Sunday, November 11, 2012

waiphot phetsuphan: lae prawat phumphuang



artist: ไวพจน์ เพชรสุพรรณ (waiphot phetsuphan)
album: แหล่ประวัติพุ่มพวง (lae prawat phumphuang)
tracklist:
01. แหล่ประวัติพุ่มพวง ตอน 1 (lae prawat phumphuang, pt. 1)
02. แหล่ประวัติพุ่มพวง ตอน 2 (lae prawat phumphuang, pt. 2)

the death of phumphuang duangchan in 1992 was a big deal.  she was the singer who reversed the decline of luk thung in the 80's and redefined notions of stardom in thailand.  the much-beloved star's early passing at the age of 31 was undoubtedly something to be mourned.  her funeral merited a royal cremation ceremony and attendance levels unheard of for a commoner, and her shrine at wat thap kradan in her home province still attracts legions of followers, hoping to win luck from her spirit.  on today's cassette, her former mentor chants a nearly hour-long eulogy to the memory his most famous pupil.  even putting aside the close relationship between the two singers, waiphot, the king of lae, is uniquely qualified for this undertaking.. have a listen...

preview:
  MRPT159 by monrakplengthai

5 comments:

Will said...

Thanks for the background on the album! Definitely gives it more meaning.

Dolmance said...

I've been loving her work for over a year now and now I know why I haven't been able to find anything new by her. I had no idea she had passed away.

What the hell happened to her?

peter said...

Dolmance,
i think the consensus is that she died from lupus, though she suffered from numerous health problems, which many people think were exacerbated by her being chronically overworked. there are also many who believe black magic was involved.

peter said...

check out this great paper by pattana kitiarsa for much more information on phumphuang both before and after her death.

Will said...

Wow, awesome paper! Not that easy to find info like this in English, so thanks!