Still Dirty: Jeet Thayil

At the 4th Shillong Calm Festival, Jeet Thayil came to not promote his book Narcopolis, which released in 2012, he was here to enthrall the evening with his music project called Still Dirty for one night only.

Still Dirty, as the name implies, a cacophony of Turing Machines, has elements of practicing in one take of rock, funk, blues and a “miniscule” amount of jazz. It was a change for a lot of musical lovers in Shillong, the rock capital.

The Calm Festival 2015, showcased it’s diversity with not just the usual literary workshop and book launches, string with high-flown phrases. It took a leap of faith of being able to present an idea. A novel takes 500 pages, a short story less, a poem is lesser but a song, just a word. Here they were able to stand and listen to the anxiety of Still Dirty. It echoed sexy groove music to tongue-in-cheek drama.

Their unconventional songwriting combines Indian classical music with storytelling. They played with various characters in each song; a growling of a cat called stuck on a tree or a three-year old baby stammering. The live concert lived up to its elements of jazz and performance art; chance and improvisation. It exuded the organized chaos of not just Delhi but a growing Shillong moving forward also.

Still Dirty, has a flexible lineup comprising guitarist Anup Kutty (from rock band Menwhopause), bassist Tony Guinard (from ska/reggae band The Ska Vengers), and Finnish drummer Bhanu Thakur. There was also a collaboration with vocalist, actor and producer Suman Sridhar.

Sridhar and Thayil were named one of nine artists to watch out for by Rolling Stone magazine, and awarded the Jack Daniel’s Rock Award for best new act in the country in 2009.

There is a phrase in one of the songs, “word is easy.” What are the differences as a poet and a musician?

I don’t actually differentiate them. Poetry, novel, a song, even non- fiction, for me is writing. For me, a song comes in to a play with many things. It’s not just words on a page. Its other members who come together and fill it in. To create an experience. It’s a calling, its fun.

What do you enjoy more, being a musician or a writer?

I would say right now its music. I am not writing at the moment

Is there a reason, when you are singing with Suman Sridhar, there is a slight feeling of echo in the background with the vocals, it’s not in harmony?

We decided with Sridhar and Thayil everything is harmony and in sync. Here in Still Dirty, its off sync, it’s a lot of noise. The same song will never sound the same twice. The whole point of this is to showcase sound you don’t hear normally. We could have followed the structure of singing in harmony and also play. It is the way the old jazz musicians used to say “the mistakes you make are not the mistakes. It’s part of the sound,” For Suman. She is a trained classical singer, for her to sing and allowed to be free is very difficult and it needs some convincing.

How do you get free, to write?

It took me a long time. I am 55 years now. I started playing when I was 15. I was scared to make mistake at that time. At this time, I realize I have nothing to lose, it is, who I am. We are trying to make beautiful noise.