As you might know I have always been encouraging all young Iranians, especially artists, to start blogging about their subjects of interest. It is utterly important that we Iranians, in particular the 2nd generation born outside Iran, cultivate a popular culture online that is more than a myriad of file-sharing blogs! There are more reasons than illiteracy and economics that make any given book sell only a couple of thousand copies in a nation with a multimillion population. So let’s write and read, for our own sake! It’s imperative that we actually produce intellectual properties, sharing our thoughts and sentiments with each other in the network that the world wide web provides. It doesn’t matter what you write about, high brow or low brow literature, or even if you write bilingually or in “farsingilisi” (transliterated code-switching) as long as you contribute to the legacy of your own generation by documentation. If you do start blogging, artist or not, as promised before I will be sharing it with your fellow readers on the blog, if I see it fit. Just drop me an e-mail.

So it makes me truly happy that the up ‘n’ coming artist Shabnam Jaleh, a member and representative of the young generation, writes her own blog. Shabnam says that she agrees with me and that “more Persian performers should get on board and share their personality and culture thru their own words”. I love her way of thinking and wish that more got encouraged and engaged to do that. Now enjoy reading Shabnam’s blog but before you go don’t forget to check out her brand new video for her second single “Age Ghalbamo Shekasti“. I personally love this song, more current than her debut in style, I especially love the segment borrowed from my favourite ABBA song! The “Rhythm Nation” style video on the other hand is despite its superior concept and ambition less successful in execution, since the editing doesn’t really serve the song as it should. But overall a nice follow up, looking forward to the next songs!

I’ve recommended my good friend and your fellow reader Pedram’s blog in past, it has however been in hiatus in past 365 days but returned with new direction! Check it out!

As a reminder, if you are a blogger (with actual content and not a file-sharing blog) then by all means share it with me and others by dropping me an e-mail with the link. Whether its art or articles or any kind of other intellectual properties, your blogging would actually be a contribution to our Iranian culture and community on the Internet! In particular those who do not read or write Persian but still would love to connect culturally. Do dare, there is no risk! Worst case scenario you stop or take a break. No serious losses involved. I personally have been blogging in more than three years now, so if there is anything you would like to know about the format just ask away. I’ll gladly assist you! Now, start blogging!

The debuting Germany-based rapper P.CANTELL is currently working on his album “P.CANTELL - A Journey To Iran” for a release in the German market. Of which “A Million Shadows” featuring Ian Hooper is the first released track, something he likes to call a soundtrack to the revolution. The album is more like an auditive movie where the listener is taken on a journey through Iran, thats why the songs have location names in brackets, cause every song takes place at a certain location. Find out more on pcantell.de. By the way, I noticed that he also does some blogging! Well done!

I’ve written about photographer Scott Schuman and his influential blog “The Sartorialist” before. Now a book by the same name has been published, gathering a selection of the photographies featured on his blog.

Scott’s photos reflect the mood and movement of his random real-life people on the streets of the world’s metropoles. Regardless of your interest in photography or fashion this is a rich and priceworthy collection, to own or to give away as gift!

In case you have somehow managed to miss the San Fransisco Chronicle’s POP music critic Aidin Vaziri’s blog then here is your chance to catch up. Aidin discusses and reviews the Western industry and artists and has truly made a name through his rather provocative approach and harsh tone! He steers thing up and provokes both artists and fans through his writings. He is without a doubt a very knowledgeable person when it comes to the field in question and it comes clearly through that his knowledge comes from a personal passion and years of observing the POP music scene. Something which I relate to very well. However I’m not sure if I agree with most of his comments and assessments, never mind the attitude! Nonetheless its always refreshing to see that that are Iranians out there who do write and blog about the entertainment industry and popular culture (*cough*cough*). Google his name for more articles by and more interestingly about him, but don’t expect to see pics of him! He appears to be just as camera-shy as yours-truly!loool hehe

Ayda Mosharraf is an Iranian girl, born and raised in Sweden. She is currently residing in UK for her studies. I’ve seen this talented young lady preforming live, she is a young artist walking in the same path previously taken by other Iranian girls such as Laleh, Argavan, Sheri and Sepideh (browse the blog for posts about each one by typing the name in search engine) in Sweden. As she writes and plays her music very honestly and wholeheartedly, its a pleasure reading her blog.

As a fan of digital art I have been following the career of the young Iran-based artist Soheil Danesh a couple of years now. He is a comic-strip illustrator, game concept designer and story-board artist for animations and films. His latest contribution is to the Disney-style domestic production “Jamshid & Khorshid”. He has a very clever way of presenting the Iranian mythology and folklore to the international community through the so called cutting-edge graphic-novel style and in digital art format.

Soheil (looking cool like a young James Logan aka Wolverine, in the pic displayed above) has in recent years made a name and reputation for himself in the online digital art community. Last year he started a blog to update with new sketches and ideas, just like his fellow digital art artists often do. A move highly appreciated by a blogger/blog-lover like yours-truly! If you find his work interesting just google the man’s name and you’ll be in for a digital treat!
http://soheildanesh.blogspot.com/

Friends often ask me how I find time and content for blogging. Well as most of you know I began blogging more than two years ago (mainly due to my ex’s encouragement) and it soon proved itself to be more fun than I ever expected! Fun and rewarding. As far as time goes, it does really take no time at all compared to everything else one does during the day. If you have a laptop then you can fit in a few minutes, while eating breakfast at home or waiting for your cup of tea to be served outside a Café somewhere. I fit the writing into spare moments each day, its really a break from my other styles of writing such as academic and poetry. Blogging is a freestyling, with practically no rules and boundaries at all! Its freewheeling. From a no-word blog to a minor article, everything is allowed. In terms of coming up with new content to blog about on daily basis, well let me explain it this way. This blog can be considered the public part of my private notebook! Blog or no blog I tend to observe, reflect and write about things that I experience every day anyway. By blogging I only share a portion of it with you. In a way I process and archive them by means of writing about them, perhaps for future recycling. Who knows! Would it make sense if I said that I was my most important reader? In the sense that I primarily write what I personally would like to read! Presumably you read my blog because you find what i write about interesting, by counting myself as one of you I am able to give you the best of me when blogging! The very same reason why I personally read others’ blogs. Which reminds me, I am so utterly disappointed to be right when it comes to us Iranians being lame and lazy in terms of blogging! I cant even put it into words! Needless to say I am still waiting for you to start your blogs and then invite me and your fellow readers to your realm of expressions!

In an attempt to get readers writing, a week ago I welcomed everybody who blogs to contact me and submit links to their blogs. I also promised to share those I found interesting and suitable with fellow readers. The first blog I intend to share and recommend is our dear forum member and my good friend Pedram’s blog. Pedram has just started blogging but already made me a fan of his writing, he shows a lot of potential to grow as a blogger! Feel free do check out “Pedgy Drama’s Blog”:

http://pedgydrama.blogspot.com/

I’ve also added a new category for the purpose, henceforth check “Recommended Blogs” for interesting new blogs to read!

I’ve always enjoyed Shahrzad Sepanlou’s music and respected her integrity as an artist. A highly (by our industry) underappreciated talent, unfortunately! Its been years since her last album but now she is back with new independent songs on her myspace. In a collaboration with the Italian composer/producer Giampiero Scuderi. I must say that I find the style of the French songs reminiscent of the French diva Helene Segara’s music. Love it!

http://www.myspace.com/shahrzadmusic

Shahrzad is also (to my knowledge) the only Iranian singer who blogs and has recently taken up blogging again after a longer break. In her blog she writes sincerely about herself and things that affect her! I’ve been reading her blog ever since she started blogging and let me tell you that its really hard not to get charmed by the lady when you read her thoughts!

http://sepanlou.blogspot.com/

I am not only a blogger but I am also a blog reader. I avidly follow the posting in blogs of my favourite bloggers. It can be celebs of any kind but also random people out there who have interesting things to say! Blogs are clever medium for conveying of individual insight and personal experience. A complement and companion or challenge and alternative to the general information streamed by the grand channels of the media! One thing I have noticed though is that there is lack of interesting blogs written by Iranians, whether in Persian or English, that touch our popular culture! Sure we have hundreds or even thousands of blogs devoted to illegal distribution of Iranian music but none which reports or discusses it in a more serious manner! At least none that I’ve found written on regular basis or lasting. If you are a blogger who do write about non-personal issues and mainly popular culture please email me and let me know! I love to visit and if I find your blog suitable I will gladly share it with your fellow readers in my blog. Now it can very well have a personal twist to it, like my own blog for instance, but preferably blogs with a major theme of popular interest. Looking forward to read your blogs!

As you might have been noticing there has been hiccups in my blogging the past weeks and its due to a project I’m working on which consumes more time than its ranson! Sadly affecting my other commitments such as reviewing and blogging! So please bear with me this coming month as the deadline is looming! Thank you my friends!

One stressed Review-Meister!

One year has past! One entire year of blogging! I was rather late to jump on the whole blogging wagon when I started writing “Reviewer’s Randoms” (the Bia2 blog came to months after) with a lot of scepticism about the whole phenomenon and whether I was motivated to keep on blogging for a longer time or not. But now one year later I’m pleased to see that I’ve become a devoted blogger and been able to keep up the blogging almost on a daily basis! Something which started as an experiment has now become permanent! Blogging has really helped me to present and convey what I otherwise couldn’t fit in the framework of the reviews in a smooth and systematic way. Not to mention the opportunity to follow up the reviews and update with the latest news and views! Thank you to all those who have contributed to the blog one way or another!

Hope you’ve had just as much fun reading the blog that I have had writing it!