This is Junaid’s interview I got hold of a few days back. I have never read such an extensive interview of him ever! Hope you guys ebnjoy and I would love comments on what he has to say about his like and his career!
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Vital Signs came it saw and now it s long gone. Today Junoon has taken over as the country’s number one band. Do you ever wish you were in Salman’s show? Be up there where he is. Among the stars? **
Toba karo The fame Junoon enjoys today Vital Signs did many times as much years ago. been there. Done it Can do it again my time with just one album So no I have no design to be in Salman Ahmed’s shoes. Or anyone else’s I feel great being Junaid Jamshed Being part of Vital Signs
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Have you done all that you wanted to in music? **
I have in fact it s come to a point when I do not know what else to do. I’ve become complacent since I have no incentive to do anything further.
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You’ve done everything you wanted to wish six albums? And you are already complacent? How can you then compare yourself to Junoon whose music is politically motivated and is making new conquests in the soundscapes everyday? **
Our music is about romance. We talk about matters of the heart. It’s eternal. Never-ending. Even national songs pale beyond the moment. They motivate for a given time and rarely ever become evergreen. Our music will thus outlive all other. That is why we will be successful. Trends are temporary. Romance isn’t. Junoon knows what it is doing and who it is catering to. We cater to those whose heart we touch with our music.
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You are a born again Muslim. What is the one thing faith has taught you that you didn’t know before? **
To learn to forgive. God forgives us everyday for our sins. How can we expect divine forgiveness if we don’t forgive fellow humans? Nobody is perfect and we have to live with our shortcomings and of those around us. We have to forgive them when they are at fault so that we are forgiven when we err.
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Where does music fit into your scheme of things now?**
Music is no longer the driving force it once was in my life. It is no longer my aim and my ambition. It is more of a necessarily a medium that takes me to people helps me reach out to them. That’s all. If tomorrow I can’t sing I’d have no regrets.
what is your aim in life now?
To study and understand the virtues of Islam. The whys behind the what’s of religion. And my vision is to help others understand what I have so far understood.
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Okay tell me, where does music fit into the code of religion?**
See, everything religion prohibits, it does for reasons we all understand. Religion does not prohibit music per se. Music is a powerful medium that gets crowds going. And what it makes them do then is what decides whether it’s good music or bad. Like what Beatles did to the British society. The British were pretty conservative as a nation. Beatles got the British youth under their spell and led them to their moral ruin. This is what music can do. Its message is what makes it good or evil. That is why religion does not relax its rules towards music.
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Were you instructed in matters of religion as a child?**
I was raised among the clergy. Music was the furthest from how I was brought up. I’m the only one in my family who took up singing. I was tutored to recite the Koran. And I excelled at it. That is how I developed a sense of balance and timing.
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Your decision to put your talent to such earthy use must have appalled your teachers.**
I’ve never mentioned this in an interview before but the first time I visited my school after Dil Dil Pakistan, I ran into the Qari sahab who’d been my tutor. What he didn’t say to me in words his eyes said loud and clear. He was disappointed in me. Thoroughly disappointed. What I had become wasn’t what he had trained me for.
And what you later became was a successful singer. The training obviously paid off. Not that the good looks didn’t help?
It’s the overall image that counts. Not just the face. My good looks’ might have played a part but it wasn’t major.
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Have you ever consciously used your looks to advance your career?
Of course I have. Every singer who has the looks does. Isn’t showbiz a lot about creating beautiful fantasies? But like I said it’s the overall image that counts.
And what in your view is your image?
What it isn’t is that of a rock star. I think I’ve always projected the image of a romantic hero. Romantic and homely. There are mothers who sit and listen to me as comfortably as do fathers, their daughters and their sons. The young as well as the old. That’s my image. And it’s been like that for 12 years.
And you haven’t faked that image? Ever?
How can anyone for that long? I don’t think I could have pulled it off for all these years so successfully. You can’t fool all the people all the time.
Even when you were very young?
Very young? Maybe I did. But not to deceive. We all go through a phase in younger years when we can’t handle life without putting up an act.
An actor and his act soon go partying. How many relationships did you have before marriage? And be honest.
Quite a few. To be honest.
We need a little more honesty here. An exact figure to be precise.
I haven’t kept a count.
You did a wise thing. So how old were you when you had your first relationship?
Emotionally I was a late bloomer. In my teens studies and my interest in sports left me with very little time to do much else. By the time I was done with the two I was already half way into my twenties and had not had a relationship till then. By '87 Dil Dil Pakistan had made me a star overnight and suddenly all these women were swooning over me. That was when I truly became aware of their existence. And the possibility of a relationship.
You mean to say you missed out on teenage crushes?
Not really. I had one. On a biology teacher in the eighth grade. She was about 19 years old and fresh out of college. I specially liked the way she dressed up and wore her hair.
Do you think she suspected?
She knew I liked her all right. I mean she couldn’t possibly have missed the vibes I sent out to her. And she did take a tad more interest in me than needed.
Were you as good looking at 13?
I was a total Seek. I wore specs and had a real bad case of acne. But I was tall for my age taller than most 16 year olds. Which is why I had to sit all the way at the back. Most teachers thought I was an older student and treated me like one.
What ever became of the bio teacher?
She got married. Much to my dismay.
You married young yourself. Few in the limelight take the plunge that early What were your reasons?
I was scared of the opportunities available to single men living in the fast lane. At concerts girls who wanted more than photographs to perpetuate the moment swarmed me. I did not wish to leave that option open to me for too long.
Given the freedom you enjoyed as a pop-icon it must have been difficult to adjust to marital life.
The first two years were real tough. I couldn’t come to terms with not being single and continued behaving like I wasn’t married. Ayesha on the other hand had problems dealing with a husband who was too well known. Most of our time together was spent arguing.
And it was an arranged marriage of course.
It was. And that is why it survived. Expectations are higher when love comes before marriage. She expects him to bring the world at her feet. He expects her to love him come what may. In an arranged marriage neither really knows what to expect of the other and both are willing to make a compromise if need be.
Between you and Ayesha who made the compromise first?
Ayesha did. She realized early on how to deal with me and dealt with me well. First she came around to my way of thinking coming to be all that I wanted her to become. Once she won my trust and I became dependent on her she brought me to see things her way. Which I eventually did. She’s a Leo, a leader who knew how to go about leading the two of us. Today it is because of her that I am a changed man.
So you think a woman is capable of changing a man according to her wish?
If she is intelligent enough and smart enough. I am a living example of that.
It wasn’t a love marriage so when did love enter into the picture? If it did at all.
I wasn’t in love with Ayesha when I married her. I didn’t fad in love with her at first sight. It came gradually with the respect she earned.
Was it a romantic love?
No, it wasn’t.
Do you believe in romantic love though?
Yes I do. When I sing about it why wouldn’t I believe in it? But I am also a very practical person, which puts a damper on it. Had that not been the case I would have married no less than three times so far. And divorced as many. I am a Virgo. A true Virgo. The most practical sign of the zodiac. Our bad qualities far outnumber good. And I have au the bad qualities of a Virgo in me. Each and every one of them.
Are you romantic at heart?
I am not.
Run that by me again?
I am not a romantic person by nature. I am too practical to be romantic. Au Virgos are.
Now I have heard everything. The icon of the hopelessly romantic is not romantic at heart. How do you justify preaching what you don’t practice?
‘Main kisse aur kay dil ki awaz hoon’ I mouth someone else’s opinion about love.
And whose opinion would that be?
Shoaib Mansoor’s. It’s his emotions that you hear in my songs. Isn’t that ready strange? Every word I have ever sung every verse I have emoted mirrors Shoaib’s inner conflicts. I have simply been the receptacle he poured his thought in. For others to see.
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How do you feel being used by someone to their advantage? **
Used! Good God no. I don’t feel used. Shoaib is my mentor arid I feel privileged and proud for having been able to do what I could for him.
But you do agree with what he has to say don’t you?
Like I said I’m a very practical person. The whole concept of romance eludes me completely. But I am also a very sensitive person. I always have been. But I am not romantic.
Have you ever tried to be romantic?
You can’t try and be one. Either you are or you aren’t. It doesn’t come natural to me. I forget my wife’s birthdays. And I don’t feel bad about it either. Valentine’s day, it means nothing to me.
well at least you are honest about your cruelty. Any other Virgo traits that fit you?
I am a very honest person, very practical and very gullible.
One whom others can lead easily!
Virgos don’t make good leaders. They are hard workers but they need someone to give them a direction in life. I got mine from Shoaib Mansoor. Right from the start. 13 years down the road I still am not able to find my way on my own. I slid need him to guide me. Like I said I am a true Virgo.
What is the best way to win a Virgo’s heart?
First you have to prove to them that you are indeed the right person. That you are the right person for them. Remember they are very practical people the last to have stars in their eyes. So don’t expect them to be taken in by notions of romance. They are very straightforward and take life the way it is. They don’t build castles in the air and don’t expect you to live in one. They are very simple very basic. They can’t put on airs and come off badly when they try to. My dress sense was appalling when I became part of the Vital Signs team. It was Rohail and Shehzad who groomed me. They were the ones who got to have their way in our music as well. If Rohail wanted the song done in a certain way that is the way the song was eventually done. And I let him do it his way because he proved it to me he knew what he was doing. I had confidence in his abilities and so I agreed with him all the way.
What about the film you are supposed to be doing with Shoaib Mansoor? Two years ago when we talked about it you said it was just an idea. Has it progressed any further?
The film is Shoaib Mansoor’s project and though he is a dear friend, I feel apprehensive talking to him about it. He wants to do it the way he wants to do it and in his own time. If he thinks I am worth being cast in it, he will. It is going to be his decision. That is why I didn’t do any other film. I want to do one with him. He’s the only director I have worked with. And I do let him direct me the way he wishes. He’s the only man for whom I played a drag queen. In ‘Gulls and Guys’.
And the gullible Virgo that you are, you agreed to play a transvestite. On national television!
You see Shoaib worked hard to get me where I am today. To me he’s a mentor a brother and a father figure all roped into one. I don’t ever question anything that he wants me to do. I know he would never ask me to do anything that would hurt my reputation.
How did it feel to wear woman’s clothing? And act like one?
Yar, it felt strange. But I was such a natural. In fact for sometime afterwards that I wondered if I wasn’t a transvestite in a previous life.
If you were as tall as you are in this, I seriously doubt it. Tell me did you really enjoy playing the role?
I did. I surely did. I enjoy working with Shoaib Mansoor.
What is the strangest thing you have ever done? Besides dressing up as a woman.
I am a big sci-fi fan. When Jurassic Park was released I was in the US. I saw 7 shows of the film in two days. The first day I watched four consecutive shows and the next day three. I used to do that a lot at 16. But I grew out of the habit by 17.
How old are you by the way?
I am 35.
Midlife crisis usually hits around this time. Have you felt its blow?
You see, as a Muslim I am a strong believer in destiny. I believe whatever we are meant to go through in life we do. You can’t avoid what is put in your way. Midlife crisis sets in when you don’t believe in what is destined. You question your past and live in horror of the future. I have seen tough times and good times and I am content with the way life has treated me.
What are the qualities that make a man?
That he gives respect where it is due, that he is honest and does not lie and that he lives by his principles. Those who uphold their principles and live by them, come what may are the ones who move mountains. I admire such people.
**Do you live by your principles whatever they are?
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I do. Like I told you I’m a very focused person which helps we stay on my chosen path, to stick to my principles.
Are you critical by nature?
I am very much so.
Is that a good thing or a bad thing?**
I’d say it’s a bad thing. Because when I am asked to give my honest opinion that is exactly what I give. Most don’t expect honesty to be that honest. Few can actually take it in their stride.
Do you take it in your stride?
All the criticism I have taken in the past 13 years has made me take it well now. You do eventually team to take it. In your stride.
Are you your own good critic?
I am my own worst critic. I am a Virgo. I can’t help being one. That’s the way I’ve been throughout my career.
Okay, lets test that. Rate yourself as a singer.
I have no qualms about admitting that I’m a very limited singer. I’m not a very good singer.
That kind of self-reproach has to have roots in early childhood. What kind of a child were you?
I spent my childhood at a boarding school - away from the family. I was a very sensitive child and didn’t take reproach lightly. I despised myself for losing control of my lachrymals every time I was reprimanded.
What’s your earliest childhood memory?
My father had a real difficult time raising Humayun (his younger brother) and I. I mean we were real terrors as kids. Terrorists in fact. We spent our puberty picking fights and trashing up the house. I mean the two of us would smash furniture, windows, TVs ? anything that came in our way. It was like we were programmed solely for destruction. We used to drive my father crazy and he would be like ready to break open our skulls.
Have your kids taken after you then?
In that my kids have not taken after me. Thankfully. They are angels compared to me. And I tell them that all the time.
And are you the kind of father to your kids as yours was to you?
My father gave us a lot of time something I have not been able to do. I regret that. Now I do make a conscious effort to spend time with my kids.
Does your father ever tell you if he was proud of what you have done with your life?
My father and I are best of friends. But no he’s never told me that. He’s not one to give adulation. I know he’s happy the way I turned out but no he’s never put it into word.
From stretching chords to selling clothes ? you sure have come a long way. Are you designing any of the stuff you sell?
Right now I am not. But I do intend to eventually. I would like to design for the average woman. Straight cuts at an affordable price.
What looks best on a woman?
It depends on the occasion she’s dressed up for. Generally I think a woman looks good draped in a sari.
Okay whose wardrobe do you think should be torched in public?
I think it would be Arif Lohar’s. As much as I am averse to his dress sense I admire his courage. He does what he believes in wears what he wants to. That is very admirable. Before I saw him perform I used to think I was flamboyant. But he sure does take the cake.
And who do you think is the best dressed public figure?
Imran Khan. For one, he dresses up elegantly not just for the camera but in real life too and second he wears my label.
One last question I am really dying to ask. Is Pepsi really your favorite drink?
No it isn’t. I rarely ever take carbonated drinks. I find lemonade and sugarcane excellent thirst quenchers. Lemon Soda is another good drink.
[This message has been edited by AliBeta (edited October 03, 2000).]