Tag: Nicholas Brody

Guitar Man: Damian Lewis’ Music Journey Part I

“I’m looking forward to getting out there and playing the songs I’ve written and been recording for my debut album. Be good to be back on stage, this time with a guitar in my hand.”

—Damian Lewis

photo credit: Rhys Frampton

You know what I did in the title, don’t you? If you know a certain ginger man who thinks he is the “second coming of Elvis” that is returning to stage with a guitar in hand, you go and title your related post after a lesser known Elvis gem 🙂

So… if you are not living under a rock, you know that Damian returned to stage, this time, with a guitar in hand turning his fantasies into reality. I have already reviewed his first three London gigs at Omeara, The Tabernacle and Hoxton Hall. Damian also took stage at Wilderness Festival, World Economic Forum in Davos and Cheltenham Jazz Festival. And not just that but he has already dropped three singles that you can hear/download: Down On the Bowery, Zaragoza, and Makin’ Plans. There is also a double-sided special 7-inch vinyl that he released on Record Store Day UK which you can order online now. Damian’s album Mission Creep is coming out on June 16 and you can pre-order it here. And it does not end there… Damian is scheduled to participate in the critically acclaimed song-writer sessions at Black Deer Festival on June 16, a stripped back set and signing of his record Mission Creep at Rough Trade East  in London, and his biggest gig to date at Union Chapel on July 11. I am sure more gigs will follow. You can visit our Damian Lewis Music Page to find out about Damian’s live gigs, ticket information, reviews and more. Continue reading “Guitar Man: Damian Lewis’ Music Journey Part I”

Damian Lewis and My Homeland

If you have been following this blog for some time,  you certainly know about my obsession with Homeland and Brody in particular. And so you probably think this post is yet another one about my all-time favorite fictional character…

Well, you’re wrong! 🙂

This post is about Damian Lewis and My Homeland – the country that I was born and raised in: Turkey. I have been inspired to write this post in London this summer when Damian signed the set list I stole from the Omeara stage in Turkish:

“Tesekkur, Bahar.” (“Thanks, Bahar.”)

Continue reading “Damian Lewis and My Homeland”

Throwback Thursday to Nicholas Brody and His Muslim Faith

“You live in despair for eight years; you can turn to religion, too. And, the King James Bible was not available.” – Nicholas Brody

source: Showtime
source: Showtime

I was born and raised in a secular family in Turkey, a country that is predominantly Muslim. That is, even though I am not religious myself, I am very familiar with the Islamic traditions, rituals and norms. I am obviously coming out of the culture and have been shaped by it in ways that I am probably not aware of 🙂 Thus, I thought it would be neat to talk about Nicholas Brody, my most favorite fictional character ever on small screen, and his Muslim faith, in celebration of Ramadan!

Now, I am not an expert, not even close, about Muslim characters on TV shows; however, even if there had been a popular Muslim character on TV before Brody came along, I just don’t think there is any way she or he could beat him on any popularity scale. Continue reading “Throwback Thursday to Nicholas Brody and His Muslim Faith”

What to Expect When We Are Expecting ‘A Spy Among Friends’

Kim Philby is arguably the most famous – or should I say infamous? – secret agent of all times. He may not be as well known as James Bond, but in contrast to 007, Philby was a real-life spy and the most successful member of the Cambridge Five, a group of spies recruited by the Russians to pass information from the UK to the Soviet Union during the Second World War through 1950s. A charming and brilliant Cambridge graduate, he quickly rose to the top of the counterintelligence unit at the MI6. He became the head of the anti-Soviet unit, served as the MI6 chief in Istanbul and ultimately became MI6’s Washington-based liaison with the CIA. Having his confidantes at MI6 and becoming close friends with James Angleton, a rising star at the CIA . While his betrayal got some of his colleagues into big trouble and took several Soviet defectors to their deaths, nobody suspected Philby for years. And when some at the MI5 flagged him, his colleagues at the MI6 and the CIA came to the rescue. When they finally had the evidence to confront him, Philby had already provided secret information to the Soviets for 30 years! Continue reading “What to Expect When We Are Expecting ‘A Spy Among Friends’”

Throwback Thursday to Damian Lewis’ Last Day on Homeland Set

Nicholas Brody left us forever nine years ago marking Homeland Season 3 finale as the most horrific hour in the history of television for the “Brody widows” among us – a very select group of women! –  who did not want to get used to the idea of Homeland without him! We were simply devastated the day Brody died in Season 3 and extremely ecstatic the day Brody came back for 5 minutes in Season 4. And while most of us have been able to move on to Bobby Axelrod while carrying Nicholas Brody in our hearts, a world without Brody still hurts. Continue reading “Throwback Thursday to Damian Lewis’ Last Day on Homeland Set”