By Ajarn Helen Jandamit
Photos courtesy of Bangkok Post and Post Today
University Tips is here to help you prepare for the English exams and tests that are coming your way. It gives you practise answering questions similar to those you may have at school and also on the University Entrance Examination.
Read the following interview by Kong Rithdee from the Bangkok Post. Then, answer the questions that follow.
In the documentary Y/Our Music, northeastern sounds clash with Bangkok's indie music scene. But it's not a destructive clash, says co-director Waraluck Hiransrettawat Every. It’s a sonic journey driven by the positive energy of music.
Y/Our Music, which was shown as the closing film at the 5th Salaya International Documentary Film Festival (Salaya Doc 5), follows nine musicians’ dreams. The performers include an Issan pin (a banjo-like string instrument) master, a violinist-in-residence at Chatuchak Market and a DJ who has promoted morlam (Issan traditional music performance) to international audiences.
Y/Our Music shows the co-existence and possible conflict between the music of rural Thailand and the urban sound that’s popular with wealthier people. Waraluck, who co-directed the film with her friend David Reeve, talked to us about the project.
How did you come up with the idea for making the film?
Waraluck: Co-director David Reeve is my friend. He’s from the UK, and came to Bangkok in 2009. We had already made a short film together, but we wanted to make another film on the subject of Thailand. One day at Chatuchak Market, David saw an old man playing a violin and it struck him that the man was playing just because he wanted to play, and not because he wanted to make money or become famous.
When we listened to commercial music on Thai radio, we noticed that there were hundreds of songs based on almost the same melody. To show a wider range, we wanted to focus on people who play music for the sake of music.
How did you choose the nine musicians featured in the film?
Waraluck: We wanted musicians who could tell their stories through music. For example, the pin master Thongsai Thabthanon thinks of himself as a traditional musician and a keeper of the old legacy. But we think his style is very progressive, partly because he plays an electronic pin. Usually, traditional musicians are quite limited in their range, but Thongsai is different. That's the kind of story we're interested in.
Another example is Happyband — they're visual artists who admit that they're not very good musicians, but they want to play and they don't care about how people react to them. That clarity of purpose attracted us too.
Have you shown the film to the musicians featured in it?
Waraluck: Not all of them, but we invited them to the screening at Salaya Doc. I also plan to arrange an outdoor screening in Issan.
Exercises
Section 1
Read the story and answer the following multiple-choice questions.
1. What is Salaya Doc 5?
a. It’s a brand name.
b. It’s a documentary film festival.
c. It’s a weekend market.
2. Apart from Waraluck, who was the other co-director of Y/Our Music?
a. Thongsai Thabthanon.
b. Kong Rithdee.
c. David Reeve.
3. Where is the co-director from?
a. USA.
b. Tokyo.
c. UK.
4. Has Waraluck shown the film to the musicians in it?
a. All of them.
b. None of them.
c. Some of them.
5. What did Waraluck and David notice after they listened to commercial music on Thai radio?
a. There were many songs using almost the same melody.
b. Most of the Thai songs used electro sounds.
c. Rock songs were the most popular in Thailand.
6. What do Happyband do?
a. They’re singers and dancers.
b. They’re musicians and visual artists.
c. They’re actors and film directors.
7. Who interviewed Waraluck?
a. Helen Jandamit.
b. Kong Rithdee.
c. David Reeve.
8. What is morlam?
a. Thailand’s northeastern traditional music.
b. A Thai dance troupe.
c. A Thai classic song.
Section 2
Read the story and decide whether the following statements are true or false.
9. David is Waraluck’s husband.
………………………
10. Y/Our Music was shown as the opening film at the 5th Salaya International Documentary Film Festival.
………………………
11. Waraluck said David saw an old man playing a violin at Sampeng Market.
………………………
12. Waraluck and David co-directed Y/Our Music.
………………………
13. Pin is an Issan musical instrument.
………………………
Section 3
Fill in the blanks in the following passage with the correct words from the choices given.
Originated in Laos and …..14….. to Thailand centuries ago, morlam is folk music with a funky vibe. The lyrics reflect the struggles of rural life …..15….. a sense of humour. For instance, your lover went to Bangkok to work but …..16….. in love with a rich man, and you still toil …..17….. the rice paddies. Morlam is an …..18….. part of Issan culture.
14.
a. bring
b. brought
c. bringing
15.
a. with
b. of
c. above
16.
a. fall
b. fell
c. fallen
17.
a. onto
b. into
c. in
18.
a. importance
b. importantly
c. important
Section 4
Find vocabulary words in the story that are synonyms of the following words.
19. voyage ………………….
20. countryside ………………….
21. city ………………….
Section 5
Find vocabulary words in the story that are antonyms of the following words.
22. impossible ………………….
23. long ………………….
24. dissimilar ………………….
Vocabulary
- destructive (adj): causing destruction or damage
sonic (adj): connected with sound or the speed of sound
co-existence (n): the state of being together in the same place at the same time
legacy (n): a situation that exists now because of events that took place in the past
