Of starts.. and ends

Ever since you started listening to meejik,the one thing you always remembered was the start of any song.No surprises there, since as kids, we loved a few songs and as soon as it started playing on TV,radio or now,the Internet, we directed our attention to it. My nephew, a few months back,had to listen to 'Taxi Taxi', the Tamil song, on TV for him to start eating. :)

Over the years, as we started listening to music by the tons,the start became even more important.Not that it was all was that needed for you to get hooked to a song,but it was important nevertheless. During a recent weekend drive(the usual one), I decided to give one of my older folders some work . U2-All that you cant Leave Behind. I'd heard it in college, thanks to a friend who had the cassette.I'd heard all of the songs, but for one. New York.I don't know why, but I always remember running out of patience on the start,with Bono in absolutely no hurry to get the song going. I would forward it and head onto the next song. Today was different. I was tackling the traffic filled twists heading out of the valley and had forgotten to forward it. A minute or so into the song, it came alive,with so much energy, true to the name of the song. I heard it, and heard it again .. and again.

The first few minutes of a new song were always when, sitting in the car, you go either way,'Oh interesting' or.. 'Next station',most of the time. It didn't matter if the song was to get better later on, you'd assume that you'd jump listening to it in the middle and in the future and . An assumption. New York's start wasn't alone. Every time you'd listen to 'Hallowed be thy name' you'd use the slow start to get yourself closer to the speakers.. and then go breathless on the seemingly endless '(running)lowwwwwww........' trip with Dickinson. And then wait for it to blast on your face. Most AC/DC songs were similar,TNT,Hells Bells.. all slow starters that packed a punch.

The starts were remarkably brilliant in Indian film music as well. As I grew up, it was exhilarating listening to the starting minute of Ilayaraja's best numbers.So much that I'd created a 1:30 min collection of three of my fav ones.The starts from Mouna Ragam,Agni Natchathriam and that mid blowing theme from Punnagai Mannan. Rahman took over the mantle from him, to perfection with an innumerable number of such gems in the first minute. Too many to count.And the new wave of Hindi music with SEL,Amit Trivedi,Pritam(even if its lifted) have carried that forward. Oh!, the starts.

But there are some songs that make you wait all the way, before introducing you to their best. Dire Straits' Lady Writer is a prime example. It is a good song,starts in typical Dire Straits style, but you have to go to the last 30 seconds to get the best part.Mark Knopfler toys with the guitar and with such speed, you want the song to go on for some more time. Brilliant,end. Rahman produced something similar too, with 'Kismat Se' from Pukar. Nothing great, but having heard it recently, I bring it up.A song dripping with melody, the male and female voices come together in the end for a promising duel, with the tabla joining in, not to be left out. It is real short, when all three sounds merge and lead to a promising end.You only wish the tabla went a little more crazier.

I'm sure there are tons of other songs that have brilliant starts and ends that belie the sluggish start. The ones I have here are just those that I remember,very well,now.Do chime in with your picks.

Edit(10/26): In the 'ends' section... I forgot the 'Big Daddy' of all ends. 'Stairway to Heaven', Led Zep.Oooh! Thats is the most expensive gift you'll get, for your time. You wait for the first 4 minutes listening to Robert Plant talking about his 'wonder'.Then you are introduced to a certain Jimmy Page on the guitar. The two then decide to call Mr. Bonham on the drums and give you the gift. Your 'precious'.2 minutes. 2 minutes of adrenaline rush. 2 of the best musical minutes.Then,The End. One that needed the support of that START. Ah!

The flying nomad....

I guess that's how you feel,for a brief period, as you shuttle through airports across the world,heading to Hindustan.I hadn't done that on over 2 years and if was finally time. The airline had been selected, not much of a decision when it is a super inexpensive deal! :) the next things are always tough.The seats and meal selection. There are times when you make decisions sub-consciously and the seat selection is one of them,if you are claustrophobic. You want to select the aisle, common sense,stretch your legs, trip the air-hostess and have all the wine in her hand on your tee. But every time I try doing it, selecting the aisle seat, not the other one, I end up selecting the window.It feels liberating,no wonder I took the window seat in college too! :D
The meal.When in a new place, do you try the most weird or risk option on the menu? I usually do, with a reasonable hit rate. 'Oriental Vegetarian Meal,Mister.. Rangaanaa.. I'm sorry I can't pronounce it..' said the stewardess, laughing to herself at the very thought of the two words 'Oriental' and 'Vegetarian' co-existing,forgetting the name for a split second.I'm sure the chef looked at the list and went, "Oriental Vegetarian? Oh God.. why, why... is this my biggest test?'. No wonder I got steamed rice noodles, real fat ones, and 6 spears of Asparagus for lunch when leaving SFO and one HUGE slab of tofu when leaving Hong Kong.The cognac more than made up for it, but that's a different story. :)

When in a different country's airport, you look for the best place to experience their food.I was like a guy from Greenland in San Jose, who'd for sure look for a 'Taj Restaurant' when in search of Indian food.No luck on the way home, but one the way back,I found a place at the HK airport that served some yummy veg food.Sauteed vegetables,rice and mushrooms in a thin rice pancake.The texture of an Uthappam,with the thickness of a dosa.Yummy.A must eat. HK is also a great place to pick up some loose tea leaves with a tea infuser packed in a steel box, that is so exquisitely decorated. And then comes the cultural differences. You don't know what is the shopping etiquette is, especially when in the East. I opened this tee,wanted a different size, so tried to fold it in a not so bad way, and put it back. The sales girl, gave me 'You didn't fold it? ' kinda look, or so I thought. I wasn't asked to fold the tee again, atleast. :)Thank God.

As a traveller, you always contend with some characters,at airports or in the seat next to you.Having bid goodbye to my parents(sigh!) I proceeded to the duty free store in Chennai, looking for miniature bottles of spirit. As is the case, there usually is one pesky 'Sir, What can I help you with Sir?' on your back. This guy took it further.As I gave him the teeny weeny bottle, he looked straight at me and shot 'Sir, we also have cigarettes and cigars.Do you want some to go with this?'.Argh! Stop the stereotyping, phellow. He also had chocolates and perfumes, but somehow he thought I'd be more interested in coupling the 'bad habits'. I smiled and with a straight face told him ' One bad habit is enough, right?'. 'Right ,Sir', he said with a sheepish smile. That done, I was working my way through some delicious Singapore street noodles, all spicy(remember,Oriental Vegetarian) when this dude next to me started 'So where are you going?'. I'm not usually disconnected, when in a flight. You do the usual 'Hi' to the neighbour when you sit. This guy gave me a 'I don't say Hi' look in response. And here he was, trying to write my biography. It only got better,five minutes into the conversation,after we found out (yes, we finally found out where we were headed) he popped me the 'Easy Question'.'So.. you make about 60-75 lakhs in our money at that bank you work?'.He truly was chronicling my survival in the recession. And surprisingly, this was an 'easy question', primarily because you always expect it coming, when in the midst of more than 5 Tam-bram maamis around you. I'd mastered the response well, at this point. I make them feel elated.. by nodding at their guess. '65 lakhs?' Nod.. Nod Nod.. 'Naan nenachaen(I thought so). '45 lakhs?' Nod..Nod.. Nod.. 'Naan sonnaen illaya?'(I told you so..) the maami would tell her friend. My mom would have a good laugh too, waiting for me to crib about these people ,with her later! :) So I went Nod.. Nod.. Nod.. with this dude too, my new Biographer.

Best Sight : Watching the skyscrapers compete with the mountains in Hong Kong
Best Buy : Dragon tee and some tea leaves with the infuser, at HK airport ---->
Biggest Regret : Not enough time to listen to all the albums Cathay had. Ah! 78 Rock albums alone! Can we fly around the world twice? :)
Best Watch : Oye Lucky..Lucky Oye (Hindi).Every character is 100% Delhi. :) Brilliant.
Big Letdown : Citizen Kane.Argh! what a pain. So cliched. Such a bore.
Oh so Weird : As an elderly man found out, never knock on the restroom door , to ask someone to quicken, when on a flight! :)
Thumbs Up : Cathay Pacific!