All You Need is Love...and an AK-47

On Tuesday, I read a story in the New York Times from a reporter who had been kidnapped by the Taliban in Pakistan, and was held for 7 months. It's a scary tale, and it's a reminder of how high the stakes are in this international world we live in today.

But the story is also surprising too, and funny, at least at the part when we realize once again how truly international the world is. Read this excerpt from the end.

I realized that my guards, too, might have needed a break from our grim existence. But I felt like a performing monkey when they told me to sing for visiting commanders. I knew they were simply laughing at me.

I intentionally avoided American love songs, trying to dispel their belief that all Americans were hedonists. Despite my efforts, romantic songs — whatever their language — were the guards’ favorites.

The Beatles song “She Loves You,” which popped into my head soon after I
received my wife’s letter from the Red Cross, was the most popular.

For reasons that baffled me, the guards relished singing it with me. I began by singing its first verse. My three Taliban guards, along with Tahir and Asad, then joined me in the chorus.

“She loves you — yeah, yeah, yeah,” we sang, with Kalashnikovs lying on the floor around us.

Once again, the Beatles prove inescapable, even in this very remote corner of the world, among a society that shuns western decadence, music in and of itself, and especially rock and roll. I'm very happy this reporter made it out alive, and I'm heartened by the musical message that continues to resonate among people everywhere. I feel very fortunate to be able to relay that message occasionally here in my own little corner of the world. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/20/world/asia/20hostage.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper

Rocking for a Cause

We played an interesting show last night, a benefit organized by the mayor of East Brunswick. The event was dubbed Dining for a Cause, and it was a fundraiser for East Brunswick community programs, including the food bank. Even in a relatively affluent community like this, demand for services like food pantries is on the rise, and it was great to see a nice turnout for the event.

Part of the fun was playing on a big stage. The new East Brunswick community center is a great venue, and we had the space to stretch out and not get in each other's way. Plus, we're going to be TV stars!!! That's right, if you live in East Brunswick, you can access EBTV (who knew they have their own network?) and catch an interview with the band and perhaps some of the performance as well. We haven't seen this yet, but we're told it will be aired this coming Thursday, October 22. As they say, check local listings... We'll also try to get this posted on our web site or YouTube as well.

So as we head into Thanksgiving and the holidays during the rest of the year, please keep the less fortunate in mind. We do have a lot to be thankful for.