A new documentary, The guitar King, opened in cinemas recently.
The film tells the story of Lam Morrison, a Thai rock musician and the country's first guitar star in the last 1960s.
A long-haired man in his 70s now, Lam honed his guitar skills playing in GI camps in Udon Thani during the Vietnam War, before playing at bars in Bangkok and even touring Germany and Norway.
The Guitar King is directed by Passakorn Pramunwong, and traces Lam's Eutopean journey in the 70s. We talked to Passakorn about the project and his inspiration.
Why did you make this documentary??
A friend called me and said he'd just met Lam Morrison, who mentioned that he missed Norway and Germany where he once toured. At that moment, I could see the whole story in my head. it's about a man returning to a place that held so many memories for him after three decades.
I went to see Lam in Pattaya, where he lives, and I met a friendly, good-humoured man. I felt that a film about a man's happiness would be good at this time when happiness is rare.
Lam Morrison was big in the 1970s.
Why is he still important??
He was the first musician to pioneer rock'n'roll music in Thailand during the American Gl period of the 60s and 70s. There are very few documents and records about this. He was also the first Thai musician to tour Europe.
Lam is a product of the Gl period. Can you tell us more about that??
The GI camps in the northeast of Thailand were set up during the Vietnam War. Lam spent his musician's life there and it was where rock'n'roll music filled the air. In the camps, the latest artillery arrived along with the latest music from the US, and Lam got his musical updates from hanging out there.
Lam is best known for playing other people's music. Do you think cover artists are not as good as artists eho write their own songs??
Not in the least. When you see Lam play live, in five minutes you'll smile and laugh and feel the emotion. That's what an artist does to his audience. Lam is the rocker with the most performing hours in the country. He's still one of the best.
The world has changed and music has changed, but Lam remains the same. Why is that??
Come and see The Guitar King to find the answer!!!