Night before last, Liz and I were sipping espresso in a trendy cafe near our hotel.
The other occupants were young, cosmo Bangaloreans -- cell phones on tables, canoodling with their boy or girl, smoking Gold Flakes. The hi-fi was tuned to some album-oriented rock station with a gabby DJ.
And then, Rush's "Tom Sawyer" came on. If you're under the age of 40, you probably know the tune. Total rock anthem.
I smiled inwardly as I watched the other dudes in the room drumming their fingers, bobbing their heads to Neil Peart's driving rhythm.
I smiled outwardly when the volume was cranked to 11 during the first instrumental solo.
America's chief export is its popular culture. For most of this trip, I've grumbled about how poorly it represents us, and about how bankrupt most of it is. I felt revulsion when I saw a TV promo for the new season of "Fear Factor" when we arrived in Mumbai.
But watching a dude in Bangalore enjoy a Rush drum solo made it just a little more okay.
Posted by Walter at June 21, 2005 10:42 PM