AN EVENING WITH JAMES

Those who have followed the rise of band music in Bangladesh know well about the contribution of James in the genre. Often called “Guru”, James's stardom is not limited to Bangladesh, he is a star of the sub-continent. There is very little that people don't know about. But James is such a person, with whom, in every meeting one will find something new to talk about. Today, I have sharing my unique experience of meeting James, a man who I met only twice but will remember countless times.

THE SCHEDULED INCIDENTS

I met James almost fifteen years back. One of my friends claimed that if not too busy, James will meet any of his fans at his door. That evening, we decided to try our luck. Yes, we were lucky indeed. James came out his home, looked at his teenage fans. In my surprise, he hugged and kissed us all. That was me as a young fan who just wanted to see the legend in person.
Being a writer for Star Showbiz, I had the opportunity to meet him again. This time, the excitement was bred out of mixed feelings. I was to see him face-to-face, have a short interview and a photo session. We got an appointment on a Wednesday. Just when I was preparing myself with questions for the star, the interview got postponed to next Saturday evening. I gathered my video-gear to meet James. Along with photographer Tuhin Hossain, who already knew James from beforehand, I went straight into his living room. To our surprise, we found the living room full of expensive photo equipment – it was almost a fully equipped photo studio! James came out of his bedroom, and seemed surprised to see us. Well, it was a miscommunication – we had showed up on the wrong day! He promised to sit with us the next day. Fifteen years had passed since I saw him in person. And although he had changed a lot physically, his style, his personality, and how he spoke had remained the same. His approach towards a complete stranger remained the way it was fifteen years ago, he welcomed us as if he had known us well.
WHEN WORDS BECOME REDUNDANT

I had learned from our photographer that James doesn't work with anyone unless he is in the right mood. I had prepared a set of questions for James. Being inside his apartment and seeing photography equipment aroused me to add quite a few more questions. It became a two-page long questionnaire with different approaches according to what he wanted to talk about. We showed up again the next day. This time, James came out of his room enthusiastic and seemed vigorous. A quick photo session took place. We already knew that makeup, costume and videos were out of question but I wanted it give it a try. I asked “Boss, would you mind if I take some videos while we take photos?” As I anticipated, with a low-pitched voice he said, “Nah”. By then, Tuhin Hossain's photo-session was done.
We three sat together to have tea. I carefully opened my notebook of questions. I quickly went through my list of questions while trying my best to judge his mood. My first question was obviously regarding photography. I asked, “Boss, why and how did this interest in photography start?” He laughed and asked me back, “What kind of question is that?” It probably was a question appropriate for any other person but not James. Stumped on my first question I wanted him to keep going and ask questions which would elicit interesting answers from him. I went for a more philosophical questions regarding music. In the same manner he shrugged my question off and ran inside his room to get his camera. He grabbed our photographer, put him in his studio and started taking his portraits. Roles were reversed, Tuhin Hossain, the photographer, found himself on the other side of the lens. James, the musician, seemed to be in love with photography. While asking photography questions he kept taking snaps. Later, he brought his laptop and showed some of his best snaps. We ended up having a great time while having tea, watching photographs on his laptop. Before leaving, we spoke to talk to his manager to learn a bit more about him.
Well, it was not the way the kind of interview anyone could have planned. James wasn't in the mood to have a QA session with a journalist – he was looking for someone to have a good conversation with about things in his mind. His strong yet intimate personality just blew me away.
DID YOU KNOW THESE ABOUT JAMES?
James is a celebrity who has nothing to hide. His fans know everything about him. It is hard to present something new to our readers about James. I spoke to James' manager who gave me some information at least I didn't know.     
James is not new to photography. It has been his passion from 2004 – he loves taking portraits and landscapes. Before photography, Bonsai was his passion.
James will be flying off to the USA soon for a concert tour, followed by Europe.
James has performed in 41 countries so far.
He has not released any albums for a long time because of he feels that the music industry is currently polluted. As one of the pioneers against music piracy, he will release albums once the industry is rid of the polluted environment.