Abhi posted a link on the news tab which I just had to click…Guns N’ Roses? Sweet Child o’ Mine?
Indian-ishtyle??
I thought my brain would implode at the thought but I was hooked immediately. That song (and that group) dominate my memories of my freshman year in high school– mostly because I hated myself for secretly kind of liking it. Fortunately, no one uncovered my shameful positivity towards this anthem of the popular set. I say “fortunately” because my friends wore flight jackets, smoked cloves and paired Fluevogs with our somber tweed uniforms; we listened to The Smiths, not this group we would later derisively hiss at for being ignorant and intolerant since it obviously had issues with homosexuality and people of color. Never mind that GnR’s lead guitarist Slash is half-black himself, to 14-year old me any group which was going to diss gay people was evil (I had just gotten over my crush on George Michael, my favorite member of Depeche Mode was Martin and I hearted Erasure…I really wanted to be Grace Adler when I grew up).
Part of the reason why this video– which is actually a wonderful commercial for Indian MTV-rival Channel V— jolted me like a quadruple-shot-latte was because none of the things I associate with Sweet Child o’ Mine are brown. High school, my friends from it, the TG parties I grimly attended with all my pledge sisters at UC Hippie…not brown. This video? Brown, and fabulously so.
This song has serious staying power. It went from being my bete noire twenty years ago to what I was giddily shouting the lyrics to a few months ago, at the National Geographic Halloween party. Upon observing how unanimously thrilled everyone aged 21-61 was the second those unmistakable, evocative first notes blared, I think I drunkenly decided that SCoM would be on my wedding reception play list, should I ever resolve my fear of adulthood and move beyond the existential crisis of “nomenclature for feminists”, i.e. “Do I take his name?”.
Wait, where was I? Oh, yes SCoM. Rather, “Ooooooh, woah-oooooh Sweeeet Chile of Miiiiiiiine”. A song so infectious, I’m sure every one of you has your own memory or five associated with it. I must say, the version we’re highlighting above is fantastic. Well, the first almost-half is. I loved it until 00:24. I just wanted more of those bliss-inducing strings. The vocals ripped me out of the euphoric haze I had been lifted in to and I was bewildered and slightly annoyed until Auntie’s hilarious, monosyllabic reaction at the end, which punctuated the minute nicely.
It’s a Monday and I thought you deserved something Happy; see how many times you watch it before you can tear yourself away. Me? Four. Just when you think something familiar can’t surprise you…
“we are all rockstars” OH Hell Yeah!!!
i like how one of them is channeling Slash with his hair ๐ oh, i can’t believe my first time commenting on SM involves guns n roses!
Oh, I’d say that’s rather auspicious. ๐ Thanks for delurking!
There is knout wrong with guns and roses, my first taste of rock and roll, welcome to the jungle. And slash was and still is very much cool!
I wore out that tape. That year, my gf and future Mrs. S got me AFD tee for my birthday.
I’d like to see more guys looking like that in India (the curly long haired one).
whoa, this scom version reminds me that uber performing monkey’s straddlin virtuosity at the zee cine awards..here.. where he plays the opening riffs off all songs in “OMG, THATS WHAT I CALL MUSIC #27”, … and then …dances to them…[trivia-did you know he also painted the backdrop?]… dont let the karan juhar gentle banter at the beginning put you off the shot of the lady jangling the musical dildo at 2:52.
Yes, but if you found one, what would you play at your reception? ๐
First time I ever heard GnR was when my older best friend taught me how to drive a stick shift. He had it blaring from the stereo, trying to drive on an old airplane runway…yeah, good times.
I say, hyphenate.
8 รยท A N N A said
Spoken like a woman who has been in DC for a long time! ๐
Yes, but I’m a Southie and lately I’ve been dating similar. Gone are the days when I could have been a Kurisummoottil-Deol*. Now it would be more like Kurisummoottil-Lakshminarayan. My children would go Menendez on my kundi, and really, who would blame them?
*These are all hypothetical names. I am in no way implying that I dated a random relative of Bobby Deol’s back in ’93 or that I’m part of that uber-Christian clan (I think “Kurisummoottil” translates to “the root of the cross”) by using these surnames which are cited here purely for the purpose of expressing a point. Nope, not me. Not I. Not me. So there! Oy, I’m in a musical place today, aren’t I?
I just thought about that after I commented. Yes, that does get complicated. Best wishes!
12 รยท bess said
Now I’m going to be on the lookout for Iyer wedding announcements in the U.S., to see if there’s any mention of what the bride will do with her name. ๐ Wait, do they even mention that bit in the announcement?
Abhay Deol?
No one THAT obvious. I keed, I keed.
ha ha, I had to throw it out there:)
Call me thick, I didn’t get that.
Not too shabby. In fact, it sounds pretty good!
But do they smash their sitars into the tabla and speakers at the end of the concert? (Like Nirvana, The Who, Nine Inch Nails etc.) That would make them true certified rockers.
Just being my usual sarcastic self. Sitars, veenas, santoors, tablas and mridangams etc are beautiful pieces of fine art that happen to make gorgeous sounds. Besides, in Hinduism, all musical intruments (Western and Eastern, and books/printed materials) represent Goddess Saraswati, at least that was what I was raised to believe. This belief may vary from region to region.
Not all southies have long surnames- you could always marry a Reddy or a Nair or a Rao ๐
19 รยท nala said
Damnit Nala, with your logic and facts and stuff. That’s ONE more excuse I can’t use now. Bah!
17 รยท Single and Looking
Call me thick, I didn’t get that.
Quick post, should have elaborated.
DC = Brooks Brothers town. Curly Long haired guys do better in NYC.
On a recent trip to London, I was struck by how stylish everyone looked riding the Tube even wearing ‘bankers’ style clothes.
Then again some people in Noida dress better than people on the Metro.
Oh, funny. That’s what I get for reading these postings including Anna’s quickly and replying without any self editing.
I read her original comment as “Yes, but if you found one, who would play at your reception? ;)” Meaning he would be the musician and etc…
Sorry Anna. Sometimes all the social/caste/economic class issues on this website it tends to color my readings of these postings.
hee. The same is true of New York (that people in Noida dress better than them).
An excuse for not hyphenating? I think you should just give the kids your name. ๐
I would like to see an Indian version of Welcome to the Jungle when they go to that percussion break in the middle of the song and Axl screams at the end “You know where you are.. you’re in the jungle baybeeee” . They could use tablas or something in that segment of the song.
Appetite for Destruction is one of my all time favorite albums. Every damn fucking song is very listenable. No filler.
It’s too bad Axl Rose became almost as fucked up as Michael Jackson.
What about an Indian street musician version of Spoonman by Soundgarden.
Anna, I’d say, you should not change your name unless your spouse also agrees to change his. Three words: Swaminathan Anklesaria Aiyar.
Do you know where you are?
Anklesaria?
I’m pretty sure one of the dudes from Soundgarden was Indian. Given the career trajectory of most grunge bands, he’s probably well on his way to being a ‘street musician’ of sorts.
This has me wishing for more Hindustani/Qawwali/Carnatic covers of western music. I’d tap that.
13 รยท A N N A said
Hahaha! Well, in such dire circumstances, I believe “Iyer” itself is a perfectly acceptable alternative to other, more intimidating options.
23 รยท nala said
I was really surprised by how much the malls and some places in the New Delhi metro area were similar to DC, even down to the underground parking garages.
There were even some hot Delhi girls riding the metro there. ๐
PAfD:
No, but I know exactly how fast I am going.
nala nair sounds like a cool name
Does anyone know who any of the artists are in the video?
ANNA, a short surname is not always a boon – mine has a rather risque meaning (and coupled with my first, would make for a good porn star name). a good example of how parents not being down with the lingo can be detrimental to their kids…
they do, but desi or not, there doesn’t seem to be some sort of trend towards choosing the shorter one…
I knew Anna would post this ๐
That…was…AWESOME.
Pravin:
Please to follow along on the tabla (or table, take your pick):
dukka-dukka-dukka-duk -a- duk-a-duk-a-duk
duk-duk-dukka-duk
Feeel the riddam in your haaaaaand steeeal de riddam wile you kaaan. Chamach-Adhmi!
anna, thank you for the post…that rocked! no pun intended.
I always knew Indians would smell the roses before we see Chinese Democracy
32 รยท Manju said
Manju, is that a very oblique proposal? Given Nala’s tender age, and your recently acquired prophetic powers, you’re beginning to sound suspiciously like certain unsavory Mormon conservatives (and I don’t mean Romney).
Pingpong, are you really that tiny? Given how hung up men are about size, I commend you for your public candor.
39 รยท portmanteau said
Hmmm, Manju Portmanteau has a certain ring to it too, sweet child of mine.
Port, I thought men were hung down when it comes to size, but to each her own.
Ladies, ladies, I can tell you with no hyperbole at all that I don’t just have inches, I have feet. Two to be exact. When I leave home in cold weather, I use carefully designed casings of plastic, leather and rubber, otherwise I’d cause people to stare at me wide-eyed in awe and disbelief. The casings are called boots.
I also gotta say that I agree that the vocals really ruin the ad at the end. The old guy wailing was kind of annoying. The first part was fun to watch.
what – no word on sepia on the whole aussie-india cricket tour?? We are being labelled racists – yo.. here are my 2 cents on the issue –
i really dont think anyone in India is under the impression that Symonds is black – also the word monkey is hardly used to connotate black people (we have other words for that – which are never spoken). heck, my mom is so naive that she thought it was okay to refer to blacks as “negroes” until I told her…so these allegations of “racism” are preposterous. Singh is probably darker than Symonds. Symonds just happens to look like an ape – nothing else to it!!
Look, Aussies – you need to understand something – no one cares 2 hoots about your country – no, not even the US (whom you pander to so devoutly), and not even the UK (who, because of your ethnicity you love to hate..). India, is an emerging superpower, and in many ways, this cricket team represents the face of modern India – one that will not take Shit from anyone – not your cricketers (whom we so convincingly defeated in the fastest form of cricket), not your media, and not your cricket boards filled with “stupid old white men”.. sorry mates – this is how its going to be in the new century.
๐ tell me pingpong, are you one of those guys who has pingpong (and pool) all figured out according to newtionian principles?
39 รยท portmanteau said
haha… thanks for looking out for me portmanteau akka (or do you prefer didi?). that reminds me… today i was eavesdropping on the conversation of these three russian men who were talking about the presidential election; they were making fun of mitt romney’s mormonism, saying ‘like in big love!’ to the one who didn’t understand what the significance was, and wondering aloud if he had crazy mormon orgies with his secret multiple wives. i think manju is far from being a mormon kind of conservative though.
45 รยท nala said
don’t underestimate me
Yeah. Okay. Thanks for sharing, swoop. Nice threadjack, apropos of nothing.
See pingpong #31. First, slow down. That’ll help you figure out where you are, where you’re going, and also let your fingers catch up to your brain.
Yeah, Heisenberg definitely applies here.
Um. Here…ish.
so you’re both a sepia mutiny deity and the lord of your plural-uterus household?
41 รยท Manju said
The auspicious occasion can be held in the fall. Just watch out for that November Rain. Maybe held in Chandigarh or Mumbai, which some think are paradise cities.
Sorry. Couldn’t resist it. ๐