Iranian Rappers and Persian Porn: A Hitchhiker's Adventures in the New Iran

by Jamie Maslin

When Jamie Maslin decides to backpack the entire length of the Silk Road, he doesn’t plan, he just does. So when he gets unexpectedly stranded in Iran, a country he’s only read about in newspapers, he has to make the best of it, secretly wondering whether he’ll live to tell the tale. In this unique memoir Booklist calls “intrepid, observant, funny, and charming,” Maslin explores Tabriz, Tehran, Esfahn, and the ancient city of Persepolis; visits museums, bazaars, and nightclubs; eats well and drinks loads of tea, and, on one wild night, 96-proof ethanol (the possession of alcohol is punishable by hand-amputation). Maslin marvels at the subversive, contradictory world of Iranian subculture, where he is embraced by locals who are more than happy to show him the true Iran as they live it—where unmarried men and women mingle in Western clothes at secret parties, where alcohol is readily available on the black market, where Christian churches are national heritage sites, and where he discovers the real meaning of friendship, nationality, and hospitality. This is the astonishing account of one Westerner’s life-altering rambles across Iran that will rid you of any preconceived notions about this infamous land.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Iran, Middle East, Memoir, Autobiography

273 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 1, 2009

Reviews

[Louise · Rating 5 out of 5]

What is it with titles of books on Iran? Do publishers think Iran is so unappealing that they need to jazz it up?("Lipstick Jihad: A Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in America And American in Iran"; "The Ayatollah begs to Differ"; "Drinking Arak off and Ayatollah's Beard", etc)?

I doubt that Maslin has devoted 500 words devoted to rappers and porn. The title belies the substance of the book.

Jamie Maslin defies conventional wisdom and travels to Iran. He meets incredibly hospitable Iranians. In this book he thoroughly immerses you in the country's people, scenery and antiquities. His warm and generous hosts are surprised, some laugh, when he tells them that they are perceived as terrorists outside their country.

He sent me to You Tube to hear the bleating Chris De Burge and the repetitive Modern Talking. I had more enjoyable internet explorations searching the architecture of Esfahan, the antiquities of Persepolis, the Babak Castle and more. Maslin gives an over lightly of the history of these sites and the modern history of places like the Den of Espionage.

What you can't find so well surfing the net are the descriptions of and conversations with ordinary Iranians. This is a treat for the armchair traveler as is meeting the international travel companions he casually finds. The locals are quick to invite Maslin into their homes. They are surprisingly open, even though, as a school visit showed, there could be a camera anywhere. The final chapter raises interesting questions.

I was glad to see Maslin engage with Iranian females. Many male writers [i.e.The Ayatollah Begs to Differ: The Paradox of Modern Iran) marginalize (or ignore) their plight.

With Maslin being British, some words continually jolted my eye. "Whilst" and "Lads" come to mind.

While in great need of a map, I like this kind of travel book. If you have interest in Iran and like travel books that emphasize the adventure and the people (as opposed to the place) this book is for you too.

[Igrowastreesgrow · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read quite a bit of travel writing. This piece of writing was a bit over the top for me. The good points of this book were the people he came across and the amount of Iran that he was able to see. The bad points were his overall personality and his extreme ways of experiencing the country that may wrongly inspire someone else to do something similar. At the end of the day it was not a great book and it wasn't horrible but the only reason I would remember it is because of where he went rather than his writing.

[Dеnnis]

It's amazing how a travelogue worth a series of blog posts at most was published as a separate book. This is definitely the case of 'I could pen it myself'. I will leave aside book's relative pluses and minuses, but, Jesus, if you can find this side by side with the Therouxs, I'm happy that in my country there's still an unspoken understanding of what merits paper and what is better be consigned to a web-page.

[thereadytraveller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Iranian Rappers and Persian Porn provides glimpses of life in Iran from the viewpoint of a young British backpacker as he is showered with hospitality from nearly all he meets during his journey in and around the country in 2007. Travelling mostly by bus and train, Maslin's journey is an on-the-ground account of the changing attitudes of people within the country towards those in control and one which has resulted in him being banned from visiting Iran again.

Maslin had originally planned to hitchhike from England to China by following Marco Polo's Silk Route. Having partly funded his travels through taking part in human medical trials, he needs just one more trial to scrape up the last of funds when he fails the requisite test for inclusion. Having spent two months acquiring his Iranian Visa in advance and not wishing to waste it and potentially never receiving one again, Maslin decides to rejig his plans and instead hitchhike to the border of Iran and then properly explore one of the countries that make up the Axis of Evil.

Despite numerous warnings from well meaning friends and documentaries that he watches that displays the inherent dangers of visiting Iran, Maslin finally decides to take the leap due to one irrefutable fact - his loathing of his office dead-end job, that is also helping him scrape together enough money to travel.

Little time is wasted on the hitchhiking journey to Iran. Two paragraphs gets him from Calais to Eastern Turkey, a journey of some two and a half weeks and sixteen pages later we're taken across the border. From here Iranian Rappers and Persian Porn describes his travels in what is mostly the north west and central part of the country, where he visits well and lesser known locations such as St Thaddeus Church, the Assassins' Castles, Ali Sadr Caves, Esfahan and the jewel in the crown, Persopolis.

Maslin utilises a light-hearted approach to describing his time in Iran whilst also infusing this travelogue with a good smattering of history. His outgoing nature and openness is such that he is hosted on numerous occasions by Iranians in their homes and finds himself mingling with mostly younger Iranians at "illegal parties", where both males and females intermingle, getting drunk on surgical spirit and having a few awkward moments when his host puts on a special porn movie.

Whilst the book is entertaining and there are flashes of the quality of writing that made the Long Hitch Home so good, in general it remains relatively unpolished. For someone specifically interested in Iran or looking for a different take on Iranian attitudes, however, this is worth a look.

[Alexandria · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dreck.

Dreckity dreck dreck godawful dreck. As bad as the writing was, it was unfortunately not so bad as to disguise the horrid character of its author: self-centered, pompous and surprisingly narrow-minded for someone on a journey such as his. Any insight the book provides into modern Iran and its people is in spite of the author, not because of him--and is likely more credit to the strength of character of the people he encounters than any genuine recognition of such on his part. It is that glimmer, mostly buried beneath layers of narcissism and clunky writing, that I assume is responsible for the favorable reviews of this book.

Let me just say that I adore travel writing, and there was nothing in the book that I found shocking or offensive besides the attitude of the author and the lack of skill with which he describes his travels. A most disappointing read.

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hitchhiking through Iran! Can you do that? Okay, you can do that, can I do that? If instead of a man, I'm a woman? And instead of English, I'm American? And instead of being of English descent, my grandparents and great grandparents are from Iran? Okay, none of that is his fault, and it has nothing to do with the book.

I enjoyed reading about his adventures, for a while. He was attacked and stalked by a cab driver, and obliged to eat organ meat (which he despises, and I can't say I blame him). But I think his darkest hour came when he was forced to interact with a fat woman. He went on and on about it. After that, I was a little queasy and couldn't finish the book. Perhaps it will help me lose a couple of pounds, and that way, if he and I ever meet, it won't be so hard on him.

[Lagobond · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

This is not great literature, and it's not a travel guide. So if you're looking for either of those, this is not the book you want. It's also really not about Iranian rappers or Persian porn, though both make brief appearances. It's just an entertaining little book about a young guy who -- rather accidentally -- goes on a fairly immersive trip to a country about which he knows next to nothing; a country about which most of us in the West know next to nothing (and what we do "know" is largely inaccurate). The writing is pretty straightforward, but it has plenty of wit, irreverence, thoughtfulness, and feeling. I always appreciate a book that can make me laugh out loud, and this one did so repeatedly.

I've been curious about Iran for a long time, and I feel that traveling in spirit with Maslin has given me a nice overview of the country, and a warm impression of its people. I definitely learned a lot about the culture, and also some mind-blowing facts (especially in the latter part of the book, when the author goes into more detail about things like badgirs and quanats).

Maslin is not some kind of saint -- yes there is a bit of misogyny in the book, but for the most part I didn't get the feeling that he thinks any less of women for being women; and yes there were a few eye-rolling bits especially toward the middle; but I have to say I would happily travel with Maslin any day. For the most part he comes across as inquisitive, open-minded, flexible, respectful, and appreciative.

Maslin's easy way of making friends along the way (and teaming up with various constellations of people for his explorations) reminded me of a couple similarly spontaneous trips I took when I was around the same age. There's something about connecting with strangers in a strange land that cannot be had any other way. Something so exhilarating about being graciously invited into people's homes. Something so primally pleasing about sharing a few happy days with someone despite differing languages and cultures. I hope I get to experience it again someday, because this book certainly has made me want to pack my bags and go.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick and entertaining read. A provocative title but a book filled with love and respect for the people who call Iran home. A weird mixture of condescension,irreverence, reverence, and awe. Nice color pics of the people and places but NO map!!! Only annoying aspect was the continual rants against the governments of the US and the UK. Author rants more against the West than he does the Iranian government. Nobody likes their government, neither the people of Iran nor the author. Author states he is banned from going back to Iran but this book will probably boost Western tourism to Iran unless of course current events have interceded-and they probably have.

[Nick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beyond its click-bait title, this surprisingly nuanced tale - both irreverent and deeply respectful - is a wonderful evocation of a country I too found fascinating, welcoming and entirely safe. Go there.

[Vera Marie · Rating 1 out of 5]

What we have here is incompatibility between reader and book. Iranian Rappers and Persian Porn (a terrific title) clearly aims at an entirely different demographic than this reader. I am definitely not the target audience, which seems to consist of those who are equally enthralled with partying and checking off historic sites.

On the positive side, Jamie Maslin writes travel stories, the best way to present travel memoir. He peoples these stories with a few interesting characters, although he tends to focus on people his own age, including westerners. All we learn about older Iranians (older than college age) is that they are either someone’s mother (who cooks fantastic meals), someone’s father (who is amazingly generous at picking up tabs), or an outspoken taxi driver. On the plus side, Maslin achieves his overall goal of humanizing Iran in the face of pretty universal demonization. And he writes humorously, as in this passage.

Finding a shared cab going to Masuleh was no drama but the drive there was, especially for some poor chap we saw riding toward us on a motorbike. He made the understandable mistake of trying to ride one-handed along a potholed road whilst carrying a tray of bread and wearing no crash helmet–as I’m sure we’ve all done from time to time.

On the other hand Maslin’s enthusiasm became alternately endearing and bothersome. A writer should not be equally enthusiastic for centuries-old sites and the novelty of whiskey in cans. He seems to bend over backwards to present a positive picture that will be at odds with mainstream thought about Iran.

One of my problems, no doubt, is that I have read a lot about Iran in the last couple of years and that leads to comparisons. I much preferred the deeper understanding of culture and history brought to the subject by Hugh Pope in Dining With Al Qaeda . (You can read my review here.) If you have a chance, compare Maslin’s three paragraphs on the Hafez tomb in Shiraz, with his emphasis on the similarity of Hafez’ poetry to a modern band that he mocks throughout the book, to Pope’s chapter on Hafez and his analysis of how revealing it is of Iranian thought.

I also preferred the excellent Saved by Beauty by Roger Housden (You can read my review here.) Housden sets out, as Maslin does, to humanize Iran, but his narrative seems much more balanced to me, admitting deep problems in the society. Housden writes in depth about the life of Hafez, who it turns out was an outsider and a free spirit who resisted the Islamic ban on buying and drinking wine. Knowing those things would have served Maslin well as he compared Hafez to a German rock band. It also would have provided context to his discussions of the young people he had met in Iran.

This review contains portions of a review I wrote at A Traveler's Library.Read the entire review here.

[David Harris · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love a good travel story, and I enjoyed this one despite several long and uninteresting sections on drinking and illegal partying. In my own extensive travels to the Middle East, the least interesting people I have encountered are invariably those who embrace drinking and partying as if these activities were the defining feature of Western culture.

The book isn't all bad, though. Because it's so difficult for Americans to visit Iran, I was looking for a book which could give me some sense of what it's like to visit the country, and this book delivered. There were a few very interesting descriptions of the landscapes and cities and people encountered accompanied with descriptive details about how it was all negotiated. I've always wanted to visit Shiraz and Esfahan and the Caspian Sea, and I felt like I got a pretty good sense of what these places were like from this book. Several other interesting locations were described, as well. I particularly enjoyed these sections of the book.

One thing that the author should be downright embarrassed about is the fact that he evidently learned no more than about five Farsi phrases while in the country. If he had bothered to research the matter at all before he went, he could have taken a phrasebook with him which would have aided him in learning at least a few basic expressions which would have been really useful to him. It's not a terribly difficult language to learn as I know from personal experience. (It's certainly much easier than Arabic, for example, or Azeri, the predominant language of Tabriz as the author never seems to have quite grasped.)

Another shortcoming of the book is the ongoing and ill-informed political discussion throughout. It's obvious that Maslin has only a very superficial background in the history of Iran's relationship with the West, and he'd do better to point that out rather than try to speak authoritatively on these matters. I fault the editor for not doing a better job of restructuring some of those sections. And, actually, it's probably also due mostly to poor editing decisions that some of the more mundane sections on lame teenage partying I mentioned above were included.

The title, too, was poorly conceived. Thankfully, rappers and porn were referenced only briefly in the story. But why structure the title such that people get the wrong idea? That may help sell books in the short term, but it does the book a disservice in the long run.

I read this book side-by-side with Elaine Sciolino's _Persian Mirrors: The Elusive Face of Iran_ and Roger Housden's _Saved By Beauty_. The three books together gave me a combined sense of Iran that I wouldn't have gotten by reading only one or two of them. If you have limited time to devote to reading, I'd go with Mirrors over these other two. On the other hand, if a travelogue is what you are really looking for, this book or _Saved By Beauty_ may be more what you're looking for.
-------------------------

Update: I just picked up _The Ayatollah Begs to Differ_, which looks as if it will be another useful book on Iran.

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writing is not particularly evocative in this book, though it does get close in a few bits. I feel like the author had some experiences that were likely truly amazing, and it's just not quite conveyed on the page. However, you can almost tell it's there, and it's enough to make me want to visit Iran myself. Sadly, from what I can tell from his experiences, as a woman I would probably not receive the warm and charitable welcome that he got as a man traveling alone through the country. Despite a decidedly liberal slant (which, being fairly liberal myself, I noticed but was not overly bothered by), there is some very interesting history presented in the book as well.

[Janelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. So many hilarious experiences the author encountered could happen anywhere, and in fact I have experienced some of these: barely running buses that hold 40 people and have a smoking and non-smoking section that make any light color clothing turn gray; feeling like the frog in Frogger when attempting to cross streets; and the world-wide strange fascination with Nescafé.  Overall lesson, which I have lived by during my travels regardless of destination, respect the customs and separate the people from the politics. You may be pleasantly surprised...

[Dirk Teur · Rating 2 out of 5]

Having travelled to Iran various times myself I could relate to many things the writer experienced. I think we even met the same people. The book is entertaining, but sometimes I get the feeling I'm reading the Lonely Planet of Iran, with all the facts he's throwing in.

The reason why I don't give a higher rating is because his trip is not so amazing, not really worthy of a travelogue in my opinion.

[Y T · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting read on Jamie's adventure in Iran. I've heard of their hospitality and never really knew what it meant till I read Jamie's account.

Just wished that he didn't reproduce contents and stuff that could have been found on Wikipedia. It was a waste of his book space.

Overall a really insightful read!

[mentalexotica · Rating 1 out of 5]

What febrile garbage is this book? It belongs to my Embarrassments pile.

Someone please put Jamie Maslin in their car and drive him far far away so that nobody can publish his atrocious shit ever again.

[Gary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love Maslin's descriptions. Totally different (but good) perspective on the average Iranian. I like how he throws some history into his descriptions.

[Lisa Curtin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved learning about the Iranian people but the author comes across as completely obnoxious and a bit creepy.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I first started it I really didn't like the writing style. It feels like it has never seen an editor. At one point there's a sentence along the lines of, "We left the hotel hoping to find the bus station where we hoped to catch a bus that I hoped was a nice bus".

HOWEVER, I very quickly forgot about that just because it's a really interesting adventure. It felt very authentic and from the heart, seeing both good and bad. In lots of ways it reminded me of my own travels in that area.

Another reviewer noted that she didn't feel it was right, or proper, or something, for a person to be interested in illegal drinking parties AND ancient historical cities... but I say why the heck not?! Not everyone can be put into boxes. It's possible to be a history geek and a party animal at the same time, and I daresay the world would be more interesting if there were more of them!

There were a few things in the book that I wouldn't quite phrase the same way, if I was writing in 2024, but the book is over 15 years old, so I give it a pass, and I appreciated that the author's views were somewhat unfiltered!

Overall, worth a read, in spite of the writing!

[Julianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

First book I've enjoyed reading in a while! Couldn't wait to read another chapter and see what this crazy young dude got up to. I loved the generosity of the people of Iran toward this lone traveler, particularly of a country that supposedly hate us. The beauty of Iran came through in his writing as well as some of the frustrations of dealing with people who were less than honest. Living in a country that spies on a person more obviously than ours is taxing to all conversations and exchanges. I didn't love how the author had to point out the less attractive people (both male and female) in any given situation, but he was young and single, and so perhaps this was of more importance to him than it is to me. Mr. Maslin did a great job capturing the magic of a difficult country and made me want to go there, too.

[Arya Oveissi · Rating 3 out of 5]

The title of this book was disingenuous. I think it was clearly pitched to grab readers’ attention, which to be fair, it succeeded in doing. However, the book was far more than porn and rappers. It was centered on an Englishman’s travels through Iran where he learned about a place that he was advised against ever going to. Being half Iranian, it was cool to learn more about my culture. I liked how the author went into things with an open mind and tried his best to understand what the people in Iran were doing. It was a fun and easy read, however, it was a bit repetitive. Some scenes felt like I had read them multiple times already, and others didn’t seem like they needed to be included at all. I definitely enjoyed it because I felt like I was learning about Iran, but I don’t think I’d necessarily recommend it to non-Iranians as a must read.

[Hangi Tavakoli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting book for me as an Iranian to know the views of a foreigner on our country. However, the name is quite misleading because it gives a background mindset that the book is more of an analytical approach on modern Iranian society. But it is just an amazing diary...

[Chris Hall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not great, not awful.

I found the writing style to be superficial and - at times - juvenile ... some of his comments just came across as childish.

Iran is a complex place - this book looks only at a *very* narrow demographic - you won't get any insight into the country as a whole by reading this.

[Christy Razzano · Rating 3 out of 5]

For me, this feels like the white male equivalent of Eat, Pray, Love. Maslin can be hilarious and give some interesting insights into Iran and his travels...but sometimes that all gets lost behind his arrogance, condescension, and misogyny. Some parts are just so cringe. Just barely a 3 for me.

[Serge Boucher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything a travel book should be.

[Pearl Sandhu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding. Beautiful. Illuminating. Humourous.

[Rayad Jahoor · Rating 3 out of 5]

A travel log of Iran.

[Rusty Ray Guns · Rating 4 out of 5]

Again I found this deeply interesting .
I also enjoyed the author even if he some times comes across as a asshat neck beard

[Tom Fielden · Rating 3 out of 5]

Found myself skipping through bits but overall entertaining and an interesting take on certain parts of Iranian life at the time of writing.

[Amit · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some interesting writing there, but the writer is an ass and his gaze is bothersome to say the least.