Via the New York Times (so you've probably already seen it), the story of Hurd (cache), Mongolia's leading heavy metal rock band, and why they can't play concerts or get air-time in Chinese-ruled Inner Mongolia. The Times doesn't bother to explain the back-story of how a leading expression of Mongolian cultural nationalism came to be a heavy metal band, but I for one would really like to know. For that matter, I'd like to hear them, but, frustratingly, can't turn up any samples online.
For a completely different product of contemporary Mongolian culture, let me recommend the joint German-Italian-Mongolian production The Story of the Weeping Camel, an utterly charming movie that made me want to live in a yurt and raise Bactrian camels in the desert (provided I could have a solar-powered satellite uplink). The official website is nice, though flash-heavy and apt to re-size your browser.
(Both via Kris)
Update, 30 Nov.: Steven Sheets (who needs to fix his blog) writes to point to a profile of Hurd, which contains a link to a sample of one of their ballads. It sounds like, well, rock music in Mongolian. I am happy.
Posted at November 28, 2004 11:35 | permanent link
