My Petty Effort…
iView Author:
Sourav Bhuyan
Mumbai, India
EMAIL:
souravbhuyan[at]gmail[dot]com
My Petty Effort….
Iron Maiden is coming to India for the second time and playing live at the MMRDA grounds on the 1st of February.A red letter day for Bombay metalheads.
A year back I came across a documentary called “Metal:A Headbanger’s Journey“.This documentary had taken into account the origin of this particular genre of music called Heavy Metal and stretched over lot of other issues related to it.The documentary was interspersed with interviews of metalheads all over the world and also exclusive interviews.Well documented movie I must say. Sam Dunn,the Writer and the Director of the movie is making another documentary called “Global Metal”.It takes into account the reach of this genre of music in the world.Be it Iran,Brazil,India or Malaysia.
Last year in March, Iron Maiden arrived in Bangalore and blew the city into pieces. Sam Dunn was there along with Banger! production to document for “Global Metal”. A special local Bombay Metal show was also organised at Razzberry Rhinocerous,Juhu(still the mecca of Bombay heavy metal scene) for Sam Dunn to document.
This year too Sam Dunn and his team are touring with Iron Maiden World Tour “Somewhere Back in Time“which kickstarts in Mumbai on 1st February.Sam Dunn and Banger! production wants some Iron Maiden enthusiasts for their under production documentary “Global Metal”. In order to be part of it, an email had to be sent to the concerned guys proving allegiance sworn to Iron Maiden.(Read:Craziest follower).I wrote them a mail sitting in my office with whatever time I had.Got a reply from the production guys.They said that their system is inundated with enthusiastic mail responses and my write up could not considered.Damn!!!.But I would like that you guys just read it up.I do not want my petty effort to go in waste.Although there is nothing much to with cinema but please read on.This is how I pitched in for my role in the documentary which never was there( sigh) —–
First things first!Let me take this opportunity to congratulate Sam Dunn on his exhaustive and beautiful documentary on the journey of metal i.e “Metal:A Headbanger’s journey”. Being a avid follower of documentaries and secondly finding a Heavy Metal documentary to add on it was simply superlative. Sam Dunn and his production team was here in Mumbai and later following Iron Maiden to Bangalore in 2007. I had an opportunity to meet Sam Dunn and his team in Razzberry Rhinocerous but could not make avail of it.Awaiting his next documetary “Global Metal” with bated breath.
As far as Iron Maiden is concerned, let me put in some facts. Every metalhead in India has to start off with listening to Iron Maiden, before entering into deeper abyss of this genre of music.It is an unwritten law. Not abiding by it would subsequently lead to heavy metal ostracization and would be subjected to mass ridicule.This is without an iota of exaggeration.The mystic visuals of Eddie in the Maiden videos and the high pitch vocals of Bruce Dickinson with all so familiar typical Maiden riffs renting the smokey air of every metalheads private underground room.A typical Indian metalhead scene. “That is the only route to escape reality for the misguided” said the detractors.’There was a time during my adolescent years 7-8 years back when every heavy metal gig in Mumbai concluded with the all popular track “Fear of the Dark”. It just amazed me then the popularity of the band in a city miles way from its place of origin.That was the power of Iron Maiden and still continues to grow with magnanimtiy.We had a survey taken in a class of management students.We asked personally around 100 students if they knew what Iron Maiden was and without doubt 50% of the students knew them or had heard about the band at some point of their lives.This goes to show the popularity of the band. The very mention or doubt over Maiden’s popularity is sacrilege and only next to blasphemy.
Personally,as an adolescent I used to make it point to buy the latest Maiden t-shirts in the market.The joy of acquiring such t-shirts was nothing less than the joy a business tycoon derives on acquiring a business conglomerate.Same was the pleasure.I am not a regular Iron Maiden fan.I do not call myself a fan..I am more a part of the movement/revolution started by this all British heavy metal band more than 30 years ago.Even today, I encounter trouble remembering the name of the track although I can belt out each and every riff,drum roll,rhythm and bass in the song ensemble verbally.(hehehe) Why do I need to remember the name of the track?? Like William Shakespeare once said,”Whats in a name’?” But the cliched ironical part is that no one ever forgets to mention his name below the maxim.
I have not experienced an Iron Maiden concert. Any live performance is mind blowing and now having a band I have been into for years,playing live right before me is not quite digestible. I cannot accept the fact that I am going to witness madness,uphoria and frenzy although there is a thin line of difference between the three.I will be witness to the lead guitarists playing in harmony.Bruce Dickinson’s vocals rending apart eardrums at a strange frequency. If Black Sabbath is considered pioneers of every riff made then I consider Maiden to be pioneers of every harmony and melody made.The experience is nothing less than seconds of orgasmic affair.Its just that the feeling is a tad bit longer than usual.
On a cynical note,I am fortunate enough to witness it before I leave for heavenly or hellish abode which only time will tell.My existential issues seem to cease as the D day arrives closer.With last three days and some hours and few minutes left for the best/worst/craziest part of my life to begin( read:Iron Maiden concert), I feel numb.I say worst part of my life because I wish this gig could last for eternity which is highly improbable.I have not bought my tickets yet for the show..I call it self denial.I want to trip on this period of self denial.The pleasure of wanting to buy a Iron Maiden ticket but denying myself the pleasure till the it lasts. May the Lord bless my soul because I do not know if I will survive the greatest gig on Earth this February 1st!!
Thanks and Regards
Sourav Bhuyan
Anurag Kashyap
Abhay Deol
Dibakar Banerjee
Hansal Mehta
Khalid Mohamed
Kundan Shah
Anish Kuruvilla
Jaideep Verma
Manish Gupta
Navdeep Singh
Bhavani Iyer
D. Santosh
Onir
Ashvin Kumar
Ramu Ramanathan
Sudhir Mishra
Pankaj Advani
Revathy
Saurabh Shukla
Shilpa Shukla
Sujoy Ghosh
Suparn Verma
Santosh Sivan
Shashank Ghosh
Shivajee
Pavan Kaul
Partho Sen-Gupta
Prroshant Naryannan
Sam Langoria
Satish Kasetty
i was there at bangalore last year!!!!!
it was a rocking show… Bruce Dickinson even said that we could tell our grandchildren “i was at fuckin bangalore…” Too bad they didnt play my personal favorite “The Clansman”
good one , Sourav. I can relate to what you are feeling. Do write in more about your band and its musical journey, and ya, of course , the concert experience deserves a separate article!
any idea where to get the documentary?
@papai..yea i know..so true.
@Tushar..thanks mate..but i do not have band..i more the band manager material…hehe..i shall keep writing..but next time on movies.
@ Tushar..about the documentary..you can get it from me..or else give me sometime ill tell you where you get the DVD.
iron maiden are cute…
but hear this out dream theatre and machine head are going to be performing in banglore…lucky banglore bastards..
does any one know frm where i can download[dont give me torrents] junkyaard groove
@ vivek…dreamtheater is not coming..its megadeth and machine head at bangalore..on march 18 i guess..deff leppard in mumbai too..its raining gigs
@sourav
my bad…its megadeath not dream theatre
Iron Maiden was in Bangalore last time ,
Fantastic Performance …
Megadeath is coming,..
by the way ,. how many of you know this Kickass band called “Motherjane” from India,
they are doing cover for “Megadeath Gig”
http://www.motherjane.net/
Sourav, why no band write-up mate? I am sure people would love it, kinda draw a parallel with a that thing you do
Thnaks for the docu info man, will wait for it.
Shekhar, I have seen Motherjane perform long back in an IIT jam up. Thanks for the link, I am checking up on their current status.
Iron Maiden is playing in Sydney on Feb 9. Can’t wait. Wonder what song they will open with! Do they play mainly from the last 2 albums or do we get to hear the old hits as well?
I have seen Megadeth who visited here 2 years in a row with their Gigantour. It is definitely one of the best gigs I have seen. Are they coming alone or is someone else opening the show for them? Last year they came here with Arch Enemy, Soulfly and Caliban and this year they came with Lacuna Coil among others!
I have seen Machine Head who late last year with Arch Enemy and Trivium. That was a great show although I liked it more for Arch Enemy… my current favourite band!
“You know who you are, you know who I am… and this is Holy Wars” – Dave Mustaine’s finisher(encore)
@Tushar..Yeah ill try to write about the show tday..sill havent bought the tickets.hehe
@shekhar..motherjane is band from chennai..never got a chance to see them in mumbai..heard they are pretty tight ..yet to see them ..although so bangalore based band called thermal and a quarter..beautiful band.
@ vivek..you may not be wrong DNA newspaper reported that dreamtheater could be playing.
@anand…last time maiden came..their tour was called “matter of life and death”..but this time around..in this particular tour..i guess they are gonna play oldies…i guess sydney is the second stop in the itenarary.Arch enemy used to be my fav too..i loved angela gossows vocals..awsome vocals for a female.amazing..lacuna coil s good band too…ur lucky..u get to see bands..unlike in India.
Megadeth is coming with dave mustaine..rest of the line up is overhauled..so not interested..i wish they had come earlier..hehe
@Sourav
Motherjane is from Kerala man, from Cochi,
Drummer is friend of mine:)
oHHHH..my badd..shekhar..thats true..really sorry
I was there yesterday..to witness mayhem and carnage at MMRDA grounds…mindblowing..it was…i do not what to say..simply speechless…I was right ahead on the barrier in the centre..the best possible view one can get of Iron Maiden…simply superb…got stuck in the slo-mo stampede..lost my shoe..got i again..pick up people who fell down..put a small little teenager on my shoulder..he was too grateful to me till the end..all the crazy thing ..mindblowing.
saurav post mangta.. with pics
no synopsis
:-)
@Dpac..post coming your way..just waiting for some pics to come in..
Check this out…http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1IE454zMH0
Well.. sounds amazing Sourav. I hope its the same here in Sydney. Dpac – are you going? Anyone else in Sydney going?
@Anand..it was ..dont know what to say..they are coming to stydney anyway..hehe
Shit i cudnt make it .. inspite of plannin it for months !! and when the day came.. fate wanted me elsewhere :(
i managed MLTR and Bryan adams some 2 years back … but Iron Maiden would have been gr8
last week i attended Janfest 08 .. concert by
“S S S I L K ” which apparently stands for
S hridhar, S hankar Mahadevan, SI va mani, L ouis bangs and K arl peters!!”
Amazing stuff
sorry Dpac no photos of that .. my cellphone wasnt good enuf to capture those .. but ya got some good ones of “bryan adams ” and “mltr” .. u may not be interested !!
@ anand g,
im bankrupt and in melbourne dude
@george
MLTR!!! gaaawd
bryan adams still ok