Uzee spills the beans!

Here's video from YouTube--YouTube!--that someone posted from an event in San Francisco, where the lovely and talented Uzma Aslam Khan has been doing various things to promote the Granta issue in which she appears, as well as other things. I had no idea she was going to tell stories about her beloved husband, however. But here you go.

Truly Awesome.

Check out the video from Australia's Axis of Awesome. It lives up to its name... oh man.

Granta 112

Granta, the well-respected British literary magazine, is devoting their current issue to... well, check the cover. The lovely and talented Uzma Aslam Khan has a significantly hefty story in there, as do some other well-known people (Kamila Shamsie, Mohsin Hamid) as well as a wide range of lesser-known (in the West anyway) fiction writers, poets, journalists and visual artists. (The art is especially eye-catching, I think.)

Well worth a look, I think, and something like eleven bucks at Amazon right now. Pretty good deal for 250+ pages of hot-off-the-press stuff.

It's been catching good reviews too, from a number of UK papers, The Economist and, in the US, the New York Times Book Review (who mentioned Uzee by name and singled out her story. Hah!) Here's a link:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/03/books/review/Chotiner-t.html?pagewanted=all

Danish rappers from Morocco, Pakistan, and Honduras...

...singing a cover of the song "Aicha" by Khaled, a Moroccan rai singer who had a huuuge hit with this back in '97 or '98. We were living in Rabat at the time and man, you heard this song just constantly. Good song though, so it was okay... Good remake too. And I find this video interesting, for a number of reasons.

Hey, newsflash everybody who's terrified of the headscarf: It's just a scrap of cloth! Get it?

God Bless America!

Sometimes I love my country. Not all the time, but sometimes. Jacob Isom is a my hero, and the United States of America produced him.

"DUDE, YOU HAVE NO QUR'AN!"

Here's the YouTube video of the whole story, complete with quote in context (and for those of you who don't know the story... he was defending the Qur'an, not demeaning it. Unlike that idiot "preacher" who wanted to burn it. He's the kind of guy who makes me grind my teeth about my country, but that's another story):

My kind of football player

I'm not even a Steelers fan, but you gotta love Troy Polamalu. He looks like the unholy love child of Johnny Unitas and Macy Gray. Also, he's an amazing player.

Despite this... go Pats! I wish Troy played for them.

It's not on Ground Zero and it isn't a mosque. WTF, guys?

Even if you hate Keith Olbermann, please watch this.

"First they came for the Communists, and I didn't speak up, because I wasn't a Communist..."

Heck, we all make mistakes...

Floods in Pakistan Worsen. Please Consider Helping.

Pakistan's been going through a rough time lately, even more than usual. The plane crash in Islamabad, then some riots, bombings and shootings, and now this.




If you can spare some cash, the people could sure use it. The waters show no sign of diminishing and in fact are flowing southward, which will only worsen the situation as it moves into southern Punjab, Sindh and, god forbid, Karachi.

Here's a link to some places you can donate, either online or by mailing a check. There's always the Red Cross, too.

http://alkhair.co.uk/home/

http://edhifoundation.com/contact.asp

Thanks.

15 Overrated American Writers

The Huffington Post has published this interesting article by Anis Shivani (yeah, me neither) about the 15 most overrated American writers working today. It's a fun article and bound to raise a few eyebrows, and what strikes me is how few of these people I have actually read (Amy tan, Jumpa Lahiri). Based on my limited knowledge, hey, this guy might be on to something...

Here's the link to the article:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/anis-shivani/the-15-most-overrated-con_b_672974.html#s123759

And for you people who hate links, here's his list. Any thoughts?

1. William T. Vollman
2. Amy Tan -- I read something once. She seems to be one of these people who writes the same story over and over with minor variations, but that may not be fair.
3. John Ashbery -- I actually heard him read at the U of Arizona when I was in grad school. I had no idea what was going on. Shivani offers a quote that seems about right.
4. Mary Oliver
5. Helen Vendler
6. Antonya Nelson
7. Sharon Olds -- read her a lot in grad school when I was trying to date poets. She writes a lot about, like, sex and her father. Often in the same poem, if you get my drift. I used to like her stuff but haven't read it in ages. She had a book called Satan Says, which I thought was a killer title for a bunch of poems.
8. Jorie Graham
9. Jonathan Safran Foer -- a big gun among young writers but I've never read anything by him.
10. Jhumpa Lahiri -- yeah man, somebody explain this to me. I read a few stories from Interpreter of Maladies and was amazed at how poor some of them were. Never read The Namesake; it seems dull.
11. Junot Diaz
12. Louise Gluck
13. Michael Cunningham -- wrote The Hours, which I never read, but like everyone else I saw the movie.
14. Billy Collins
15. Michiko Kakutani -- apparently a reviewer for the New York Times, not a writer per se.

I realize this may come off as sour grapes, and maybe it is, but I also think it's an interesting list and something to think about. Shivani gives his reasons and has a historical perspective too in a discussion of Pulitzer Prizes awarded in the first half of the 20th century. It's interesting to see who was being recognized at that time (Julia Peterkin, Oliver La Farge) and who was overlooked (Faulkner, Hemingway, Sherwood Anderson). Willa Cather won for One of Ours but not for My Antonia. So it's nothing new, exactly, but the hype machine is, perhaps, operating at a greater pitch these days than in the past.

Rock and roll will never die.

Need proof? Here's some.

Great review in The Asian Review of Books

The Geometry of God has gotten a killer review by the always-astute Nirinjana Iyer in the latest issue of The Asian Review of Books. To wit:

"Given that most books with the slightest connection to Islam feature covers with veiled women baring their kohl-lined eyes for the curious outsider's gaze, THE GEOMETRY OF GOD's black-and-white American edition's jacket depicting an animal skeleton is probably fair warning that Uzma Aslam Khan's Pakistan is going to get in the way of the sensationalized portrayals of the country so beloved by mainstream (Western) media. In her third book, Aslam gives us a female paleontologist, charged writing about the erotic, and a profound inquiry into the often-vexing relationship between faith and reason. Add to these riches the voice of a blind child "taste-testing" words, and THE GEOMETRY OF GOD becomes that rare creature, a novel where the urgency of the message is matched by the verve of the narrative."

That's just the first paragraph. Read the whole essay here:

http://www.asianreviewofbooks.com/arb/article.php?article=1107

Pink Floyd to Israel: Tear Down the Wall

Ah, the epic power of rock and roll...

"Washington – For the first time in half a decade, rock legends Pink Floyd reunited for a benefit concert in England to raise money for young Palestinian refugees, MSNBC reported Tuesday.

Roger Waters and David Gilmour, joined by a full stage of keyboardists and drummers, both picked up the guitar to play for the more than 200 fans gathered to see the Oxfordshire concert. The reunion was unpublicized prior to the curtain's rise.

The proceeds from the benefit concert went to the Hoping Foundation, an organization that focuses on the “next generation” of young Palestinians, mostly refugees. Their projects include a film workshop, a scouting group in the Balata refugee camp near Nablus, and a UN Relief and Works Agency yearbook. The event raised over half a million dollars to benefit the group.

The Pink Floyd duo played a number of classic and fan favorites, including “Wish You Were Here” and “Another Brick in the Wall (Part Two).”

Waters has been involved in pro-Palestinian activism for years. In 2006 he spray painted "tear down the wall" on Israel's West Bank separation wall in the city of Bethlehem. He also worked with the United Nations to produce a short film about the wall's impact on life in the West Bank.

A slew of musicians, including Elvis Costello and The Pixes recently cancelled concerts in Israel in protest of Israel's Israel's policies toward the Palestinians and the deadly attack on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla on May 31st. "

http://palestinenote.com/cs/blogs/music/archive/2010/07/13/pink-floyd-reunites-for-palestinian-benefit-concert.aspx

Osama Bin Laden comedy movie is banned in Pakistan. Surprised?

So, an Indian film called Tere Bin Laden (Without You Laden) is making waves in India for being the first terrorist-inspired comedy, and in Pakistan for being (*sigh*) banned. The more things change...

According to newspaper reports, "the movie is is about a Pakistani journalist desperate to get a visa to the US who pretends to score an interview with the elusive al-Qaeda chief after finding a look-alike."

Sound innocuous enough, no?

Well, apparently--NO.

Faiza Khan, a journalist based in Karachi, has an interesting article about the government's response in The Times of India. It's well worth a read as she touches on a number of important points. An extract:

"The censor board, to be fair, is known to be a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma, merrily releasing graphically violent local films whose vulgar depictions of sexuality would shame the Marquis of Sade, while banning 'The Da Vinci Code' (due to Pakistan's profound respect for its Christian minority, often expressed by denuding them of all their rights and massacring them in their homes). As such, TBL's falling foul of Pakistan's censors is imminently un-newsworthy in itself; it is the unprecedented reasoning for the ban, however, which sets alarm bells ringing.

"TBL isn't being banned for the usual reasons — that it's injurious to the national image or because it might encourage young people to have sex or an independent thought, nor because it's an Indian film and the rallying cry of the post-Partition subcontinent has long been 'loathe thy neighbour'; it's being banned for fear of reprisal from those whose sentiments will be wounded by a frivolous film referencing bin Laden. 'Tere Bin Laden' will be kept off Pakistani screens for fear of encouraging attacks on cinemas and inviting more bombs and bloodshed. While this is a very real thr-eat, throwing up your hands in anticipation of defeat is not a fitting response. Immaculate security at cinemas that goes beyond a frail old man with a gun sitting next to a decrepit metal detector would be a suitable response. Having a Pakistani red carpet launch, a fitting honour for one of the country's most popular young singers, would be a suitable response. Having the gumption to poke fun at bin Laden and at the world's perceptions of Pakistan would be a suitable response.

"The nanny state has yet again proved itself as the type of nanny that shakes your baby when you're not looking. The driving logic appears to be that kowtowing to the demands of terrorists, in this case anticipating them even before they've been aired, will somehow discourage them. What then might we do if these terrorists start objecting to women in the workplace, or on the street, to the existence of religious minorities, or the government, the army and the institution of democracy? Oh, wait. The ardent hope is that if one stays under the radar, and changes the way one lives in order to not ruffle their feathers, perhaps they will leave us be. On the plus side, perhaps this will render the Taliban redundant; after all, who needs them when the government is willing to do their job for them?"

Here's the link to the whole article:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/6182631.cms?frm

And another article in Pakistan daily newspaper Dawn:

http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/culture/03-censor-board-bans-tere-bin-laden-in-pakistan-ss-03

So... who do YOU write like?

The web site I Write Like offers to analyze a sample of your writing, then tell you which famous writer you most resemble. Go ahead, try it... You know you want to.

I submitted a paragraph from my latest novel-in-progress and was told that I write like, well, see for yourself:

Could be worse I suppose. Could be better, too.

Come on, try it! Right here: http://iwl.me/

Great New Band

Reviewed these guys for PopMatters--it will be forthcoming sometime, don't know when. The band is The Tamborines, the album is Camera and Tremor, due August 2. They rock, in a fuzzed-out, poppy-melodied, slabs-o'-distortion kind of way. Been listening compulsively for a week or two. Check out the song while reading the entry below. More please!

So, what's on your iPod? And more important, how do you listen to it?

Here's an interesting article on PopMatters.com discussing the way the iPod and similar devices may be changing the way we listen to music, especially new albums. With downloads so easy and accessible now, there is a tendency for new records to get sort of lost in the sea of freshly-downloaded songs. An extract:

"... The act of listening to an album front-to-back repeatedly seems to be a harder task to do in the age of the iPod. And it’s only getting worse as some people are now seeing the process of storing music on a portable device like an iPod as a bit archaic as opposed to storing your library online “in the clouds”. It’s also more of a challenge to listen to an album front-to-back if your music is on a phone or iPad where other applications vie for your attention.

"I count myself among those who probably shouldn’t have a 120GB iPod. Whenever a new release comes out, there’s too much of a temptation to rip it to your iPod as quickly as possible so the album can be absorbed in your library. And there it stays, along with 50 or possibly 500-plus other albums. At work, surrounded by distractions, I find it best to put the iPod on shuffle. Part of the reason is to break songs out of their album settings so I can listen to them individually, while another reason is an insatiable curiosity about how the iPod shuffle can make a mix that includes Modest Mouse, Thelonious Monk, Baroness, and Lucinda Williams sound utterly logical.

"Unfortunately, this results in sort of a backlog of releases. Be it a bargain $3.99 find at a record shop, or a $7.99 “week of release” sale, albums keep getting added to your library. In the past, depending on how many cassettes you could hold in your backpack or how many disc you could fit in a CD wallet, you had to make sacrifices. If you wanted to give an album a few listens, the best way to do it was to just bring that album. Nowadays, if an album doesn’t get your attention, you have another hundred or so just waiting to be accessed with the touch of a finger."

There's more, and there are some interesting comments too. Here's the link:

http://www.popmatters.com/pm/post/128011-play-it-again-please/

New Geometry of God review

What do you know--Ploughshares, the Boston-based literary magazine where I once spent a summer reading through the slush pile for editor DeWitt Henry, has reviewed Uzee's book The Geometry of God. The writer is mostly positive, with a couple judicious criticisms that I personally (ahem) disagree with, but I think he gets it right much more often than not:

http://www.pshares.org/read/article-detail.cfm?intArticleID=9330

Needless to say, anyone who has not checked out the book is encouraged to do so, as it thoroughly rocks. Amazon page below (US):

http://www.amazon.com/Geometry-God-Uzma-Aslam-Khan/dp/1566567742/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1278197978&sr=1-1

and Amazon UK:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Geometry-God-Uzma-Aslam-Khan/dp/1906598657/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1278198030&sr=8-5

Attention UK readers! (And others)

The UK edition of The Geometry of God by the lovely and talented Uzma Aslam Khan was released earlier this month by Haus Publishing. It's a great book, but don't take my word for it... trundle on over the Amazon.co.uk and have a look:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Geometry-God-Uzma-Aslam-Khan/dp/1906598657/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1277708689&sr=1-2

It's a nifty hardback with jacket art by Paul Klee. What else could you want? Well okay, it's also compelling and funny and sexy and full of unexpected twists and wordplay. And it's emotionally wrenching... but hey, that's what books are for. You'll see.

On the sidebar to the right you can find some links to some US-based reviews (Oprah, Kirkus). You can go to the Haus site directly for more info and some review extracts:

http://www.hauspublishing.com/product/313

I have met my evil twin.

His name is Sasquatch and he rocks.



New album called III is pretty riff-worthy and consistent. I recommend them highly. previous album, creatively entitled II, is also great.