Dr. Martin Luther King's legacy is looking like the streets we named after him -- permanently under construction...
Directed by Zia Mohajerjasbi, Blue Scholar's "Back Home," off of the recently released Bayani, is powerful, poignant and necessary. Sure, the video's not terribly original (cemetery setting, weeping widows, kids holding portraits of lost loved ones) but it captures the inevitable suffering and pain that comes with war.
I know I've posted about Blue Scholars before but I'm just geeked off the fact that there are still some rap cats making meaningful music instead of those annoying ass dance songs. If only the masses would start taking note...
Posted by at 7:52 PM | Comments (3)
Dr. Martin Luther King's legacy is looking like the streets we named after him -- permanently under construction...
Directed by Zia Mohajerjasbi, Blue Scholar's "Back Home," off of the recently released Bayani, is powerful, poignant and necessary. Sure, the video's not terribly original (cemetery setting, weeping widows, kids holding portraits of lost loved ones) but it captures the inevitable suffering and pain that comes with war.
I know I've posted about Blue Scholars before but I'm just geeked off the fact that there are still some rap cats making meaningful music instead of those annoying ass dance songs. If only the masses would start taking note...
Posted by at 7:52 PM | Comments (3)
Dr. Martin Luther King's legacy is looking like the streets we named after him -- permanently under construction...
Directed by Zia Mohajerjasbi, Blue Scholar's "Back Home," off of the recently released Bayani, is powerful, poignant and necessary. Sure, the video's not terribly original (cemetery setting, weeping widows, kids holding portraits of lost loved ones) but it captures the inevitable suffering and pain that comes with war.
I know I've posted about Blue Scholars before but I'm just geeked off the fact that there are still some rap cats making meaningful music instead of those annoying ass dance songs. If only the masses would start taking note...
Posted by Zoneil at 7:52 PM | Comments (3)
I've never been one of those New Yorker magazine junkies, like many people I know. I guess I'm more of a secret New Yorker junkie because I have enough things piled up in my life to feel guilty about not getting to. But the annual "Summer Fiction Issue" is kindof a must for me. I picked it up a few weeks ago on the way back from a trip to Mexico and have been carrying the increasingly more tattered thing around with me ever since.
Not only does it have an excerpt from Junot Diaz's new novel The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, but it has an amazing debut story by Korean American writer David Hoon Kim about a Japanese adoptee who was raised in Denmark and is living in Paris, entitled Sweetheart Sorrow.
I had met Fumiko almost two years earlier, in the Métro. She was not the first to mistake me for one of her countrymen. To anyone seeing me walking around in Paris, I probably look about as Scandinavian as the Emperor Hirohito, even if the only thing I am able to say in Japanese is "I don’t speak Japanese.” I am unable to pronounce the name of the city where I was born.
“But you look so Japanese,” an exasperated Fumiko told me that day, her French much more foreign-sounding than mine. Words, in her mouth, always seemed to have one syllable too many. We stood facing each other, surrounded by commuters, in the stale air of the subway car.
“Really.” I let the sarcasm settle in. “I had no idea.”
When I told her where I was from, she screamed. Several people looked at us. “De-eh-enmark? Wouah!” A pause. “So you speak”—another pause—“Danish?” She even managed to give “Danish” an extra syllable.
“Yes.”
Fumiko was from a small town in northern Japan; she was auditing courses at the École des Beaux-Arts. She smoked Marlboro Lights, which she pronounced Maru-boru Right. She owned an Aiwa mini disk player, which, she told me, used a special lithium-ion battery. The friendlier she became, the more I found her friendliness irritating, presumptuous. I had met people like her before, Asians who thought I had something in common with them. In Denmark, I had grown so used to looking different from everyone around me that I was able to forget what I looked like. In France, I was made aware, all over again, of my appearance: from French students frowning over my un-French, un-Japanese name to panhandlers in the street who shouted “Konnichiwa!” when I walked past, no doubt the only Japanese word they knew.
I found the investigation of language and love and race to be fascinating -- partly because these identity issues were transposed into a European setting. Anyway, I highly recomend a read and then checking out the Q&A with Kim afterwards.
Kim talks about his decisions to set his story in France -- where he lived for a long time:
I didn’t feel I could compete with native French-speakers writing about their own people; just as, in English, there were writers, of Asian descent or not, writing about the U.S. much better than I ever could. At the same time, I wanted to be true to myself as a writer. I’ve always felt that it doesn’t matter what you write about; what matters is how you write about it.
I am often thinking (and writing) about this issue between the quality of the writing and the theme. I agree -- at the end of the day -- it is HOW YOU WRITE but I think it is important for Asian American writers to really make an effort to push outside of the box and write about characters not heard of before, like Kim's Japanese-Danish Blatand.
Posted by neela at 2:01 PM | Comments (3)
I've never been one of those New Yorker magazine junkies, like many people I know. I guess I'm more of a secret New Yorker junkie because I have enough things piled up in my life to feel guilty about not getting to. But the annual "Summer Fiction Issue" is kindof a must for me. I picked it up a few weeks ago on the way back from a trip to Mexico and have been carrying the increasingly more tattered thing around with me ever since.
Not only does it have an excerpt from Junot Diaz's new novel The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, but it has an amazing debut story by Korean American writer David Hoon Kim about a Japanese adoptee who was raised in Denmark and is living in Paris, entitled Sweetheart Sorrow.
I had met Fumiko almost two years earlier, in the Métro. She was not the first to mistake me for one of her countrymen. To anyone seeing me walking around in Paris, I probably look about as Scandinavian as the Emperor Hirohito, even if the only thing I am able to say in Japanese is "I don’t speak Japanese.” I am unable to pronounce the name of the city where I was born.
“But you look so Japanese,” an exasperated Fumiko told me that day, her French much more foreign-sounding than mine. Words, in her mouth, always seemed to have one syllable too many. We stood facing each other, surrounded by commuters, in the stale air of the subway car.
“Really.” I let the sarcasm settle in. “I had no idea.”
When I told her where I was from, she screamed. Several people looked at us. “De-eh-enmark? Wouah!” A pause. “So you speak”—another pause—“Danish?” She even managed to give “Danish” an extra syllable.
“Yes.”
Fumiko was from a small town in northern Japan; she was auditing courses at the École des Beaux-Arts. She smoked Marlboro Lights, which she pronounced Maru-boru Right. She owned an Aiwa mini disk player, which, she told me, used a special lithium-ion battery. The friendlier she became, the more I found her friendliness irritating, presumptuous. I had met people like her before, Asians who thought I had something in common with them. In Denmark, I had grown so used to looking different from everyone around me that I was able to forget what I looked like. In France, I was made aware, all over again, of my appearance: from French students frowning over my un-French, un-Japanese name to panhandlers in the street who shouted “Konnichiwa!” when I walked past, no doubt the only Japanese word they knew.
I found the investigation of language and love and race to be fascinating -- partly because these identity issues were transposed into a European setting. Anyway, I highly recomend a read and then checking out the Q&A with Kim afterwards.
Kim talks about his decisions to set his story in France -- where he lived for a long time:
I didn’t feel I could compete with native French-speakers writing about their own people; just as, in English, there were writers, of Asian descent or not, writing about the U.S. much better than I ever could. At the same time, I wanted to be true to myself as a writer. I’ve always felt that it doesn’t matter what you write about; what matters is how you write about it.
I am often thinking (and writing) about this issue between the quality of the writing and the theme. I agree -- at the end of the day -- it is HOW YOU WRITE but I think it is important for Asian American writers to really make an effort to push outside of the box and write about characters not heard of before, like Kim's Japanese-Danish Blatand.
Posted by neela at 2:01 PM | Comments (3)
I've never been one of those New Yorker magazine junkies, like many people I know. I guess I'm more of a secret New Yorker junkie because I have enough things piled up in my life to feel guilty about not getting to. But the annual "Summer Fiction Issue" is kindof a must for me. I picked it up a few weeks ago on the way back from a trip to Mexico and have been carrying the increasingly more tattered thing around with me ever since.
Not only does it have an excerpt from Junot Diaz's new novel The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, but it has an amazing debut story by Korean American writer David Hoon Kim about a Japanese adoptee who was raised in Denmark and is living in Paris, entitled Sweetheart Sorrow.
I had met Fumiko almost two years earlier, in the Mtro. She was not the first to mistake me for one of her countrymen. To anyone seeing me walking around in Paris, I probably look about as Scandinavian as the Emperor Hirohito, even if the only thing I am able to say in Japanese is "I dont speak Japanese. I am unable to pronounce the name of the city where I was born.
But you look so Japanese, an exasperated Fumiko told me that day, her French much more foreign-sounding than mine. Words, in her mouth, always seemed to have one syllable too many. We stood facing each other, surrounded by commuters, in the stale air of the subway car.
Really. I let the sarcasm settle in. I had no idea.
When I told her where I was from, she screamed. Several people looked at us. De-eh-enmark? Wouah! A pause. So you speakanother pauseDanish? She even managed to give Danish an extra syllable.
Yes.
Fumiko was from a small town in northern Japan; she was auditing courses at the cole des Beaux-Arts. She smoked Marlboro Lights, which she pronounced Maru-boru Right. She owned an Aiwa mini disk player, which, she told me, used a special lithium-ion battery. The friendlier she became, the more I found her friendliness irritating, presumptuous. I had met people like her before, Asians who thought I had something in common with them. In Denmark, I had grown so used to looking different from everyone around me that I was able to forget what I looked like. In France, I was made aware, all over again, of my appearance: from French students frowning over my un-French, un-Japanese name to panhandlers in the street who shouted Konnichiwa! when I walked past, no doubt the only Japanese word they knew.
I found the investigation of language and love and race to be fascinating -- partly because these identity issues were transposed into a European setting. Anyway, I highly recomend a read and then checking out the Q&A with Kim afterwards.
Kim talks about his decisions to set his story in France -- where he lived for a long time:
I didnt feel I could compete with native French-speakers writing about their own people; just as, in English, there were writers, of Asian descent or not, writing about the U.S. much better than I ever could. At the same time, I wanted to be true to myself as a writer. Ive always felt that it doesnt matter what you write about; what matters is how you write about it.
I am often thinking (and writing) about this issue between the quality of the writing and the theme. I agree -- at the end of the day -- it is HOW YOU WRITE but I think it is important for Asian American writers to really make an effort to push outside of the box and write about characters not heard of before, like Kim's Japanese-Danish Blatand.
Posted by neela at 2:01 PM | Comments (3)
The New York Academy of Medicine released a report in May on the needs of APIs living with HIV/AIDS in the New York City area.
Some key findings show no real surprises (many barriers to care like cost and language, evidence that APIs delay testing, and overall low knowledge of HIV prevention and treatment), but something to note:
• Extreme Isolation and Mental Distress Because of HIV Stigma. Reluctance to disclose one’s HIV status because of HIV stigma was a major theme in the qualitative interviews. Many participants experienced extreme social isolation because of their fears about disclosing their HIV status and the sometimes negative responses they received when they did disclose. Social isolation appears to have had significant negative mental health consequences. 71% had low or very low mental health scores, compared to 50% for the cohort. (emphasis mine)
Yet even given these high levels of isolation and mental distress, relatively few had utilized mental health services; providers said the barriers were both clients’ reluctance to seek mental health services and the lack of appropriate services. Once again, we see mental health as a major unaddressed issue in our community.
There are many APAs around the country trying to bring more attention to the issue of AIDS in our community and prompting folks to get tested (Boston City Councilor Sam Yoon got an oral test in front of the press in May). But at the same time, HIV clinics and researchers are seeing their funding slashed as the result of an administration that prefers to promote abstinence instead of sex ed to combat AIDS. Here in San Francisco, a Japanese American researcher at UCSF who worked with Asian and transgender communities was recently fired (he claims racial prejudice and lack of concern for transgendered communities).
I wrote about undocumented Asian immigrants living with HIV/AIDS in New York City in HYPHEN’s Fall 2006 issue (The Music Issue), and it never fails to amaze me how invisible this issue is to our community. Maybe people think it’s a nonissue; it has fallen off our radar since the ’80s and ’90s when it was on all the celebrities’ lips and lapels. Or, more disturbingly, maybe people think that Asian Americans simply don’t get AIDS. I once read a submission from a writer who didn’t use condoms because he assumed the Asian women he slept with were “clean” (his words).
So what to do? Volunteer with or donate to APA AIDS/HIV research and service groups, don’t assume HIV is just a gay or White issue, get tested regularly and for God’s sake, use a rubber.
Posted by lisamac at 11:21 AM | Comments (0)
The New York Academy of Medicine released a report in May on the needs of APIs living with HIV/AIDS in the New York City area.
Some key findings show no real surprises (many barriers to care like cost and language, evidence that APIs delay testing, and overall low knowledge of HIV prevention and treatment), but something to note:
• Extreme Isolation and Mental Distress Because of HIV Stigma. Reluctance to disclose one’s HIV status because of HIV stigma was a major theme in the qualitative interviews. Many participants experienced extreme social isolation because of their fears about disclosing their HIV status and the sometimes negative responses they received when they did disclose. Social isolation appears to have had significant negative mental health consequences. 71% had low or very low mental health scores, compared to 50% for the cohort. (emphasis mine)
Yet even given these high levels of isolation and mental distress, relatively few had utilized mental health services; providers said the barriers were both clients’ reluctance to seek mental health services and the lack of appropriate services. Once again, we see mental health as a major unaddressed issue in our community.
There are many APAs around the country trying to bring more attention to the issue of AIDS in our community and prompting folks to get tested (Boston City Councilor Sam Yoon got an oral test in front of the press in May). But at the same time, HIV clinics and researchers are seeing their funding slashed as the result of an administration that prefers to promote abstinence instead of sex ed to combat AIDS. Here in San Francisco, a Japanese American researcher at UCSF who worked with Asian and transgender communities was recently fired (he claims racial prejudice and lack of concern for transgendered communities).
I wrote about undocumented Asian immigrants living with HIV/AIDS in New York City in HYPHEN’s Fall 2006 issue (The Music Issue), and it never fails to amaze me how invisible this issue is to our community. Maybe people think it’s a nonissue; it has fallen off our radar since the ’80s and ’90s when it was on all the celebrities’ lips and lapels. Or, more disturbingly, maybe people think that Asian Americans simply don’t get AIDS. I once read a submission from a writer who didn’t use condoms because he assumed the Asian women he slept with were “clean” (his words).
So what to do? Volunteer with or donate to APA AIDS/HIV research and service groups, don’t assume HIV is just a gay or White issue, get tested regularly and for God’s sake, use a rubber.
Posted by lisamac at 11:21 AM | Comments (0)
The New York Academy of Medicine released a report in May on the needs of APIs living with HIV/AIDS in the New York City area.
Some key findings show no real surprises (many barriers to care like cost and language, evidence that APIs delay testing, and overall low knowledge of HIV prevention and treatment), but something to note:
Extreme Isolation and Mental Distress Because of HIV Stigma. Reluctance to disclose ones HIV status because of HIV stigma was a major theme in the qualitative interviews. Many participants experienced extreme social isolation because of their fears about disclosing their HIV status and the sometimes negative responses they received when they did disclose. Social isolation appears to have had significant negative mental health consequences. 71% had low or very low mental health scores, compared to 50% for the cohort. (emphasis mine)
Yet even given these high levels of isolation and mental distress, relatively few had utilized mental health services; providers said the barriers were both clients reluctance to seek mental health services and the lack of appropriate services. Once again, we see mental health as a major unaddressed issue in our community.
There are many APAs around the country trying to bring more attention to the issue of AIDS in our community and prompting folks to get tested (Boston City Councilor Sam Yoon got an oral test in front of the press in May). But at the same time, HIV clinics and researchers are seeing their funding slashed as the result of an administration that prefers to promote abstinence instead of sex ed to combat AIDS. Here in San Francisco, a Japanese American researcher at UCSF who worked with Asian and transgender communities was recently fired (he claims racial prejudice and lack of concern for transgendered communities).
I wrote about undocumented Asian immigrants living with HIV/AIDS in New York City in HYPHENs Fall 2006 issue (The Music Issue), and it never fails to amaze me how invisible this issue is to our community. Maybe people think its a nonissue; it has fallen off our radar since the 80s and 90s when it was on all the celebrities lips and lapels. Or, more disturbingly, maybe people think that Asian Americans simply dont get AIDS. I once read a submission from a writer who didnt use condoms because he assumed the Asian women he slept with were clean (his words).
So what to do? Volunteer with or donate to APA AIDS/HIV research and service groups, dont assume HIV is just a gay or White issue, get tested regularly and for Gods sake, use a rubber.
Posted by lisamac at 11:21 AM | Comments (0)
In D.C., a judge is suing an elderly Korean American couple for $67 million in damages for allegedly losing his pants...
The administrative law judge, Roy L. Pearson, Jr., claims the family-run Custom Cleaners, owned by an immigrant couple that doesn't speak English and works a 70-hour week, breached the District's consumer protection laws by displaying a "Satisfaction Guaranteed" sign in their window while misplacing his pants.
While pundits are having a heyday lampooning the lawsuit, the New York Times reports, the trial is being held-up by activists as a case book example of the abuse of lawsuits and the legal system in the U.S..
The defendants lawyer, Christopher Manning, wrote in court papers that ,“The plaintiff has decided to use his intimate knowledge of the District of Columbia laws and legal systems to exploit non-English-speaking immigrants who work in excess of 70 hours per week to live the American dream."
Nuff said. Read the whole sad tale--lurid details of the plaintiff claiming the laundrette maliciously replaced his designer pinstripes with cheap knock-offs!
Posted by melanie at 9:06 PM | Comments (0)
In D.C., a judge is suing an elderly Korean American couple for $67 million in damages for allegedly losing his pants...
The administrative law judge, Roy L. Pearson, Jr., claims the family-run Custom Cleaners, owned by an immigrant couple that doesn't speak English and works a 70-hour week, breached the District's consumer protection laws by displaying a "Satisfaction Guaranteed" sign in their window while misplacing his pants.
While pundits are having a heyday lampooning the lawsuit, the New York Times reports, the trial is being held-up by activists as a case book example of the abuse of lawsuits and the legal system in the U.S..
The defendants lawyer, Christopher Manning, wrote in court papers that ,“The plaintiff has decided to use his intimate knowledge of the District of Columbia laws and legal systems to exploit non-English-speaking immigrants who work in excess of 70 hours per week to live the American dream."
Nuff said. Read the whole sad tale--lurid details of the plaintiff claiming the laundrette maliciously replaced his designer pinstripes with cheap knock-offs!
Posted by melanie at 9:06 PM | Comments (0)
In D.C., a judge is suing an elderly Korean American couple for $67 million in damages for allegedly losing his pants...
The administrative law judge, Roy L. Pearson, Jr., claims the family-run Custom Cleaners, owned by an immigrant couple that doesn't speak English and works a 70-hour week, breached the District's consumer protection laws by displaying a "Satisfaction Guaranteed" sign in their window while misplacing his pants.
While pundits are having a heyday lampooning the lawsuit, the New York Times reports, the trial is being held-up by activists as a case book example of the abuse of lawsuits and the legal system in the U.S..
The defendants lawyer, Christopher Manning, wrote in court papers that ,The plaintiff has decided to use his intimate knowledge of the District of Columbia laws and legal systems to exploit non-English-speaking immigrants who work in excess of 70 hours per week to live the American dream."
Nuff said. Read the whole sad tale--lurid details of the plaintiff claiming the laundrette maliciously replaced his designer pinstripes with cheap knock-offs!
Posted by melanie at 9:06 PM | Comments (0)
The film Colma opens this Friday in SF, and I'm excited to see it. I missed this one at the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival because it was sold out. This time I'm buying my tickets in advance.
The story takes place in Colma, which is a suburb of SF where the dead outnumber the living 1500 to 1. It folllows best pals Rodel, Billy, and Maribel, who find themselves in a state of limbo. Fresh out of high school, they're trying to figure out how to weather the ups and downs of early adulthood.
Yes, it's a musical. I know some of you might be opposed to the idea of a musical, but get over it. I've heard this is a really really good film. We interviewed the directors in issue 10 of Hyphen (our music issue, naturally).
Screening & Party Info
COLMA: THE MUSICAL Opening and After-Party
Exclusive Engagement: Landmark Embarcadero Theatres from June 22
One Embarcadero Center, San Francisco
June 22 - 28 showtimes: Daily at 12pm / 2:30pm / 5pm / 7:30pm / 10pm
AFTER-PARTY: CAAM (that's Center for Asian American Media) will be hosting an informal after-party after the 7:30pm and 10pm screenings on Friday, June 22 at:
FRISSON
244 Jackson Street (two blocks from the Landmark Embarcadero)
9pm - 1am (immediately following the evening screenings)
More Info About the Film
COLMA: THE MUSICAL world premiered at the 2006 San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival and won the Special Jury Award. Catchy melodies, thoughtfully funny lyrics, and appealing teenage protagonists bring South SF’s cemetery town to life in this
highly original musical about… Colma! Three best friends sing, dance and dream their way through a city where the dead outnumber the living.
The film, directed by Richard Wong and featuring H.P. Mendoza, who wrote the script and music, went on to become a favorite on the festival circuit and earned IFP Gotham Award and Independent Spirit Award nominations.
Missed it at the SFIAAFF? Don't miss the chance to catch what critics are calling "[a] giddy, unexpected pleasure" (LA Weekly) and "one of the most entertaining films we've seen in a long time" (SFist).
If you've seen it once, come see the new theatrical version, re-edited by Oscar winning editor Lisa Fruchtman.
For more information about the film, visit their website. For more information about Landmark Theatres and show times, click here.
Tickets
Advance tickets available here.
And New York, you're next. Colma opens July 6th at The Quad 34 (W 13th Street New York City).
Posted by Melissa at 10:53 AM | Comments (6)
The film Colma opens this Friday in SF, and I'm excited to see it. I missed this one at the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival because it was sold out. This time I'm buying my tickets in advance.
The story takes place in Colma, which is a suburb of SF where the dead outnumber the living 1500 to 1. It folllows best pals Rodel, Billy, and Maribel, who find themselves in a state of limbo. Fresh out of high school, they're trying to figure out how to weather the ups and downs of early adulthood.
Yes, it's a musical. I know some of you might be opposed to the idea of a musical, but get over it. I've heard this is a really really good film. We interviewed the directors in issue 10 of Hyphen (our music issue, naturally).
Screening & Party Info
COLMA: THE MUSICAL Opening and After-Party
Exclusive Engagement: Landmark Embarcadero Theatres from June 22
One Embarcadero Center, San Francisco
June 22 - 28 showtimes: Daily at 12pm / 2:30pm / 5pm / 7:30pm / 10pm
AFTER-PARTY: CAAM (that's Center for Asian American Media) will be hosting an informal after-party after the 7:30pm and 10pm screenings on Friday, June 22 at:
FRISSON
244 Jackson Street (two blocks from the Landmark Embarcadero)
9pm - 1am (immediately following the evening screenings)
More Info About the Film
COLMA: THE MUSICAL world premiered at the 2006 San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival and won the Special Jury Award. Catchy melodies, thoughtfully funny lyrics, and appealing teenage protagonists bring South SF’s cemetery town to life in this
highly original musical about… Colma! Three best friends sing, dance and dream their way through a city where the dead outnumber the living.
The film, directed by Richard Wong and featuring H.P. Mendoza, who wrote the script and music, went on to become a favorite on the festival circuit and earned IFP Gotham Award and Independent Spirit Award nominations.
Missed it at the SFIAAFF? Don't miss the chance to catch what critics are calling "[a] giddy, unexpected pleasure" (LA Weekly) and "one of the most entertaining films we've seen in a long time" (SFist).
If you've seen it once, come see the new theatrical version, re-edited by Oscar winning editor Lisa Fruchtman.
For more information about the film, visit their website. For more information about Landmark Theatres and show times, click here.
Tickets
Advance tickets available here.
And New York, you're next. Colma opens July 6th at The Quad 34 (W 13th Street New York City).
Posted by Melissa at 10:53 AM | Comments (6)
The film Colma opens this Friday in SF, and I'm excited to see it. I missed this one at the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival because it was sold out. This time I'm buying my tickets in advance.
The story takes place in Colma, which is a suburb of SF where the dead outnumber the living 1500 to 1. It folllows best pals Rodel, Billy, and Maribel, who find themselves in a state of limbo. Fresh out of high school, they're trying to figure out how to weather the ups and downs of early adulthood.
Yes, it's a musical. I know some of you might be opposed to the idea of a musical, but get over it. I've heard this is a really really good film. We interviewed the directors in issue 10 of Hyphen (our music issue, naturally).
Screening & Party Info
COLMA: THE MUSICAL Opening and After-Party
Exclusive Engagement: Landmark Embarcadero Theatres from June 22
One Embarcadero Center, San Francisco
June 22 - 28 showtimes: Daily at 12pm / 2:30pm / 5pm / 7:30pm / 10pm
AFTER-PARTY: CAAM (that's Center for Asian American Media) will be hosting an informal after-party after the 7:30pm and 10pm screenings on Friday, June 22 at:
FRISSON
244 Jackson Street (two blocks from the Landmark Embarcadero)
9pm - 1am (immediately following the evening screenings)
More Info About the Film
COLMA: THE MUSICAL world premiered at the 2006 San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival and won the Special Jury Award. Catchy melodies, thoughtfully funny lyrics, and appealing teenage protagonists bring South SFs cemetery town to life in this
highly original musical about Colma! Three best friends sing, dance and dream their way through a city where the dead outnumber the living.
The film, directed by Richard Wong and featuring H.P. Mendoza, who wrote the script and music, went on to become a favorite on the festival circuit and earned IFP Gotham Award and Independent Spirit Award nominations.
Missed it at the SFIAAFF? Don't miss the chance to catch what critics are calling "[a] giddy, unexpected pleasure" (LA Weekly) and "one of the most entertaining films we've seen in a long time" (SFist).
If you've seen it once, come see the new theatrical version, re-edited by Oscar winning editor Lisa Fruchtman.
For more information about the film, visit their website. For more information about Landmark Theatres and show times, click here.
Tickets
Advance tickets available here.
And New York, you're next. Colma opens July 6th at The Quad 34 (W 13th Street New York City).
Posted by Melissa at 10:53 AM | Comments (6)
John Chao and Ashley Yao are Misha, a charming duo from New York and Taiwan, whose equally charming new album drops today on Tomlab. Already hailed as "perfect summer pop," Teardrop Sweetheart is ice cream for the ears on a hot sunny day and is just as delicious.
Watch for a full review in the upcoming issue of Hyphen. In the meantime, download a couple songs the band wanted to share with Hyphen readers (below) and visit the band's myspace page for more info.
Download "Summersend"
Download "Weatherbees"
Posted by christine at 12:01 AM | Comments (0)
John Chao and Ashley Yao are Misha, a charming duo from New York and Taiwan, whose equally charming new album drops today on Tomlab. Already hailed as "perfect summer pop," Teardrop Sweetheart is ice cream for the ears on a hot sunny day and is just as delicious.
Watch for a full review in the upcoming issue of Hyphen. In the meantime, download a couple songs the band wanted to share with Hyphen readers (below) and visit the band's myspace page for more info.
Download "Summersend"
Download "Weatherbees"
Posted by christine at 12:01 AM | Comments (0)
John Chao and Ashley Yao are Misha, a charming duo from New York and Taiwan, whose equally charming new album drops today on Tomlab. Already hailed as "perfect summer pop," Teardrop Sweetheart is ice cream for the ears on a hot sunny day and is just as delicious.
Watch for a full review in the upcoming issue of Hyphen. In the meantime, download a couple songs the band wanted to share with Hyphen readers (below) and visit the band's myspace page for more info.
Download "Summersend"
Download "Weatherbees"
Posted by christine at 12:01 AM | Comments (0)
Featured in our music issue last year were the Native Guns, consisting of radical Pinoy emcees Kiwi and Bambu and Chinese American DJ, Phatrick. The group has since parted ways to pursue solo careers.
Bambu’s second solo album, I Scream Bars for the Children, which we review in our upcoming issue, was released at the end of April. The video for its lead single, “Pull it Back,” directed by Erica Eng, just dropped…
Bambu, who’s also a community activist who works with youth and whose music strives to end violence on the streets, has had critics question the message of this defiant “fuck authority” anthem. We followed up to get his take on the song:
“When, especially in my/our communities, we're being violently attacked on a daily basis, I advocate for armed self-defense and I stand by the phrase, ‘An eye for an eye.’ I think for too long we've been nice. We've been clinging to ’the dream’, but the enemy ain't playing that game. So the song, at a glance, does sound like we're putting ourselves on the offensive front, but really, the song is about just doing something (marching, rallying, etc.) -- the same as with the "gun" reference in the Native Guns name, It's time we stand up and fight the fire with fire. Sounds cliché and corny, but I do believe it's necessary. We have a whole lot of unity, love and peace songs, and not enough "let's get our freedom" songs.”
***
For folks in the Bay Area,Kiwi, the other voice of the Native Guns, will celebrate the release of his new project, The Summer Exposure Mixtape, at Poleng Lounge tomorrow night with One Struggle, Praxis Rock and DJ Phatrick. More info about the event here,
***
And last but not least in hip-hop news, the Seattle-based duo Blue Scholars, which consists of Filipino emcee Geologicc and Iranian producer/DJ Sabzi, dropped their second full-length album, Bayani, yesterday. We review the album in our upcoming issue, but why wait to read the review? Why not listen to their music on their myspace page and judge for yourself? (If “North by Northwest” doesn’t make your head nod, then clean out your ear wax.)
Posted by melanie at 5:15 PM | Comments (6)
Featured in our music issue last year were the Native Guns, consisting of radical Pinoy emcees Kiwi and Bambu and Chinese American DJ, Phatrick. The group has since parted ways to pursue solo careers.
Bambu’s second solo album, I Scream Bars for the Children, which we review in our upcoming issue, was released at the end of April. The video for its lead single, “Pull it Back,” directed by Erica Eng, just dropped…
Bambu, who’s also a community activist who works with youth and whose music strives to end violence on the streets, has had critics question the message of this defiant “fuck authority” anthem. We followed up to get his take on the song:
“When, especially in my/our communities, we're being violently attacked on a daily basis, I advocate for armed self-defense and I stand by the phrase, ‘An eye for an eye.’ I think for too long we've been nice. We've been clinging to ’the dream’, but the enemy ain't playing that game. So the song, at a glance, does sound like we're putting ourselves on the offensive front, but really, the song is about just doing something (marching, rallying, etc.) -- the same as with the "gun" reference in the Native Guns name, It's time we stand up and fight the fire with fire. Sounds cliché and corny, but I do believe it's necessary. We have a whole lot of unity, love and peace songs, and not enough "let's get our freedom" songs.”
***
For folks in the Bay Area,Kiwi, the other voice of the Native Guns, will celebrate the release of his new project, The Summer Exposure Mixtape, at Poleng Lounge tomorrow night with One Struggle, Praxis Rock and DJ Phatrick. More info about the event here,
***
And last but not least in hip-hop news, the Seattle-based duo Blue Scholars, which consists of Filipino emcee Geologicc and Iranian producer/DJ Sabzi, dropped their second full-length album, Bayani, yesterday. We review the album in our upcoming issue, but why wait to read the review? Why not listen to their music on their myspace page and judge for yourself? (If “North by Northwest” doesn’t make your head nod, then clean out your ear wax.)
Posted by melanie at 5:15 PM | Comments (6)
Featured in our music issue last year were the Native Guns, consisting of radical Pinoy emcees Kiwi and Bambu and Chinese American DJ, Phatrick. The group has since parted ways to pursue solo careers.
Bambus second solo album, I Scream Bars for the Children, which we review in our upcoming issue, was released at the end of April. The video for its lead single, Pull it Back, directed by Erica Eng, just dropped
Bambu, whos also a community activist who works with youth and whose music strives to end violence on the streets, has had critics question the message of this defiant fuck authority anthem. We followed up to get his take on the song:
When, especially in my/our communities, we're being violently attacked on a daily basis, I advocate for armed self-defense and I stand by the phrase, An eye for an eye. I think for too long we've been nice. We've been clinging to the dream, but the enemy ain't playing that game. So the song, at a glance, does sound like we're putting ourselves on the offensive front, but really, the song is about just doing something (marching, rallying, etc.) -- the same as with the "gun" reference in the Native Guns name, It's time we stand up and fight the fire with fire. Sounds clich and corny, but I do believe it's necessary. We have a whole lot of unity, love and peace songs, and not enough "let's get our freedom" songs.
***
For folks in the Bay Area,Kiwi, the other voice of the Native Guns, will celebrate the release of his new project, The Summer Exposure Mixtape, at Poleng Lounge tomorrow night with One Struggle, Praxis Rock and DJ Phatrick. More info about the event here,
***
And last but not least in hip-hop news, the Seattle-based duo Blue Scholars, which consists of Filipino emcee Geologicc and Iranian producer/DJ Sabzi, dropped their second full-length album, Bayani, yesterday. We review the album in our upcoming issue, but why wait to read the review? Why not listen to their music on their myspace page and judge for yourself? (If North by Northwest doesnt make your head nod, then clean out your ear wax.)
Posted by melanie at 5:15 PM | Comments (6)
Tak Toyoshima's Secret Asian Man comic strip is being picked up by United Features, which will distribute it to daily newspapers around the world.
Toyoshima says on his blog that "this year is going to be a year of challenges and changes. Thanks to all of you who have been supporting the strip for years and to those who criticize me, disagree with me and tell me I’m a moron."
According to United Features, Secret Asian Man will be the first nationally syndicated comic strip featuring an Asian American main character. United Features will begin distributing it July 16 to newspapers and at www.comics.com.
Secret Asian Man has been weekly strip in Boston's Weekly Dig and other publications (including Hyphen Issue 5).
I LMAO when I see Secret Agent Man, and hopefully, as United Features development editor Ted Rail says, "You don't have to be Asian to love Secret Asian Man!"
Posted by harry at 10:04 AM | Comments (0)
Tak Toyoshima's Secret Asian Man comic strip is being picked up by United Features, which will distribute it to daily newspapers around the world.
Toyoshima says on his blog that "this year is going to be a year of challenges and changes. Thanks to all of you who have been supporting the strip for years and to those who criticize me, disagree with me and tell me I’m a moron."
According to United Features, Secret Asian Man will be the first nationally syndicated comic strip featuring an Asian American main character. United Features will begin distributing it July 16 to newspapers and at www.comics.com.
Secret Asian Man has been weekly strip in Boston's Weekly Dig and other publications (including Hyphen Issue 5).
I LMAO when I see Secret Agent Man, and hopefully, as United Features development editor Ted Rail says, "You don't have to be Asian to love Secret Asian Man!"
Posted by harry at 10:04 AM | Comments (0)
Tak Toyoshima's Secret Asian Man comic strip is being picked up by United Features, which will distribute it to daily newspapers around the world.
Toyoshima says on his blog that "this year is going to be a year of challenges and changes. Thanks to all of you who have been supporting the strip for years and to those who criticize me, disagree with me and tell me Im a moron."
According to United Features, Secret Asian Man will be the first nationally syndicated comic strip featuring an Asian American main character. United Features will begin distributing it July 16 to newspapers and at www.comics.com.
Secret Asian Man has been weekly strip in Boston's Weekly Dig and other publications (including Hyphen Issue 5).
I LMAO when I see Secret Agent Man, and hopefully, as United Features development editor Ted Rail says, "You don't have to be Asian to love Secret Asian Man!"
Posted by harry at 10:04 AM | Comments (0)
With contestants baring all to raise money for a good cause--from revealing the passion behind their leadership in the Asian American community to stripping off their shirts in the sleepwear round -- it's fair to say that this year's Mr. Hyphen 2007 competition lived up to the success of last year's inaugural pageant (and then some). Riding on her own coat tails, once again the righteously funny Ms. Ali Wong emceed the event, held Saturday night at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center.
In the end, Luke Patterson won the crown and $500 for his non-profit of choice: Great Leap, an LA-based multicultural arts organization. It was a great show. And along the way, with the bravado on stage and the fanfare in the audience, it was hard to tell who had more fun — the handsome and talented contestants or their admiring public. Here are some memorable moments from the evening. Share yours in the comments:
Talent.
Representing an East Bay community development organization, Tingwei Lin got the show off on the right foot with his humorous Napoleon Dynamite dance routine. Jeff Sichaleune put the "rare back in librarian" (because he is the "shhh!") with some creative story-time reading that charmed the crowd with his wit and originality. Jason Woo skipped winning hearts and minds and went straight to where he knows it counts: whetting appetites with an apple pie-making demonstration. (Is there anything sweeter than a man who can cook... except, perhaps, one also willing to work the stage for a good cause?)
Fashion.
The men of the Mr. Hyphen competition had no trouble hamming it up for the crowd during the Casual Wear segment. Anthem Salgado strutted down the catwalk evincing the poise n' swagger of a professional model. (Although it was hard to catch a view around his large and spirited fan-base, brandishing signs with unabated enthusiasm.) Billy Yeh ambled up to front and center stage, tossed back the edges of his jacket from the hips, to whoops and hollers. Armed with a huge contingent of fans from his dragon boat racing team, Jason mimed a cell phone with his thumb and pinkie, and silently whispered to the audience "Call me," ending with a nod that threw ladies in the audience into rollicking yelps. Luke spun around in a hyphy hoodie, licked his fingers and slicked back his eyebrows, inflaming the already lit audience into a regular riot.
Sleepwear.
The sleepwear segment brought the best out in the crowd (and arguably the contestants) as blazers gave way to boxers on stage. "Ladies--get ready to throw up your underwear with your numbers and MySpace URLs!" warned Ali.
Anthem whipped about the stage while twisting his traditional Filipino malong into a number of outfits, displaying some serious coordination. Sporting a Japanese kimono, Luke surprised emcee Ali with a bit of flashing. Jeff strut his stuff in a Playboy smoking jacket.
One of the most memorable highlights of the evening has to be when Jason took stage in his fire fighter gear, turning an audience (well lubricated after filling-up during the last bar call at intermission) into a maelstrom with a strip tease worthy of a bachelorette party fantasy.
Q&A. In the Q&A, Jason roused cheers by saying, "We define ourselves in this moment in time. Each one of us has the ability to define what it means to be Asian American." Asked what stereotype he dislikes most, Jeff pointed to the perpetual foreigner stereotype. Growing up with a Laotian heritage in the Midwest, Jeff said he dreaded being offered misguided compliments like "You're really good at kung fu, right? or "Your English is really good". (He says would reply to the latter with a wry, "So is yours").
Coronation.
The judges awarded Jeff Sichaleune First Runner-up and Jason Woo Second Runner-up. And Luke Patterson took away the crown, winning the judges over with his a combination of eloquence and playful gallantry. As a final surprise, Yul Kwon winner of last season's Survivor, showed up for the coronation... transferring the crown and the blingy belt from Mr. Hyphen 2006, Robin Sukhadia, to Luke.
If you can't get enough Mr. Hyphen, check out Mocha Monkey and Vaindeer for more pictures of the event and after-party. Otherwise, you'll just have to wait for the next issue... or Mr. Hyphen 2008. See you next year!
Posted by melanie at 11:31 PM | Comments (7)
With contestants baring all to raise money for a good cause--from revealing the passion behind their leadership in the Asian American community to stripping off their shirts in the sleepwear round -- it's fair to say that this year's Mr. Hyphen 2007 competition lived up to the success of last year's inaugural pageant (and then some). Riding on her own coat tails, once again the righteously funny Ms. Ali Wong emceed the event, held Saturday night at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center.
In the end, Luke Patterson won the crown and $500 for his non-profit of choice: Great Leap, an LA-based multicultural arts organization. It was a great show. And along the way, with the bravado on stage and the fanfare in the audience, it was hard to tell who had more fun — the handsome and talented contestants or their admiring public. Here are some memorable moments from the evening. Share yours in the comments:
Talent.
Representing an East Bay community development organization, Tingwei Lin got the show off on the right foot with his humorous Napoleon Dynamite dance routine. Jeff Sichaleune put the "rare back in librarian" (because he is the "shhh!") with some creative story-time reading that charmed the crowd with his wit and originality. Jason Woo skipped winning hearts and minds and went straight to where he knows it counts: whetting appetites with an apple pie-making demonstration. (Is there anything sweeter than a man who can cook... except, perhaps, one also willing to work the stage for a good cause?)
Fashion.
The men of the Mr. Hyphen competition had no trouble hamming it up for the crowd during the Casual Wear segment. Anthem Salgado strutted down the catwalk evincing the poise n' swagger of a professional model. (Although it was hard to catch a view around his large and spirited fan-base, brandishing signs with unabated enthusiasm.) Billy Yeh ambled up to front and center stage, tossed back the edges of his jacket from the hips, to whoops and hollers. Armed with a huge contingent of fans from his dragon boat racing team, Jason mimed a cell phone with his thumb and pinkie, and silently whispered to the audience "Call me," ending with a nod that threw ladies in the audience into rollicking yelps. Luke spun around in a hyphy hoodie, licked his fingers and slicked back his eyebrows, inflaming the already lit audience into a regular riot.
Sleepwear.
The sleepwear segment brought the best out in the crowd (and arguably the contestants) as blazers gave way to boxers on stage. "Ladies--get ready to throw up your underwear with your numbers and MySpace URLs!" warned Ali.
Anthem whipped about the stage while twisting his traditional Filipino malong into a number of outfits, displaying some serious coordination. Sporting a Japanese kimono, Luke surprised emcee Ali with a bit of flashing. Jeff strut his stuff in a Playboy smoking jacket.
One of the most memorable highlights of the evening has to be when Jason took stage in his fire fighter gear, turning an audience (well lubricated after filling-up during the last bar call at intermission) into a maelstrom with a strip tease worthy of a bachelorette party fantasy.
Q&A. In the Q&A, Jason roused cheers by saying, "We define ourselves in this moment in time. Each one of us has the ability to define what it means to be Asian American." Asked what stereotype he dislikes most, Jeff pointed to the perpetual foreigner stereotype. Growing up with a Laotian heritage in the Midwest, Jeff said he dreaded being offered misguided compliments like "You're really good at kung fu, right? or "Your English is really good". (He says would reply to the latter with a wry, "So is yours").
Coronation.
The judges awarded Jeff Sichaleune First Runner-up and Jason Woo Second Runner-up. And Luke Patterson took away the crown, winning the judges over with his a combination of eloquence and playful gallantry. As a final surprise, Yul Kwon winner of last season's Survivor, showed up for the coronation... transferring the crown and the blingy belt from Mr. Hyphen 2006, Robin Sukhadia, to Luke.
If you can't get enough Mr. Hyphen, check out Mocha Monkey and Vaindeer for more pictures of the event and after-party. Otherwise, you'll just have to wait for the next issue... or Mr. Hyphen 2008. See you next year!
Posted by melanie at 11:31 PM | Comments (7)
With contestants baring all to raise money for a good cause--from revealing the passion behind their leadership in the Asian American community to stripping off their shirts in the sleepwear round -- it's fair to say that this year's Mr. Hyphen 2007 competition lived up to the success of last year's inaugural pageant (and then some). Riding on her own coat tails, once again the righteously funny Ms. Ali Wong emceed the event, held Saturday night at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center.
In the end, Luke Patterson won the crown and $500 for his non-profit of choice: Great Leap, an LA-based multicultural arts organization. It was a great show. And along the way, with the bravado on stage and the fanfare in the audience, it was hard to tell who had more fun the handsome and talented contestants or their admiring public. Here are some memorable moments from the evening. Share yours in the comments:
Talent.
Representing an East Bay community development organization, Tingwei Lin got the show off on the right foot with his humorous Napoleon Dynamite dance routine. Jeff Sichaleune put the "rare back in librarian" (because he is the "shhh!") with some creative story-time reading that charmed the crowd with his wit and originality. Jason Woo skipped winning hearts and minds and went straight to where he knows it counts: whetting appetites with an apple pie-making demonstration. (Is there anything sweeter than a man who can cook... except, perhaps, one also willing to work the stage for a good cause?)
Fashion.
The men of the Mr. Hyphen competition had no trouble hamming it up for the crowd during the Casual Wear segment. Anthem Salgado strutted down the catwalk evincing the poise n' swagger of a professional model. (Although it was hard to catch a view around his large and spirited fan-base, brandishing signs with unabated enthusiasm.) Billy Yeh ambled up to front and center stage, tossed back the edges of his jacket from the hips, to whoops and hollers. Armed with a huge contingent of fans from his dragon boat racing team, Jason mimed a cell phone with his thumb and pinkie, and silently whispered to the audience "Call me," ending with a nod that threw ladies in the audience into rollicking yelps. Luke spun around in a hyphy hoodie, licked his fingers and slicked back his eyebrows, inflaming the already lit audience into a regular riot.
Sleepwear.
The sleepwear segment brought the best out in the crowd (and arguably the contestants) as blazers gave way to boxers on stage. "Ladies--get ready to throw up your underwear with your numbers and MySpace URLs!" warned Ali.
Anthem whipped about the stage while twisting his traditional Filipino malong into a number of outfits, displaying some serious coordination. Sporting a Japanese kimono, Luke surprised emcee Ali with a bit of flashing. Jeff strut his stuff in a Playboy smoking jacket.
One of the most memorable highlights of the evening has to be when Jason took stage in his fire fighter gear, turning an audience (well lubricated after filling-up during the last bar call at intermission) into a maelstrom with a strip tease worthy of a bachelorette party fantasy.
Q&A. In the Q&A, Jason roused cheers by saying, "We define ourselves in this moment in time. Each one of us has the ability to define what it means to be Asian American." Asked what stereotype he dislikes most, Jeff pointed to the perpetual foreigner stereotype. Growing up with a Laotian heritage in the Midwest, Jeff said he dreaded being offered misguided compliments like "You're really good at kung fu, right? or "Your English is really good". (He says would reply to the latter with a wry, "So is yours").
Coronation.
The judges awarded Jeff Sichaleune First Runner-up and Jason Woo Second Runner-up. And Luke Patterson took away the crown, winning the judges over with his a combination of eloquence and playful gallantry. As a final surprise, Yul Kwon winner of last season's Survivor, showed up for the coronation... transferring the crown and the blingy belt from Mr. Hyphen 2006, Robin Sukhadia, to Luke.
If you can't get enough Mr. Hyphen, check out Mocha Monkey and Vaindeer for more pictures of the event and after-party. Otherwise, you'll just have to wait for the next issue... or Mr. Hyphen 2008. See you next year!
Posted by melanie at 11:31 PM | Comments (7)
Sarode artist Alam Khan talks to Mr. Hyphen 2006.
This interview was originally taken for Hyphen Magazine in May 2006
Sitting and talking with Alam Khan, 25, at the world famous Ali Akbar College of Music in Marin, CA, is like sharing a sacred meal with a rising acolyte at an ancient temple. One of the youngest sons of Maestro Ali Akbar Khan, Alam radiates seriousness and an intense self-awareness about his role as one of the youngest torch-bearers of his father’s and grandfather’s legacy. Born in America, Alam began studying sarode with his father at age seven, and has performed with him around the world including at the prestigious Dover Lane Music Conference in Kolkata, India and at Carnegie Hall in 2005 with Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri. In 2004, Alam made his debut solo sarode performance accompanied by the great tabla wizard, Zakir Hussain. Alam’s focus is teaching, guiding instrumental and vocal classes at the Ali Akbar College of Music, where hundreds of students from around the world come to learn the classical musical traditions of North India.
I had a chance to talk with Alam while in between classes he was teaching at the Ali Akbar College of Music.
Being part of a musical lineage is an important part of who you are. You are one of the only people I know that can say they come from a long lineage in a family dedicated to this music. This interview is partly about your relationship to your lineage and your thoughts about the meaning of lineage. But I wanted to start with something simple…
Tell me about where you are now with your music?
Right now I am practicing rigorously and taking all my father’s classes. I instruct review classes, and give private instruction to students at the College. I am performing regularly as well, which involves contacting organizations and promoters and that takes up a lot of time.
As far as India, I played several times on this recent tour [Spring 2006]. I have a number of concerts being lined up by people who want to arrange performances for me in India for next year. I feel like I have been accepted in India, which means a lot to me being American.
Was this something you were worried or insecure about?
Not really, not musically, at least. I feel confident in what my father has taught me. I am confident fully in everything that he has taught me but I think vocal music would be harder for me to be accepted in, especially since I don’t speak the traditional languages very well. I am trying, but I don’t know them. I can’t speak fluently, and this is something that I would like to learn eventually. I am hoping to learn Hindi soon.
But instrumental music, I feel completely Indian in my playing. If you listen to me playing, you wouldn’t feel that I was not from India. And this is not an egotistical thing that I am saying, it is just confidence in my playing because I have been taught by my father to sound that way. I have been taught to play purely, and I have had the correct training, and I am still receiving that traditional training from my father. So I don’t feel that my sound would sound foreign.
I didn’t feel that I wouldn’t be accepted in that sense. I was more concerned with my ability to perform solo, to captivate an audience, to portray a raga, to play new variations, because these are the markers that determine authenticity. Not just playing in a boring or amateurish way…
I don’t consider myself a good musician or a learned musician. “I think I am just learning, that I am a student, and that I will always be a student…over there in India and here, I have been given good feedback and they are enjoying the music I play. So, in that sense, I wasn’t worried about being accepted…I was worried that they would just find me not ready to play at a solo level, not being able to play long enough performances, be conditioned enough in a solo setting by Indian standards…
I was very happy to be received well in India, and them wanting me to come back and play regularly validated me. It was really nice. But I didn’t feel surprised that they wouldn’t accept the sound, because that sound was taught to me by my father. I feel that I have very much received the correct training and can express our style correctly.
But the difference is our language. They may think, ”…He grew up in America. He is an American. He doesn’t know what India is all about. He doesn’t have the full exposure.” This has been expressed, that since I cannot speak Hindi and Bengali, I am lacking the full picture of things. To some extent this may be true.
But, from the point of music and what my father is teaching me, instrumental wise, it is ok. The main barrier is the language thing.
After talking to people in India, at the Dover Lane Festival, I ran into fans of my father. They recognized me during the intermission, in the middle of the show. They were elders who listened to my father growing up. They recognized me. They came up to me, and they talked to me. They talked my ear off for 45 minutes. I was trying to go, but I couldn’t because they were talking so passionately about the music. They said they believe in me, that they want me to keep playing, that Kolkata loves me, they love my father, they respect him, naming times they saw him in concert and through recordings…the said tjhat they wanted me to keep playing. That they wanted me to continue to come back, that all Kolkata loves me. I had felt this, but to hear complete strangers share this with me so passionately felt good to me. I had never talked to complete strangers so passionately about this before…which meant a lot to me, and made me feel more confident in what I am doing…I never feel like I will be where I could or should possibly be, but at least what I am doing now is to some people good enough, or they believe that I will do fine as long as I keep doing it.
You talk a lot about your father, and this idea of lineage. What does lineage meant to you? What is lineage and how important is it to your approach to music?
Of course, on a conscious and sub conscious level it plays a big part of my mental state that I come from a line of great musicians. That my father is one of the last great ones, him and his sister Annapurna. A lot of his children, some of them play, but I am one of the youngest ones. We are the next generation, learning and playing, and if we don’t keep it going, the students will carry it on, but I am someone who has been given his direct training, energy and teachings, I am definitely one of the last ones.
If I didn’t do this, it would haunt me that I didn’t do it…I ask myself, is this what I want to do? Am I happy? I realize that, sometimes, no I am not, but I feel like I definitely have a purpose in this life, and that purpose was given to me for a reason, and I didn’t just land in this situation for no reason…I think of all the other things I could do, but this is the one thing that I am truly passionate about. It is the only thing I have really been able to do. I could say to myself, “…Do what you want to do, don’t do what your parents want you to do,” but I have my father and being who he is, it is so intense and I am so involved in it, and I feel so strongly, and that this is really meant for me to do. Yes it is hard, and there are times that I don’t feel happy about it all the time…but nothing is easy. I think life is about sacrifice also.
When I think about how hard it is, I think that this is part of my sacrifice. I want to make people happy like my father did. The lineage is important, yes, but devotion to the music is the most important thing …and our family happens to be blessed with a huge part of that lineage of classical music. My grandfather and my father, these people become involved in lineage…they didn’t create it, but it came to them, through them, and they are blessed enough to have it reach the highest realization… My family is a huge channel for that music.
Maestro Ali Akbar Khan surrounded by (from left clockwise) son Manek, tabla maestro Swapan Chaudhuri, Alam, and eldest son Aashish
You talked about channeling, receiving direct energy from your father…is your process for learning music connected to your spirituality?
Spiritually this music is not for entertainment, it is not fashionable, not image saturated, and it transcends all of that. It came before all modern nonsense. The modern world has tried to seep into the music and turn it a certain way, but my father keeps it very traditional, the way he learned it. It is for your body, mind and soul, and one of the things that are great about my father, and all the masters living , and there are not many living these days, is that they are able to be open channels for love and compassion to come through them.
You don’t necessarily learn how to do that. I think it is karma based…you are born with this gift to some extent and then it is up to you to harness that ability and I think he has worked his entire life to do that to the level of mastery where he can leave his body or consciousness while he is playing, letting the music flow through him, so that he is a listener too, without effort…that is what mastery is, to be an open channel, and I hope that one day I can do that too…my grandfather used to say that you play and devote yourself so much to the ragas that you forget the time of day, your surroundings, the place you are in, your name, everything…you completely surround yourself with the raga, to reach a higher consciousness, a higher realization, enlightenment through music.
In order to achieve that, the music has to be very pure. The emphasis has to be on real pitch, rhythm, tuning…it is a whole different level that many people miss today. Especially with junk music today…it is fun, it is enjoyable, it gives you an emotion feeling, but it is not so fine tuned…like when a yogi or monk fine tune their bodies and minds so much, clear their minds, so they can be open channels. Like my father, he has so many memories, so many people around him, but he can clear all of that when he plays.
My father says that he wouldn’t be alive if it wasn’t for the music. The spiritual side of it is self evident, explanatory. If you listen to a real classical musician, when you listen to it, when you hear it, you will feel it…to intellectualize it, to talk about it, you can do only so much…but when you hear it, the places it can take you musically surpass all other genres of music. Indian classical music can take me there, and keep me there.
Let’s talk about “junk” music…how are traditional forms of music merging with electronic forms? What is your perception of this? Should classical music merge with these forms, or should it stay pure?
A lot of people are trying to merge this music, fuse this music with other forms…but I think that is just the medium through which people listen to music these days…through machines, beat machines for example. There is so much electronic music around us, and it is made and processed through beat machines, made electronically, through patches. It is a reflection of the generation today…we seek a quick fix, we have no time to meditate, no time to get in touch with old traditions. In modern society, we pick up our Yoga Journal magazine, we wear our T shirts with deities on them, and that makes us spiritual…but it is a whole state of mind, to embody that spirit, that spirituality, that the music misses nowadays…I like electronic music, I enjoy it, I listen to it, and I make it, so I would be a hypocrite if I said I didn’t like it or if it were bad and I didn’t enjoy it…but it can only take you to a certain place, it taps into different things, different kinds of emotions, vibrations…it is exciting, it is entertaining, it puts you in different moods, and serves as a soundtrack to things in your life, but it doesn’t get to the core essence nor can it keep you in that state.
You can hear a song, and it makes you feel a higher power, and for a moment touches on the full potential of what music can be…but in electronic music, there is a lot of carelessness on pitch, on timing, on tempo. Things are sloppy like that…and that bothers me. Really being in pitch, being in tune, is overlooked. It is almost careless…the music needs more focus on rhythm and the beat.
This is why I don’t think classical music fuses that well with electronic music. It is not pure music at that point. It is then a mix. I don’t think it is wrong, but I don’t think it should replace classical music. It would be tragic if people only listened to that, a fusion album with tabla, and they didn’t listen to the classical music that it is based upon. It would be really misplaced at that point.
Alam playing acoustic guitar in Kolkata
Even if the music is good, it not the same. Classical music should stay classical, and that is that. It can be great, can be beautiful, but it cannot bring me to the same place … because all of the classical music was created in a systematic way, created for a reason. For the times of the day, the seasons, cosmology, the way the mind adjusts to the times of day, and for the body. The subtleties you find in classical music parallel the human body, there is so much richness…other kinds of music don’t feel so rich. They feel like they are lacking…people are using electronic machines, but how much depth can you achieve from that? It can only somewhat express it.
What are your thoughts about students who are not of lineage, not from a family steeped in music? In some ways, your grandfather found his way into this music as an outsider as well.
His story is truly remarkable. His father played sitar, played music, not a professional level and not to the extent of my father. He ran away from home at 8 years old to devote his entire life to music. That doesn’t happen to most people, normal people. It was like he was chosen, it was based on karma…so if you think about the lineage of the music and these souls that have been reborn, then we are all connected to that power, that cosmic force…a lot of people are not born to that, and my grandfather ran away to devote his whole life to that, and I am so humbled and honored to be a part of that, this family, because of the dedication and sacrifice they have devoted themselves to. And the higher power of the gods and goddesses to bless us with this music, that is the lineage that I am so honored to be a part of. I don’t think this happens to many people, and so my grandfather sought it out. It wasn’t handed to him, and he ran off to be a musician, and his father didn’t want him to be a musician.
Alam's grandfather, Baba Allaudin Khan in Delhi, after he accepted the Padma Vibhushan awarded to him by the President of India.
This is one of the things I find most interesting about your family, that all of your family members promote the idea that you don’t have to be born into this music to study this music, that the Ali Akbar College of Music is open to anyone who wants to devote their time and life to music…and your grandfather represents that idea that studying this music does not require genetic or even gender lineage.
My grandfather said, “Spread this music as far as the sun shines.” You can be born to a great master, and that fact alone is a great honor, and is a part of the idea lineage…but it is up to you, to realize that potential, to honor that, to dedicate yourself, and sacrifice to study the music.
My father did not force me. Lineage plays a huge part to helping you do that as long as you dedicate yourself. That is tied into karma and fate…anybody, of course being Indian or born into the family, you could definitely be set back by being born in another country, to be a pure Indian classical musician would be difficult.
It is kind of a big subject…I know that I am honored to be a part of this family, I owe it to my family, to the people who showed so much love and dedication to this music, that I should learn this myself. I have felt that I want to dedicate my life to this music. I also believe in family and my dedication is to them and the gods and goddesses and the higher powers that have blessed us with this music…this has made me want to devote myself to this music. And this can be for anybody and their walk of life. You might not be the greatest musician or born into a certain family, and you can be an American student and this music can touch your heart, and it feels like an old friend, it feels right, and you understand the connection and you devote yourself to that, then you are devoting yourself to the lineage of the music…you may not be directly connected to it, but perhaps in a past life or in some karmic way you realize that you are connected, and you remember that to express that.
So what do you think the future of Indian classical music? Is it getting stronger?
The thing that separates our lineage from others, is that our family has kept it very pure. Nowadays, not many people are playing the music purely, they are modernizing it. My grandfather spent his own life learning this music to make it as pure as possible, and he learned it directly from the blood related descendents of Mian Tansen. Other traditions may water it down, so my lineage is very important to me. It is not the same as other lineages, and it is very strong, and those who are learning from this lineage are fortunate because it is a real one.
It is important to me that this music remains pure. As long as we play what our teachers gave us, then we will see the outcome. If we don’t practice and learn the music, then we won’t see it survive. We have the technology to sample the music and yes we can do that, but we must have a foundation or the building will collapse.
So you feel the music has a great deal of durability for survival in the west and in modern times?
It really depends on all the students, if the music survives or not. Audio and video archives will have compositions perserved. But, in terms of people being able to learn that and perform the music, that is the real question.
There is no lack in the teaching, but it is up to the students to absorb it, learn it and perform it. I hope that the highest caliber musicians continue performing. I hope I can do that, and I can reach my potential. I hope this music is always there, and that human beings are always touched by it. If we don’t keep the music alive, we will have forgotten where we come from. We will be rootless, and we will have this mishmash of sounds and samples we will call music. A music with no beginnings, no ends, no heads and no tails…this music will just be there, with no depth, no grounding.
There must be some order to the music…believing that music just is, and that we should just let it flow, is a mistake…the order is the dedication and love and the human work that people put into the music, and that is what gives it power. The caring and the respect for the sacred is what keeps it alive.
Tell me about your practice and how you approach learning music.
The intensity level of my practice, the way I practice is affected by what I learn. I shape my practice around my learning. My amount of practice changes…you have to put in the time. And I know you have to put in more. I learn from my father directly and on stage when we are together. You have to have a routine, if you don’t put in the time, you won’t see the benefit. You need to listen to a lot of music, play correct music, and learn compositions. At this point, where I am at, I have so much material from my father that I could practice that my entire life. What I need now, and what I am doing now is the practice that comes only through performance, that I don’t get by myself.
What do you learn through performance that you do not learn in private practice?
My aunt [Annapurna] doesn’t perform. The few times she did, she was received in the highest. So it is possible to achieve that level without performance. My father, on the other hand, performed his whole life. For me, I understand a certain thing when I am sitting in front of an audience, versus when I am sitting alone in my room.
Maybe it was the intensity of my grandfather, the feeling of confidence knowing that they could play in front of him then they could play in front of anybody. My father is not so strict with me in that way, and so I get intimidated by the audience, probably more so than my dad and aunt. They had solid backbones, and they put in much much more time practicing. And so, being in front of an audience and not turning back is part of creating new ways of approaching the music for me. Performing forces me to create on the spot, and so that is an important aspect of my playing.
Being American and not living in India, has that been challenging for you in terms of studying this music?
It doesn’t matter to me, at all, that I am not living in India, where this music originated because I have the best teacher here. If the teacher is here, why go to India? The energy and wisdom of that place is right here, through them you can see India. You don’t need to live there to learn the music.
Alam is featured on "From Father to Son" released in 2002 and available through AMMP.
Robin Sukhadia
Mr. Hyphen 2006/2007
Posted by robin at 4:49 PM | Comments (0)
Sarode artist Alam Khan talks to Mr. Hyphen 2006.
This interview was originally taken for Hyphen Magazine in May 2006
Sitting and talking with Alam Khan, 25, at the world famous Ali Akbar College of Music in Marin, CA, is like sharing a sacred meal with a rising acolyte at an ancient temple. One of the youngest sons of Maestro Ali Akbar Khan, Alam radiates seriousness and an intense self-awareness about his role as one of the youngest torch-bearers of his father’s and grandfather’s legacy. Born in America, Alam began studying sarode with his father at age seven, and has performed with him around the world including at the prestigious Dover Lane Music Conference in Kolkata, India and at Carnegie Hall in 2005 with Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri. In 2004, Alam made his debut solo sarode performance accompanied by the great tabla wizard, Zakir Hussain. Alam’s focus is teaching, guiding instrumental and vocal classes at the Ali Akbar College of Music, where hundreds of students from around the world come to learn the classical musical traditions of North India.
I had a chance to talk with Alam while in between classes he was teaching at the Ali Akbar College of Music.
Being part of a musical lineage is an important part of who you are. You are one of the only people I know that can say they come from a long lineage in a family dedicated to this music. This interview is partly about your relationship to your lineage and your thoughts about the meaning of lineage. But I wanted to start with something simple…
Tell me about where you are now with your music?
Right now I am practicing rigorously and taking all my father’s classes. I instruct review classes, and give private instruction to students at the College. I am performing regularly as well, which involves contacting organizations and promoters and that takes up a lot of time.
As far as India, I played several times on this recent tour [Spring 2006]. I have a number of concerts being lined up by people who want to arrange performances for me in India for next year. I feel like I have been accepted in India, which means a lot to me being American.
Was this something you were worried or insecure about?
Not really, not musically, at least. I feel confident in what my father has taught me. I am confident fully in everything that he has taught me but I think vocal music would be harder for me to be accepted in, especially since I don’t speak the traditional languages very well. I am trying, but I don’t know them. I can’t speak fluently, and this is something that I would like to learn eventually. I am hoping to learn Hindi soon.
But instrumental music, I feel completely Indian in my playing. If you listen to me playing, you wouldn’t feel that I was not from India. And this is not an egotistical thing that I am saying, it is just confidence in my playing because I have been taught by my father to sound that way. I have been taught to play purely, and I have had the correct training, and I am still receiving that traditional training from my father. So I don’t feel that my sound would sound foreign.
I didn’t feel that I wouldn’t be accepted in that sense. I was more concerned with my ability to perform solo, to captivate an audience, to portray a raga, to play new variations, because these are the markers that determine authenticity. Not just playing in a boring or amateurish way…
I don’t consider myself a good musician or a learned musician. “I think I am just learning, that I am a student, and that I will always be a student…over there in India and here, I have been given good feedback and they are enjoying the music I play. So, in that sense, I wasn’t worried about being accepted…I was worried that they would just find me not ready to play at a solo level, not being able to play long enough performances, be conditioned enough in a solo setting by Indian standards…
I was very happy to be received well in India, and them wanting me to come back and play regularly validated me. It was really nice. But I didn’t feel surprised that they wouldn’t accept the sound, because that sound was taught to me by my father. I feel that I have very much received the correct training and can express our style correctly.
But the difference is our language. They may think, ”…He grew up in America. He is an American. He doesn’t know what India is all about. He doesn’t have the full exposure.” This has been expressed, that since I cannot speak Hindi and Bengali, I am lacking the full picture of things. To some extent this may be true.
But, from the point of music and what my father is teaching me, instrumental wise, it is ok. The main barrier is the language thing.
After talking to people in India, at the Dover Lane Festival, I ran into fans of my father. They recognized me during the intermission, in the middle of the show. They were elders who listened to my father growing up. They recognized me. They came up to me, and they talked to me. They talked my ear off for 45 minutes. I was trying to go, but I couldn’t because they were talking so passionately about the music. They said they believe in me, that they want me to keep playing, that Kolkata loves me, they love my father, they respect him, naming times they saw him in concert and through recordings…the said tjhat they wanted me to keep playing. That they wanted me to continue to come back, that all Kolkata loves me. I had felt this, but to hear complete strangers share this with me so passionately felt good to me. I had never talked to complete strangers so passionately about this before…which meant a lot to me, and made me feel more confident in what I am doing…I never feel like I will be where I could or should possibly be, but at least what I am doing now is to some people good enough, or they believe that I will do fine as long as I keep doing it.
You talk a lot about your father, and this idea of lineage. What does lineage meant to you? What is lineage and how important is it to your approach to music?
Of course, on a conscious and sub conscious level it plays a big part of my mental state that I come from a line of great musicians. That my father is one of the last great ones, him and his sister Annapurna. A lot of his children, some of them play, but I am one of the youngest ones. We are the next generation, learning and playing, and if we don’t keep it going, the students will carry it on, but I am someone who has been given his direct training, energy and teachings, I am definitely one of the last ones.
If I didn’t do this, it would haunt me that I didn’t do it…I ask myself, is this what I want to do? Am I happy? I realize that, sometimes, no I am not, but I feel like I definitely have a purpose in this life, and that purpose was given to me for a reason, and I didn’t just land in this situation for no reason…I think of all the other things I could do, but this is the one thing that I am truly passionate about. It is the only thing I have really been able to do. I could say to myself, “…Do what you want to do, don’t do what your parents want you to do,” but I have my father and being who he is, it is so intense and I am so involved in it, and I feel so strongly, and that this is really meant for me to do. Yes it is hard, and there are times that I don’t feel happy about it all the time…but nothing is easy. I think life is about sacrifice also.
When I think about how hard it is, I think that this is part of my sacrifice. I want to make people happy like my father did. The lineage is important, yes, but devotion to the music is the most important thing …and our family happens to be blessed with a huge part of that lineage of classical music. My grandfather and my father, these people become involved in lineage…they didn’t create it, but it came to them, through them, and they are blessed enough to have it reach the highest realization… My family is a huge channel for that music.
Maestro Ali Akbar Khan surrounded by (from left clockwise) son Manek, tabla maestro Swapan Chaudhuri, Alam, and eldest son Aashish
You talked about channeling, receiving direct energy from your father…is your process for learning music connected to your spirituality?
Spiritually this music is not for entertainment, it is not fashionable, not image saturated, and it transcends all of that. It came before all modern nonsense. The modern world has tried to seep into the music and turn it a certain way, but my father keeps it very traditional, the way he learned it. It is for your body, mind and soul, and one of the things that are great about my father, and all the masters living , and there are not many living these days, is that they are able to be open channels for love and compassion to come through them.
You don’t necessarily learn how to do that. I think it is karma based…you are born with this gift to some extent and then it is up to you to harness that ability and I think he has worked his entire life to do that to the level of mastery where he can leave his body or consciousness while he is playing, letting the music flow through him, so that he is a listener too, without effort…that is what mastery is, to be an open channel, and I hope that one day I can do that too…my grandfather used to say that you play and devote yourself so much to the ragas that you forget the time of day, your surroundings, the place you are in, your name, everything…you completely surround yourself with the raga, to reach a higher consciousness, a higher realization, enlightenment through music.
In order to achieve that, the music has to be very pure. The emphasis has to be on real pitch, rhythm, tuning…it is a whole different level that many people miss today. Especially with junk music today…it is fun, it is enjoyable, it gives you an emotion feeling, but it is not so fine tuned…like when a yogi or monk fine tune their bodies and minds so much, clear their minds, so they can be open channels. Like my father, he has so many memories, so many people around him, but he can clear all of that when he plays.
My father says that he wouldn’t be alive if it wasn’t for the music. The spiritual side of it is self evident, explanatory. If you listen to a real classical musician, when you listen to it, when you hear it, you will feel it…to intellectualize it, to talk about it, you can do only so much…but when you hear it, the places it can take you musically surpass all other genres of music. Indian classical music can take me there, and keep me there.
Let’s talk about “junk” music…how are traditional forms of music merging with electronic forms? What is your perception of this? Should classical music merge with these forms, or should it stay pure?
A lot of people are trying to merge this music, fuse this music with other forms…but I think that is just the medium through which people listen to music these days…through machines, beat machines for example. There is so much electronic music around us, and it is made and processed through beat machines, made electronically, through patches. It is a reflection of the generation today…we seek a quick fix, we have no time to meditate, no time to get in touch with old traditions. In modern society, we pick up our Yoga Journal magazine, we wear our T shirts with deities on them, and that makes us spiritual…but it is a whole state of mind, to embody that spirit, that spirituality, that the music misses nowadays…I like electronic music, I enjoy it, I listen to it, and I make it, so I would be a hypocrite if I said I didn’t like it or if it were bad and I didn’t enjoy it…but it can only take you to a certain place, it taps into different things, different kinds of emotions, vibrations…it is exciting, it is entertaining, it puts you in different moods, and serves as a soundtrack to things in your life, but it doesn’t get to the core essence nor can it keep you in that state.
You can hear a song, and it makes you feel a higher power, and for a moment touches on the full potential of what music can be…but in electronic music, there is a lot of carelessness on pitch, on timing, on tempo. Things are sloppy like that…and that bothers me. Really being in pitch, being in tune, is overlooked. It is almost careless…the music needs more focus on rhythm and the beat.
This is why I don’t think classical music fuses that well with electronic music. It is not pure music at that point. It is then a mix. I don’t think it is wrong, but I don’t think it should replace classical music. It would be tragic if people only listened to that, a fusion album with tabla, and they didn’t listen to the classical music that it is based upon. It would be really misplaced at that point.
Alam playing acoustic guitar in Kolkata
Even if the music is good, it not the same. Classical music should stay classical, and that is that. It can be great, can be beautiful, but it cannot bring me to the same place … because all of the classical music was created in a systematic way, created for a reason. For the times of the day, the seasons, cosmology, the way the mind adjusts to the times of day, and for the body. The subtleties you find in classical music parallel the human body, there is so much richness…other kinds of music don’t feel so rich. They feel like they are lacking…people are using electronic machines, but how much depth can you achieve from that? It can only somewhat express it.
What are your thoughts about students who are not of lineage, not from a family steeped in music? In some ways, your grandfather found his way into this music as an outsider as well.
His story is truly remarkable. His father played sitar, played music, not a professional level and not to the extent of my father. He ran away from home at 8 years old to devote his entire life to music. That doesn’t happen to most people, normal people. It was like he was chosen, it was based on karma…so if you think about the lineage of the music and these souls that have been reborn, then we are all connected to that power, that cosmic force…a lot of people are not born to that, and my grandfather ran away to devote his whole life to that, and I am so humbled and honored to be a part of that, this family, because of the dedication and sacrifice they have devoted themselves to. And the higher power of the gods and goddesses to bless us with this music, that is the lineage that I am so honored to be a part of. I don’t think this happens to many people, and so my grandfather sought it out. It wasn’t handed to him, and he ran off to be a musician, and his father didn’t want him to be a musician.
Alam's grandfather, Baba Allaudin Khan in Delhi, after he accepted the Padma Vibhushan awarded to him by the President of India.
This is one of the things I find most interesting about your family, that all of your family members promote the idea that you don’t have to be born into this music to study this music, that the Ali Akbar College of Music is open to anyone who wants to devote their time and life to music…and your grandfather represents that idea that studying this music does not require genetic or even gender lineage.
My grandfather said, “Spread this music as far as the sun shines.” You can be born to a great master, and that fact alone is a great honor, and is a part of the idea lineage…but it is up to you, to realize that potential, to honor that, to dedicate yourself, and sacrifice to study the music.
My father did not force me. Lineage plays a huge part to helping you do that as long as you dedicate yourself. That is tied into karma and fate…anybody, of course being Indian or born into the family, you could definitely be set back by being born in another country, to be a pure Indian classical musician would be difficult.
It is kind of a big subject…I know that I am honored to be a part of this family, I owe it to my family, to the people who showed so much love and dedication to this music, that I should learn this myself. I have felt that I want to dedicate my life to this music. I also believe in family and my dedication is to them and the gods and goddesses and the higher powers that have blessed us with this music…this has made me want to devote myself to this music. And this can be for anybody and their walk of life. You might not be the greatest musician or born into a certain family, and you can be an American student and this music can touch your heart, and it feels like an old friend, it feels right, and you understand the connection and you devote yourself to that, then you are devoting yourself to the lineage of the music…you may not be directly connected to it, but perhaps in a past life or in some karmic way you realize that you are connected, and you remember that to express that.
So what do you think the future of Indian classical music? Is it getting stronger?
The thing that separates our lineage from others, is that our family has kept it very pure. Nowadays, not many people are playing the music purely, they are modernizing it. My grandfather spent his own life learning this music to make it as pure as possible, and he learned it directly from the blood related descendents of Mian Tansen. Other traditions may water it down, so my lineage is very important to me. It is not the same as other lineages, and it is very strong, and those who are learning from this lineage are fortunate because it is a real one.
It is important to me that this music remains pure. As long as we play what our teachers gave us, then we will see the outcome. If we don’t practice and learn the music, then we won’t see it survive. We have the technology to sample the music and yes we can do that, but we must have a foundation or the building will collapse.
So you feel the music has a great deal of durability for survival in the west and in modern times?
It really depends on all the students, if the music survives or not. Audio and video archives will have compositions perserved. But, in terms of people being able to learn that and perform the music, that is the real question.
There is no lack in the teaching, but it is up to the students to absorb it, learn it and perform it. I hope that the highest caliber musicians continue performing. I hope I can do that, and I can reach my potential. I hope this music is always there, and that human beings are always touched by it. If we don’t keep the music alive, we will have forgotten where we come from. We will be rootless, and we will have this mishmash of sounds and samples we will call music. A music with no beginnings, no ends, no heads and no tails…this music will just be there, with no depth, no grounding.
There must be some order to the music…believing that music just is, and that we should just let it flow, is a mistake…the order is the dedication and love and the human work that people put into the music, and that is what gives it power. The caring and the respect for the sacred is what keeps it alive.
Tell me about your practice and how you approach learning music.
The intensity level of my practice, the way I practice is affected by what I learn. I shape my practice around my learning. My amount of practice changes…you have to put in the time. And I know you have to put in more. I learn from my father directly and on stage when we are together. You have to have a routine, if you don’t put in the time, you won’t see the benefit. You need to listen to a lot of music, play correct music, and learn compositions. At this point, where I am at, I have so much material from my father that I could practice that my entire life. What I need now, and what I am doing now is the practice that comes only through performance, that I don’t get by myself.
What do you learn through performance that you do not learn in private practice?
My aunt [Annapurna] doesn’t perform. The few times she did, she was received in the highest. So it is possible to achieve that level without performance. My father, on the other hand, performed his whole life. For me, I understand a certain thing when I am sitting in front of an audience, versus when I am sitting alone in my room.
Maybe it was the intensity of my grandfather, the feeling of confidence knowing that they could play in front of him then they could play in front of anybody. My father is not so strict with me in that way, and so I get intimidated by the audience, probably more so than my dad and aunt. They had solid backbones, and they put in much much more time practicing. And so, being in front of an audience and not turning back is part of creating new ways of approaching the music for me. Performing forces me to create on the spot, and so that is an important aspect of my playing.
Being American and not living in India, has that been challenging for you in terms of studying this music?
It doesn’t matter to me, at all, that I am not living in India, where this music originated because I have the best teacher here. If the teacher is here, why go to India? The energy and wisdom of that place is right here, through them you can see India. You don’t need to live there to learn the music.
Alam is featured on "From Father to Son" released in 2002 and available through AMMP.
Robin Sukhadia
Mr. Hyphen 2006/2007
Posted by robin at 4:49 PM | Comments (0)
Sarode artist Alam Khan talks to Mr. Hyphen 2006.
This interview was originally taken for Hyphen Magazine in May 2006
Sitting and talking with Alam Khan, 25, at the world famous Ali Akbar College of Music in Marin, CA, is like sharing a sacred meal with a rising acolyte at an ancient temple. One of the youngest sons of Maestro Ali Akbar Khan, Alam radiates seriousness and an intense self-awareness about his role as one of the youngest torch-bearers of his fathers and grandfathers legacy. Born in America, Alam began studying sarode with his father at age seven, and has performed with him around the world including at the prestigious Dover Lane Music Conference in Kolkata, India and at Carnegie Hall in 2005 with Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri. In 2004, Alam made his debut solo sarode performance accompanied by the great tabla wizard, Zakir Hussain. Alams focus is teaching, guiding instrumental and vocal classes at the Ali Akbar College of Music, where hundreds of students from around the world come to learn the classical musical traditions of North India.
I had a chance to talk with Alam while in between classes he was teaching at the Ali Akbar College of Music.
Being part of a musical lineage is an important part of who you are. You are one of the only people I know that can say they come from a long lineage in a family dedicated to this music. This interview is partly about your relationship to your lineage and your thoughts about the meaning of lineage. But I wanted to start with something simple
Tell me about where you are now with your music?
Right now I am practicing rigorously and taking all my fathers classes. I instruct review classes, and give private instruction to students at the College. I am performing regularly as well, which involves contacting organizations and promoters and that takes up a lot of time.
As far as India, I played several times on this recent tour [Spring 2006]. I have a number of concerts being lined up by people who want to arrange performances for me in India for next year. I feel like I have been accepted in India, which means a lot to me being American.
Was this something you were worried or insecure about?
Not really, not musically, at least. I feel confident in what my father has taught me. I am confident fully in everything that he has taught me but I think vocal music would be harder for me to be accepted in, especially since I dont speak the traditional languages very well. I am trying, but I dont know them. I cant speak fluently, and this is something that I would like to learn eventually. I am hoping to learn Hindi soon.
But instrumental music, I feel completely Indian in my playing. If you listen to me playing, you wouldnt feel that I was not from India. And this is not an egotistical thing that I am saying, it is just confidence in my playing because I have been taught by my father to sound that way. I have been taught to play purely, and I have had the correct training, and I am still receiving that traditional training from my father. So I dont feel that my sound would sound foreign.
I didnt feel that I wouldnt be accepted in that sense. I was more concerned with my ability to perform solo, to captivate an audience, to portray a raga, to play new variations, because these are the markers that determine authenticity. Not just playing in a boring or amateurish way
I dont consider myself a good musician or a learned musician. I think I am just learning, that I am a student, and that I will always be a studentover there in India and here, I have been given good feedback and they are enjoying the music I play. So, in that sense, I wasnt worried about being acceptedI was worried that they would just find me not ready to play at a solo level, not being able to play long enough performances, be conditioned enough in a solo setting by Indian standards
I was very happy to be received well in India, and them wanting me to come back and play regularly validated me. It was really nice. But I didnt feel surprised that they wouldnt accept the sound, because that sound was taught to me by my father. I feel that I have very much received the correct training and can express our style correctly.
But the difference is our language. They may think, He grew up in America. He is an American. He doesnt know what India is all about. He doesnt have the full exposure. This has been expressed, that since I cannot speak Hindi and Bengali, I am lacking the full picture of things. To some extent this may be true.
But, from the point of music and what my father is teaching me, instrumental wise, it is ok. The main barrier is the language thing.
After talking to people in India, at the Dover Lane Festival, I ran into fans of my father. They recognized me during the intermission, in the middle of the show. They were elders who listened to my father growing up. They recognized me. They came up to me, and they talked to me. They talked my ear off for 45 minutes. I was trying to go, but I couldnt because they were talking so passionately about the music. They said they believe in me, that they want me to keep playing, that Kolkata loves me, they love my father, they respect him, naming times they saw him in concert and through recordingsthe said tjhat they wanted me to keep playing. That they wanted me to continue to come back, that all Kolkata loves me. I had felt this, but to hear complete strangers share this with me so passionately felt good to me. I had never talked to complete strangers so passionately about this beforewhich meant a lot to me, and made me feel more confident in what I am doingI never feel like I will be where I could or should possibly be, but at least what I am doing now is to some people good enough, or they believe that I will do fine as long as I keep doing it.
You talk a lot about your father, and this idea of lineage. What does lineage meant to you? What is lineage and how important is it to your approach to music?
Of course, on a conscious and sub conscious level it plays a big part of my mental state that I come from a line of great musicians. That my father is one of the last great ones, him and his sister Annapurna. A lot of his children, some of them play, but I am one of the youngest ones. We are the next generation, learning and playing, and if we dont keep it going, the students will carry it on, but I am someone who has been given his direct training, energy and teachings, I am definitely one of the last ones.
If I didnt do this, it would haunt me that I didnt do itI ask myself, is this what I want to do? Am I happy? I realize that, sometimes, no I am not, but I feel like I definitely have a purpose in this life, and that purpose was given to me for a reason, and I didnt just land in this situation for no reasonI think of all the other things I could do, but this is the one thing that I am truly passionate about. It is the only thing I have really been able to do. I could say to myself, Do what you want to do, dont do what your parents want you to do, but I have my father and being who he is, it is so intense and I am so involved in it, and I feel so strongly, and that this is really meant for me to do. Yes it is hard, and there are times that I dont feel happy about it all the timebut nothing is easy. I think life is about sacrifice also.
When I think about how hard it is, I think that this is part of my sacrifice. I want to make people happy like my father did. The lineage is important, yes, but devotion to the music is the most important thing and our family happens to be blessed with a huge part of that lineage of classical music. My grandfather and my father, these people become involved in lineagethey didnt create it, but it came to them, through them, and they are blessed enough to have it reach the highest realization My family is a huge channel for that music.
Maestro Ali Akbar Khan surrounded by (from left clockwise) son Manek, tabla maestro Swapan Chaudhuri, Alam, and eldest son Aashish
You talked about channeling, receiving direct energy from your fatheris your process for learning music connected to your spirituality?
Spiritually this music is not for entertainment, it is not fashionable, not image saturated, and it transcends all of that. It came before all modern nonsense. The modern world has tried to seep into the music and turn it a certain way, but my father keeps it very traditional, the way he learned it. It is for your body, mind and soul, and one of the things that are great about my father, and all the masters living , and there are not many living these days, is that they are able to be open channels for love and compassion to come through them.
You dont necessarily learn how to do that. I think it is karma basedyou are born with this gift to some extent and then it is up to you to harness that ability and I think he has worked his entire life to do that to the level of mastery where he can leave his body or consciousness while he is playing, letting the music flow through him, so that he is a listener too, without effortthat is what mastery is, to be an open channel, and I hope that one day I can do that toomy grandfather used to say that you play and devote yourself so much to the ragas that you forget the time of day, your surroundings, the place you are in, your name, everythingyou completely surround yourself with the raga, to reach a higher consciousness, a higher realization, enlightenment through music.
In order to achieve that, the music has to be very pure. The emphasis has to be on real pitch, rhythm, tuningit is a whole different level that many people miss today. Especially with junk music todayit is fun, it is enjoyable, it gives you an emotion feeling, but it is not so fine tunedlike when a yogi or monk fine tune their bodies and minds so much, clear their minds, so they can be open channels. Like my father, he has so many memories, so many people around him, but he can clear all of that when he plays.
My father says that he wouldnt be alive if it wasnt for the music. The spiritual side of it is self evident, explanatory. If you listen to a real classical musician, when you listen to it, when you hear it, you will feel itto intellectualize it, to talk about it, you can do only so muchbut when you hear it, the places it can take you musically surpass all other genres of music. Indian classical music can take me there, and keep me there.
Lets talk about junk musichow are traditional forms of music merging with electronic forms? What is your perception of this? Should classical music merge with these forms, or should it stay pure?
A lot of people are trying to merge this music, fuse this music with other formsbut I think that is just the medium through which people listen to music these daysthrough machines, beat machines for example. There is so much electronic music around us, and it is made and processed through beat machines, made electronically, through patches. It is a reflection of the generation todaywe seek a quick fix, we have no time to meditate, no time to get in touch with old traditions. In modern society, we pick up our Yoga Journal magazine, we wear our T shirts with deities on them, and that makes us spiritualbut it is a whole state of mind, to embody that spirit, that spirituality, that the music misses nowadaysI like electronic music, I enjoy it, I listen to it, and I make it, so I would be a hypocrite if I said I didnt like it or if it were bad and I didnt enjoy itbut it can only take you to a certain place, it taps into different things, different kinds of emotions, vibrationsit is exciting, it is entertaining, it puts you in different moods, and serves as a soundtrack to things in your life, but it doesnt get to the core essence nor can it keep you in that state.
You can hear a song, and it makes you feel a higher power, and for a moment touches on the full potential of what music can bebut in electronic music, there is a lot of carelessness on pitch, on timing, on tempo. Things are sloppy like thatand that bothers me. Really being in pitch, being in tune, is overlooked. It is almost carelessthe music needs more focus on rhythm and the beat.
This is why I dont think classical music fuses that well with electronic music. It is not pure music at that point. It is then a mix. I dont think it is wrong, but I dont think it should replace classical music. It would be tragic if people only listened to that, a fusion album with tabla, and they didnt listen to the classical music that it is based upon. It would be really misplaced at that point.
Alam playing acoustic guitar in Kolkata
Even if the music is good, it not the same. Classical music should stay classical, and that is that. It can be great, can be beautiful, but it cannot bring me to the same place because all of the classical music was created in a systematic way, created for a reason. For the times of the day, the seasons, cosmology, the way the mind adjusts to the times of day, and for the body. The subtleties you find in classical music parallel the human body, there is so much richnessother kinds of music dont feel so rich. They feel like they are lackingpeople are using electronic machines, but how much depth can you achieve from that? It can only somewhat express it.
What are your thoughts about students who are not of lineage, not from a family steeped in music? In some ways, your grandfather found his way into this music as an outsider as well.
His story is truly remarkable. His father played sitar, played music, not a professional level and not to the extent of my father. He ran away from home at 8 years old to devote his entire life to music. That doesnt happen to most people, normal people. It was like he was chosen, it was based on karmaso if you think about the lineage of the music and these souls that have been reborn, then we are all connected to that power, that cosmic forcea lot of people are not born to that, and my grandfather ran away to devote his whole life to that, and I am so humbled and honored to be a part of that, this family, because of the dedication and sacrifice they have devoted themselves to. And the higher power of the gods and goddesses to bless us with this music, that is the lineage that I am so honored to be a part of. I dont think this happens to many people, and so my grandfather sought it out. It wasnt handed to him, and he ran off to be a musician, and his father didnt want him to be a musician.
Alam's grandfather, Baba Allaudin Khan in Delhi, after he accepted the Padma Vibhushan awarded to him by the President of India.
This is one of the things I find most interesting about your family, that all of your family members promote the idea that you dont have to be born into this music to study this music, that the Ali Akbar College of Music is open to anyone who wants to devote their time and life to musicand your grandfather represents that idea that studying this music does not require genetic or even gender lineage.
My grandfather said, Spread this music as far as the sun shines. You can be born to a great master, and that fact alone is a great honor, and is a part of the idea lineagebut it is up to you, to realize that potential, to honor that, to dedicate yourself, and sacrifice to study the music.
My father did not force me. Lineage plays a huge part to helping you do that as long as you dedicate yourself. That is tied into karma and fateanybody, of course being Indian or born into the family, you could definitely be set back by being born in another country, to be a pure Indian classical musician would be difficult.
It is kind of a big subjectI know that I am honored to be a part of this family, I owe it to my family, to the people who showed so much love and dedication to this music, that I should learn this myself. I have felt that I want to dedicate my life to this music. I also believe in family and my dedication is to them and the gods and goddesses and the higher powers that have blessed us with this musicthis has made me want to devote myself to this music. And this can be for anybody and their walk of life. You might not be the greatest musician or born into a certain family, and you can be an American student and this music can touch your heart, and it feels like an old friend, it feels right, and you understand the connection and you devote yourself to that, then you are devoting yourself to the lineage of the musicyou may not be directly connected to it, but perhaps in a past life or in some karmic way you realize that you are connected, and you remember that to express that.
So what do you think the future of Indian classical music? Is it getting stronger?
The thing that separates our lineage from others, is that our family has kept it very pure. Nowadays, not many people are playing the music purely, they are modernizing it. My grandfather spent his own life learning this music to make it as pure as possible, and he learned it directly from the blood related descendents of Mian Tansen. Other traditions may water it down, so my lineage is very important to me. It is not the same as other lineages, and it is very strong, and those who are learning from this lineage are fortunate because it is a real one.
It is important to me that this music remains pure. As long as we play what our teachers gave us, then we will see the outcome. If we dont practice and learn the music, then we wont see it survive. We have the technology to sample the music and yes we can do that, but we must have a foundation or the building will collapse.
So you feel the music has a great deal of durability for survival in the west and in modern times?
It really depends on all the students, if the music survives or not. Audio and video archives will have compositions perserved. But, in terms of people being able to learn that and perform the music, that is the real question.
There is no lack in the teaching, but it is up to the students to absorb it, learn it and perform it. I hope that the highest caliber musicians continue performing. I hope I can do that, and I can reach my potential. I hope this music is always there, and that human beings are always touched by it. If we dont keep the music alive, we will have forgotten where we come from. We will be rootless, and we will have this mishmash of sounds and samples we will call music. A music with no beginnings, no ends, no heads and no tailsthis music will just be there, with no depth, no grounding.
There must be some order to the musicbelieving that music just is, and that we should just let it flow, is a mistakethe order is the dedication and love and the human work that people put into the music, and that is what gives it power. The caring and the respect for the sacred is what keeps it alive.
Tell me about your practice and how you approach learning music.
The intensity level of my practice, the way I practice is affected by what I learn. I shape my practice around my learning. My amount of practice changesyou have to put in the time. And I know you have to put in more. I learn from my father directly and on stage when we are together. You have to have a routine, if you dont put in the time, you wont see the benefit. You need to listen to a lot of music, play correct music, and learn compositions. At this point, where I am at, I have so much material from my father that I could practice that my entire life. What I need now, and what I am doing now is the practice that comes only through performance, that I dont get by myself.
What do you learn through performance that you do not learn in private practice?
My aunt [Annapurna] doesnt perform. The few times she did, she was received in the highest. So it is possible to achieve that level without performance. My father, on the other hand, performed his whole life. For me, I understand a certain thing when I am sitting in front of an audience, versus when I am sitting alone in my room.
Maybe it was the intensity of my grandfather, the feeling of confidence knowing that they could play in front of him then they could play in front of anybody. My father is not so strict with me in that way, and so I get intimidated by the audience, probably more so than my dad and aunt. They had solid backbones, and they put in much much more time practicing. And so, being in front of an audience and not turning back is part of creating new ways of approaching the music for me. Performing forces me to create on the spot, and so that is an important aspect of my playing.
Being American and not living in India, has that been challenging for you in terms of studying this music?
It doesnt matter to me, at all, that I am not living in India, where this music originated because I have the best teacher here. If the teacher is here, why go to India? The energy and wisdom of that place is right here, through them you can see India. You dont need to live there to learn the music.
Alam is featured on "From Father to Son" released in 2002 and available through AMMP.
Robin Sukhadia
Mr. Hyphen 2006/2007
Posted by robin at 4:49 PM | Comments (0)
This isn't the first time we're blogging about this, and it probably won't be the last. The message is simple: get registered as a bone marrow donor. Because of the low numbers of minorities who are registered, people who need bone marrow transplants are not getting them. We've been getting emails lately from some young Asian Americans who have cancer and blood disorders and need your help.
Vinay Chakravarathy has luekemia and needs to find a bone marrow transplant in the next 6 weeks. His best chance of finding a match is from a South Asian donor.
Myling Ta was recently diagnosed with aplastic anemia, a rare bone marrow disorder. She is Vietnamese and again, her best match would be from another Vietnamese, but there are very few registered Vietnamese donors.
And Michelle Maykin, who is half Chinese, half Vietnamese, was diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) at the end of February. There is a 50% chance that she will be cured by chemo, but if not, she will need a bone marrow transplant. Her siblings are unfortunately not a match, so she did a preliminary search on the National Marrow Donor List and found 0 matches.
You can help by getting registered with the donor registry. It's really easy. I know, I did it. (And not just because Yul Kwon asked me to do it, though meeting him certainly made it a bit more exciting.) All they do it swab the inside of your mouth with a Q-tip. It's painless and takes a couple minutes (and most of that time is spent filling out a form.) Registering on the donor list does not mean you automatically have to donate your marrow. You'll only be contacted if you're a match. You could potentially save a life.
If you are all or part ethnic minority (Asian Pacific Islander, South Asian, Hispanic, African American, etc.), there is no fee to register and get tested. If not, the fee is $52.
You can even have a free kit delivered to your house, so you can swab yourself in the comfort of your own home and mail it back.
Here is a list of donor drives in the Bay Area and Vinay's site has lists of other drives. For more information on getting registered and the kit, contact the Asian American Donor Program at 1.800.59.DONOR or asamdonors@aadp.org
Posted by Melissa at 10:36 AM | Comments (1)
This isn't the first time we're blogging about this, and it probably won't be the last. The message is simple: get registered as a bone marrow donor. Because of the low numbers of minorities who are registered, people who need bone marrow transplants are not getting them. We've been getting emails lately from some young Asian Americans who have cancer and blood disorders and need your help.
Vinay Chakravarathy has luekemia and needs to find a bone marrow transplant in the next 6 weeks. His best chance of finding a match is from a South Asian donor.
Myling Ta was recently diagnosed with aplastic anemia, a rare bone marrow disorder. She is Vietnamese and again, her best match would be from another Vietnamese, but there are very few registered Vietnamese donors.
And Michelle Maykin, who is half Chinese, half Vietnamese, was diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) at the end of February. There is a 50% chance that she will be cured by chemo, but if not, she will need a bone marrow transplant. Her siblings are unfortunately not a match, so she did a preliminary search on the National Marrow Donor List and found 0 matches.
You can help by getting registered with the donor registry. It's really easy. I know, I did it. (And not just because Yul Kwon asked me to do it, though meeting him certainly made it a bit more exciting.) All they do it swab the inside of your mouth with a Q-tip. It's painless and takes a couple minutes (and most of that time is spent filling out a form.) Registering on the donor list does not mean you automatically have to donate your marrow. You'll only be contacted if you're a match. You could potentially save a life.
If you are all or part ethnic minority (Asian Pacific Islander, South Asian, Hispanic, African American, etc.), there is no fee to register and get tested. If not, the fee is $52.
You can even have a free kit delivered to your house, so you can swab yourself in the comfort of your own home and mail it back.
Here is a list of donor drives in the Bay Area and Vinay's site has lists of other drives. For more information on getting registered and the kit, contact the Asian American Donor Program at 1.800.59.DONOR or asamdonors@aadp.org
Posted by Melissa at 10:36 AM | Comments (1)
This isn't the first time we're blogging about this, and it probably won't be the last. The message is simple: get registered as a bone marrow donor. Because of the low numbers of minorities who are registered, people who need bone marrow transplants are not getting them. We've been getting emails lately from some young Asian Americans who have cancer and blood disorders and need your help.
Vinay Chakravarathy has luekemia and needs to find a bone marrow transplant in the next 6 weeks. His best chance of finding a match is from a South Asian donor.
Myling Ta was recently diagnosed with aplastic anemia, a rare bone marrow disorder. She is Vietnamese and again, her best match would be from another Vietnamese, but there are very few registered Vietnamese donors.
And Michelle Maykin, who is half Chinese, half Vietnamese, was diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) at the end of February. There is a 50% chance that she will be cured by chemo, but if not, she will need a bone marrow transplant. Her siblings are unfortunately not a match, so she did a preliminary search on the National Marrow Donor List and found 0 matches.
You can help by getting registered with the donor registry. It's really easy. I know, I did it. (And not just because Yul Kwon asked me to do it, though meeting him certainly made it a bit more exciting.) All they do it swab the inside of your mouth with a Q-tip. It's painless and takes a couple minutes (and most of that time is spent filling out a form.) Registering on the donor list does not mean you automatically have to donate your marrow. You'll only be contacted if you're a match. You could potentially save a life.
If you are all or part ethnic minority (Asian Pacific Islander, South Asian, Hispanic, African American, etc.), there is no fee to register and get tested. If not, the fee is $52.
You can even have a free kit delivered to your house, so you can swab yourself in the comfort of your own home and mail it back.
Here is a list of donor drives in the Bay Area and Vinay's site has lists of other drives. For more information on getting registered and the kit, contact the Asian American Donor Program at 1.800.59.DONOR or asamdonors@aadp.org
Posted by Melissa at 10:36 AM | Comments (1)
The MYX, a new channel from the Phillippines' ABS-CBN network, is the latest attempt to conquer the elusive Asian American television audience.
The MYX is available with the ABS-CBN satellite package and as a $4.95 add-on from DirecTV beginning June 15. With entertainment programming that includes interviews with Asian American DJs, music videos and animation, the MYX is trying to succeed in a market where the likes of MTV have tried and failed.
"We want to unite and unify the culture of a minority group," Jeff Nasalga, a MYX programming executive, told the San Jose Mercury News. "We are giving recognition to what their music stands for, giving the people what they want and giving aspiring artists (an) opportunity."
AZN and ImaginAsian are two other TV channels that are trying to tap the young, hip and affluent Asian American market. While they're still available on cable systems in areas with large Asian American populations, they've both scaled back on original programming.
The MYX is banking on growing it's subscriber base for revenue rather than advertising, according to the Mercury News. (Full disclosure: I work for the Merc's sister paper.)
The problems with marketing to Asian Americans are well documented: it's a fragmented, ill-defined demographic with many ethnicities and sub-groups; there's no central thread that ties Asian Americans together and it's too small a market when compared to African Americans or Latinos.
It'll be interesting to see if the MYX can gain a foothold. One of the problems with MTV's Asian American channels was that they were only available on satellite, limiting their reach.
But AZN and ImaginAsian are more readily accessible but they don't seem to be taking off. I get both AZN and ImaginAsian on my cable package, but I only occasionally watch them. They both seem to have lots of Asian programming, meaning from Asia. But how is that Asian American? Just because I'm Chinese I'm supposed to like shows from Hong Kong or China?
Maybe Asian Americans, however they are defined, don't need or want channels aimed at them? Or maybe the programs aren't appealing? Why do you watch or don't watch?
--Harry
Posted by harry at 12:01 AM | Comments (0)
The MYX, a new channel from the Phillippines' ABS-CBN network, is the latest attempt to conquer the elusive Asian American television audience.
The MYX is available with the ABS-CBN satellite package and as a $4.95 add-on from DirecTV beginning June 15. With entertainment programming that includes interviews with Asian American DJs, music videos and animation, the MYX is trying to succeed in a market where the likes of MTV have tried and failed.
"We want to unite and unify the culture of a minority group," Jeff Nasalga, a MYX programming executive, told the San Jose Mercury News. "We are giving recognition to what their music stands for, giving the people what they want and giving aspiring artists (an) opportunity."
AZN and ImaginAsian are two other TV channels that are trying to tap the young, hip and affluent Asian American market. While they're still available on cable systems in areas with large Asian American populations, they've both scaled back on original programming.
The MYX is banking on growing it's subscriber base for revenue rather than advertising, according to the Mercury News. (Full disclosure: I work for the Merc's sister paper.)
The problems with marketing to Asian Americans are well documented: it's a fragmented, ill-defined demographic with many ethnicities and sub-groups; there's no central thread that ties Asian Americans together and it's too small a market when compared to African Americans or Latinos.
It'll be interesting to see if the MYX can gain a foothold. One of the problems with MTV's Asian American channels was that they were only available on satellite, limiting their reach.
But AZN and ImaginAsian are more readily accessible but they don't seem to be taking off. I get both AZN and ImaginAsian on my cable package, but I only occasionally watch them. They both seem to have lots of Asian programming, meaning from Asia. But how is that Asian American? Just because I'm Chinese I'm supposed to like shows from Hong Kong or China?
Maybe Asian Americans, however they are defined, don't need or want channels aimed at them? Or maybe the programs aren't appealing? Why do you watch or don't watch?
--Harry
Posted by harry at 12:01 AM | Comments (0)
The MYX, a new channel from the Phillippines' ABS-CBN network, is the latest attempt to conquer the elusive Asian American television audience.
The MYX is available with the ABS-CBN satellite package and as a $4.95 add-on from DirecTV beginning June 15. With entertainment programming that includes interviews with Asian American DJs, music videos and animation, the MYX is trying to succeed in a market where the likes of MTV have tried and failed.
"We want to unite and unify the culture of a minority group," Jeff Nasalga, a MYX programming executive, told the San Jose Mercury News. "We are giving recognition to what their music stands for, giving the people what they want and giving aspiring artists (an) opportunity."
AZN and ImaginAsian are two other TV channels that are trying to tap the young, hip and affluent Asian American market. While they're still available on cable systems in areas with large Asian American populations, they've both scaled back on original programming.
The MYX is banking on growing it's subscriber base for revenue rather than advertising, according to the Mercury News. (Full disclosure: I work for the Merc's sister paper.)
The problems with marketing to Asian Americans are well documented: it's a fragmented, ill-defined demographic with many ethnicities and sub-groups; there's no central thread that ties Asian Americans together and it's too small a market when compared to African Americans or Latinos.
It'll be interesting to see if the MYX can gain a foothold. One of the problems with MTV's Asian American channels was that they were only available on satellite, limiting their reach.
But AZN and ImaginAsian are more readily accessible but they don't seem to be taking off. I get both AZN and ImaginAsian on my cable package, but I only occasionally watch them. They both seem to have lots of Asian programming, meaning from Asia. But how is that Asian American? Just because I'm Chinese I'm supposed to like shows from Hong Kong or China?
Maybe Asian Americans, however they are defined, don't need or want channels aimed at them? Or maybe the programs aren't appealing? Why do you watch or don't watch?
--Harry
Posted by harry at 12:01 AM | Comments (0)
I admit I have been hooked on the whole VH1 Flavor of Love franchise, from the first season with the infamous spitting incident to the second season's notorious defecation act (obviously these shows are all about class). I watched every pec-laden moment of I Love New York and eagerly anticipate the (new and improved) season two.
So of course I am a fan of the newest spin-off, Flavor of Love: Girls Charm School, where Flav's cast-offs are "rigorously trained in proper etiquette and manners before competing in challenges to determine their poise and grace under pressure" and overseen by task-mistress and former Showtime at the Apollo host Mo'Nique.
One contestant who caught my eye on this show was 25-year-old Las Vegan Smiley (neé Leilene Ondrade), who, according to her Charm School bio, was raised by her grandfather "on a farm in the Filipinas (sic)" selling tomatoes and fishing for frogs. Aww.
Worried she was becoming too much of a tomboy, Leilene's mother enrolled her in ballet classes and she eventually attend the National Ballet School. Her years of training would later benefit her career as an exotic dancer when she dropped out of high school after tenth grade. For a brief period she was a happily married woman with three small children, until her husband left her for another woman. Now a single mother in Las Vegas, she provides for her family with the tips she's earned in strip clubs. Hoping to "quit the pole," Leilene hopes that Charm School will help her find self-confidence and emotional strength...
Wow – model minority that. Count how many Asian American stereotypes she busts in just those five sentences:
1) ballet dancer (with parent's approval!)
2) high school drop out
3) exotic dancer/stripper
4) broken marriage
5) single mother
I dig Leilene because she shows us something we don't normally see on TV – a complicated, low-income, non-immigrant-success-story Asian American woman who isn't the overachieving workaholic (ahem, Christina Yang), the ditzy chatterbox (Kelly Kapoor), the ballbusting dragon lady (Lucy Liu on Ally McBeal), or the mousy nerd (Keiko Agena Gilmore Girls). She is even an anomaly among Asian American reality TV stars — more depth than Real World San Diego's Jamie Chung, more heart than Real World San Francisco's Pam, and more natural than America's Next Top Modelbot April. When she screams, "I'm a damn good mother!" after Larissa questions the example she sets for her children by stripping, those tears in her eyes are real.
She knows when to sit down (when she could barely comprehend debating concepts) and when to stand up (using her sexuality to sell perfume on the street). She is not afraid to show weakness (having a meltdown when the challenge involves cooking) or strength (selling her mom's wedding ring to a thrift store during a challenge as a show of closure about her mom's death and saying something along the lines of, "If it will make one person happy, it's worth it."). She is a real Asian American woman, in all her complexities, and more than that, it seems like she has become genuinely devoted to self-improvement.
Surprisingly, that’s what the show is really about. In contrast to the Flavor of Love series, which merely exploited these women for their sexuality, lack of good judgment, and tacky outfits, Charm School seems truly invested in helping them improve their self-esteem and empowering them to take control of their lives in positive, meaningful ways. Mo'Nique teaches them valuable lessons that many women could also learn from, including "Check Thyself Before Thou Wreck Thyself" and "Thou Shalt Work What Thou Art Working With." Part of me identifies with Leilene – there are times when it’s evident how hard it is for her to really speak up and assert herself. I have been there for sure, and I know many other Asian American women have as well.
Yet unlike other women on the show, who claim their Blackness now and then, Leilene has never once mentioned her Asian background. Other contestants have even commented on her race, with Courtney regretting choosing to compete against Leilene for a challenge involving former Bachelor Andrew Firestone, and jokingly saying: "I shouldn't have picked her ass. Men love Asian women. S***. ‘Cause don't Leilene look like she could love him long time?" Some might fault Leilene for not addressing her heritage, but I think her silence about her race shows true authenticity — who has time to loll about mulling their identity when there are three little stomachs to fill? If she were to flaunt her race, it would seem exploitative, or a possible ploy win sympathy. You have to know when to hold the race card. She focuses on being a mother, acknowledging her faults, and learning how to improve her life. In that context, she may be one of the best Asian American role models we've got on TV.
We can’t ignore those who don’t conform to the Yul Kwon/Masi Oka perfect-Asian-American-role-model-in-the-media archetype. Advancing Asian Americans’ place in society means baring ourselves as we are, warts and all. Which is exactly what Leilene is doing on the show. Expect to see her bring that $50K prize home to her kids at the end of the season.
Posted by lisamac at 3:47 PM | Comments (18)
I admit I have been hooked on the whole VH1 Flavor of Love franchise, from the first season with the infamous spitting incident to the second season's notorious defecation act (obviously these shows are all about class). I watched every pec-laden moment of I Love New York and eagerly anticipate the (new and improved) season two.
So of course I am a fan of the newest spin-off, Flavor of Love: Girls Charm School, where Flav's cast-offs are "rigorously trained in proper etiquette and manners before competing in challenges to determine their poise and grace under pressure" and overseen by task-mistress and former Showtime at the Apollo host Mo'Nique.
One contestant who caught my eye on this show was 25-year-old Las Vegan Smiley (neé Leilene Ondrade), who, according to her Charm School bio, was raised by her grandfather "on a farm in the Filipinas (sic)" selling tomatoes and fishing for frogs. Aww.
Worried she was becoming too much of a tomboy, Leilene's mother enrolled her in ballet classes and she eventually attend the National Ballet School. Her years of training would later benefit her career as an exotic dancer when she dropped out of high school after tenth grade. For a brief period she was a happily married woman with three small children, until her husband left her for another woman. Now a single mother in Las Vegas, she provides for her family with the tips she's earned in strip clubs. Hoping to "quit the pole," Leilene hopes that Charm School will help her find self-confidence and emotional strength...
Wow – model minority that. Count how many Asian American stereotypes she busts in just those five sentences:
1) ballet dancer (with parent's approval!)
2) high school drop out
3) exotic dancer/stripper
4) broken marriage
5) single mother
I dig Leilene because she shows us something we don't normally see on TV – a complicated, low-income, non-immigrant-success-story Asian American woman who isn't the overachieving workaholic (ahem, Christina Yang), the ditzy chatterbox (Kelly Kapoor), the ballbusting dragon lady (Lucy Liu on Ally McBeal), or the mousy nerd (Keiko Agena Gilmore Girls). She is even an anomaly among Asian American reality TV stars — more depth than Real World San Diego's Jamie Chung, more heart than Real World San Francisco's Pam, and more natural than America's Next Top Modelbot April. When she screams, "I'm a damn good mother!" after Larissa questions the example she sets for her children by stripping, those tears in her eyes are real.
She knows when to sit down (when she could barely comprehend debating concepts) and when to stand up (using her sexuality to sell perfume on the street). She is not afraid to show weakness (having a meltdown when the challenge involves cooking) or strength (selling her mom's wedding ring to a thrift store during a challenge as a show of closure about her mom's death and saying something along the lines of, "If it will make one person happy, it's worth it."). She is a real Asian American woman, in all her complexities, and more than that, it seems like she has become genuinely devoted to self-improvement.
Surprisingly, that’s what the show is really about. In contrast to the Flavor of Love series, which merely exploited these women for their sexuality, lack of good judgment, and tacky outfits, Charm School seems truly invested in helping them improve their self-esteem and empowering them to take control of their lives in positive, meaningful ways. Mo'Nique teaches them valuable lessons that many women could also learn from, including "Check Thyself Before Thou Wreck Thyself" and "Thou Shalt Work What Thou Art Working With." Part of me identifies with Leilene – there are times when it’s evident how hard it is for her to really speak up and assert herself. I have been there for sure, and I know many other Asian American women have as well.
Yet unlike other women on the show, who claim their Blackness now and then, Leilene has never once mentioned her Asian background. Other contestants have even commented on her race, with Courtney regretting choosing to compete against Leilene for a challenge involving former Bachelor Andrew Firestone, and jokingly saying: "I shouldn't have picked her ass. Men love Asian women. S***. ‘Cause don't Leilene look like she could love him long time?" Some might fault Leilene for not addressing her heritage, but I think her silence about her race shows true authenticity — who has time to loll about mulling their identity when there are three little stomachs to fill? If she were to flaunt her race, it would seem exploitative, or a possible ploy win sympathy. You have to know when to hold the race card. She focuses on being a mother, acknowledging her faults, and learning how to improve her life. In that context, she may be one of the best Asian American role models we've got on TV.
We can’t ignore those who don’t conform to the Yul Kwon/Masi Oka perfect-Asian-American-role-model-in-the-media archetype. Advancing Asian Americans’ place in society means baring ourselves as we are, warts and all. Which is exactly what Leilene is doing on the show. Expect to see her bring that $50K prize home to her kids at the end of the season.
Posted by lisamac at 3:47 PM | Comments (18)
I admit I have been hooked on the whole VH1 Flavor of Love franchise, from the first season with the infamous spitting incident to the second season's notorious defecation act (obviously these shows are all about class). I watched every pec-laden moment of I Love New York and eagerly anticipate the (new and improved) season two.
So of course I am a fan of the newest spin-off, Flavor of Love: Girls Charm School, where Flav's cast-offs are "rigorously trained in proper etiquette and manners before competing in challenges to determine their poise and grace under pressure" and overseen by task-mistress and former Showtime at the Apollo host Mo'Nique.
One contestant who caught my eye on this show was 25-year-old Las Vegan Smiley (ne Leilene Ondrade), who, according to her Charm School bio, was raised by her grandfather "on a farm in the Filipinas (sic)" selling tomatoes and fishing for frogs. Aww.
Worried she was becoming too much of a tomboy, Leilene's mother enrolled her in ballet classes and she eventually attend the National Ballet School. Her years of training would later benefit her career as an exotic dancer when she dropped out of high school after tenth grade. For a brief period she was a happily married woman with three small children, until her husband left her for another woman. Now a single mother in Las Vegas, she provides for her family with the tips she's earned in strip clubs. Hoping to "quit the pole," Leilene hopes that Charm School will help her find self-confidence and emotional strength...
Wow model minority that. Count how many Asian American stereotypes she busts in just those five sentences:
1) ballet dancer (with parent's approval!)
2) high school drop out
3) exotic dancer/stripper
4) broken marriage
5) single mother
I dig Leilene because she shows us something we don't normally see on TV a complicated, low-income, non-immigrant-success-story Asian American woman who isn't the overachieving workaholic (ahem, Christina Yang), the ditzy chatterbox (Kelly Kapoor), the ballbusting dragon lady (Lucy Liu on Ally McBeal), or the mousy nerd (Keiko Agena Gilmore Girls). She is even an anomaly among Asian American reality TV stars more depth than Real World San Diego's Jamie Chung, more heart than Real World San Francisco's Pam, and more natural than America's Next Top Modelbot April. When she screams, "I'm a damn good mother!" after Larissa questions the example she sets for her children by stripping, those tears in her eyes are real.
She knows when to sit down (when she could barely comprehend debating concepts) and when to stand up (using her sexuality to sell perfume on the street). She is not afraid to show weakness (having a meltdown when the challenge involves cooking) or strength (selling her mom's wedding ring to a thrift store during a challenge as a show of closure about her mom's death and saying something along the lines of, "If it will make one person happy, it's worth it."). She is a real Asian American woman, in all her complexities, and more than that, it seems like she has become genuinely devoted to self-improvement.
Surprisingly, thats what the show is really about. In contrast to the Flavor of Love series, which merely exploited these women for their sexuality, lack of good judgment, and tacky outfits, Charm School seems truly invested in helping them improve their self-esteem and empowering them to take control of their lives in positive, meaningful ways. Mo'Nique teaches them valuable lessons that many women could also learn from, including "Check Thyself Before Thou Wreck Thyself" and "Thou Shalt Work What Thou Art Working With." Part of me identifies with Leilene there are times when its evident how hard it is for her to really speak up and assert herself. I have been there for sure, and I know many other Asian American women have as well.
Yet unlike other women on the show, who claim their Blackness now and then, Leilene has never once mentioned her Asian background. Other contestants have even commented on her race, with Courtney regretting choosing to compete against Leilene for a challenge involving former Bachelor Andrew Firestone, and jokingly saying: "I shouldn't have picked her ass. Men love Asian women. S***. Cause don't Leilene look like she could love him long time?" Some might fault Leilene for not addressing her heritage, but I think her silence about her race shows true authenticity who has time to loll about mulling their identity when there are three little stomachs to fill? If she were to flaunt her race, it would seem exploitative, or a possible ploy win sympathy. You have to know when to hold the race card. She focuses on being a mother, acknowledging her faults, and learning how to improve her life. In that context, she may be one of the best Asian American role models we've got on TV.
We cant ignore those who dont conform to the Yul Kwon/Masi Oka perfect-Asian-American-role-model-in-the-media archetype. Advancing Asian Americans place in society means baring ourselves as we are, warts and all. Which is exactly what Leilene is doing on the show. Expect to see her bring that $50K prize home to her kids at the end of the season.
Posted by lisamac at 3:47 PM | Comments (18)
TV personality Lisa Ling married her "Doctor McDreamy," Paul Song, on Sunday.
Among the guests for the Los Angeles wedding were Connie Chung and Kelly Hu. The bride work a red (so Chinese!) Vivienne Tam dress.
Hopefully, if Ling and Song, who are both Asian, have kids, they will treat them well, unlike some monoracial parents.
Posted by harry at 9:36 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
TV personality Lisa Ling married her "Doctor McDreamy," Paul Song, on Sunday.
Among the guests for the Los Angeles wedding were Connie Chung and Kelly Hu. The bride work a red (so Chinese!) Vivienne Tam dress.
Hopefully, if Ling and Song, who are both Asian, have kids, they will treat them well, unlike some monoracial parents.
Posted by harry at 9:36 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
TV personality Lisa Ling married her "Doctor McDreamy," Paul Song, on Sunday.
Among the guests for the Los Angeles wedding were Connie Chung and Kelly Hu. The bride work a red (so Chinese!) Vivienne Tam dress.
Hopefully, if Ling and Song, who are both Asian, have kids, they will treat them well, unlike some monoracial parents.
Posted by harry at 9:36 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
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