Falak is the name of a Pakistani-Canadian rock band out of Toronto. You can check out their Myspace page to listen to some of their tunes and read their blog entries. Searching the name “Falak” on Youtube will turn up a bunch of clips of their music videos and live performances. At face they sound like a typical hard rock band destined to obscurity. However, MTV Pakistan recently banned them…but not before they had already been airing their video over there for a while (since December).
Wednesday, December 27, 2006So….just wanted to let you all know…that FALAK’s first video is officially airing in Pakistan. It’s a bit scandalous for North American television though….so don’t really know when you can expect to see it here….maybe when these fascist pigs try exercising real freedom of speech …
In the meanwhile, remember, CNN is bullshit…. [Link]
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The ban of course will generate some attention for them. Why the ban? Watch this video, titled Yadein part II:
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So I ask the question to SM’s readers because I am still trying to decide. Is this art/expression, or does it lend a rock-and-roll mystique to something else…
Excuse me while I vomit. That was totally purile attention seeking behavior on their part.
But they are angry rockers AND they called bullshit on CNN. Isn’t that what it takes to break into the industry? 😉
Oh. Wow. This is messed up.
The thing is, it’s not messed up in a way that I think I’d label artistic. It shocks me, but it doesn’t shock me into contemplation or thoughtful reflection about its message — because there doesn’t seem to be a message. And I generally believe that art makes a statement, insofar as it causes you to question your assumptions about some particular aspect of the world.
I suppose I could argue that this video makes me question my assumptions about how acts of terror are perceived by Falak’s fans (ie, that such a popular band could release this video with confidence that it would make an impact positive for their careers suggests something kind of awful to me), but I don’t think that line of questioning leads me in any productive direction, because I can’t believe that this video can be extrapolated as accurate evidence of most people’s sensibilities. I think it’s pretty clear that this video is glamorizing the main character — as a tragic figure, who looks quite pretty as he strides about and agonizes to the exciting soundtrack — and I guess I don’t want to believe that this is something most people would be comfortable, or ethically okay, with seeing glamorized. I find it especially unsettling when I speculate about the band’s target audience, which I conjure based on the style of the music, mostly — I assume they’re cosmopolitan, and relatively affluent insofar as this style of music isn’t easy to listen to unless you’ve listened to a lot of contemporary rock, which I expect is neither cheap nor widely bootlegged in Pakistan (save via the internet).
But maybe Falak’s main audience is in the diaspora. And there, again, I wonder: who’s watching this and thinking it’s okay?
And then, back to the art question: art doesn’t have to be “okay” or easy or comfortable (even in the ethical sense), but for art to push such boundaries, doesn’t it also have to offer something of value? Obviously, value being subjective, I have to ask: am I the only person who doesn’t see any value in this other than shock-value?
Well I dont find anything wrong with the video as such, may be it is me. There is one guy who is involved in the attacks and the camera kind of follows what he did that day. Now what more is to be understood from it ? I have no clue.
Does this video give justice to their music ? this is again something which is very subjective.
Yes people do use a lot of different things to get attention. Here I see a group getting attention. I dont exactly find it distasteful since not much was shown in it any ways.
The Banality of Evil
That’s disgusting, it’s almost like glorifying the atrocious act. I know I sound like I’m getting overly excited for nothing but a lot of people out there are very vulnerable. Take Kimveer Gill. They see some awful things like the Columbine massacre being glorified via games/music and then go out and repeat it. Heck the only reason terrorism exists is because of these vulnerable beings that are manipulated by some charismatic leader.
Freedom of speech is balanced by respect, otherwise racist people would be allowed to make comments and get away with it. I wouldn’t want to see a videoclip about the Amritsar massacre from General Dyer’s perspective. I’m sure those affected by the recent events feel the same way about this clip.
But that’s the tricky thing about film/video as a medium: by virtue of its framing, by virtue of the soundtrack, by virtue of the fact that
there’s an undeniable “glorification” effect produced that seriously turns my stomach.
Yeah, I give it two thumbs way down.
This is a ripoff of the video of Prodigys ‘smack my bitch up’…sad…it could be a cool video, only if it was made maybe 10 yrs ago…
There is NO art in murdering innocent people. You cannot glorify a painful event like 9/11 by putting out an emotionally charged video.
When I think of people “exercising real freedom of speech” Pakistan is the first country that comes to mind.
The music sounds like the rip off of the late 80’s metal band Dokken. And that is not a good thing.
I’m glad to see this video was banned in Pakistan.
haha…a stupid montage of angled shots that make no sense visually as well as with the lyrics of the song. Even the artistic {stupid here} point they are trying to make is completely senseless. a dude missing his girlfriend, is depressed and out of his anger towards his life he smashes into WTC. WTF!! seriously. art is not found in this one. in no way.
Lame. Excuse me while I go vomit.
Like Simran said, it’s art with no message. The video could have been done, using the same topic in a far more revolutionary artful way. Instead, the video comes off shallow, and the music kind of sucked too.
I’m with Simran on this. Completely puerile, and also, incredibly disappointing. As folks say (re: free speech), with great privilege comes great responsibility. This video is dehumanizing, irresponsible, and edges on the depraved… and not in a “oh that’s just metal” way.
the music sucks. the video sucks even more.
I was put off by the 80s Van-Halen-loving-desi-boy “I’m a rock star” music and obvious BS imagery in the first 15 seconds, and after that it was just like “oh, come ON” – I mean, of all the childish, obvious, stupid ways to “rebel.” They look like a bunch of self-indulgent brats who can’t be bothered with originality. I’d call CNN “art” first. Stupid asses.
Yet I don’t believe in censorship, and I don’t think even this sort of nonsense should be banned. In fact it’s so obviously childish and stupid that it would be better to have it out there so people can laugh at it.
WTF!
not pleasant. felt queasy.
also, are they brown garden or wut?
hmmm…. perhaps the ‘message’ is that the extremism/militantism/whateverism that leads to terrorism is sometimes (often?) unrelated to religion. The guys parties, drinks, has a girl, but is somehow persuaded to become a suicide bomber. It suggests that Islam (which prohibits those things) had little to it. Which, I think, is a valid and worthwhile point.
PS: Some may write me off as a lefthanded apologist for all things Muslim (it’s usually a fair critique), but I am Bangaldeshi first, so my semi-treasonous defense of Pakis in this instance should compensate for my admitted biases. =)
If they were ever to remake Spinal Tap with a bunch of clueless upper class posturing Pakistani rich kids, living off their mummy and daddy’s money, this band would be the bunch of witless clowns around whom we could base our laughter. Have you read the pompous speeches on their myspace? Hilarious!
In the meanwhile, doesnt Karachi have a major problem with suicide bombing and terrorism? Let’s see if they have the guts to make a video out of a terrorist attack occuring in Pakistan, I mean if it’s all about random acts of murderous violence, why the fear of explaining / contextualising / romanticising bodies blown to scraps of meat on the streets of Karachi? Hmmmm…gosh I wonder why they won’t have the balls to do that.
Yeah — it’s like that’s more offensive than the video.
Espressa – yeah, and the words go on about how the moron can’t live without his girl, etc. But that’s just so cliche – the young man disappointed in love, angry with his father, alienated, blah blah, goes and does something violent. Honestly it’s just plain lousy art, and that’s why MTV shouldn’t be airing it, even if it’s too stupid (as opposed to “dangerous”) to ban, really.
You can’t claim X is stupid because its not Y. Maybe they’re still looking for someone to do the shadow dancing for Y. Similarly, suggesting non-Z is not equivalent to citing randomness.
All that aside, yeah their site is…..amusing.
Mayday, mayday. We need a transitive property to ascertain the quality of the commlink. Repeat, we need a transitive property.
SP — I’m not saying it deserves adulation, just that I think they did have a message — that maybe Islam isn’t the root cause of all terrorism. This is a message I feel justified to sympathize with, so I highlight it here. Duuuhhh, I’d prefer it done with a modicum of tact. Let’s fault them (heavily) for execution rather than (complete) lack of vision.
OK, I’d be willing to believe that was their message. There’s an awful lot of glamorisation of our majnoo here, though.
SP — I totally agree. It is far too sensitive a topic to treat in such a brusque manner. Incidentally, what are your thoughts on Paradise Now ? and the Pakis in Syriana ? I thought both were masterfully done…
…was my 25 not clear? It was in response to 22. To translate: X is the actual video, Y is “a video out of a terrorist attack occuring in Pakistan” (from 22), Z is islam, non-Z is my contention that the cause isn’t Islam. 22 seemed to suggest that excusing Islam suggests “it’s all about random acts of murderous violence.” or did I miss a joke? That happens a lot…..
Never did see Syriana, but thought Paradise Now was brilliant, and fairly consistent with the testimonies and studies of militants of that kind (of which there are remarkably few, most people being content with grand psychoanalytical or alienation theories).
You remind of AO Scott’s review of the film where finishes with a lovely zinger,
…There are too many fine supporting performances to list…A movie this crowded and wide-ranging – the number of speaking parts seems to be exceeded only by the variety of locations – inevitably resorts to various kinds of shorthand. The secondary characters tend to be stock figures. When a character is shown working in his garden and then, later, swirling brandy in a snifter, you know he is a bad guy. A man who shoots billiards in the middle of the day can be counted on to be feckless and self-indulgent, and anyone who makes a high-minded speech on the virtues of free-market capitalism might as well have “fall guy” tattooed on his forehead.
Hilarious.
It’s all clear now- I was confused by non-z. Franks.
Read the comedy screed on their myspace and you get the sense that their point is very simple — America, which represents the capitalist satan in its purest form, is a fascist state, and 9/11 was an understandable and justified response to fascist oppressors. In common English parlance I call this comedy Van Halen heavy metal clowns a bunch of first class wankers.
Actually that would be more to do with their fear of alienating their core audience —- make a video justifying the slaughter of innocents in a terrorist attack in Karachi instead of New York (hey! buff dude with model looks got pissed off and blew up the WTC — and CNN are fascist pigs! We’re so dangerous…..) and they would most likely lose their audience amongst the half-wits who are excited by their pompous rhetoric — so they’re gutless as much as they are clueless.
In the meantime, prepare for a Spinal Tap moment, this is from a review of the band taken from their myspace:
Hilarious! ‘moody metal epic’! ‘change the watered down rock of our times’! This stuff is real! He’s being serious! He actually means it!
Its the cheapest form of art. The video isnt that creative either.
Erm, how do I say something I want to, without appearing to thread-jack? Oh, oh, Idea! I think the guy in the video looks like Ravi Bopara. Like Red Snapper had predicted, he has been picked for the England World Cup Squad. So, two Desis in the team then, nice! And who will be SM’s Cricket Correspondent for the World Cup?
Sorry it’s just the Emperor’s New Clothes aspect of it all, you know, the intellectual decrepitude, the posturing, the hilarious pomposity of their ‘manifesto’ and music (I mean, it’s like smooth jazz Kenny G heavy metal and they honestly think they’re dangerous or something) — it’s actually very funny to see such cluelessness and such a lack of self-awareness. It would be harmless as all such things are but for their pomposity and especially for the idiocy of the video, they deserve to be laughed at.
Three desis! Sajid Mahmood, cousin of Olympic silver medal winning boxer Amir Khan is also repping brown England.
Please god, please sink Australia into the Indian Ocean.
I think we decided that ANNA is going to be the main correspondent. Personally I think a live thread for each major match will be fun.
“Please god, please sink Australia into the Indian Ocean.”
🙂 i think south africa and sri lanka (and maybe West Indies with the home advantage) have the biggest chance of that. plus those pesky australians have now come out with a cooler uniform than their previous bright yellow one. here’s hoping they’ll be more style than substance but not holding my breath.
“Personally I think a live thread for each major match will be fun.”
second that.
The official World Cup site is up has schedules and everything
Art requires at least some effort at creativity. There is nothing creative about the song or the video. The video is a pure publicity stunt and the music is totally devoid of originality. That said, censorship is not something that should be taken lightly. I would be against the government banning this video, but I would have no problem with any video channel’s refusal to air it because it lacks any taste whatsoever. Yet another example of angry suburban boys who are in desperate need of something productive to do with their time.
There will be those people offended at the supposed glorification of a suicide bomber. And there will be those people offended at the decadent behaviour of a brown dude (Dancing! Drinking! Vomiting!). And then there will be people offended by the Chad Kroeger-ish rock. I don’t really know my American sport, but does that make it a triple threat of offence?
“not creative” and “desi” are synonymous!
Yes there are exception’s, but when there are over a billion desis’s in the world and you can find 2 that are creative that basically means “not creative. “
ok, I’m not gonna go buy their album but, gosh, you guys are almost fascist with your definition of art. Since when is “art” required to be “good”? And since when are “art” and “incitement” mutually exclusive? And when haven’t kids done silly things?
How is it “fascist” to call lousy pretentious cliches “bad art” and “not creative”? Are we required to take anything that pretends to be “art” seriously?
They probably watch CNN and are American!
Who said it did?
Who said it couldnt be?
And when havent silly people been called for their silly things?
umm … wtf are these guys advocating?
Espressa is right.
It’s one thing to adjudge between what’s creative and what’s not, it’s quite another thing to say, “I don’t agree with the message therefore it’s not art.” The F-word gets thrown around a lot, but disqualifying art from being so considered solely for ideological reasons is exactly what the fascists were good at.
The problem in this post starts with Abhi’s title–“art or incitement” is a false binary–and a worrying number of the comments thus far have followed suit.
You should be excited. Your boys slayed the Oz monster. Finally. Who knew.