Friday, February 10, 2006

Breaking the stereotype and doing a bad job of it
The worst accompaniment to any star-studded interview: gratitude. I think it came over the SFNA team because the session originally scheduled for 4 pm was postponed so many times we were thankful it was happening at all. That feeling was reinforced by noticing the very fidgety GR team members. This atmosphere of sycophancy prevented a lot of the correct questions from getting asked. The members of Euphoria though still managed to give away a lot of themselves. Dr.Palash Sen shattered to pieces the image one has of an artist in general and of a rock star in particular.
The interview was set over dinner and Palash joined us towards the end of it. We asked him as the others questions he had previously been asked and he replied with what were expected answers. It started off well with Palash telling us why he hates being a musician. The aura that one associates with a rock star prevents him from actually getting to know the real person behind the microphone and that according to Palash was something he did not like. Later in the discussion however Palash tells us why singers like Rahul Vaidya and Abhijeet Sawant shall have only fifteen minutes of fame. As their lives are so publicized, with scenes of them cooking along with their moms, they shall never have an element of mystery surrounding them and so very soon they shall just fade away from the public’s memory. Right, Dr. Sen! So you do not like an aura being placed around you but you’d still have it because it helps rake in the moolah?
He tells us he always wanted to be an English rock star so we ask him what triggered his departure from that dream. Who would listen to us then is his very ready reply. Like no one would accept a ‘black’ playing the sitar he says people would never be receptive of an Indian singing in English. Ever heard of the band Parikrama, sir or Orange Street for that matter? As he broaches on the subject himself the question remains unasked. What audience would groups like those ever manage to garner asks he a bunch of guys in Delhi another in Bombay but what about guys like you in Kharagpur? Just because we invite someone twice does not necessarily mean you are all we ever listen to!
From a reliable source who attended Euphoria’s concert at Delhi we came to know the supposedly exclusive song from their new album which they sung here had already been played before there and there as well had been preceded by those very same lines.
Talk about contradicting yourself within the span of one question. On being asked how he feels about coming back to Kharagpur the second time Palash responds with the obvious “great” and then continues about how packed the schedule of the band is and how they accept very few offers to do stage shows. In other words “Kgp should be so thankful I agreed to come back when I am actually so busy.” He goes on about how after Kgp they leave for Bombay then Hyderabad followed by Cochin then Ahmedabad and Chennai and Delhi.
“For video shoots for your new album Sir?”
“Oh no for concerts”!?

Its still tolerable when banshees scream because you expect them to but it demands a rethink of the basic principles of life when innocence turns sour.It demands a rethink when fairies cry,when unicorns bleed.When heroes die.