School of rock: Academic pens history of Malaysian music

MALAYSIANSKINI | Muhamad Takiyuddin Ismail is an academic who has been teaching and researching political science at UKM for the last 15 years.

An author of numerous political works, during the pandemic, he decided that he wanted to write about another passion of his, local rock music.

This labour of love eventually bore fruit in the form of a 370-page book called ‘65 Tahun Muzik Rock Di Malaysia’ which he published earlier this year.

He told Malaysiakini in an interview just why he was so determined to document stories about the music of his youth.

“I have loved rock music from my childhood. I think it was around 1986 when I was 11 and heard the Battle Of The Bands cassette which had songs from Ella and the Boys, Lefthanded, SYJ, Bloodshed, and Rahim Maarof & White Steel.

“It became part of my life and so when the pandemic came...