Thursday, August 30, 2007

Who will wipe your tears?

I've never been much into Iranian pop music. Not that I have anything against it, but since I was a kid i had this passion for the "foreign" songs my mom listened to, and so my musical path kinda went in a different direction. But still there are a couple of Iranian pop singers that I like alot. One is Ebi. He is a very popular singer, with lots of popular songs. He also is a very nice and easygoing person. In his concerts he mixes with the crowd, approaches them and uses them as his chorus. Ebi was in concert in Chicago last night.

What a concert! What a night! My vocal cords are scratched. My ears are clogged. My calf muscles cramped from standing and dancing for hours on high heels! My eyes are red from the long night drive back home. But yet my mind still feels the content from its last night climax.

He has a unique voice. Strong and manly, but yet soft. Having him in in flesh and blood, singing the high notes that would have my heart beat was at first unbelievable, and then wonderful. I had never been to a concert where i could sing along most of the songs. And it is an amazing experience, the lyrics march through your brain like a movies subtitles, your lips pronounce the words, but your ears only hear them in the singers voice.

And then there is the magic of your mother tongue. No matter how fond of foreign music you are, still the words in your own language bear a heavier weight. You hear the words and they get you back to a journey in your mind. Old and new memories. You remember speaking these words to a person yourself. Hearing them from someone. Having laughed with some. Sheding tears with others. Unless most your memories are also in another language, no foreign song could have this big of an impact on you. Another aspect of the Power of the lyrics.

One of Ebi's songs has such impact on me, more on the rainy part i'm afraid. When the concert was almost finished and i was thinking I got away with it, he sang it. Our song. I found my knees shaking. I had to sit down. Sat down I did, as far from my friends as i could. And i looked at him bringing the words back to life in high notes:

Who will wipe your tears,
in your nights of sorrow
Whose fingers will brush your hair,
when you don't have me anylonger
Whose shoulders will host your sobs yet again
whom will you blame
when stars don't shine in the sky
Who will stand by you,
even in the lonegst of the long nights
till the smile is back on your lips,
at the rise of the new dawn

To my own surprise I hold back my tears. I rejoiced the song and i cherished the memory of a lost friend, the one who named me Jeerjeerak:)

--------------------------------
P.S. to the previous post:
Ebi has a song called پشت ديوار شب Reading something like this: On the other side of the dark night wall is a path to his heart, where among the all good things he counts to happen there, is the lady-sun doing her eyebrows;)

P.S. to this one(!):
This was such a looooong post. I guess i'm off the hook of updating here for quite a while:)))

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

A big change

A big change in me. Really BIG:) You'll be surprised the next time you see me in person! Mysterious post, i agree, but I don't want to give it away in my weblog. Just wanted to put this date down somewhere for the record!!!

Monday, August 27, 2007

The educated sandwich!

If you happen to pass by downtown Indianapolis, go and get an educated sandwich from Indianapolis Teachers Association coffeeshop!!! They are closed on Sundays though:)

Nice downtown btw, the streets were red, the sky was blue and the rhythm was in the air (or in my feet for that matter!)

Monday, August 20, 2007

Car Talk!

I so much enjoy driving on Saturday mornings in the boring midwest roads! Guess why? Well, i've gave it out already:))) In case you didn't know, -seriously is there anyone who doesn't know?;) - Car Talk is a radio talk show on NPR broadcasted on Saturdays. There are two brothers hosting the show, taking questions about car problems from callers. And they are soooooooooooooooooooo funny. I have absolutely zero knowledge and inerest in car mechanics, but i love their show. And it specially is even more enjoyable when you're driving while listening. If you have not listened to their program, do it once for me:) You're missing some good fun. Okay here's a taste: At the end of their show they introduce their crew. The complete list can be found here. Pick up a few names and try reading it aloud for a couple of times, you're going to laugh. Who do you think "Haywood Jabuzoff" could be?..... Customer Car Care Representative!!!

Friday, August 17, 2007

Everchanging life

Oh my life is changing everyday
Every possible way
Though my dreams,
it’s never quite as it seems
Did you ever stop to think what a great thing this everchagingness* of life is? Lets you dream big and bigger...

*Making nouns out of long adjective used to be the hobby of me and my buddy when i was a kid taking English classes in Simin Institute:)

Wednesday, August 08, 2007

The 08/08

Today is the anniversary of my arrival to US. Four years have passed. I look back at the girl who arrived in O'hare with two big suitcases and a bigger spirit to explore the brave new world. She saw new things, made new friends, tasted new tastes, learned new customs, fell in love, had her heart broken, played a fool, acted wisely, stood up, struggled, learned, cried, laughed, and still keeps looking forward.

What would my life be like had i not left my home country? It's always hard to see the counter-factuals, but one thing is for sure. This country gives you more chances to grow, the opportunities that you had to fight hard to get back home. And I'm grateful to be exposed to that.

Saturday, August 04, 2007

Shahrokh Moshkin Ghalam's Dance

Dancing is my new obsession. This summer I have done no work on my thesis, and I've learnt 4 new dances! While blog-browsing today I came across this clip, and it took my breath away. See for yourself. (It's well worth the 8 minutes of your time, trust me!)

I had seen the Turkish version of Sufi Whirling before, but this is way beyond that. Unbelievably beautiful. It brought tears to my eyes watching it the first time. I never could have imagined someone could dance this beautifully to an Iranian traditional music piece. His name is Shahrokh Moshkin Ghalam, an Iranian artist living in France. Here's his website in French (For me it might as well be in Chinese! ). And for those of you lucky people who live in California or Canada, he apparently has a tour coming up.

P.S. More info here.

Friday, August 03, 2007

Lyrics and Melody

A melody is like seeing someone for the first time. The physican attraction. Sex. But then, as you get to know the person, that's the lyrics. Their story. Who they are underneath. It's the combination of the two that makes it magical.

-Quote from Music and Lyrics (2007)

Wednesday, August 01, 2007

Picture frames

A particular photo, in a frame on a particular wall...
I'm gealous of a figure in a photograph.