BEING KARL MAKA

There are two kinds of Karl Makas. There is Karl Maka, veteran Hong Kong actor and The Karl Maka, electro pop band that consists of Jonathan Fong and Ken Hayashida. This is an interview involving the latter. We uncover facts about their music, friendship and a meeting with the actor, Karl Maka himself.

What’s the story about the band name?

Jonathan: We initially wanted to call ourselves the Hui Brothers (famous Hong Kong movie siblings) but it sounded similar to the Dust Brothers or The Chemical Brothers. We went with the actor, Karl Maka, because we were fans of the Aces Go Places series.

How did you guys meet?

Jonathan: Ken was from Temasek Polytechnic and I, from Nangyang. I had a lot of friends over at Temasek so I would always be hanging out there, crashing their gigs. That was when I first saw Ken; he was playing in a cover band with a bass guitar between his legs.

Ken: We got to know each other through a mutual friend, Daniel, a drummer I played with. After graduation, we sort of lost touch and only reconnected during our National Service days.

Jonathan: We somehow ended up in the same unit, the Changi Defence Squardron… not our proudest moment [laughs]. Then in 2007, the band was formed.

With regards to team dynamics, is Jon the gregarious one and Ken, the quiet one?

Jonathan: Hmmm, I guess I’m the livelier one because I’m the singer but when it comes to composition, Ken’s a genius. We would record and produce in his bedroom. Ken’s the guy that gets it done. I would write the lyrics and melodies, contribute song ideas and the rest is all Ken.

As a team, we both contribute in our own way. We’re just two friends with common musical tastes and ideas who wanted to start a band.

What’s the genesis for A Song For Debbie Wong?

Ken: I was doing my reservist duties and to pass the time, the staple for most reservists was… FHM . Debbie Wong was the cover girl for one of them and the interview with her said she loves rock music like Guns N’ Roses. That piece of info made her an interesting character. I told Jon about that and we started to form a story around her, that maybe back in secondary school, she was the kind of woman that was out of our league.

Was the song partly inspired by personal experiences?

Ken: Um…

Jonathan: It was for me. I would say her name on record but I'm married. [laughs]

Ken: Everybody would have a crush on someone. I used to have a thing for Samantha Fox. It’s that sort of feeling. The unattainable crush. The woman you cannot get but you still have hope.

What about Tears On My Sweater; how did that came about?

Jonathan: Well, that came about when a friend looked at our promotional photo at that time, and said, “this is such an emo photo. This looks like tears on my sweater.” I thought that would make such a freaking cool song title. The theme for Tears On My Sweater was based on the movies of John Hughes, that farewell scene where the people that you know have to go in different directions.

Why did you make a music video from the single While There’s Time instead of the more popular, A Song For Debbie Wong?

Ken: We figured it’s a catchier tune than Debbie Wong, which would get us a higher chance for getting airtime on the radio.

Do you think the local music scene has changed since?

Ken: It’s for the better. Back then, when I started playing in the early 2000, there were only a few venues to play in, including The Substation but now we have tons of venues for bands to play, plenty of opportunities for band to become better.

Jonathan: Than again, back in the 90s, radio would support local bands, play local music on radio… not to say that they don’t do it now but it feels like it sort of reached a peak in supporting local music. Ken is right to say that now people are willing to pay to see a local act.

People describe your music as “emo-sounding”; is that an accurate description?

Jonathan: I don’t know… it’s a compliment, I guess.

Ken: I think our songs are more about longing.

Jonathan: Wanting and longing. If you have something, you’re content but if you’re miserable… well, all good music stem from being miserable.

Jon, we heard you actually met the real Karl Maka.

Jonathan: During dinner with my parents, they mentioned Karl Maka was in town. Apparently, he was here to act in two Cantonese operas at the community centres in Chinatown. We headed down to where he was performing after dinner but were unable to get in because the tickets were sold out. The wife and I returned the next evening and, this time, walked backstage during the intermission-

You went backstage? Just like that?

Jonathan: It’s the sort of event where you were allowed to go backstage to meet the actors, shake their hands, whatever. We met Karl Maka, gave him the band’s promotional button pack and told him the band was named after him so… don’t sue us. [laughs] He said he was honoured we would name our band after him. He took down my contact and promised when he returns to Singapore he’ll give me a call.

You should have gotten a quote from him.

Jonathan: Yeah. “This band sucks ass!” [laughs]