Deep Purple’s “When a Blind Man Cries” is arguably one of the saddest rock ballads ever sung. But honestly, I was never a great fan of Purple and only started paying serious attention to the song after hearing a cover version by the German never-grew-old rockers Axel Rudi Pell. They did justice to the song in a way Ian Gillan and the rest of Purple could never dream— powerful, yet plaintive heavy metal vocals, with canyon-deep guitar riffs emerging from the core of the heart only to rip it apart, while tears stream down from empty eye sockets. Listening to this song invariably reminds me of a college senior and good friend, “Raja,” an ethnic Nepali who lived in a small room behind a pharmacy owned by his uncle, not far from my home. Short, stocky, thuggish but effulgent, we shared a love for books and rock music—though he leaned more towards metal. I started appreciating Iron Maiden thanks to him, while he tripped on Floyd...
Field notes from an inconvenient life… No motivational crap, no hacks, no pink tint. My life as it actually unfolded. I would have happily dedicated it all to the exploration of love and sex...but the lack of copious experience inhibits me from providing any worthwhile insights...