All Over the Map

Video Find(s) of the Day

It may prepare you for this to tell you that in 1996 this guy put out a CD called "Gilles Apap & the Transylvanian Mountain Boys".

AMAZING Mozart 3 - 3rd movement Cadenza



The next 5 videos are a series of Mr. Apap interacting with Indian musicians. (That's not much preparation either, I suppose.).

Gilles Apap in India



Gilles Apap in India2



Gilles Apap in India3



Gilles Apap in India 4



Gilles Apap in India Final

What's This?

According to the program the second group performing at the Bhangra and Bollywood Show at Folklife this year was Taal. Taal is the generic term for the rhythms of classical Indian music, or rhythms period, or the name of a famous Indian movie that Roger Ebert gave excess thumbs up. The announcer told us it was not the name of this group. He said the correct name was something that sounded to me like Chunny Chunny. I have looked up everything I could think of that could be a spelling of a word sounding like chunny to me, and have not found these people. Hopefully I will get an answer to who they are soon, on YouTube.

Until then, here is an amazing performance of Indian dance by a group of young ladies of indeterminate ages.

That's Some Fusion

Video Find of the Day

Californians from India sing in French to Gypsy-inspired music, in a YouTube featured video that relates the cultural tossed salad graphically.

Rupa & the April Fishes "Une americaine a Paris" video

Indian Wedding

Video Find of the Day

Some beautiful videos showing some aspects of traditional Indian weddings. These three are among twelve segments of a documentary of vinodFilms that is available online.

The wedding in the documentary occurred in Southern California between immigrants from both North and South India.

INDIAN WEDDING INDIAN WEDDING MEHNDI Version 2



Indian Wedding Bhaati INDIAN WEDDING Deypiks's Wedding



Indian Wedding Seven Steps from Deypika's Wedding

Joke Told on a Bus

Anitra and I were at the back of a bus downtown. I was telling her some stuff I saw on the Onion News Network that was funny. A Native American woman overheard us laughing about "Immigrants, the Human Cost" and after a few blocks, offered to tell a joke of her own, which went something like this:

A White Woman was fishing in a stream and having no luck. Then an Indian Woman sat down at her right and started fishing, and immediately hooked a big fish. She struggled and struggled with it and finally landed it.

The next day, the White Woman was fishing, and having no luck. The same Indian Woman sat down on her left, and immediately hooked a huge fish. She struggled and struggled and finally hauled it in.

The White Woman was amazed. She said to the Indian Woman, "You always catch a big fish, and I catch nothing. What's your secret?"

The Indian Woman said, "You took our land, you took our trees, you took away our languages, now you want our secrets? Oh, all right."

She went on, "When I wake up in the morning, I always look at my husband's cock. If it leans to the right, I go to the right when I come to fish, and I always catch a big one."

"But if my husband's cock leans to the left, I go to the left, because that's where the big fish will be."

The White Woman thought about that. Then she said, "But what if your husband's cock is straight up? What do you do then?"

The Indian Woman said, "Oh, on days like that, I don't go fishing."