Keeping up with the ultimate Hippie spirit, Santana unleashed

Carlos Santana with his wife Cindy Blackman: pics by Nilutpal Pegu

The ultimate hippie guru, Carlos Santana flew down to the capital, Delhi for the ultimate F1 showdown. Before his show, in a little press conference, he gave the message of world peace.  To him, his music was all about world peace and with that in mind, he had arrived in Delhi.

In the press meet, he said "Music is is to bring world peace, the principles of Gandhi and Teresa is all about that peace," as his beautiful wife, Cindy Blackman shared the dais.

He was brought by the DNA Entertainment, at the ITC Maurya recently for an International gig at F1 Rocks in collaboration with the Vladivar Sunday.

Earlier after his Bangalore concert,  his message was clear, "In our hearts, we are all one." the world of peace is still the principles he lives by. When he was younger the ideals of world peace struck a chord with him.  

For him, music had always been about global peace at large.

 "I still adhere and live by the principles of the '60s and music for me is to bring about global peace at large. What religion and politics failed to achieve, like human trafficking and child labor, we are trying to spread the message of peace and love."

A self-proclaimed hippie, Santana, said that the true sense of hippie is about claiming to be an individual rather than, being in a herd.

Resounding, the '60s Woodstock movement of peace and freedom, he said, "We at the movement in the '60s clearly made a point across the Pentagon and then President Richard Nixon, that no we are not afraid to die but I won't die to make you richer."

 A true hippie is not afraid to stand out but he also regrets that the present generation couldn't keep up with this spirit, "The youth today", he quipped, "They, have other preoccupations like the stupid T.V.."

Forever a hippie he urges the youth to keep up the spirit of a true hippie.

To him, "The true spirit of a hippie lies in having the courage to go against the corrupt system and also, agree to disagree."

So this one goes out for all the hippies out there somewhere trying to fight their own individual battles every day! Viva la Vida!!

The Taboo Experience

pictured here with Taboo

Fun-energy-vibrant is what exuded when I caught up with Jaime Luis Gómez better known as Taboo of the Black Eyed Peas.

He was recently at the Amber Lounge in Delhi when we caught up with him for a little informal interview. Dressed in a red and brown jacket, rectangular glares, brown sneakers matching with the sleeves of his jacket, he looked the perfect celebrity all set to sway the Delhi audience.

Life is not all that glitzy and for Taboo it had definitely not been easy. He confessed that his trysts with drugs and alcohol had greatly impacted his early life. And his past mistakes had made him realize how taking things to the extreme can over time weigh in.

'Earlier I had been into drugs and alcohol and had done things in extreme, anything extreme is bad. Those were the long-haired days. Now, I have gone bald and I am clear-headed I can think and do much better now,' he said.

His only purpose to come to India is to bring the Taboo experience. So we had to understand what was the Taboo experience?

'Well, I have taken some time off from the band to do my own thing as an individual. 'Taboo experience', is all about MC, DJ, Visuals, instruments, traveling interacting with the fans and the magnetic music,' added the 35-year-old rapper.

One thing I noticed when I saw were his shoes. He had an absolute love for shoes. He admitted owning a large collection of shoes. 'I own about 600 pairs of shoes and have a shoe store at my house,' he said.

Now that he has a comfortable life, in retrospect, it hadn't been very kind to him.  He said life was hard when he lived as an outcast his entire life. But now things have changed, he added. He was now a proud father and also a loving husband.

"Now I have become more responsible after getting married and being a father to my kids."

Family is important to him and being a father made him better. Taboo declared that fatherhood has been his greatest achievement. 'I am foremost a father and this is the greatest achievement of my life: being a father to my kids,' added the rapper.

So let us cheer for another great daddy and see him take on the world as he brings on the  Taboo experience.