Dire Straits - Money For Something

Yeah, money for something, and it better be good. But then again, its Mark Knopfler that we're talking bout, so it can't be anything below awesome.Its less than three days before my exmas start, and I'm still to start preapring. I have become the laziest person on the planet, and I'm too lazy to fix it. Instead of focusing on my exams, I'm trying my very best to get two tickets for the Mark Knopfler concert - not that anyone car completely blame me for wanting to see God himself!

I took back my criticism on Sting, but I have none for Mr. Knopfler. I hope I will not have any reasons to have any. As far as I - not to mention almost every guitar-playing/observing fan on this planet - am concerned, the only thing that he can do wrong is play studio recordings of his music. This is one artiste whose best performances are Live. Has anyone heard Alchemy? He played Live, and all the songs are like liquid tension (Speaking of which, there was a band called Liquid Tension Experiment. Alternative Hard Rock. Very good if you're into serious Rock and all. I can get you a CD if you're really interested.).
The sound from that strat was enrapturing. It was like sipping Vodka in the Carribean, with these hundreds of servants attending to you on your personal beach alongside you're 200-acre mansion. The only thing different was that the sea, instead of being green, was elctric blue, and pulsating, and each wave would rise, soar, and fall in the wake of another one, in the most beautiful pattern ever.
He would be mad to not play like that here, or for that matter, anywhere. Even if just to show what he's capable of, for those poor sould who don't know already. He must play Hard Rock. He mut play Sultans Of Swin the way I've heard it, the way everyone should hear it. They must realise that it IS possible to better yor studio recordings by 1000%, and to change the song from cool, laid-back, almost jazzy to electric, divine sound that WILL take you to a better place.

I'm waiting...

Mystical Potato-Head Groove

This one starts off as a poem written by me. I mailed it to Aasimah, and then we've been at it for a few days, talking only in rhymes. I've put up the subsequent replies to this as a comment, so if you want to read what we have written, or just post a comment of your own, please click the comments link.

Wiggle your ears
Bring out some tears
Shake and make your whole head move!
Grin till you frown
And hang upside-down
Lets do the mystical potato-head groove!

Put on some pop
Take off your top
Dance till your legs give way!
Chew lots of ice
Feed all the mice
Thats the mystical potato-head way!

Run up and dowwn
Through the length of the town
Once you're done, do it all over again!
Get a TV
And a couch, both for free
And be like mystical potato-head men!

Eat your heart out
Keep your dog out
Be as mean as you can!
Drive fast cars
But never drink in the bars
Act like a mystical potato-head fan!

Go to NIMHANS
Flunk your exams
Get a scary result!
Make a lightening scar
And be happy that you are
Finally part of the mystical potato-head cult!

The things you must do
That just are not you
To keep yourself with the 'in' crowd
You know they're artificial
And they know it too
So prey, why are you so loud?

Just be who you are
Reset the bar
Stop being something pseudo!
Tell 'em just what you think
Or put it down in ink
Andd get back to playing Ludo.

So, what would you like to do?

Snort through your nose
Bathe with the hose
Pretend you're part of Star Trek's crew?
Have smelly underwear
Or cut your own hair
And do whatever you want to do?

Or would you rather wiggle your ears
Bring out some tears
Shake and make your whole head move?
Grin till you frown
And hang upside-down
And do the mystical potato-head groove?

You decide...

Live!!LIVE!!LIVE!! And Coming To A City Near You! - Follow Up I (Sting)

OK, I take it all back... every little bit of critisicm towards Sting. The man is brilliant. He's a legend in his own lunchtime!

I went to his concert yesterday, after much running around to sell my last 2-grand ticket... but still, I enjoyed the concert completely and fully. He(Sting) layed all his favorite songs - ranging from Brand New Day, Fields Of Gold, and Sacred Love to Roxanne, Fragile, and Every Breath You Take. He is fantastic. There is no other word for the man. While others have had thier 15 seconds of fame, this man has lived on, straight from when my dad was as old as me to GenX, and has kept producing exquisite sound. Wave after wave of music, blending in perfectly with the previous note, seemingly chaotic, but fluid and purposeful. All his songs were captivating. His Bass Guitar was ripping the place apart, and his stunning vocals melted through the matter of my mind. That man is like wine - he just gets better and better with age.
His entire stage presence wasn't one of the rock idol, but rather that of the smooth operator, who knew exactly what he was doing, and injecting that little bit of electricity here and there. His entire laid-back yet powerful attidute was quite a change from what Bangalore is used to - what with the likes of The Rolling Stones, Roger Waters, and Deep Purple all oozing that adrenaline rush through to everyone.

Now for thee only glitch in the entire concert (Yes Sneha, there always is) - his first song, Brand New Day, started off quite well with the whole guitar riff thing. Then he sang:
How many of you people out there
Been hurt in some kind of love affair
How many tibes you be ab bo ba bop again?

Yes. He lost the line. Completely. But, Sting being Sting, he just went on with the 'Be Bo Ba Ba-Doum' and made it sound so natural, like it was part of the original song. Only if you caught it and looked at his face would you notice the slight grimace on his face at the end of the line. None-the-less, 10 points to him for his cover-up. Well done.

And here come the plus-points:
All his songs were perfect. He didn't try too many stunts on stage, and stuck to the original tune of each andd every song. If you've ever heard his 'All This Time' album, you'll understand the relief I experienced. Roxanne, the song that should never be altered, never was. It was perfect. He stretched it, but in a nice sorta way, not in a 'personal touch' disaster way.
He played Fields Of Gold perfectly. I (along with the rest of the crowd) loved it. And he loved singing it too. You could see it on his face, and hear it in his voice.
Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic. Should be altered to Every Little Thing He Does Is Magic. It is. The man is a genius.

Sneha, you're absolutely right. He is a fantastic performer. I take back absolutely anything bad that I ever said about him. He is right back on his pedestal as one of my all-time musical Idols.

How Genuine-Imitation Can You Get?

Ever seen these sidey shops that sell 'genuine-imitation' leather? Or those places that offer you the original replica of a watch at a subsidised price? What the heck is that supposed to mean? Is it genuine leater and an imitation of a design, or is it fake leather, and a genuine design? and if it's an original, why is it a replica? Or if it's a replica, does it matter who made it? It's still going to be a copy(This is a little more debatable than it might look...)
On the saubject of replication, imitation, and other such topics, take a look at the shot of the car - its a Ford RS Cosworth. The shot was taken in Palm Meadows, where I live. This is a 1:24 scale model (Which means 1/24 times the size of the real thing) that's about 5 years old, and extremely worn. Tell me how real it looks...
5 Stars - Genuine.
4 Stars - Genuine Imitation.
3 Stars - Original Replica.
2 Stars - Imitaiton Replica.
1 Star - Cheap, Badly Animated Photo.
No Star - Just plain worthless.


P.S. I'm uploading a Ferrari F40 (In my opinion, the best lookibg and performing - in its era - ferrari ever. Another Model car.). Same rating pattern. Tell me what you think.