Buenos dias amigos y amigas.
Your Country Needs You! You Have Been Enlisted!
My good friend who is living in Asia for six months recently e-mailed me about a horrid experience he recently had in a Chinese nightclub -where he was subjected repeatedly to -'gasp'- a Filipino band covering American tunes like 'Heart of Gold'. God's Teeth!! I knew there was torture going on over there - I just didn't know to what extent.
Hearing this terrible story got me thinking - if you can't hear traditional/indigenous music in your host country or you're good on culling, snorting, honking or Tibetan yak-milking tunes - how great it would be to hear real American music - Al Green, The Ramones, Deftones, Johnny Cash, Metallica, The Doors, Dusty Springfield, Frank Zappa, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Sarah Vaughan, Frank Sinatra, Ricki Lee Jones, Liz Phair, Jane's Addiction, Korn or anything written by Lou Reed, Elvis Costello, The Cure or Bernie Taupin - (I know the last three are British - they count as American when it comes down to invasions -musical or actual)- if I were abroad for an extended time and in need of a musical funk-jection. (On my last trip to Dublin - every single pub I went to -and there were a few, believe me - was playing either the theme song from "Friends" or Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline" - it was creeepy - I would have given a finger for a fiddle or a harp after five straight days of that.)
So... I am compiling a list for the Tasty Planet blog of must-have favorite road tunes to download before a trip - I would be grateful if you could pass on one or two (or more!) of your "if-I-were-stranded-on-a-desert-island" musical selections and any reviews you wish to include. They will be posted on the Tasty Planet blog - if you do not wish to have your name and/or comments posted - please note that in your reply -or if you would like to be removed from this list please let me know.
And please - don't include any songs that might force me to take my own life on foreign soil - i.e - Bjork, Barbara Streisand or Whitney Houston... thanks.
Spread the Love! Feel free to forward this to fellow musicians, readers, writers, philosophers- (arm-chair or actual), foodies & travelers.
Hook a sista up with some tunes.
Sidebar - I recently read in the NY Times that 'Peace' tops the list of ways not to sign-off your e-mails. Whatever. Whoever wrote that probably listens to 'Air Supply' on a regular basis.
Peace,
Lili Kinsman
Producer, Host
Tasty Planet
