The Real Kramer

Old Larry David Interview

Surfing the internet on the Michael Richards affair (which seems to be getting more sordid by the day) I came across the the above interview on the website of the "real" Kramer. Pretty funny.

One a related note, I've been re-listening to some Richard Pryor CDs of late (That N****r's Crazy is an old favourite) and I'm struck by the enormous gulf between between his stuff and the faux comedy peddled by the insult comics. Pryor's one of the few guys I've heard with a real talent for the edgy stuff. I haven't found a lot of it on youtube but there's a clip on pets that had me in splits.

Hipster Doofus Strikes Back

Standup Comedy

Good to see ya again. Where you been, buddy?

Rite of... passage

There are a few common bonds that the group on the right column of this page have shared and cherished. One of them is that look that we gave Crp, when first exposed to the explosion of modern music in his darbar. I'll never know, but the look was halfway between shock that Parisians felt when they first heard this stuff and amusement that masked concern for the impresario's hitherto shiny musical marbles. While Parisians could safely break into a riot when they heard Stravinsky, what could the poor student do. Trash the room like a rock star?

But, unbeknownst to me, the discord occupied a small place in my mind, clearly. When, this fall, I listened to the 'Rite of Spring', it was a moment whose time had come. I could think of it as nothing but the most interesting thing I had heard in years. Was it the years of apprentice-ship with jazz records? Or, have I just seen enough discord in life to simply get it now? I know its a combination of both these factors. And for a practising Hindu, the inherent Paganism in the 'Rite of Spring' makes it so much more attractive and juicy (that's the best adjective I can come up with).

Just like growing up, appreciating it made me feel different, mostly better but somewhat concerned.

Two BBC pieces that made me enjoy the 'Rite of Spring' tremendously:
BBC discovering music, Rite of Spring -- part 1
BBC discovering music, Rite of Spring -- part 2

Also worth checking out the other pieces in the BBC discovering music archive

PS - To those of who think I'm over-compensating for linking to Hemachandra's videos on youtube... you just get me!

Weekend Dos

Flavorpill

Here's a pill for those who are spending weekends on their couches for the lack of anything better to do. It's a weekly email magazine "covering a handpicked selection of cultural events" in select US cities. A few friends swear by the quality of these "weekly cultural stimuli".

Personally, I'm more intrigued by the concept than the content. It is clear to many that websites like citysearch and fullhyderabad, which often trade quality for coverage, are no longer relevant. These days, it is exclusivity of intent and selectivity of content that creates small yet faithful readership. This explains the growth of tech news sites like GigaOm and TechCrunch (as opposed to say, CNET).

For those who haven't figured it out yet, OG was created with a similar purpose - not so exclusive but selective definitely. Moving onto round two, given the lack of any good event calendars in most Indian cities, why not create an OG (bi-)weekly email/website that would discriminatingly pick and recommend a few weekend events from Indian cities like Hyderabad, Bangalore, Delhi etc? If it succeeds in getting a sizable readership, this kind of exclusivity can potentially score us some worthy perks and invites. Or, at the least, some community service related resume points. What say?

Imitation is the Sincerest Form

Malamaal Weekly

Could somebody please stop the Bollywood auteurs from sinking into artistic irrelevance by being so apologetic about copying the West? After you add the jhankar beats, after you hand over a Fender Strat to Sush (Zindaggi Rocks) and a 1719 Strad to bikini clad Chinto Jaitley, you're operating on a whole new level sonny boy!

A particularly egregious case came to my knowledge a couple of days back when, on a road trip, I managed to catch a not unenjoyable flick by director Priyadarshan. In true Bollywood fashion, he claimed that the story was brand new, and also announced a cash prize for anyone who proved that it wasn't. Well, further research reveals that the story is indeed stolen from an Irish movie but the director isn't paying up...