A lot ends up on the proverbial cutting room floor in the editing process of a book. One casualty of trimming Another Glass of Tea down to an appropriate length was a scene of a concert that the main character Fiona and her friends attend. They go to hear storied singer Barış Manço in a small venue and dance and sing wildly like the teenagers they are.
In my own year, I was fortunate enough to see Barış Manço in concert. And yes, I admit that scene did bear some resemblance to my own memories.
I never quite understood the adoration he received. The long-haired Turkish rock musician, singer, songwriter, composer, actor, television producer and show host, with a signature mustache was revered by many. When he passed away in 1999, millions of Turks mourned and I’m told thousands attended the funeral.
I’m sure he is famous for many of the hundreds of songs he composed, but the one that made me laugh as a teenager was called Lahburger. It’s a long, conceptual song, with oddball lyrics about hamburgers, onions, ketchup and pots flying through windows (take my word for it, it rhymes in Turkish!). Possibly it’s a commentary on east vs. west, but whatever it was, it was fun to sing the “biraz sogan, biraz keçap” (a little bit of onion, a little ketchup). You can listen to it here, from a Give it some time – the tempo changes at about the 1:20 mark and becomes more upbeat.
Barış Manço passed away in 1999. His house has been converted into a museum in the Moda neighbourhood of Kadıköy. I’ve never been – a return trip is necessary, maybe?
