Music Saves Me

Probably the smartest thing I brought to Morocco has been my iPod. Although Apple charges a ridiculous amuont for their world adapter kit, I'd be lost without some way to listen to music. Besides listening to the entire Pulp Fiction soundtrack way too much, these are my favorite songs here right now.

Little Triggers - Elvis Costello
E-Pro - Beck
Pro Defunctus - Chet Baker
Galang - MIA
New Partner - Palace Music
Holy Names - Pretty Girls Make Graves
Cram, Cockle, Crab, Cowrie - Joanna Newsom
Don't This Look Like the Dark (live) - Magnolia Electric Co.
Melissa - Allman Brothers
Fast Cars - Aesop Rock
Stay With Me - The Faces
I Luv the Valley OH! - Xiu Xiu
Muddy Hymnal (live @ KCRW) - Iron and Wine
and finally... Long Distance Call - Muddy Waters

If I mention the iPod here, I get mostly blank looks, but pretty much everybody knows what an MP3 player is. After my first experience on the train with the security guard who only spoke Arabic, I've kind of figured out that music is always a great way to relate to people. It's too bad that what I term the American Cultural Filter has only allowed crap like 50 Cent (by the way, I've done a little grammar lesson in all of my classes on how it should be "fifty cents," as a way to introduce plurals), Linkin Park, and slag such as that to be popular over here for the kiddos.
This has led me to do little music lessons in all of my classes where we go over genres and learn to talk about what we like, etc. Today, one of my students who's in his thirties professed his unabashed love for Phil Collins and easy listening music...