Music
Musician Flees Iran To Avoid Execution
In an effort to avoid execution, a 28-year old musician has fled Iran. He was aiming to go to Australia but was detained on Manus Island, which is part of Papua New Guinea. In a letter to TheAge.com.au, the man, who wished to not be named, explained that he finally fled the country after 60 people were arrested at an unauthorized concert. Music teachers are also being arrested.
“Because heavy metal is completely prohibited and illegal in Iran, and as I mentioned before because of the religion and misjudgments, it’s known as ‘Evil Music’.” The man continues, “Government officials and the religious [authorities] who are in charge will arrest you and take you to Intelligence Department and anything can happen to you then.”
In his desperation, the 28-year old sold his drums, changed his phone number, moved to a new location, and cut ties with everyone but his family. Depressed, he states, “I deleted every history of my music from my life because of my fear of being arrested by the government who were intent on stopping this music. During this time six musicians that I knew were arrested in their training place. After that no one contacted each other, even on Facebook.”
Iran is known for heavy restrictions on music and dancing. Concerts are routinely shut down and concertgoers arrested.
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AMC has announced that The Vampire Lestat: One Night Only LIVE, the standing-room-only performance celebrating AMC’s premiere of its newly-released The Vampire Lestat at New York City’s iconic Beacon Theatre last month, will debut on streaming.
The Vampire Lestat: One Night Only LIVE begins streaming on AMC+ on August 23.
Ahead of its streaming premiere, fans can preview the concert event, featuring original songs from series composer Daniel Hart and performed by Sam Reid, in Hall H at Comic Con International on July 24.
Our own Daniel Kurland attended the special event, highlighting how electric the Immortal Vampire is on stage: “It’s clear in this season of television that Reid was born to be a rock star, but it’s surreal to see him effortlessly command the stage — and the audience — at every step of the concert. He recites Shakespeare monologues and bitches out Armand between songs, all while the audience screams in support. For the duration of this concert, Reid is Lestat, and he’s given thousands of fans a memory that’s as immortal as any vampire.”
Based on Anne Rice‘s The Vampire Chronicles book series, The Vampire Lestat is the rock and roll-centric third season of AMC’s “Interview with the Vampire” created by showrunner Rolin Jones.
The Vampire Lestat goes on an electric multi-city tour while being haunted by “muses” from his wild and rebellious past. As his band’s popularity and star power rises, so does Lestat’s influence over vampires and humans alike, leaving others to contend with Lestat’s power in the face of the Great Conversion, an unnatural surge in the vampire population.
Jacob Anderson, Assad Zaman, Eric Bogosian, Delainey Hayles and Jennifer Ehle star with Reid. Executive producers include Jones, Mark Johnson, Hannah Moscovitch, the late Anne Rice, and her son Christopher Rice.
The series finale airs this Sunday, July 19, on AMC and AMC+.