Sepia Mutiny » ads http://sepiamutiny.com/blog All that flavorful brownness in one savory packet Tue, 08 May 2012 05:38:42 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye http://sepiamutiny.com/blog/2005/11/05/its_so_hard_to/ http://sepiamutiny.com/blog/2005/11/05/its_so_hard_to/#comments Sun, 06 Nov 2005 02:21:06 +0000 ads http://sepiamutiny.com?p=2473 Continue reading ]]> Well, it seems that my month-long tryst with Mutiny is about to end.  When I first headed up to the North Dakota HQ, I was just a small-town gal with a laptop and a dream of bringing general-interest news stories to the South Asian community.  I leave here with an enhanced appreciation for the bloggers and readers of Sepia Mutiny, and also with scenes of unspeakable North Dakotan depravity seared into my brain. 

Before I turn in my linens and SM-monogrammed guest towels, I just want to thank all you readers for not tearing me to shreds, and for your kind and thought-provoking comments.  And of course, thanks to the Mutineers for being such helpful, hard-working, and gracious hosts.  Finally, thanks to Shakti Kapoor for helping make all of this happen for me. 

See you in the comments section!

]]>
http://sepiamutiny.com/blog/2005/11/05/its_so_hard_to/feed/ 20
A New Wave of Fear http://sepiamutiny.com/blog/2005/11/04/a_new_wave_of_f/ http://sepiamutiny.com/blog/2005/11/04/a_new_wave_of_f/#comments Fri, 04 Nov 2005 06:29:13 +0000 ads http://sepiamutiny.com?p=2465 Continue reading ]]> The New York Times reports on escalating political violence in eastern Sri Lanka.  Much of Sri Lanka’s eastern province is controlled by the LTTE, which has been battling against a breakaway faction of the Tamil Tigers called the TMVP (Tamileela Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal) for the last year and half.  The group is led by a former LTTE commander called Karuna, and is alleged by some to be operating with the blessing of the Sri Lankan army.  In the past year, abductions and assassinations have increased in the region:  190 documented killings occurred this year between February and November, compared to 60 last year:

There is no sanctuary even at a relief camp here for families displaced by the tsunami. Since February three women at the camp have been widowed.

Dayaniti Nirmaladevi’s husband was gunned down as he fetched noodles one night. Radhi Rani’s husband was shot after a fishing trip. Koneswari Kiripeswaran lost her parents and her only child, age 4, to the tsunami, only to have her husband shot dead at a bus stop on his way back to work in Qatar.

All three women said their men had been active in political organizations opposed to the notorious ethnic separatist group – the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam – but had given up politics. It is impossible to verify their claims.

<

p>LTTE supporters have been attacked, as well:

Here in Batticaloa the violence is not limited to enemies of the Tigers. One night in late September, Khandasami Alagamma’s husband was eating dinner in the front yard of a pro-Tiger charity where he worked as a night watchman when five grenades were lobbed at the building. He was killed instantly.

A visit to Batticaloa turned up a chilling inventory of violence.

On Oct. 1 a mason hired to repair a Hindu temple was shot to death as he slept on its terrace; the police say they do not know why. The day before, the vendor of a pro-Tiger newspaper was shot dead on a busy street. On the Wednesday before came the grenade attack on the pro-Tiger charity, and on the Saturday before that, a tailor was killed inside his shop just after sundown. He is believed to have been an informer, but for which side is unclear.

The atmosphere of intimidation and fear makes finding out the facts of these crimes difficult, if not impossible:

The violence is terrifying for its opacity. Witnesses rarely come forward. The police say they cannot properly investigate. The targets are generally tied to one faction or another and increasingly include police and military informants. There is a gunshot here, an ambush there. No one claims responsibility. Fear and suspicion fuel a disquieting silence.

“Really, we do not know who is killing whom,” said the Rev. S. Jeyanesan, the pastor at St. John’s Church here. “People live in fear. People say they only open their mouths to eat. People don’t speak.”

<

p>In addition to the threat of abduction and murder, families must also try to protect their children from forced conscription:

In the hierarchy of fear, one of the most frightening aspects of life here is the recruitment of children into battle. They are recruited at schools, village markets and even at Hindu festivals, which draw thousands. Unicef recorded a spike in the practice in July, though the Tigers have long denied recruiting children.

How do parents protect them? In Tiger country across a lagoon from Batticaloa, one family keeps two of its teenage boys hidden at home, forbidden even to step out of the yard. To keep them entertained, they have gone into debt to lease a television.

In the same family, a 17-year-old girl has been married off; the Tigers do not take married women. The eldest son has been dispatched to work in the Middle East. Another boy, who served with the Tigers for two years, is in a church-run orphanage to avoid being taken again. “I can’t bring him home,” his mother said flatly. “He wouldn’t stand a chance.”

None of the mothers agreed to give their names, or those of their children, for fear of fatal retaliation.

More on the conflict here.

]]>
http://sepiamutiny.com/blog/2005/11/04/a_new_wave_of_f/feed/ 63
The Empire Kind of Strikes Back http://sepiamutiny.com/blog/2005/11/01/the_empire_kind/ http://sepiamutiny.com/blog/2005/11/01/the_empire_kind/#comments Tue, 01 Nov 2005 22:34:19 +0000 ads http://sepiamutiny.com?p=2453 Continue reading ]]> Even as some people are finding more and more tasks to outsource to the subcontinent, a few wily Brits are bucking the trend:

Beyond the four-mile-long driveway, and the shaded path named “Lady’s Walk” and the soft fields of purple rhododendron and grazing Holstein cows, Jonathan Jones walked among waist-high rows of rich green plants. With loving precision, he plucked off two perfect green leaves and a bud and held them proudly in his hand.

“English tea should be grown on English soil,” he said, running his fingers over what he called a victory for horticulture and also for British culture: the first commercial crop of tea ever grown in this tea-mad nation.  [link]

<

p>Jones is working with Evelyn Boscawen, an aristocrat descended from Earl Grey himself, to bring locally-grown tea to the British.  Some of you may remember that the Earl Grey blend of tea has subcontinental roots:

The blend is named after Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey, who reputedly received a gift, probably a diplomatic perquisite, of tea flavoured with bergamot oil. The legend usually involves a grateful Chinese mandarin, but this blend of tea was first made from fermented black Indian and “Ceylon” (Sri Lankan) teas, though over the years many other varieties have been used.

The tea proved so popular in the Prime Minister’s drawing room that his tea merchants, Twinings in the Strand, were given a sample and asked to come up with a close match. Twinings sold the first “Earl Grey’s tea” in the British market. Twinings Earl Grey blend includes China tea, Indian Darjeeling, Ceylon, and a hint of Lapsang souchong, a strong, “smoky” black tea. [link]

<

p>Now that the sun has set on the British tea-growing empire, Jones and Boscawen apparently figured it was time to take a second look at the fertile soils of Mother England:

Having done globetrotting research on camellia sinensis, the green bush that produces tea leaves, Jones said he learned that there are many myths about tea, including that it grows only in warm weather. In fact, what really matters, he said, is that there is no frost. He noted that the Cornwall estate has comparable temperatures to Darjeeling in the Himalayan foothills, which produces world-famous tea. [link]

Will Cornwall become the next Darjeeling or Nuwara Eliya?  Probably not anytime soon.

In former British colonies such as India and Sri Lanka, the bushes grew so effortlessly and their leaves were plucked by laborers so cheaply that it has always been more profitable to grow tea abroad, then ship it back to be blended in English factories and packaged as English Breakfast or Earl Grey.

But more than once, the English have thought how nice it would be to stop relying on fields half a world away, Jones said, noting that Winston Churchill was deeply worried during World War II that rationing caused by disrupted tea supplies would hurt morale.

The new Tregothnan tea is exceedingly expensive. Loose blended tea runs about $10 an ounce, and a box of 25 bags costs $18. By comparison, Tetley’s popular package of 80 tea bags sells for less than $3. But in an era when people pay $4 for a cup of coffee, the upscale specialty goods chain Fortnum & Mason has bought the novel crop and begun selling it in stores.

“It’s a rare tea,” remarked Jones, who said that he hopes to expand his current crop of 20,000 plants on 20 acres to 100 acres. Still, he said, he had no illusion it would ever be more than a niche market. [link]

For those of you in the niche, a soothing cuppa Cornwall can be ordered here.

]]>
http://sepiamutiny.com/blog/2005/11/01/the_empire_kind/feed/ 1
East is East, and West is West http://sepiamutiny.com/blog/2005/10/29/east_is_east_an/ http://sepiamutiny.com/blog/2005/10/29/east_is_east_an/#comments Sun, 30 Oct 2005 01:46:44 +0000 ads http://sepiamutiny.com?p=2442 Continue reading ]]> And maybe one day the twain shall meet and produce a decent film.  I’m not holding my breath, though.  The Hindustan Times reports on a recent spate of Bollywood/Hollywood joint ventures.  First up is Mumbai-based Percept Pictures, which recently announced plans to co-produce Ram Gopal Verma’s first “exclusively American” film, entitled Within:

The English-language film will reportedly be set in a Manhattan apartment peopled only by American characters.

Within will obviously be a significant first for RGV, but it is likely to be quickly followed up with Ek, a sweeping espionage thriller featuring Amitabh and Abhishek Bachchan with a clutch of Hollywood actors. [link]

<

p>A Manhattan apartment peopled only by American characters?  Do they have to pass a citizenship exam to enter the building?  According to Verma, “Within will revolve around the fear factor that is present within each one of us, while Ek will be based on nuclear terrorism.”  I personally had no idea that a “fear factor” was present within me.  I hope it doesn’t make me eat cockroaches or something.  Verma said that casting has yet to be finalized, and did not name the Hollywood actors involved.  Will he be able to land a Hollywood heavyweight like Ali Larter?

<

p>Larter’s film Marigold, which some of you may remember as last year’s Holly/Bolly collaboration of the moment, starring shirtophobe Salman Khan, is apparently scheduled for release in February.  If the unconfirmed but irresistible gossip of the Calcutta Telegraph is to be believed, Khan’s performance impressed the director enough to land him a second job:

William Carroll, director of Salman Khan starrer Marigold, has cast our favourite compulsive undresser in his forthcoming project, a Wizard of Oz remake aimed at teenagers. Khan is rumoured to be playing one of Dorothy’s companions on the yellow brick road. [link]

<

p>As if the prospect of watching Manhattanites eat cockroaches in their apartment while the Bachchans père and fils save the world from nuclear terrorism as Salman Khan sings “If I only Had a Brain” weren’t enough, Sanjay Leela Bhansali will also be joining the international party:

In yet another extremely significant development, Sony Pictures has decided to produce Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s next film, a teen love story titled Saawariya. Indications available so far suggest that the film will be a typical Bhansali product – unabashedly melodramatic and riotously colourful. [link]

<

p>A collaboration between the man who brought us Devdas and the studio that brought us Deuce Bigalow:  European Gigolo?  I for one am intrigued.  But wait, there’s more:

Among the several Indo-US co-productions already in the pipeline, Manish Gupta’s Karma, Confessions and Holi looks fair to be the one that will be the first to hit the screen.

Being produced jointly by Saregama Films and Hollywood’s Drena De Niro (superstar Robert De Niro’s adopted daughter), Karma is about four New York couples that meet on weekends to share their innermost feelings with each other as their jaded relationships amble through nothingness.

Karma has three sets of characters – fresh-off-the-boat Indian migrants, born-in-the-US Indians and White resident Americans. Manish Gupta, a New York-based IT software professional-turned-filmmaker who debuted with Indian Fish in American Waters, is of course working with a mix of Indian and American actors on the new film. [link] 

<

p>If listening to 3-4 self-absorbed couples talk about their jaded amble through nothingness doesn’t sound like your cup of American chai, there’s also the first film from the American Pride Films Group.  Attentive Mutineers might remember that American Pride is the production company of former GOP babe of the week Namrata Singh Gujral.  Their first film, Americanizing Shelley, is currently shooting.  The film’s press release suggests that the movie will break new ground in its reliance on cliches:

Successfully blending the old and the new with the east and the west. in a “Pygmalion”- like contemporary romantic comedy, “Americanizing Shelley” takes place in Los Angeles and tells the story of a wanna-be Hollywood talent manager, who sets out to Americanize an Indian girl straight from the Himalayas. As he creatively teaches her all about the American way of life and what it takes be a Hollywood celebrity, he untimely ends up learning a thing or two about his own life. Their clash in cultures soon gives way to understanding, unity and love as they begin to see the world through each others eyes.

The film will also boast an elaborate Bollywood wedding scene as well as a traditional Indian inauguration ceremony conducted by a Hindu priest. [link]

Looking at the embarrassment of cinematic riches that Bolly/Hollywood has in store for us, I must admit that I feel, well, slightly embarrassed. 

]]>
http://sepiamutiny.com/blog/2005/10/29/east_is_east_an/feed/ 54
Majority Rules http://sepiamutiny.com/blog/2005/10/26/majority_rules/ http://sepiamutiny.com/blog/2005/10/26/majority_rules/#comments Wed, 26 Oct 2005 19:38:55 +0000 ads http://sepiamutiny.com?p=2419 Continue reading ]]> Since the Indian restaurant next door to my apartment went out of business, I’ve been coming home to find unclaimed stacks of Little India magazine strewn all over the sidewalk.  While stepping over a copy the other day, I noticed the cover story:  “Only U.S. Town with an Indian Majority.”  Naturally, I was curious.  Where is this town?  In the Bay Area?  Jersey?  Or is it in the great state that brought us weather-forecasting groundhogs and chipped ham?  (The answer is #3.)

Millbourne is a tiny Pennsylvania borough with an estimated population of 994.  At the time of the 2000 Census, Indian-Americans constituted 40% of its population; current “Little India projections” bring that number up to 63%, compared with a national average of less than 0.6%.   

The 2000 Census outlines the broad contours of Millbourne’s Indian community. The gender breakdown is about even: 53 percent to 47 percent women. Five percent are mixed race. The median age of the Indian community is 32. Only 13 percent of the Indians are native-born. Almost two-thirds migrated to the United States within the previous decade. Like the other residents of the city, Indians in Millbourne are principally blue collar. The median household income for the 102 Indian households in the borough was $36,000, higher than the borough average, but substantially below the national median Indian household income of $64,000. However, only 7 percent of the Millbourne Indians were below the poverty line, as opposed to 9 percent of Indians nationally. Just 10 percent of Indians in the borough owned their home, which is less than a quarter of the home ownership rate among Indian Americans nationwide.

Millbourne lies adjacent to the city of Upper Darby, pop. 81,000, and is a 10-minute train ride from Philadelphia.  The town is so small (0.7 sq. miles) that it lacks its own school system, movie theater, or Starbucks, but it does boast a gurudwara, a Keralite church, and a small mosque.  Millbourne’s first Indian residents came from Kerala:

The earliest Indian immigrants to settle here were nurses from Kerala, who had been sponsored for jobs at area hospitals. Soon their husbands and children followed, establishing themselves in this small, very affordable town.

“This is true for majority of the cases where the wives first came to the country as nurses,” says John Kurichi, whose family was among the first Keralite family to settle in Millbourne in 1979; his wife has been a nurse for 27 years. He believes his was the first Indian family to move into the area; many other families with links to Kerala followed. The families are members of the Malayalee Association of Delaware and the community keeps connected through the St. Gregorios Malan Kara Orthodox Church, which has a pastor from Kerala.

<

p>Millbourne’s latest wave of Indian immigrants is predominantly Sikh:

The predominant subethnic group in Millbourne is, without a doubt, Sikh, accounting for, according to some, as much as 80 percent of the Indian population. It is home to the Sikh Gurudwara and the Philadelphia Sikh Society, which is the nucleus and the reason for the expanding community.

Millbourne experienced a population surge from New York after 9/11. Many Sikh families abandoned New York in the wake of the terror attacks and racial profiling and took refuge in this small community where the gurudwara was their beacon and anchor, and all around them were people of their color and beliefs.

<

p>Among other things, some of Millbourne’s residents may be responsible for your next airline meal:

Some four miles away is Jyoti Cuisine India, which manufactures Indian meals in Sharon Hill, as well as canned goods and ready to eat entrees that are sold in natural food stores like Whole Foods. The company has been producing natural vegetarian food since 1979 and currently provides the hot meals served on board Continental, British Airways, Emirates and US Airway flights. Their automated facilities require only 15 workers, but ten of them are Sikh women from Millbourne, who catch the bus daily to the plant.

According to Sunil Manchanda, business manager at Jyoti Foods: “Ours is basically Indian food and these women know what Indian food is all about. Some work on the cooking, making matri or gulab jamun or parathas and rotis for the airlines.  

Millbourne seems to have a lot going for it: low crime, good community relations, close proximity to the big city, and one selling point that seems too good to be true to this Bay Area resident:

ItÂ’s still possible to get a three-bedroom house with a patch of green for under $100,000.

With real estate prices like that, IÂ’m starting to think that MillbourneÂ’s next resident may be Sri Lankan.

]]>
http://sepiamutiny.com/blog/2005/10/26/majority_rules/feed/ 19
Shopguy http://sepiamutiny.com/blog/2005/10/23/shopguy/ http://sepiamutiny.com/blog/2005/10/23/shopguy/#comments Mon, 24 Oct 2005 02:08:29 +0000 ads http://sepiamutiny.com?p=2403 Continue reading ]]> The other day I was reading a rather ho-hum review of the new Steve Martin movie Shopgirl when this sentence caught my eye:

Tweely narrated by Martin (not as Ray), directed with a dose of barbiturates by Anand Tucker, underscored with a plaintive cello and piano, this is among the most noneventful romantic triangles ever committed to celluloid.

It appears that Shopgirl, that seemingly whitest of whitebread romantic dramedies, was directed by an international jetsetter with desi roots:

Tucker, the son of an Indian father and German mother who was born in Thailand, grew up in Hong Kong and has lived in London since he was 18.

Rediff features a recent interview with the director, who is probably best known for directing the art-house hit Hilary and Jackie.  Tucker (his father changed his last name from Thakkar) has also been tapped to direct a big-budget adaptation of The Golden Compass, the first book in Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy.

You are making a big jump from a comparatively small film like Shopgirl to the Golden Compass in the Pullman series. Are you worried about the change of pace?

Not at all. And I also know that the new film is basically a story about a little girl who’s looking for her family. I see the Golden Compass as yet another film that is full of emotions and life’s trials. And in that sense, it is not unlike the two movies I have directed.

Budget-wise, this is going to be a big film, isn’t it?

It could cost about $100 million, more than two times the budget of my previous two films. But then again what interests me about it is that it is still a story filled with emotions.

How did you get the project, given there was intense competition?

Persistence. I had a detailed treatment, with even sketches, and I approached New Line [the producers] with it. I have been lobbying and pitching this film even as I have been working on Shopgirl and other projects that did not come through.

How long have you been trying to get this film project?

Ever since the book came out, about 10 years ago. From the day I read the book, I have been passionate about it and now it feels like forever. I knew exactly how I was going to adapt the story, with its magic, witches and adventures, for the big screen. [link]

Tucker decided he wanted to become a filmmaker after seeing Taxi Driver for the first time.  Hopefully the rather mixed reviews he’s been receiving for Shopgirl won’t inspire any Bicklesque behavior on his part.

]]>
http://sepiamutiny.com/blog/2005/10/23/shopguy/feed/ 4
Apu’s got a blog! http://sepiamutiny.com/blog/2005/10/20/apus_got_a_blog_1/ http://sepiamutiny.com/blog/2005/10/20/apus_got_a_blog_1/#comments Thu, 20 Oct 2005 09:12:45 +0000 ads http://sepiamutiny.com?p=2392 Continue reading ]]> When I read Anna’s recent post on the desi celebrity blogger of the moment, the comments of Chick Pea and Jai Singh caught my eye:

what’s next… apu and manjula’s blog from the kwik-e-mart life?

That would be a fantastic idea for another new-topic thread here on SM — we could all just keep adding fictitious “diary entries” by Apu. Manish, Abhi etc — do you guys want to make this happen ? I think it would be a lot of fun and potentially hilarious too.

<

p>Inspired by their comments, I decided to scour the internet to determine if that most redoubtable of Indian-American television celebrities, Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, was indeed a blogger.  And, um, turns out he is.  (Sorry if that was anticlimactic.) 

Of course, it’s possible that the aforelinked blog was not actually written by Apu, but rather by some sort of sick Apu impersonator.  In which case, would the real Apu Nahasapeemapetilon please stand up?  Please stand up?  Please stand up? 

]]>
http://sepiamutiny.com/blog/2005/10/20/apus_got_a_blog_1/feed/ 16
Rub a Dub Dub http://sepiamutiny.com/blog/2005/10/18/rubadubdub/ http://sepiamutiny.com/blog/2005/10/18/rubadubdub/#comments Tue, 18 Oct 2005 23:26:13 +0000 ads http://sepiamutiny.com?p=2383 Continue reading ]]> One of my goals in life is to figure out a way to get paid to watch Bollywood movies and yell at the TV screen.  According to an article in Salon by Sumana Harihareswara, someone (actually four someones) has beaten me to it:

“Uncle Morty’s Dub Shack,” which just finished its first season on the ImaginAsian cable network, is the “Mystery Science Theater 3000″ of bad Asian films, and like its predecessor with the then-unknown Comedy Central, it could help put the obscure iaTV on the map. The conceit of the show is that four loser friends — Trevor, Aladdin, Jimbo and John — earn a little extra cash dubbing martial arts, action and Bollywood films into English at the Dub Shack, run by an old crank named Morty. Uncle Morty doesn’t have the translated scripts, so the friends turn the movie scenes into sketch comedy. For those of us who didn’t warm to MST3K, “Uncle Morty’s” is easier to love, because it’s only half an hour long (the films are significantly, and mercifully, edited down), and the writers create believable alternate narratives for the flicks instead of merely smirking at them.

Unfortunately, iaTV is not offered by my satellite provider, so I had to make do with the clips on Uncle Morty’s website.  (Of the Bollywood clips, I enjoyed “Goatman” and “Chicken Members” the most.)  The episode guide lists Dushman Duniya Ka, Dand Nayak, and Soch among the cinematic treasures given the Dub Shack treatment.  (The channel has also been airing the intriguingly-titled Duplicate Sholay.)

The Salon article contains an email interview with two of the show’s writers, Jimbo Matison, also known as the guy who used to scream “SEGA!” at the end of SEGA video game ads, and Trevor Moore, erstwhile host of a late night comedy show on PAX-TV.  Due to Salon’s insistence on shoving a thirty-second car ad down your throat before allowing you to access any of their content, I will excerpt extensively from the article:

Is it easier to write funny commentary for Chinese kung fu/action movies or Bollywood musicals?

Trevor: I think they each have their advantages. The kung fu films tend to have these great, expressive, comic-relief characters that are just so easy to write jokes and come up with voices for. And the Bollywood films have all of those musical numbers that you can write songs for.

Jimbo: I love writing new songs for the Bollywood musicals. It’s great to watch with the sound off and think, “What are they just not singing about?” and then have them sing about it. With the kung fu films it’s fun to figure out the most absurd reasons for them to fight each other. It’s also dang fun to throw on the goofiest sound effects when they hit each other. Usually it starts with lots of fart sound effects, just to get it out of our system, and then on to better sound effects like foghorns that sound like really big farts. We’ve really been aching to get our teeth into some bad anime. I think we’re getting some for the next season. Oh, it’s gonna be so nice.

<

p>The secret to their comedy stylings?  Being dumb:

Jimbo: I think our sketch comedy works because we dare to be dumb. I love writing the stupidest thing I can think of. It’s like a contest I have with myself. That’s not to say I try to write something unintelligent, though. I don’t enjoy unintelligence.

Trevor: I think we sort of bask in stupidity. We are sort of proud when we’ve written something incredibly stupid and juvenile, but then every now and then we’ll throw in a point or social comment and that just gives the show a very weird feel. It’s intentionally stupid and I think that just appeals to some people.

Jimbo: We do think very hard about the writing. We’re ruthless with each other, too. If I’ve written something bad, Trev will hand it back with the words “useless waste of time” on it. Equally, I will write “bag of shit” on his work.

<

p>Jimbo stands up for the right of all Americans to make fun of cheesy Asian movies, but provides a few sensible guidelines:

Do you think it’s odd that two white guys are the ones writing it, when you’re making fun of Asian movies on the ImaginAsian channel?

Jimbo: I actually don’t think it’s odd that we’re making fun of Asian movies. To me, that’s America. One second generation Latvian [Jimbo], a Taiwanese Canadian [John was born and raised in Ontario], a third-generation Irish guy [Trevor] and one Bengali [Aladdin] goof on bad movies from Asia. What a great mix! That’s America.

I actually don’t like the term “white guys.” I’m proud of my Latvian blood. Latvians are nuts! If you go to France and then Ireland you won’t come back thinking they have the same culture. Same as if you went to Japan and India. Big difference. Maybe that viewpoint is also from my growing up in San Francisco in the ’60s and ’70s. I love everybody, baby. Don’t get me wrong, though; I do use the term “white guys,” but I use it for predictable consumers who lack culture. [Laughs]

I think we respect the films, too. We would never want to goof on a film that was a classic and endeared by the country of origin. We also don’t come from the viewpoint of, “Hey, let’s make fun of Asian people!” That would be screwed. For instance, we never use outrageous Asian accents on our characters. That would just be lame, predictable and insulting. We do, however, use outrageous French accents and such, because it’s just absurd and silly. The French have a right to be offended at our show! We consciously don’t use stereotypes as humor, because to us it’s just not funny. Our viewpoint is, “Hey! Let’s have some fun with these old B films!”

For those of you that are actually able to watch the show, new episodes begin in February, but there will be a first season marathon on Halloween starting at 9 p.m.

]]>
http://sepiamutiny.com/blog/2005/10/18/rubadubdub/feed/ 4
Is The SSF Gonna Rock You? http://sepiamutiny.com/blog/2005/10/14/is_the_ssf_gonn_1/ http://sepiamutiny.com/blog/2005/10/14/is_the_ssf_gonn_1/#comments Sat, 15 Oct 2005 02:35:54 +0000 ads http://sepiamutiny.com?p=2369 Continue reading ]]> Mephistopheles1981, eagle-eyed observer of the Sri Lankan diaspora, writes in with a tip on L.A.-based rock band The Slow Signal Fade.  The quartet features Sri Lankan-born Marguerite Olivelle as its lead singer, and a bunch of other people that I don’t care about because they’re not Sri Lankan.  (Just kidding, Ron Ulicny, Chris Walters, and Christy Greenwood!  You guys seem nice, too.)  According to a cached Google page from their website-in-progress, the band “formed in fall of 2002 through an array of failed alliances, random acquaintances, circumstance and numerous ads in the LA based classified paper The Recycler.”  They went on to record a five-song E.P. called the “Kindling E.P.,” setting some sort of land-speed record in the process:

Their first demo turned into their first album, “Kindling E.P.,” and was recorded in only eight hours.

“We had to pay studio time and didn’t have enough time to listen to the CD before we released it,” Walters said. 

<

p>I don’t know that I would necessarily want to advertise that aspect of my debut album, but fair enough.  This year they released a second E.P. called Through the Opaque Air.  So what does The Slow Signal Fade sound like?  Lots of stuff, apparently:

Armed with a vast collection of esoteric and sometimes conflicting influences, they have crafted a unique sound….a delicate blend of power and intimacy that sits comfortably and transcends genre.

Their musical influences vary from the likes of classic rock bands including Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, The Doors….through early post-punk and pop like The Cure, New Order, The Police, and U2…..to the modern sonics of Mogwai, Tool, Sunny Day Real Estate, and Fugazi. The SSF’s evocative style, colorful melodies, and engaging percussions provide the foundation for the beautiful, timeless and ethereal vocals that draw inspiration from singing legends ranging from Sarah Vaughan and Dinah Washington, to Chrissie Hynde, Sinead O’Connor and Cat Power. This band provides a musical journey that leaves an indelible mark on the listener, a refreshing balance of musicianship and candor. [Link]

And what do people who aren’t in the band think they sound like?  From Popmatters:

It’s Disintegration-era The Cure as done by The Cranberries, all epic slow tempos and one-note guitar lines fronted by Marguerite Olivelle’s lovely, pitch-perfect, urgent vocals. It’s a combination that shouldn’t be nearly as enjoyable as it is, but the wall of sound on display is exotic, acid-washed, and somehow really accessible. [Link]

A quick listen to a few of their songs, especially “Push Pull Push,” leads me to think the Cranberries comparison is particularly apt.  However, as the great LeVar Burton once said, “You don’t have to take my word for it!” since free MP3s are available at their website.

]]>
http://sepiamutiny.com/blog/2005/10/14/is_the_ssf_gonn_1/feed/ 12
Amrikan Gothic http://sepiamutiny.com/blog/2005/10/11/amrikan_gothic/ http://sepiamutiny.com/blog/2005/10/11/amrikan_gothic/#comments Tue, 11 Oct 2005 19:59:52 +0000 ads http://sepiamutiny.com?p=2349 Apart from Kal Penn’s little brother’s five-minute Goth phase in the movie Where’s the Party, Yaar?, South Asian Goths seem to be largely absent from the desi cultural landscape.  While doing some extensive research on the topic, I learned that a Google search for … Continue reading ]]> <

p>Apart from Kal Penn’s little brother’s five-minute Goth phase in the movie Where’s the Party, Yaar?, South Asian Goths seem to be largely absent from the desi cultural landscape.  While doing some extensive research on the topic, I learned that a Google search for “South Asian Goths” yields no results, that “Indian Goth” leads largely to porn links, and that half of Google’s “Desi Goths” results point to some guy’s profile on RateDesi: the Desi Hot or Not.  (His average rating is a 7.7393.)  But there’s also this guy:

Shumit Basu designs custom corsets and other items for his label Underground Aristocracy, which has been “hand-crafting corsets for the discerning corset enthusiast since 1997 using a range of materials from fine silk to leather.”  Basu studied at the Art Institute of Chicago and the London College of Fashion, and has been designing for over ten years. Underground Aristocracy currently offers a large selection of corsets for sale, and also promises that more items including bridal wear, accessories, skirts, and cats (?) will soon be available online.

Basu’s work has been mentioned in Time Out New York:

His tattered sketchbook, on which he’s inscribed Le Saint Grimoire de la Mode (“Sacred Magic Book of Fashion”), reveals influences from the 1600s to the 1980s. His Justine model, based on a 17th-century nursing corset ($400), is radically updated in S&M-inspired black cowhide; its breast flaps unbuckle to reveal bare nipples. Another design, Verdächtig (German for “suspicious”), owes more to the 19th century. It’s a waist cincher, worn under the bust, and is stunning in red raw silk with black side-laces ($200).

I think it’s nice that Basu is doing his part to encourage breastfeeding among new mothers.  An interview with Basu can be found in Morbid Outlook magazine.  In it, he discusses the significance of his label’s label:

MORBID OUTLOOK: Why “The Underground Aristocracy”? It’s an elegant but long name!
SHUMIT: I have been a bit concerned about the length of the name, it is something of a mouthful. The idea behind the name reflects an attitude I’ve sometimes perceived in the gothic scene that gothic people are somehow more special and deserving than other sorts of people. Kind of like “if only I was living in the 17th century…” So in a sense, the gothic scene represents a sort of modern day aristocracy, but as no one else might agree with this, it’s underground, hidden from sight. I have considered using my own name, but I think I’ll save that for some future project.

Future projects?  Do tell!

Eventually I would like to open my own store, but in the more immediate future I’m concerned with expanding the on-line catalogue, and finding retailers that will stock my work. I think some people may prefer the convenience of ready-to-wear corsets. I would also like to go beyond corsets into other areas of women’s and men’s wear. I think of my clothes as being gothic, but I wish to expand the concept of what constitutes gothic attire, and I would like it if my clothes appeal to a broader group outside the gothic and fetish scenes.

Maybe Basu will inspire Sepia Mutiny to add some nursing corsets to their own fashion line

]]>
http://sepiamutiny.com/blog/2005/10/11/amrikan_gothic/feed/ 44