Live and let live

So Superfriends was not the band playing at Planet Hollywood last Sunday. So what happened? Here's my version of the story. Solely personal take OK...

KUALA LUMPUR, Mon - The veteran live band once tauted as "The band Azwan Ali announced as the winner of Rentak Juara but sulked along home with the second prize bounty" is in the headlights again. This time for pleading younger band, Superfriends, to let go a contract with Planet Hollywood in order to gain some income for the month.

Working based on short term contracts like other live bands in the country, the veteren band, N**, was in aghast upon finding themselves jobless for the month of October. The band leader, only known as J*****, resorted to calling the band leader of Superfriends, Najuib and requested that the latter band let go the Sundays contract at Planet Hollywood in favour of N**.

Najuib decided to refer to the bands' mutual nincompoop agent, R**, who consequently ruled out that the Sundays contract be redirected to N**.

A number of Superfriends close associates who were in the know of the situation then argued the decision, saying previously the agent had left other bands under his wing to suffer for months without contract, not even Sundays contract. Subsequently they continued by questioning why N** was given a different treatment.

However the issue that got N**, the band with mostly 30 to 40-years old members in hot soup was due to a separate but related occurence.

According to another Superfriends' member, frontliner Nadya, one of N**'s singer had already began to "canang keliling kampung" (tell every Tom, Dick and Harry) that N** will be the one playing in Planet Hollywood on this month's Sundays - despite the fact that a strong crowd had already witnessed Superfriends breaking the ice on October 2.

The occurence happened days before J***** made the initial call of help to Najuib. Boosted by premature cockiness, N** soldiered on to take over on October 8.

Already quite contented with their current, fat-cheque-d, regular attachment at the newly taken-over Holiday Inn (formerly Pan Pac Glenmarie), the unperturbed Superfriends graciously gave way to N**, citing the reason being out of respect for the old.

On Superfriends' part, Najuib took the initiative to contact the Planet Hollywood manager and sort things out professionally. He also informed the manager that in this case Superfriends had no intentions of letting the contract fly off their hands like that, and reinforced the band's interest to take on new contracts with Planet Hollywood in the future.

On Superfriends' blog, http://bandsuperfriends.blogspot.com, comments were posted mirroring the confusing absence of the band at the club on October 8.

Siti, Superfriends' keyboardist recently released a statement on behalf of the band, apologizing to regulars who were expecting to see the band play on October's Sundays as promised. She optimistically noted that the band would play on at Holiday Inn. - SR

So rest assured guys, the first Sunday of October 2005 will unlikely be the last time you see Superfriends performing at Planet Hollywood. In case you miss'em so much then you know where to find Superfriends right? Pan Pac.. oops, Holiday Inn Glenmarie.

As for N**, personally I think the band needs to work on a bit of tact, and perhaps has more dignity than to rob off people's contract like this. After all they are a band of old timers, but in this case we learn that older does not necessarily mean wiser.

And if I could just give a hollar, I'll hollar this: Drop the agent Superfriends, drop the agent...