And Then There Was The Interview

Its rather uncanny that just a couple of week ago I had written an overlong blog post with a litany of happenings in my radio life and just 3 days after, I had to end up running through the whole scene again on an interview with AOL India. Now believe me, stuff like interviews make me rather queasy. Not because I'm a nervous wreck suffering from big stage butterflies. Quite the contrary, I quite love the showboating and the attention that comes from the big stage. But interviews are another event totally. Can I say they humble me or make me feel not so right. Maybe I have a part of me that thinks I'm not just big enough to merit an interview..Some of us might beg to differ (trust me even if you don't, just pretend you do. You'll flatter my frail ego), but I tend to believe that interviews are mostly the stuff that people like AB Sr, Federer, De Nero, and company are supposed to dish out.

Now having said that, there was an interview with Yours Truly on his JanamDin, Sept 4th (yeh those of you who missed, treat it as a not so kind reminder to you that you forgot). The fact that it was done by one of my good friends Tisha (Treasa, the real name goes), isnt supposed to rob me of any credit, should it. And coming from a Deccan Herald background ,her sincerity to the job better not be questioned. Ok so the case is settled. No favouritism, purely an interview on merit.

The interview was telephonic and the published look of it bore a close resemblance to what transpired over the call. Here goes the link. I promise you the guy in the picture is me - the Real McCoy. I'm a little affected by the symmetrical finish of my face, I did'nt quite know Photoshop could do that much. Then I'm sure you're not looking at the picture, but the more important things written out there.

http://www.aol.in/news-story/Rocking-it-on-Rainbow-101-3/2008090516089019000001

Good stuff with the writing there Tisha. You've made me sound smart. I don't remember mouthing out some of those high falutin sentences, but then I'm not complaining about the way they've ended up looking. I seriously like them.

Oh by the way,if you did'nt notice yet, I've waxed eloquent about my displeasure on the ban of 'live bands' ( I could swear she mentioned live music and dance in her question) , calling it a retrogressive step and a slap on the face of art and artists. Well I can tell you that I do feel sorry for the Dancing Queens and their bosses who lose a livelihood with the ban, but I need to clarify that it was the answer for a question on Live Music and Dance.I re-iterate that I do not consider Mujra a high art ...Thanks Subhendu for pointing that out. I can always count on you for locating a glitch that would make me look like an idiot.

So thats the dope for now. Guess I sound deliciously modest after all (could question the wisdom behind the adjective). More shows lined up for the month, a lot of thursdays and tuesdays in addition to the mondays. Yet to get a clear look into the booking charts. And whats really hot on the desi music charts for now is Rock On... Moviewise and musicwise its Spot On coming in after a lot of Bollywood trash that have been best Spat On. I hear Rakesh Roshan is planning up the sequel. Its to be called Farhan-Arjun.

So long.More progress to be reported on the next week. Till then

Rock On, Yeh Hai Waqt Ka Ishaara
J

Abhi To Picture Baaki Hai Mere Dost

I do not intend to hand out a leaflet of pop philosophy to the 5 (or 7) of you reading this piece, but there's something I strongly believe in - that things in the present would outweigh things in the past in its level of importance, not by virtue of magnitude but by virtue of recency. I call it the Theory of Recency (a particularly sad attempt at sounding like Einstein).

Bindra and co scooping up the booty from Bejing, a 44 year old female republican running mate in the US of A, the burial of a middle class dream at Singur, the Men in Blue charting another success story and much more in the space of a week,seems good enough for the week to be a 'podium position week'. Well, the hard part is that Theory of Recency mostly defies conventional logic. So the current week, which, as yet, has two key headline news items - the author watching the movie Rock On and 101.3 FM Rainbow turning 7, suddenly has started looking a landmark red letter week. Probably a case of the relatable things staying on top of the mind. Maybe its just my new Theory of Relativity. So for all practical purposes, I am Einstein. Face it.

So my theories are not making much sense yet. Well I guess some people were just meant to talk about things which they know best, so I will stick the Fevi to radio (I own the patent for that one). It's about 10 years now since the concept of FM for mass entertainment kicked in, the first time in India. With the launch of AIR FM in its various forms and avatars and RadioCity as the first private radio station 7 years ago, things looked bright. Some stalwarts booked their spot in the limelight. Some others made quiet progress. Yours Truly began his journey with FM Metro in Chennai in 2000 continuing on to 2002 and then making a start with FM Rainbow in Bangalore by mid 2004 on till this day. Thats a decent 6 plus years to have had a relationship with radio. Its been quite a climb and I have to reminisce back to the day I did my first show in Chennai to my first day in Bangalore and then proceed to count the slip ups, goof ups, gaffes and howlers that have been part of my journey. And trust me, suddenly my CV isnt looking as impressive as I want it to be.

I started out my stint with radio reading news, presenting science programs, doing an arbit late night 30 minute show in addition to reading out program highlights for the primary channel (the one that you always called AIR - on the AM waves). My first break on FM came in on a substitution call for an RJ who was down with the runs I believe. Well fact is that I had a sense of cold confidence that I was this supercool bloke who could just walk in to the FM station and steal the thunder out of God Odin's lap. So I braced up for the opportunity and headed for my first show, music all fixed up, mind all set, script all written out just in case. The show timing was from 7 pm to 9 pm. And as I turned up the fader and went live for the first time in my life, I shouted out GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD MORNNNNNNNNNNNNINGGGGGGGGG CHENNNNNNNNNNNAIIIIIII, ITS 7 PM NOW, HOW'RE YOU DOING. What an ass, do I have to say the rest!!!!! I lived in depression for long after that day and that eventful beginning scarred my entire stint with the FM station at Chennai.

I had a much more confident start at Bangalore and its surprising that the nightmare of Chennai never visited me here. I like to believe that its been smooth going for the most part. The listener base from both cities, diametrically different in many respects, have provided a wonderful study in contrast. But one common trait would be that both cities contain an amazingly well informed set of international music listeners. To say that radio has shaped my personality, would be an understatement of sorts. It has MADE me. Period.

The progress would'nt slow down from hereon, I can assure you. Abhi to picture baaki hai mere dost.

Love,peace and brotherhood (thats the woodstock '69 caption line by the way, which I shamelssly use without a license)

J