These 2 Hypnotic Sitar Albums Saved Me Last Night as the PTSD Demons Struck Back
Ravi Shankar (1920-2012) was truly amazing.
Check out the prevision installments in this series between , , and discussing and debating their favorites in music:
Who Is Generation X's Greatest Black Musician? Here's My Vote
Generation X's Greatest Black Musician? Rihanna, In My Humble Opinion.
Why Rap & Country Are So Challenging and Why I Much Prefer Tupac Shakur to Will Smith
Also Check out the new feature, “Mike’s Music Morning,” born from these debates.
How Many Licks Does it Take to Get to the Center of My Music Collection?
What music evokes an emotional response for you? What song really twangs your heartstrangs?
What Reminds You of Mardi Gras? For Me, it's Always Music and Food
Dear Alec and Mike,
Thank you both for the great discussion on your musical favorites. It’s interesting to compare our preferences and where we agree to where we part ways, I suspect largely due to our differing generational positions. Alec, you’re in the start of Gen-X (1965-1970.) Mike, you’re in the middle (1971-1975). And I’m in the start of the Millennials, blending heavily with Xers so much many of us regard ourselves as a micro-generation sandwiched between the two (1980-1984.)
Alec, of the 14 favorites on your list, I anticipate only one of them on mine - which I hope to publish later this week or early next. The Beatles, of course. Of the others I like Yes, The Who, Blue Oyster Cult, Led Zeppelin, and Peter Gabriel (him largely because of his fantastic score for my favorite film, The Last Temptation of Christ.) Though none of them made an especially deep impression on me.
The truth: I’m just not that into most ‘80s music! I guess coming of age more in the ‘90s I embraced that era’s critique and rejection of ‘80s style music. In a sense the ‘90s were very much a pushback against the ‘80s. Grunge, alternative rock, and gangsta rap seem a counter to much of the poppier, electronica rock of the ‘80s and more “mainstream” rap. And I largely stand on the side of the ‘90s’ argument here. I like my music - and all my art in general - to be more on the raw and hyper honest side.
However, an exception to every rule, I suppose: I quite appreciate Depeche Mode!
And that Flock of Seagulls song is pretty cool, I’ll admit:
Now Mike, you laid out your overall top 18 here. I see a few cross-overs with Alec, each of them ones which I mentioned above that I liked - The Who, Peter Gabriel, Led Zeppelin. Of the others on your list, I’m glad to see David Bowie high as I anticipate him probably somewhere in the top 10, maybe top 5 for me. Jimi Hendrix might also crack the top 10 on my list. He was something else, a real unique talent whose songs still stand the test of time. I also expect AC/DC breaking into the top 10, perhaps at 15 where you have them.
Maybe as a reflection of my rebellion to ‘80s music, neither Michael Jackson nor Prince made much of an impression on me for years. Now I’ve developed some appreciation and respect for Prince. Yet I just can’t bring myself to do the same for Jackson. While I have some vague memories of him in the late ‘80s when I was a young child - especially playing his Sega Genesis game - my earlier memories of him in the early ‘90s more involved the sexual scandals and general weirdness around him which were just beginning to emerge at the time. I recognize he certainly had some serious musical talent and was a powerful performer - I don’t dispute his strong influence on pop music and the broader culture. But I just can’t get past the personal element with Jackson and the odd ambiguity of trying to figure out the true extent of what he may have done with those boys and how many it truly was.
Anyway, even with all this music now at our fingertips, easily thrown into a blog post and shared with everyone easily, the truth is so much over the last year and a half I haven’t been able to even enjoy music like I once could. While I used to usually have music or movies going all day in the background when I was working, now I’ve often had to resort to calming tone sounds and kaleidoscope visuals like this:
My new medication regimen seems to be working well to keep me focused and productive during the day, but we haven’t figured out the proper dosages yet to maintain that into the evenings. Oftentimes my anxieties and depressions and sense of self-hatred and hyperarousal and fear will return as soon as the sun sets or sometimes later. That’s what happened yesterday. Just as I was hoping to have a productive evening continuing to try and catch up on writing assignments and Substack pieces, I felt so terrible that I was tempted to lie on the floor as I’ve often done over the course of the last year, sometimes for hours at a time as I lay writhing.
The tone music and pretty visuals didn’t seem like they would be enough to focus my attention away from the negative emotions. So I tried something else - the Ravi Shankar traditional Indian music which I’ve enjoyed so much in the past and embedded above. And it really helped to let me focus on something and calm down from the horrible feelings which rocked me before the evening medication could help.
What do you guys like to listen to when you’re feeling too anxious and overwhelmed? What helps you calm down?
And ever explored any world music? In addition to India’s wonderful output I’ve found Africa also has some delightful music. I need to explore more of both as this publication very much takes a whole-world approach.
I’ll conclude with my favorite Shankar song which I hope you and our readers enjoy:
warm wishes,
David
I'm so glad that this frenetic sitar music helped you feel some relief, though I won't be entirely sorry if it doesn't make another appearance for a little while! 😅