Sharing culture, art and everything else.

Hey everyone! Got my avatar up and running! Thanks Sage! It's about 3 years old the pic, oh well. On to the thread...I figured this was a good place for everyone to share some of the hidden treasures of music, film, books, food etc. that we have discovered from wherever in the world we come from. I haven't seen another thread like this one and I just wanted to share with you all some Australian music, movies and books that you may not otherwise get any exposure to. I don't know if we should advocate the downloading of songs and the like but I hope you all can get your hands on some of these and then share your own little known artists. So here goes:

Aussie Music: Pete Murray - A rhythm and blues meets country meets rock acoustic artist, his latest album Feeler is really special! So Beautiful is my favourite song at the moment.

Guy Sebastian- Winner of Australian Idol he simply has the best voice I've ever heard. He does a great Climb Every Mountain.

Delta Goodrem-No. 1 album in Oz for ages now and is unknown outside Oz, NZ & Uk.

Aussie Films: Looking for Alibrandi-Favourite movie. Not your typical coming of age film.

Radiance- A great story about modern Aboriginal people.

Whale Rider- NZ film about the clash of stoic and modern values.

Aussie Books- The Power of One by Bryce Courtney

Dirt Music by Tim Winton.

That'll do for now, as I said I hope you guys can get your hand son some of this stuff and I hope I opened some doors for you all. I'm sure I'll think of a thousand other things later...but it's your turn now. Look forward to hearing from all of you!

Great thread, Roberto!

I have to tell wherever I went in this world, and I am a real gypsy, I have always noticed Brazilian music is everywhere. Bossa Nova is surely the most played kind of music in places like big dinners, as background music, a kind of soft music that doesn't disturb conversation. When it comes to a noisier and happier type of music, we are there again. It's surely the most musical country I have ever seen! I would take pages and pages to write about all the composers and singers, really, they are many and all good, but my latest favorite one is Zeca Baleiro. And I have a special love for Caetano Veloso.


Brazil is the 5th largest country in the world (we would be larger than the US had they not gotten Alasca! ) and for the nature lovers, it's a great place for echo tourism. Beaches are just breathtaking, forests and woods are everwhere, and even in large cities like São Paulo you can still see the cutest birds! In Rio de Janeiro, for example, there are places where you can have monkeys coming to your veranda, just leave some fruit there!

I have many favorite writers, I love Chico Buarque, Mario Prata, Luis Fernando Veríssimo, Jô Soares (a comediant, but excellent writer, too), Carlos Drummond de Andrade (a poet), João Cabral de Mello Neto. And so on. I am not much into the world wide known Paulo Coelho and his esoteric books, but he's a success, I recognize that.

Brazil also has produced some very shocking movies on poverty, like the latest Cidade de Deus, which subject is the Brazilian mafia and its development over the years. I don't like films like that, but I guess they are necessary. I also loved Central do Brasil which was a candidate to the oscar in the year the excellent Life is Beautiful won it as best foreign movie.

Thanks for the input Maria, I love Brazil too! I don't actually come from there but I have a love of all things Brazilian. I guess I can thank Roberto Carlos and Ronaldo for that.

I'm going to try and get some books from those authors you listed too. I love reading and writing (I'm currently studying to be a writer). Until now I had only heard of Paulo Coelho, I like him, but I am excited by the prospect of exposure to new Brazilian writers.

I can't believe you like Caetano Veloso too!! Amazing music!!! So authentic! I have also recently been listening to Tribalistas. A Brazilian group who mix up traditional and modern music. City of God was a pretty good movie, I agree, a little violent though.

I can't wait to go to Brazil some day, thanks for painting the picture of the natural landscape for me. I didn't even think of writing about Australia's flora and fauna etc. But because Australia is the only single country continent in the world all our plants and animals are unique to here. Also, things that people don't know about Oz is that it is 1/3 desert. It is the flattest, driest, hottest continent on earth. I can thank David Suzuki for that info! (www.davidsuzuki.com). If anyone wants to check out some great Australian landscape pictures check out http:www.kenduncan.com.au ...Oh, and another Aussie movie I missed was The Castle!

Oh, the Tribalistas, they are great! I love them, too.

By the way, that is a strange name for an Australian, what are your origins, Roberto? Roberto Carlos is also the name of a famous Brazilian singer in Julio Iglesias style, before being the name of the known soccer player!.

I am glad you liked the info, Roberto, and I will make sure I will visit Australia one day, too, I have always wanted to go to that part of the world.

Yeah, I know about the old Roberto Carlos singer, never heard any of his work though. My origins? Well my origins actually lie in England, that's where my dad's parent's come from. My real name is just Robert (or Rob) and I just added an 'o' as homage to my love of Brazilian things. I'm actually learning to speak Brazilian Portuguese at the moment.

Oh, I also have a connection to India...I sponsor a child from the Kalrayan Hills district of India and we write to each other whenever possible. They have a fascinating culture. If anyone is looking for a book about India you can't go past A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry. It's about the fine balance between hope and despair and it's brilliantly written.

Still, I find Brazil to be the most fascinating of all countries (outside of Australia! ) Where are you living now Maria? Como e sua cidade?
Can you tell me about some Brazilian foods? I cook a mean Fejuada!

Tchau para voce!

[Patricia]

Hi Roberto. Welcome to Ageless.

It appears that you are a football fan. So am I. I ADORE Roberto Carlos. He was my hero of the last World Cup.

Maria, I also know the singer Roberto Carlos. I love his voice. He was megafamous in Mexico when I lived there 30 years ago. I like Caetano Veloso, too. I love the song he sang for the soundtrack of the movie "La Flor de Mi Secreto" called, I believe, "Tonada de Luna Llena".

Oh, you guys are great, you know everything! Roberto Carlos the singer has a new CD every year by Christmas and my mom has been buying them for decades now! He's such a romantic, it was a shame when he lost his wife to cancer, all the country prayed for her.

Now, Roberto Carlos the player, wow, he may not be the cutest, but he's got such a good humble heart, he's surely one of my favorite.

Roberto mentionned the Tribalistas, they are really good, Marisa Monte the female singer of the band wanted to be a classical singer, but had to make a living when she was living abroad to do her studies (I think it was in Italy), so she started singing Bossa Nova and Jazz I think, and people liked her so much she made it her career. I saw her in Tokyo once, she was gorgeous.

You have to listen to Olodum (a percussion group from Bahia state, they are just incredible) and Zeca Baleiro, these people will make your blood boil! (is this English? ).

I have to find some Australian books today!

This is going to sound really silly, but the first time I watched Roberto Carlos play football changed my life. Told you it was silly! But for the first time after so many years of watching sport, I finally saw someone who was like me (doesn't look like me! ), but his attitude and his joy for the game are so obvious, and so similar to myself.

If your after some Australian books may I suggest something by Tim Winton (Dirt Music, Cloudstreet) or something by Melina Marchetta (Looking for Alibrandi, Saving Francesca). I think they are the best Aussie writers. Along with Bryce Courtney, he's Aussie , but often writes about other countries.

Has anyone checked out the music I suggested? I can add another Australian singer to my list too: Shannon Noll. He sings country/rock/pop stuff. He currently has the no. 1 song in Australia with "What About Me", it's a great song. I highly recommend anything by Pete Murray.And "Climb Every Mountain", and "My Beautiful Friend" are inspiring songs by Guy Sebastian. If anyone ever listens to them, tell me what you think! I also encourage everyone to listen to some Australian Aboriginal music. Ash Dargan is amazing, as is David Hudson...if only I could play my didgeridoo like them...I'm hopeless compared to them! lol

Do you guys like Zeca Pagodinho? One of my favourite Brazilian musicians. I'm also going to see Brazilian guitarist Fabio Zanon in July!! Woohoo!! I love the song Ja Sei Namorar by the Tribalistas!

Maria, can you tell me about any Brazilian painters? I love Brazilian art!! I'm going to try and get some of those books you told me about too! Thanks again!!

Roberto, you are really into Brazilian things, amazing! Zeca Pagodinho is great, I love him! And Já sei namorar (I already know how to ...hmmm... how would you say that, make out? date?) is everywhere even in Europe.

I will look for those books and as for the songs, I will try to find them when I am in London in March.

Painters... I don't know much about the subject, I know some famous Brazilian painters like Mabe (a Japanese Brazilian), Portinari, Tarsila, Loius I`cart, Aldemir Martins, Carybé, Cícero Dias, Brecheret, etc.

I love art naïf, and there's one Brazilian painter, a woman named Lia Mittarakis, who is just wonderful. I would die to have one of her paintings! When I travel in Brazil I buy a lot of paintings from unknown painters, and

Have a look at some of what these art naif painters do here:

http://www.obraprima.net/materias/html293/html293.html

http://www.museunaif.com.br/

[Patricia]

I like that art, Maria. Thanks for the links. I love going to museums.

I agree with Patricia. Some of that art is just amazing Maria! Some great stuff with the 'Christ the Redemeer' statue. I have a friend in Rio who says she can see it from her house.But she also says she can't go out at night because she lives next to a favella. But I always remind her that some great people have come out of favellas, Ronaldo and Romario to name a couple!

I hope everyone can try and check out some Australian Aboriginal art. I think they are one of the most misunderstand people on earth (if we must seperate people by background that is). Some of their paintings date back 40 000 years! You can buy some great art at http://www.gavala.com.au - but I think they are re-doing their website.
Oh, and The John Butler Trio are another great Aussie musical act.

Here's a question for you: How have the artists, musicians, writers etc. that we've talked about from your country influenced your life? Have they simply been the background music of your life? Or have they given you some insight into how to live your life? And why?

Roberto, I love the colours they show in that link, it's a pity the site is still under construction, I would certainly buy something because that's exactly the kind of art I love, I have some that definitely reminds it, from Brazil. Very primitive, colourful, makes one's house look like a party!

As for your question, I think culture makes you who you are, in part. I know that the lyrics of Brazilian songs usually talk about things I have lived or thought and that sometimes are so our own, so typical of our culture. The kind of Art I like, as I showed in my links, reflect a lot of what I love in my daily life, colours, warmth, cozyness.

Literature is probably what has influenced me the most. I love poetry (my favorite poet is not Brazilian, but Portuguese, Fernando Pessoa), and I love how my language sounds when someone uses it poetically. I think I fell in love with Portuguese at a very young age due to poetry.

How about you?

I agree that culture can mould a person and change their way of thinking and acting. Literature has also been the biggest influence in my life also. Sometimes I only need to read a few lines from William Blake or Michel de Montaigne and I feel entirely different.

There are some things that specifically stand out when I think of art that has changed my life. The movie "Looking for Alibrandi" (also a book) changed my life forever. The main character Josie Alibrandi was inspirational. As the actress who played her (Pia Miranda) said of Josie : "She's so fearless and yet so flawed". it was after watching this movie that I realised true strength comes not from fearlessness, but from admitting and accepting your fears. It's only then that you can really overcome them. So since watching this movie I've started thinking in a new way, I now think of doing things "today", rather than saying "I'll do it tomorrow".

There are so many examples in my life of how I have changed simply from reading a book, listening to a song or watching a movie. But I'll leave it at that now. An artist who has been singing some powerful things for me lately is Nelly Furtado. Do you like her? She sings in both English and Portuguese (my favourite 2 languages). She sings about things close to my heart such as immigration, love of life, family etc.

Glad to hear you love poetry also Maria! I can't get enough of it.As I said, William Blake is my favourite, do you know him? Kenneth Slessor is a great Australia poet, I like him too.

I like her very much, Rob, but I have yet to hear her singing in Portuguese, I know she has released some Fado songs, but haven't had the chance to listen to them yet.

I know that so many writers have strongly influenced my life, and songs somehow too. I remember one song from Chico Buarque which had a line I just love and that talks about Desire and God:

It says something like "what kind of cruel God would create Desire and then tell us we couldn't have it?" It is so beautiful!

Last evening I went to see Monalisa Smile and there was a phrase that went like not all who wander are aimless, something similar. I loved it. I have led such a bohemian life that some people think I don't have an objective, but that is so false! I have one, and that is to enjoy life to the fullest... nothing is more prioritary in my life now than doing what I want, despite what people may think. I guess sometimes what you read or listen just reassures you that your convictions are shared by others... and that is so nice!

Am I rambling?

I think that different forms of art can produce different effects on us also. Maria, you mentioned people expressing themselves and sharing our convictions, for me, music does this brilliantly. A song can seem to really change my mind-set and thoughts. It can get you through a tough time or it can slow you down and help you to reflect.

Movies give us a chance to see ourselves from another point of view. We can see a character or situation that we recognize and wonder what we were like, or what we would have done. It's like a big mirror, and we can see things we like and things we don't like in ourselves and act accordingly.

Literature gives me the greatest joy though. Everything is there in front of you. It can inform us, and it can makes feel and experience new things. It is also totally individual. There's no noise or movement. Just the writer's thoughts and our interpretations. This makes it very personal and intimate and only increases our connection with the things we are learning.

Do you agree?