Two years ago, I was at Stu-fe (see Top Live Music Venues, below) with some friends, and the guy seated behind me was strumming his guitar. Someone mentioned his name was Singto Numchok, and that he played here on Wednesdays. I don’t remember if I even bothered to look back.
Two years later, I’m chasing him for an interview, and he’s not getting back to me. Singto won a national ukelele competition just as the instrument was becoming a kind of musical Krispy Kreme. If Jason Mraz (of “I’m Yours” fame) started the ukulele craze worldwide, Singto was the one who brought it here.
Coming full circle, I go back to Stu-fe in search of the ukulele lion king. One of the co-owners, Tum, tells me to swing by that Wednesday, as the bar is celebrating its fifth anniversary. You see, Stu-fe isn’t just a bar, it’s home to the exciting music collective, Monotone, and it’s where Singto recorded his first album.
On Wednesday night, I’m greeted by another Stu-fe co-owner and Monotone member, Fat Radio DJ Ple-Noi. While Ple-Noi is reminiscing about Stu-fe’s humble beginnings, as a rehearsal studio, then as a bar, then as a recording studio, I’m busy worrying Singto might not show up. “When you meet him, ask about his first rehearsal, OK? Don’t forget,” says Tum. Tum has been poking fun at Ple-Noi for talking about her own album, Tue’sday. She gets even with another word of caution, “Don’t let Singto start talking to Tum. Or else, you’ll never get your interview. They’ll just wag their chins all night.”
More members of Monotone. More beers. Everyone seems to know each other. Even BK’s intern photographer turns out to have been around for Singto’s debut at Stu-fe. Great, but where’s my interview? A few beers in, Tum is getting sentimental. “Singto didn’t have it easy, coming from Buriram and all. He struggled to be a musician. He went to Bangkok, to Phuket, and then back here.” By the time a joking, upbeat Singto shows up, I’m not sentimental, but I’m pretty relaxed.
“So, Singto, how did you end up at Stu-fe?” I ask.
“I was playing in Phuket before I met Kij-Jazz, another member of Monotone. He liked the way I play, so we talked about our music and finally he asked me to join him in Bangkok. I jumped in without any hesitation,” he says.
Being an incredibly positive guy, he doesn’t seem to see his journey as something quite as epic as Tum portrays it. “You know, if you do what you love, then there are no difficulties. When I was studying guitar, my teacher told me, ‘If you love to play music, being successful in life is playing music.’ That’s it.”
“OK, but being famous and having an album out must be nice,” I say.
“Nothing really changes. I just have to wear a hat now.” He laughs. “Well, you have to dress up properly for a concert. You need to respect the place. At least here [at Stu-fe] I can dress any way I want.” He thinks for a minute, then adds: “I suppose I did get an amulet of Bal Ganesh once. I’d never seen someone do that before but it got me wondering what it would be like to bring a kilo of mangoes to my favorite artists, like Loso.”
I guess I was expecting him to act famous. But this is more like a family. Everyone in Monotone is incredibly talented, Singto is now very well-known, but they could be your best friends. I’m about to call it a night when Tum calls out, “His first audition, did you ask him?”
I look at Singto. “OK, so it was my first audition here and I just show up with a t-shirt and jeans,” he says. “So my friend gives me this jacket to wear on stage. I put it on and jump on stage and do the whole show. When I get off, everyone is laughing hysterically. The jacket was upside down—not inside out—upside-down, for the whole show.” And they’re still laughing hysterically. But it’s also a pretty metaphorical story. Singto doesn’t need to wear a hat or a jacket for his talent and warmth to shine through.
It’s Sunday, 3pm, I’m at the home/office of Parinam Music, the indie label managing Pla-Nin-Tem-Ban (House Full of Mango Fish). The PR gathers the band and sits them down. They all look at me expectantly. So much for a candid look into the life of rock stars. I’ve barely asked how they met and I get a story even they must be tired of telling: how they got their name.
“We were going to play at university but didn’t have a name yet,” Pop says. “I told my friends, who came to rehearse at my house, that the place used to be full of pla nin [mango fish].
Tul continues, “So when Pop saw us all crammed into his tiny room, with our instruments and all, he said, ‘Planin tem ban.’ [‘The house is full of mango fish’]. We liked it right away.”
This is definitely not their first interview but Pla-Nin-Tem-Ban is still a band in transition. They almost all have day jobs, but they’re already famous on Bangkok’s indie scene. Tul is a graphic designer, Ton a math tutor, Toon makes resin dolls (of actual people), Tor makes drums. Only Pop is a professional musician although Art teaches guitar.
After playing at the Silpakorn Music Awards—they are alumni of the university—the band entered the Net Design Love Song Contest and won. Nothing much happened after that and the band considered giving up. Then Tul wrote a song, “Kid Dee Dee,” which climbed to #6 in the FAT Radio 40s Charts. They went on to win a FAT award for Bedroom of the Year [for home-recorded music] and played at FAT’s 10-year anniversary concert and the FAT North Tour. By that point, people had actually started singing their songs.
“That was brilliant,” says Tul. “Toon was so nervous that he forgot the guitar chords.”
“There were lots of people and we didn’t expect to hear people singing our song that loud. It was so impressive,” Toon says.
I cut the interview short, suggesting I watch them rehearse instead. It’s funny to see how a band will stop “behaving” the second the interview is over. Most of all, I can see them interact with Poom, the head of the music label. They call him “the boss” but the atmosphere is definitely more playful than respectful.
“What’s it like being famous?” I ask.
“What do you mean? Like do we have to wear sunglasses all the time?” says Tul looking at Toon, who has fallen asleep with his Raybans on. They all laugh.
“Hey, Toon. Tell them about the dek waen [motorcycle racing teens].”
Apparently Toon was politely asked by a street racer for a picture together, which they think is hilarious. But under the guy talk, there is a surprising depth to these guys. Maybe because they still have a foot in reality with their day jobs. Their songs are rarely about the usual love clichés. “Nalika” (“The Watch”) was about the timing of meeting someone, so that love can blossom. “Lok-Suan-Tua’ (“Own Space”) is meaningful and interesting. But it’s also the passion to keep their other foot in music that is admirable. Tor says, “No matter what, we will come here once a week. Even if we don’t rehearse, we meet up, just to spend time together as a band.”
Late at night, I receive a call from my fellow intern, Gung Ging: “Can you follow an indie band tomorrow, for the whole day?
“Which band?” I ask.
“The Yers, or something like that,” she says.
I head online to do some research. Of my 350 friends on Facebook, only two “like” The Yers. But the music video for their first single, “Thedsakarn (Festival),” is wild, with a guy in a tank top running crazily around the city, searching for his beloved. I want to at least match each band member’s face to their name before starting the assignment, but the internet drops off, and I go to bed.
10am. Gott, BK’s intern photographer, and I are at Smallroom. We meet Lah, the PR person, who gives us two pieces of paper promoting The Yers with words like “cool” and “funny” and “extreme,” so I expect to meet that kind of band.
Finally, they arrive. Boats, the guy running around in the music video, Ooh, Boom, Tor and Tao. I quickly try to memorize them: Ooh is easy to remember because of his yellow hair; Boats has sunglasses; Boom has fluffy, curly hair, like he just escaped from a bombing; Tor has a mole and Tao is, well, the last one. We jump into a van with them, Lah and Prae, who is along to shoot the behind-the-scenes bonus track.
The Yers, comprised of Ooh’s high school and university friends, is a brand new band from the Smallroom family, the hottest indie record studio in Bangkok. After several rounds of rejections, their demo-tape was picked up by Smallroom and their first single, “Thedsakarn,” became a number one hit on Fat Radio. Today, we’re following them on a crazy whirlwhind of press events, where they will be covered by four newspapers, a tv channel, a magazine and ten radio stations. “We are not an indie band,” Ooh announces in the van. “Thai people always misunderstand the word “indie,” they think that it means every song that is a bit strange or that does not belong to Grammy or RS.” I read through the promotional material and see that they are a “post-punk alternative rock band”—whatever that means.
There’s jostling in the back of the van. Our post-punk rock stars are making fun of one of their fellow members, who’s wearing his university pin as an earring. I feel shy about turning around to see what’s going on. Instead, I chat with Lah.
The stuffiness between The Yers and us diminishes a bit when we stop at Nai Ngork restaurant for lunch. I ask them about their personal lives, and it turns out that they’ve all just graduated from college and are a couple of years older than me. “I used to teach music and did some web design work. But now I’ve just quit all of that to concentrate on The Yers,” says Boom. Tor is still working six days a week as a customer service officer at a condominium. “I can’t really quit right now, because my economic situation makes it difficult.” Then Boats accidentally drops his ice cream on the floor. The waitress gives him a new one.
After that it’s Channel 7 and then Dara Daily. The stress of the day is starting to show. The Yers seem to lack the snappy, self-promoting, ready-made answers that are expected of them. When the interviewer asks what they’d like to tell people who don’t know them yet, they say, “Listen to our song.” The interviewer, dissatisfied, pushes for another answer, but the band hesitate. Finally, Boom says, “Catch our live performance, because our style will rock the stage.” It sounds less sincere than their earlier answer.
Back in the van, they say that if they could, they wouldn’t do press, because they are not talkative enough. Boats disagrees, “It’s good to have many people see us. I used to go to modeling auditions. It’s a lot different because it is judged on physical appearance. There, when you see that the guy next to you is apparently more handsome, you think it makes sense that he is chosen. But promoting your song is different. We have our own, personal thing to show.”
Gott asks what is their hardest moment as a band. Ooh says, “It’s when we send out our songs and wait for feedback. We have to sit around the desk with Rung [owner of Smallroom] and listen to the songs together. If he doesn’t like it he will say it right away. Even if there’s a song we were sure about, he might say, ‘What are you guys doing?’ or ‘You guys are kind of lost.’ That’s always shocking to hear.”
Finally, at the end of our exhausting day, we stop by Hobby Cake to cool off and reenergize with ice coffees and cakes. Leaning back in his chair, Tor says, “Becoming a musician is not that difficult. If you can play each song then, that’s it, you are a musican. I used to think that when I become a musician, somebody would teach me how to play or perform. But in reality there’s nobody to do that.”
“Maintaining things is more difficult than beginning,” Boom adds. “After playing for a while, there is always a wall that you need to break through.”
As we’re finally driving back to Smallroom, the van’s air conditioner dies on us. It’s been a long day, but fun and eye-opening. The faith, determination and public relations skills it takes to become famous is daunting, and I’m impressed with these guys’ efforts. Still, for them, more than anything else, more than the smooth talk and the music videos, it’s about just playing the music. When I ask Ooh what he wants to say to young people who want to become rock stars, he says, “You are the coolest guys in Thailand. Don’t stop. Or else it’s the end. If you quit then you aren’t musicians anymore.”
Piyanun Choonikorn, 29, buiness owner
Incubus because I love their music—it’s first-rate nu metal. I’ve seen their live performance on DVD and think that’s what their backstage behavior is like!
Suwitcha Pothikanit, 26, businessman
Bob Marley. I love his music but that’s pretty much all I know. I wanna know more about his life, who he is and learn more about his close-to-nature lifestyle.
Supreeda Sukpon, 19, advertising agency owner
Toon from Bodyslam. He’s talented and being able to capture thousands of people like that. I also adore him for having the courage to pursue his dream. I’d love to learn why this law student decided to be in the music industry.
Chananya Rattanacharoen, 21, law student
Katy Perry, of course. I love her music and her style. I want to go shopping for clothes with her and find out where she gets these beautiful dresses from. Hanging out with her backstage would be a total dream come true.
Naraporn Mallikaman, 46, housewife
Tae Vitsarat. I’ve always loved his sad love songs and he seems like a pretty nice guy from what I’ve seen of him on TV, so I think dinner and having a nice conversation with him would be quite interesting.
"Inspiration, in Thai, is called rang bandan jai and if we translate it to English word-by-word, it is something like “heart driven by energy.” If you truly love music, or whatever you are doing, you’ll let your heart (or passion) drive your energy." Tum, composer and producer for Monotone
"Some people might say that if you want to be a rock star, you should enter a music competition. But I wouldn’t recommend that. Most of the competitions feature covers or original songs under an assigned theme. These requirements distort your style and who you are. You should produce your own song and find a place to perform as much as you can. And always look for something new in your music." Poom, owner of Parinam Music
RCA Block C, Rama 9 Rd., 081-304-6907 Open daily 7:30pm-2am. http://tinyurl.com/4xkhxja
It’s kind of grungy but we still love Cosmic Cafe for its unerring commitment and dedication to live music, a commitment that it carries out every day of the week. We also love the regular line up of bands (including the fast rising The Jukks) and the sheer diversity of their nights, from hipster heartthrob Maft Sai to avante garde Japanese progressive rock.
Ramkhamheang 39, Town in Town Rd., 089-780-9946. Open Mon-Thu 8-12:45am, Fri-Sat 8pm-2am. http://tinyurl.com/3knk8fd
Set in a former motorcycle repair garage and taking its name from a Manic Street Preachers song, this grungy dive bar has quickly become a go-to joint for live music enthusiasts. And it’s easy to see why: the bar features bands and DJs from indie labels like Panda Records six nights a week. The vibe, like the shabby décor, is fantastically edgy (think Wong’s Place and The Overstay). We highly recommend Thursday night where up and coming local and international bands like Pussy & The Learjets tear up the stage.
33/1 Soi Farm Wattana, Rama 4 Rd., 02-712-0375. Open daily 5pm-1am
The brainchild of indie pop band Monotone, Stu-fe is one of the city’s first bar-slash-restaurants set in a vintage house. Apart from the ultra chilled vibe and yummy food, this place scores big in terms of the music, which leans heavily towards Brit pop and indie. If you’re lucky, you might get to hear the members of Monotone and friends crank out some hits but Stu-fe also doubles as a breeding ground for today’s artists like ukulele king Singto Numchok.
265 Buddy Lodge Bldg., Khao San Rd., 02-629-4477. Open daily 6pm-1am
Yes, we know that ska is so last year but you know what, we really don’t care. Anyone who has enjoyed the sweaty heaving mess that is the Brick Bar on Friday and Saturday nights will also tell you the same. Smack right in the middle of Khao San, this two-story tavern packs in ska and reggae devotees nightly and you just can’t help but stomp your feet to that rock steady beat. Check out the Teddy Ska Band (nightly 11:30pm onwards).
Hollywood Street Building, Phayathai Rd. BTS Ratchathewi. www.therockpub-bangkok.com
You can’t fail to spot this venue thanks to its totally over the top mock gothic castle façade. In fact, the inside is almost a letdown after such Spinal Tap ostentation. What you get instead is a gloomy almost cave-like space where dark wood dominates the boxy low-ceilinged room. At the far end, there’s a good sized stage and a decent space for some moshing. Expect to hear everything from hard rock to 70s/80s Rock n’ Roll classics. Two bands play every night of the week though there are also special one off gigs, including regular performances by guitar legend Lam Morrison.
Ramindra Soi 14, Kasetnawamind Rd., 02-907-2228. Open daily 6pm-2am
Don’t be put off by this place’s inconvenient location—this small bar might be located on the outskirts of Bangkok but Parking Toys is well worth the drive thanks to its nightly line up of great live music. It draws in diverse crowds from Fat Radio DJs to neighborhood music aficionados drawn by the eclectic musical styles on offer ranging from electronic to rockabilly and jazz. You don’t have to worry about dressing up because no one here really cares.
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Medium and technique: Acrylic on canvas and graphite on paper.
Why this obsession with hair?
Our skin and body hair is something more than clothing. It is a part of our body. Animals’ body hair is about survival while people value their skin and body hair as something more than that—maybe they value it too much.
Is that the concept?
Yes, nowadays people focus and put a lot of value on their physical appearance until somehow they forget that humans are just animals. So, I present human simply as another kind of animal through their bare skin and body hair.
How are we different from animals?
Actually I found nothing different between humans and animals. Our brain is just more complex and we have social and cultural norms and value. All those things keep us away from nature, until we end up thinking we’re something superior comparing to animals. Actually, we are like them.
Who is your favorite artist?”
Lo-Lay Taweesak Sritongdee, artist and illustrator, is my favorite. I don’t know him personally but watching his work inspired me a lot in creating my own work.
I’ve watched your video presentation; can you explain the idea of the visual?
The visual presentation was designed to be a bit myserious. The story of human’s body hair is that it hides something and lets other see only what they want.
Kepping up with Nadda Thanathan at Hairy I am an Animal exhibition
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So can we expect to see a new album very soon?
I’m planning to launch my own album by the end of this year. I’m also helping on a documentary program called Kra-jok-hok-dan. I prefer doing only one thing at a time but, well, I have to do both for now. So I need to manage my time if I want to get a new album out to my fans. Plus, I’m working on another music project with May-thee, a member of Moderndog, and would love to have it done by this year as well. It will be an EP album, just like May-thee did with Pray previously.
How would you describe your sound?
During my first and second album, it was the period of grunge, so my sound reflected that. But personally, I love very heavy rock as my passion for music was inspired by Iron Maiden, an 80s British heavy metal band. So, for my next album, I’m planning to have heavier rock that yields deep feelings but retains a sweet melodic tone.
Who is your favorite band these days?
Although I am into a very heavy sound, sweet guitar lines really charm me. I love the band Kings of Leon. They are young, but talented and their music covers a variety of styles.
How do you feel about playing with We are Scientists?
It’s always a great chance to play with an international band or even with Thai bands as we can share our experiences with each other and with the audience. Listening to We Are Scientists, I feel they’ll be great live. It should be fun.
What’s your dream bill for next year’s Tiger Translate?
Placebo is one of my favorite bands and I’d love to play with them. Unfortunately, I missed them at last year’s show. And, of course, if I have a chance to play here again next year, I’d love to play with Kings of Leon.
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How did you first get involved in plays?
I participated in a small stage play as part of studying English during high school. It was fun when you create it and run it. And that’s the reason why I enrolled in this faculty.
Lakorn aksorn has the reputation of being hard to understand.
Actually, it is not that hard to understand but our style is not something people are used to. Lakorn aksorn focuses more on the content, and presents it in an artistic form. People used to mass media will expect to see what they are familiar with, so that’s the reason why it’s hard for them to understand. It would be easier to watch every stage play in this world without expecting anything. Just clear your mind and let your emotions run with the play.
Tell us a bit about this year’s story.
This year we are performing Macbeth, the famous play by William Shakespeare for the 40th anniversary of the Dramatic Arts Department. This will be the first show in our new auditorium named after the founder of our department, Prof. Sodsai Pantumkomol. This is a story that reminds us of our professor.
What is the uniqueness of lakorn aksorn?
We study about humanity and literature and we believe that the study of art make us know more about the world. So, our play is mostly concerned with what it means to be human. I believe this is the uniqueness of our show.
What makes a good stage play?
I believe the good thing in every stage play is the intention to tell the story. Today many faculties from different universities do plays even if they are from the faculty of Political Science, Economics or Law. They didn’t study drama directly but they have a message and they can tell it through a play. So, it’s the message that makes your play worth watching.
Tell us a little bit about this year’s play.
This year’s play is titled Westonhood. We’re doing a cowboy theme this year. So instead of staging contemporary dance style musical numbers, we’re doing tap dance routines. The music will also be country rock, the one you’d hear from Western movies. It’s quite different from what we’ve done before. Thus, we’ve got quite a lot of homework to do. We’ve tried to watch as many Western movies as we could. Our choreographers are now taking dance courses, as well as seeking help from alumni.
What gave you the idea for the theme and story?
We just wanted to do something that would be totally different from what we’ve done before. And Westerns popped up. It has its own style of dance and music. As for the story, we wanted to create one that means something to us. We found from our experience that when you are determined to do something, you often ignore another thing that is equally important. We combined the context and the content together. That’s how it becomes Westonhood.
How did you become interested in play production?
Before studying at Chulalongkorn University, plays weren’t what I cared about at all. I thought it was something far-fetched and difficult to understand. But during my freshman year, I got a chance to perform in Rainbow Café and I enjoyed it a lot. Also, I got to see Water Time, a play by Bhanbhassa Dhubthien and again I enjoyed it so much. In fact, this play inspired me to produce one of my own. I wanted others to feel the awe I felt during the play. So when the Lakorn Rong Lek week came by, I didn’t hesitate to jump in.
As someone who has been involved in several productions, what do you think is the uniqueness of lakorn nitade?
I think our musical numbers are what make us different. The performance is taken quite seriously. Plus, we always write new plays and because we study Communication Arts, our main goal is to communicate with the audience. Thus, our message is clear and easy to understand. And most importantly people in the production are all our students because the main purpose of staging a play is to provide students with an opportunity to get to know each other through working. Seniors teach juniors what they know while juniors seek advice from them and the alumni. This is where everyone meets and learns something together.
You guys are training to be architects. What are you doing on stage?
As we study about design, creativity is in our blood. I think lakorn tha pad just started as an activity designed by our seniors to promote creativity. The first show was a success and it became a tradition.
Has it actually influenced your choice of faculty?
It did. I heard about lakorn tha pad when I was in secondary school and that made me interested in the faculty of architecture.
Why do you always use famous plots or fairytales?
We do not study plays directly, like the faculty of Arts. What we have is creativity and our passion and it’s directed at the presentation of the show. So, we select a plot we like, like the Godfather or Snow White, and stage it in our own style.
Tell us a bit about this year.
This year we will do Frankenstein. We had never done a ghost story before and we liked the idea of giving it a shot.
What’s lakorn tha pad’s secret ingredient?
Our own style of comedy.
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How have you evolved since your recent exhibition in 2007, Changing Identity?
I don’t think there is an evolution in the subject or theme as I am still focusing on a woman’s identity and what she is destined for. The only evolution in this exhibition is the technique and materials I use. This, in fact, is my first silk solo exhibition. In Changing Identity, I showed oil paintings. In Hidden Flower, all of my paintings are pigments on silk. I am much calmer, more tranquil and very careful when I paint on silk. Painting on canvas, on the contrary, puts me in a different state of mind.
What is the story behind this painting?
I often contemplate on the sorrow of women, especially Vietnamese women. Sadness and loneliness are universal human emotions, but for Vietnamese women, such emotions run much deeper as they tend to bury it deep in their hearts. They simply bear the cross quietly. And this is what I think makes them beautiful yet strong, mysterious yet charming.
Why this focus on women?
Women have always been my source of inspiration, not only for their physical beauty but also their inner beauty and graceful strength, which I have witnessed time and again in my grandmother, my mother, my sister, my friends and even in my own self. Their unbreakable spirit never ceases to amaze me. I want to share emotional burdens they bear but do not utter. I want to lighten their heavy emotional load. And most of all I want to send a message to the viewer of women’s competency at being able to succeed in her career while not compromising their traditional role as a homemaker.
Who are your favorite artists?
Van Gogh and Bui Xuan Phai.
How do you see the future of Vietnamese contemporary art?
I hope to see Vietnamese artists push their artistic boundaries and forge new paths. I also hope to see a more professional gallery system in the Vietnamese art scene. We currently have too many commercial galleries, which will be detrimental for Vietnamese art in the long run. And lastly, I hope to see Vietnamese art more highly priced in the world stage as this would prove our art is highly appreciated.
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How did you become a photographer?
I got a Bachelor degree in Computer Science but decided that science is not what I wanted to do for the rest of my life; art is what I really like. So I decided to pursue my dream and study art at Savannah College of Art and Design in the form that I’m most familiar with, photography.
What is the inspiration for this exhibition?
The question of Thainess because after all it is our root, our soul, our everything. Thainess is what makes us who we are. It is what makes us different from the rest of world. Most importantly, it is a heritage given to us by our beloved ancestors
You wear traditional outfits in your self-portraits. How can someone express Thainess in modern everyday life?
For my self-portraits, I also wore sneakers and sunglasses basically because I need to point out that the Thai thing doesn’t always have to be something serious or something boring. We can also express it in a fun style by changing our point of view. In the modern world, we can mix our Thai style with modernity. If we think Thai art is old, it will definitely die.
In your pictures, you express Thainess through costumes. Does Thainess also come from the inside?
Sure, Thai identity does not always have to be something about appearance but the Thai mind and Thai thought define a lot of who we are. Our parents teach us a lot on how to behave, to be helpful to everyone. The idea is that these thoughts will automatically lead us to be real Thais. Nowadays, teenagers are influenced by Western culture and Japanese and Korean pop culture. It’s not that bad to consume their style but at least they should realize our Thainess. Let’s not lose our own identity.
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Can we expect to see your new album again very soon?
I’m planning to have my own album launched by the end of this year. I’m also working on my family’s own documentary program called Kra-jok-hok-dan as well. This is quite a routine job and I prefer doing only one thing at a time but, well, I have to do both for now. So I need to manage my time if I want to get a new album out to my fans. Plus, I’m having another music project with May-thee, a member of Moderndog, and would love to have it done by this year as well. It will be an EP album, just like May-thee did with Pray previously.
How would you describe your sound?
During my first and second album, it was the period of grunge rock, so my sound was like that. But personally, I love a very hard sound of rock as my passion for music was inspired by the Iron maiden, an 80s British heavy metal band. So, for my next album, I’m planning to have more rock that yields deep feelings, and a sweet melodic line.
Who is your favorite band these days?
Although I am into a very hard sound of rock, sweet guitar lines really charm me. I love the band Kings of Leon. They are young but talented and their rock comes in a variety of styles.
How do you feel about playing with We are Scientists?
I’d say that it’s always a great chance to play with an international band or even with Thai bands as we can share our experience with each other and with the audience. Listening to We Are Scientists, I feel they’ll be great live. It should be fun.
What’s your dream bill for next year’s Tiger Translate?
Placebo is one of my favorite bands and I’d love to play with them. Unfortunately, I missed them at last year’s show. And, of course, if I have a chance to play here again next year, I’d love to play with Kings of Leon.
Tiger Translate 2011 is tonight, starting from 5:30pm, at AP Parking Limited (behind Esplanade). Grab your tickets now at Thaiticketmajor.com.
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Has the way you perform songs from your latest album evolved after playing them for almost 10 months? How?
I think the biggest change is simply rooted in the confidence that you gain from playing a song every single night for 300 nights in a row. One the of the things that's both terrifying and exhilarating about writing brand new songs for an album is that new songs reacquire an immense amount of concentration to pull off at a standard similar to older songs in our set, which we have come to rely on little more than muscle memory to play. Speaking only for myself, learning new songs is usually tricky, since I have a tendency to write guitar parts that are fairly tricky to play while singing a lead vocal line, and there are always a few parts in every album that start out being almost impossible for me to deliver (Rules Don't Stop was the real killer this time around, and the verse of Pittsburgh gave me a pretty hard time, for a while, since I'd combined two guitar parts for the record into the live version). It's just a matter of practice, though. At this point, we don't have to think about playing at all, and focus on enjoying the performance.
You guys do comedy as well, with Steve wants his money. Any plans for a second season, or even a movie?
There are no specific plans to produce anything else at this point-which doesn't mean that it won't happen. The fact is, we just spend so much time thinking about the musical aspects of our band that we tend to be very passive about our comedic work - every focused piece of comedy, from Steve Wants His Money to our NME Awards red carpet interviews have happened because we were approached by the producers from those television stations and asked to create something for them in a relatively short amount of time for no money. It would be great to set aside some time and really put some hard work into crafting something like a TV show, but, so far, we've just been really bad at focusing on that, since the band takes up so much of our time and energy. Another major factor is that Andy, who wrote and played all of the drums on Barbara, is back in the live band. He had to sit out of most of the touring this year, as he had put out a record of his right around the same time as ours, but it looks like he'll be on board as our drummer indefinitely. To be totally frank, he is the finest drummer with whom we've ever played.
Why is comedy important for you?
It's a good question, which, unfortunately, I don't have a very insightful answer for. Like I said earlier, neither of us really work very hard at actually developing our comedy, so we don't have a very academic perspective on that aspect of our personalities. I know that I grew up loving comedy, and apart from music, many of my idols as a teenager were comedians (I adored the American TV show Saturday Night Live, as well as Monty Python's Flying Circus), and I think my reputation amongst my friends was "the funny guy." When I met Chris in college, the first thing I liked about him was that he was a terrifically funny guy, and our relationship developed around the fact that we were both pretty good at making one another laugh. The same is true for our relationship with Andy - he's a perfect fit for our band because he's a tremendously funny guy, and if he wasn’t an actual member in the band, we'd still be desperate to hang out with him for the laughs. Comedy has become such a signature part of our band because we tend to behave naturally, on stage and in interviews, which, for us, means trying to be funny. I'd imagine that it's pretty annoying for people who have to deal with us on a daily basis, but hopefully it's entertaining onstage.
You’ve also done some pretty original performance like the Brain Thrust Mastery seminar. Can we expect more than just a live music performance at the Tiger Translate?
I don't know about that. We've never really incorporated anything quite as elaborate as the BTM seminars into our performances (those seminars were their own, stand-alone shows, and we performed them at mid-day in the student unions of several universities around the UK, with no musical aspect to the performances at all). We do try to come up with interesting, unique performance bits for our musical shows, so I'm sure we'll think of something.
Barbara is almost a year old. What are you working on now?
We've just begun getting together with Andy and hashing through new material for the next album. We don't have anything solidified yet - we're mainly been playing random riffs together and discussing the sort of album we'd like to make over beers. But, yes - our focus has now fully turned toward writing and recording the next record, and we're getting pretty excited about it.
What are you currently listening to? What inspires you?
I've been listening to a lot of older music, recently, especially from the 90's - The Lemonheads, Nirvana, Marilyn Manson, that kind of thing. I think the thing that usually inspires me is music that combines tremendous hooks with unbridled energy - that's why so many of our songs seem to be uptempo, I think. I rarely hear a beautiful ballad and find myself inspired to write a song, no matter how much I may enjoy it, but any good rock jam (anything by Weezer, for example), makes we wish I had a whole new album of party songs under my belt.
This is your first time playing in Thailand. Do you find Asian audiences different from those in the US?
One thing I've learned from all the traveling we've done as a band is that excited fans are pretty similar throughout the world. The only two Asian countries we've been to so far are Japan and Malaysia, and, in the midst of those performances, we might as well have been playing in our hometown. That's probably my favorite aspect of touring the world - having all of the amazing differences between ourselves and our audiences disappear after we go onstage. We're all just a bunch of people at a rock concert.
Tiger Translate 2011 is tonight, starting from 5:30pm, at AP Parking Limited (behind Esplanade). Grab your tickets now at Thaiticketmajor.com.
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Why are you suing the rating board?
The movie was deemed inappropriate for sceening in the kingdom of Thailand and was labeled as misrepresentative of Thai culture. I can’t accept this judgment, as some members of the committee haven’t seen the movie and some have only seen excerpts of it before making the decision. If we stay silent, it means that we accept their verdict. I believe in our legal system and also believe that we have a right to protect our intellectual property.
Do you think this will have any impact on The National Federation of Thai Film Association?
Banning is worse than rating the film. The board is depriving the public of the chance to choose what they would like to watch. Our actions will hopefully nudge society. At least people will know that there is something wrong with the rating system, which reflects a weakness in the Thai constitution and should be reconsidered. If we don’t do anything, nothing will change. We are paving the way for creativity.
What is the feedback from other Thai directors?
Mr. Song-yos Sukmakanat, president of Thai Film Directors Association, will accompany us to the court hearing. We got good feedback from some Thai directors as well. They know that what we are doing is not only for Insects in the Backyard but also for the development of the Thai film industry as a whole.
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Medium and Technique: Film photography
How did this exhibition come to be installed at WTF?
There was an opening in the exhibition calendar as a result of the postponement of another artist. We needed to fill the slot quickly. I happen to be one of the owners, and I had been thinking for a while, “What should I do with all my old prints?”
Of all the photos taken for all your assignments, how did you choose this collection?
The exhibition is primarily made up of images that photo editors at various magazines had selected to print from my negatives or prints I had submitted for an assignment. They are not necessarily the best images for telling the story assigned or the best images I have taken, but they are part of the process that went into creating an issue of a magazine.
Is this collection telling a story?
The photographs are like sentences from a longer story, the story of the assignment to visit some destination, and the story of my career as a photographer using film as my medium. You won’t get the full story, but each random image, looked at with all the others, will give a sense of what I have done and my point of view.
What is the story behind this particular photo?
Often I am asked to photograph a certain restaurant or dish for an assignment. To make it look appealing or appetizing for the reader I photographed this fish dish in Istanbul, before I ate it and after. I thought the finished plate showed much more how delicious it was and also teased the photo editor a bit about their preconception about what a beautiful food shot should be.
If these photos hadn’t appeared in magazines, where would they be?
They would not exist had these magazines not sent me out to take them.
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