The Day The Music Died

Today, twenty years ago, the music died on me. 


It came as a shock, and though rumours had been abound, I had refused to listen to them. Although I knew that it was forthcoming, still when the day came, I was stunned. I grew up admiring him and adoring his music and boy, did he come out with some everlasting songs and music in his lifetime. 

I was only 13 when he won the 1976 Bintang RTM singing competition, singing Seruling Bambu and Big Spender and he made a big impression on me. Of course all the boys at MRSM KB who was watching (at the tv room above the Dewan Makan) had a field day with the latter song, due to the double meaning of the title of the song. Double meaning never ceases to amuse men! Or boys in this case, and everybody would go around, screaming, “Hey, big spender!”

When he released his first EP Teriring Doa, I had no hesitancy in buying it (though on second thought, I think that probably it was Mak who bought it at my request). I think it cost her RM1.75 for the EP – big money those days, mind you. Now, many would claim to be his fans, but not many would be able to claim to have his original vinyl from his first release – long before he became very big with his releases in 1980. 

The songs were great premonition of what the future holds for him. The title song is great but I especially love the song “Suratku Yang Ini” – in this song, a girl is reading up her letter, telling his boyfriend/lover/husband about how frustrating and confused she is with his ‘immense’ love. She sounds so frail in this song – all the more reasons to really love this song. (Being the incurable romantic that I was, huh?)

First ever EP in 1977. From my own personal collection

His second album Aku Penghiburmu in 1978 (though he in a later album referred to it as his first) was to take him to greater height. It’s an unforgettable album, more so for the fact that I was very disappointed with Ahmad Nawab for giving his songs (Kasih, Gugur Ditangkai Madu and Aku Penghiburmu) to the late Broery Marantika when the former left EMI for WEA and Sudir had to compete with Broery for the fans’ preference. Mak being a Broery’s fan, thought that Broery’s delivery was better, while I was rooting and advocating for the newbie. On the radio, you would hear both versions being aired, competing for our attentions. It was unreal. Those were the extra-ordinary days.

Then, obviously I lived on Sudir’s songs. My siblings and I would take turn buying his vinyls, and his vinyls did not only contain great songs, but also contain his funny sketches. (He is such a good artist!) No, we didn’t have to wait until we were sure that they would become popular, we knew we were going to love all his songs! 


It was as simple as that.

Anyway, it is not my intention to list down all his songs, but suffice to say that all the songs in his albums are great song. Beyond getting great compositions from S Atan, he wrote many songs himself – Aku Penganggur, “Nilai Cintamu” and “Dimanakah Nilai Cintamu are some of the great songs written by him. Now, that’s rare in those days; no, make it even today. Most singers would be relying on the songs factory that was Ahmad Nawab.

Maya and Ana (tak dapat dilupakan) are two beautiful songs written for two girls. Maya is about his childhood sweetheart with whom he had happy memories - a song that will always remain in my heart. However Ana is perhaps more melancholic (I still melt hearing the orchestral violin, and the saxophone) – I love both nonetheless.

Some of my Sudir's LP collection

In 1980, he came out two great albums – Anak Muda and Lagu Anak Desa. Now that’s a rarity by today’s standard – that an artist is able to release two albums in a year – normally he would be lucky to have one a year. He was at the height of his popularity and creativity. I think I had memorized all the songs from those albums and would be humming his songs at every opportunity while of course preparing for my SPM. 

A best friend, Kodeq (one Madhadzir Hassan from Darwin 5), noted in jest in my autograph book at the end of 1980, in his Penang slang, “Hang ni lagi satu, fanatik sangat kat Sudirman, semua lagu dia hang suka, sampai baghah telinga aku, berlendir malah berlendiaq.” Hahaha, correct, Deq, you are 100% correct, well said! That’s me in the late 70s and nothing has changed in 2007.

I still remember that day in 1992. It was mid-day, the end of a half day working Saturday, while waiting for my bus at Central Market (I was working at Dayabumi), when The Malay Mail (they were then an afternoon edition) broke the news of his death. I was crushed but I knew exactly how an article should be written in tribute to him in the newspaper. I called up a reporter at the The Star and told her to use the phrase from the Don McClean’s song (American Pie) “the day the music died” as a title for her write-up. She did just that for an article that contained interviews with Sudir’s fans, including this writer. (Of course having the uncommon surname Hariri would prevent my full name from appearing in that article, since the reporter is another Hariri. That would be nepotism, wouldn’t it?). The title and my rambling appeared on Page 3 of The Star the next day and I had a personality change to H.Abdul Rahman. That was my two paragraphs worth of fame!

The Day After - Dad and son in a solemn mood as they reflect on life without his music at their home in Sri Gombak. On the table were the day's newspapers and his LPs. The headlines that say Sudir is Dead (Malay Mail), Sudirman Sudah Mati (Metro), Sudir Dies (The Star) had caused a furore and they had to explained their reasons for choosing such insensitive title no matter how correct the language was. I used to keep the clippings till I lost them a few years back after moving one house too many.

Newspaper reporting his death on Feb 23, 1992

That day, the music had died on me. To me Sudirman is The Music. Sure, his music lives on and will outlive me, but The Music died that day!

Alfatihah.

Tags: sudir

Thursday February 22, 2007 - 12:32am (SGT) Permanent Link | 1 Comment

Ohh..those fragile Japanese women

Of all the countries in the world, I would not have expected them to do it. In fact, I thought they would be the last country in the world to be able to do it.

With due respect to them.

I am of course referring to Japan winning the Women's World Cup.

One of the commentators mentioned after game that Japan had the smallest team in the WC. I am not sure what he mean by that. I did not follow this world cup other than what were shown on the news daily and if there was none (on telly), than I would not know about it.

He could have meant that Japan has the smallest contingent in term of numbers, or he could have meant that Japan's team members, on average, have the smallest physical attributes in term of height and weight.

And I would not be surprised by such statistic.

I believe - and I am not backed by any statistic - that Japanese players would be the smallest physically and I don't know what possessed them to play like they did, and in the process won themselves, and their nation, the World Cup.

I have spent many months staying there - for a total of over a year, cumulatively, in their early 90s, and I must say that Japanese women, to my eyes, are the most fragile women I have seeen or met. 

Much more fragile than Malay women for sure.

They are very soft-spoken and the most well mannered persons in the whole world. I have read somewhere  - I think in the aftermath of the tsunami recently, that if you wish to see the Moslems at the height of the Islamic civilization, they should see just to see the Japanese. They are a first class society, and I would say that there is no equivalent society in the rest of the world.

Ours included.

Or should I say, ours especially!

I think we all remember how people would queue for their food rations in the aftermath of the tsunami and not like in US where there were heavy looting. We are no better, and we should remember the accident that happened on the hiway with hundreds of thousands of coins spilling on the hiway.

Many motorists had a field day then!

The end of our training at Tokuyama during one of my
visits there in 1988.

During my training days in Tokuyama, with nothing much to do after office hours, I would listen to Japanese music especially the traditional songs on the telly, obviously without knowing the lyrics or a single Japanese word.

Well, not quite, but close I guess.

And I love most of them. Typically of course they were sung by female singers, and I must say they sound so fragile as the songs would typically be so melancholic. I think the songs was probably about yearning for love or home or the country, I don't know. And coupled with the fact that the Japanese language is such a soft and melodic, they sound like they were in such much pain - not unlike our Asli songs, I must add, and that in turn made them so beautiful to my ears.

So I decided that I need to bring a couple of them home - the songs I mean (not the singers, as I was already married by then). But not knowing the singers, and the songs' titles were not a deterrent to me. All I need to do was bring the lyrics as I had phonetically spelt them, and sing them to the instructors and luckily one of them knew at least two songs; so I was able to then buy a couple of cassettes of Japanese melodies.

I know that's the very reason I love those Malay songs that were adapted from the Japanese song in 70s. There are too numerous to mention, but one stands out even today - Ku Ingin Bahagia by Rina Rahman.

I jokingly told my boss then, when I reported back for duty after my many trips there, that the announcement over the loudspeaker (presumably announcing on the day's event at the office, or safety announcement) sounded very much like the whispers of two lovers in bed!

Soft and romantic.

Hahaha, since this is PG13 site, I don't think I can divulge anything beyond that. I'll just let your imagination run wild for now!

I remember walking to the JGC office many times from the train station and I would be greeted by the ladies from the office. One morning, I stopped by a convenient store and while browsing for some stuff - I was so engrossed and was in deep thought (I think I was thinking of what I was going to have for lunch), I was greeted by one of them.

"Ohaiyo gonzaimas, Hariri-san. How are you this morning?"

My heart skipped a beat that morning. It was too melodic for my ears. May be I had been away for too long!

They were so soft-spoken that they spoke in whisper mode, and like they were singing. For a moment, I thought that some Japanese gals were trying to pick on me, but luckily I quickly recognized them and returned their greetings. Aah, well. ;-)

In Malaysia, our announcers sound like she (or he) is having a fight with herself in an empty room!

But in any case, good on them; the Japanese girls. We need to learn on how physicals are not a imitation to winning football matches and in this particular case, at the highest standard of football world, albeit one for the women.

I wonder how our Harimau Malaya would fare against the Japanese team in a match at Bukit Jalil.

The gals one, I mean.

EPILOGUE

What's my point really?

Well, football is supposed to be a physical game and there have been many analysts who pointed out the different physical between Asian players and their European counterparts, and reckon that Asian countries would not win the World Cup any time soon.

I am sure their analyses are no longer valid.

If the Japanese gals can do it, why not us?

What say you?

My sympathy and condolence with the Japanese people

If there is one country I admire the most; a country that I think the world of; that country would be Japan.

When I graduated with an engineering degree in 1985, I first worked with Korean engineers. My boss was Korean. Most of the equipment were made in Korea; there were only a couple of items that were made in Japan.

But it was the Japanese who stole my heart with their brilliance, engineering ingenuity and sheer dedication. And it is a lifetime admiration. I got to know about them and their traits first hand when I was sent to Japan under the Japan Cooperation Centre for Petroleum (JCCP) in 1988, and in the early 90s I nearly made Japan my second home by going there every few months for nearly two years.

Me as a young engineer in Chiba on Sept 28, 1988. I was the youngest
engineer in the group 9 engineers from Africa and Asia being
trained in Japan by JCCP.

Tokyo, Yokohama, Chiba, Kobe, Kyoto and the southern city of Tokuyama were some of the cities I spent time in while I was in Japan.

My admiration grew every time I was there.

The Chiba refinery in the background in 1988. Chiba
will rise again, insyaAllah.

In this difficult time for Japan and her people, I would like to reminisce on my time in Japan and the sweet memories I have of friends and colleagues from the Japanese archipelago, and I would like to wish them all the best for their future in face of the devastating earthquake and tsunami.

I know in the end, they will be ok. In fact they will rise from the ashes of this tragedy.

They have risen before from the ashes, literally.

They are after all the Japanese.

Off the Coast of Kobe

Japan has always fascinated me.

I thought they are the most organized nation and people and it never ceases to amaze me of their work ethics and efficiency. If only we could have a fraction of their traits, we would have been a developed nation by the new millennium.

We would not still be chasing a moving target, and a conditional one at that, as we are right now.

I first went to Japan in 1988 under the Japan Cooperation Centre for Petroleum (JCCP) scholarship as a rookie engineer, less than a year after leaving a cement plant to join the local national oil organization. Even tough I had been a cement plant engineer prior to that, I thought I was even quicker on my job as an oil engineer, and hence I was sent to Japan even though I have not been confirmed in the job.

Since then, I have been to Japan a few times, with stay of more than a month each time. I have grown to love the Japanese food and could survive a month without curry. But only a month, after which I would be craving for it, and would rush to Maharaja restaurant in Yokohama, even though it was many hours by the Shinkansen.

Of course many of us could not even stand the smell of the food at the plant's canteen. Not yours truly though. He would be happily devouring anything Japanese then. It was easy for him as they have lotsa of sea food meals - the udons, and the tempura especially. No maggie noodles were required in Japan.

Unfortunately I may have misplaced the pic I took while I was in Tokuyama, Hiroshima, Osaka, Tokyo, Kyoto and Yokohama - on numerous trips of course, and thought I should for the record post these picture we took off the coast of Kobe, if I am not mistaken, when I spent 2 month training and learning about oil tankers.

I have quite a few observations to tell about my stay in Japan. But that would have to wait for a while I guess.

I have no idea what a chemical engineer like me would be doing on board of oil tankers off the coast of a country with no oil resources. That year was quite a jet setting year for me as I was handling another project that would take me across the world. After 3 days of returning from Kobe, I was on another plane heading to London, United Kingdom, before taking another to cross the Atlantic to London, Ontario.

Those were the days.

Yours truly standing on the far right. The instructor, a Japanese tanker captain (forgot his name though) sitting in front of him. We were loaned these uniforms for us to use during our stay.

Yours truly on the left on a tugboat, with the instructor at the top of the pictures. I am not sure how it would feel to have to stay onboard a tanker for months. Mine was child play in that respect.

These days, it is quite quiet for this blogger. No more grand overseas trip for him. It is only trip to Kuantan, and Kerteh for the most part, or the remote part of Kalimantan to show for, and at this age, I don't chase trips anymore.

I would be more than happy to be at home for months and spend the time teaching Akmal additional mathematics and physics.

Streets of London

You know I have really enjoyed my time in little London.

London is so small that you can 'literally' walk from one end to another. Of course I had never done that - no Malaysian worth their citizenship would ever walk if it is over 100 steps away ;-) And no, don't get me wrong. We are not lazy people, you know. We thought it is just a waste to leave the car at home while its value is depreciating.

Sorry, I digress.

London is a place I spent over a year in the early 90s. It was in London we (Arif and I) experienced our first snow in November 1992. I am not sure who was more excited - the dad or his little son. What do you expect since the dad spent 4 years in cold Melbourne, a city that would give you four different seasons in one day but never the snow. This is the city where the weather forecasters would be telling the listeners that there will be "little if any rain today" and within half an hour we had hailstones coming down upon us!

But never the snow.

Sorry, I digress again!

The office in London was just across the street of the apartment where we were staying. This is the time you would be thankful that you live in front of the office, since mid-winter here can be harsh and unwelcoming. At the depth of winter, you would practically dash out from the apartment lobby into the ofice lobby in 10 seconds or less, crossing a four-lane road.

I am sure Ben Johnson would have been proud!

You have to actually - you have no choice. The snow outside was two-foot deep - the temperature was a freezing 20 degree below.

Of course you have to watch for the snow mower or you'll risk being mowed down by them!

Earlier, we had visited a small village where the people lead a life that is free of the trapping of modern living. No, they were not Amish, but must be some kind of Amish's siblings, I guess.

Driving back to London, suddenly London was all white and snowy.

While we were excited at our first snow experience, I was apprehensive. I had never driven in the snow in my whole life. I can see a couple of cars sliding side to side - much like 'ketam berjalan', at times hitting the other cars parked on the kerb. "Oh no," I thought, "there goes all the monies I had saved from all my travels."

It will now be used to pay for a stranger's car dent.

Luckily we survived without a scratch.

London is dead by 5 pm. You would not find a soul outside at night, especially in the winter. There was no Harrods, there was no Soho for you to throw away your money.

Unlike the London everybody else knew.

When my then boss Jaafar asked the vendor of their office location during a meeting at the Japanese contractor's office in Yokohama, and was told that their office was in London, he nodded in anticipation, while stroking his beard. Afterall, he was a graduate from a univeristy in England, and as the project manager, this could be his chance to return to the scene of the crime. ;-)

Little did he know that the vendor was talking about London, Ontario (Canada)!

This is my London. That's a very young Arif - all wrapped up and his mum in the Ontario town of London in cold November of 1992, after a Christmas parade. Yes a Christmas parade in November to entice the people to start shopping and boost the economy. Or at least that's what I was told by the London citizens. That, in the background, is the only tall building in London.

EPILOGUE

I had interesting chat with a SACDA engineer while in London. I told them why did they have to pick up world famous cities as the name for their towns. They have London, Delhi (as in New Delhi India), Melbourne (as in Melbourne Australia; my second home then), Sydney and a few others that escaped me at this moment.

He responded with a smile, "Our Melbourne is actually pronounced Mel-born, and not as Mel-burn (Australia), Delhi is pronounced as Del-high and not as New Delhi in India."

He has a point. What can I say?

This London I am talking about is about two hour drive from Toronto, about 2 hour drive from Detroit, Michigan, may be 5 hour drive from Niagara, and about 8 hour drive to New York, if I am not mistaken. That should give you an idea of its location.

Well, do enjoy the Streets of London song by McTell. I love this song, and to me this is about the real London. When I first knew of this song in the 70s, I was imagining myself walking down the streets of London, and it did materialize more than 15 years later, albeit in the wrong London!

"Let me take you by the hand,

and lead you through the streets of London,

I'll show you something,

to make you change your mind"