Marie Claire - Lynette Ng (Feb. 1997)

THE MARIE CLAIRE MAN
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Unlike most other musicians, Alfred Ho can sing non-stop for two hours without taking the occasional sip of warm water. This is especially true when he's doing a "live" show, which is his forte and his favourite kind of performance. "Frankly, I prefer those performances in which I can interact with the audience. Playing at pubs and shopping complexes tend to be a lot more informal, the crowd will sing along or clap to your beat," says Ho. "At company dinners and other functions on the other hand, the audience is usually too busy eating to participate. They're at their best behaviour rather than their rowdy best."

Ho should know, being a veteran performer at various scenes. Since 1985, when he moved to Kuala Lumpur to pursue a career as a full-time singer, he has performed at weddings, parties, pubs and numerous shopping complexes. The present King and Queen of the country have ballroom-danced to his music and most of the older folk listen in rapt attention, swept back in a wave of nostalgia whenever they hear him yodelling "I DON'T CARE IF TOMORROW NEVER COMES" or belting out his own version of the Bee Gees "WORDS".

He has three albums of melodious and lively oldies to his name ; SPECIAL GEMS, LOVE SONGS IN GOLD and NOSTALGIC COUNTRY AND EVERGREEN FAVOURITES. Most of the songs on these albums are familiar oldies but they are difficult to locate on existing records in the market.

It would not be wise to assume, however, that Ho can only sing oldies. Although he will not bother with heavy metal or underground genres, he does try to cater to the tastes of his younger fans. At a recent performance in Radio City, he gave a rendition of LEMON TREE. What was surprising was that it wasn't the older version but the new one popularised by the group Fool's Garden."As a singer, I must keep up with the times. Still, I will only sing songs that are suited to me. Some of the (relatively) newer songs I've done include ACHY BREAKY HEART, RIGHT HERE WAITING and ANOTHER DAY IN PARADISE.

Born in the small village of Klian Intan in Perak, Ho had an attack of measles at the age of three. This resulted in his becoming blind. He was eventually trained in telephone operating but, since young, Ho has always had a love for music. "I started playing the guitar when I was in standard six. In the beginning, I learned a few chords from a friend, the rest I picked up myself," recalls Ho.

Since he began his musical career, Ho has been playing his songs using only an accoustic guitar and a drum machine. All of his shows are "live" performances. "I don't use minus one, as I feel that a true performer should be a "live" performer," states Ho with conviction. "Besides, my only form of exercise is strumming the guitar, so I want to do that as often as I can," he jokes.

Nevertheless, he isn't kidding when he says that. Ho has never done any vocal or physical warm-ups before his performances. For him, such exercises just do not seem to be necessary. "To be honest, I don't even practise that much," he admits. "Only when I feel like it." In spite of this, he sings with apparently minimal effort and boundless energy. His voice is rich, deep and quite clearly, 100 per cent natural.

Perhaps this energy has something to do with the fact that, wherever he's playing, Ho often just can't wait for the show to start. "My most exciting moment is when I'm about to begin a show. I'm raring to go. I feel like I'm in a racing car, anticipating the starting gun. I'm quite disappointed when any of my shows start late," he confesses.

"Once I start, the whole stage is mine. It's my world. Usually I find it very hard to stop, because the more I play, the more energetic I feel. I think I could be successful if I was given a chance to play overseas - I wouldn't need to take a break every 20 minutes. I could just do a marathon show!

"Besides, the minute a performer takes a break, the crowd will disperse. So when I play in a shopping mall, for instance, and my albums are selling well. I'll just keep playing. As long as I'm singing, I don't really need or want a drink. I only want a drink "after" my show is over," he insists.

By now, it is more than obvious why Ho feels that the time slot he's been given on the Time Highway Radio station is much too short. He hosts the 'The Music Connection with Alfred Ho'. "Half an hour is very little time and I'm still quite new at this, so I do get nervous sometimes. Ironically, by the time I warm up, it's time to say goodbye to my listeners. If I had a two or three hour slot, I could probably improve at a faster rate," explains Ho.

"Don't get me wrong - I'm grateful that THR has given me an opportunity to be a deejay. They're the only radio station I approached who gave me a chance," reveals Ho, who feels that sometimes all the talk about a "caring society" are mere words. "Most other companies come up with all sorts of excuses when I approach them, in effect telling me that, because I can't see, I won't be able to handle the equipment involved in deejaying. "That's UTTER NONSENSE because if they don't even give me a chance in the first place, how can I learn and improve on my skills?"

Anyhow, Ho isn't the only person who feels that his radio programme should be extended. "Quite a few of my callers and the people who write in to me have requested that as well, so I think that speaks for itself," he says. For the THR slot, THE MUSIC CONNECTION contains rather unusual fare. After all, there's a half-hour airplay of old songs on what is generally perceived as the hip, "with it", alternative station.

"A few people told me that they tuned into the station by chance and were surprised at the kind of music they heard through the airwaves. One of my callers was a 17-year-old girl who was a cancer patient and she told me she doesn't normally like old songs but really enjoyed WITCH DOCTOR. I think there'll always be a demand for such oldies, these songs are melodious and will never go out of style," relates Ho.

Ho rather enjoys hearing his own voice on the radio. "Well, apart from singing and meeting up with my friends, I like deejaying," he says, smiling. "I'm interested in writing jingles for commercials but the jingle market is difficult to break into. It's a very lucrative market and it also seems quite monopolistic," says Ho, who composed and recorded the promotional jingle for THE MUSIC CONNECTION.

He's been through a lot of tough experiences and people have put him down on many occasions but Ho remains determined to achieve the success which is his due. He isn't above the occasional dream of international recognition, either. "I once wrote a letter to Sir Cliff Richard at his fan club address , introducing myself and offering to do a charity show with him or even sing along with him in some of the songs for his future albums," reveals Ho.

And what did the esteemed Richard say? "I don't think the letter even got to his hands. After a period, I received a reply from his fan club saying that, if Cliff Richard were to grant my request, he would also have to help millions of others. Basically, the answer was a "NO".

Of course, Ho was disappointed but he wasn't fazed. He had expected such a reply and after all, he had lost nothing by asking. "I did it mostly for the fun of it; the worst thing anyone can possibly say is that, they can't help you. That's not so bad, is it?" He goes on to say that, if Elvis were alive, he'd probably get in touch with him as well, and he has thought about approaching The President of the USA, asking if he could perform at a White House function. He has also written to embassies and organizations in Las Vegas and Australia. One thing's for sure - Ho cannot be accused of lacking derring-do.

"It may sound eccentric to some people but at the end of the day, if I get my lucky break, I'll be the one who has the last laugh," declares the singer.