Someone from Iran listened to my music this month
If the Spotify data is accurate, someone from Iran listened to my music this month. A music listener from Gostar, a village that had a population of 89 people in the 2006 census.
It made my head turn.
But it’s slightly possible, because we are all connected on this world, not just by the Internet, but by our genes, our humanity, our stories.
I can also hypothesize that it is possible because I shared a week tour with songwriter Peyton Tochterman last year.
This is where it gets interesting, how our stories collide: Peyton toured Afghanistan as a cultural ambassador in 2012. He did a concert at the Citadel in Herat with Afghanistan musicians, and the concert was broadcasted on the radio, which spread into parts of Iran. Iranian critics weren’t happy about that. (Peyton told me a story how he’s blacklisted from Iran!)
“Critics in neighboring Iran were somewhat less gratifying. The Iranian press described our music as “dangerous” and “evil.” – Peyton
I met Peyton in 2013 at the SERFA (Folk Alliance) conference, and we planned to share some shows together; two years later that tour finally happened.
So here we are. Maybe an Iranian listener found my music through Peyton’s.
It’s also possibly an error. I didn’t think Spotify was available in Iran. Either way, it has me thinking about the power of music today. The world is indeed flat, which make Peyton’s quote stand out:
“What difference can a folk singer from the Blue Ridge Mountains make in a tortured place like Afghanistan?” It’s a valid question – partly answered by one of the State Department officers who said our visit did “more for diplomacy between Afghanistan and the United States than any diplomat had done, more then any road that was built, or any power plant that was constructed in the last year.”
Do you know that idea that all actors and actresses are six degrees of separation from Kevin Bacon? This is applicable to music and art communities, too; but instead of Kevin Bacon, it might be you.
Go forth, share your art.
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