THE PRINCESS OF THE BOSPHORUS
(Publication
Date: 20 April 2007)
“Whenever I start listening to her,
I break up with my sweetheart.”
Listening to her is like listening to someone you love very much and care about.
You learn from her as you listen; her melodies are lessons you will never tire of.
***
Those who know, know that apart from writing, I also host radio programs.
I generally don’t take requests on my shows; but my phones never stop ringing.
Being a radio host is very different from the realities of life.
Because you are someone talking alone, someone who, from the outside, might be called ‘crazy,’ talking alone in a room.
You are free!
No one questions your movements, because no one knows what you are doing.
For example, you can pick your nose while talking, scratch your right or left side, or even dance the çiftetelli.
If you imagine a presenter doing these things on TV, you can understand how free radio hosts are.
Another characteristic of radio hosts is that they are confidants.
People generally trust those who are not part of their own social circle, people they don’t know, haven’t met, and will never be able to recognize again.
In fact, people are at their most honest when they’re talking with these people.
That is why radio hosts are trusted.
Whose secrets do I hold, whose…
As I said, my phones never stop ringing, and that’s why they never stop ringing.
The conversations I have with people I’ve never met, whose voices I’m hearing for the first time, generally amount to listening to their troubles.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy to listen to their troubles.
I offer my own opinions and try to motivate people; in a way, I become a kind of ‘Güzin Abla’ for them.
I remember a conversation that I found very interesting and that I’ll never forget: During one of my broadcasts, a listener who called me out of the blue asked me to stop the Sezen Aksu song I was playing at that moment.
Of course, I didn’t stop it, but I was curious to know why she wanted me to stop it!
So I asked her, and her answer was
really very interesting:
“Whenever I listen to a Sezen Aksu song,
I break up with my sweetheart. So please, could you stop this song? Because I love him so much…”
I don’t remember exactly what I said to her in response to those words, but I probably said, “Turn off your radio.”
Although I called this reason silly for a long time, I couldn’t help asking myself, “Could it really be that Sezen Aksu’s songs separate people from the ones they love?”
Setting that aside, the real question, in my view, is: “Do Sezen Aksu’s songs affect people?”
Based on experience, I can say this: ‘Although the answer to this question varies from person to person, depending on how seriously they take the lyrics, the one thing that never changes is the power of the words in Sezen Aksu’s songs!’
To illustrate this, I think a few lines from the song called “Her Şeyi Yak” (“Burn It All”) are enough: “For love, one must die; only then is it love Wear me out with your longing, wear me out with your love A lack of love is harder than a separation Hurt me as much as you wish Your absence and your presence are both not enough Oh God, oh God I am walking into the flames Oh God, through pain I am growing through love” * The title “Princess of the Bosphorus” is one that Tarkan gave to Sezen Aksu... —While Tarkan was taking the world by storm with his song called “Şımarık,” in an interview, he was called the “Prince of the Bosphorus.” In response to those who gave him this title, Tarkan, referring to Sezen Aksu, said, “You should meet the princess of the Bosphorus.”- As I mentioned in my opening sentence, listening to Sezen Aksu’s songs is like attending lessons that I will never tire of.
Trying to find meaning in her lyrics,
and assigning myself roles is a game I can’t give up.
I think that’s what the listener who called me was doing, too —though she was exaggerating a little—assigning herself a role…
The reason I’m writing these lines is that I’ve heard I’ll be able to hear her perform live.
According to the news I received, Sezen Aksu will be at Jasmine Court Hotel GREEN GARDEN on Saturday, April 28, with a special 24-piece orchestra to be conducted by the renowned musician Ozan Doğulu.
I can’t wait…
Hoping to see you on Monday, regards…
Be courteous in traffic!
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