The most recent Radiolab podcast is their show on popular music. The best part of the whole show (in my humble opinion) is the bit on the universality of country music. People everywhere have some country in their lives, and without understanding English they still understand the characteristic tone, personified in the cry-break in songs (like the Hank Williams Sr. I'm listening to right now). It's all about missing home, missing the simpler life away from the city, missing the people you left, missing what could have been.
I met this retired diplomat (friend of my flatmate) who saw the Weavers in Greenwich Village back in the day. Can you imagine?! Having old-timey musical tastes has been a conduit to some great conversations and stories, even 10,000 miles from home, and that is VERY cool. Music is really powerful that way.
If only I could figure out how to get the Avett Brothers to tour down here. Hmmm...
There's also an awesome video on the site of one of the reporters in Afghanistan playing Johnny Cash on his accordion and getting a crowd of Afghanis all riled up.
That reporter's piece on the Afghan Elvis is really cool, too.
There's something edgy about accordions. As long as they're not playing a polka...
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