Mono Mukundu on working with Mtukudzi

By In Conversation With Trevor | Sep. 24, 2023

Clive “Mono” Mukundu (left) In Conversation With Trevor recently

Music producer and guitarist Clive “Mono” Mukundu says working with late music legend Oliver Mtukudzi felt like playing sports for the national team because of his popularity and proud Zimbabwean roots

Mukundu (CM), who was with Mtukudzi between 2003 and 2007, told Alpha Media Holdings chairman Trevor Ncube (TN) that as someone who was proud of his Zimbabwe roots it was easy for him to connect with the musician who died in 2019.

Below are excerpts from the interview.

TN: Wow. Clive Mono Mukundu, welcome to In Conversation With Trevor.

CM: Oh thank you Mukoma Trevor.

TN: What a beautiful song that you played there. What is that song and why is it so special to you?

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CM: It is one of my favourite Oliver Mtukudzi song that I participated in. But there is a story behind [it]. We used to hate this song as a band.

TN: Right.

CM: For some funny reason we never liked the song.

Mudhara is the one who used to start the song [with his guitar], and every time he started this song we started looking at each other rolling our eyes, this song again.

But funny enough [in] 2005 we recorded it and we went on an American tour and when we came back from the tour it was out and it was a major hit.

When we first played it at the welcome show at the HICC (Harare International Conference Centre) everybody was screaming and we were wondering; so this song is now a hit.

So that is when I started liking this song, so it is now one of my favourites.

TN: Tell me, it is interesting that Oliver Mtukudzi the late (may his soul rest in peace), he liked the song, but you guys did not like the song. Do you remember why in particular you did not like this beautiful song?

CM: I did not really know because it was very unanimous. Everybody in the band...

TN: Did not like it?

CM: Did not like it except for the man [Oliver Mutukudzi] himself.

So I do not know whether it was the intro or... I do not even know.

But I think the fact that we did not like it is also the reason why we put more effort in improving it.

TN: I see.

CM: Yeah because boredom is part of the creative processes as well.

TN: Boredom is part of the creative process?

CM: Yes.

TN: Talk to me about that? Interesting.

CM: When you try to eliminate the boredom you beautify the piece.

TN: Wow.

CM: Yeah.

TN: That is amazing. What was it like working with Oliver Mtukudzi?

CM: It was like playing for the national team, because Oliver Mtukudzi is the biggest export ever from Zimbabwe.

Everywhere we went we knew that we were representing Zimbabwe, and it also taught me self-confidence and to be proud of who I am.

Of course, before that I had made up my mind that I wanted to identify with Zimbabwe a lot, but working Oliver Mtukudzi it reinforced that idea because he was very proud of himself, very sure of himself, very confident...

TN: But humble? I mean everywhere where I met him he was very humble.

He would, you know honour you, and then pay attention to you. I found him very humble.

CM: Yeah, he was very humble in the way he related to us the band.

He was not one of those bosses who wanted to be feared, because you know in the music industry we use inspiration unlike in the military where you use fear.

So with fear there is no inspiration, so I am sure he understood that.

For the simple reason that we had chemistry off stage it was easy for us to have chemistry on stage.

TN: And how long did you play with Oliver?

CM: I joined him, I think it was on the 4th of February 2003, and I was fired February 2007.

TN: Hahahaha. It is amazing. You are one of those few people who are at liberty to talk about that they were fired.

I mean people know that I was fired at the Financial Gazette as editor. But a lot of people are embarrassed by being fired.

CM: Yeah everybody wants to nice up the story, yeah you know I just left. But I know I was fired hahaha.

TN: Hahaha. Why were you fired?

CM: Yeah there were so many theories. But what happened is Tuku was not very good at speaking out his mind at times, especially face to face.

So he never said anything, he just looked for another band and they started practising with another band.

The first time we heard about it was when people started calling us when it was out in the newspaper saying we heard you were fired?

We were fired? How did you know when I do not know, and then they told me it's in the paper [news].

Then we checked the paper [news] and we discovered that we were fired. It was seven of us.

TN: Wow.

CM: But I never explained anything. So we ended up hearing so many theories with time. I even watched one of your interviews with Fred...

TN: Yes!

CM: He had his own theory. I do not know whether that one is the correct one or not.

TN: So what did it feel like being fired?

CM: Of course, it hurts because I really enjoyed working with him, but I was very close to Mr Lemon Tsikirayi...

TN: Oh the late.

CM: Yeah the late. The moment he heard that we were fired he called me and told me you know what you need to thank God for the time you worked with the man and the opportunities that you had through working with him and move on. That is what he told me.

TN: And you did that?

CM: I did just that.

TN: You were not angry? You did not want revenge?

CM: I just took it as a business decision.

But some journalists were angry with me.

I remember when we were fired a number of journalists came to my studio wanting to hear very juicy stories.

But I always told them; you know what it was a business decision and I have no problems with that. And I had saved my money, I bought my studio so I took advantage of the time that I worked with him so I have got no bitterness.

TN: And then you worked 2007/2008 you worked with Chioniso Maraire. You toured Europe with her. How was that?

CM: It was another interesting phase again. At first, she was hesitant to call me because I remember Josh Nick was the music director, so he told me that Chioniso was asking him if Mono would be interested in working with her on tour.

I told him why not after all I am jobless.

TN: Hahaha I am unemployed!

CM: I am unemployed so why not. We went on tour for two years, we toured Europe.

I was surprised that Chioniso was bigger in Europe than here in Zimbabwe, because she would fill up auditoriums, but here in Zimbabwe she would just play at The Book Cafe.

So I was really amazed because her music was very Zimbabwean.

That is when I noticed that for you to be to be noticed internationally you need to sound like where you come from because that is one element that would really catapult you into the international scene.

Chioniso and Oliver Mtukudzi both sounded very Zimbabwean so because of that they were very easy to market internationally.