Anyone that knows me is well aware of my affinity for TV and other forms of mindless entertainment. Wonder Showzen and Freaks and Geeks are probably my favorite American shows. Goodness Gracious Me is one of my favorite British shows. Because of the larger role South Asians play in British society they've had several TV shows devoted to South Asians that I haven't been able to watch, like Buddha of Suburbia based on Haneif Kureishi's probably awesome book I never read.
"Goodness Gracious Me is a BBC English language sketch comedy show originally on BBC Radio 4 and later televised on BBC Two (the radio series from 1996-1998 and the TV series from 1998-2001) based on four British Asian actors: Sanjeev Bhaskar, Kulvinder Ghir, Meera Syal and Nina Wadia. In the television version most of the "white" parts are played by Dave Lamb and Fiona Allen, while in the radio version the white parts were played by the cast themselves."
Meera Syal also wrote Life Isn't All Ha Ha Hee Hee, a title anyone with Indian parents can appreciate. While not the kind of literature fans of Jhumpa or Arundhati could appreciate, I loved the accessibility of a novel likek that. It was also turned into a miniseries on BBC I would have liked to watch.
Anyway, when I first walked into work this co-worker of mine asked me if he could call me HANK instead of HIMANSHU:
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Humor: Goodness Gracious Me
Humor: RateMyTurban.com + Mark Wahlberg

My boss put me on to RateMyTurban.Com the other day. Ahhhhh.. I'm finna rock a turban on Halloween I think. Doesn't dude look eerily like Jordan Fish in a turban?
Also, Steve put this up on I Smell Like Money but I think it's worth repeating here. (If you don't know I Smell Like Money peep that on the "Blogs I Fuck With" list on the right).
Wahlberg on the sketch: "Someone showed it to me on YouTube. It wasn't like Tina Fey doing Sarah Palin, that's for sure. And "Saturday Night Live" hasn't been funny for a long time. They've asked me to do the show a ton of times. I used to watch it when Eddie Murphy was there and Joe Piscopo and Bill Murray. I don't even know who's on the show now."
Monday, October 13, 2008
Music: Francis and the Lights
This is Francis Farewell Starlite:
Francis and the Starlites are his band. They are good. They formed at Wesleyan, where all good bands in the year 2009 will have been from. The homie Rene plays drums. At their website, http://blog.francisandthelights.com, Francis and his band give away both of their awesome EP's 2007's Striking and 2008's A Modern Promise. Here they is:
http://library.francisandthelights.com/audio/striking.zip
http://library.francisandthelights.com/audio/Francis and the Lights - A Modern Promise.zip
Here's a pretty sweet video one of the bandmember's made:
The Top (Music Video) from Francis and the Lights on Vimeo.
I've been feeling this shit since I lived in Bushwick and Steve put me on and Rene worked across the street. I don't know what drew me to it today but something's real on about this. I loved songs like My Goals and Striking with their straightforward pop appeal last year, but songs like Strawberries, Night Watchmen, On a Train and I'll Never Forget You, which specifically reminds me of sentimental R&B I listened to in junior high, are growing on me. This is beautiful shit.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Music: Sade + The Women of ABC-7 News
"Helen Folasade Adu, OBE, (born 16 January 1959), better known as Sade , is a Nigerian/British singer-songwriter, composer, and record producer. She has achieved success in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s as the frontwoman and lead vocalist of the popular Grammy Award winning English group Sade."
Not to be confused with ABC-7 News Anchor Sade Baderinwa, aka Folasade Olayinka Baderinwa:
Who of course shouldn't be confused with my favorite ABC-7 News Anchor, Liz Cho:
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Photography: Ben Rowland
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Photography: People of the Twentieth Century
August Sander was the man behind "Man of the Twentieth Century", a photographic project to document the people of Westerwald, near Cologne. Dood shot about 600 photographs like the following. This shot was a main inspiration for the photographer behind The Sartorialist.
I don't know why I wanted to post this. Something about how empty that street is.
Definitely check out the source of these photos:
http://www.masters-of-fine-art-photography.com/02/monthly/indexof.html
Photography: Kulwant Roy
An exhibition of rare photographs entitled History in the Making is currently popping off in Delhi. The following photos were taken by photo-journalist Kulwant Roy. Several of them feature Jawarlal Nehru, the first prime minister of India.
Nehru with future prime ministers Indira and Rajiv Gandhi:
Nehru with Lord Mountbatten's daughter; think he hit that?
Kashmir in the 1950's. Ho shit.
News: WHAT THE FUCK YOU JUST CALL ME?
Then at one point a young graduate of law school asked him about how the bailout would positively affect the lives of real people in need of help. Mccain responded with an answer that included telling the young brother "I'll bet you never heard of them" referring to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The equivalent of "Look sonny, I know they don't talk about this in your "rap" "hop-hip" music and Ebony and XXL magazine..."
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Music: Eddie Murphy
Eddie Murphy never got enough love for his music. Vic and I have often discussed covering or straight spitting over two of his gems. Peep the video for the infectious banger Party All the Time for example.
I guess there wasn't a video for the hood classic Boogie In Your Butt but this will suffice. Man this song is good. Genius, really.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Fashion: Mjolk Fall 2008 Collection
Fashion: Christopher Topman Designs, Christopher Shannon, Hans Madsen + Music: Diplo
London Fashion Week closed with the MAN runway show. It's kind of this jumpoff where the individual dopest jumpoffs come together for a collectively dope jumpoff. The line up this year was Topman Design, Christopher Shannon, Hans Madsen, and James Long. I'm not going to include James Long cuz I'm not feeling his shit. Beyond that, I'm feeling all of these designs but especially Topman Design.
Topman Design
Christopher Shannon
Hans Madsen
I'm calling this now, partially inspired by my homie Alexi and also by what I had been thinking prior to seeing dude rock one but, Dashiki's will be huge. And peeping dude on the lower set's right frame's dashiki-inspired piece, I think I could be on to something. Cop yours now.
Also, via MadDecent we also have this awesome jump "Inna De Ghetto Remix" by Buraka Som Sistema & Diplo:
http://www.maddecent.com/mp3/Inna De Ghetto (Remix).mp3
Fashion: Mishka Skyway Troopers (Part 2)
The 2nd delivery of Mishka's Fall 2008 Skyway Trippers line. Steve pointed out how the bright colors thing really isn't popping off anymore and Mishka took a cue here with some darker, colder colors and some designs that aren't as streetwear-y. (I agree with Steve but I still can't stop wearing stupid pink and purple clothes.) Some of this is some KGB-looking shit. They've really stepped their jacket game up. Too bad this shit is probably hella guap though.










