Welcome back friends! It’s time for a new 311 fan spotlight! Let’s read the story of Ziva Narendra!
Ziva said he considers himself a late bloomer as far as becoming a 311 fan, because is wasn’t until “Transistor” came out and a metalhead buddy that he went to pilot school with got him tuned into the 1997 MTV Sports and Music Festival, which is where he saw 311 play on his T.V. “I was blown away by their energy and music which was unlike anything I had heard before my entire life (or “weird” as I first described them upon my first time listening to “Down” back in ’95). It wasn’t long until I got Transistor on cassette only to miss that awesome hidden intro only available through CD. One funny story with that particular album and that one buddy of mine, we were making our way moving from Brownsville to Dallas in my old busted Ford Escort, TX, which is about an 8 hour drive. We put Transistor on back to back throughout the entire trip. It was either that or Aqua. 😁”
As for show count, Ziva has lived outside the U.S. for most of his life, so he’s only been able to see them live when visiting the U.S. He’s logged 19 shows so far, including 311 Day events and cruises. Very first show for him was in Gainesville, Florida, October 16, 2001. “With my good friend Darren who went to UF. “From Chaos” had just been released that summer and despite the not so large crowd I was completely mesmerized for seeing my boys live for the first time. ONESIDEDZERO opened for them and SA was still heavy into sporting track pants.”
As for favorite show/event, Ziva chose 311 Day 2014 as one of the best experiences in his life. “Not only because it was my first 311 Day, but that was the event that truly exposed me to the 311 universe – the fans, the random encounters, tiny moments leading to the show, the merch trades (including the leather wristbands I got made and became favorite among many fans – a yearly tradition since then), the setlist, the release of Stereolithic…it was completely beyond belief for me to actually be there.”
As for a non-special event, Ziva said the show on August 1, 2004, in Tampa was amazing. “I went alone and had just collected my ticket halfway between Orlando and Tampa from a dude who sold it through eBay. The Roots opened with a bang and got me hyped up because I was so (and still am) into their music. 311 came out with a setlist of 28 songs and I got to hear “Gap” live for the first time (jumped like crazy with a random dude standing in front of me who sang “Eat smoked fish” as loud as I was).” One more show that he holds dear was the time 311 went to Indonesia (where he was born & raised) in 2010. It was a historical moment not just for the band, but also for the fans. “We ‘abused’ 311 Mgmt’s Twitter so hard to the point where we caught their attention and were able to connect them with a local promoter. One of the most awesome things about that one show – the floor tickets were sold at an even Rp.311.000 (around $28.00). This was also the first time I got to meet Gustavo “Guslifter” Chavez and his wife Cindy who had followed the band throughout their 2010 Asia tour. To meet a fellow 311 fan who’s also an aviator and into basketball? Instant connection!”
As for favorite song, Ziva said “Use of Time” has always been his #1 and he believes it will stay that way. “Beautifully-composed, solid, somewhat eerie in a spacey-rockin’ kind of way, penetrates the soul.” As for a favorite lyric, he always goes back to the chorus from the song “1,2,3:” “The deepest dreams we have could be tomorrow’s song.” Lately, he’s also been drawn to words from “Don’t You Worry” which is the simple message of “Everything that has a beginning, has an end.”
Jakarta, Indonesia, is where Ziva was born and raised in a working class family. His parents were married very young, at the ages of 22 and 20, which was common in his country during those times. “My dad worked hard to provide for his family while my mom, despite having to sacrifice her dream career as a stewardess, kept everything at home intact. They were both children of the ’60s so music has always been part of our daily lives – with The Beatles being a strong foundation among others. I have an older brother who grew up with pretty much the same musical influence as mine (New Wave n’ all) and a sister who’s 8 years younger than me and grew up with the likes of Spice Girls and early emo/screamo bands.”
School was generally normal for Ziva and his siblings, despite having to move several times because of his fathers work and studies. They lived in Ireland and the Netherlands for a while. “Gotta say those were some of the times of our lives – especially being able to tune in to music channels on television (SKY Channel was the prominent one in Europe in those days – I don’t think they had MTV yet back in ’86).” Ziva says he considers his parents to have been quite fair in he and his siblings upbringing, emphasizing the importance of old eastern traditions (religion, norms, and values) while not imposing them too much. “They encouraged their children to explore passion and talents, from sports to music. I guess that kind of got me going in the first place to really get into performing music and got into a band in high school.”
First time living on his own overseas was in 1997 during his pilot training days in Texas. Then in 1999 he moved to Florida to pursue his degree and it’s when he was able to see his first few 311 shows. As for Ziva’s career, he’s always been in aviation. “I started out with taking part time jobs throughout my days in college – to as many as four jobs between classes (including one at a local restaurant). My true professional career started back home in ’05 – flying for one of the leading air charter companies. I started my own aviation consulting business in 2014, which I still run to this day. My love for aviation, as much as my love for music, roots back to my childhood days and to have both in my life in harmony is a beautiful thing.”
Fun fact about Ziva is that he said he’s currently learning how to cook properly at home! He also said he’s always considered himself a jack of all trades, never really mastering one thing but always dabbling a little in everything. “Keeps things flowing and unpredictable. Or maybe it’s just an excuse for being so easily distracted. I do make a helluva Old Fashioned, though.” As for guilty pleasure, Ziva said the show “The Wonder Years” is his and he still likes to watch it on DVD.
As for music that Ziva loves aside from 311, his early years were heavily influenced by sounds of The Beatles, Michael Jackson, Duran Duran, A-Ha, and countless other 80’s legends. “Being a teen in the ’90s and wanting so hard to play in a band would find me infused by alt-rock, hip hop/R’n’B, and smooth jazz scenes at the time – from Stone Temple Pilots to Sting, Incognito to Dada, Soundgarden to De La Soul, and much much more. Was fortunate to have a girlfriend who made me countless mixtapes of different kinds of music including little-known as well as indie artists.”
To 311, Ziva has this message: “For your consistency…thank you.”
Now to all the other 311 fans out there, here are his words:
“Let’s always celebrate peace and unity through diversity!”
Many thanks to Ziva for sharing his story! Of course, much gratitude to all of the supporters of this project. I hope you all enjoyed this as much as I enjoyed writing it! Sending you all so much light & love. Have an amazing week!
Much Love – The Runt