Written by Nasri Tahir
Edited by Fadhlan Salleh & Amal Murni
Picture this: you’re in a coffee shop while cold rain gently falls beyond the cool tinted window. You’re sipping your warm caramel macchiato and resting yourself on the comfy couch. The air is warm and the smell of freshly brewed coffee and sweet cookies are delicious. In the midst of it all, you listen to the smooth and soft jazz tunes of Sidney Bechet’s All of Me.
You feel bliss. You feel peace. You feel calm.
You feel so utterly calm that you would never, even for a single moment, ever think that this smooth jazz playing was once called the devil’s music. Why, that would be ridiculous!
But unfortunately, it has.
"Ever since the dawn of time, boomers of all types, may they be helicopter parents, paranoid clergies, moral philosophers or overzealous government officers have labeled the new and the unfamiliar as scary, threatening, demonic or degenerate."
Just as Jazz itself was unfortunately not spared from the wrath of the boomers of its time, the local Brunei underground music scene was also not free from the prying scrutinising eyes of the public.
The founder of Kepala Seni wrote in detail in her article “Post-Raid Brunei Music Scene – where are we heading” on the general climate of fear and skepticism towards the underground scene, and the instant wave of demotivation by local bands. While some of the public’s fears are not entirely unfounded as a couple of bad apples (irresponsible audience) unfortunately brought drugs, it’s sad to say that the incident was enough to convince a sizeable chunk of the public to throw a lot of the good apples into the ‘longkang’ (Malay word for 'ditch'). Nowadays, permits for music shows have dozens of red tapes and demotivation remains a persistent problem among bands, rappers and solo artists.
So what now? Will the local "unconventional" music scene be perpetually under the Orwellian eyes of the scared public? Will there never be an authentic and fresh Brunei music scene? To see where we can solve this problem, we need to first take a detour into the not-so distant past on how boomers have attacked new wave of musicians as degenerates.
The Birth Of Baby Boomers
Typically born between 1946 to 1965, the baby boomers were called as such because well, there were a lot of babies born during that time. The boom however was not just in the number of babies born but also in the economic prosperity of America back then. Leading to a generation that had both political power, through sheer number alone, and economic privilege, through a prosperous economy. Readers may find that this term also applies quite nicely in the older generation of Brunei, who grew up before the multiple oil supply and economic crises we millennials seem to have for breakfast every other weekend.
Over time, boomers went from a mere label to a largely negative one.
"Frequently directed not only to older people, but to those who share similar mindsets and can't seem to make the effort to understand the anxieties, struggles and new perspectives of gen Xs, millennials and gen Zs. Those that actively and passionately reject new ideas and arguments because they are comfortable with the prominent flaws - the fractures in our culture, society, economy because they themselves were the architects of the existing societal hierarchy, patriarchy, pollution, racism, misogyny, and were fortunate enough to experience a booming economy. Meanwhile, newer generations are left to pick up the scraps. The thing is that they're uncomfortable with the simple fact that they can be wrong and have wronged us in one way or another. We are facing the consequences of their actions, yet are expected to unconditionally respect them all while they view us as ungrateful degenerates."
Frustrations towards boomers exploded to amazing heights in the legendary meme ‘Ok Boomer’, which highlighted the unreasonable, non-negotiable and unsatisfied boomers that refuse to acknowledge and adapt to the massive changes around them as well as educate themselves to the new technological era. Despite the meme being only a recent creation, ‘boomerism’ however transcends far beyond age and time.
Origins of Degeneracy
Did you know Plato was the first boomer? Well probably not, but he does make a nice example of why and how certain types of music were feared by the public. Like most philosophers, Plato was obsessed with morality, he saw in the world as black and white; bad and good. Similarly, he saw the same in music; good music nourished the soul and bad music made you evil. However, what Plato failed to realise was that he was not just judging music based on whether it was good or evil, he judged music based on whether it was comfortable to him or not;
"For a change to a new type of music is something to beware of as a hazard of all our fortunes," - Plato.
This quote by Plato is an idea that has unfortunately transcended throughout time. The public do not necessarily fear the bad but they do fear the unknown, the different, the abnormal, the Other. And it is not just the unfamiliarity of the music that is feared but the unfamiliarity of its musicians too. It is no coincidence that both Jazz and Hip Hop/Rap had two similar traits.
First, that it was a new type of music genre. And second, it was a genre that was first predominantly produced by African American minorities, who in both time periods were often seen as the Other.
During the rise of Jazz, there were strong fears that the ‘sensuous’, ‘immoral’ and ‘savage’ aspects of the African minority would be ‘implanted’ into the public through the music. Many communities banned jazz as the rich and religious hated it because of its supposed link to sex and drugs African users. Humorously, a nearby baby delivery clinic petitioned to ban a nearby jazz music theatre for fear that it would result in the creation of immoral Jazz babies.
Short Documentary on How Society saw Jazz during its Conception
Similarly, moral panic often accompanied Rap and Hip Hop - major concern was made by the public of the potential for rap to degenerate society into mindless sexual criminals. For example, there was widespread concern that “Boss Ass Bitch” (Originally by PTAF, then covered by Nicki Minaj) would turn women into over-sexualised "immoral" women.
"The reality is however, many Rap and Hip Hop songs were uncomfortable not necessarily because of their sexual content but because it demonstrated the empowerment of minorities (whether sexual, economical or political) who rebelled against oppression, such as racist imprisonment policies - many of these songs were definitely not subtle about it."
NWA: Fuck The Police
Swear words aside, the message here is definitely clear
These songs were hated by boomers because it brought out uncomfortable questions that society did not want to face. Both Jazz and Rap represented the desire by the African American minority for liberation and resistance against racism.
Now that we know why boomers label music as "degenerate", the next important question we have to make is: what does this have to do with Brunei? Do we have the same thing that’s going on here? Is our music suppressed because of our fiery burning passion for freedom of expression? To answer these questions, I had a talk with our own local band KOD 22 (Din, Mii & Kim) as well as musicians Thatboy and Nowhere on their opinions on the challenges of being musicians in Brunei.
The Brunei Music Scene and Interview
With a combined 30 years plus experience in music, the rag tag group of talented musicians certainly had a lot to say of the state of music in Brunei. One surprising sentiment was that there was not really such a thing as a crazed witch hunt or boomer moral panic towards rock/ punk/ metal/ HipHop/ rap and the general underground music, at least not to the level western countries have.
What these musicians were most concerned about was the widespread addiction to comfort many Bruneians have.
"They often raised the issue that new and non-mainstream music had difficulty finding a spot in larger concerts or public gigs. While the red tape certainly do not help, much of the issue come from a strong preference (or bias) for more familiar, family friendly, non-offensive art and music."
The solo musician, Nowhere in particular was hard pressed about how art should be seen solely by how it evokes emotions in people, regardless whether it was beautiful and family friendly or as he puts it a “shit in the middle of a park." Unfortunately, we definitely have yet to have such a freeform idea of art in Brunei.
"This preference for more mainstream music leads to more challenges for talented new artists to rise."
Mii (KOD 22) was frustrated with the fact that despite the fact that all the musicians I interviewed that night had played for RTB before, none of them led to better opportunities for their music careers. In fact, they all agreed that it was far easier to make a career in music just outside the borders of Brunei; Sarawak.
As the interview went on, most surprisingly, I discovered that problems did not always come from boomers or the top - it could also come from the bottom. Conflicts within the rock community themselves include unhealthy competition, over inflated egos who just wanted to have beef with any musician they see as well as unreasonable gatekeepers who only accepted ultra-skilled players.
"They were also particularly unhappy with irresponsible music goers who brought drugs or alcohol, severely jeopardising their gig opportunities, their livelihoods and passions as well as the lack of money invested in the support of local musicians by the public, even by the youth."
Overcoming The Problem
Despite all these challenges, when I asked them whether they were hopeful about the music scene in Brunei, the answer was a resounding yes. Although... it was more of a necessary yes.
"There was an agreement that to be in the music scene, being hopeful was not a choice, but a necessary act to survive in the music scene that has a lot of changes that needed to be made."
And boy were there some changes that needed to be done.
Din (KOD 22) in particular stressed how the public in Brunei have yet to see how rock music is not associated with drug use or partying. It can also act as a medium to channel pride in either nation, ethnicity or language itself. His dedication to this is reflected strongly in their song “Melayu Moden”.
Malay Pride is a Central Theme in Kod 22’s Song “Melayu Moden”
"Aside from that, the government, the public and anyone who has the privilege to make a change need to open up more platforms in Brunei for non-mainstream bands to play and give them the chance to help Brunei's creative scene bloom similar to our neighbouring countries."
Moreover, smaller egos by other musicians would be helpful too, and more responsible, supportive community would be nice as well. Unfortunately, all of this is much easier said than done, but all good things take time and we're taking this time to collectively make good things happen.
What We've Learned
It’s tempting to see all the struggles we have in Brunei as coming from the obvious social hierarchy; from the boomers, the officers and the tough and stubborn moralists. And while it is largely true, the reality is, the challenges faced by the local underground or music scene in general can also come from within the circle; the very same musicians who don’t support their peers as well as irresponsible music goers who jeopardise the passions, livelihood and careers of local musicians. If we want to point out to boomers that the entirety of our local music scene is not filled with degenerates, we’d have to point it out by banding together as a community.
So the next time you go to a gig, make sure to have fun, let loose and most importantly, be there for one another.
Sources:
Baby Boomer
Jazz and the African American Literary Tradition
Moral Panics –
“OK boomer” isn’t just about the past. It’s about our apocalyptic future.
Plato, or music's important role in a political ideal
Post-Raid Brunei Music Scene -- where are we heading?
Sexual Knowledge and Practiced feminisms (Boss Ass Bitch) -