Remo Strikes Gold! -- By Sigmund de Souza
A whole generation of Goans have grown up with this guy! From humorous songs on themes synonymous with Goan life, songs that sought to create an awareness on social issues like Drugs, Corruption, AIDS, Politics, Indi-pop hits that catapulted him to the highest music platform in the country, to modern day experimental music -- Remo's music has kept pace with the times. Goa's most versatile singer and easily the most famous Goan in the country, Remo Fernandes turned 50 last Thursday (8 May, 2003). The event was a significant landmark in the history of post-Liberation Goa. On the Indian music front Remo continues to go on from strength to strength. But the most laudable aspect of this flamboyant, yet charismatic, musician is that he has stayed close to his roots and continued to use Goa as both his base and his inspiration. And that perhaps is the most important factor from the point of view of younger Goans who want to get to the top of their field, irrespective of what it is that they want to achieve. Remo has been a good role model. Prior to Remo's rise to the top, it was believed that you can't hit the big time unless you left Goa. Remo proved that belief to be a myth. Goa is a land of music, but, unfortunately, till date not a single musician has gone on all the way to the top and yet continued to live in Goa. That is what makes Remo's example so vital for this State. Born in a socialite Panjim family to Bernardo and Luiza Fernandes, Remo exhibited his love for the stage from a very tender age, his first significant public appearance came at the age of 5 when he sang 'Minha Maizinha Querida' at Clube Nacional. In school, Remo's natural guitar playing skills made him a child prodigy. No doubt, he faced friendly rivalry from his talented peer group mates like Alexandre Rosario, Nandino Lobato Faria, and Caetano de Abreu. Yet they all played together in his school days band 'Beat 4', which is still spoken about fondly by Goan music lovers who witnessed their performances at the time. Taking after his idol Lucio Miranda, Remo went on to study Architecture in Mumbai. While there, his love affair with music continued. He often bunked classes to work on his guitar technique. He soon found a place in 'The Savages', one of the leading bands in Bombay in those days. The band, which was led by Bashir Sheikh, was looking for a new lead guitar player. Remo ably filled in the slot. Remo then returned to Goa and even led the life of a hippie for a while. During those days, he played at the famous Amsterdam Balloon Company parties in Baga. He also formed his fusion band 'Indiana' with Bondo and Abel around that time. He was already a big star by the time the 80s approached. Owing to his cult figure status, Remo, in his own admission, didn't have to try too hard to find favour with the fairer sex. He eventually met his life-partner and soul mate in his beautiful and sweet wife Michelle. Michelle is French, but after they were married, she made Goa her home. She even speaks Konkani! Remo and Michelle have two sons. Both strapping and handsome, Noah is now 16 and Jonah 14. Both are still studying and, as friends of Remo's will tell you, are really pleasant and charming young fellows. The family lives happily in Remo's ancestral home in the picturesque village of Siolim. But success did not come easy. As Remo admits, no recording company in India was willing to release his music because it was in English. But he got his maiden album 'Goan Crazy' into the market all the same. He recorded it on four-track recorder in his home and personally went about distributing the cassettes from shop to shop. The album was an instant hit. He made his debut in the Hindi film world with the Shyam Benegal movie 'Trikaal'. That was followed 'Jalwa' and Remo simply didn't stop from there on. This far he has recorded many albums -- Goan Crazy, Pack That Smack, Old Goan Gold, Bombay City, Politicians Don't Know To Rock N Roll, O Meri Munni, and, more recently India Beyond, and all have done well on the stands. The whole of Goa keenly kept track of Remo's rise to stardom. They were proud of his achievements and felt that Remo had finally given Goa that pride of place on the Indian entertainment map. A whole generation of Goans idolized him. But, as expected, success also brought enemies, especially in the local press. When the Late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi visited Goa and Remo sung him the song 'Hello Rajiv Gandhi', a local newspaper stirred up a controversy, commenting that Remo had no business singing such a satirical song to the Prime Minister of the country. It was after Remo wrote a letter to the Prime Minister, and got Rajiv Gandhi's appreciation for what he was doing, that the controversy died down. There have been other controversies sought to be raked up by a section of the local media. But it's probably Remo's immense popularity and success that must be the reason for this. After all, nobody talks about a barren tree. Known to speak his mind out, Remo threw himself in the thick of the Konkani agitation in the eighties and his song 'Konkani Amchi Mai Bhas' became an anthem of the movement to get Konkani into the Eight Schedule of the Indian Constitution. Remo has always passionately supported the cause of Konkani and Goan culture. However, over the last eight years or so Remo drifted away from Goa. His music, rather his fees, reached a level that Goa could not afford. Naturally, the Goan public saw less and less of this music genius while he rose to the highest point as a musician in the country. Goan fans held a grouse against him, feeling he did not care so much about Goa anymore. But Remo's 50th Birthday Concert put paid to all of that. It was obvious that the over 25,000 people who turned up at the Panjim Gymkhana grounds did so because they not only acknowledged the importance of Remo to Goa, but they also loved him. His fans came from different corners of Goa, old friends and fans alike. There was also another aspect to his concert, a whole generation of Goan youth who had not seen why everyone was raving about Remo, finally got the chance to see this pop icon in full flow. And they seemed simply amazed. ########################################################################## # Send submissions for Goanet to [EMAIL PROTECTED] # # PLEASE remember to stay on-topic (related to Goa), and avoid top-posts # # More details on Goanet at http://joingoanet.shorturl.com/ # # Please keep your discussion/tone polite, to reflect respect to others # ##########################################################################
