Music, Bands, Me.

My 3 favourite bands are The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Coldplay with their positions in the top charts of my head being pretty interchangeable. Currently #1 is Coldplay, #2 is The Beatles #3 is Led Zeppelin.
Led Zeppelin is considered the biggest rock band ever. The Beatles is considered the best band ever musically and lyrically. And Coldplay is a big name in today's world in Soft Rock.

Led Zeppelin:
The four big names right after the The Beatles probably. Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Bonham, John Paul Jones. The music that these four created is intricate complex material. Every song is different in their layers, patterns, timings, feel even though Robert Plant was essentially a raw blues singer. He moulded his voice to suit all kinds of songs and the result of course, was terrific. John Paul Jones was the man behind the layers of music and the different instruments used in their song and very much away from the limelight that the band enjoyed. Jimmy page is said to have sold his soul to the Devil in exchange for his monster guitar riffs. He still enjoys a place in my head as the best guitarist ever. The patterns, melodies and the tones used are haunting. And finally the drums, John Bonham. Crazy man used to drum with his hands till they bled. Noted in the history of rock as one of the craziest people that ever breathed, his early death called for the end of Led Zeppelin. My favourite tracks from the band would have to be Since I've been loving you, What is and what should never be, That's the way, Tangerine, Heartbreaker, Whole lotta love and Rock n roll. What tops this chart are the songs Fool in the rain and All of my love. All of my love has to be the best song ever by Led Zeppelin. It's suddenly a different sound and feel altogether,a break away from the usual drums and guitar riffs and Plant's drawls and shrieks, especially the trumpet solo. If you  thought Led Zeppelin is all about the bass, guitars and the drums, this song will change your world of Led Zeppelin.

Coldplay:
In the times that I live and breathe, I am proud to be a contemporary of this band. Chris Martin, Johnny Buckland, Will Champion and Guy Berryman. Chris Martin's lyrics are deep and artistic in every sense. The band uses layers and layers and a huge variety of instruments to churn out one hit after another. Chris Martin's voice is almost ambient, blending with your surroundings as does their music. Coldplay is best suited to drive your blues away, meditate or throw your hands in the air and get lost. Johnny Buckland is no Jimmy Page but he does create a different world which blends with Coldplay's music and again, gets you lost somewhere. Guy Berryman is the bassist in the band and provides beautiful basslines to songs like Speed of Sound and Shiver. Shiver itself is a such a blissful piece of music. Will Champion is a mutli talented persona again. Is it essential to have one such person in your band to keep it alive? He plays the drums brilliantly without ever having learnt the drums in his life.
My favorite songs from Coldplay are too many to list. I have all the albums on my phone's MP3 Player, all the songs so that its understood how big a fan I am.

The Beatles:
I regret the fact that I am not a contemporary to this band. John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. The lyrics, the music, the melodies and the harmonies. These are characteristic of the band and cannot be compared to anyone else. The Beatles were geniuses in their own way. Paul McCartney breathes to this day and is still the genius and probably more than he was. The Beatles have a song for every occasion. I have always said they are the English equivalent to Rabindranath Tagore who has written songs and poems for every situation in life possible. The Beatles ruled for 10 years and produced one album after another with a huge number of hits in their kitty everytime, Needless to say, my favorite songs are too many from this band  that doesn't allow me to share them. Again, I have all the albums in my MP3 player to listen to when I am happy, sad, joyous, excited, crazy, drunk etc etc. You name it, they have it(a situation song i.e.) Lennon and McCartney's song writing with inputs from Ringo Starr and George Harrison especially is laudable work for everyone. The quartet wrote songs,directed and acted in movies, provided film scores etc at a very young age at the peak of their career. John Lennon's death broke up the band itself.
A musical adaptation of The Beatles songs called Across The Universe was released a few years back and the response to it was phenomenal. The songs were sung by the actors themselves and each song composed differently . I think I like some of the movie's songs better than the original Beatles songs themselves.

Peace Out

I think the word Armada is very grand. I was watching Pirates Of The Caribbean:At World's End yesterday out of lack of feeling like doing anything as such. And they mentioned it somewhere. "We face an armada". It made me feel like I am on one of those ships of the armada itself and pretty much made me feel grand myself.

Alligators are weird. I mean, they aren't crocodiles even properly. They should have at least looked different. They confuse people.

The football World Cup is on. And Cafe Rio on Sony Six had John Abraham on the opening day in the studio. Why? The opening ceremony was the worst I have ever seen in years. Did not understand when it started and when it ended. The World Cup official theme song sucks. I haven't heard a single soul hum it, keep as a phone ringtone, or sing it, or do anything with it. I can still sing Wavin Flag  with as much gusto as 4 years back. This year's song is called Ole Ola. Its like those Bollywood songs that actually mean nothing: Chinta ta Chita, Dhinka Chika, Pak Chika Pak, Dhadang dhang, Kendi Po Po Po, Aa ee oo oo oo; THIS list is endless. I wonder where the words have gone. They could at least refer a dictionary in case of such problems.

I hate sleeping. I think its such a waste of time. There is so much to do, know, read, learn I really don't know where I would get time otherwise with all the business of growing up, keeping promises, meeting deadlines, keeping people happy. I think it's better that way too. Keeps me happy and thin. :D 

WWE is so stupid and funny to watch now. Fat guys, tall guys, short guys skinny guys in their underwear feigning fights to win golden belts. I don't know what to make of it right now except that its such a huge money churning industry for decades now.

I designed my guitar. It's so damn cool right now. Looks too damn cool right now. I made artwork on it. Album art from various bands and artists. My favourites. All of them are right there on that guitar now. I want a new guitar now. So that I dont have to play this one and spoil it. Its already getting spoilt. Wonder if they laminate guitars.

Am not even talking about love here, but people just don't even keep the basic faith anymore even. You can never trust anyone anymore. You don't know what they will do next. However well you know them, that surprise/shock factor lives on and springs anytime. Friends are cautious too. Keeping touch has become so virtual already, wonder what will happen a few years down the line. The souls keep getting sold. And there's no turning back.

I don't understand India. It's a country where in one state, the people boast of prowess and progress, while in others, the CEO of a company gets killed from harsh beating from his workers, a young man gets his fingers chopped off and acid poured into his eyes for parking in the wrong spot and the Police say, Such one or two incidents WILL happen, we cant help it and so on. Last week the whole country was shocked by news of rapes, killings, robberies. Why this sudden upsurge? There's no trust anymore, everyone wants to be at the top of the ladder without doing a single piece of work while those who want to work for it ,stare on. This country was and will always be a third world one, the 'developing' nation. There is no way 'developing' will turn into 'developed'. Its all in the roots itself. I don't understand the country at all anymore.

For a change I am sleepy now. I need to buy a lot of things immediately. I start gym and swimming very soon. The Russian football coach on TV right now looks like a bad cross between Sylvester Stallone and Clark Kent. He is got that lip and the glasses. Don't know what to make of it. 


Vodafone nailed it:
 
Everyday i want to fly,
stay by my side,
Everyday i want to dream,
stay by my side,
Every morning i wish i could just play,
Wish the mornings would just stay....

But The Beatles are the best ever. There is now way anyone else can take their place.

Right Here Waiting

That's right. Richard Marx. Right Here Waiting. A song that will live through years to come. A song that brings back memories flooding. There are songs, movies, poems, pictures which send you through a time warp, rushing and hurtling you backwards. That avenue in your mind which you thought had been pretty much closed till that time suddenly opens up and you are a floating ghost in that broken down avenue lost in time. There's your school, there's your schoolyard, there's that school bus waiting for you, there's that ice cream man, there's that girls school a few minutes from yours where you made your first girlfriend. There's that cycle all broken your dad had gifted you, there's that tiffin box your mom made lunch in, there's that window pane still lying shattered in the place you had broken it, there's the football your sister had gifted you.

And you see all of it suddenly. Just because of that one song, one word, one movie, one advertisement. Right Here Waiting did that to me today. I was at a Chinese restaurant, eating and sipping at a glass of wine with a friend and this song suddenly started up on the speakers overhead out of the blue. And BAM! That did it. I was a ghost in the quiet streets, retreating steadily away from the buzz of the place and from what she was saying.

Memories make for the best and worst of times. And times when these avenues open up in your mind, all you do is go quiet and wish for another chance at all you see on those streets. But growing up has its own way. These are just perks of your journey ahead in life. And even though you shake your head and try to nod your way back into reality, the thoughts cling on for a while and you remain lost for quite sometime. A phone call, a skype chat, a text is all that you can do to try and connect with the memories of the people who slid into your head suddenly.

This very feeling of lost is out of the world. But just because you're losing, doesn't mean you're lost.

The Woes Of Dating at 19 and 25

You're 19 and you really like this girl at college, you want to take her out and you actually somehow muster up the courage to do so and ask her out. The moment of surprise comes when she agrees. You, in your weird clothes, weird hair, weird ways and weird mumbling sentences- all the strangeness finds closure somewhere. And all you thought was that she liked the mature guys with deep voices and clean clothes and demure ways. So you dress up good, comb your hair after ages,tell your friends you're just going to the shopping mall down the road but you meet the girl and take her to that fancy restaurant you always avoided going to with your friends because you couldn't afford it.

Suddenly you can afford that fancy restaurant, a gift or two for her and cab rides. You've badgered your parents and friends to shell out some money and off you go. It's cool that first time. Going further, you realize how difficult it is to take a girl out and show her a  good time when you're 19 and not earning. That's when you resolved to study harder and get those good grades and get a good job that would pay you well and allow you to show her a good time.

So you tell the girl to take it slow and wait it out a bit while you go and get that super job. She does wait, the good grades come yet that job doesn't; stupid recession ruins it all. Finally you do land that job. But meanwhile, she has gotten bored and tired of waiting for you and has moved on and gets herself a boyfriend. You tell yourself, it doesn't matter: I have a job now, I can take out any girl I like now. 
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You're 25 and you're working your ass off at the beginning of your career, trying to go places and make impressions. That girl you really like now? She can wait. You work and work,then your parents suddenly remind you that it's pretty late in life and high time you got married. You don't have the time to get to know that girl and you ask your parents to fix you up with someone of their choice because, that way, you know, everyone is happy. Your parents find that girl, you think she's pretty and you take off a few days from work to get married and then you dive back into your work again.

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You're 25 and you're working and getting paid those bucks you had dreamed of. You really like this girl at office but even though it is never  a good idea to 'dip your pen in the company ink', you ask her out. The moment of surprise comes when she agrees. You, with your pressed shirts, your combed hair, your punctuality and your demure ways. And all you thought that she liked those guys who came to office in jeans and tees, played in a band after work, played pool during work hours and did hardly any work properly. So you dress up good, comb your hair again after combing it twice,tell your colleagues you're just going to the shopping mall down the road but you meet the girl and take her to that fancy restaurant you always avoided going to with your colleagues because half of them were pretty loud.

And you can now afford that fancy restaurant, a gift or two for her and cab rides. Heck, you have your own car now. You didn't even have to badger your parents and friends to shell out some money so that you could have a good time.She sits pretty while you drive her around town sharing stories and laughing into infiniteness. It's cool that first time. Going further, you realize how difficult it is to take a girl out and show her a  good time when you're 25 and earning money that never seems to be enough.

So you tell her to wait a bit while you go ahead and buy that house in that locality you have always dreamed of, buy a brand new car and set up everything for the eventual wedding which includes letting the families and friends know. Finally you have done it all. The car is here, the house is there, the loans are being properly taken care of, you had even talked to her family. But meanwhile, she has gotten bored and tired of waiting for you and moved on and gets herself a fiance. She finally gathers the courage and tells you about it all. You are devastated and take time to recover back from the shock. When you do is tell yourself: it doesn't matter, I have a car,a house now, I can take out any girl I like now and get married to her eventually. 
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 You may think there are differences in both scenes. But the general idea of the dating scenario remains the same. Whether you're 19, or you're 25, you're a virtuoso in the art of messing up. However much you try not to, you will mess up more and more by the day. It's how the universe works and always will.

This might just sum it up perfectly: :P
http://flappingcurtains.blogspot.in/2013/10/sixteen.html

Change

The tears that have slipped past
Without noticing anyone else
The smiles that have flashed past
Without noticing anyone else
Everyone else seemed too busy

Wrapped up in their chocolate wrappers.


Tomorrow came and went
The past swayed on its precarious foot
Even today's slipping by fast
Without noticing anyone else.
Who else has to but do the job of keeping everything at bay?
Precious people and moments are the cost
For keeping it sane everyday.
They dined quietly now.
They slept quite well.
They walked in silence.
They stared into space.
His friends took him home.
Her friends let her stay.
He didn't mind the loneliness.
She kept planning what to say.

Highway

This had to come pouring out sometime. Imatiaz Ali's Highway took me away somewhere. It's very rare that a Bollywood movie has this kind of an effect on me. But now that it has, I don't mind that such is the case. The different story, the characters,the locations and A.R.Rahman's genius works wonders on different levels throughout the entire movie. Randeep Hooda and Alia Bhatt have made the characters work very well. Except the last few minutes of the movie which got a tad bit too long, the movie was a fantastic experience. 

I have watched Highway twice in the first three days of its release. I don't mind watching it again now. Imtiaz Ali has done a brilliant job with the characters. The audience isleft to understand the reasons as to why Mahabir and Veera are the people they are. The endless explanations usually included in Bollywood movies for characters being how they are are cut out in Highway; instead Imtiaz Ali shows bits and pieces and leaves it to the audience to understand the characters themselves. He just gives hints and clues as to why they are who they are. Rahman's brilliant musical genius comes into play at the right moments. The soul of Highway lies in the music Rahman has arranged in the background. 

The best part of Highway that I absolutely loved was the character buildup. Slow and steady was the pace, in the meanwhile keeping the audience engaged with a lot of other things going on. There are light moments in the film where you will but smile. There are beautiful moments in the film where you will but smile. There are disturbing moments in the film where you will but bite your lip and ponder. 

The supporting cast of Highway is fantastic by themselves. I wish their names come to light more often after the brilliant job that they have done in this movie. Everyone seemed to be at ease with a natural flair in their acting that made the movie what it is.

Overall, a wonderful way to spend your time, to rewind,get lost somewhere and wish for nothingness. 

Happy New Year

We all started our journey with quite an unknown fear about the unknown. Then we graduated to that stage where we realised that even we recognized the kind of fear, the fear is still about the unknown.
We stepped from school to college to jobs, switching and changing roles and lives imperceptibly fast. So much so that we never realised what happened at the end, where all those years went by, where all those people disappeared, where all the friendships got caved in, where all the crushes got crushed, where all that love sunk. And suddenly we were 25 years old, with things to tell the world, with things to show the world, but still, afraid somewhere about acceptance.

We found ourselves the colleges of our dreams, the friends of our wishes, the jobs of our choice, the love that we desired, and then, we suddenly went blank. We switched over to the Internet and ended our lives, spreading out decay amongst us. Suddenly there were one too many of us, craving for attention, filling our shoes, cloning ourselves, picking out our brains, and we broke down. We sold our souls to the Internet again and marched ahead, cold and sad, neglecting life and its life within.

We made everyone happy, and everyone seemed as happy as they could be. They smiled and we did too, but our eyes never met, suggestive of secrets unbound. We patted each other on our backs and wished that pat would be a slap. We complimented each other in our heads and never spoke out loud. We broke up over the Internet, we made love on the phone, we silenced and smothered each other over glances, but never could we be that bold. As life ends, it never will. The pattern changed, the fervour stayed still. Then our faiths and beliefs crossed paths, we fought with smoke and liquid fire. We killed and preyed and ruined our own. And swore and cursed at those who spoke.We did fight, we did stand strong, but then we had make sure that they heard us all. Then in our efforts to make the world speak, we found ourselves forgotten and discreet. Time had passed and we had stalled, washed away what was meant for us all.

Till this day, we don't know our place; we're all trying to reach them stars and compromising with a stair. And now the stairs are also jam packed, so we wait for another star and all of it stairs. They might be dusty but we do not really care, as long as we got a place, we'll just stand there.

The solution that comes to mind is to let go of it all. Sink in the feelings you nurture. Find bliss in the very moment of it all. Give and take is part of life. Coming and going is part of life. 2014 needs to be a start afresh to all that has been pent up yet. With changes in every possible way to what we'd never known. Afraid to finish? Of course we are. Hence the game, why not take the chance. They are there to back us up if we need, brush off the dust and send us back to life even if it's too incomplete. Maybe the plan will work, maybe it won't. Sitting and planning the life will never cease the unknown.

Happy New Year to me. Cheers to that endlessness.