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Off-Ramp

'Don't Think I've Forgotten' opens in Los Angeles, tells story of lost Cambodian rock music

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Courtesy Argot Pictures
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About the Show

Over 11 years and 570 episodes, John Rabe and Team Off-Ramp scoured SoCal for the people, places, and ideas whose stories needed to be told, and the show became a love-letter to Los Angeles. Now, John is sharing selections from the Off-Ramp vault to help you explore this imperfect paradise.

Funding provided by:

Corporation for Public Broadcasting

Listen 7:22
'Don't Think I've Forgotten' opens in Los Angeles, tells story of lost Cambodian rock music

For almost 25 years, Cambodia and its capital, Phnom Penh were a hub for one of the most vibrant and progressive music scenes in the world. Prolific bands and singers made hundreds of records, fusing rock and roll, folk, psychedelic, Afro–Cuban and traditional Cambodian music into a compelling and vivid new genre.

It all came crashing down in 1975, when the Khmer Rouge took over Phnom Penh. Record collections were burned, clubs were shut down, and the famous faces and voices of Cambodian pop music were silenced — some killed, others vanished.

The documentary Don’t Think I’ve Forgotten looks at the rise and fall of Cambodia’s music scene. It’s open now in Los Angeles, and Off-Ramp producer Kevin Ferguson talked with the film’s director, John Pirozzi.

“Don’t Think I’ve Forgotten” is playing until May 21 at the Laemmle theater in North Hollywood.