Hello!
Happy Chaharshanbeh Suri or “Fire Festival”—which has nothing in common with the “other” one—and is celebrated by Iranians and in a few other countries. Our festivities take place today/tonight, the Wednesday before the vernal equinox, which is Iranian New Year.
Among the various activities on this day is jumping over fires in a purification ritual of sorts and chanting something that loosely translates to, “May your redness be mine/my yellowness become yours.” That sounds odd, but it’s a tradition rooted in Iran’s Zoroastrian past and was always a very fun evening for kids and adults alike. It still is, even if I’m absolutely terrified of fire. This year, in Iran and around the world, Iranian women are throwing their hijabs into the Chaharshanbeh Suri fires and I’m loving that.
This time next week will be Iranian New Year’s Day so Happy New Year everyone!
Speak soon,
Lily
The latest episode of the Pictures of Lily Podcast (Vintage Edition) is my first interview with Daft Punk, which took place at their hotel pool during the Winter Music Conference in Miami in 1997. It was for their debut album, Homework. Listening back to the interview, I’m remembering things I had forgotten for years, including the fact that Gavin and Robbie Hardkiss crashed the interview and ended up asking Daft Punk’s Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo all kinds of questions I wouldn’t have, a 35-minute listen. When I find the magazine(s) with that interview, I will be posting them to the paid tier. If you can’t get enough of Daft Punk, there is the original Pictures of Lily Podcast episode on them here.
My first “The SPIN Interview” and it was with the legend that is Taj Mahal. What a gentleman, what a character, what a lovely man, what a great human, and what a tremendous musician. It was an absolute honor to be in his presence. You can read our in-depth interview at SPIN.
This documentary knocked me out. There are many intersecting and overlapping storylines in the art heist/family portrait of Iranian fine artist Nickzad “Nicky” Nodjoumi (who shares the same name as my mother, no relation). This thoughtful and brutally honest film is made by his daughter Sara and her husband Till Schauder, both of whom I spoke to for Fine Art Globe. Highly recommend A Revolution on Canvas, a unique and a universal story that is as moving as it is heartbreaking.
The Girls on the Bus follows four very different women reporting from the campaign trail, which sounds like something I would hate, but the further along I got in this new series from Max, the more I liked it. Well-cast and well-written characters, The Last Ship’s Christina Elmore as a Black centrist conservative journalist and fellow Iranian American Natasha Behnam as outspoken influencer with “more followers than the Washington Post” steal the show. My review for Under the Radar here.
The most recent Pictures of Lily newsletter for founding members had my very first interview with all three original members of Massive Attack in 1995. I wrote that story for a couple of outlets. The pictures above is from Campus Circle May 2, 1995 Issue. Just letting you know what you’re not getting in your inbox. The Pictures of Lily Podcast Massive Attack episode is still free, a 15-minute listen.