When Damon Albarn guest hosted an episode of the BBC’s "Today" radio show, the media seized on his comments about how celebrity culture (including "X Factor," the U.K.'s equivalent of "American Idol") needs to be eradicated. But hidden within Albarn’s episode, available here, is far more interesting material—including this examination of Iraqi refugee musicians living in Damascus, Syria. The segment is a fascinating look at some of the lesser known consequences of the war.
A prim-and-proper Beeb correspondent journeys out with Middle Eastern rapper (and The Good, The Bad, and The Queen collaborator) Eslam Jawaad to interview displaced artists who have fled Iraq in the wake of the American occupation. They “tramped through scruffy back streets” to a “bare, smoke-filled living room” to witness a seven-piece Iraqi rap group, then met with a traditional folk musician who said that post-Saddam persecution of musicians is so harsh that he “cannot walk through the streets holding his guitar.”
If you need a break from all that heaviness, listen to Albarn chatting up the English table tennis team.
Further listening:
Damon Albarn on "Today"
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