“Moments We Love Tarkan”
The June 2010 issue of Billboard Turkey has just come out with a special report entitled “The Countdown to This Summer’s Hottest Top 40″. The report written by Atilla Aydoğdu covers many artists whose new albums or videos will be released in the coming weeks. And, Tarkan is, of course, one of these. “Is Tarkan really coming back?” asks Aydoğdu and continues: “Will Aysel Gürel’s strength as a lyricist make it possible for Tarkan to get back on track? “ Aydoğdu later lists the five special “moments” when he loves Tarkan.
Here is Billboard TR’s Top 5 “Moments” from Aydoğdu’s perspective: 1) The moment he openly said “I have a pee” when he had a pee. 2) The moment he laughed at his “inappropriate photos” infiltrated to Turkish press. 3) The moment he remained cool when his past affairs were unfolded by “the other side”. 4) The moment he sang “The Winter Sun / Kış Güneşi” 5) The moment he was himself not someone else or the well-behaved, baby face kid.
Tarkan the Clear Winner
In his column today, Aksam’s Oray Eğin writes about Tarkan: “Neither Demet Akalın nor Hande Yener… and not Işın
Photo: NTVMSNBC
Karaca with her “arabesk” songs, either… It seems that Tarkan will be the clear winner of the summer season.”
Eğin later explains why he thinks Tarkan has made it right this time: “He is not making music for the sake of being a world star. He is not “adjusting” his music just to make it appealing both to the local and foreign music markets… He seems to have understood that he needs to do something not to be forgotten and left behind. It is now obvious that he has worked hard… and eventually managed to come up with a very good song.”
Eğin also writes that Tarkan’s song is not “cheap” unlike the other songs in the market: “It is definitely above the standards; it will be a hit… It has a good rhythm… is catchy… and includes some attention-getting phrases.”
And at the end of the article, Oray Eğin makes a confession: “It’s been almost a week since Tarkan’s song was released… I wasn’t curious about it at first… I even didn’t listen to those who said “But this time it’s really good”… Then out of curiosity a journalist would naturally have, I listened to the song… And thank God, I listened to it! It will be this summer’s hit song.”
Tarkan On Kral TV
Tarkan appeared on stage tonight at the KRAL TV Video Music Awards Ceremony at the Haliç Congress Center in İstanbul.
The ceremony started with Tarkan’s performance at 9 p.m. The space in front of the stage was crowded with Tarkan fans from whom Tarkan seemed to receive lots of positive vibrations. Before Tarkan appeared on stage, there was a large video screen showing Tarkan’s latest controversial photograph for “Sevdanın Son Vuruşu”. When Tarkan appeared from behind the screen, we noticed a sign of excitement on his face. Tarkan lip synched the song and a group of dancers accompanied him on stage in the second part of the song.
Tarkan’s performance ended when the big screen came down, this time with Tarkan in the front. When he raised his right hand at the end of the song, there were six glittering letters on the screen behind him: “Tarkan”. [Tarkan on NTV]
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What Tarkan’s New Song Might Whisper In Your Ear
In his column today, Hurriyet’s Ertuğrul Özkök writes about Tarkan and Aysel Gürel: “I’ve been listening to Tarkan’s “Sevdanın Son Vuruşu” for the last three days. The Romantic Prince of the 1990s comes back with this song penned by Aysel Gürel… The last song she wrote before she passed away; a song of farewell.” Özkök then makes a reference to “Kış Güneşi” (The Winter Sun), which he says he listened to hundreds of times when it came out: “And this new song is just like that.” Özkök continues, “In this song, Tarkan is in pain… his soul has exceeded ‘the load limit’… Tarkan has clearly been wounded many times.”
According to Ertuğrul Özkök Tarkan’s new song is a messenger of the arrival of romanticism in music opening the path for other heartfelt great songs: “Our souls will be purified and the water will get clearer” says Özkök and adds: “This is what Tarkan’s new song whispers in my ear”.
Özkök later takes the song as a metaphor to criticize the political scene in Turkey: “Aysel Gürel’s song is like a flag of rebellion waving through Tarkan’s voice.” According to Özkök, “the song is the last strike against any attempt to make Turkey ordinary, scare people and silence them, and a force against the dark forces trying to keep people under surveillance…” He concludes saying, “Yes, this is the last strike of passion… of love. There is no need for any other words. This is the last strike… And it cannot be avoided.”
Tarkan Has Come Back
The Turkish media continues to write about Tarkan and his most recent song “Sevdanın Son Vuruşu” (The Last Strike of Passion). Mehmet Tez, in his column in today’s Milliyet, writes that “going back to his roots”, Tarkan has eventually created the right musical chemistry. Tez believes that Tarkan’s English album had caused him to lose focus and kept him in a dilemma. But now, Tez thinks, Tarkan has made a good decision by trying not to be different just to appeal to the Europen music markets: “There is no trick in this album. All plain.”
Here is how Mehmet Tez comments on Tarkan’s new song: “I listened to the song, listened to it again and again. And I liked it. Just like the Tarkan hits in the 1990s. This song is good. It makes you dance, you just go with it. It goes well with Tarkan’s voice and style… Joy and the pain of love… both are there. And this is what we, Turks, like. This song is all about Tarkan’s lamentations of love. What else would we ask for?”
Mehmet Tez also believes that Tarkan does not have to be like Timberlake or Williams: “For years, we have seen Justin Timberlake or Robbie Williams in Tarkan… Tarkan has been forced to create a new trend for each album… You know, you feel like saying “Forget it, Tarkan. Do what you really feel like doing… Well, it now looks like we don’t need to say so.” According to Mehmet Tez, the energy Tarkan spent on his English language album had made Tarkan lose focus. “But now it is over… and welcome back, Tarkan” says Tez.
At the end of his article, Mehmet Tez also comments on the album cover. He finds it more meaningful than just a classic Tarkan portrait: “It reminds me of the Foo Fighter’s 1999 album “There is nothing left to lose”. I am not saying this is not original… “ Tez finishes the article with the following words: “Let’s see what other surprises Tarkan has.”
In another article by Turkish daily Bugün’s Okan Işık, Tarkan is quoted saying “I am not leaving Turkey. All the gossip about Miami is totally wrong. I will stay here and enjoy my new album with my fans.” According to the article, Tarkan is keeping the name of the album a secret till next week.
Reading Tarkan’s Latest Photograph
The new Tarkan photograph used for the promotion of the artist’s new song “Sevdanın Son Vuruşu” comes as a “multi-layered” photo; only a day after it was distributed to the media, two major Turkish newspapers appear to have interpreted it in different ways.
Akşam’s report about the new song comes along with the headline that reads “Tarkan Has No Face”; the Akşam editorial seems to have established a link between the new Tarkan photo and the singer’s recent drug-related incident. Like Akşam, Sabah comments on the “faceless” photo. Here the emphasis is on Tarkan’s choice of a photo that shows him “turning his back on the media”.
The more interpretations one comes up with, the more questions one needs to answer: Is the pose in the photo an indication of submissiveness or is it a metaphor for Tarkan’s challenge against what he has recently been through? Let the viewer/listener decide.
Sabah also reports that Tarkan was photographed by Giuliano Bekor in Los Angeles.
Tarkan’s Smart Move
Tarkan’s new song “Sevdanın Son Vuruşu” (‘The Last Strike of Passion’) was played on Turkish radio stations at 5.05 pm today in a special program presented by Kral’s Mehmet Akbay (DJ Planet Mehmet). Before and after the song, Mehmet Akbay talked to famous DJs of the Turkish radio stations about Tarkan and his new song. The DJs all agreed that “Sevdanın Son Vuruşu” would be this year’s “summer hit”.
Akbay said that the joint broadcast reached 80% of all radio listeners in Turkey. It was also confirmed in the program that Tarkan was going to appear on stage on May 17, 2010 at the KRAL TV Video Music Awards Ceremony at the Haliç Congress Center in İstanbul.
TPI believes that this joint broadcast initiated by Kral FM has proved to be a very smart promotional strategy used by Tarkan and his team.
Tarkan Will Appear on Stage on May 17,2010
It has been just confirmed by Kral FM’s Mehmet Akbay (known as Gezegen Mehmet – Planet Mehmet) that Tarkan will appear on stage on May 17, 2010 at the KRAL TV Video Music Awards Ceremony at the Haliç Congress Center in İstanbul.
Tarkan is Back! Time of Rebirth!
Tarkan is back! “Sevdanın Son Vuruşu” (lyrics: Aysel Gürel / music: Tarkan), a new track from Tarkan’s new album to be released very soon will be played on the Turkish radio stations at 5 pm today.
Hitt Production says that the song is Tarkan’s “Spring” gift for his fans. And we all know that spring is a time of “Rebirth”.
Moving to Miami?
As Turkish media continue covering Tarkan’s drug-related incident, Milliyet Cadde has just come up with the claim that Tarkan is looking for some property on Miami’s Star Island, famous for its beautiful mansions and home of many celebrities such as Madonna, Gloria Estafan and Shakira. According to the report, Tarkan will move to Miami once his trial has been concluded.
The report says that Miami with its large Hispanic population is a place where Tarkan can experiment on new music forms and styles. Miami’s warm climate, the decrease in property prices and Tarkan’s popularity among Latin American audiences are listed as some of the reasons why Tarkan has decided to settle on the island.
Discovering the Turkish Rock Band “RUJ”
The Turkish Rock band RUJ consists of Zafer Turhan on guitar and lead vocals, Başar Çetin on guitar and Uğur Akın on bass guitar and back vocals. In their debut album “İçi Boş Yıldız” (The Empty Star), the RUJ lineup also includes Alen Konakoğlu on drums and back vocals.
Just before the release of their debut album “İçi Boş Yıldız” in April 2010, Ruj hit the headlines in the papers that they had done a cover on “Kış Güneşi”, a huge Tarkan hit. And as soon as the album was released, we bought our legal copy from a music shop, listened to it carefully and liked it a lot.
RUJ kindly accepted our request for an interview, letting us into their world and their music:
TarkanPLUS International: Can you please tell us when and how RUJ was formed?
Başar: Zafer and I formed RUJ in July 2002, and soon Uğur joined us. This was the final RUJ lineup. Upon Uğur’s arrival, we concentrated on writing our own songs.
TarkanPLUS International: Has the RUJ lineup ever changed since then?
Zafer: Well, due to reasons such as compulsory military service, we had to have temporary changes to replace those on bass guitar and drums. But the current lineup has always been the core.
TarkanPLUS International: Why “RUJ”?
Başar: The name “RUJ” comes from the times when we used to make music in English… from the first letters of the words “recycled used jilt”. When put together, these letters make sense in Turkish [“Ruj” means lipstick in Turkish].
TarkanPLUS International: Can we get to know each of the band members?
Başar: I was born in 1982. I play the guitar. I am currently studying at the Department of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation at Hacettepe University in Ankara.
Uğur: I was born in 1977. I play the bass guitar and do the back vocals. In 2006, I graduated from METU International Relations, European Studies Graduate Program. Currrently I am working as a computer games designer and developer at Teknopark and Istanbul 3D Akademi.
Zafer: I was born in 1981. I am the band’s lead vocalist and play the guitar. I am currently doing my Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering and working as a mechanical engineer in a company operating as part of the defense industry.
TarkanPLUS International: When did you first decide to make this album? Tell us about how the process was completed.
Zafer: We decided to make this album because our fans had been asking for it for a long time. And of course, we wanted more people to get to know our music… Our families’ support was very important for us. And then Cüneyt Karayalçın whom we know through Coşkun Kaplan introduced us to Alen Konakoğlu. Our encounter with Alen was a turning point for us. Alen contributed immensely to our album as its producer and as a musician with great musical expertise. It took us 1.5 years to complete the recordings, mixing and mastering. We had to travel between Ankara and Istanbul many times.
TarkanPLUS International: What made you decide to do a cover on one of Tarkan’s biggest hits “Kış Güneşi”, penned by Yıldız Tilbe and composed by Nurhat Şensesli. Didn’t you think it was risky?
Uğur:”Kış Güneşi” was a song we all liked very much. We knew it would require a lot of courage to do a cover on a Tarkan song. But we believed that we could put our own soul and style into it and we eventually did it. We got permission from Yıldız Tilbe and Nurhat Şensesli. We also heard from the media that Tarkan loved our interpretation; this made us really happy.
TarkanPLUS International: … And the reactions?
Başar: It’s a bit early to answer this question since the music video has just started to be shown on music channels. But we can say that the initial reaction is positive.
TarkanPLUS International: Your lyrics are personal rather than political. Is this only a matter of preference or do you deliberately avoid being political?
Zafer: Just a matter of preference, we believe. Well, writing lyrics with political connotations is another preference but in this album drawing upon our own experiences, we chose to tell our audience about human experiences. And also all this is in fact related to what we feel like doing. Our songs are usually thematically based on love and break-ups.
TarkanPLUS International: The blood imagery in your song “Derin Yağmur” can be quite disturbing. What is the story behind this song?
Başar: “Derin Yağmur” tells the story of a fallen soldier, a martyr, and how he communicates with his lover, at the time of death, through his letter.
TarkanPLUS International: This album has just recently been released. But we wonder whether you are already planning your next move as a band?
Uğur: It all depends on how we feel and what we feel – our state of mind. Three of us come together; we just play and make music. This is how and when we make songs.
The Mystery of Engin Günaydın’s Vavien
“… An [extremely] enjoyable and unpredictable, well-acted dark comedy from the heartland of Anatolia that links elements of popular comedy with a witty and intelligent screenplay”
Above are the remarks of the National Jury of the 29th İstanbul Film Festival to describe “Vavien” while presenting the FIPRESCI Prize for the film. “Vavien” is certainly a good film in many ways as we discussed earlier in a TPI article “Vavien, Turkish Black Comedy”. However, we believe “its witty and intelligent screenplay”, which has recently swept the most prestigious film awards in Turkey such as the Turkish Film Critics Association Awards, Yeşilçam Awards and the Golden Tulip, is something else.
Engin Günaydın, Vavien’s Celal, is the creator of this beautiful screenplay. Günaydın, who became very popular with his earlier TV persona Burhan Altıntop in the famous sitcom “Avrupa Yakası”, rises not only as a successful actor but also as a talented screenwriter. Günaydın has kindly accepted our request for an interview for the TPI readers:
TarkanPLUS International: What inspired you to write “Vavien”?
Engin Günaydın: Like the characters in the film’s picnic sequence, we used to go for picnics as a family. The nature was so beautiful. But with the arrival of the sunset, the sense of beauty would soon be overcome by fear. On the way back home we had to go past very dangerous cliffs and could not help talking about them; who could find us if we fell off the cliff?… “Nobody could find you if I pushed you out there”, my brother would make jokes to his wife… “Vavien” is in fact a film of this joke.
TPI: How did you come up with the “Vavien” metaphor?
Engin Günaydın: “Vavien” means a two-way light switch system, and wiring up the circuit is not that easy. I am still no good at it although we [Günaydın’s brother has an electrician's shop in Erbaa, where "Vavien" takes place] had done it many times. One day I was examining a diagram showing the two-way switching arrangement. All of a sudden, it seeemed to me what the diagram reflected was “life” itself. My mind could be switched on from one end, and switched off from another end, just like a two-way light switch. Light and darkness. All I experienced in life would fall into a dark sphere. I reflected on how I could apply this concept to the whole film, and I realized later it was not difficult at all; light would soon turn into darkness or the darkness would all of a sudden turn into light.
TPI: How do you know small townspeople so well? The film depicted them so well.
Engin Günaydın: I spent my childhood among handicraftsmen. My family were among them too. In my hometown, everyone knew each other well. People would talk about anything with no constraints. Life in a small town is simple and ordinary; in “Vavien”, I tried to search for an answer to the question of what would happen if serious, big issues were tackled through the depictions of ordinary small townspeople?
TPI: In what way(s) do you think “Vavien” has contributed to Turkish cinema?
Engin Günaydın: “Vavien” has become a film which reminds us once again that our local characters are able to demonstrate universality… Instead of creating a copy-cat cinema in terms of story and plot, we wanted to show how important our own stories are indeed. All this, we believed, would help Turkish cinema go back to its roots and help strengthen its place.
TPI: Even the “Vavien” metaphor on its own is able to tell us about ourselves. And the happy family picture at the end… How are we going to deal with what is beneath our “societal skin”?
Engin Günaydın: Well, we will stop lying first. Chasing after the truth is the best thing we can do for humanity. Cinema should be honest. The reason why people love cinema is that they see cinema as their confidant. Cinema should keep being their confidant; it should keep telling them the truth and sharing their loneliness.
TPI: Your screenplay demonstrates a perspective supportive of women. Drawing on your personal history, can you elaborate on this?
Engin Günaydın: I love my mum; she is my creator. That’s why she has a sacred part. If I were to kneel down in front of a person, I’d rather that be my mother. I consider women as the creators of the humankind. If they feel sad, humanity would also feel sad, I believe.
TPI: Any other points you would like to add?
Engin Günaydın: See you in another film.
Bertan Başaran, Turkey’s Young Talent
B
ertan Başaran is a young talent in Turkey. He has made television commercials, promos, music videos and recently completed a documentary. He is also the director who shot the videos for Bedük’s “Electric Girl” and Özgün’s “Kıpı Kıpır”. His music videos make songs very popular. Bertan Başaran has kindly accepted our request for an interview for the TPI readers:
TarkanPLUS International: You have made television commercials, music videos for artists such as Özgün and Bedük, and recently a documentary about Barbaros Erköse. How do you adjust your perspective as a director while working on materials of different genres?
Bertan Başaran: As a director, you have to be diverse and aware of all genres and able to apply them when needed. At first we discuss the style of the project, search for some visual mood examples. We don’t invent, we are inspired, and use our own sense of aesthetics for our inspirations.
TPI: Your music video for Bedük’s Electric Girl seems to have contributed immensely to the popularity of the song. Your depiction of a girl in latex clothing and the minimalist setting are visually appealing. How did you plan all this?
Bertan Başaran: The latex idea is based on my own fetish, I guess. For the look of the film, we initially thought about using a plain white space -I believe “simple” is good. While I was watching “2001: A Space Odyssey”, I saw this beautifully art-directed bedroom scene and tried to replicate a similar idea with our limited budget.
TPI: Who is the “Electric Girl” in the video? How did you discover her?
Bertan Başaran: She is a dancer from Germany; I saw her on Facebook.
TPI: She acts and dances well… What made Bedük and you decide to work together? Will there be new projects with him? Any more music videos you will be filming soon?
Bertan Başaran: Well, we started working with Bedük by coincidence, which worked really well. We will shoot another music video soon… And I’ve recently shot a music video for Athena ["Serseri Mayın] as well. Shooting a music video is not an income generating job for me. I do it for prestige.
TPI: And the documentary about Barbaros Erköse… how did you decide to make this documentary and what does it aim to tell the audience?
Bertan Başaran: I saw Barbaros Erköse in a ‘meyhane’, playing his clarinet. My boss recognized him and told me about his fame. I was so amazed to hear his story and music that I decided to make this project “my gift to music”. I want this documentary to tell the audience that if you go far east, you will end up in the west. In the world of music and musicians there are no borders or language differences; with a gypsy clarinet player we went to India and played their own cultural music; to Tunisia and played Arabic tunes; to Istanbul where cultures mix and played jazz mixed with Arabic and Turkish tunes; played rumba with Cuban musicians and finally ended up in New York playing jazz… and saw that most of the musicians are not financially rich but rich in a way… a different kind of cultural legacy.
