“Hey Ayatollah, Leave Those Kids Alone” Sings Rock Band

By Karen Bliss 2/24/10 | www.samaritanmag.com

Iranian Canadian rock band Blurred Vision has made a video for its poignant version of Pink Floyd’s 1979 classic “Another Brick In The Wall,” which they have subtitled “Hey Ayatollah, Leave Those Kids Alone!”  Since it was posted on YouTube February 1, it has been viewed close to 86,000 times.

With permission from Pink Floyd founder Roger Waters, they were able to change the lyrics to include, “hey Ayatollah, leave those kids alone.”

Blurred Vision
Blurred Vision — which was founded in 1998 by brothers Sepehr (singer, guitar) and Soheil (bass) and now includes Joel Lightman (keyboards) and Giampaollo Scatuzza (drums) — is donating 50 percent of the proceeds from the digital sale of the single to Amnesty International. The siblings received an honorary award back in 2005 for their work with the leading human rights organization.

Sepehr and Soheil used to use their last name publicly in early press on the band, but during an introduction to an interview by CNN’s John Roberts last July about their song “Democracy” and the call by the Iranian people for change and human rights, the American Morning news anchor explained the pair was now afraid for their father, a former general in Iran’s military who still returns to their homeland, as well as for extended family members still living there.

The video was made with award-winning Iranian-born filmmaker Babak Payami (1999’s One More Day, 2001’s Secret Ballot, 2003’s Silence Between Two Thoughts), who also moved to Canada when he was a child. He intersperses real-life news footage with performance shots of the band and a storyline.

The song, produced by Canadian Terry Brown (Rush, Blue Rodeo), was released digitally all over the world on February 11 and can be purchased in all territories that have iTunes, as well as other online stores. A full-length album will soon be available via Canadian indie label C12.

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* Samaritanmag.com is an online magazine covering the good deeds of individuals, charities and businesses.