Singer-songwriter picks his inspiring reads
By Suwitcha Chaiyong, photos by Varuth Hirunyatheb
Reading a lot of books can make you a great storyteller. The singer-songwriter and play writer Sukumphan Thititananphan (Beatle) has been a bookworm since he was in kindergarten. Beatle first started reading magazines as a child and his reading developed as he got older. Beatle used to enjoy fantasy and sci-fi fiction, but at university he started reading non-fiction books.
Beatle wrote his latest song, “Ha Na Tee Ban Loo Dharm (Five Minutes to Enlightenment),” about dharma. The thoughtful 24-year-old songwriter believes that reading broadens his ideas and develops his thoughts.
“Reading helps me understand other people more,” he says. “I believe in the power of storytelling. It inspires people.”
Here are five of Beatle’s favourite comics, plays and books.
Doraemon
Author and illustrator: Fujiko Fujio
Publisher: NED
The singer has read every story from this famous Japanese manga series about the magical blue cat Doraemon and his friend Nobita. It taught him about friendship and goodness. Beatle saw that a weak character like Nobita becomes bold when he faces difficult situations.
“Nobita can overcome any bad situation by cooperating with his friends. He made me believe that we can solve problems if we work together.”
One Piece
Author and illustrator: Eiichiro Oda
Publisher: Siam Inter Comics
This popular Japanese manga series is about the adventures of a pirate, Monkey D. Luffy, whose body becomes flexible after he eats a Devil Fruit. Luffy never steals from anybody, but tries to find the One Piece so he can become the king of the pirates. Beatle is attracted to Luffy’s ideas.
“Every character in One Piece has their own dreams. The storyline seems like simple entertainment, but tackles issues in society like discrimination. Luffy believes in equality and human rights, and so do I.”
Jonathan Livingston Seagull
Author: Richard Bach
Translator: Charnvit Kasetsir
Publisher: Jin Publishing
Beatle was hooked by this book after reading the first page. The story is about a young seagull, Jonathan, who believes that he wasn’t born to fight for food like the others, so he tries to develop his flying skills. Though Jonathan is kicked out from his group because he’s different, he never gives up. Beatle likes this book so much because he has also questioned himself about the purpose of life.
“I was a child who didn’t dare to do anything different, but the book told me to believe in myself and not be afraid.”
Man of La Mancha
Script Writers: Mattanee Ketkamon and Euthana Mukdasanit
Lyricists: Charlie Intaravijit, Wisa kantap, Surachai Juntimatorn and Euthana Mukdasanit
The Thai version of this musical was adapted from a Broadway play. Beatle also wrote a script for this play when he was a student at Srinakharinwirot University. He and his friends used the play as their thesis during their senior year.
Set in a dungeon, a tax collector and the scriptwriter Miguel de Cervantes have to perform a play in front of hopeless prisoners. Miguel plays an old man who believes he’s the great knight Don Quixote de La Mancha. The prisoners laugh at him because can’t tell the difference between reality and fantasy, but later the play inspires the prisoners to hope and dream.
“I wrote the play with the theme of being strong in your beliefs because it’s important for your life,” Beatle said. “Dreams make people alive. People who live without dreams are weird.”
Big Head Monster
Author: Ong-Art Chaicharncheep
Publisher: Ped Tao Kwai
Big Head Monster dreams about being a superhero and decides to leave his family to follow his dream. During his journey he falls in love with a beautiful Koi fish and they become travelling companions. At the end, he has to choose between becoming a superhero or living an ordinary life with somebody he loves.
“The story made me realise that to achieve our dreams, we sometimes have to sacrifice somebody or something. I don’t want to be selfish, so I’m not going to neglect people I love because of my dreams.”
bookworm (n): a person who likes reading very much
dharma (n): the teachings of Buddha
discrimination (n): treating somebody or a particular group in society less fairly than others
equality (n): the right of different groups of people to have a similar social position and receive the same treatment
dungeon (n): an underground prison, especially in a castle
sacrifice (v): to give up something that is valuable to you in order to help another person
neglect (v): to not give enough attention to something
