3 years on...

It's been years since I posted. Over 3 to be exact. So much has changed...so much still remains the same. I'm a little older, none the wiser and on bad days, lamentably resigned to accepting that maybe this is as good as its going to get. 

It's funny sometimes how things can turn on a dime. There are days you feel invincible, convinced the sun shines out of your ass, nothing is impossible and all your dreams are within your immediate grasp. One phone call or increasingly, a whatsapp message later, you just want the Earth to swallow you up. Everything sucks, your processes blown to smithereens, and there's an angry wet thundercloud accompanying your every step. You become moody, irritable, crabby and sometimes downright despondent. People around you think you're unstable, bipolar even.

Why? 

Couldn't it just be that perhaps I still have a living conscience? That I give a damn about things? That I refuse to yield to cynical pragmatism at the risk of being called a romantic? These things I think about sometimes.

I know this is really bleak. Maybe, it's a sign that I'm tired of tilting at windmills. Tired of being an anachronism in this increasingly insane world of instant gratification. Tired of swimming against the tide.

Then I think, hang on...it's not that bad..there's still so much to love in these harrowing times...my wife, my son, music, cricket, basketball, good food, good cinema, good friends, great literature and the fact that i still enjoy getting out of bed to go to work. 

Maybe this is what it means to be middle aged...your heart and mind sends mixed signals all the time. Equanimity is a challenge, but an ideal that one must strive for.

I don't know how much sense this post makes, but as I ramble in a typically self centered manner, I'm feeling better. So I'll take it.

It's Ganesh Chaturthi today, maybe I'm ridding myself of my doubts, to start a new chapter in my life. Greetings to everyone. Love this life. You only get one shot.

The new guardians of music?

Guys,

I've been bemoaning the fact that the best in music (well, the kind I listen to anyway) went away with the arrival of DJ remixes and club mixes. For me music was always about melody, harmony, meaningful songwriting and yes, sensibility. Even if you were doing a basic dance track, the lyrics had to mean a little something to the performer and hence the audience (Safety Dance anyone?)

However, the arrival of iTunes, file sharing, downloadable content and home studios meant the end of the music as my generation understood. Billboard was irrelevant. Live Tours became more about the imagery and the spectacle and less and less about the music. What has followed is a whole generation of instant fix posturing dopes of the likes of Nikki Minaj (ugh), Chamillionaire (remember him?), Ne-Yo (classic lyric this one - 'It's getting hot in her, so baby take off your clothes').

Magnificent stuff (yawn). Designed for instant gratification, screw quality, screw career development, screw musical excellence - just get me the eyeballs, show me the money, point me at the nearest Escalade dealer, and get me my tattoos.

But I've written all this before. So I'm done ranting.

The last 6 months I've been privileged to listen to some artists who have bucked this ridiculous trend and while making music they believe in have actually reached massive audiences and earned much deserved recognition. These are artistes who in my book (for what its worth eh?) would have been respected and appreciated by anyone who really cared about music. Here's my meaningless contribution of the clutter of quality artistes of this day and age:

• John Mayer - Outstanding guitarist, intelligent songwriter, Unique vocalist. But most importantly, versatile and always relevant. Put aside his human frailties for a second. So he's a jackass sometimes. Just listen to Born and Raised to know what the future of folk rock and blues is.
• Kid Rock - I know, I know..this guy raised mayhem as a young man. Started out as a rapper. But his last 2 albums bear more than a passing resemblance to the great Bob Seger. Brilliant songs, showcased by an unapologetic delivery and lush arrangements. He hasn't forgotten how to rock, he just does it better now.
• Maroon 5 - They know what to do, in what dose and how to make it accessible. Probably the best dance rock band in the world. Shades of Jamiroquai with a liberal splashing of Motown. Adam Levine maybe the best male vocalist going at present.
• Train - Consistently impressive. Their latest album is a bit weak, but this is a real hardworking band that has retained its fan base over 12 years. Not bad in the 15 seconds era.
• Adele - Saved the best for last. Man, this lady can punch a hole in your chest with her vocal chops. Brilliant musicianship and she's getting better. Reminds me of Aretha Franklin, Nina Simone and the like. 
• Dave Matthews Band - Prog Rock is in good hands with these virtuoso musicians. Consistently brilliant.

There are other artistes making good music, but they're just not being received widely enough - Vertical Horizon, Rob Thomas, The Corrs, and the like. For now, I;m just happy that the world isn;t completely crazy. Good music can and still does get played. I'll sleep well tonight.

Settling into a new year...

Guys,

It's been  a while since I've published a new post. The reason, actually, is really simple...Inertia, lovely Inertia. It's been 9 days into a new year and well yeah, a very happy new year to you all. I do hope this one's better than the last (especially for me and mine). From all accounts it probably will be.

Well...bloody writer's block! Been stuck on my follow up line for 15 minutes. So I guess I'll just ramble on and magic will happen..hehe.

Recently saw 2 sequels. One good, one bad. The former Sherlock Holmes and a Game of Shadows was something that would have Sir Arthur Conan Doyle disowning the copyright outright. Having said that, it was terrific entertainment. Pithy, smart, well written and a real romp with more than casual allusions to orientation between the main protagonists. Very risque and more Guy Ritchie than Holmes. Robert Downey Jr. may very well be the most talented actor of his generation. No one has made the ludicrous more believable in recent times.

Which brings me to the lamentable latter sequel. Don 2. No one has made the believable seem more ludicrous than SRK in his current state of mind. One of the hammiest performances I've had the misfortune to witness, coupled with a dreary overwritten script, bogged down by ham fisted overproduction, this movie truly caters to the same audience its makers used to snigger at when they were younger and not quite as bollywoodized as they are today. The sequel lacks all the subtlety, nuances, red herrings and excitement of the previous version.

I actually liked Farhan Akhtar's interpretation of the cult classic better than the original and felt hugely let down by this piece of trash I was subjected to. Perhaps, he might have tried a prequel? How did Don become the way he did? What created the monster? But then who would play him? Ahh...the movie sucked.

It's a shame because I'm a disgruntled fan of SRK and Farhan Akhtar. I've defended them vigorously over Don in the past and this one just pushed me away. Shame Shame. If any of you guys know these gentlemen, please pass this on to them.

Which brings me to sports...the NBA is up and running (feminine yay, accompanying my announcement as I type). India is hell bent on proving that Duncan Fletcher is a bad coach, our cricketers are above reproach of course, and Dhoni is a great ODI captain, so of course he will be a great test captain. Dump the lot, start from scratch I say. We're losing 4 -0 anyway, what difference does it make. Make Sachin player coach and we;re golden. He can play as long as he likes, because even today, our glorious generation Y can;t hold a candle to him. All they can do is raise birds at audiences when they're irked. Mature boys.

Been listening to Kid Rock lately. Two lovely albums, Born Free and Rock n Roll Jesus. A throwback to the days of Bob Seger. Good times, great music for the open road. It's amazing when you realize this guy was a heavy metal rapper at the start of his career. Also, the Marshall Tucker Band. Great guitar work, fine vocals.

More soon. Hopefully more frequent. Cheers

Cricket's new thoroughbreds

I recently had the occasion and privilege to watch some real cricket. White flannels, red balls...the real thing you know. I grew up in the 70s. An era when cricket underwent tumultuous changes. The WSC and Kerry Packer era, introduction of night cricket, the onset of ODI's and finally the introduction of the helmet all began in this decade.

However, that would come later. For the most part we watched in awe as some brilliant cricketers tested each others skills purely with bat and ball. No helmets, ordinary protective equipment and some seriously personal battles. You had fearsome fast bowlers, dashing batsmen, relatively friendly fielding (yeah, just check out YouTube to yuk it up).

My most vivid memories are however reserved for a handful of these brilliant cricketers. Top of my list were of course India's defiant answer to the world, those 2 great little masters - Sunil Gavaskar and Gundappa Vishwanath. Just imagine how much these gentlemen would have scored against attacks today. Playing for a weak team they each boasted an impeccable record against the top sides of the time, the Windies and Australia and the unending respect of their opponents. More importantly they played with dignity and pride in the colors of their country.

Flash forward to circa 2001 and the whole unearthing of match fixing. I still don;t believe the extent of the rumors but for sure, those were dark days to be a cricket fan. All we had as Indian fans was the boy (do I need to take his name?). He's 38 now, but still a boy. As he stands on another media celebrated threshold (99 centuries are 99 more than you or I will ever make so we need to shut up eh?) one can only thank him for keeping our belief in the game alive. This is not to denigrate other very good and even great cricketers, but purely from a credibility perspective, Sachin brooks no argument.

So back to my recent sojourn to test cricket..must confess T20 is fun but well I;m from a different era. The recently concluded Aus - SA series reaffirmed my faith in test cricket. More importantly it's unearthed a seriously brilliant talent in Pat Cummins. This kid has it all and India had better watch for him. Hes going to hurt us.

Here's my random list of young talent that's going to keep test cricket alive for the next couple of decades -

1. Pat Cummins
2. Darren Bravo
3. Stuart Broad
4. Steve Finn
5. R. Ashwin
6. Hashim Amla
7. David Bairstow (keep an eye on this kid)
8. Umesh Yadav (hope he stays fit)

Been a while since I published. The rust is telling and I think this may be my weakest post yet. Promise to do better going forward. Cheers guys...

Birthdays and Rockstar

A couple of days ago I took another step deeper into middle age. 44 years old. Yayyyy (use an ironic tone on this one while reading please)

Used to be, birthdays meant cake, sandwiches, wafers and soft drinks. Shared among friends and in our case, my sister and I. We share a birthday a few years apart. Pretty much one of a handful of things we have in common. She's fiery, I'm laconic;  she's extrovert, I well...; you get the picture.

She wasn't here. Bummer. Missed her. Damn I must learn to stay en pointe...

Well, my birthday this year was a quiet affair. A nice quiet lunch with my parents and a close friend. A movie and a chance to catch my breath, reflect on the year gone by and a look ahead to the years ahead. So much left to do....a general seeping realization that the time to rest maybe a bit further away than I'd hoped, until....

The cake!!...specially ordered by ze wife...true bliss is a chocolate hazelnut mousse cake using virgin chocolate, a nutty wafer base and little scrunches of hazelnut in every morsel. Hot damn! So much to live for!!!! Life's worth living again, heppee budde!!!

It's funny isn't it? There are times I've been feeling  totally bleahh about everything and it's all crap and you know what I'm talking about. And suddenly, a little gesture, a small piece of magic makes it all better. There's this wonderful line in an other wise decrepit film called "How do you know" where Paul Ruud's character says - 'We're one small adjustment away from making ourselves happy'. I realized that day what he was saying.

Eat cake. That's it.

________________________________________________________________________________

Saw 'Rockstar' yesterday. Really wanted to like it. Loved Ranbir Kapoor, the first half, the visuals and the scenery.

Hated Nargis Fakhri. How did she get into the movies? We should get the Razzie guys to start one for India. She'd be a shoo in. What a waste of space. 

Really disappointed with Imtiaz Ali's writing. This is a guy who's work I really like and man did I feel let down in the second half. What a cop out. Instead of focusing on the travails of the rock star lifestyle (it's not easy you know), we have our protagonist traipsing through Europe with a mannequin in some absurdly boring version of tragic romance. Everything I saw in the trailers which made me think there was a point to the whole exercise...well turned out to be meaningless pap. From that standpoint I guess it stands to reason...today's performers are all about image in any case so why should this movie be different. But did it have to be so bloody boring? And who fed the editor sleeping pills?

Shame really, because Ranbir Kapoor's performance is sincere, searing and in places downright genius. This guy has some serious acting chops and for his sake I hope he continues to do good cinema. Good luck to him.

Finally, why are our producers approaching A R Rahman to score music? He doesn't care anymore. There are 14 songs in the film. The punchline of Sadda Haq is the only one I can remember. How many can you remember after you exit the cinema hall? How many can you hum in the bath? 

It's rock music buddy, it's supposed to be simple, an opiate for the masses something that everything can sing along. Not some disjointed pretentious and unstructured pap that you're subjecting your loyal audience. This movie was a tribute to Shammi Kapoor (title credits). Does anyone recall Teesri Manzil? Now that was ground breaking stuff. Changed Bollywod music forever right? Rockstar's music does not. Sad. 

Give me Shankar - Ehsaan - Loy or Vishal - Shekhar anyday.

Progress, clutter and lousy advertising

I was playing scrabble last night. Online. I'm reasonably competent at it. and I realized (for the millionth time) how times had changed. The internet has made the world smaller (that's true...i measured it with my ruling stick).

Seriously though, on the one hand we have access to all the information we need, are able to communicate with people at the push of a button anywhere in the world, watch and listen to art forms from bygone eras and from faraway places. Wonderful stuff. so much so, that we take it for granted. It's like TV, or the radio, or the telephone, or the motor car, or the steam engine...you see what I'm getting at?

It's progress. Our great grand parents were amazed at the arrival of the telephone, the victrola and then the motor car. Our grand parents were the first generation to see the television and listen to live broadcasts. Our parents heralded the age of TV and stereo sound. They passed it on to us and we went and created the age of digital and mobile technology and then the internet.

What now? What's the next step? Everything since really has been maximizing the potential of an awesome invention call the web. The very fact that I'm writing this is proof of how far we've come. 20 years ago this would have been a journal or a diary my kid would have read after my passing. Today...well I get to share it with the world in real time (or virtually real, there's one to ponder). Way cool.

Then again, I find that my attention span isn't anything like what it used to be. I get bored easily. The amount of information available to us is perhaps more than we need.

In our urgent need to be noticed, we've created monsters. The arrival of media darlings, reality stars (what a crock) and zero talent jerk offs masquerading as superstars proliferate our consciousness precisely for the same reasons.

And what of advertising? Man, the quality of creatives (or lack thereof) screams for a reassessment of what they're teaching in advertising and marketing courses. The levels of me-too advertising are ridiculous. Maybe every creative head learnt at the feet of the same master. This must change. The biggest culprits are the big brands...ridiculous. Just take a look at Colgate's campaign/

At lunch yesterday with a friend, I was informed to my amazement that India's premier advertising industry junket (Goafest) was primarily funded by one single agency. 70% of the entries were theirs. Stands to reason that they win most of the awards, tom-tom about it  through their PR teams and grab a larger portion of the advertising pie. The cycle never ends right? Well, maybe owners should actively look for agencies with a different perspective. Someone's got to get a little brave. Who knows they might be pleasantly surprised.

The ability to annoy effortlessly

Isn't it funny how everyone of us possesses the unique ability to effortlessly annoy some people in the world in spite of our best intentions? There are of course those brilliantly talented people with the innate gift of annoying everyone all the time...Mika, Kangana Ranaut, Rakhi Sawant, Kim Kardashian...I could go on.

But I digress. I realized today that sometimes situations, mindsets, occasions and for roughly 50% of the worlds population, the time of the month (I'm going to get slammed for this !) all conspire to make a seemingly harmless situation snowball into a monster crisis with potentially catastrophic consequences. Don't know about you guys, but this scares the crap out of me. Somehow, this only happens with those you really truly care for. Then again, if you don't care for someone, you don't really mind pissing them off. He he he.

How does one deal with this? Does one stay on guard at all times? Does one rehearse what one is going to say? Is it possible to never, ever suffer from FIM (foot in mouth for the uninitiated)? I don't think it's possible.

Wise people tell you that with maturity comes wisdom.

Bullshit.

With maturity comes grey hair, a bulging midriff (I've been middle aged since birth by the way) and a cantankerous disposition (yup, that would be me as a child again). What I think happens is at some point everyone of us arrives at the conclusion - Sod it. Life's too short and we can either spending it being pissed off or let it go.

It's not forgiveness that helps us overcome annoying people. It's resignation (optimists, in your lingo it's acceptance without the smile) and the realization that no matter what you do, your only salvation resides in ice cream and junk food. They never talk back, they stay with you forever (!) and they're a constant reminder of that goofy smile on your face. I speak of course of myself here. For some it's other things (let your imagination run riot here and be honest about your own feel good...)

This seemingly rambling and directionless diatribe has achieved one purpose..I now actively crave a sundae. Time to annoy the wife again...

Have a lovely weekend friends.