17 Year Old Pakistanis Play The Guitar To Get Laid. Period.

I don't really know what to make of Declan Walsh, he can write some insightful pieces on Pakistan for the Guardian but then occasionally he'll give us an article like:

Never mind the Taliban – Pakistan's youth put their faith in rock'n'roll

Mr. Walsh, who has been reporting from Pakistan for some time now, is well aware of the intricacies and contradictions present in Pakistani society, therefore I'm rather surprised by his proclamation that a couple of underground concerts illustrate a larger social trend. They don't.

I don't care what people say but Pakistani youth don't put their faith in rock'n'roll, they put their faith in cricket. And even if they did put their faith in music it would be pop and not rock. This is not to say that Mr. Walsh is wrong to be impressed by underground Pakitani rockers, there are plenty of good Pakistani rock bands, some of whom aren't even that underground, but they simply cannot compete with the likes of Abrar, Atif Aslam and Strings (please, they're not a rock band). Seriously, I would bet on Abrar-ul-Haq leading a revolution over the likes of co-VEN any day.

Pakistan has had two music revolutions in the past two decades: The first occured when the likes of Vital Signs, Fringe Benefits, and Sequencers brought us their cheesy songs about women accompanied by dancing that would make Cliff Richard proud. The second music revolution occurred with the launch of Pepsi's Battle of the Bands which brought a new breed of musicians into the limelight and was soon followed by the launch of Indus Music (or did Indus Music come before?).

Its interesting to note that Rohail Hayat ,the man behind Coke Studio -- the show Declan Walsh highlights as a catalyst for the latest music revolution -- was actively involved in both Vital Signs and Pepsi's Top of the Pops. But there's something missing this time around.

The musicians of the early 90's were part of a larger cultural revolution that occurred after Zia's death; it was okay to have fun again. The rise of Aaroh, Fuzon, and Strings (re-dux) too highlighted a broader change resulting from the growth in size and comparative affluence of the urban middle class.

There is absolutely nothing that has changed socially or economically that would indicate that somehow the underground rock musicians are part of a greater revolution. If there is a social change occurring then it is in the form of hightened paranoia and increased penchant for conspiracy theories. The latter has reached epic proportions, and it is more than likely that at any social event you will find seemingly intelligent people debating which is better between Zeitgeist or The Arrivals, two utterly rubbish mockumentaries. And if this wasn't enough, we have rock legend Ali Azmat doing a program with Zaid Hamid, Ali Azmat's always been ahead of the curve when it comes to popular trends and if he's doing a show with the devil, you know which way we're headed. Here's a clip for your viewing pleasure:



The article ends with a simple but seemingly profound quote from 17 year-old Daniel Khwaja who says "It's kinda cool doing stuff you love." What utter bullshit! Danyal Khwaja, like all floppy haired 17 year-olds, plays the guitar to look cool so that he can achieve his (current) primary goal in life - getting laid. There's nothing more to it.

Link: An interesting article by Nadeem F Paracha charts the socio-political history of pop music in Pakistan.

Correction: An earlier version of the post had incorrectly mentioned Pepsi's Top of the Pops when the intention was to mention Battle of the Bands. (Thank you Karachi Khatmal for helping me remember the correct name.)