Chris Blattman

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Michael Bolton, peacemaker

Blake Hounshell writes in the FP Blog:

Nobody ever could have predicted that easy listening would fail to settle the Arab-Israeli conflict:

A West Bank radio station that sought to bring Israelis and Palestinians together to the tune of pop music has gone of the air because of a lack of funding.

RAM-FM had been broadcasting English-language talk shows and artists like Michael Bolton and Air Supply from a studio in the town of Ramallah since last year.

I guess songs like “How Can We Be Lovers” and “Can I Touch You…There?” don’t excite the same emotions in the Middle East as they do in… wherever it is one can find Michael Bolton fans these days.

As I read the post, none other than Michael himself was crooning over the speaker of the Cape Hotel in Monrovia.

He’s also a favorite in northern Uganda, although Bolton is easily eclipsed by Dolly Parton and Bette Midler. “Wind beneath my wings” still conjures images of dusty displacement camp canteens in my mind.

I wouldn’t go so far as to say that Michael Bolton caused the wars in northern Uganda and Liberia to end, but it is the power of love…

7 Responses

  1. Michael is hot and I especially think fire best describes him. Hope he does well. Really enjoy his music and voice. HOT>

  2. Not sure why it would be Bette, love Michael and his raspy voice. Wow, Benigna Marko admits to being a fan. Benigna Marko

  3. Benigna Marko would have to say here, whatever Bolton sings has got to be good. His voice is unique. For the Desperate Housewife episode, move on if you need to. I am sure all will work out. Benigna Marko

  4. The song that transports me back to Gulu is Toto’s “Africa”.

    I heard that song all the time in Gulu. It was so surreal.

    One night I was playing pool with some locals in a bar enjoying a Nile Special when the DJ put on “Africa”. I had to stop for a minute just to absorb the moment.

    I never heard “Wind Beneath My Wings” in northern Uganda. Mega FM and King FM must have Bette on heavey rotation.

  5. I remember writing an essay in my undergrad days entitled “The Country and Westernisation of East Africa”, based solely on my experience of being bombarded by Dolly Parton in matatus in Nairobi.

    Looking back, not as funny as I thought it was at the time.

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