NO SEX, SOME DRUGS AND A LIL-BIT-O ROCK ‘n ROLL” Part IV: BACK TO BENGALURU;

Extract from my autobiography “NO SEX, SOME DRUGS AND A LIL-BIT-O ROCK ‘n ROLL”

Part IV: BACK TO BENGALURU;

22.08.2015

GRATEFULLY DEAD OR UNGRATEFULLY ALIVE?

When I came back to Bangalore in 1980, I had high hopes of pushing my music career further. I now had a Double Bass & an electric Guitar too. I headed straight for my old haunts. The first was Shekar’s place on Mosque Road. Right from the late 60s, this had been our unofficial Club House. I had kept track of the old Chod Gang in my eight years at Allahabad. I had heard that they were often active on the Music & Cultural scene and occasionally got their energies to put up a show. Just after I left to Allahabad, Shekar had organized the premier of Woodstock-The Movie and this show had opened with two local bands.

In fact, almost immediately after I came back the gang put up the “Embryo” concert one of the first public performances by a European Rock Band. There was a second Band – the Dada Dogs, mostly Germans. The Bass Guitarist was actually a Romanian of Gypsy ethnicity. One day, he and I went on an excursion some distance outside the city to drink “Bhatti”. This is a strong local fire water brew mainly made by Lambadis & Banjaras. We were served in a small hut in a tiny hamlet. The elders gathered around to ogle the strange European. They were talking and laughing among themselves pointing at him often.

Suddenly, the German turned to me and said:

“Chod, I can understand what they are talking!”

“Oh don’t worry,” I said reassuringly, “I’m sure they are not talking anything bad about you.”

“Yes, I know that.” He said, “I can understand the language they are speaking. It is very close to my mother tongue!”

I informed the old natives who were equally surprised. The German spent quite a time chatting with the old men and several liters of brew were consumed.

Eight hundred years after they were taken as slaves from India by Timur the Lame, the German Gypsy had found his ancestors.

The Embryo event was a truly pioneering and path breaking effort. After this there has been a steady flow of Foreign Music Performers & Bands. Today, the top most Super Bands are eager to perform in Bangalore and get the payments they ask for. Events are organized by huge Event Management Companies with vast Budgets, even vaster Sponsorships and it is a multimillion business.

But back in 1980 / 81, my own Gang of a few guys who got together in Shekar’s place, put their own “pocket money” together, organized the show and made a rather very small profit – not too much, but enough to get the “Boom”. Once all the accounts were settled, one of the boys would go down to Thekady or Idduki in Kerala and come back with some very good grass which would last everyone for some time. When it got consumed, it was time to get the next event together.

Like this, several events were organized over a period of about three years which included Foreign and Indian Artistes, Indian & Western Contemporary and Traditional genres.

But I really wanted to play music rather than organize it. I had come to Bangalore with high expectations – there would be more gigs, more musicians to jam with and more money to be earned than at Allahabad.

But the reality was different. For foreign artists and guest performers there was a niche market. But for local working musicians like myself, it was not so easy. It also did not pay very well. For a performer it was necessary to do as many gigs as possible to earn even a subsistence livelihood. There were three avenues to secure work all round the year.

You could play in a Restaurant – an upmarket Star Hotel usually for dinner. There were, in all half a dozen of these. You had to dress very formally and behave your best in these “stiff-upper-lip” joints and often you would have one of the Staff asking you to reduce your volume. The audience is largely uninterested – they have come to eat. The restaurant has music for three prime reasons:

a)      The customer mind is taken off the long wait for his order.

b)      The customer’s mind is taken off the mediocre, stale food.

c)      The customer’s mind is taken off conversation and he gets out soon.

Eventually, the pay in these Star Hotels was only marginally better than the CABARET.

The Cabaret was the total antithesis of the Star Hotel. Here, the audience came to hear the music. And many more to ogle the Dancing Girls. Or some wanted to “sit company” with one of the strippers. The ambience was as sleazy as it can get. The stench of bad liquor, tobacco and smelly toilets permeated right down to the entrance. The food was so bad that all musicians either ate at home or kept to the “daal & rice” served to the staff. The Cabaret musicians were however a jolly lot, there was a lot of Horse Play even on stage and there was a “bonhomie” among the whole community. It was common for us to go around to each other’s Cabaret Hotels and join the band playing for the evening. While the Star Hotels featured only Western Music mostly played very softly. The Cabaret Bands belted out at earsplitting volume all genres of music – from Western, Indian Film Music, Classical & Folk, even Egyptian Belly Dancing music. Comparatively the Star Hotel guys were a gloomy lot.

Playing music in CABARET hotels was, at the very best, a disreputable profession. At worst, you were ranked just one rung above Prostitutes in the social ladder. It was embarrassing for my daughters to admit what their father did for a living. It is no wonders that only those desperate enough to do this for the bleak money actually got into it. Like I did, in 1990, when I was literally starving.

There was one other opening for any musical talent and that was the “Orchestra” Band. These played essentially for Hindu Wedding Receptions. But this was limited by the Calendar. There are, in a year only 80 “Muhurtham” or Auspicious days. (not counting the Brahmins who marry when no one does – during “Aashaada” or the Inauspicious period.). A few more gigs could be had at Pongal, Ganesha, Divali and Rajyotsava celebrations. These bands played predominantly Indian Film Music. Languages in and around Bangalore included Kannada, Hindi, Telugu, Tamil and very rarely, English. The Bands were usually larger ensembles – a dozen or more. It was a lot of fun for me playing in “Orchestra” Bands. The Music was catchy, fast often with raunchy lyrics. The best fun was playing on a makeshift stage by the roadside in a very poor slum or lower class area. The audiences would be very enthusiastic making the best of some entertainment in their dismal lives and extremely appreciative of the performers. I usually played Bass Guitar and would find several Rs.10 notes attached by Safety pin onto my shirt. Under the makeshift stage there would be a hundred small kids, huddled and crouching in the dark, enjoying the music at earsplitting volume!!

I had developed a very open attitude to music and had become willing to learn playing any genre. I knew I could fit in any of the above, provided I got an opportunity. However, it was very difficult to break into a circle already overpopulated with musicians, many very good.

My arrival in Bangalore was quite an anti-climax. I headed to our old “Head Quarters” with a bottle of liquor and high hopes.

Shekar & the old gang were there. They refused the liquor as they now did not drink but only smoked grass (Ganja) in pipes (Chillums). Parvez, Roy, Adil, Emu and a few others would get together at Shekar’s place every evening as in the old days. It was a period of temporary inactivity. They played bridge – round after round in perfect silence. Not in full silence really. There would be Grateful Dead, Grateful Dead and only Grateful Dead playing out album after album. My request to change the music was firmly turned down. In fact, the only comment I was allowed to make for over a couple of hours was “Hey Guys, can we make another smoke?”

It was ridiculous. It put me off the Grateful Dead – I was even playing a few of their songs at that time. I decided I would rather be “Ungratefully Alive” and moved to Barry’s Garage where I parked the Double Bass.

BARRY’S GARAGE:

April 2, 2015

 (I had written this earlier as an obit to the late Barry Reay)

BARRY’S GARRAGE:

When I moved back to Bangalore in 1980, I came in with my new Double Bass that I had bought for Rs. 725/- in Chennai and spent Rs. 800/- to transport it to Bangalore.

It was too bulky & big to keep at home, and anyway, if I ever played it, I had to be accompanied with at least a “Chunk-Chunk” of guitar and a “Thump-buck-lot-lot” on some kind of percussion instrument.

The place where “free Music” was happening was “Barry’s Garage” a true garage with a tiled roof.

Various Musicians, Intellectuals, Proletariat, Young people with a zest for life, the joi-de-vivere, all converged daily at “Barry’s Garage” for some hours of pure fellowship, music, marijuana and memories.

I’ve played and enjoyed some wonderful “Jams” in Barry’s Garage.  

Among the Musicians I have had the pleasure to “jam” with include Peter Isaac, (The best bluesman I’ve Known), Junior (only rasta) & Adolf, sons of Eddie of the “Rhythm Stars” from the 1950s!! Lots of others, please forgive me if I do not mention……

In my over 45 years playing the guitar the two decades I spent in “Barry’s Garage” contributed immensely to my music.