FINGER ON THE PULSE
Now into its third season, Pa Ted Talk has become the go-to place for intelligent and informative discussion on Thai music
In recent years, we’ve seen the arrival of more and more online talk shows and podcasts, engaging and informing audiences on a wide variety of content, from current affairs to sports, film to technology, and everything in between.
Music, naturally, is an especially popular subject. Fans never tire of getting the lowdown on their favourite artists and their craft, personal background and influences. One of the most popular online shows for music is Pa Ted Talk, which has attracted quite a following in the last few years. And fans will be delighted to hear that the third season is now available to stream online.
What is it about the show that has made it such a success? The man behind Pa Ted Talk, Yutthana “Ted” Boonorm, was more than happy to give his take.
“It’s basically a talk show that is presented as a one-on-one in-depth interview show. It focuses on some of the most interesting figures in the local music industry, often people I admire and am keen to talk with,” he said. “Each episode explores the career of a different artist. We try to dig deeper to find out more about their personal lives and views that, hopefully, not many have heard before.”
The show marks the first time in his more than 30-year career that Yutthana has hosted his own interview programme, though his time as a DJ for Hot Wave radio in the 1980s and 1990s means he has plenty of experience in this area. Together with Winij Lertratanachai, he was one of first radio DJs to promote indie music, giving it plenty of airplay on his shows, despite them being run by major labels. Yutthana also gained a reputation for coming up with thoughtful, insightful interview questions. His support was hugely significant in helping new wave bands like Bodyslam, Silly Fools, Moderndog and Loso to make their breakthroughs.
Pa Ted Talk was a modest success in its first season, gaining particular praise and attention for its promotion of talented up-and-coming artists from the independent hip-hop community, like Youngohm, D Gerrard and Wonderframe. But it was in its second season last year that things really took off, with episodes featuring exclusive interviews with members of legendary Thai alternative rock bands Silly Fools and Big Ass. Surprisingly, it was the first time the public heard the reasons for the bands’ parting of ways. The interview with former Silly Fools vocalist Natapol “Toe” Puthpawana, in particular, reached over 2 million views on YouTube.
“We’ve got a lot of requests from viewers to do more band break-up interviews, but we don’t want to repeat the same content from last season,” said Yutthana. “So this year, we’re focusing on some very talented artists who are, for some reason, not well known locally, but have made an impact on the international stage, like Pyra and Phum Viphurit. We’ve got singer-songwriter Atom Chanakan, who’s written a number of pop hits but still not many people know what he looks like. I interview TV personality Pramote ‘Oat’ Pathan about his colourful personal life, and I chat with Tar Ittipong from Paradox, but we don’t talk about music at all.”
Thailand is still relatively new to these kinds of in-depth interview shows, Yutthana explained. The questions are more serious and sensitive than in standard talk shows, so he has to be extra careful about the subjects they explore.
“Everything we do on the show is based on good intentions. The goal of Pa Ted Talk is to create understanding and spark interesting conversations. I’m not trying to find drama or controversy just to get lots of likes,” he said.
“We tell the interviewee beforehand what we are going to talk about. We list the main questions and show them to see if there’s anything they might feel uncomfortable talking about. I do this for everyone, new artists and established artists.”
What makes someone a good interviewer? Yutthana believes that it’s extremely important to do your research prior to the interview. But perhaps the most important thing is to be a good listener.
“Interviewers nowadays tend to try way too hard to come up with questions to sound clever. They shoot all these questions but forget to pay real attention to the answers,” he pointed out. “Then they don’t realise when certain questions have already been covered. If you just listen carefully to the stories your interviewee is telling you, then you’ll know what to ask.”
It’s fair to say that Yutthana is one of the most influential figures in Thailand’s entertainment industry today. He is a hugely successful concert promoter in addition to his work as a host and producer on television and radio. He is co-founder of Fat Radio and Fat Festival, co-owner of House theatre, director of Sanamluang Records, and editor of DDT magazine. He runs major music events and festivals like Yak Fest, Godung Concert series and, of course, Big Mountain, one of the nation’s biggest and best music festivals, which has just celebrated its 10th anniversary.
If all that weren’t enough, Yutthana is embarking upon an ambitious new project with Green Wave radio, named Tote Bag Music Festival, which takes place on March 21-22 at Thephasadin Stadium, Pathumwan district. This will be Thailand’s biggest eco-friendly-themed festival to date — everything is to be powered by solar energy. How does he do it?
“People say that I have an eye for new opportunities and that I always seem to know what’s going on. But I just see my career as a mass communicator,” Yutthana explained. “That includes every means of communication: television and radio, of course, but also digital channels like podcasting, video live, video production, and much more. I may have tried many different things, but I consider myself to have been working on one career all my life.”
THE GOAL IS TO CREATE UNDERSTANDING AND SPARK INTERESTING CONVERSATIONS. I’M NOT TRYING TO FIND DRAMA OR CONTROVERSY