 Soundtrack
of my life
A tribute to Vigen
By Roozbeh Shirazi
October 30, 2003
The Iranian
Right now, I don't know where to begin; I'm listening
to Mahtab,
with tears rolling down my face. His voice was
so beautiful. The voice was unmistakable; it was as rich and
resonant an instrument as any I have heard. But Vigen's
voice carried so much more than just his lyrics; it carried histories,
memories of my childhood, resilience, hopes of seeing Iran, and
often a joy that I find is rare in our music.
A son of Hamadan,
Vigen was a contemporary of my grandmother, from humble origins
and once a familiar face in that city. Like
so many of us had to accept, or in my case, my parents had to accept,
the revolution would change life and kept him from ever going back
to Iran. This did not stop him from continuing and even making
new music, and helping those Iranians out of Iran make sense of
their new world -- the revolution never stopped him from living.
Like so many others among us, Vigen brought his incredible talents
to a new world and continued to use them to make our lives better. His
music is part of the soundtrack of my life, inextricably linked
to many experiences I have lived, and a bridge between this land
and my homeland.
I often felt Vigen was a part of my
own family. I remember twenty years ago when Vigen's
voice would sing to me on Saturday mornings when my father would
wake up early and bake bread in our small apartment; I remember
being a young boy, his voice lulling me to sleep across dark and
vast empty stretches of highway as we drove across the country
on our family trips. Mostly, I remember the faraway look in
my father's eyes, one of peace and longing simultaneously,
as he sang along with his hamshahri, so many times experiencing
an emotional release through the music of one of our greatest artists.
To me, Vigen is a legend. He defined what I love about Iranian
music, and having grown up here, I admit there wasn't a
whole lot of Iranian music I enjoyed. But Vigen was more
than just his music. Vigen was the people's artist,
like Chile's Victor Jara, tirelessly performing for us,
both in concert and for free, and sharing his beautiful gift time
and time again, and not for his material gain. His music is
a way for us to connect with one another, more so than any politician
ever was.
To me, Vigen lives on in his music, in my father's
voice, and in the hearts of all Iranians. He transformed Iranian
music, brought elements of Spanish Andalusian guitar, Duke Ellington,
and his own Armenian heritage to form a new, fresh, incredible
sound. He was a talented an inspiring innovator, who sang
not only in Farsi, but in Armenian and Spanish as well. He
is one of a few Iranian musical artists who maintained his passion,
dignity, and artistic integrity until his last moment; he sets
an example for us all.
And though he did not ultimately return to Hamadan, and though
he sang of this wish in his song, Barmeegardam, Vigen still gives
me hope and inspiration. He never let life's adversity
stop him; he took life's struggles and transformed them
through his art. He remained humble. This is what made
him great. One of our greatest has now left us -- and
I miss him.
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Soundtrack
of my life