Roadsinger Came to Town...

Several years ago, I was in a difficult employment situation, one that left a lot of my colleagues without jobs, without explanation, and a general feeling of malaise.

My personal life was going through a major transition, at its most negative point.

Things just seemed bleak.

And then, the Cat came back. Cat Stevens, who had become Yusuf Islam many years back, had come back to singing after over 20 years of ghostly silence with a previous album and a children's album. Re-born as simply Yusuf, the former Cat Stevens came back with a beautiful song to lead of his most recent album, "Roadsinger." I remember listening to this song over and over, and over and over, and then some. And, I remember crying quite heartily when I heard it.

As Yusuf says, there is so much hatred and tears in this world, so where do you go...?

I went to music.

I have retreated to music many times in my life, and this was one of the times I needed it most, and from out of the mists of the Past, in came Yusuf.

Perhaps I am reminded of Yusuf because of someone I met this weekend, a gentle and kind man, dedicated to Peace and understanding, and most of all laughter and to the smile.

Kaz taught me many things I already knew this weekend, but sometimes, we have to begin at the beginning again to realize how far off we have strayed.  To begin again is the greatest gift.

Yusuf is an inspiration for that, and Kaz is a fellow "Roadsinger," who came into town and gave the gift of Peace.

Thank you Yusuf and Kaz...

Miles From Nowhere

I know that my life would be none the poorer had I not seen the Taj Mahal, but had I never experienced the music of Cat Stevens, I do believe that I would be deficit in my Soul.

I love all music, I believe that much is clear from this blog. There are very few types that I do not like. Being in India I have been exposed to a whole new world of music, whether it be the videos of Bollywood or the music of the horns on the busy streets.

Music is so crucial to my life, that I cannot imagine a world without it. It would not be life for me.

Wherever I go, Cat is always there in the background, bouncing off the walls of my head. Sitting here in my hotel room in Varanasi, preparing to pack and to take the cab to the airport, Cat is on my mind.

I am miles from nowhere. I am literally half the way around the world from where I was born, where I was surrounded by another group of “Indians” at the Indian Hospital in New Mexico, where there too, I was the only white baby, not too easy to swap kids that day.

I am miles away from my daughter, whom I will see in 48 hours or so, a thought that I have kept at bay as to not be overwhelmed in the meantime. I am miles away from friends and family.

And, yet, I am not. I have also re-connected with some of the most important people in my life while here, via these blogs and email, and have made new friends, and solidified existing friendships. So, although I am indeed “miles from nowhere,” I have never been closer to many in my life, and for that I am grateful.

On the Road Again

Saw a young man who looked like the young Cat Stevens today, and it reminded me once again about how much his music, both as Cat and as Yusuf has been an integral part of my life.

The "Roadsinger" album came out during a very difficult year for me and I would often watch this video over and over, just trying to get some grounding on my life. It was quite effective and I was working at a place where others where having a difficult time because of the external circumstances at play. I sent this out to the school that I was working at and which was experiencing major staff cuts and quite a bit of bad blood.

Roadsinger

I had many, many people tell me how much this song helped them at such a difficult juncture in life, regardless of what each person's own issue at hand was.

Though rather melancholic, it is important to see the second video that goes along with the "Roadsinger." You can see the "alter ego" of Yusuf going to Cat whenever he is wearing sunglasses.

And, the second part to this road trip...

Boots and Sand

Cat Stevens has always had a very special place in my heart. Some years ago, under his new name, Yusuf Islam, he began to sing again, which was a blessing to the world. Under his own admission of ignorance to what it really was, Yusuf was banned from entering the US some time ago because of his mistaken association with a fatwa against the Indian writer, Salman Rushdie. Cat/Yusuf has been a promoter of peace all of his life. Because of his recent conversion at the time to Islam, being a public celebrity, his name was used to promote violence, something he immediately condemned, though that fell upon deaf ears. I remember seeing his albums being run over by a steamroller and being burned by radio stations. "Peace Train" was banned from many radio stations...might be subversive lyrics if played backwards.

Cat/Yusuf is still smiling.

Boots and Sand

Hope you can too with this video.