By Ajarn Helen Jandamit
Photos courtesy of Bangkok Post
University Tips is here to help you prepare for the English exams and tests that are coming your way. It gives you practise answering questions similar to those you may have at school and also on the University Entrance Examination.
Read the following interview by Kong Rithdee from the Bangkok Post. Then, answer the questions that follow.
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 late 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 European 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 GI 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 GI 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 that 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 who 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!
Exercises
Section 1
Read the story and answer the following multiple-choice questions.
1. Who directed The Guitar King?
a. Kong Rithdee.
b. Lam Morrison.
c. Passakorn Pramunwong.
2. Which of the following best describes Lam Morrison?
a. A legendary poet.
b. A Thai rock 'n' roll musician from the 60s and 70s.
c. A European tourist.
3. Where did Lam Morrison improve his guitar playing skills?
a. In the GI camps in Udon Thani.
b. In Germany and Norway.
c. In Pattaya.
4. How old is Lam Morrison now?
a. He’s in his 60s.
b. He’s in his 70s.
c. He’s in his 80s.
5. What was it about Lam that inspired the director to make a film about him?
a. Lam is the rocker with the most performing hours in the country.
b. His friendly, good-humoured personality
c. He was the first Thai musician to tour Europe.
6. What does the documentary show?
a. It shows Lam's European journey in the 70s.
b. It shows the GI camps in Udon Thani during the Vietnam War.
c. It shows Lam's present life in Pattaya.
Section 2
Specify whether each of the following words is used in the story as a verb, noun, adjective or adverb.
7. mentioned ……….
8. friendly ……….
9. recently ……….
10. decades ……….
Section 3
Read each of the following sentences and underline the grammatically correct words in each from the choices given.
11. The camp is located in northeast/northerner/northeastern Thailand.
12. He was the first Thai artist to tour across/against/aside Europe.
13. He is also good at playing cover/covering/coverage music.
14. He is one of the best known rock/rocker/rockers.
15. Pattaya is when/what/where he formed the band.
Section 4
Fill in the blanks in the following passage with the correct words from the choices given.
“Lam is known for his cover version of Gary Moore's “The Loner.” However, after …..16….. got to know him, I've come to like “Somewhere over the Rainbow.” It's …..17….. he's soothing himself and his audience with that song. …..18…..song came from the film The Wizard of Oz, and it represents a …..19….. of the land over the horizon.”
16.
a. we
b. he
c. I
17.
a. likes
b. like
c. liked
18.
a. A
b. The
c. Some
19.
a. dreams
b. dreamed
c. dream
Section 5
Find vocabulary words in the story that are synonyms of the following words.
20. movie ……………….
21. gladness ……………….
22. entire ……………….
23. phoned ……………….
24. infrequent ……………….
Vocabulary
- hone (v): to develop and improve something, especially a skill, over a period of time
GI (n): a soldier in the US armed forces
pioneer (v): when somebody pioneers something, they are one of the first people to do, discover or use something new
artillery (n): large, heavy guns which are often moved on wheels
