Eurovision Song Contest, the singing competition based in Europe, has announced that it will introduce an Asian version of the contest, Eurovision Song Contest Asia, in November. The participating countries will include Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Nepal, the Philippines, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam.What’s...
I normally don’t write about the deaths of celebrities, but when I learned of the passing of Afrika Bambaataa today, it really hit me in a tender spot, awakening long dormant memories.Afrika Bambaataa has never gotten the acclaim he deserves, but when he is mentioned,...
During the recent heat wave in Tokyo, as a measure of sun-protection, I decided to wear a dark hat to complement the dark suit I was wearing. Apparently, my sartorial choices were peculiar enough to attract the attention of my traveling companion, who mentioned that...
Are we on the brink of a new spiritual renaissance? Recently, on the podcast Switched On Pop the hosts noted how there are currently many religious-themed songs on the pop chart, including songs by Alex Warren, Myles Smith and Forrest Frank. There has also been...
Recently, certain art institutions and governments have been cutting back support for so-called “woke” art, or art that speaks to the interests of women and minorities. Adolph Hitler in Germany, Joseph Stalin in the Soviet Union and Mao Zedong in China all made similar attempts...
I`m going through a lean period A decidely mean period Orange Juice. “Lean Period.” 1984. November 17, 2024 オレンジ・ジュースの「Lean Period」 (1984) を聴いている。「今、私は低迷期なんだ 明らかに意地悪な時代だ」2024年11月17日...
Sometimes inspiration comes from unexpected places. This morning I was awakened by a crow outside my window screaming “C’mon! C’mon! C’mon!” over and over again. At first, I was annoyed, but then I was inspired by his words to be aggressive in my effort to...
The other day I attended a concert of John Adams conducting his own music. It was a really special occasion and I could feel the joy and energy being projected from both the audience and the musicians on stage. He performed I Still dance, Absolute...
Recently filmmakers and songwriters have been agonizing over (and striking over, in the case of Hollywood filmmakers) recent advances in AI technology. They claim that if AI can create works of art, then their livelihoods are in jeopardy. That may be true, but I believe...
Recently, the New York Times published an interview with the author and publisher Jann Wenner. He talked about his new book containing interviews with 7 White, male musicians. When asked why there aren’t any interviews with women in the book, he stated that “none of...