Oh potpourri, potpourri,  Girl, what you doing to me? She’s making me think, is what she’s doing, when I’d rather just veg. What with Christmas Eve dinner, Christmas meals, the day-after brunch, cocktails and wine coming down like rain…it all adds up to where my mind is off wandering with those wild geese in the West. But the task is at hand and I shouldn’t disappoint my millions of listeners (and readers of this blog) across the worldwide web. What we offer this week are mostly inventory that’s been waiting to pop. There’s a “future playlist” file where reside songs that in the past might not have fit a particular moment but were set aside, deserving of the respect Al compas del mundo offers. Throw an hour’s worth together and you end up with such a program as this: an unruly mix of tunes from Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas. Precise enough for you? If there’s a piece or artist you’re quite taken with, look it up. Still, I should probably recommend YouTubing L.P. and Tokyo S...

There’s not a whole lot to say about this week’s non-controversial Christmas music program. ‘Tis the season. Were including old world Spain in the mix as a gesture of seasonal brotherhood. The conquistadores are forgiven for their heinous depravity and wanton destruction of native peoples and culture. No biggie. It should come as no surprise that in places where people love to dance, their Christmas music carries on in like fashion. Check out the tunes from Puerto Rico, Cuba and Colombia. A discovery for me was the high percentage of Andean songs from Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia that featured children’s choirs. Huh, I guess Christmas is for kids. I included several as long as they didn’t sound like The Chipmunks (Alvin!!!) There’s nothing from Mexico as it would be redundant, coming from a Mexican radio station. Even with an “alternative” focus, the other programmers are a bunch of softies, like me. I’m certain there’ll be no shortage of Pedro Vargas, Jorge Negrete and the Mariachi Varga...

As one wag noted: “It’s a miracle he lasted this long.” Sean MacGowan, chief maniac and driving spirit of The Pogues is no more. At age 65 his body and brain had had enough. Years of alcohol abuse and then a heroin habit exacted their retribution despite having cleaned up in later years. Though not before he wrote and sang any number of deepfelt paeans dedicated to the themes he believed in: unbridled hedonism; liberty for an Irish republic; the winsome smirk of an unbridledly hedonistic lassy; and the glorious history of ol’ Ireland, even when it wasn’t so glorious. I’ve not read whether he uttered any profound last words or raised a fist in heroic gesture. I’m confident, though, that he reached out for The Church’s blessing on his death bed. Unlike John Paul Sartre who converted to Catholicism in the parting moments of his life (hedging his bets…does that count?), Sean was a life-long believer, surprisingly enough. MacGowan gave us the good counsel that when choosing between a philos...

[Featuring Dahmane el-Harrachi] - Had a good day: slept in; got to the gym; had Murray’s recipe cocktail (the pink badger); delicious chicken tostadas for dinner; and Claudia’s best-in-the-world strawberry pie for dessert…and another 500 or so Palestinian non-combatants died. I am perplexed and bewildered at the impenetrable wisdom of our fate. Take your pick of war zones at this moment – there’s no shortage – and attempt to imagine the insanity. As I write this and if you’re reading it, we are fortuitous beyond words to live where violent death and destruction are headlines from somewhere else. Did you catch the 49ers game on Sunday against Philadelphia? We killed ‘em! This week’s Al compas del mundo (World Beats) radio program represents my feeble attempt at bridging cultural divides. They say “familiarity breeds contempt,” but maybe, just maybe, hearing this music will serve to open minds and lessen poorly-conceived biases. If you are unfamiliar with Arab music, and this is just a s...