Live interview "Psyche van het Folk", Radio Centraal, Antwerpen with Mogollar. According to me Taner Öngür from Mogollar is a very important figure for Turkish music (history). His very beautiful bass playing affected me very much and that was one of the main reasons how I became so much interested in Turkish music. It's a honour to have had an interview with him on the phone : G : "You experienced a long musical history with and without Mogollar. How was your period before Mogollar ?" T : "I began in 1962 to play music, with a kind of amateur feeling and instruments with a band called Volcanar. I started with contrabass. There was no electric bass because that was a new futuristic instrument for us in that time. We played contrabass, drums, acoustic piano and guitar. Sombody told me about a new electric bass guitar in a shop. I went and bought it. Everyday we played before the movies started as a cinemashow band or something. We played between 1962-'64 all the Animals, Rolling Stones and Beatles songs, five time a day. But then another band came to that cinema from another part of Istanbul. In that time had met a lot of people. I was between 16 and 18 and that's how it goes between youngsters. I met also Murat Ses and Azmet who came with the band Meteorlar. I liked them very much. Up to the years we brought a band together, although I also played with other bands, dance music bands like Ocarniçar and Kontrastlar and some others. Then in 1968 I went to London. London was a kind of Mekka for young musicians, because Beatles, Rolling Stones and so on came all from this city. I went there three or for months to live there. But some old friends wanted to form this group Mogollar so I quickly returned and formed that band with them." G : "Why this name : "Mogollar " ?" T. : "When we decided to form this band they were in Izmir (Aziz, Murat, Engin, Jaid). They met this music magazine writer from Holland. We talked about the new group and the ideas around that. This music writer (I believe his name was Anton) suggested the name Mogollar, because in Europe most pop groups had wild names, like Animals or Rolling Stones, and to dress with sheepskins and playing old instruments, because that would seize better. So since that day we still have the name 'Mogollar'. G. : "Where you thinking internationally, because your first record was recorded in France and some of your own songs were in English as well ?" T. : "In 1970 we went to Paris, very unplanned to meat some record companies. With CBS we made a three year contract. With 'Guilde Internationale du Disque' in Paris we made an LP, not in pop, beat or rock format but with ethnic instruments. That turned out to be very good for us because in 1971 we received the 'Grand Prix' of the 'Academie Charles Cross' for it. In Paris we meat also Baris Manço and we decided to work together. Back in Turkey we made a big tour with him. We were very sensational in Turkey at that time because Baris Manço just had its big hit "Daglar Daglar" which had made nr°1 in the charts. And also we were very actual in Turkish media. We went to Turkey as Manço Mogols or Baris Manço Mogollar. It was a very good tour, but after the first army happening in Turkey in 1971there was no possibility for us any more for making concerts, recordings. Also Baris was very sick at that time and we both didn't want to play together any more. So at the end of '71 we went back to Paris. May be it's better to speak with Engin about that period after that because he know more about that period then me." G." mmm.." (wanting to continue with a few more questions towards Taner first) "..So.. you disbanded Mogollar at that time for a while ?" T.: "Euh..Yes..." G. " How did all these changes came, like Murat who left the group. Was it because now you all had to find your own way first ?" T. : "In some way it was not really a disbanding, but more a melting. Engin stayed in Paris. Me and Jaid, Murat went back to Turkey to find a new drummer (: Isar Tanger). We played one and a half year under this format in Turkey as Mogollar. Then the left overs worked with Cem Karaca as Cem Karaca Mogollar. Then me and Isar left, Jaid stayed with Cem to find a few other musicians to work further under this Cem Mogollar name for one year longer until he left to go to Paris with me and Engin once more. They made two LP's under the Mogollar name while I was not there. At that time I continued working with Cem Karaca, Edip Akbayram, my first hard rock band Tank etc. but that's another story. Engin knows the Mogollar story now much better than me." -(trying to refer to Engin who is waiting on the phone to continue the interview, but I wanted to ask a few more questions to Tanger first).- G. " I have another question about the period after the disbanding in 1976. How did you survive the period of (political) changes, and also after 1981 ? " T. "In '78-'79" I had to go to the army with 8 years lating. There was no possibility at the end of the seventies ('78-'79) to make music. There was a kind of war going on inside with very much politication. For musicians it was impossible to have concerts or making albums. So it was better that I went to the army then : 18 months. There, in Izmir I met some musicians. After the army we formed together another band with which we went to Germany in 1980. We worked with this group for ten years in Frankfurt. But most of the time with Figo we made home recordings, experimental things like psychedelic music or punkjazz. In 1991 I went back to Turkey. In Istanbul I merely worked as a sound engeneer in Istanbul. Engin also came back from Paris in that time. When we met we were talking about what we should do about reforming the band because may be nobody remembered this name. But then we saw a campaign of a caricature magazine Zeman. Something like : Mogollar must form back, they must give a concerts for youngsters, we want to see them, etc.." They collected 6000 signatures. They gave us all the letters. So we were going to try to find out and were playing once more together how it went after 16 years of pause. After some examination it seemed that it was still all right because we all had continued in making music. Then we talked with Murat Ses, at that time, and now still living in Austria. But he had trouble in coming over all the time so he didn't came. We found Serhat Ersöz, at that time our new keyboard player (now playing with us for another 8 years). Then we did that concert. At that time the second life of Mogollar had started. And from 1993 untill now it's going very well. This time we have more social and politic critics in our music. Half of our work is instrumental, the rest is critic on what's happening in Turkey the last years." Some questions to Engin : G. : "Drums are not usual instruments in Turkey. Where did you find your education ?" E. : "At that time there were only two musical schools, both only teaching classical. But I did not want to learn classical, so I had to find out myself." G. "Now, how did that go : you just bought a drum and started ?" E. "No, My father was a military soldier. We always had musicians in officer clubs. I always was involved in the music, also in the family. Then I started with Selçuk Alagöz. We started professionally in 1965. We learned by books, listening, trying things, thinking of how we could put Turkish rhythms into drums. We do have folk like drumming in Turkey. I tried to find a synthesis between this Turkish drumming and the Western drumming." G. "What was your nicest period with Mogollar ?" E. "Mogollar is like life. It's been 33 years now, if you don't count 16 years of emptiness. For me being with Mogollar is the same as Pink Floyd, Deep Purple were doing the same thing in their way. That's the same feeling for me. Living in a rock band or living in music is like living together for music." (Then the tape recording of the interviews ended here, almost at the end of it ; but I hope you enjoyed this). ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Go back to the page of Mogollar http://progressive.homestead.com/Mogollar.html Simply by closing the window.