1. I flew to Baghdad last night. Well, alright, in a psychedelic sort of way. The Fox theater in Oakland circa 1928, originally named 'The Baghdad' for it's lavish mystical Middle Eastern/Indian designs, rich tapestries, 'trip the lights' fantastic domed ceiling, and carved gold inlays, was bought by William Fox, who, well, named the downtown palace after himself...The Fox. Whaaaat? The Fox had a run of 38 years and then was put down, a slow simmering death, in 1966 by the burgeoning popularity of the people's box, the telly. For 40 years, the great mecca lay dormant. Vandalized, fire bombed, and in shameful decay, the citizens of Oakland in 1996 got off their collective asses and set restoration plans in motion for the designated historical landmark. Originally taking 2 years to construct, the renovation like most contemporary projects staggered across the finish line in a tortoise paced ten years. The born again venue is so visually striking, half the audience last night took cell phone photos documenting the elaborate architecture. And as luck or karma would have it, the band, Thievery Corporation, had a sitar player who embodied the essence of the surroundings as the lights went down and people fired up.
2. Along that same sight line, I remembered the first artist I saw at another jaw dropping venue...the classic art deco Paramount, coincidentally in close proximity to the Fox, Laura Nyro. A grand piano, a single red rose on stage, long before Tori, Alicia, and the 2 other blondes, she 'stone souled' and immortalized the evening. In 1997 when I heard she died, I wept.
3. 'Circumstance.' A bold, albeit flawed, 1st film by a young Iranian woman, Maryam Keshavarz, shot the movie in Beirut for under a million with a supporting cast from as far away as France and Vancouver. The film set in Tehran, is cloaked in underground bars, a subtle (really?) westernized climate, morality police, and angst as 2 young girls play out their sexual feelings for each other. 'Circumstance' could have easily have fallen on it's face, by delivering a heavy handed political statement. It doesn't. However, Maryam Keshavarz originally from Tehran, after making this movie, can never go back. Gingger Shankar, great niece of Ravi, managed the Persian pop style music accentuating the pulse of the movie.
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