Sunday, January 17, 2010
Untitled!
I wish that it rains now and then the wonderful aroma of wet sand reaches our smelling zone. After such a wonderful impossibility, we discuss about unpredictability of weather and appreciate the aroma of wet sand around us. If it doesn't rain, I hope a thousand deodorants fall from the sky and fill the air with its smell, nevermind if its good or bad, strong or mild , fake or original. I wouldn't complain if axe bottles cast their spell and no woman goes crazy over it. I am really not looking forward to that aspect at this moment.
I wouldn't mind if everyone starts smoking and I'm forced to consume second hand smoke for I’m better off with that than the evitable (or the inevitable).
But I guess reality is quite different from dreams. Dreams are something I escape to when in distress. It’s like praying to god before the disaster or a pleasant surprise if you are lucky. I really want to escape from this reality to a wonderful Utopian dream .A dream where this sudden rush inside the body stops.A dream where this eruptible volcano is stopped by some supernatural powers and become my saviour from this place that might scream "Embarrassment" .If you can't stop it, at least take me to another place. A place where I sit all alone in solitude .A place where loneliness is my friend! Loneliness is all I need just for now!
But wait! This is reality! Reality is rearing its ugly head! The volcano is erupting! deodorants are nowhere to be seen. Where are the rains and the smell of wet sand? Where am I? Oh! I know where I am but where are the supernatural powers! Oh No! here comes the…. *farts*
Sunday, August 31, 2008
About Me
with shabby hair and weird beard,
who couldn't relate to his classmates,
and abhorred the complete existence of education,
he didn't believe in an institution called college,
his thinking was different from other souls around,
malls,theaters and fancy restaurants didn't excite him,
music was life for him,
the sound of guitars drove him wild,
but the bad sound of graduation results,
left scars which needed to be healed,
so he left his passion,
drowned in his educational books,
and became another victim of the great middle class,
he became mentally prepared,
for becoming another factory manufactured product,
another means of livelihood,
another product available for mass consumption,
and another money making machine,
and life goes on.....
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Post Rock
I'll try my best though.post rock is all about atmospheric sounds, clean guitar tones which combine to form a unique sound which sounds pleasing to the ears. Bands like Sigur Ros,Explosions in the Sky,Godspeed You!Black Emperor prove my point. These post rock bands are all about the music. They don't care about their looks, marketing strategies, and you might not even see them at red carpet function of an awards show.
These bands explore the infinite possibilities of expressing themselves through their music. Most of them are instrumental bands. The whole idea of keeping the music without the vocals is a good one. They believe in keeping the music free from any storylines
The music can be interpreted differently by different people. A song might be a sentimental one for a person while it can be a song about pure happiness to the other person. Thus, the beauty of post rock is lies in the way it expresses emotions through its music.
Sigur Ros was the first band I got hooked to. I was eager to know how the guitarist could play the guitar with his violin bow. Sigur Ros is all about atmospherics, an orchestral sound and vocals which is used as another instrument.
The next discovery, was explosions in the sky. Their sound differs much from that of Sigur Ros. This 4-member band use their guitars and drums to great effect. The sound is pretty uplifting. I get goosebumps everytime I listen to them. Godspeed You!Black Emperor are considered to be the best post rock band by some and their music is a sure testimony to that.
I think I'll be listening to this genre more than I thought. If you haven't heard these bands, then you are definitely missing something in life. So what are you waiting for? for starters, check out these bands on youtube. Peace!
Friday, April 25, 2008
When I Could Relate
I did today!
i was listening to this song by underoath called "Reinventing Your Exit" and there's a line which goes like this
"We all want to be somebody
Right now we're just looking for the exit"
dang!!how true!!the lyrics never made sense to me before and today,it just described my state.
How I wish I was somebody else.How I wish I was a guy with a permanent home.How I wish I had someone who would support me in my ultimate dream(i.e. to be a musician) and not be surrounded by people who want to be abnormally rich and care little about anything else.How I wish I could live independently and not care about anyone else.How I wish I had a band which would perform gigs every month.How I wish people could just accept me the way I am.How I wish I was not burdened to study stuff which didn't make sense to me and get a good job.
I guess i'm just looking for the exit.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Life is Not Like The Movies
where happy-endings are a must,
for me,life's just like an illlusion,
where my desired plans go bust.
life is not like the movies,
where a hero gets his girl,
for me,I try so hard but to no avail,
all she does is,send my mind in a twirl.
life is not like the movies,
where the bad guys get punishd,
someone said "nice guys finish last",
is the only that exists.
life is not like movies,
where a hero saves the world from all the pain,
for many real heros tried to change this world,
but,eventually,all went in vain.
life is not like the movies,
where justice will prevail,
for justice is a 7-lettered word,
that has been derailed.
Life is not like the movies,
where everything ends in a matter of hours,
for me,hours feel like years,
and the minutes passing seem like dull,lifeless flowers.
How I wish life was like the movies!
but alas!life is not like the movies
-----Shubham Mamgain
Saturday, March 1, 2008
A Letter to My Guitar
Its been so long since I touched you.you look so rusted and old now and its all my fault for not cleaning you from time to time.
There was a time when i used to be with you for hours and not get tired of you.I would never study and play you for hours.Whenever I was sad,I got your support.Just strumming those basic chord patterns gave me such a big high that I instantly forgot about all my pains and miseries.When I was happy,I would strum you till eternity.When I was angry ,I would strum you so hard that the strings would plead mercy.Basically,you were my outlet of expression.
Just playing those scales would make me feel like a superman.I remember how, once, my friends were amazed by the way I played and the compliments they showered me with were enough to bloom a thousand flowers.Suddenly, it didn't matter that I was short,hunchbacked and babyfaced.All that mattered was,I played the guitar better than most of the boys of my age.
In 11th grade,when I was in the grunge phase,you had to bear the brunt of a thousand Nirvana songs.When I was in 12th,you had to suffer from Pearl Jam'oesia.When I got my guitar processor,you had to come in terms of the different sounds i could get out of you.I thank you facing all the things I put you through.Broken relationships,bad grades,seeking acceptance from people,12th standard paranoia,you have been there with me through it all and I have cherised each day evr since I first touched you.
When I see a thousand kids learning guitar just because it is cool,my heart breaks because I know they will never feel about their guitars the way I feel about you.Because for me,its all about understanding you to the core.The magic that your 24 frets create is something i'm fascinated with and as I listen to this song by an Indian band called Half Step Down, about how guitar is a priority over a girl,I couldn't help but agree.
Its been one rocky road with journals,projects and tons of notes to study.I may not give you a lot of time but I know I will sooner or later.With parental rumblings and an expectation to survive in the corporate world,I am helpless.You may not be on my lap as often as you used to be,but I do promise to be with you for the rest of my life because for me,you are life!
yours truly,
Shubham
Friday, February 22, 2008
When I Had Long Hair
But with growing interest in rock music,the diea of growing hair started becoming hip and cool.Suddenly,short hair felt like an insult to a human being.As a fan of Eddie Vedder,Zack De La Rocha,growing my hair became a necessity but their was a slight problem-my parents!!
My parents would force me to cut my hair regularly.So,it felt like school again during college days.Years passed by and my hair remained short until my first year of graduation.
Graduation started and so did my urge to grow hair!this time i was influenced by shabby,floppy,unwashed hair which are sported by members of many brit-rock bands like snow patrol,coldplay and american band like the strokes.So,i started growing my hair much to the dismay of my parents.The constant rattlings couldn't break me as I continued to grow my hair.With long hair and a dense beard,i started looking like a rockstar on the road.It was a great
feeling to have something in common with great rockstars who have changed the world with their music.Suddenly,long hair became a symbol of being one in the crowd.Long hair gave me my sense of individuality.But I had my share of troubles!
With long hair,suddenly,I became the butt of everyone's jokes.I got a lot of nicknames like
"baal ki dukaan","dhoni","charsi".It was then that I began to realize that my paents were not the only one who were hell bent on short hair,the whole crowd was!the way people compare you to a celebrity really amuses me.
When I had long hair,people started calling me "Dhoni".When I started wearing a hair band,people started calling me "Abhishek Bacchan"!!!gimme a break!!i have been wearing it much before Abhishek Bacchan even came into the limelight!I'm sure if I become bald someday,people will call me Anupam Kher!!the fact that people couldn't accept me the way I was,depressed me a lot but I got over it after sometime.If I like it,to hell with people!!!people just need a reason to let you down.
I started having long hair quite often.I used to cut my hair only after every 6 months.The beard went unshaved for months.Constant grumblings continued fro my parents but it was of no use.I had become a rebel.
Now,I have cut my hair short again.This time,it was my decision alone.Long hair had become kinda boring for me and a change was definitely on the cards and as someone said "change is the only permanent thing".My hair is now short.Feels like school again.With a heavy heart,I had to get my long hair cut short.
But long hair will be a symbol of the time I realized what I didn't need to do.I didn't need to follow the crowd.I didn't need to change myself for acceptance.I just had to accept myself the way I was.I just had to be myself.Dhoni,baal ki dukaan or charsi!the fact is that long hair era will always be imprinted in my mind.It taught me to be me and not someone else.Long hair era a life changing experience.
Nowadays, I sport a fauxhawk twice every week.Can you guess which bollywood celebrity I'm addressed as?