Lebanese creatives, we need to work together! Also money, lots of money.

Not too long ago, I attended an event wherein local video game developers had an open discussion on the state of the games industry in Lebanon and how it could be fostered to grow. There was a lot of talk on lack of funding and lack of technical expertise, among other matters. Days later I found myself thinking: what we need is a legit games studio...

I know Lebanon does have some game design studios, such as Game Cooks (who were present at this open discussion) and others, but the majority of video games that come out of Lebanon are by small teams or individuals working solo. What I'm talking about is something more advanced, an organization with more than just a handful of developers and a graphic designer, but instead, multiple teams for different aspects of the whole process, from the initial concept art up to the pre-release marketing.


One of Game Cooks' games 'Planet Nam Nam'

I thought more about this and it occurred to me that the same can be said of other creative fields, such as comics and animation. The conclusion I came to ultimately was: for these fields to ever achieve anything substantial, whether inside Lebanon or as an export of Lebanon, someone has to step in and allow these studio structures to be established, where you have several individuals taking on specific tasks, to build creative products.

We'd go from a developer working on a video game in their spare time, to a whole company working to produce something that might become a global sensation. From an illustrator who draws some pages of a comic every now and then, to a team of artists and writers working together to publish not just one, but multiple parallel series regularly, in print or digitally. From an animator who makes a short for the fun of it, to a team of artists able to produce a whole series, for the web, or TV, or even a feature film, who knows.


Trailer for the award-winning animated short 'Waves '98' by Ely Dagher. A one man project which took two years to complete.

Lebanon has seen a number of successes in these fields over the years, the talent is there, but it's usually the work of a single individual or a small team. In Lebanon, being indie isn't a choice, it's all you get to be. Since there is no major funding or serious support for video games, comics or animation, you enter these domains well aware that the odds are stacked against you, and the chances of anything you produce in this endeavor making an impact or earning you some profit are slim to none.

Creating these studios would provide an alternative to that uncertainty and anxiousness. Instead of someone thinking "I'm a great illustrator, but not that great a writer, so I don't think I have a shot at producing a good enough comic by myself, like some others have, so this might not be worth pursuing" one can think "I'm a great illustrator, and I heard "Comics Studio X" are looking for talent and they actually pay well, so perhaps I could give this a shot".  Same goes for developers who aren't good visual artists, voice actors who don't animate. You won't need to do everything yourself to have a chance at the field.

Excerpt from the graphic novel 'Madina Moujawira Lil Ard' by Jorj Abi Mhaya, published by Dar Onboz.

The key to achieving all this is money, cash, dolla dolla bills. We have passion up the ass, but the bottom line comes down to the money. A lot of independent companies in Lebanon get funding, and there are plenty of investors with their eyes on the region. But to get money, you've got to make money. Can these creative fields match a tech startup and prove that they are worth taking a risk on? Maybe. Could be an unexpected success. Could be a disastrous failure. I'm not a business guy, so I don't really know. But objectively, what I do know is, we're never going to find out until someone believes in the potential of these industries and puts some money on the table. Probably an eccentric man in a top hat...

In conclusion, I believe that no matter how many optimistic awareness-raising workshops, competitions, campaigns, exhibitions, conferences, Facebook groups or whatever, are launched to aid these creative fields and rally the people, the only thing that can truly give a big enough boost and inspire creatives to dream big and take on the world, is to throw crazy money at these industries, in order to establish studios and bigger companies, aggregate talent, and foster these creative fields.

Surfing the Wave: A Look at Beirut Wave Two's Fresh Sounds and Faces

You know, there's a lot of local talent here in Lebanon, but sometimes it's not so easy to find. Some artists are just underground, while some are swimming in magma… that's pretty deep down. Luckily, the fine people at Beirut Open Stage have taken it upon themselves to do some excavation and unearth some buried treasures.

In 2013, they invited local artists to audition their original music, and a selection of them went on to perform together in one big live event. A panel of judges, and the music-lovers in attendance, then voted for their favorites, and the chosen few headed into the studio to record a song and be featured on a compilation album. This was Beirut Wave One.

I actually participated in Beirut Wave One myself. It was my debut solo performance as Elepheel, and my first and only time performing live with eclectic experimental funk-rock project, Elephant in the Room. Needless to say, we didn't make the cut, but it certainly was a fun and worthwhile experience.

Now the second installment of this live showcase series, Beirut Wave Two, is coming up, and the lineup holds a lot of unfamiliar names, which is awesome! This new blood is just what the scene needs, and BOS were kind enough to include some links to their music online.

Now, join me as I check out what these fresh faces have to offer, and form an impression, relying solely on what’s presented online… because that truly is all I've got to go by, more or less. So here we go.

GROUP A (February 7)

Nour Nimri



Sentimental folk-pop singer-songwriter backed by mellow acoustic guitar…  Nope. Not my taste personally. Let me get this out of the way: if you are a singer-songwriter with an acoustic guitar, you're automatically in the danger zone. By default! Just sayin'. Good voice though!

Hussam



Hussam seems to be another singer-songwriter dude with an acoustic guitar, though I think he's got a bit more of an indie thing going. However, it's still overall, kind of generic, and I'm not too crazy about his voice.

Beit Youssef



DISCLAIMER: I personally know one of the members of Beit Youssef and have worked on music with him in the past.

Given the disclaimer above, I bet you think I'm about to shower these guys with tons of praise, right? Well you know what… How can I not! Beit Youssef are an electronic-fusion duo: I'm already sold. They've got a totally flipped Foo Fighters cover up that truly sounds like their own unique version of the song, as well as a cover/remix of a song from the animated series Adventure Time, which samples it and reworks it. I'm not too keen on the vocals, but in terms of creativity and originality, these two are on my radar.

Yolopop

Yyyyyyeah

There was no link listed for this artist, so I guess the name is all I have to work with here: Yolopop. Man, I don't care what the hell you sound like, you CANNOT still be using the phrase YOLO in 2015. Unless the YOLO in Yolopop stands for "You Only Listen Once". It could be a sign you guys...


Pheel Prediction: Perhaps wishful thinking, but I've got my money on Beit Youssef for sheer originality at least.


GROUP B (February 14)

Iklil

Iklil

I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Iklil is actually an all-girl group, which is certainly refreshing. They don't have any music online, save for a short clip of their drummer and guitarist jamming it out. Judging from that clip and their label of "funk/ blues rock", I think it's safe to assume they're Red Hot Chili Peppers fans. Here's hoping they sound as hot as they look... Hey, music is half image you know.

Sunday Arcade



I think Sunday Arcade may appeal to a lot of people, but I wouldn't count myself among them. It's pretty straightforward acoustic indie-folk: enjoyable, but nothing groundbreaking. This whole indie-folk vibe of acoustic guitars and mandolins and going on a hike in the mountains with your loyal dog Rusty, then smoking some cloves by the lake while stroking your ironic mustache, and daydreaming about triangles in outer space or something…  isn't really my type of thing.

WonderGap

WonderGap

These lads have no sounds online, but I have a feeling I'm not missing out on much… From what I could gather, the members of WonderGap are pretty young, and thus it's only logical to assume, fairly inexperienced. They cite The Beatles, Pink Floyd and Coldplay as influences, which is a good starting point for sure, but leaves me skeptical still. But if they made it all the way to this competition, they may just be gifted prodigies, who knows...

Candlends



Candlends are a grunge trio who are keen on bringing back the 90s, though I can't help but wonder if they're a bit too stuck in them for their own good. They have an obvious Nirvana influence; maybe a bit too obvious. Case in point, the vocals. Check out the video above: I like that raspiness in the guy's voice, but it gets kind of screechy towards the end. He's clearly emulating Kurt Cobain's style, but doesn't actually have as robust a voice as Cobain does. There's being influenced, and then there's just attempting to replicate.

Lara Eidi



Lara Eidi is among the more seasoned artists in this lineup. Vocally she's right on the mark, and her band mates, a guitarist and cellist, are equally skilled. What they do is basically very soulful, acoustic indie-folk type stuff, with jazz and funk influences as well. Like I said, not a big indie-folk guy, but there is a bit more for me to enjoy here than with Sunday Arcade for example, who are more straight-forward with their iteration of the genre, while Eidi takes it to different places.


Pheel Prediction:  I think it's already in the bag for Lara Eidi, though I can't help but wonder what the Iklil gals will be bringing to the table.


GROUP C (February 21)

Ruby Road

Get it?

Sorry, wrong Ruby.



Ruby Road are a 4-piece band who draw their inspiration from the blues rock of the 60s and 70s. When it comes to blues rock, I look for two extremes, and unfortunately Ruby Road managed to position themselves right in my blind spot. Those extremes would be, early electric blues, such as that of Howlin' Wolf, and more modern garage rock or blues-punk, like that of The White Stripes. I like Ruby Road's whole blues-revival ethos and mission, but compared to another local blues-rock outfit, The Wanton Bishops, their sound is a bit too tame for my liking. Props for the use of upright bass though. That's dedication...

Banana Elephant

Banana Elephant… Banana… Elephant… If you name yourself Banana Elephant, you better back up that tone of carefree silliness with some equally fun and off-the-wall music. I want to hear Spanish yodeling over electric sitars from a band called Banana Elephant, not this meek soft-spoken indie-folk cover of some song called Landfill. That's just false advertising! Was Lettuce Bunny taken? Was Cucumber Shrimp taken? Was Styrofoam Amoeba taken? No they were not...

Don Lydon



I was ready to write this guy off as just another singer-songwriter dude with an acoustic guitar, until I actually heard him. He plays acoustic folk-rock, with a little bit of jazz and blues to spice things up. Vocally, Lydon is the antithesis of the singer-songwriter dude with an acoustic guitar! Aside from having a good voice, he actually plays with his tone and delivery, adds a bit of life and energy to his performance. Check out this live video of a cover of The Rolling Stones' Satisfaction. If that's how dynamic this guys gets in some pub with an acoustic guitar, then God help that stage.

April



Note: an earlier version of this post featured an older video that was the latest output by the band at the time this post was being written. It has been replaced with a more recent video that was uploaded after I had made my selection and was editing and proofreading the post.

April is a band from the heavier side of the spectrum, and you could call what they do progressive metal. Now I'm not the biggest heavy metal fan around... My taste in the genre literally consists of System of a Down's discography, and the opening riff from Raining Blood by Slayer. That being said, I have too little tolerance for blandness in metal, which coincidentally, is one of the main elements of the Lebanese metal scene. Begin rant...

Based on what I have seen and heard throughout the years, the Lebanese metal scene is one of the most stagnant and stubborn local scenes imaginable. You just get this feeling that everybody's influenced by the same people, because everybody sounds exactly the same; to a certain degree that is.

There are exceptions though: a few years ago, there was a trio by the name of Episode who played great symphonic metal, complete with live violin. They even opened for Serj Tankian when he performed here, which is funny because as I mentioned, System of a Down are probably my favorite heavy metal band, due to how innovative and creative they got with the genre.

Having said this, I have no idea why no local metal bands write lyrics about the hardships of life in Lebanon, you know, pain, suffering, violence, perfect headbanging material guys, or collaborate with rappers, think Rage Against the Machine, or even compose with some Middle Eastern-influenced melodies, put the Lebanese back into Lebanese metal.

So with this in mind, how does a progeny of this scene such as April hold up? To my ears, it's pretty much what I would expect from the local metal scene, nothing that drastic or peculiar, however, I do like the symphonic aspect they have to their sound, and the vocalist does sound quite capable. If this event is going to feature a local metal act, it may as well be this one.

Runaway Jacks



Runaway Jacks have only got one song up online called Unseen, so I've based my impression on that. Here's how my viewing experience went:

0:02  OHH YEAAAAH! Now that's what I'm talking about!
0:22  Whoah, it gets better? Sick!
0:28 till end  Wait… no… but… why?

I wish the entire song was that intro! I'm not saying it should be instrumental, or that the vocalist sucks, she's fine actually. I just felt like the rawness and heaviness at the beginning should have been carried through the entire song, but instead it kind of fizzles out. I think Runaway Jacks could appeal to a lot of people, but I'd personally like to see them get fiercer in their sound.


Pheel Prediction: My pick would have to be Don Lydon, though Ruby Road may come through too.


GROUP D (February 28)

Peter Chouchani



Feeling lucky after the unexpected surprise that was Don Lydon, I took a chance again, and... singer-songwriter dude with an acoustic guitar. Goddammit. Was not too impressed vocally.

Maya Hobeika



Now this… is an odd yet intriguing inclusion. Maya Hobeika is a classically-trained soprano who has performed as part of a choir as well as solo, covering everything from Mozart to Ziad El Rahbani. She is the only Arabic-language contestant as far as I can tell, and it goes without saying that vocally she is tremendously talented, but how will she be presenting herself when going up against rock bands and alternative acts? Will she be performing one of her classical Fairouz-like pop songs? Does she have something a bit more cutting-edge up her sleeve? The tension is killing me.

Charles Cha



Sigh... singer-songwriter dude with acoustic guitar.

Sun and Moth



Sun and Moth (formerly known as Odd Man Out) are a 4-piece indie-punk outfit, citing Arctic Monkeys and The Clash as influences, among others. As a punk rock fan and supporter of "heavy rock", I'm all aboard for this. It may be a more widely-appealing not-so-abrasive style of punk rock, in a similar vein to what Lazzy Lung do, but screw it, I'll take what I can get.

Belime



Last but not least, it's pop singer Belime, who is among the more polished and focused alternative pop acts in Lebanon, alongside Poly and Aziza. I'm not into pop music honestly, so this doesn't really mean much to me, however, for those who are into pop music, what he offers is not too bad, well-produced and nicely packaged. He will be playing with a live band too, which is great, considering how it's become generally acceptable for pop artists to just sing over their instrumental track, or even lipsync to it. If you dig pop music, and a live show, this is your thing.


Pheel Prediction:  This is a tough one. I'd like to guess Sun and Moth or Belime, but that Maya Hobeika might just end up blowing everyone else out of the water...


And so we reach the end of our journey, having explored some of the fresh faces you'll be seeing and hearing live on stage soon. Regardless of what I have to say about these artists, I'm still glad that so many diverse genres and styles are getting featured, and I hope everybody continues to develop themselves and fine tune their craft beyond Beirut Wave Two.

Be sure to head down to The Grand Factory every Saturday from February 7th till 28th to catch all these performances, plus a special appearance by folk-rock darlings Safar on the 7th, as well as a screening of the BOS-produced documentary Beirut - Behind the Music, every night. You don't wanna miss this.

Grand Theft Absurdity: A Baffling Ban

Imagine a world... Where cold-blooded killers walk among you...  Weapons are bountiful and plenty... And you can just drive around like a total maniac! No, this isn't Rockstar Games' groundbreaking video game series Grand Theft Auto I just described, it's goddamn Lebanon, and believe it or not, one of these can be crazier than the other, and it's not the one you're thinking of.

On November 18th, Rockstar Games re-released the latest game in the Grand Theft Auto series, Grand Theft Auto V (that's Roman numeral five) for next-gen consoles, PS4 and Xbox One. Soon enough, two blogs, Gino's Blog and Blog Baladi, reported that the game had been banned in Lebanon. The official PlayStation Middle East account later confirmed that the game has in fact been banned throughout the whole Middle East, not just Lebanon.

Grand Theft Auto V

So GTA V is definitely banned in Lebanon, but the question remains: why? There has been no official statement as far as I know, but it's not hard to come up with something; this is GTA after all. For those who don't know, the premise of the GTA games is that you the player are put in control of a criminal, and as this criminal, you have the ability to gun down civilians, go on a rampage in a stolen vehicle and generally cause all kinds of mayhem in a virtual city.

The games have an ESRB rating of M for Mature and are infamously adult-oriented, depicting graphic violence, using strong language, as well as involving elements such as alcohol and drugs. Not surprisingly, the games and publisher, Rockstar Games, have been the targets of heavy criticism and controversy for years. Former lawyer Jack Thompson is probably the most famous critic of the games, comparing them to murder simulators designed to turn kids into vicious killers.

The whole "video games are corrupting our youth" argument is much wider than the Thompson vs GTA battle. For example, after the infamous Columbine High School Massacre, many were quick to point fingers at the video game Doom as a motivator for the shooting. However, the moral panic soon faded as people came to their senses, and numerous studies have since shown that video games do not in fact turn kids into ruthless psychopaths.

Thug life

But Thompson's argument doesn't really work in Lebanon anyway, since we're so open and accepting of the fact that we are indeed ruthless psychopaths. We don't have sudden unexpected school shootings, or weird serial killers who kidnap young women and dress them up as Princess Jasmine from classic Disney film Aladdin then shoot them in the face while creepily singing A Whole New World. Fuck no. We shoot one another in broad daylight, rig carbombs, chop a guy's dick off, whatever man, no problem.

Perhaps it's something we're a bit more touchy about... Hmm, touchy... Touchy... Of course, the sex stuff! There are a lot of risqué activities for the player to partake in in this game. For example, the player can visit a strip club, and get a lapdance from a topless stripper, with pixelicious CGI tits. Or if you like living on the edge, you could drive around and do business with a lady of the night who can offer you various "services", for a fee that is. Yeah, it's probably the sex stuff.

Personally, I respect the developers' right to artistic expression, but I think these features are unnecessary, not because they're inappropriate, but because they're not really fun or even sexy. I mean, if you're playing the game and you get horny all of a sudden and think "Ooh I know! I'll stop by the local virtual strip club!", well you're in for some disappointment my friend, because all you'll get is a 3D rendering of a sexy woman lifelessly simulating the motion of a lapdance. Amusing perhaps, but pretty much a waste of time.

Yeah baby, shake what your virtual mama gave ya

But regardless of why the game has been banned, I'm still baffled by a lot of things about all this. First of all, remember when I said earlier "Rockstar Games re-released the latest edition in the series, Grand Theft Auto V"? That's right: RE-released. GTA V came out on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on September 17th 2013. That's more than a year ago! The game has been available for purchase in Lebanon on last-gen consoles for more than a year, so why exactly wasn't it banned back then?

"Ah, but you see, the new version has all that dirty stuff added!" you must be thinking. Nope, not quite. The only significant changes made for this re-release of the game are technical ones, like improved graphics and the introduction of a first-person mode. Pretty much everything else has been there all along since the initial release last September. So what's the deal then? Is improved framerate going to corrupt our fragile youth or what?

LOOK AWAY KIDS!

Secondly, even if physical copies of the game are banned, there are both legal and illegal means for people to acquire it digitally. PC users can pirate it off the web for no cost whatsoever, or if they're feeling generous, opt to legitimately purchase it from a digital distributor like Steam. PS4 and Xbox One users can also legally purchase the game from each console's digital marketplace, the PlayStation Store and Xbox Games Store, respectively. Uh... Thx thx thx dawle?

Finally, the act of suppressing information in the digital age is a pretty tricky thing to pull off, and it's no different with a video game, in fact  it's probably even more difficult. Even if the game itself were banned, people could still easily look it up on YouTube and find millions of videos of other people playing it: these are called Let's Plays. Or you could find cut scenes from the game, or even look for videos of specific things like if you search for "GTA V strip club" for example.  You'll see it, you'll see it all, no game necessary!



I don't know for sure why the game was banned, or why this particular GTA game was banned despite previous games having pretty much the same tone and elements involved, but what I do know is that this is a really weird move. It seems to me like this is more about making a public statement about moral values rather than actually protecting the public from any real threat.

But fear not, for I have a solution that will make everyone happy: lift the ban and ban another game instead! We don't all agree on the sex stuff, right? But what we do all agree on is that ISIS are bad, right? Well then, say hello to Grand Theft Auto: Salil Al Sawarem, an ISIS produced video game, which is actually a modded version of a previous game in the GTA series, where you get to walk around as an actual terrorist, not a dude in a city, but an actual terrorist in the desert, shooting up cops and soldiers, and blowing up their vehicles as well.

According to ISIS the purpose of the game is to "raise the morale of the mujahedin and to train children and youth how to battle the West and to strike terror into the hearts of those who oppose the Islamic State.” This thing is Jack Thompson's wet dream: it's literally a terrorism simulator!



So the question now is:

Lebanon, what do you really want to ban: Boobs or ISIS?

Boobs?

or ISIS?



The choice is yours...

Retro Orientronica Hop... or Something: Arab Producers Getting Nostalgic

Not too long ago, I ventured out of my evil lair and made my way to Metro Al Madina for a performance that was taking place that night called Gharam Wa Intiqam (Love and Revenge).

Gharam Wa Intiqam is an audio-visual project by rapper and producer Wael Kodeih, a.k.a. Rayess Bek and photographer Randa Mirza a.k.a. La Mirza, with Kodeih performing live electronic and instrumental hip hop beats that sample classic Arabic pop and tarab music and Mirza VJ-ing a selection of clips from classic Arab cinema, from raunchy makeouts to action-packed chases, and a whole lot of bellydancing.



After the show, I started connecting some dots… The material that Rayess Bek played had a lot of similarities to other stuff I had been hearing locally for the past year or so: instrumental beats that walk the line between electronic music and instrumental hip hop with a prevalent interest in reviving and reinventing classic Arabic music and culture.

The art of sampling tarab and setting it to a beat is nothing new for local hip hop producers, it's almost a rite of passage, however creating instrumental compositions in that style, designed to hold up on their own in the absence of a rapper and be their own thing, is a bit of a breakthrough. Sample choices, dialogue clips used, even different rhythms, all the elements that go into the composition become very crucial choices and indicators of skill and personal taste. And that's why I feel a certain trend is brewing: Retro Orientronica Hop… or something.

For this reason, I'm going to highlight three of these artists who I feel most strongly demonstrate this style and talk a bit about what each of them brings to the table. Now these aren't the ONLY artists doing this type of thing, but they are ones that I've been aware of for some time, and they fit a certain criteria, which is to have released or performed multiple compositions in this style, not just a one-off trial or single track on an album. It has to kind of be their thing, not their only thing, but an extensively practiced and perfected thing nonetheless.

Rayess Bek



Might as well begin with Rayess Bek himself. For years I only knew Rayess Bek as a rapper, both for his solo work and as part of his original duo Aks'Ser, although he did produce his own beats, but so do a lot of rappers. Eventually he put his production work front and center in 2012 with Goodbye Schlöndorff, a previous multimedia project of his centered around audio messages recorded onto cassette tapes and sent by individuals to relatives during the Lebanese civil war, which Kodeih mixed into his own electronic hip hop beats.

At the time, I considered Goodbye Schlöndorff a huge step forward for Arabic instrumental hip hop and developed a newfound respect for Rayess Bek as a producer: this guy wasn't just going to produce to rap over, he actually has some stories to tell through sound, and I'd like to hear them...

Rayess Bek

When I attended the performance of Gharam Wa Intiqam, I got the same feeling I did with his last performance: This. Is. Awesome. The beats were a bit more hip hop than electronic with the sampling of tarab, Arabic pop and dialogue, from mostly Egyptian cinema; all in all very reminiscent of trip hop.

 While Goodbye Schlöndorff was about relaying the experiences of unknown individuals, Gharam Wa Intiqam was more of a tribute to vintage Arab pop culture with all its charm and cheesiness. The greatest proof of this is that the track that closed off the show was a rework of the Grendizer theme with samples from the Arabic dubbed version most of us grew up watching. Speaking of old school Arabic-dubbed anime…


Al Rajol Al Hadidi



Al Rajol Al Hadidi (The Iron Man) is the alias of an unknown producer who gained some exposure in recent months, and I seriously have no idea where he's from or anything. How did I find out about him then? Well he followed me on SoundCloud and I curiously checked his profile and found his awesome EP Thouhour Wa7sh (The Monster Appears).

Al Rajol Al Hadidi has a super tight atmosphere built around himself and his work. In his hip hop beats, he samples quite a bit from classic tarab but a lot more from 60s and 70s era pop music and soundtracks from television of that period, with synthesizers and more Western instruments, that still have that distinct Oriental vibe.

Al Rajol Al Hadidi, I wanna high five you man, but...

There's a strong MF Doom influence, as evidenced by the use of dialogue snippets from Arabic-dubbed anime that invoke a sense of danger and mystery. Doom used similar clips from Marvel comics cartoons of the 60s and 70s to create this mythology of his Doom character as a great villain (based on the Fantastic Four's deadly foe Dr. Doom of course). Al Rajol Al Hadidi however doesn't create a fictionalized version of himself, but instead paints a picture of a world of sci-fi adventures, with monsters, time machines and more.

Unfortunately, Al Rajol Al Hadidi's second EP Babel did not continue with the established theme of vintage sci-fi adventure, but was instead just the standard affair of beats with samples; good beats, but not Thouhour Wa7sh good. Kind of ruined my hopes that his material would be more consistent, and expand this nostalgic sci-fi world he set the groundworks for in his previous EP, but we will just have to wait and see what the man of iron has in store for us…

Hello Psychaleppo



Last but not least there's Hello Psychaleppo, the current project of Syrian producer and musician Zimo, who has made this style his thing way more than Rayess Bek or Al Rajol Al Hadidi have, with two cohesive albums already under his belt. Hello Psychaleppo's whole body of work revolves around the concept of marrying modern electronic music with Arab folk styles, from tarab to Bedouin.

The music is heavily electronic, covering genres like dubstep and drum n' bass in its own little way, with some dub and hip hop influences as well. Zimo incorporates the traditional Arab sound through samples from classic tarab and speech clips of chants and phrases, borrowing the voices of tarab legends such as Oum Kalthoum and Abdelhalim Hafez, as well as composing his synthesized melodies in a distinctly Oriental scale.

Hello Psychaleppo

I don't want to put people on pedestals or anything, but in my mind, the recent popularity of this style, trend, approach, movement, whatever was kind of kickstarted by Hello Psychaleppo's 2013 album Gool L'Ah. I know Hello Psychaleppo did not invent the very concept of fusing Oriental music with electronic beats, but creating a whole album with that intent certainly did ignite a spark and get some people inspired in my opinion, as evidenced by what Rayess Bek and Al Rajol Al Hadidi have put out since.

Or it could all just be a big coincidence, what do I know…

No Late Nights for Lebanon

I don't currently watch a lot of TV, local or otherwise, but as a kid and young teen, you bet I did; I watched the hell out of that TV, especially at night... Every evening, one of my rituals would be to tune in to the Paramount Comedy Channel, which existed back then, and watch The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, eagerly anticipating the following program, the highlight of the night: Late Night with Conan O'Brien. In addition to these two, I sometimes caught Late Show with David Letterman, though not as frequently. If it was a late night American talk show, I knew I couldn't lose.

The formula of funny host + house band+ standup + skits + celebrity guests + musical guest became the golden standard of entertainment for me. You got jokes, you got some parody and "experimental material", like when Leno would showcase some funny newspaper clippings or Conan would take a prophetic look into the year 2000 (even well after the year had passed...), and you got a random musical performance that you may have ended up liking.

Currently, Lebanon's best attempt to emulate the late night talk show format is Hayda Haki, hosted by Adel Karam. It debuted around a year ago, and is currently in its second season. However, I don't think this trainwreck remotely qualifies as a late night talk show. It's a travesty! It's like if you gave a kid some paper and crayons, and asked them to draw a person, and they present you with a crude stick figure smeared with their own shit. You had one job...

To explain why I feel this way, I'll have to address some issues I've picked up on in the show, and do a bit of comparison between it and what I consider a model late night talk show, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, or even his current show Conan: same host, same level of excellence!  Speaking of hosts, a handful of these issues relate directly to the host himself, so that should be as good a place to begin as any.

CoCo: the host with the most

I grew up on S.L. Chi, La Youmal and even Abou Riad, so for years I had nothing but respect and fondness for Adel Karam. He even starred in S.L. Film, which I still wholeheartedly regard as one of the greatest Lebanese movies ever made; I am not even being sarcastic right now. And I once bumped into him in a barber shop in 2010 and gave him a thumbs up; a thumbs up I would later wish to take back...

When I first saw Adel hosting Hayda Haki, I quickly realized why despite my enjoyment of his past endeavors, this new gig just wasn't his thing: Adel is an actor, not a comedian. Sure he has the personality and can crack a couple corny jokes here and there, but he doesn't write his own material, or improvise, or use physical humor. What you see on the show is a very stiff delivery of pre-written, heavily rehearsed material. It's more akin to theater: the content is humorous, but the execution is rigid and not subject to change or elaboration.

Compare him to Conan, who regularly adlibs and improvises, uses his body and reacts to the audience. If an audience member were to go "I love you Conaaaan!" while he's delivering his opening monologue, he would probably respond with "Yes, I love you too sir…" or "Whoa!" or even just laugh! A genuine human reaction goddamit! Adel on the other hand would probably just pause and grin, then continue where he left off.

Alright, what did I say about interrupting me?
Great, now I have to start over...

Now for a more subjective issue. It's just a matter of taste really, but I feel like it could make or break a show for a viewer, and I will be talking a whole lot about it: Adel is smarmy as hell! He's got this arrogant jagal az3ar persona that rubs me the wrong way, and I just can't relate to him at all. If you're into that, sure whatever, but I really would have liked to see someone more likable and endearing, you know? 

Like Georges Khabbaz for instance, with his Charlie Chaplin inspired awkward lovable goofball schtick. Yes he's an actor too, but at least he makes me laugh! Or maybe Adel's frequent co-star, Abbas Chahine, with his George Costanza-esque fits of rage and frustration, channeling the voice of the average down on his luck, just trying to get by, Lebanese citizen. That's who I want to see addressing me every week! Not some smug douchebag!

If you've never seen the show, you may think I'm exaggerating a bit. Let's do a case study then and see how a certain scenario would go down on Conan, and then Hayda Haki. The situation is: the show's guest is a woman who happens to be sexually attractive. Cool? Let's go!

When supermodel Marisa Miller, voted Sexiest Woman in the World by FHM magazine, stopped by Conan, it went like this:

He does the over-the-top "Yes! Woohoo! Sexy lady!" gags at the beginning, and they're silly and goofy, pretty funny stuff. Now that those are out of the way, the rest is just a casual chat about her career, her hobbies, some funny anecdotes, which though had some slightly sexual undertones, and I'm thinking about the story where she had her pants accidentally pulled down during a game of American football, weren't at her own expense; she was in on the joke, she was telling the joke!

Hell, she was even talking about how she learned to swordfight and said "I love doing physical things", but Conan didn't take a single shot. Instead, he allowed his guest to tell her story, which is the whole point of the interview: to learn more about the lady and get viewers to know her as more than just a pretty face in magazines. This interview lasted for about 8 minutes by the way.

Now when pop star Haifa Wehbe stopped by Hayda Haki, it went like this:

Adel begins his interview with such totally not pervy quips like "Ana el albe 3ambidi2…", "Smalla 3leyke, smalla 3leyke!" and "Yekhzel3en 3annik… Smalla, le3be!" Hey Adel, if your lighthearted ice-breaker remarks about how sexy your guest is could seamlessly fit right into the dialogue of a gritty back alley rape scene, you're fucking it up big time man! Are you creeped out yet ladies? Well stick around! We still have an hour of this to go! 

After putting his guest at ease with his razor sharp wit and tasteful humor, Adel proceeds to ask her about stuff, a lot of irrelevant stuff, with some granules of useful information here and there, like how she feels about being a fashion icon, or her acting and singing work. Whenever she was asked about her career, Haifa did give some genuine responses and talked about her projects and collaborations; she's clearly not just there to look pretty. Despite being extremely sexy, she doesn't want this whole thing to be about how sexy she is.

But no matter what the topic was, Adel always ends up going back to that godawful sleazy horndog routine. That was his end-game really: spewing out as many cheesy pickup lines and lewd remarks as humanly possible. Oh sorry, I meant, as Tex Avery Wolf-ly possible. For fuck's sake, he even asked whether or not she gets raped in the film she's promoting, but he didn't phrase it like "Well, it's been a hot topic in the press lately, so I'd like you to address this now for the people at home", oh no, he just went in all "Yeah nice movie babe, so do you get raped in it or what? C'mooon don't be shy. Woof!".

Adel conducting an in-depth interview

Let me say this, as a big fan of George Carlin and edgy comedy in general: you have every right to be as offensive as you'd like to be, as long as you're funny about it. It's your right, it's your voice, it's your style of humor. But if you're going to be both offensive and insufferably lame, that's just a double fail my friend…

On the subject of being offensive and funny: this show seems to have never heard of parody, satire, or pretty much any form of comedy that isn't an opinionated joke. After Conan's monologue, he would play a pre-recorded skit, or bring in some actors and have something "spontaneously" occur live in the studio, or whatever, you get the idea. There's effort and variety.

Now Adel, he just sits at his desk, giving his pre-written carefully rehearsed opinions on a news item or video or whatever the researchers found for him to feel strongly about that week. And he doesn't take a tongue-in-cheek satirical stance, like ChiNN do, or shoot a little sketch parodying a certain event that took place earlier in the week, but instead, just directly expresses agreement or disagreement with the issue and jokes about it. It's like getting in a taxi with an annoying cabbie once per week.

Effort and variety

Did I mention how long this show is by the way? On average, a late night talk show, with monologue, skits, 2 guests, and a musical act, has a running time of about an hour tops. You know how long Hayda Haki is? With it's monologue, Adel's crap and a mere one guest? An hour and a half! I mean yeah, obviously, Adel's so full of charisma and imagination, why the hell not!

They wanted to keep him on for a measly hour, but when he did that impression of Popeye singing Fairouz while dancing dabke on rollerblades, they knew, they immediately knew, what the people wanted... What the people deserved! Lucky for the people, the house band are there to keep doing a mini impromptu jam after every couple jokes to keep the audience awake; I am not kidding. 

They have to do something at least, since the producers don't even trust them enough to perform an opening theme for the show live every week. Instead it's some irrelevant electro-blues ringtone thing. God forbid you compose a catchy tune that reflects the style and tone of the show and gives it a unique identity, unlike this crap you have now, this uninspired, generic... Totally lame and... Cheesy... On second thought, I take it back: this theme works fine as is. Excellent choice.

But you know, the band isn't just there to play music, for you see, it is a longstanding late night talk show tradition for the host to chat with the bandleader every now and then, for comedic effect of course! David Letterman has keyboardist Paul Schaffer, Jay Leno had guitarist Kevin Eubanks, Jimmy Fallon has The Roots, and Conan had drummer Max Weinberg, who he regularly involved in skits. A host and a bandleader can be a great duo!

A great duo!

Filling that role on Hayda Haki is guitarist Chady Nashef... and, well he's a little dry. But seriously though: I don't feel it would be entirely fair of me to be too harsh on the guy. After all, he's a decent guitarist who scored a bigtime gig, and I don't think he aspires to become a comedian himself or anything. But nonetheless, I've gotta say it: Adel's interactions with Chady are some of the most inexplicably awkward moments in the entire show... And I don't mean "Conan and Max staring blankly at one another" awkward, I mean "Whaaaa?"

He seems like a jolly dude really, always chuckling at Adel's jokes, but other than that, he doesn't really add much. Adel's just obligated to make small talk with him because he needs the host-bandleader relationship to happen, but the chemistry's clearly not there, so it just feels weird and forced. Again, the dude was hired to play guitar, and he does indeed do that! It's not in his job description to be a hilarious comic foil for Adel. But still... Whaaaa?

You can't stay mad at that face though... Rock on bro

So, to sum it up: what's wrong with Hayda Haki? It's way too long, the humor is unimaginative and forced, the band only serves as cheap filler, and the host is mercilessly unbearable. 

Look, I don't shit on things for the hell of it, you know? I genuinely want there to be a great late night talk show in Lebanon some day! With a funny host who can hold his own out there and keep us laughing, a band that can rock the studio and get everybody dancing (even at home), clever jokes that don't insult the audience's intelligence, skits, sketches, gags, props and pranks we'd be excited to tune in for week after week and talk about the next day with our friends, guests of all fields and backgrounds, from singers to fashion designers to athletes, and musical guests from both the mainstream and alternative music scenes, giving artists of all genres and styles a platform to be heard. HAYDA haki… see what I did there?

Hey! New Issue!: A Lebanese Comic Buyer's Tale + Cool Future Prospects?

Ah, comics. Despite Lebanon's dismissive attitude towards the medium and the culture associated with it, comics have been one of my lifelong interests and passions for years now. But a lot has changed in the local market since I first became an active fan and buyer of comic books and graphic novels: what types of comics are available, where they can be purchased and even what's being produced locally. There have certainly been some big shifts, both good and bad, but a pretty good one may be on the way: could Lebanon have an actual comic book store soon? 

 Now before I get into the uncertain future, I need to lay down some context, and tell you a bit about the past, and present, or at least my own personal experiences as a Lebanese comics fan and buyer.

In the grand old year of 2000, my dear mother bought my brothers and I each one comic book. Mine was an issue of a Spider-Man title that ran at the time: Peter Parker: Spider-Man #34; I still own the damn thing, with little rips, visible scotch-tape rescue operations and all. Despite having been exposed to comics prior, this was the first comic book that I felt I truly owned and wanted to hang on to. And thus it began...

Mah baby...

Comic books in Beirut were pretty abundant and evenly distributed. Acquiring them was as simple as checking the magazine rack of any book store, stationary shop or even the supermarket; hell that was practically the sole purpose of the BHV checkout line as far as I was concerned.

And what kinds of titles could you find? The big two are a given of course. You had the Marvel titles like Spider-Man, Iron Man, Hulk, X-Men. You had the DC titles like Superman, Batman, Justice League, Green Lantern (I once got an issue of Batman Beyond, that was actually a thing!) In addition, you also had stuff like Dark Horse's Star Wars comics, Archie and Sonic the Hedgehog (just, why…), and even MAD magazine.

Graphic novels could be found as well, although I have slightly hazier memories about them, since I only got into them in more recent years. I do know for a fact that they were indeed available to certain degrees, though a bit harder to come across than their cheaper monthly counterparts; I wasn't actively seeking them out at the time, so take this with a grain of salt.

You had titles from the big two, and related publishers like DC's imprint Vertigo for instance, some lesser-known indie stuff, and most importantly, it was the go-to medium for locally-produced material, which was almost exclusively published in book form, as opposed to monthly comics. Books like the Samandal anthologies, Joumana Medlej's Malaak series, and more.

Yup, all bases were pretty much covered… OR WERE THEY?!

AAAARGH!

At some point, in the late 2000s, the comic book river got drier and drier, until it became the pathetic trickle that it is today. I would assume poor sales were the reason behind this, but that's just my guess. To tell you the truth, I had taken a break from monthly comics purchasing when this happened. So I sort of left my house, and came back to find it had been burned down and shat on, as the saying goes. Remember all those titles I listed above? Gone! I think you can still find a few, desperately collecting dust on the stands, like Superman or Archie or something, but who gives a crap about Archie? Nobody, that's who.

As far as I'm concerned, the comic book as a popularly consumed medium in Lebanon had died. Look, I don't have any annual sales reports or whatever, but from my own totally non-business perspective: the disappearance of comic books from the market probably didn't do much in the way of popularizing comics culture or fostering its community locally.

Now graphic novels on the other hand, those actually flourished in the wake of "the great comic book genocide" or "comicalypse" if you will. Book stores began carrying a lot more titles, in terms of both quantity and variety, from more diverse publishers, and there were even more adult-oriented ones, which was awesome, because I'm sort of the target demographic.

Most of these stores all carry titles from within the same spectrum (Marvel, DC, Dark Horse, Image, etc.), so I have to give props to one particular establishment, which would be Papercup, who have a great collection of more "artsy" titles from publishers like Fantagraphics and such.

 What filled a shelf or two a few years prior, now warrants a section of its very own in most outlets; the graphic novel had taken the comic book's place as Lebanon's preferred comics format, and what a relief that is. The fact that graphic novels didn't get wiped out the same way comic books did, but instead grew more popular with consumers and were more in demand, is nothing but win for the local community and the culture.

Geek Express keepin' it geeky

I should also note that hardcore collector culture got a significant push recently through tech-centric open space, Geek Express, when they began offering a variety of vintage Marvel comics and collector's items, such as figurines. Prior to that, one of the few places I knew that catered to those consumers was Gift Mania, which specializes in toys, collectibles and related merchandise.

But a magazine rack, book store or techie open space are only vessels for these things, not exclusively dedicated to providing them and solely catering to the consumers that buy them. Which brings us back to the original question: could Lebanon have an actual comic book store soon?

The answer is: yes... maybe!

For 4 months, three dudes who go by John, Emilio and Cyril, have been contemplating a project dear to their hearts, and that would be to establish a genuine honest-to-God comic book store here in Lebanon. According to John, the motivation behind this is to give comics fans, and geeks in general, a place to call their own.

Through this store, they hope to offer comic books, graphic novels, Japanese manga (catering to Lebanon's sizable otaku culture) and even collectibles and apparel, for now at least. John also expresses an interest in making the establishment more than just a retailer, but a sort of hub where fellow enthusiasts could just hang out and mingle.

The Middle East Film and Comic Con, held annually in Dubai... lucky bastards

Lebanon needs this to happen, because I know the audience is already there, and they'd get behind this (or at least, I'd hope they would). Like I said already, there have been good and bad shifts throughout the years; the bad obviously being the near-annihilation of comic books, the good being the growth and propagation of graphic novels. Well, this is the next shift: comic books return, graphic novels grow more popular, more serious collectible products come into the mix...  It's when we as fans and consumers finally get our own thing, and have a chance to sustain it, instead of bemoaning how this place doesn't care enough, and that place doesn't get it. Like I did!

At this point in time, the concept is still in its infant stage: a rough idea being carefully studied and evaluated. I do sincerely hope the boys manage to make this vision of theirs a reality, and I can only see good things coming out of it if they do; today a comic book store, tomorrow a legit convention?

If you'd like to help them out, feel free to take the following survey. I sure did, and so should you!