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Gangai Amaran interview

Topic started by Manian (@ slip129-37-195-115.nc.us.ibm.net) on Tue Sep 8 22:42:50 EDT 1998.
All times in EST +10:30 for IST.

Hi folks:
Here is the URL for the latest interview
by Gangai Amaran conducted by Indiadirect people.
http://www.indiadirect.com/audio/index.html
It is an interesting interview, and among various
things, he reveals that he was the one who
penned the song 'Mannil Indha Kaadhal andri'
from Keladi Kanmani.

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Responses:

• Old responses
  
• From: kiruba (@ slipper.watcom.on.ca) on: Sun Sep 13 18:31:47 EDT 1998
  
  Two years back or so I went to GA Music Concert in Palo Alto, CA. When fans asked him how come IRs music lack the sweetness of 80s music he said that it is not true and proceeded to sing a new song that was supposedly sweet ( i dont remember it right now). I am surprised by this interview (have not heard it so far). Will go home and try it.
  
  But we all have to remember we should not let our respect/appreciation for somebody's contribution based on their personal lives.
  
  Even Einstein is supposed to have been rude to his wife or something like that. That does not mean Theory or Relativity is any bad.
  
  
• From: Srikanth (@ slip-32-101-16-226.il.us.ibm.net) on: Sun Sep 13 21:25:06 EDT 1998
  
  Hi,
  Rajesh: If you read my first posting - (one one bothered to post in this thread for a week until I did) - I told Ga has point in what he says...in the interview. He never underestimated or spoke bad about the talents of the brother anywhere in the interview, he told about his personal problems with Raja - which I agreed to an extent, but few here started to bash! GA as usual. I tried to argue for GA, he as point to make!, let him make.
  Do not bash him just for the reason he a gave a interview in which he had mentioned a few lines about few bad qualities of his brother who happend to Raja, we would have not bothered if GA brother was somebody else.
  
  (Anyone who dares to speak against raja , becomes a traitor! here - I dont agree to this).
  Thanks for absorbing my responses, I will improve in future. "Palum Velupu - Kalum Velupu!"
  ....my tiny brain must know how to identify them, which is not, I will do better next time.Sorry if I have hurt anyone feelings.
  
  Srikanth
  
  
• From: Krishna (@ mailserver01.sb.com) on: Mon Sep 14 08:14:21 EDT 1998
  
  Srinath & Rajesh:
  
  I am glad you guys are finally seeing through the "phony" attacks on IR fans while they find the slightest opportunity to throw mud on IR. Don't fall for their so called neutrality or music expertise. The fact that these guys are talking about ARR in the same vain as IR, who has accomplished so much, tells you volumes of their neutrality.
  
  While we need to discuss the great wotks that IR is giving even today, let's not get into arguements on these with these guys. Because, based on their "neutrality" we know that they are only going to disparage anything IR does. If they feel that "Haira Haira" is what they want, they only deserve that. They are never going to apprecaite "Meetadha orv veenai" or "Iniya malargal malrum" or "alamarthu kiliye kiliye" or "gurucharnam" or other brilliant songs that IR is giving in so-called "off" dyas of his. Let us IR fans enjoy his music and ignore these guys!
  
  
• From: Swami (@ wproxy.dl.nec.com) on: Mon Sep 14 11:58:09 EDT 1998
  
  Guys,
  One thing we should accept is, music is for a common man, who walks on the streets and gazes on hearing that song. And definitely not a complex tune with start in B-major, ending in X-major, blah blah, which only THE SO PROCLAIMED PRIVILEGED PEOPLE IN THIS forum can understand. Come on guys and gals, a man who is amazing us still by his work, has to depend on GA for his success. Give me a break. Then I should read people saying had not K.Balachander not bought a Reynolds pen his movies wouldn't have been a hit. Of course there were people who helped IR morally for his sucess. I've been to one of IR's recordings and I've seen what he is. So lets discuss something sensible, instead of discussing some cheap things like "The reason for IR's success is X, Y, Z....." and getting a "alpa" sandosham.
  
  >Swami.
  
  
• From: Swami (@ wproxy.dl.nec.com) on: Mon Sep 14 11:58:19 EDT 1998
  
  Guys,
  One thing we should accept is, music is for a common man, who walks on the streets and gazes on hearing that song. And definitely not a complex tune with start in B-major, ending in X-major, blah blah, which only THE SO PROCLAIMED PRIVILEGED PEOPLE IN THIS forum can understand. Come on guys and gals, a man who is amazing us still by his work, has to depend on GA for his success. Give me a break. Then I should read people saying had not K.Balachander not bought a Reynolds pen his movies wouldn't have been a hit. Of course there were people who helped IR morally for his success. I've been to one of IR's recordings and I've seen what he is. So lets discuss something sensible, instead of discussing some cheap things like "The reason for IR's success is X, Y, Z....." and getting a "alpa" sandosham.
  
  >Swami.
  
  
• From: Udhaya (@ 205.218.142.217) on: Mon Sep 14 14:27:44 EDT 1998
  
  Udhaya, it's 3:15 in the morning and the interview is just concluding. I spent all this time listening to it primarily because an "apparently impartial" person like you seemed to find some credibility in it. Bulls..t ! You and Srikanth are no better than the IR fanatics here. You seem to find something obscene about IR's success - so much so that you want to take it away from him. This will teach me never to expect others to play by the same fair rules as I do. I was splitting ARR apart when, at your obvious displeasure, I stopped and rightly so, I believe - unfortunately you haven't. You people can never have enough of insulting IR. I have only seen him as an genius MD. You only see in him a devious, wily, scheming, traitorious, opportunistic, selfish, greedy person. Obviously one of us is looking at the wrong end of things.
  
  Srinath,
  What did I say that was so prejudiced? I called GA magnanimous because he openly praised ARR and Deva for their positives. He also dissed all the new MDs for their lack of melodies. I listened to the full interview too, and I don't see any disparaging remarks made by GA about IR. I even wondered if it was sour grapes on the part of GA but it doesn't suit the rest of his personality. This is all I observed. I don't know where you got all you got from my posting. In another thread I nominated IR's "Vaanaththu Thaaragaiyo" as the tune of the year. I sincerely find no personal, emotional or aesthetic pleasure in dissing IR. The only consistant things I have held to are that, nobody should be deified, nobody is immaculate, nobody merits blind faith. I'm responding at length because you sound like I have let you down somehow, I haven't. I gave my take on GA, if you don't agree, fine, it doesn't mean I've lost my objectivity.
  
  
• From: A Fan (@ chcgb110-02.splitrock.net) on: Mon Sep 14 19:42:35 EDT 1998
  
  Swami, Krishna, you are right about IR's still remaining in the hearts and minds of the common man. That is what is the difficult thing to achieve. we can please a the pretentious new generation listeners by simply setting the rhythms on the yamaha organ on, youdont need a song on top of that! Who is touching our soul. Upto and including IR all our composers did, not Deva or ARR, they are touching our minds only.
  
  
• From: Srinath (@ 175-131-157.ipt.aol.com) on: Mon Sep 14 23:36:07 EDT 1998
  
  Udhaya:
  My enemy's enemy is my friend - e.g., GA praising ARR. Of course, this is not an exact measurement of the relationship between GA/IR/ARR, but it gives a fair idea of why GA, who did not speak a word about ARR all this while, suddenly noticed a genius in him.
  I know for a fact, Udhaya, that you are not naive - and I mean it sincerely, not sarcastically. How could you not see through the vitriol that GA was pouring out towards IR ? That is where I feel you should take another look at your objectivity. Either you missed something, trying to be 'not-pro-IR' or you are openly defying the obvious. I'd rather think it was the former.
  Magnanimity is not restricted to praising ARR. Do you really think one has to be magnanimous to praise ARR ? See !, you know best how easy it is to play around with words and say the obvious and even while meaning the 'not-quite-so-obvious'. The controversial statements in that interview were without any basis. Paraphrasing GA, "yaar thittamo yennamo theryilla, veramadhiri yosichadu accidentalla yennaka nalladha poyiduchu" - about IR pushing him into direction0. To add other clues, he also says, "andha periodla yennaka thaan adhigama padam vandhirindhadhu, Ilayaraajavukku kammiya thaan varum. Avar level vera, Sivaji, Rajni, Kamal...". What do you think I should make out of that statement ? Only a HARD CORE ARR FAN would think of it as a casual, innocent statement. That was a loaded statement. Even if it had been uttered alone, I might have given some credence to it. But accompanied by the previous statement, there is no way that anybody can mistake the import of that statement - except HARD CORE ARR FANs. He was obviously throwing stones at IR. Your first posting seemed to be condoning GA's statements. Udhaya, I might have been a little severe with my words, but that is because, as you mentioned, I felt badly let down.
  Anyway, I didn't want to be sugary and sweet when I didn't feel it. But putting this thread back into perspective, my honest opinion is that GA was being vindictive towards IR in that interview and that his comments lack a sincerity. Obviously, you feel otherwise. Please let me take this opportunity to withdraw any aspersions that I may have cast on you personally. My grouse now is only with GA, certainly not you or Srikanth, though I certainly wish Srikanth would stop berating all IR fans as fanatics :-)
  
  
• From: Udhaya (@ 205.218.142.217) on: Tue Sep 15 13:45:57 EDT 1998
  
  Srinath,
  I did take the interview casually as all non-political interviews are. GA was just shooting the breeze. I'm not a HARDCORE FAN of any single musician (maybe you missed my posting where I labelled ARR's Ratchagan, Asokan, and Fantasy as sheer crap.) If a piece sounds good I don't care who made it, I would appreciate his/her music (I have openly admired many of Deva's originals, yes there are a few of us objective folks here).
  
  Now let's look at GA's statement, "Avar level vera, Sivaji, Rajni, Kamal, etc" "naan low budget padangal, perumbaalum M.A. Kaaja padangal pannittirundhaen..." Now how do you take this as a begrudging statement? It is a very matter-of-fact, true statement, IR was in a different league than GA. If anything, when GA feels pushed (whether or not it is true is immaterial here) it is just angalaaippu on his part, not a "Oh, my brother ruined me" type of sentiment. But what is also puzzling is that, you give no room for the possibility that IR may have pushed (as many big brothers do)GA into a field where he(IR)thought GA would blossom best without taking into account what GA wanted to do most. Now this forcing need not be taken as a selfish motivation on IR's part, it could be a bigger brother mapping out a younger brother's life. While GA accepted this push, he may now have yearnings for a career as a more focussed MD and not a Jack of all trades. This interpretation is entirely possible from the interview.
  
  I'm not twisting words around, I didn't take it as an unravelling of IR's schemes or a disgruntled brother's views. GA speaks while he thinks, his words ring true to me, if you thought he was joining the opposite camp then I'm not with you on that interpretation. I see GA as someone who has become his own person, outside the shadow of his brother; someone who sees his brother as a man and not a flawless God, an infallible brother.
  
  I do think GA is magnanimous because, he openly appreciated the good things of Deva and ARR and also openly admitted his various flops as a director. He isn't against IR because he became indignant when defending IR's tune "Oh, Priya Priya" being plaguerized by a Northie copycat into a National award.
  
  Srikanth doesn't pull his punches, but when IR is constantly referred to as God it kind of blurs the line between fan and fanatic, don't you think?
  
  
• From: Srinath (@ socks10d.raleigh.ibm.com) on: Tue Sep 15 14:34:11 EDT 1998
  
  Udhaya:
  I was talking about GA when I described how words could be said one way and meant quite the other way.
  
  Now let's look at GA's statement, "Avar level vera, Sivaji, Rajni, Kamal, etc" "naan low budget padangal, perumbaalum M.A. Kaaja padangal pannittirundhaen..." Now how do you take this as a begrudging statement?
  
  I take this as a begrudging statement because I felt GA's tone suggested that he was in no way inferior to IR but IR got the bigger banners only because of his popularity. IR level vera - because IR oda therama vera levella irukku. IR oda directors/actors mattum vera levella illa. I find it incredible that you did not interpret it this way. GA said it as if IR's talent had nothing to do with the big banners that he got. I am always wary about objectivity because if you are not careful enough you might end up over-balancing the other way. This is purely my opinion - you would know best about your own objectivity.
  
  If Srikanth doesn't want to hold back his punches, he must only be prepared to face the same retaliation from others. You may discount the opinions of others who feel that Srikanth is taking undue advantage of his knowledge in music. But I think it is significant because not very long back there were several people asking Srikanth to help out with a lot of technical stuff. Agreed, he complies more often than not, but then he ends up undoing all his good work by losing his cool with IR fans. Just as you have never called yourself a HC ARR fan, I too have never called IR God. I appreciate the man his talent, not the persona. I don't expect you to change your opinions because I say so or because so many people disagree with you. Only you know why you tend to believe someone like GA who sounded as phony as phony could be to me.
  The interpretation of objectivity itself is subjective. If you look back at the "greatest MD...blah...blah" threads you will find that I have used objectivity as the reason why IR is a better MD than ARR. Reason is an absolute. Truth is an absolute. GA and his statements are not. So let's just leave it at that. Please do not misinterpret my statements as some kind of a proclamation on your view point - I agree our views are different and I don't really mind it that way.
  
  There's no excuse for the way IR fan(atic)s diefy IR. But are they all 'stupid' ? Is that all that their devotion means ? Is it really blind faith ? Have you ever considered the fact that they may not be aware of other avenues of appreciating IR or expressing their gratitude for the countless hours of pleasure that IR has given them ? Have you ever wondered if it might be a lack of ability to communicate rather than evil intentions ? You who could be so understandig with GA, why are you so unrelenting with our own DFers ? I have the gift of expression and can be quite eloquent in my praise of IR and at the same time sound reasonable. Not everybody can do that. Maybe it's time you became more forgiving. It is in this context that Srikanth is as bad as the IR fanatics, if not in intensity atleast in style of expression.
  
  

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