M Nasir's Works Banned

taken from Billboard page 57
6 Jul 1996
 vol. 108, No. 27
ISSN 0006-2510

Don't ask, don't tell

by Steven Patrick and Lennard Gui
taken from undated Galaxie magazines

The answer is the Prime Minister of Malaysia. For everything you own, don't asked the question. Unfortunely, M.Nasir allegedly dld and the Ministry of Information replied by blacklisting his entire life's work for 14 day before lifting the ban on July 1.

Did Nasir's tongue slip or was the reporter making it up? Utusan Malaysia stands by its claim that Nasir really ask “Siapa Mahathir?” The ministry's deputy Sulaiman Mohamed said it wasn't necessary to talk to Nasir about his remark (before slapping the ban) as “he would probably deny it”

Nasir had apparently responded rather flippantly when the organisers of Malam Puisi Utusan Malaysia asked that he be pantual for rehearsals because the P.M. would be attending the recital. To make matters worse, Nasir failed to show up at the event on May 4, prompting the paper to accuse him of being disrespectful.

On Jun 17, the Information Ministry acted on the “authenticity and credibility of the newspapers” and imposed the ban without giving Nasir a hearing. Certain quarters jumped on the bandwagon and even questioned the Singapore-born entertainer's status as a permanent resident of Malaysia.

A little too late, Nasir finally decided to do damage control. “Dr. Mahathir was never mentioned (in my conversation)” he stated, and added that he could not make the recital because he had to be at the funeral of his father-in-law.

As to why Nasir waited so long to address the matter, BMG Music general manager Aziz Bakar said that making the immediate response would have only added fuel to the fire.

Because the blacklist covered not only Nasir's movies and own recordings, but performances of his songs by other artistes, the industry responded...by sitting on the fance -- wanting to support Nasir, a songwriting force, but not wanting to incur the wrath of the Information Ministry either. “lt's not just what we were losing on royalties,” says Aziz Bakar, “It's artistic quality we were worried about too”

When Nasir ban made the international news, Information Minister Mohamed Rahmat put a spin on the matter and ordered the investigation. The ministry's secretary general, Datuk Zawawi Mahmudin, said thqt during the inquiry, both Nasir and the reporter maintained their version of the story and made it “difficult for us to decide who was right.”

On July 1, the ban was finally lifted “in the interest of other artistes who are involved in the works of M.Nasir.” (Nasir is currently in Hong Kong working on his directorial debut, Merah, starring Ziana Zain and Awie. He also composing the soundtrack for the movie and writing songs for Awie second album.

Naturally, industry players are relieved that the mess is over but are still exercising caution. “We will leave it up to our artistes if they want to work with Nasir.” say EMI marketing director Calvin Wong.

“We are not about to discourage our artistes from working with him” concurs EMI local artiste and repertoire Mohd Arzmy. “The controversy will die down”

UTUSAN DIMINTA BERI PENJELASAN

 petikan BERNAMA 25 Jun 1996

 PETALING JAYA, 25 Jun (Bernama) -- Kementerian Penerangan hari ini meminta Kumpulan Utusan memberi penjelasan berhubung isu penyanyi M. Nasir yang dilaporkan menghina Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad dengan ungkapan "Siapa Mahathir".

 Menteri Penerangan, Datuk Mohamed Rahmat berkata penjelasan daripada Kumpulan Utusan penting bagi membolehkan beliau membuat keputusan muktamad secepat mungkin mengenai kedudukan M. Nasir yang karyanya telah dilarang daripada disiarkan oleh semua media elektronik dan cetak.

 "Bagi menjamin keadilan, kita perlu memanggil Kumpulan Utusan untuk memberi penjelasan kerana isu ini berpunca daripada laporan akhbar Utusan.

Kita mahu mereka memberi keterangan dan mengemukakan bukti dalam sehari dua ini," katanya kepada pemberita di sini selepas menyaksikan majlis menandatangani perjanjian yang membuka laluan ke arah penubuhan "Channel Ten", sebuah syarikat penerbitan video dalaman.

 Semalam, M. Nasir hadir di Angkasapuri untuk memberi keterangan kepada Ketua Setiausaha Kementerian Penerangan, Datuk Zawawi Mahmuddin, berhubung isu itu.

 Larangan penyiaran semua karya M. Nasir diumumkan Timbalan Menteri Penerangan, Datuk Suleiman Mohamad, pada 16 Jun lepas selepas penyanyi itu dilaporkan oleh Utusan sebagai bertanya "Siapa Mahathir" ketika diminta menghadiri latihan pembacaan puisi sempena Malam Puisi Utusan yang turut dihadiri Dr Mahathir baru-baru ini.

 Mohamed berkata, Zawawi belum memaklumkan kepadanya mengenai penjelasan M. Nasir itu.

 Katanya, tindakan terhadap M. Nasir diambil semasa beliau berada di luar negara kerana bercuti dan adalah wajar keputusan selanjutnya hanya boleh dibuat selepas semua pihak diberi peluang memberi keterangan.

 Terdahulu, Mohamed berkata penubuhan "Channel Ten" memberi satu lagi saluran pilihan bagi pengusaha hotel di negara ini selain perkhidmatan "Vision Four".

 Katanya, kerajaan tidak bercadang untuk mengeluarkan lesen lain bagi perkhidmatan seperti itu.

 Beliau mengingatkan "Channel Ten" dan "Vision Four" supaya mematuhi segala peraturan yang ditetapkan jika mahu kekal dalam perniagaan mereka.

 "Channel Ten", syarikat usahasama Cape Elegance Sdn Bhd (CAPE) dari Malaysia dan IPC Interactive Pte Ltd (IPCi) dari Singapura, akan menyediakan saluran berbentuk maklumat dan hiburan atau "Infotainment" kepada hotel, lapangan terbang, stesen Transit Aliran Ringan (LRT), hentian bas dan apartmen sewaan.

 Ketua Eksekutif CAPE, Azlina Aziz berkata, syarikat itu sedang berbincang dengan Lembaga Penggalakan Pelancongan dan kerajaan-kerajaan negeri dalam usaha menyediakan program dokumentari kepada penonton "Channel Ten" di samping program lain. -- BERNAMA

ANWAR WANTS M.NASIR CONTROVERSY RESOLVED

taken from BERNAMA 24 Jun 1996

 KUALA LUMPUR, June 24 (Bernama) -- Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim wants the controversy involving singer-composer M.Nasir resolved as soon as possible.

 He said he had asked Information Minister Datuk Mohamed Rahmat to take steps to resolve the matter before Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad's return from his vacation overseas on Thursday.

 Prolonging the M. Nasir controversy would not benefit anyone and the best way to resolve it was to hear from the artiste himself so that a fair decision could be made, he said in his office, here, today.

 He hoped that the incident would serve as a lesson to the artistes in the country to avoid behaviour that could tarnish their image because they had their own influence and following.

 Earlier, M.Nasir met Information Ministry Secretary-General Datuk Zawawi Mahmuddin to discuss an alleged remark by the artiste belittling the Prime Minister which led to a ban on his songs and films by RTM.

 Zawawi said he was instructed to look into the case but it is left to the minister to decide whether or not to review the ban on M. Nasir's works.

 Asked whether he believed the decision to be made by the ministry would please all the parties concerned, he said: "It is difficult for me to speculate. My duty was to meet M. Nasir and then report to the minister."

 Regarding the way the investigation was carried out into the allegation against the artiste, he said the ministry has its own ways of checking to find out whether M. Nasir spoke the truth or otherwise.

 The ministry banned the airing of M. Nasir's works on official radio and television two weeks ago after a newspaper alleged he belittled the Prime Minister at a rehearsal for a poetry recitation in April.

 Meanwhile, M. Nasir declined to comment on his meeting with Zawawi. --BERNAMA

M. NASIR NAFI PERSOALAN "SIAPA MAHATHIR"

petikan BERNAMA 18 JUN 1996

KUALA LUMPUR, 18 Jun (Bernama) -- Artis M.Nasir yang digam daripada muncul di radio dan televisyen berkuatkuasa Ahad lepas kerana dianggap melampau dengan pertanyaannya "Siapa Dr Mahathir", hari ini menafikan mengeluarkan kata-kata itu.

Beliau berkata persoalan itu tidak pernah timbul langsung dalam perbualannya dengan seorang wartawan akhbar tempatan kerana yang mereka bincangkan hanyalah mengenai filem dan produksinya.

Dia meminta kerajaan memberi peluang kepadanya untuk membela diri dan berharap kerajaan tidak mendengar daripada sebelah pihak (media) saja, katanya pada persidangan akhbar di pejabat syarikat rakaman BMG di sini.

Timbalan Menteri Penerangan Datuk Suleiman Mohamed ketika mengumumkan tindakan itu Sabtu lepas berkata segala bentuk karya M. Nasir dilarang daripada disiarkan melalui televisyen dan radio kerana artis itu dianggap sudah melampau dan kurang ajar terhadap Perdana Menteri.

Suleiman berkata penyanyi itu sendiri tidak pernah menafikan membuat kenyataan itu dan kementerian juga berkeyakinan penuh terhadap kebenaran laporan yang dibuat oleh para pemberita itu.

 Akhbar-akhbar melaporkan bahawa pada 3 Mei lepas apabila diminta membuat latihan mendeklamasi puisi kerana tetamu kehormat pada Malam Puisi Utusan itu ialah Dr Mahathir, M.Nasir bertanya "...siapa Dr Mahathir?".

Pengurus Besar BMG, Aziz Bakar berkata M. Nasir dan syarikat itu tidak membuat penafian terbuka selama ini kerana mahu menyelesaikan kontroversi itu secara "senyap-senyap".

Beliau berkata syarikat menghantar surat penafian kepada Utusan Malaysia pada 21 Mei, tiga hari selepas berita mengenai perkara itu disiarkan oleh akhbar itu.

Mereka juga menulis surat kepada Kementerian Penerangan dan Kementerian Dalam Negeri bagi menjelaskan kedudukan sebenar berhubung dengan kontroversi itu.

M. Nasir berkata dia telah meminta peguamnya, M. Puravalen untuk mengkaji kontroversi itu termasuk kemungkinan mengambil tindakan undang-undang terhadap Utusan Malaysia kerana menyiarkan berita yang dianggapnya mempunyai "niat jahat".  "Kontroversi ini telah menjejaskan reputasi, integriti dan sumber pendapatan saya," katanya.

 Aziz berkata kerugian yang besar bukanlah daripada segi kewangan tetapi peluang masyarakat menikmati karya kreatif M. Nasir ekoran pengharaman itu.

 M. Nasir yang berasal dari Singapura, terkenal bukan sahaja sebagai penyanyi tetapi juga sebagai pencipta lagu, pemuzik, pemuisi, penerbit album, pelakon dan pengarah filem.

Ekoran pengharaman itu, Kedah dan Selangor telah mengharamkan konsert membabitkan penyanyi itu.

BMG Music (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd ialah syarikat rakaman yang menerbit dan mengedarkan album M. Nasir serta filem arahannya "Merah". -- BERNAMA

Apalah Yang Ada Pada M Nasir?

sumber Mastika Disember 1995

Terima kasih Dr Rizal Azuar atas sumbangan artikel

Keunggulan Muzik Melayu

Petikan PESTA (1995 - tarikh tidak dapat dikenalpasti)

Muzik dan lagu Melayu dapat diterima oleh pelbagai kaum. Inilah yang dibuktikan oleh M.Nasir menerusi Konsert Akar yang berlangsung di PWTC pada bulan Oktober lalu yang dihadiri oleh penonton berbilang bangsa.

“Jika kena gaya dan memberi satu persembahan bermutu tinggi tidak ada sebab kita tidak boleh menarik minat bangsa lain menyaksikan konsert lagu lagu Melayu.”

Pada malam persembahan itu M Nasir telah mempersembahkan konsert yang berkualiti tinggi dan menghiburkan.

Konsert Akar Manifestasi Akustika telah menelan belanja RM250,000 membuktikan kepada para penganjur bahawa artis artis tempatan mampu membuat persembahan yang lebih baik dari artis luar sekiranya diberi peluang yang adil.

Persembahan M Nasir diiringi oleh 12 orang pemuzik bertali dari Filipina yang dipimpin oleh Eddie Marzuki dan para pemuzik tempatan iaitu Yan (Bass), Aznan (gitar), Rafi (gitar), Mohar (seruling), Zul Mahad (piano), S Atan (akordian), Tom (dram), Addie (saksofon), Mohd Rejab (trombon) dan Cony Soliano (trompet).

Dua batang pokok berakar mengisi bahagian kiri dah kanan pentas sementara dua buah lukisan besar direntangkan sebagai penghias dan mewarnai latar belakang. Sistem pencahayaan yang menarik memberi mood kepada lagu lagu yang dinyanyikan oleh M. Nasir.

Kumpulan Freshies sebagai penyanyi latar membuktikan kemampuan vokal mereka dan M Nasir sentiasa mengekalkan khidmat mereka dalam banyak pertunjukan.

Irama muzik M Nasir pada malam itu disulam dengan beberapa unsur-unsur simbolik seperti seorang bayi (anak bongsunya) yang dijulang menandakan permulaan konsert sebelum N Nasir berusaha keluar selubungan kain merah dan memulakan nyanyian dengan lagu Nusantara.

Dewan yang riuh dengan sorakan penonton senyap sunyi seketika bilamana seniman serba bole ini menyampaikan lagu Kau Yang Satu yang dihidupkan dengan pancaran bulatan lampu yang dihalakan ke arah penonton.

Setelah menyampaikan lima lagu antaranya Mustika, Kepadamu Kekasih, dan Lambaian Sukma, M Nasir telah menjemput penyanyi yang diundang khas dari Indonesia, Ebiet G Ade. Mereka berduet menyampaikan sebuah lagu berjudul Khabar buat Kawan.

Ebiet meneruskan persembahan secara solo dengan menyanyikan dua buah lagu yang diminati di negara ini iaitu Titip Rindu Buat Ayah dan Kamelia ll.

Kemudian tanpa berlengah M Nasir meneruskan persembahannya dengan lagu lagu lama dan baru antaranya Akar Kita, Panji Gelora, Nyanyian Jiwa, Keroncong Buat Ana, Mencurah Janji di Daun Keladi, Tanya Sama Itu Hud Hud, Mentera Semerah Padi, Bonda dan lain-lain.

Walaupun telah lebih dua jam menyaksikan persembahan, para penonton masih tidak berpuas hati dan meminta M Nasir meneruskan nyanyiannya. Untuk tidak menghampakan M. Nasir menyanyikan lagu Apokalips sebagai lagu perpisahan.

Kira-kira lebih tiga ribu penonton malam itu pulang dengan penuh rasa puas dan tidak merasa rugi mengeluarkan duit RM50-RM70 bagi menyaksikan persembahan yang bermutu ini. Malah ramai juga yang berbelanja lebih daitu bagi mendapatkan barangan cenderamata seperti kemeja T khas konsert yang dijual di ruang legar Dewan Merdeka.

M Nasir berharap para peminatnya yang tidak dapat menyaksikan persembahan pada malam itu akan turut sama terhibur melalui video, cakera padat atau kaset rakaman konsert ini yang akan dipasarkan oleh BMG tidak lama lagi.

Gambar Tambahan :

Tiket Konsert : Sumber osmantikus.tripod.com

M Nasir - Artis Paling Popular Anugerah Bintang Popular (ABP) pada 1994.

sumber Youtube  & Wikipedia 

Anugerah Bintang-Bintang Popular Berita Harian ke-8 adalah penganjuran majlis penganugerahan seniman tahunan kali kelapan anjuran Berita Harian (kini dikenali sebagai Anugerah Bintang Popular).

Artis Paling Popular: M. Nasir

Penyanyi Lelaki Popular: M. Nasir

Penyanyi Wanita Popular: Amy Mastura

Penyanyi Berkumpulan Popular: Spring

Pelakon Filem Lelaki Popular: Awie

Pelakon Filem Wanita Popular: Erra Fazira

Pelakon Filem Pembantu Lelaki Popular: Mustapha Kamal

Pelakon Filem Pembantu Wanita Popular: Ziana Zain

Penghibur TV Lelaki Popular: KRU

Penghibur TV Wanita Popular: Nora

Pelakon TV Lelaki Popular: Shukery Hashim

Pelakon TV Wanita Popular: Sofia Jane

Artis Komedi Lelaki Popular: Sabri Yunus

Artis Komedi Wanita Popular: Wan Maimunah

What some people do in a life time, M Nasir, does in five months

INTERVIEW BY STEVEN PATRICK
JANUARY 17-31, 1995 / GALAXIE 11

JULY, 1994: His album Canggung Mendonan is certified platinum, selling over 50,000 copies. He then defies the critics who call him "too ambitious" by staging a sold-out concert at Stadium Negara. In between, he produces Amy's debut solo album Magic.
AUGUST: EMI releases a double-album tribute to Nasir, titled Bunyi Yang Dilihat. It's a compilation of some of his greatest hits written for other singers, including Sudirman, Sharifah Aini, Seha, Ekamantra and Roy. Another sold-out concert at UKM follows.
SEPTEMBER: He participates in the ill-attended Malam Karyawan Malaysia, a charity concert in aid of Bosnia. He then criticises the music industry at a press conference, accusing songwriters of being lazy and composing standard fluff.
OCTOBER: He rests.
NOVEMBER: His July concert, Canggung, is aired on TV, he gives an interview to a Singaporean tabloid and Canggung Mendonan breaks the 80,000 mark.
DECEMBER: He wins TV3's annual Juara Lagu competition with Tanya Sama Itu Hud Hud. He also graduates with a diploma of fine arts and becomes a painter.

If all of M. Nasir's work and musical endeavours were to be documented, it would be some book. He is our very own pop and rock philosopher, writing, literally, hundreds of hits for himself and others. He has to this date been involved in 50 albums. "Writing songs is a spiritual thing," Nasir explains with his usual calm.

He started writing in the early 70s when he was paid a mere RM50 per song. The rate has since risen and he also commands royalties, but not an awful lot. This still isn't America, but it's not "just a living" with Nasir either. It seems to be more of a passion. He learned to play the guitar at the age of 10. "It was my brother's guitar. He also studied a bit of piano, bought all the records, that's how I got influenced. I was into folk and pop music. I was exposed to all kinds of music and I really like them all."

"I was not interested in playing music just as an instrumentalist," he points out. "I loved music in general and I wanted to write it." So he did. He wrote a couple of songs for the Alleycats but it was Sweet Charity who gave Nasir his first recorded song, Bertemu Dan Berpisah. "I wrote it in half an hour - music first, lyrics later." Elaborating on his relationship with Ramli Sarip, then the lead singer of Sweet Charity, Nasir seems to speak of him with respect. "Ramli and I lived in the same place. He made it in music first, I was trying to be a footballer. I even wanted to be a golfer because I was a caddie. Ramli's a rock n' roller. Always rock 'n' roll based."

Nasir's contribution to Sweet Charity's album is particularly important since the group recorded the first rock album. Of course, there were other rock acts like Black Dog Bone hanging around but "they did not how to push distortion," says Nasir. "We listened to rock in the 70s. It took more than 10 years to reach the country.'-'

M. Nasir is one of the most important figures in the history of Malaysian music: He was responsible for refining and texturing pop-rock music. "When we started, we never listened to combo bands, big bands. We hated all trumpet playing bands. Rock was considered underground then. The mainstream was Ahmad Nawab." What is ironic of Nasir and Ramli's involvement in confirming our musical roots is that they are both from Singapore. "Singapore was the entertainment centre of this region, the film industry and music. I once represented Malaysia when I was still Singaporean."

Of course, when the music industry was at its infant stage, no one spoke about royalties. Nasir initially accepted whatever he was given. "I was so enthusiastic about my first album that it didn't matter. I think I got some royalties - six percent divide by two minus 10 percent, or something like that. I was the earliest to get proper royalties." Writing original songs wasn't encouraged either. "The industry was not sure of our local talents. I have done producer jobs for RM400. I never felt it was too little. It was just the situation."

It's clear that money wasn't the motivating factor since Nasir continued to write regardless. Today he has a huge body of work to look back on, or maybe not. I don't really like reminiscing. There is no favourite song of mine. I always think the next one will be better. Maybe the next one will be a masterpiece." Maybe it's all in the method in which he composes. "I just let the tape go and I just write. A song takes me half an hour, two, three days max."

He claims he never gets "writer's block" because his interests vary. He terms alternative music today as a "subterranean thing" rather than a career. "I have a certain attitude," he admits. "I couldn't care less about a hit song. I think it's a job which sometimes I don't like and sometimes I like. When I don't enjoy it is when I know a song is not going to happen, spiritually or financially."

So what are the songs he wishes he had written? "Many. Most of the Beatles songs, even Procol Harum. Some classical, Middle Eastern, some P. Ramlee." If he has one thing about modern music to gripe about, Jackson is his target. "Michael's stuff is a rip-off. Just production." Music is music nonetheless. "Most writers have a sense of beauty and niceness although their lifestyles can be questionable," Nasir says. "It's a sense of simplicity._I started with a sense of poetry but I guess songwriting is a lesser poetry."

M. Nasir has always had strong folk appeal in his music and this is not without reason. "I believe all musicians must know the folk root. I feel it's the basis of music. I follow all the latest genres but I still love the blues and folk. Folk has become (he pauses)... not so ethnic. It's like (he pauses again)... James Last type music. What's the word for it?"

Hud Hud & Bonda Ubah Selera

 petikan URTV 15 Januari 1995

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