The Play Boys of Burma and the song ” Born to be Wild”

Setppenwolf’s  original song ” Born to be wild” in 1968

It was in mid seventies. I was a teen age boy  who started playing the locally made hollow guitar. There were only few local bands that we really look up with respect. The top band was the Play Boy, founded by Than Naing the drummer and vocalist, who became famous after the local talent shows, which were regularly aired from BBS (Burmese Broadcasting Service).

Later he was known as Play Boy Than Naing, and the lead guitarist was Ko Thein Tan. The base guitar was played by Ko Tommy Kyaw Naing.

For us watching live stage shows of the Play Boy band was really exciting, and our focus is not on the vocalists but mostly on the players of the band.

Our eyes were glued to the each and every movement of the players. We tried to learn and memorize the way Ko Thein Tan play the lead guitar, the style of Ko Tommy Kyaw Naing holding the base guitar. Almost everything is for us to imitate later in our own small band. There were no proper schools to teach this type of Rock music in Burma. Even we were dubbed by the Burmese authorities as “ The ghost of the road” or in simple Burmese called “ Lan Tha Ye”.

Yesterday, I was watching American Idol. One of the participant started singing the song “Born to be Wild”. That immediately refreshes my memory and also pushes me to write this post.

Ko Tommy, the base guitarist always sings the same song while playing a base guitar with his long fingers. Later most of the base guitarists followed his style in Burma.

At that time there were no TV, Video or movie clips to watch how the original vocalist Steppenwolf and his bands played the songs.

After watching the following youtube video than I have to admit that the Play Boy band was quite advance with the time for the Burmese youth in seventies.

We were called as “The Ghost of the road”. After thirty years those who called us The Ghost actually became the real Ghost of Burma.

We, “The Ghosts of the road” are nowhere to be seen in Burma anymore as most of us have migrated to the land of the strangers.

However, the Play Boy, Ko Tommy and the song “ Born to be Wild” will be remembered by all of us as one of the stories of “Once upon a time in Burma”.

Sit Mone

Burmese New Year and Water Festival

Water Festival! It is known to the all Burmese people as Thingyan Festival that is welcoming event of the Burmese New Year with splashing water to each other wishing to cleanse the mind of everyone according to the Burmese culture.

My memory flies back to more than forty years ago. I was in the balcony of a bungalow house together with my parents watching the Water Festival right in front of our house. Then, I was an only four years old boy and I wanted to join my friends .My parents finally allowed. My first water pump was made of hollow wood, and I have kept it until I was in the University.

Later as a teenager, I have never missed a single Thingyan Festival in a various parts of Burma. That is the period that Saturday Night Fever was high in the West, and we did play some of the songs of  John Travolta and ONJ, together with the traditional Burmese Thigyan songs such as Mya Nan Dar.

During the University years I was mostly in Rangoon.The  noisy, cold and friendly Thingyan days ended in the bank of Inya Lake. We went around and around the old city Rangoon with group of friends in a World War two era Willy Jeep.

Then I was introduced to Mandalay Thingyan by my late father. Mandalay Thingyan was a special and a  unique event for all of us until I left Burma. It has  never gone beyond its tradition during those days. Mandalay Palace, is the center of Madalay, and most of the stages that perform traditional dance by Manadalay Girls were around the Palace.

Mandalay Hill is the resting place for most of the people before going back to town to watch various performances in jammed roads from  sunset until  dawn.

To me Manadalay Thyingyan is something that you should see as a bystander than participate. And you will never be able to forget it from your memory.

Sit Mone does not hit the keyboard for sometimes, as he became moody and less enthusiastic in writing the blog posts.

But, Burmese Thingyan is something that he will never forget  as all the memories are still intact, deep in his heart.

Oh friends!.. those are scattered all over this world. Shall we meet again before we disappear from the planet earth in a country once known as Burma to enjoy Thingyan Festival?

Sit Mone