| Gil
Ofarim “On My Own”
Live from the bottom of your heart
Everybody
loves a little history
Anyone
in a certain sampling of central European or Asian countries
interested
in the happenings on the music scene
should remember the young popstar “GIL” … Songs
like “Round and Round (It Goes)”, a Top 40 hit
in Germany and “If You Only Knew” topped the
charts in countries as diverse as Thailand, Poland, Korea
as well as Germany and will still ring a bell in any capital
city in those nations. And yes, of course, between 1997 and
1999 Gil totally enjoyed his exciting rock star lifestyle—touring
in South East Asia, live radio and TV appearances overflowing
on his daily itinerary… When and how did it all happen?
It’s hard to believe but it all started for Gil at
the tender age of 17 when the son of the well-known ‘70’s
musicians Abraham and Esther Ofarim got the chance to develop
his own extensive musical talent. It really all took-off
in May 1997 in, of all places, a Munich underground station.
Gil remembers it fondly, “a photographer walked up
and asked me if I was interested in the main role in a photo
love story for Bravo, the big German teen magazine. Saying
yes, I could not have known that their fictitious musician “Tobi” would
turn into a real-life teen idol.” A new star was born
after he signed his first contract with a record company.
A team of top class industry advisorsComposers and a team
of personality advisors got Gil in shape for his music career.
It all worked, but now a grown up Gil is seeking for more
creative possibilities….
On
Your Own…
In many
ways the album “On My Own” stands for
a new start – revealing the feelings right from his
heart Gil; writes and composes nothing if not expressive
songs. The personal lyrics often describe his experiences
in growing up and he includes constant thoughts towards the
band and his audiences. “On My Own” explains
more Gil´s sense of responsibility rather than just
a solo run.
Lost
in music…
Gil himself
is a voracious consumer of music and owns a huge and constantly
growing collection of CD’s, tapes
and LP’s. He collects the LP’s in particular
because he is as interested in the jackets as works of art
themselves. He reckons that he could not live without music.
What’s he listening to at the moment? “I listen
to all kinds of music - from rock of the seventies to contemporary
artists like Ben Harper or David Gray - from English bands
like Portishead to Massive Attack. A bit of everything that’s
cool”.
You´ve
got the look it takes…
Gil´s career is a chain of favourable coincidences
that led to his destiny as a musician. This is where his
motto, “everything happens for a reason” comes
from. Discovered and turned into a hero through the Bravo
magazine photo love story Gil got several offers from the
music industry but only after first being the character ‘Tobi’.
It’s rich in irony he had to live a fantasy rock and
roll life before he could live the rock and roll fantasy.
How does
he feel about the importance of his looks with respect
to his musical
career? Gil is of the opinion that
his former long hair has made him into an idol for teenage
girls, a pre-fabricated dreamy boy, able to empathize with
somebody—anybody. “That experience left a mark
on my life –it was like the take off of the Apollo
rockets that jetisoned bits of itself in several stages – a
lot gets dumped after it goes and only at the end can you
see what the module, the essence of the craft, really is.
This essence is not necessarily immediately visible, as on
the outside of a human being but rather it’s on the
inside and gets shown through character and charisma. Everybody
who knows my circle of friends does not find supermodels
but authentic people, regular people. Being ‘Tobi’ was
the part of the rocket that got me where I was going, but
it was not the rocket itself.
My
generation…
As far
as Gil is concerned the present music scene is too commercialised.
He misses the value of former music generations.
In his opinion it might have been easier to establish honest
and handicraft music in the seventies and eighties than nowadays. “This
generation of teenagers is overload with lures and impressions.
A lot of those boys and girls are not able to mentally develop
their own musical styles and tastes. They grew accustomed
to being sold ready-made impressions and now know no other
way. I am not really interested in music performed and sang
by acts through castings sessions. Sometimes I feel sympathy
for the kids who try out to join these prefabricated cookie
cutter bands, as they at suffer this instant ‘win or
lose’ procedure. I know exactly what kind of pressure
is on them. The music they are given to perform isn’t
theirs and can’t possibly reflect the personality of
the performer. In my mind this is the reason why they will
in most cases never be unforgettable stars. The songs aren’t
timeless and neither are they.
Growing up in public…
Rock
music is Gil’s centre and musical home. Rock
music always surrounded him. It is rock music he grew up
with. Rock music symbolizes the willpower of revival with
all the revolutionary gestures. Joint problems of one generation
are latched onto and assimilated through rock. Gil is smitten
when he remembers himself as a little school boy, “when
I was 8 years old I discovered Grunge. Whilst all my classmates
where listening to acts like Mc Hammer I preferred to hear
Pearl Jam, Nirvana and Led Zeppelin. I inherited this strong
influence from my father Abi Ofarim. As far as I am concerned
the musical era of rock has got several meanings and I associate
especially team work, instrumental finesse and authenticity
with rock...”
Now out
of his teens, Gil comments, ”I feel more confident
and complete, which does not mean that I’ve stopped
learning and experiencing new things in life. I think that
we all just constantly live in new sections of life. Once,
I interviewed Lenny Kravitz on a TV show and I asked him
why he cut off his hair. Lenny answered that a lot of weight
of the world was carried on his shoulders and that cutting
of his hair meant for him losing this burden and turning
into a new person. Now I have cut my own hair in order to
share that experience…it works.”
In many
ways Gil remembers his past with mixed emotions. On one
hand he
accepts the mistakes he has made through his
learning process, which after all can’t take place
without this experience. On the other hand there are difficult
moments in his memory that he lost through exhaustion, depression
and alienation. Good experiences standing against the bad
ones. Gil learnt to survive, to trust his friends and to
separate the essential from the insignificant. Being a pop
star has been a big thing in his life, but permanent satisfaction
will only be gained through the continuation and progression
of his career as an artist itself.
This progression means that Gil is not listening to his
first two albums very often these days. He accepts the repertoire
for what it is and the less perfect moments serve as motivation
to create a more complete and rounded artist. Everything
has been a learning experience and all learning is a good
experience.
“I
see myself as one part of a good team that supports me
realising my
dreams. I hope that my audience will understand
and accept my personal development. One of my ambitious models
is Robbie Williams. Despite his personal difficulties Robbie
managed to develop from a teen star to an excellent entertainer.”
The
recording itself…
The single “The Reason” is a perfect herald
for the upcoming album “On My Own”. The B-side “Already
There” and the single itself describe a good impression
of the mood of the whole album and Gils development.
After
all, Gil himself is not only the singer, he plays guitars
and keyboards
on the album as well. Being able to
play a variety of instruments makes it easier for him to
internally ‘hear’ how his songs can be realised
in the studio or on stage.
The band
contains experienced musicians – Thomas Simmerl
on drums, Alexander Klier on the bass guitar and Ossi Ottl,
Martin Kurasawe and, of course, Gil on guitars. Their seasoning
and musical expertise helped satisfy Gils demand for proper “hand
made” music.
To ensure full musical intensify, the majority of the album
was recorded live in the studio under the watchful eye of
the producer, Ralf Weigand, who has worked with Sportfreunde
Stiller, Such A Surge, Megaherz and Mike Oldfield. Under
his direction he was able to set a clear watermark of rock
authenticity beneath the wall of sound. It perfectly allowed
each individual track to co-exist side by side within complex
arrangements, all with enough room to provide complete sonic
transparency.
As for
the real visuals and not the sonic visuals, Reto Brunner,
many years
Creative Director for the magazine “Vogue”,
was called in. It was he who was able to capture and present
Gil’s current look in powerful and atmospheric images.
Brunner can show Gil’s personality in many different
ways – fanciful or trendy but always clearly defined.
The stylistics correspond with the video “The Reason”,
produced in co-operation with the agency “Erste Liebe
Filmproduktion GmbH” and the director Tibor Glage.
The clever combination of one look in both still and motion
pictures make it possible to show the spheres of Gil personality – the
sensitive and the strong.
Gil,
now using his full name Gil Ofarim, musician and songwriter,
comes
closer to realising his inner belief of “Live
From the Bottom of Your Heart” with his current album “On
My Own” a little bit more…
© 2003
by neotone GmbH
|
