Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Avroco/Abroko/Abg Coco


6 Feb2010 doodle, breakfast with Abroko

16Feb2010 doodle, dinner with Abroko & the gang

rip
19 May 1974 - 14 July2011
I missed you already Abroko. You are an artist and a rock star!. You used to hang around my neighbourhood, stopping by at the house for short talk, play guitar, tea,breakfast,dinner at mamak. You always tell me you got harassed or stop by the police frequently. How you try to sell me your bags,tshirt,art just for a meal or for a train/taxi fair. And the incident where you drop your pants infront of many people while singing? screaming at the gig in town. Avroco, you will be missed dearly my friend <3


Avroco Nasir
37 years of age. Passed away on 14-7-2011. I have to admit that I don't know him very well. But i do know Joe was very fond of him. I doorbitch for Joe's Unclogged gigs and a few others. I remember very well that Joe always made sure Avroco was on the guest list. Joe was always very persistent about it. In fact, Avroco was the exception to the rule. As the years and the gigs went by, the conversation with Joe would always be, "Nobody gets in for free, but for Avroco". It was through those few encounters and the many after all those gigs that i realised this fella was a bit of special. Whether it was the DIY, underground, or whatever scene it was, he was there. He endeared himself to everyone. With his passing, you realise how special he was, and what everyone probably knew. The feller transcended the scene. My FaceBook notifications have been running steadily with condolences and notices of his passing. not since the Bersih rally last weekend, has so much been said about one person. I know he never had it easy. There was the hard living, too, which his liver gave in eventually. We are the choices we make, and that was perhaps the most difficult part of his life. There is no judgment. There is only beauty. To see a person endear himself to so many, i do salute Avroco's wealth in the friendships he forged and the lives of people he touched. More importantly, I'm sad for Joe and to any degree all of us who knew him . Avroco meant a lot to a lot of people and it breaks my heart that someone i never knew that well has affected me in more ways than i can imagine. I do know that he was at quite a number of gigs that my band played at. I don't know if he liked our stuff. It didn't really matter. What mattered was that he was there for us all at one time or another. In some small way, it was great for bands to have avroco around. when you think about it, he was kind of like this certifier of shows. So finally, i only wish him peace and if there's a party in the afterlife, I hope he's still making it memorable. In our hearts and minds, we honour you in our acts and memories. Rest easy, boss.
by: Farez Jinnah

http://www.malaysiandigest.com/opinion/27336-rip-avroco-nasir-the-smiling-rebel-angel-and-legend.html
15 July 2011 | Friday

Friday, 15 July 2011 16:20
Last updated on Friday, 15 July 2011 16:43
R.I.P. Avroco Nasir: The Smiling Rebel, Angel and Legend
by Al Jafree Md Yusop
When a nurse asked me the question, “Awak ni siapa?,” (What’s your relation to him?), I was puzzled as to how should I answer it. It took me a while before I said, “abang angkat!” (adopted brother). But in reality my relationship with the late iconic Avroco Nasir was much more than that.

The truth is, I’ve never been to any of his gigs or shows or performances since I was first introduced to him six years ago. True, I admire his artworks. I even owned two of them. But I’ve never seen him performing live in front of an audience. I’ve had interesting conversations with him. The topic was on politics, performing arts, society, music, films and food. He was extremely picky when it comes to his food. I guess he was extremely picky with a lot of things and yet he was very generous with his smile which was most of the time conspicuous and ubiquitous. I think that’s what a lot of people remember about him.

His authenticity, being true to himself, often led his to impulsiveness. That’s the beauty of Avroco’s artwork and performances. As Albert Camus once said, “Life is about the sum of all our choices”. But in Avroco’s case, life is not so much the sum of his choices but the sum of the habits he created and nurtured. He never choose from moment to moment on how to react to the world as it confronted him, he needed his unconscious mind to take over. This was reflected in his performances, especially his art (sketches and paintings) and his spiritual dance routines.

Avroco was an artist, musician, philosopher, poet and a friend. There was a rebel in him, not in a brooding or reclusive way but in a more celebratory manner. He had a strong will. His last spoken words were to my wife, Nusrat Al Jafree which went, “It’s ok, I’m yet to see the sign (of death)”. He was fighting for his life right till the end. My guess is he just had to wait until all of his best friends are present to see him for the last time.

He put up a courageous fighting against the tumor in his liver while his closest friends (poets Rahmat Haron, Ayam Fared, and artists Poodien and Yeoh Lian Heng) were present at HUKM. Yeoh had driven all the way from Melaka). At his bedside, Yeoh finally whispered to Avroco, “It’s ok my dear friend, you can go now. I will keep my promise to you”. Only then he was the ready to ‘go’. He passed away half an hour later. Yeoh’s promise was to hold a solo exhibition of Avroco’s works, something that he had been planning for quite some time.

Avroco passed away at 1:55am the 14th of July, 2011. He suffered from total liver failure. Hundreds of friends and fans visited him that night including National Laureate Datuk A Samad Said and political activist Hishamuddin Rais. It was a heartbreaking moment for everyone. It was certainly most heartbreaking for me.

Two days after, I’ve come to accept the reality that my friend and brother Avroco is gone, forever. The worst part is I still see him around. I still see him smiling and I still see him indulging in my wife’s home cooked Assam Laksa. I still feel him walking next to me, expressing his thoughts and opinions.

I was browsing around on Facebook when I read his personal messages to me. A day after an interesting incident at KL Sentral, he sent me a message on facebook that went like this: “kau ni macam malaikat la Jeff” (you’re like an angel Jeff). My answer was a simple ‘ok’ and a laugh ‘hahahahaha’ because I can’t think of anything else at the moment. The truth is: “Avroco, you are an Angel to me and I am MISSING you my friend. I should have gone to all your gigs and performances. You’re a LEGEND in my book. Rest in peace Avroco Nasir and I will never forget you…!”