By Bryan Ott, Ph.D.

I sat waiting at a small Asian bistro in San Jose, California with a Phum Viphurit concert ticket in my back pocket. Phum, my former FAA film student, was walking from the concert venue to meet me for dinner before the show. By chance, or perhaps some odd form of karmic destiny, the café started playing Phum’s music not knowing that the actual artist would be dining there only minutes later. When I casually asked my waiter if he was heading to the concert after his shift, he quickly replied, “I wish.” At that moment, Phum walked in, and a confused look of surprise contorted the young server’s face. I distinctly remember him mouthing the word “Wow,” though I don’t think he verbalized any actual sounds. After a few photos were taken, another random fan darted up from down the block, out of breath and nervously asked Phum for pictures as well. When the fuss was all over, Phum appeared a bit embarrassed by the attention, and apologized, explaining that this is the first time on the tour he is getting noticed outside of the concert. Knowing that he was three weeks into a month-long Greng Jai Piece Tour of the US, his shows being sold out in nearly every city, I didn’t believe him, but, I immediately realized, despite his gigantic success and celebrity, Phum was still the same sweet, kind and genuine person I knew during his time at MUIC.

Phum Viphurit graduated from MUIC in 2018 under the Fine and Applied Arts Division (FAA) with a degree in Film Production. As Phum’s former teacher through his four years, and, ultimately as his final thesis film advisor, I watched his progression from an eager first-year student to an equally eager, but accomplished visual artist, by his senior year. Yet behind all the film work, there was always music. I don’t think it is a stretch to say that it was the integration of his love of music, and his creative musical practice infused itself into his film ideas and his approach to personal exploration through visual language. Phum was always a star, even before he knew it.

As we sat outside the restaurant, with his back to the road, Phum was able to remain anonymous for the time that we talked. Fans walked past heading towards the concert hall, not knowing that Phum was right there enjoying a bowl of noodles with his old teacher. “Should you be heading back to the concert,” I worried, but he assured me we still had time. I could feel that he missed his friends and family back in Thailand, but maybe it was comforting to see an old face while he was so far away from home. I asked Phum many things about his success, touring the world, and his thoughts of how his time as a student impacted his perspective on his career now. This is what he has to say:

The skill set that I picked up while spending four years in film school that I value most now is my ability to solve problems on the spot. My career as a touring musician has been filled with many highlights traveling the globe, but of course, that comes with a multitude of problems and challenges. Back in MUIC, I worked a lot on sets, whether it was for projects or my internship; it naturally equipped me with an adaptive nature; making it a norm to work under high pressure and time constraints. I carried this over to my professional career now, combined with the creative critical thinking that I got to practice over the years designing short films and story arcs, which has since morphed into songwriting and music video directing for me. I value the friendships I made with my peers and teachers very much so too; they are the few people that I call close friends to this date.

The streets were empty now. I could hear the opening band in the midst of their set, the buzz of guitars increased and decreased each time the concert doors swung open. It was time to pay the bill. We both entered the venue through the same front doors, but I needed to use my ticket, while Phum walked right in. With a smile, he thanked me for dinner, for the chat, and for being his teacher. He repeated those same words on stage into the microphone a few hours later, while the concert hall spotlight searched the crowd looking for “my university professor who came to the show.” It found me. He smiled again, then burst into the next song of his energetic, joyous set. I couldn’t help but smile as I listened. Success hasn’t changed Phum. His success has simply allowed him to share his infectious positive energy with the world. Thanks for a great show!