I'm returning to Calcutta after decades and there's something strange and sad about it. There's a big, modern airport, eerily empty in a city so massive, but the traffic is insane. The heart of the city is wrapped up in blue and white Christmas lights, the colors of Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee's party.
Read MoreNo more words needed. Thank you for standing up to the monsters attacking us. You did the right thing for your country. You are a beacon of light for the USA, and history will remember you as a hero when this darkness is over.
Read MoreIf you're in Bombay, come attend my talk on new narratives of love in a hate-filled world, at the path-breaking Godrej India Culture Lab in the Godrej HQ in Vikhroli, Jan. 27th, 5 pm.
Read MoreBeth Orton played an ecstatic set with local Rajasthani band "Josh" elevating her songs to a whole new level and jamming on some Sufi music last night at the Jaipur Literary Festival. Her "Galaxy of Emptiness" is in my top 100 songs on ITunes. Thank God for music.
Read MoreIceland, my favorite destination in the world, just got ten times cooler. If more of our politicians were like Birgitta, the President-elect of the United States would be Patti Smith and countries would be sending love songs to each other instead of drones and animosity.
Read MoreIt's snowing in slow-motion in Val d' Isere. The cinematic windows of my hotel frame a scene from some modern fairy tale- tiny black figures are stumbling awkwardly through white powder like drunk penguins. The skeletons of trees sway in the storm in perfect synchronicity.
Read MoreWhat to do when your icons are dying, your country's been hijacked by thugs and it seems like the end is coming? For me, it's a good time to reconnect with people you admire to get a jolt of inspiration and reassurance that "its not all over now, baby blue".
Read MoreAngela and Marianna, are jazz singers from Naples and stars of the intriguing Italian feature "Indivisible" playing at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival.
Read MoreIt's the longest I've been here in 25 years. Two months and 23 days. How this country drips into you. It's insanity and chaos and inequities and it's wild beauty and gentle intoxication.
Read MoreMaking a film or any art requires blind faith and maniacal devotion. Only the foolish and obsessed embark on such perilous journeys, mostly against all advice. The everyday terror of failure, rejection and financial ruin haunts you while the joy of creation keeps you going.
Read MoreIt’s no secret to those of you who know me how much I love Nick Cave- an important influence and a vital source of creative inspiration. His music, films, writing, indeed his entire persona is a dark and essential blueprint for a life lived with savage sweetness on the other side of the tracks.
Read MoreSpent an instructive afternoon speaking with and being inspired by the lovely ladies of Sanatakada- an NGO doing vital and praiseworthy work to uplift underprivileged and oppressed women and evolve the culture of Lucknow.
Read MoreA great side benefit of volunteering at#SALAMLADC is the hardcore workout you get everyday. It's like a humanitarian bootcamp.
Read MoreToday Martin Kvernbekk Sajee Sivam and I figured out where to buy basic food items in wholesale and therefore much cheaper than from the World Food Program approved supermarkets that charge a premium.
Read MoreDistributing food provisions and hygiene packages this afternoon inside two settlements. Heat and dust, hungry hearts and grateful smiles.
Read MoreSo happy and proud to announce that Radhika Apte won the Best Actress award for "Madly" in the International section of the TriBeCa Film Festival- the first time for an Indian actress. It's a win for all Indian women and for courageous women everywhere. Please join me in congratulating her.
Read MoreJoan Baez was my North Star growing up. Never did I dream I would meet her, leave alone spent an entire day in her beautiful home talking about everything under the sun.
Read MoreIt's not every day that you get to hang out with the coolest person on the planet. In the coolest city on the planet. But that's what happened tonight when Patti Smith and I exchanged notes on a singer we both adore- Joan Baez. In Berlin.
Read MoreHonored to be invited to screen Rebel Music: Native America at the White House last night. It's a testimony to the great work of the Rebel Music team and the powerful story of change we created about young indigenous artists, that the country's highest office is a fan of our work.
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