Archive for the 'Art' Category
Tuesday, September 23rd, 2008
return to normal.
Monday, May 26th, 2008
The Non-Flying Dutchman
I just came across this article in the Financial Times, from April 2006, on Dennis Bergkamp. He was the definitive footballer for me, along with Jürgen Klinsmann, in terms of what I wanted to do on a football pitch — barring his moments of wild anger, of course. Although I only had a few chances to see Klinsmann in action, I feel lucky to have witnessed each of these Bergkamp moments mentioned in the article:
There was his instant flick with back to the goal and then full-circle spin around Nikos Dabizas, of Newcastle United; the loblet that placed Fredrik Ljungberg alone in front of Juventus’s goal; or his outside-of-the-foot strike against Argentina.
For your delight, here is a video (along with some incongruous music) that displays these three moments — the Newcastle goal at 2:04, the Ljungberg assist at 3:26, and the Argentina goal at the end. Here is that last one again, previewed with a goal from Bergkamp’s legendary hat-trick against Leicester City in September 1997 to make the point that it was no fluke.
I think this also sort of explains why I’d sometimes burst into spontaneous laughter or applause while watching football on TV by myself.
Sunday, May 18th, 2008
Playing Classical Cricket?
This article on cricinfo actually does a good job of summarising my discussion with Atomsmasher on the decline of traditional disciplines in the arts. The following paragraph is particularly insightful in drawing out the similarities between classical training in music and cricket.
People frequently say of Indian playback singers that this singer or that was classically trained. It is generally meant as a compliment. Lata Mangeshkar’s virtuosity and longevity were attributed to her classical training. But over time it has become clear that classical training is an optional extra for the successful playback singer because there have been so many who never had any, starting with Kishore Kumar. In the same way, Twenty20 tournaments like the World Cup and the IPL have thrown up players like Yusuf Pathan who have achieved great success and recognition via this upstart form of the game without any sort of track record at the Test level.
What do you guys think about the qualities of say opera. Is a lot of it pretentious and elitist or should I not blind my classist sentiments from appreciating the beauty of the art? I’m inclined to think that its somewhere in between. That while a lot of people are part of the ’scene’ or are patrons of the arts in order to gain social status, i shouldn’t let that cloud my judgement in trying to appreciate art in all its forms.
Saturday, May 3rd, 2008
i’m a cereal killer.
» It makes me sad that the JB seems to be losing steam. [Also, that I can't get my paragraphs to separate, no matter how many <br> tags I stuff in.]
» What do you fellows make of things in Pakistan these days? I’ve been out of touch, but I’ve heard about the dilly-dallying over restoring the judiciary. Although, I don’t know if that would really matters. Scandalous, considering I was briefly involved with the Student Action Committee, for whom the judiciary is a major concern.
» The job search is — or should be — go. Any tips?
» Here are the Arsenal Ladies.
Monday, March 17th, 2008
I want you to want me
Good to see a pappu saein has made its debut on youtube – I couldn’t find one earlier.. although, admittedly it does do a grave injustice to pappu saein and the whole bhang-infused pall that hangs over the thousands of mesmerised, perpetrating and incredibly stoned people I saw crammed into the mazaar, lounging under the throbbing overpowering beat of some incredibly primal percussion.
Oh, and how can I forget the searing pain of stepping barefoot on some charsi’s smouldering birdi..
That said, it still was a rather odd, and incredibly theatrical experience – if you ever do head down to
Overload’s atrociously insufferable noisemaking has given pappu a new stamp of legitimacy amongst the yuppies of
Pertinently (and you’ll know why) I guess it brings us, inevitably, to why places like JB do what they do. It seems to me that art for it own sake is just such an appealing, clean and somehow morally attractive proposition, an yet, art really seems to flourish when its motives are far baser – the rich history of court art in the sub-continent for instance.. do you think we should be running a more aggressive PR campaign for JB? Why? Why not?
Tuesday, February 26th, 2008
hall of mirrors.
well, this is always an interesting thing to think about. personally, i think everyone is influenced by the work of those who came before. sometimes it’s a positive influence - one might think a certain style of music is intriguing and that further experiments in that direction are worthwhile - sometimes a negative one - one might think a certain style of photography is dull and that going further down that road isn’t worthwhile.
if we talk about recycling pieces of art - entire songs, films, books, etc. - then it’s possible for someone to create a replica without adding anything to it. i think the basic fact is that the value of the new piece depends on the creativity and the talent of the artist who finds some inspiration in the original, gives it a personal interpretation, and then recreates it.
i’d agree that there’s more value to be found in old things than in new, but then that’s mainly because there are so many more old things than new ones.
it’s funny how films and plays are different like that. i don’t really know why films usually run in cinemas for just a few months, but plays can run for decades. i mean, dilwale dulhania le jayenge ran [and may still be running, i don't know] for over a decade in mumbai, but that’s an anomaly. it would be an excellent thing if major cinemas did show classics alongside new releases, but i think the industrialisation of cinema [and music, and literature, and more] makes it difficult to see that happening on a large scale.
a word on the johnny cash video - i got into him around a year ago and went through most of his american recordings. tom petty played for cash on a couple of those albums, and, if i’m not mistaken, that’s petty doing backing vocals on the song. i think it’s a good example of someone taking another’s work and giving it something extra.
Wednesday, February 13th, 2008
acha?
Ah motown, there was a jam at ronnie scott’s which had the vestiges of the motown gang over, which was my first introduction to their music.
Which reminds me, I was once reading an old lonely planet guide to pakistan, from which i can recall two interesting snippets. The first was an explaination of how one word (namely, ‘acaha’) based merely on inflection can mean so many different things in the urdu language. If I recall they enumerated atleast 12 different connotations.
The second (a little more saucy) ill tell you some other time.
I’ve just lost atleast 4 hours of dedicated labour, because even though powerpoint assured me it had been saving my work.. it somehow decided not to. Times like these i just want to turn apostate and run into the non-profit embrace of linux. Have you guys ever tried it? how about apple? the new apple air notebook looks well swank.
And just as i am coming to grips with my loss, this very appropriate ghazal comes up on my ipod:
Duniya Mein Hoon Duniya Ka Talabgar Nahi Hoon
Bazar Se Guzra Hoon Karidar Nahi HoonZinda Hoon Magar Zeest Ki Lazzat Nahi Baqi
Harchand Ke Hoon Hosh Mein Hoshiyaar Nahi HoonIs Khana-e-Hasti Se Guzar Jaoonga Belaus
Saaya Hoon Faqut Naqsh Badeewar Nahi HoonWoh Gul Hoon Khizan Ne Jise Barbad Kiya Hai
Uljoon Kisi Daman Se Main Woh Khar Nahi Hoon-Seemaab Akbarabadi
Wednesday, February 6th, 2008
for those who like their chicks fluorescent
it dawned on me slightly late in life that there was no natural breed of chicken who’s chicks were a radioactive pink in hue. Instead, it was that rascally breed of increadibly enterprising pakistani men, who, in a agrarian marketing coup, caused to be prepared chicks (sold live, for rearing) in all florescent colours and sold them on roadsides and bazaars (particularly juma/friday bazaars). did you guys ever buy them? my maternal instincts being quite absent, my experiments would always end in misery..
dailytimes always writes the weirdest of articles, I can never quite decide if whether some of their staff writers are increadible astute impressionistic crafters of prose, or just plain retarded. following in this honest tradition - “how to check your chicken”
Sunday, February 3rd, 2008
say, is that riff yours?
back in the day the unsuitable boy once made me sit down and listen to Ali Farka Toure. If you’ve ever heard his music, you will excuse me for being mesmerised, then started a largely unhealthy obsession with malian string instrumentals.
Ali sadly passed away, but its great to see some other very cool music coming out of Mali. In particular, a favourite of mine is Toumani Diabate, who plays the kora, a versatile stringed instrument similar to the guitar. Diabate brings it to life with heartbreaking skill. Heartbreaking because i recently picked up a cheap guitar at argos to try and teach myself, and all i can play is a junoon’s jugalbandi. Diabate meanwhile manages a little better: Toumani Diabate(check out debe)
Turn the volume up, grab a coffee and prepare to weep ;)
and as microsoft enters the fray to buy yahoo, the FT, never one to miss ironies quotes Robert Herrick
Thus times do shift, each thing his turn does hold;
New things succeed, as former things grow old
I’ve recently been reading histories of ancient empires, specifically the roman and indian ones, and its remarkable how the cycles of even man’s most abstract creations, seems to follow still a circle of waxing and waning…true enough of today’s new corporate empires i suppose too?
Wednesday, January 23rd, 2008
Comedians aint stupid
Yeah, my first thought too, was that the poster was quite horrifying. But I wonder if we didnt have the emotional baggage of the tragedy on 9/11, would have been able to look at it without an automatic grimace?
Speaking of film, I’m currently majorly smitten by post independance Indian cinema (no, I dont mean Bollywood’s wet-saree tree hugging); Guru Dutt’s Pyaasa in particular is certainly an ‘interesting’ film, steeped in a very classical indianess.
Dil dil Pakistan shows up as number 3…
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/us/features/topten/profiles/index.shtml
I must have shoved this down the throat of everybody i know, but : Steve Job’s Stanford address is pretty swell
My train of thought as follows:
Conan >> “gee, he did a nice graduation day speech at Harvard” >> graduation day speeches are nice bits of chicken soup >> who else did a decent graduation day speech? >> not at my college, clearly >> is KFC really bad for you? >> ah, the apple guy >> you mean steve jobs? >> yeah >> something about trans-fatty acids gives them a bad name, apparently.. >> [null ]