“Now dont you pass me the shit bag before i even start speaking.
We rockers have always felt this way. I dont know why, but whole of india considers rock to be a music which only crazy people listen to. If you are listening to some rock music, then you will always find the self-called dudes who will say “”look at that chutiya“”.
The sad part is that, people have never really tried to plumb the depth of music. The myriads of moods and qualities that make up good music are conveniently forgotten by the music-barons and the patrons (my foot!!) in India.
You tell me that rock music is only about loud guitars and drums, then I would ask you, isnt Pink Floyd rock??? In India over the period of time Pink Floyd has become a household name. A name with which your dad relates to. That is the kind of music our parents have grown up to.
The basic definition of rock has been obscured over a period of time. You can have as many forms of rock music as you can have languages over the world.
Hard Rock, Soft Rock, Punk Rock, Progressive Rock, CLassic Rock, Black Rock, you name it….
But our music labels just fail to understand that there is life beyond bhangra and indipop. NO. I am not criticizing any form of music. Every form of music has got its own beauty and charisma. What I am saying is that Indian Rock was never given a fair chance.
Indian Rock bands have come and gone over the years. Some have been glossed over by the sands of time, while some have been strangled by the commodity called finance. But still no one pays heed. Talent goes unnoticed.
This is the basic reason why rockers turn into mavericks and rebels in India. An open mind is what is needed. The labels say that if they publish a rock act and it fails, then they have to incur a loss. But then dont so many other albums fail miserably??
People in India have been imbued by the amount of pop music they have been exposed to. They have forgotten what music is all about. Its not just about some boy-bands or some Viva singing in a studio. Its also about live performances. The sheer energy that pumps up the crowd. The ballads that cause the unterminable swaying of those torches. The power and joy of the live performances have been buried. We need to disinter them, revive them like the Phoenix. Although for India it would be an anachronism, but so be it!! Lets keep a plausible mind and have the change.”