We spoke with Duru, the soloist of the band that opened the Harbiye Open Air concerts: Always 'Redd' for 20 years

Since its establishment, it has become the voice of many citizens with its musical/lyrical quality, its place in social events and its attitude. So much so that they opened the summer concerts of Harbiye Cemil Topuzlu Open Air Theater and soloist Doğan Duru commemorated Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and the university students who protested the operations against IMM and were subsequently arrested. “We have young friends who are not with us here, they are in prison. We have a mayor who is not with us here, he is also in prison. And again, we have some friends who are not with us here; they were assigned to the municipality based on merit, they are also in prison. There are also some friends who are outside because they stood against us for years, maybe as a group that was able to give a concert in Harbiye after 17-18 years; they are also slanderers,” he said, making a reference to IMM Culture Inc. General Manager Murat Abbas, who was released by taking advantage of effective repentance.

We talked with Doğan Duru about the Redd band celebrating its 20th anniversary, his first poetry book "Tanrım Pardon Dermi?" and national issues.

- It's been 20 years since the first album. When you look back, how do you evaluate these 20 years?

We weren't the only ones who changed during the 20 years, times changed too. The music industry evolved, society went through transformations and in every period an artist or a band had to redefine themselves. But rather than defining ourselves, we tried to establish our own language. Every album we made during this process is like a record of the period we were in. The 20 years we left behind were the construction of our collective memory as a band.

- When you take stock of these 20 years, are there any events that you consider to be your “breaking point”?

Sometimes the things we call breaking points are not external. The moments when you look back at yourself and collide with yourself can be more decisive. For us, “Perfect Emptiness” was exactly such a moment. It was a threshold where we questioned and re-established our own boundaries, habits, and ways of thinking. That album took us to another place both during the creation process and afterwards.

- Which album is different from the others for you? We'd love to hear its story.

“Perfect Emptiness” stands out from the others because every decision on that album was made with abandon. The recording process was technically challenging, but the main issue was not technical but mental. We thought for a long time about what we did not want to say. We learned there that sometimes silence can also be a form of expression. That is why that album is not just a collection for us, it is a confrontation.

- So, which song(s)?

I find it more accurate to answer this question through the album. Because a song would be incomplete without the context of another. Some works have to be considered as a whole. That album was like that too.

- Your first poetry book has been published. How did it feel to see your words printed on paper, as well as expressing them in songs?

I think music is transient; it remains in a scene, in a moment, in the air. But writing is permanent. The coldness of writing is very different from the warmth of music. In a book, you are alone with the words. That solitude was good for me. I encountered a kind of nakedness; unvarnished, direct, sometimes brutal language. I wanted to experience it.

- You dedicate your book to İrfan Alış, whom we lost recently. Do you think Türkiye is aware of what kind of an artist it has lost?

Sometimes, someone’s true impact becomes more apparent when they are gone. Irfan was a multifaceted, profound person. He didn’t just make music; he produced ideas, raised people, and left his mark in every field he spoke in. I don’t know if Türkiye has fully understood what he represented. But we miss him. This book is a reflection of that longing.

'ARTIST, YOU ARE EVIL WITHOUT TESTIMONIAL

I find it more accurate to answer this question through the album.

Because a song is incomplete without the context of another. Some works have to be considered as a whole. That album was the same. n Your first poetry book has been published. How did it feel to see your words printed on paper, in addition to expressing them in songs? I think music is temporary; it remains in the air, in a scene, in a moment. But writing is permanent. The coldness of writing is very different from the warmth of music.

In the book, you are alone with the words. That loneliness was good for me. I encountered a kind of nakedness; an unadorned, direct, sometimes ruthless language. I wanted to experience it. n You are dedicating your book to İrfan Alış, whom we lost recently. Do you think Turkey is aware of what kind of an artist it has lost? Sometimes, the absence of someone makes their true impact more apparent. İrfan was a multifaceted, profound person. He did not just make music; he produced ideas, raised people, and left his mark in every field he spoke in. I do not know if Turkey has fully understood what he represented. But we miss him. This book is a reflection of that longing.