Azmyl Yunor & The Sigarettes: Nicotine Fix for the Worn Out Soul

By Alif Omar Mahfix  •  09 Apr 2012 in Interview

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Recently Erykah Badu was banned due to her body art in a promo picture, what is with Malaysia and our long history of banning acts for the most trivial of reasons?
I can only speculate…but I know this for sure: it’s got nothing to do with what the authorities claim it to be (like religion). These are actions borne out of ignorance.

What was in your opinion the dumbest music ban ever imposed by the local authorities?
Their next ban.

On a lighter note, tell us which act deserves a ban. Feel free to use your personal bias.
The Internal Security Act.

JUICE remembers a performance you did way back when (during 07’s Freedom Film Fest)… you said borders were manmade and we were all citizens of the world. That had always stuck with us and we just want to hear you elaborate more on it.
Well, nation-states are recent human creations, but all countries often fancy themselves as being ‘God-given’ etc. Before that we had kingdoms (which overplayed the ‘God-given’ bit even more). Even earlier than that, we were just wandering around on this planet trying to stay alive. I’m fascinated by world maps and how national borders are drawn, some borders just look or feel ridiculous. You look at the Johor Straits on a map and there’s a line that divides us with Singapore; you go there for real and there’s nothing but water, I don’t see any lines. We’re such paranoid beings, drawing fences all around us…On the other hand, we could live like wild beasts and savages and be totally free, but of course, we’re doomed as a species since we’ve got all these laws, norms, and stuff that bind us in perpetuity…

Randomly, those who know you all know your opinion of male singer-songwriters. What is it about them that they just can’t reach to the level of their female counterparts?
Steve Earle said it best in an interview in 2011 in Spin magazine: “…We used to write records for girls, now we make them for nerds…” Enough said.

You’ve worked with a diverse amount of bands, from Furniture to Ben’s Bitches. We’ve seen you in restraint folk rocker mode and in rolling-on-the-floor punk rock insanity mode. Musically where’s your heart really at?
All musicians are music fans first, and I’m no different. I’m just making and performing songs that I enjoy best, to the best of my creative abilities. Performing and composing is a lifelong process of discovery, so maybe I’’ come back to that question with more insight in 30 years’ time…hope you guys (and me) are still around…

We like your ‘Aku Bukan Azmyl Yunor’ t-shirt. What’s up with the statement though? Pretty sure we are all Azmyl Yunors deep inside.
Let me set the record straight: I didn’t design nor conceptualise that t-shirt. My fire-breathing friend Aziz (my bandmate in my no-wave band Ciplak) came up with it, he deserves the credit and that question should be directed at him. Good luck.

On a final note, imagine you are a salesman – pitch Wilayah to us.
This one ah, damn kaw good ah….you use every day, sure no pain anymore…if you buy now, I give you special lah, kawan…boleh tambah dua inci,..tak tipu punye…your wife sure happy one…gerenti!

Listen to Wilayah at soundcloud.com/azmyl and find more on Azmyl Yunor at facebook.com/azmylyunor.