVE SOME COFFEE IN PEACE!!

This one is for ISLAMIC HARDLINERS - you are following a wrong religion and God, if there is any, in your case.

If you think you are following HIS Will then you are wrong. You are just following orders no better than clerks.

Just that clerks don't kill people. So you are worse at your job.

Growing a beard and shaving off your moustache might be religio-scientific for you. But you cannot get others to follow your trend because it is definitely not cool.

You are not Alexander Mcqueen. RIP.

To Pansy Islamic wife-beaters - We will build 10 more German Bakeries and have 20 more cross cultural zones & 100 more Panzer Division Tanks to blow your balls off.

Trust me guys, if it weren't for oil, America would've kicked your rotten ass decades back.

Israel will anyways fuck your well-being pretty soon. And we will be with them.

Don't go running & crying to Allah, coz he'll be sipping some tea and enjoying Sufi music with me.

No matter how bad you multiply, your terrormonging generals generally die in the most uncool way. Ass up face down, bloodied.

Your jannat is a disheveled neglected morgue. Your martydom is a but a pile of bones in some forgotten corner of an army base.

Ass up face down, bloodied.

Miss you GB, looking forward to a quick recovery!

And to all my Muslim friends no offence meant please.

The infamy

"In the Future, Everyone will be famous for 15 minutes."

He was so true!

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I Love Bombay

marine drive 1930s

Mumbai is an aging whore. And everyone around is still out to f**k her. Be it the North Indian Bhaiyya or the local Marathi, they are out to suck its resources - namely fame, power, money - bleeding dry.

The Eloi don't give a shit nor do the Morlocks. In H.G. Wells' Tme Machine, there was a power strife between the two, but in Bombay the Eloi have a problem with each other, ditto with the Morlocks fighting amongst themselves. These are mindless, futile territorial pissings that care less about the land and more about inflated egos of confused clans.

Funny thing is that the SS (not the German Schutzstaffel) and the MNS's 'son of the soil' call might land them in trouble as they undermine the huge influx of daily wage labourers that arrive not just from UP or Bihar or elsewhere but also from drought-striken calamity areas within Maharashtra like Vidarbha, Amravati, etc. Interestingly the fight is at 2 levels - super powerful and those below or at level with poverty line.

For the super rich its an ideological power struggle whereas for the have-nots it boils down to their very right for survival. And all this happening at a place where I've lived all my life.

Its very clear that the Thakerays can ever stop this influx legally, even if they go in for a wild naming spree of public venues, Marathize all literature and deploy other votebank building gimmicks. Also the North Indian brigade with their funny Bhaiyya Hindi are absolutely resolute and immovable. They claim to love Mumbai more than anyone else and over some years this brigade has just turned stronger. Now it gets only more intense as the ring gets bigger and fatter names are pulled in!

And the love affair continues with this concubine that was Bombay once....

Salman Khan Wanted

MAFIA WANTS HIM DEAD, POLICE WANTS HIM ALIVE

Hello buffs! After 2 weeks of hugely over-rated films like Ishqiya, Rann, Veer, (Chanus pe Danus?) I thought I needed to brighten your little screens a bit.

This might seem like a dated post as it has been a few months since the film's release last year. And I never was a big Salman Khan fan. This post comes after a few dismal Sallu Bhai flicks - Veer being the latest. This is not even a review - in fact its an account of how much I've enjoyed watching Wanted on DVD and how you should also take courage, go ahead and flip the dvd in your players.

To all of those who found the promos very 'T-series yucky' - you all were right. They were freaking tacky all the way! But Wanted was a bloody delightful watch, keeping us all in splits. I was surprised at the witty ends of the movie.

Prabhudeva and the South Brigade are an innovative and funny lot. Wanted by Prabhudeva is an extremely entertaining movie. This I'm sure I don't need to reiterate. In fact Wanted is not even exactly a Pokiri remake!!

The film has brought back wonderful ways of the 70s and 80s but with highly stylized formula fights of relentless baddie bashing, sexy heroine gyrating, cheeky jokes, and the man himself does more than justify his screen presence. If all of us shrugged at Sallu's last dozen films that flopped, there is always one film that more than saves him. Mind you - Wanted is not just for the rickshaw audience. It actually exemplifies classic Bollywood hit film-making.

I also love the way Salman can state expressions derived from his own life into dialogues and what prowess. This guy has got balls larger than life! In fact at a point - I felt like watching the Hindi counterpart of Superstar Rajnikant!

If you are interested in others in the movie then - Ayesha Takia is cat like sexy and makes a hot combo with Salman. Mahesh Manjrekar is best in his evil role. But watch out for Southie acting great Prakash Raj in the role of Gani Bhai, I caught him in some South Indian films and this guy is cult!

Oh and Salman as Radhe has played himself in the movie.