happy diwali! and thank you, anisha, for pointing out that it is in fact that time of year ;)
in celebration i'm posting this clip from the legend of bhagat singh. too bad there are no leftist rock en español musicals. well, probably the political musicals are best left to the indians & sri lankans anyway. bhagat singh was martyred in 1931 at the age of 23, in the fight against british colonialism. his vision was for a liberated secular & socialist india. the legend of bhagat singh is one of my favorite bollywood films ever!
the legend of bhagat singh:
anecdote from the trial of bhagat singh & his comrades:
on january 21, 1930 [anniversary of the death of lenin] the accused in the lahore conspiracy case appeared in the court wearing red scarves. as soon as the magistrate took his chair they raised slogans "long live socialist revolution", "long live communist international", "long live the people", "lenin's name will never die", and "down with imperialism". bhagat singh then read the text of this telegram in the court and asked the magistrate to send it to the third international:
on lenin day we send hearty greeting to all who are doing something for carrying forward the ideas of the great lenin. we wish success to the great experiment russia is carrying out. we join our voice to that of the international working class movement. the proletariat will win. capitalism will be defeated. death to imperialism.
**
update: oohh, sweet. anisha's dad saw this post and he sends these recommendations: mangal pandey (the rising) & rang de basanti. can't wait to see them. ¡abajo los imperialistas! ¡hasta la victoria!
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Thursday, October 23, 2008
strange fruit
southern trees bear a strange fruit
blood on the leaves and blood at the root
black body swinging in the southern breeze
strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees
**
the state is set to execute another innocent black man.
today is the international day of action for troy anthony davis, who was convicted in 1991 of killing a white police officer at the age of 17. no physical evidence linked mr. davis to the case, and to date seven of nine witnesses against him have recanted their testimonies. all requests for a new trial have been rejected and his legal appeals have been exhausted. the execution has been set for october 27th.
this can really only be described as legalized lynching. send an email to the georgia state board of pardons & paroles here.
update: the 11th circuit federal court of appeals has issued a(nother) stay of execution. 140,000 signatures in support of mr. davis have been delivered to the georgia state board of pardons and paroles.
strange fruit : billie holiday
blood on the leaves and blood at the root
black body swinging in the southern breeze
strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees
**
the state is set to execute another innocent black man.
today is the international day of action for troy anthony davis, who was convicted in 1991 of killing a white police officer at the age of 17. no physical evidence linked mr. davis to the case, and to date seven of nine witnesses against him have recanted their testimonies. all requests for a new trial have been rejected and his legal appeals have been exhausted. the execution has been set for october 27th.
this can really only be described as legalized lynching. send an email to the georgia state board of pardons & paroles here.
update: the 11th circuit federal court of appeals has issued a(nother) stay of execution. 140,000 signatures in support of mr. davis have been delivered to the georgia state board of pardons and paroles.
strange fruit : billie holiday
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
songs about public transportation
i love public transportation.
i remember the very first time i took an ac transit bus through oakland. i was 18. there was a fist-fight in the aisle, someone got knocked out, and a gentleman's face ended up on the bus floor, right by my shoe. yes, sometimes there is drama. and true, sometimes you hear way more than you wanted to about a stranger's love life or familial dilemmas.
but then again, you also see older brothers & sisters escorting little ones with backpacks on their way to school. you see the viejito best friends, the night shift workers, the sleepy parents. and also the flirtations, the near-arguments, the accidental reunions, the sweet & quick glances. a pregnant woman gets on and someone yells at a businessman to give her his seat. and then everyone stares at him and waits, until he looks ashamed and complies. because there is nothing like an angry bus crowd.
in mexico city & in caracas, the metro costs 20 cents a ride and takes you everywhere. it's open all night (as are the cities themselves). and like third world pasajeros everywhere, its riders are expert at making people fit. there's no more room in here? yes, there is. get in! it's like tetris.
**
so many references to public transportation in popular culture. here are a few of the musical variety...
down in the tube station at midnight : the jam
microbusera : amandititita
the metro : berlin
tren al sur : los prisioneros
**
siete y media de la mañana
mi asiento toca la ventana
estación central, segundo carro
del ferrocarril que me llevará al sur.
y ya estos fierros van andando
y mi corazón está saltando
porque me llevan a las tierras
donde al fin podré ver nuevo
respirar adentro y hondo,
alegrías del corazón, ajaja!
: tren al sur
Monday, October 20, 2008
Dime, Jaguar
In order to catch los Jaguares on their 45 tour—the album so named for the 45 million people living in poverty in Mexico—I found myself once again at the Nokia Theater in Times Square (doesn’t anybody in New York ever book anywhere else???). The first bit of news, which those of you who have been watching TV know, is that Saúl has cut his hair. It makes him look, um, old, and as some audience members suggested, fresa. But he is still the same Saúl with that same entrancing voice which deftly sneaks in poetic quotes and political observations between songs in order to encourage audience members to get off their asses and do something to improve the world (that is, after they recover from their hangovers). As usual, there was a mix of responses from the audience. One guy next to me shouted out, “¡Que no se olviden de los compadritos del ’68!” and others just made their annoying “culero” calls while demanding particular songs.
* The Set *
Mostly Caifanes and early Jaguares songs and just a few from the new album, which nobody sang along to, although according to a People en Español interview with Saúl, the day after its release 45 made the “no 1 spot on I-tunes,” whatever that means. The encore consisted of a wonderful Caifanes set of 4 songs that ended with “No Dejes Que,” which may have been meant to slow things down, although if that was the intent the locos in the mosh pit didn’t seem to notice.
“Me salvé del mundo y de su furia pero no de ti…”
* The Mosh Pit *
Let’s begin by saying that the venue was so crowded that it took a good half a dozen songs for the moshing to even get started. There was simply no room. But when it did get going, it was, well, crazy. I was one of maybe, maybe, four women in there. I can’t remember the last time I was in a mosh pit that was so overwhelmingly male. The gender imbalance made for some interesting near-death experiences. After a certain point, it seemed like the slower the song tempo, the harder the moshers worked to keep things riled up. I’m a bit ashamed to admit that I spent most of my time on the sidelines, but considering the overrepresentation of shirtless moshing dudes, I feel justified in my self-preservation tactics.
* The Verdict *
The show was awesome. The popularity of the 80’s and 90’s compositions, it seems, will never die. They just get better with time, and the band still performs them with all the love and electrified energy they deserve. And while the merits of the new songs is a subject of debate among fans, nearly all the songs on the new album are composed by Saúl, which is to say, they can never really be bad.
* P.S. *
The chisme mill here in Brooklyn has it that the new 4th member of the band is a paisa who used to work at a restaurant in Manhattan. The band used to invite him to play live with them whenever they came to town until they finally picked him up and gave him a new (and presumably better paying) job.
* The Set *
Mostly Caifanes and early Jaguares songs and just a few from the new album, which nobody sang along to, although according to a People en Español interview with Saúl, the day after its release 45 made the “no 1 spot on I-tunes,” whatever that means. The encore consisted of a wonderful Caifanes set of 4 songs that ended with “No Dejes Que,” which may have been meant to slow things down, although if that was the intent the locos in the mosh pit didn’t seem to notice.
“Me salvé del mundo y de su furia pero no de ti…”
* The Mosh Pit *
Let’s begin by saying that the venue was so crowded that it took a good half a dozen songs for the moshing to even get started. There was simply no room. But when it did get going, it was, well, crazy. I was one of maybe, maybe, four women in there. I can’t remember the last time I was in a mosh pit that was so overwhelmingly male. The gender imbalance made for some interesting near-death experiences. After a certain point, it seemed like the slower the song tempo, the harder the moshers worked to keep things riled up. I’m a bit ashamed to admit that I spent most of my time on the sidelines, but considering the overrepresentation of shirtless moshing dudes, I feel justified in my self-preservation tactics.
* The Verdict *
The show was awesome. The popularity of the 80’s and 90’s compositions, it seems, will never die. They just get better with time, and the band still performs them with all the love and electrified energy they deserve. And while the merits of the new songs is a subject of debate among fans, nearly all the songs on the new album are composed by Saúl, which is to say, they can never really be bad.
* P.S. *
The chisme mill here in Brooklyn has it that the new 4th member of the band is a paisa who used to work at a restaurant in Manhattan. The band used to invite him to play live with them whenever they came to town until they finally picked him up and gave him a new (and presumably better paying) job.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
la competencia de baile
oooh, i love a good dance competition! from girls just want to have fun to bailando por la boda de mis sueños ... i am ever captivated. and the competencia at the annual mujeres unidades y activas party at el rio last night did not disappoint.
10 pairs tested their skill at cumbia, salsa, reggaeton, & more cumbia...
the competition was fierce...
but when all was said and done our very own pachuquita (and partner in crime shaw-san) walked away with first place!!!
felicades, you guys :)
10 pairs tested their skill at cumbia, salsa, reggaeton, & more cumbia...
the competition was fierce...
but when all was said and done our very own pachuquita (and partner in crime shaw-san) walked away with first place!!!
felicades, you guys :)
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
So many albums, so little wireless access
Yes, folks, I am currently in a limited wireless access situation, which means that I have totally L-A-G-G-G-E-D on downloading the slew of new albums by some of my favorite artists. Some of these albums I know I need to have (Julieta’s Unplugged) and others I am curious about (Beto Cuevas) and others are yet to be released (Aterciopelados). But the bottom line is, if you can get to them before me, you should. Here they are, my wishlist:
Julieta Venegas - MTV Unplugged (released in June)
Jaguares - 45 (released Sept 2)
Enrique Bunbury - Hellville De Luxe (released Sept 30 in Spain)
Beto Cuevas - Miedo Escénico (released Sept 30)
Volumen Cero - I Can See the Brite spot (released Oct 7)
Aterciopelados - Río (release date Oct 21)
In the meantime, check out Café Tacvba’s collaboration with Calle 13 on “No Hay Nadie Como Tú.” Like the song, enjoy the video, LOVE the Tacubos plunking and strumming away on their acoustic instruments as they groove!
Julieta Venegas - MTV Unplugged (released in June)
Jaguares - 45 (released Sept 2)
Enrique Bunbury - Hellville De Luxe (released Sept 30 in Spain)
Beto Cuevas - Miedo Escénico (released Sept 30)
Volumen Cero - I Can See the Brite spot (released Oct 7)
Aterciopelados - Río (release date Oct 21)
In the meantime, check out Café Tacvba’s collaboration with Calle 13 on “No Hay Nadie Como Tú.” Like the song, enjoy the video, LOVE the Tacubos plunking and strumming away on their acoustic instruments as they groove!
Sunday, October 12, 2008
516 years and counting
Let’s be real folks, the only reason we claim today as El Día de la Raza is because they claimed it first as Columbus day, which means that really, today is not just a celebration of us but of nuestra resistencia.
I’m back here in Brooklyn, trying to decide whether or not I want to spy on the Christopher Columbus Day Parade on Monday (after 516 years this country still flagrantly celebrates colonization like it’s a good thing). In the meantime, I am reminded of all the indigenous peoples around the world who today fight for the right to their land, their culture, their language, their traditions, and their economic and political sovereignty. I am reminded of Palestine and Iraq and Chiapas and Bolivia and migrants here in the U.S., especially those from Southern Mexico and Guatemala who still maintain tribal identities. I am reminded of the struggle of First Nations north of those borders, too, especially the ones with ongoing struggles to save their sacred sites from the reaches of mining companies and ski resorts.
You must die - Quetzal
So, as we go about our active resistance today, may Quetzal’s music go before us:
“Killing of millions of people, now you must die.
Genocide missions no longer justified.
Die, die! Cowboy, die, die!
Die, die! Cowboy, die, die!
Die, die! Cowboy, die, die!
Die, die! Cowboy, die, die!
Cracker.”
Saturday, October 11, 2008
tu eres para mi, julieta
there's just something about a girl with an accordian, que no? she plays tonight at the warfield in sf, part of her presente tour.
el presente : julieta venegas
con el mundo como va
se nos acaba todo
ay ay ay ay ay
la tempestad y la calma
casi son la misma cosa
ay ay ay ay ay
...
el presente es lo único que tenemos
el presente es lo único que hay
es contigo mi vida con quien puedo sentir
que merece la pena vivir
**
with the world going as it is
we run out of everything
ay ay ay ay ay
the tempest and the calm
are almost the same thing
ay ay ay ay ay
...
the present is all that we have
the present is all that there is
it's with you my love (my life) that i feel
it's worth the trouble to live
el presente : julieta venegas
con el mundo como va
se nos acaba todo
ay ay ay ay ay
la tempestad y la calma
casi son la misma cosa
ay ay ay ay ay
...
el presente es lo único que tenemos
el presente es lo único que hay
es contigo mi vida con quien puedo sentir
que merece la pena vivir
**
with the world going as it is
we run out of everything
ay ay ay ay ay
the tempest and the calm
are almost the same thing
ay ay ay ay ay
...
the present is all that we have
the present is all that there is
it's with you my love (my life) that i feel
it's worth the trouble to live
Thursday, October 9, 2008
aniversario
today is the anniversary of the death of che guevara.
ernesto che guevara, radio rebelde. en la sierra maestra, circa 1958.
the day following the assassination of che in bolívia in 1967, silvio rodriguez composed this song, which must be among the most beautiful ever written...
la era está pariendo un corazón : silvio rodriguez
this is one of those songs that doesn't translate very well. here's the refrain, with an attempt to approximate a translation (apologies for its inadequacy).
la era está pariendo un corazón
no puede más, se muere de dolor
y hay que acudir corriendo
pues se cae el porvenir
**
the era is giving birth to a heart
she can't anymore, she's dying of pain
and help must come running
because the future is falling away
this scene from state of siege by costa-gavras, also makes a fitting tribute to el che & his legacy i think. the song playing here is hasta siempre comandante by carlos puebla.
you can see the entire film here.
ernesto che guevara, radio rebelde. en la sierra maestra, circa 1958.
the day following the assassination of che in bolívia in 1967, silvio rodriguez composed this song, which must be among the most beautiful ever written...
la era está pariendo un corazón : silvio rodriguez
this is one of those songs that doesn't translate very well. here's the refrain, with an attempt to approximate a translation (apologies for its inadequacy).
la era está pariendo un corazón
no puede más, se muere de dolor
y hay que acudir corriendo
pues se cae el porvenir
**
the era is giving birth to a heart
she can't anymore, she's dying of pain
and help must come running
because the future is falling away
this scene from state of siege by costa-gavras, also makes a fitting tribute to el che & his legacy i think. the song playing here is hasta siempre comandante by carlos puebla.
you can see the entire film here.
Monday, October 6, 2008
el tango queer
hay milonga de amor / este tango es para vos...
2nd international queer tango festival
1-7 december 2008
buenos aires
ya son muchos los estudios que prueban que en un principio el tango se bailaba entre varones. esto --se explique como se explique-- echa luz sobre un interesante elemento: desde un principio, el tango nos plantea una práctica que pone en escena la abstracción de los roles del sexo al que socialmente se adjudican. de ahí en más, se abren las posibilidades.
**
there are now many studies that demonstrate that, at its beginning, the tango was danced between men. this, whatever the explanation, sheds light on one interesting element: from the start, the tango establishes for us a practice that sets aside socially-constructed gender roles. from that point on, the possibilities are opened.
: tango queer buenos aires
santa maría (del buen ayre) : gotan project
2nd international queer tango festival
1-7 december 2008
buenos aires
ya son muchos los estudios que prueban que en un principio el tango se bailaba entre varones. esto --se explique como se explique-- echa luz sobre un interesante elemento: desde un principio, el tango nos plantea una práctica que pone en escena la abstracción de los roles del sexo al que socialmente se adjudican. de ahí en más, se abren las posibilidades.
**
there are now many studies that demonstrate that, at its beginning, the tango was danced between men. this, whatever the explanation, sheds light on one interesting element: from the start, the tango establishes for us a practice that sets aside socially-constructed gender roles. from that point on, the possibilities are opened.
: tango queer buenos aires
santa maría (del buen ayre) : gotan project
Thursday, October 2, 2008
1968 : no se olvida
today marks 40 years since the tlatelolco massacre in mexico city.
ten days before the 1968 olympic games opened in their city 15,000 students, workers, and their families filled the streets chanting ¡no queremos olimpiadas, queremos revolución! / we don't want the olympics, we want a revolution! the protest came after months of strikes and other popular actions, and was a direct response to the mexican army's occupation of unam, la universidad nacional "autónoma" de méxico. the march ended with approximately 10,000 people assembled in the plaza de las tres culturas in tlatelolco, and the mexican government sent in its army and police forces behind them. as night began to fall, the armed forces surrounded the plaza. then they opened fire indiscriminately on those who had gathered, hitting with live ammunition hundreds of unarmed men, women, and children who were trying to flee. the chaos and killing lasted hours. neighbors in the adjacent apartment buildings opened their homes to hide students, and police responded by spraying the buildings with bullets and tearing them apart all night looking for young dissidents. in addition to the killings, the military and police arrested, tortured, and disappeared countless people on october 2nd and in the surrounding days, including most of the student movement leadership. while the government is widely believed to have kept records of the number of people arrested, detained, and killed, accurate numbers have yet to be officially released.
here's a song, one of many, about that day:
nada pasó : panteón rococo
and compilation of fotos from la noche de tlatelolco, by beloved mexican writer elena poniatowska:
**
more about mexico 1968...
articles in the current proceso : testimonies from roberta avendaño martínez "la tita" & ignacia "nacha" rodríguez
article in today's la jornada
article in today's l.a. times
article in today's página 12
permanent unam commemoration exhibit
extensive foto archive and reports at el universal
fotos taken by a government photographer and leaked to el mundo in 2001
national security archive report
ten days before the 1968 olympic games opened in their city 15,000 students, workers, and their families filled the streets chanting ¡no queremos olimpiadas, queremos revolución! / we don't want the olympics, we want a revolution! the protest came after months of strikes and other popular actions, and was a direct response to the mexican army's occupation of unam, la universidad nacional "autónoma" de méxico. the march ended with approximately 10,000 people assembled in the plaza de las tres culturas in tlatelolco, and the mexican government sent in its army and police forces behind them. as night began to fall, the armed forces surrounded the plaza. then they opened fire indiscriminately on those who had gathered, hitting with live ammunition hundreds of unarmed men, women, and children who were trying to flee. the chaos and killing lasted hours. neighbors in the adjacent apartment buildings opened their homes to hide students, and police responded by spraying the buildings with bullets and tearing them apart all night looking for young dissidents. in addition to the killings, the military and police arrested, tortured, and disappeared countless people on october 2nd and in the surrounding days, including most of the student movement leadership. while the government is widely believed to have kept records of the number of people arrested, detained, and killed, accurate numbers have yet to be officially released.
here's a song, one of many, about that day:
nada pasó : panteón rococo
and compilation of fotos from la noche de tlatelolco, by beloved mexican writer elena poniatowska:
**
more about mexico 1968...
articles in the current proceso : testimonies from roberta avendaño martínez "la tita" & ignacia "nacha" rodríguez
article in today's la jornada
article in today's l.a. times
article in today's página 12
permanent unam commemoration exhibit
extensive foto archive and reports at el universal
fotos taken by a government photographer and leaked to el mundo in 2001
national security archive report
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