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| We’ve never tried to be anything but who we are. We enjoy our music on stage and people can see that and feel that, and that transcends everything, really |
Even after two decades, Pentagram members maintain their badass looks that complement their kickass music. Led by the always-pumped-up Vishal Dadlani, the electro-rock quartet also features guitarist Randolph Correia, bassist Makarand ‘Papal’ Mane and drummer Shiraz Bhattacharya. And the guys are in top form, thanks to their recent outing on MTV Unplugged, which continues to create quite a stir through shares on Facebook. What keeps the guys going? A t2 jam with Vishal Dadlani....
Rock bands usually start out being angry at something. After 20 years what are you angry about; who’s your enemy?
I don’t know if rock bands start out being angry –– I think rock bands start out having a good time, and then find their voices somewhere along the way. There are a lot of things that need changing, and as a musician you can’t really be anyone but yourself, so some of that comes out naturally in the music. But a lot of our music is also just about having fun and living life. It’s not necessarily all about social commentary. I don’t know how angry we are, I think we’re just more observant and experiential in that way.
Speaking of music, you guys have done an acoustic set for MTV Unplugged. Do share your experience....
It was great. For me, personally, I’m used to hearing the songs really loud –– jump around, bouncey, groovy loud on stage. To hear them sitting down, and to actually hear the melody and vocals clearly was very refreshing for us. It’s something we’ve never done in 19 –– now 20 –– years as a band. It was almost as if coming to a realisation that for whatever it’s worth, with all the sonic madness and all the experimentation, at the core the songs are still songs –– just beautiful songs that have a lot of meaning and a lot of melody.
How do you stumble upon ideas for songs?
There’s a lot of stumbling involved for sure. Basically we just get in a room and we play and see what happens –– that’s where songs come from.
Your songs are enjoyed as much by those in the 16-25 age bracket as by those in their mid-30s. Musically and lyrically, what connects the two age groups?
You’ve just got to say what you say, and as long as you’re being true, your music will be relevant. We’ve never tried to be anything but who we are. We enjoy our music on stage and people can see that and feel that, and that transcends everything, really.
Is Pentagram allergic to a greatest hits compilation because such an effort would mean looking back rather than forward?
We’re very happy to look back because we’re very proud of our career, and we’re very happy to look ahead as well. We have no particular objections one way or the other. I’d love to hear a greatest hits CD, frankly, but I just feel that perhaps only four albums down, we haven’t earned it yet. Maybe a few albums down the line.
Do bad reviews piss you off or do you look at it as something constructive?
Never really got any. I’m very happy to look at them as constructive, but for what it’s worth, we don’t really care about reviews because we do this for ourselves, primarily.
Where does the impetus to carry on come from?
Twenty years later you don’t really have much of a choice –– this is what we do. But we also have fun doing it. At the end of the day, we haven’t really thought about it. It just comes naturally to us, and it’s something that happened to all of us and we’re very glad it did. We’re very happy to be a part of it even now and go with the flow. It has never felt like work, so there’s no question of needing an impetus to carry on, it’s something that we all look forward to.
The band answers
Most productive hours of the day:
Usually from about 7pm to about 2-3am.
Three things that ain’t true about Pentagram:
1. We’re never high on stage.
2. Each of us has very individual lives and we’re not in each others’ face all the time.
3. We’re a lot sexier than we seem.
A musical event you wish you had witnessed:
Everything from Woodstock to the Coachella Tupac hologram, because all of it is definitive and all of it has made new ideas happen.
A Pentagram after-concert party:
You don’t want to go there, that is not printable!
Tips for girls who want to be Pentagram groupies:
Don’t be anyone’s groupie. You’re all wonderful creatures of light and we love you all. Just be happy, hang out, have a good time. Never be a groupie, always have groupies!
