wnyc.org / 93.9fm / am 820

Comments

• [1] kbinps from park slope June 01, 2009 - 02:17PM

  I grew up on Cat Steven's music- it is deeply etched in my memory. It still sounds great to me. I do have a problem with his support for the fatwa against Rushdie and in all the interviews I've heard no one has called him on it.

  
  
• [2] Merrill from New York, NY June 01, 2009 - 02:25PM

  Too bad we did not hear about his reaction to when he came to the US and was immediately turned back. Perhaps under the Obama adminstration, he will not be turned back.

  
  
• [3] Regine from Belgium June 02, 2009 - 07:11AM

  Please people go to his site yusufislam.com and go to chinese wiskers and there you find all the answers;for myself i think this was a whole misunderstanding and you now press brings sensation that sometimes go's before truet.Headlines things getting out of contects and there we go .lISTEN TO THE MAN's songs where do you find terrorism .I was in London last week for Island records 50 years and saw Yusuf in concert he's warm, friendly and so content we were there to support him.He wonts to work to build bridges between Religions a peacefull man no doubt .Regine

  
  
• [4] Vivian from United States June 02, 2009 - 04:17PM

  His voice is just as beautiful as it was 30 years ago, and for the record, He did not support the fatwa against Rusdie! Yusuf is a man of peace.

  
  
• [5] Lisa from USA June 03, 2009 - 04:37AM

  I love Cat Stevens' music. There has just never been anyone else like him. He has such a gift for beautiful melodies and heartfelt lyrics. His voice is like no other - so recognizable and beautiful, especially in the lower registers. I love the new album,"Roadsinger". The songs are gorgeous. "An Other Cup" was loved for being his first album in so long, but I didn't like every song as much as I like every song on "Roadsinger". I guess you could say the music has changed a little from his Cat years, but not that much. Bottom line: I love his music anyway he wants to give it to me!

  
  
• [6] Lisa from USA June 03, 2009 - 04:44AM

  I forgot to mention how much I love, "Boots and Sand", which isn't included on the album, but as an extra on iTunes and at Best Buy, I think. I think it should have been included in the album so everyone could hear it.

  It is a clever and humorous song about Yusuf being deported in 2004 and has Paul McCartney and Dolly Parton as guest singers. Paul can be heard very clearly and sings most of the song with Yusuf. Dolly has a smaller part, but can be heard clearly. It is set to a country western type tune (great tune) and the song is just really good and cleaver.

  
  
• [7] Iris M. Gross June 16, 2009 - 03:36PM

  In my opinion, John Schaefer's name is "idiot". Nobody has a problem with Yusuf's name except him. Mr. Islam doesn't have to beat people up to teach his name (which after 35 years is not a "new" name) like Muhammad Ali had to when he renounced the Greek name Cassius Clay, after all.

  
  
• [8] Phil from New York June 26, 2009 - 10:27AM

  I love the music Yusuf has created but admit that he was called Cat Stevens when he wrote what I enjoy. I comment further on his music after the 6/25 show.

  Perhaps some young fans believe Yusuf never called for the death of Salman Rushdie.

  Perhaps they project their own methods of news gathering onto others; but it was not just headlines that documented at the time that he did in fact call for Salman's death.

  In his defense, he did say that he was a recent convert and could not speak for Islam, but his great failure was that he did. At that time in the US the prominent voices of Islam were the Ayatollah and the NOI, and it was chilling to hear the author of "Peace Train" call for the ultimate violence.

  I think his claim that he was kidding is as chilling.

  
  
• [9] Victor from New York August 02, 2009 - 11:46AM

  I have been a loyal fan of Cat/Yusuf from day one. I was very disappointed when I saw the video of him on an old British TV show admitting he would kill Rushdie if given the orders by his elders. When asked if he thought Rushdie deserved to die he said Yes, yes I do.

  I watched this video about 50 times and then guess what? It was removed from youtube but is still floating around out there.