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[–]Sixty-to-Zero 146 points147 points  (10 children)

How often do American and Japanese bands go over there? Is it mostly locals only?

How does a musician even make it in China? I haven't heard a single Chinese band before. I've heard japanese, Korean, Philippines was even represented.

Does the punk scene over there get put down a lot by the government?

[–]TheSoundStage[S] 136 points137 points  (4 children)

Tons of foreign bands have been coming to China lately. It's really put itself on the map as a place to play.

Edit: Sorry I missed your last two questions.

The only way musicians make it here is by doing mainstream music and going through mainstream channels. They have "Idol" shows here now and lots try to make it on there. But for most indie musicians they don't make much money. That's why I like them so much. In America, every band deep down thinks they are going to be the next Nirvana and make the big bucks, but in China that can't happen, not even 1 out of a million. So they just really love music.

Punk shows used to get shut down but I think it was mostly because of the noise. It's pretty much a permanent part of the fabric here now.

[–]im-a-new 37 points38 points  (2 children)

I can't talk for OP and his show, but remember that every market in China is huge, including music. The medium-big cities have a thriving pop culture so musicians can make it big. Also, in my limited experience, some Korean and Japanese artists are insanely popular and frequently play shows in China.

[–]fleaa 188 points189 points  (47 children)

What VPN do you use?

[–]TheSoundStage[S] 204 points205 points  (32 children)

Astrill.

[–]DictatorDono 88 points89 points  (25 children)

Whats the governments view on VPNs and what not? Given that they have so much censorship, it surprises me that it's so easy to get one set up from what I've heard.

[–]TheSoundStage[S] 217 points218 points  (22 children)

They're probably technically illegal like a lot of things here but whatever

[–]Msskue 348 points349 points  (17 children)

Selective enforcement is fun when they're not selecting you.

[–]Bianfuxia 29 points30 points  (1 child)

I wrote my thesis on Chinese Internet development and censorship this is my moment! They are legal due to the argument that businesses need the ability to encrypt their online activities for the sake of security/competitiveness. However they have still been able to discover the location of people they "wanted to talk to in person" who were using vpns online in the past so they are incredibly skilled technologically speaking. The ISPs there sonetimes throttle the connections of customers they suspect are using VpNs

[–]maxtheterp 543 points544 points  (180 children)

I get also get paid by the Chinese government, except for me it's to help produce a news magazine show about Latin America and the US in D.C.

Can we trade? Your job sounds much cooler.

[–]TheSoundStage[S] 452 points453 points  (39 children)

I dunno man, treat me to dinner and get me wasted on Baijiu and we can talk!

[–]ididitjusttodownvote 191 points192 points  (15 children)

Baijiu... shudders

[–]2600Hurts 136 points137 points  (11 children)

Paint thinner and old tennis balls.

[–]alk3v 179 points180 points  (3 children)

Paint thinner and old tennis balls.

[–]johnny110011 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Am Chinese. Can confirm. Currently trying not to make gag face.

[–]BeerBeforeLiquor 43 points44 points  (9 children)

We exclusively drank 5kuai baijiu when I studied in Shanghai. When I got a job in Beijing/DC my coworkers opened me up to good baijiu. What a god damned difference

[–]desperatechaos 34 points35 points  (6 children)

I had like 10 kuai baijiu in Beijing this summer. I was lucky I didn't go blind or something.

[–]cutecottage 20 points21 points  (10 children)

ChinaDaily?

[–]maxtheterp 26 points27 points  (9 children)

CCTV America.

[–]crankychopsticks 11 points12 points  (6 children)

Please do an AMA

[–]dehehn 12 points13 points  (1 child)

Were you the guys that freaked out when Obama chewed bubble gum the other day?

[–]maxtheterp 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Probably. I don't interact with the Chinese side that much.

[–]fatfartpoop 55 points56 points  (71 children)

Can you explain?? Why would Chinese gov't want something like this?

[–]Tyrannoscoreus 231 points232 points  (45 children)

Basically, they think that if they throw enough money into creating media outlets globally, they can equal the soft (cultural) power of the US.

It's going about as well as you'd probably expect.

[–]Ian_Dess 144 points145 points  (25 children)

Well looks like they are fucking serious about it. I live in Serbia, and i know this chinese guy who came to my city. He is giving FREE Chinese language courses and classes, he has an office, you get a full service like you paid for the classes. Of course, he isn't doing that out of good will, Chinese govt sent him and they are giving him wage and paying for other expenses

[–]OFCOURSEIMHUMAN-BEEP 117 points118 points  (18 children)

Eh, I wouldn't care about the reasons, I'd still take the courses.

[–]Nerfi 88 points89 points  (11 children)

Looks like China plays Civ games, they're going for a culture hug victory. It's working, can we get free Chinese lessons in the US?

[–]SpaghettiFingers 28 points29 points  (5 children)

I would sign up so hard for free lessons.

[–]Euphorium 17 points18 points  (0 children)

china pls

[–]Msskue 57 points58 points  (4 children)

Just visited a little Latino community where the only newspaper vendor had China daily. Bless their heart

[–]umbananas 74 points75 points  (18 children)

They want to create media outlets that doesn't look like it's affiliated with the Communist Party. So when the time comes those outlets can be used for propaganda.

Basically that how they believe the US is playing the game, so they are doing the same.

[–]Annieone23 95 points96 points  (9 children)

The difference is that while they bide their time and hide behind advertisements and fluff journalism to spread their communist message, our advertisements and fluff journalism ARE our capitalistic message. Much more effective.

[–]karimr 53 points54 points  (3 children)

China is about as communist as North Korea is a "Democratic Peoples Republic". I don't think that they have an interest in spreading communist propaganda. They are likely intending to spread pro Chinese propaganda in general though.

[–]kurttheflirt 15 points16 points  (43 children)

Haha poor Canada being left out of the party!

[–]Andy_B_Goode 89 points90 points  (37 children)

Ssshh, we've worked hard to stay off China's radar. When they inevitably invade the USA later this century, they won't even know we're up here.

[–]MiaYYZ 41 points42 points  (4 children)

One day soon, Canada will rule the world, and then you'll all be sorry.

[–]Andy_B_Goode 39 points40 points  (1 child)

That's far and away the most clever "Canadians say sorry a lot" joke I've ever heard.

[–]hospitalvespers 32 points33 points  (3 children)

Except we kind of just sold off our natural resources to China.

[–]chewbacca81 49 points50 points  (10 children)

Washington DC Chinatown: 21% Chinese

Entire city of Toronto: 22% Chinese

Just sayin.

[–]YourWebcamIsOn 16 points17 points  (4 children)

DC's Chinatown is one big ole American chain restaurant's wet dream now. I think there's only one actual Chinese guy, like in Gremlins, down in some dark basement where the rent is cheap, selling weird stuff the (new) locals don't want.

All the actual Chinese people moved out to Seven Corners, VA.

[–]burns29 9 points10 points  (1 child)

But you are all massed at the border in case they do. Good thinking.

[–]3ryanisland 15 points16 points  (1 child)

You need to catch up on your news. China knows we're here and they like our tar sands.

[–]Iknowr1te 22 points23 points  (0 children)

And vancouver houses

[–]Shakes8993 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Really? Who do you think owns all the condos in Toronto

[–]myepicdemise 11 points12 points  (2 children)

Canada really doesn't wanna be involved in anything.

[–]cowpuncher 13 points14 points  (0 children)

We are only friends if you can play hockey.

[–]lilkhobs 293 points294 points  (95 children)

What has been the scariest part of your job?

[–]TheSoundStage[S] 712 points713 points  (93 children)

Once I played a hip hop song that an intern had promised me was OK lyrics-wise...after it had broadcast I got a call from my manager asking me why the song said "I want to get out of this communist prison" !!! I thought I was going to get fired!! Also the asshole story!

[–]RooftopBBQ 221 points222 points  (8 children)

Once I played a hip hop song that an intern had promised me was OK lyrics-wise...after it had broadcast I got a call from my manager asking me why the song said "I want to get out of this communist prison" !!! I thought I was going to get fired!! Also the asshole story!

So what happened? And do you have to screen all your songs for content that is critical of the government?

[–]TheSoundStage[S] 504 points505 points  (4 children)

uh well after that they wanted me to submit all the lyrics to every song I played, but that was exhausting for everyone, and now they trust me again lol

[–]Mofafo 68 points69 points  (1 child)

lol

[–]horsenbuggy 14 points15 points  (0 children)

Did the intern get thrown under a bus? Literally? Or maybe it was a tank...

[–]TooSunny 37 points38 points  (0 children)

He was sent to a communist prison. Oh the irony!

[–]zombieregime 132 points133 points  (63 children)

how long before the intern disappeared?

[–]TheSoundStage[S] 375 points376 points  (60 children)

Your perception of China is outdated! She's doing fine working on a Master's degree!

[–]Mehworth 586 points587 points  (10 children)

On a farm somewhere upstate!

[–]nomadofwaves 65 points66 points  (2 children)

She went on "vacation" like Mike.

[–]DimeShake 6 points7 points  (1 child)

She's at billy's.

[–]MediocreAtJokes 57 points58 points  (16 children)

Yeah but I bet you were just a liiiittle pissed at her.

For curiosity's sake only did she just miss the lyric, or not think it was a big deal?

[–]TheSoundStage[S] 119 points120 points  (13 children)

Oh yeah, I was pissed don't get me wrong! She fucked up big time!

[–]Prufrock451 8 points9 points  (0 children)

She has shamed three generations of summer interns. So, through August 2016.

[–]FunkSlice 62 points63 points  (7 children)

You are a big fan of exclamation marks. Almost too big of a fan.

[–]t0rchic 16 points17 points  (0 children)

Unidan?

[–]Dhrakyn 5 points6 points  (1 child)

Chinese robot trained to use exclamation marks so the American's like him more.

[–]duckvimes_ 150 points151 points  (3 children)

Blink three times if they made you say that.

[–]MagicalTree9000 25 points26 points  (1 child)

What intern?

[–]shotofsean 222 points223 points  (39 children)

Hi,

I lived in Beijing for 3 years and absolutely loved the Hutong areas, live music and a cold Tsingtao, nothing beats it! My question is How much do the communist party pay you? And also, what's your favourite rock bar in Beijing?

[–]TheSoundStage[S] 282 points283 points  (33 children)

LOL you're asking me how much I make...you must be a Chinese! Just kidding. Let's just say if it was in American dollars I'd be near poverty level in the US, but here it does me just fine! My fav bar in Beijing used to be 2 Kolegas until it got shut down. I really enjoyed the space at Hot Cat but their booking sucked so I kind of stopped going. XP has been killing it lately in terms of good sound and solid booking.

[–]ollydzi 67 points68 points  (19 children)

That's weird, I wonder if the bar was foreigner owned...

Dos = 2 in Spanish

Kolega = Friend in Polish

:o

[–]bobytuba 61 points62 points  (8 children)

that can also be used in spanish but is spelled colega

[–]AleixASV 25 points26 points  (6 children)

And it makes sense gramatically, besides "kool kids" in Spain change "c" for "k"

[–]Shuang 21 points22 points  (3 children)

Best new bands to come out of Beijing in the past year-or-so?

I feel like XP and their satellites have cornered the market, at least when it comes to their PR outreach for us expats who have left for less smoggier pastures.

[–]TheSoundStage[S] 27 points28 points  (2 children)

I agree. The XP/Maybe Mars machine is smothering. But they do a lot of great stuff, too, so I can't hate.

The Eat is a new great band with lots of potential. The Twenties. The Diders.

[–]Xanola 583 points584 points  (357 children)

Do you feel as though you have to be careful doing this AMA in regards to the government? What are some things you think would most surprise Americans about life and pop culture in China?

[–]TheSoundStage[S] 1086 points1087 points  (328 children)

I feel like I have to be careful more to avoid hurting the feelings of the people I work with than getting in any kind of actual trouble.

The most surprising things to Americans I think about here is how similar it is. By that I mean, I feel like Americans for the most part believe that the entire nation is just one big Foxconn factory. In the big cities anyway, Chinese kids like to dress cool, listen to music, have dinner with friends, dick around on their cell phones and go out at night drinking and partying in clubs. China is awesome!!

[–]maybe_born_with_it 612 points613 points  (20 children)

If you're under duress, speak the words "No, they just call it food"

[–]DrakeMaijstral 222 points223 points  (12 children)

He did as you said, but unfortunately, no one on reddit can hear him speak.

[–]TheSoundStage[S] 224 points225 points  (11 children)

All good, guys.

[–]kinglouislxix 171 points172 points  (5 children)

guys, I think they got to him...

[–]dngu00 39 points40 points  (1 child)

That's the new code! He said the code!

[–]Xanola 74 points75 points  (61 children)

Thanks, I think this is the first reply I've ever gotten in an AMA. I think that's probably a good point, we do tend to have this view of China as this dystopic big brother society industrial nightmare, which I'm sure there are elements of, but I'm sure it isn't nearly as pervasive as we might imagine.

Follow up question, I've heard there is a lot of humorous spending amongst the new upper class in China, things like PBR being a luxury beer. Is this an accurate view and do you have any other good examples?

[–]TheSoundStage[S] 127 points128 points  (57 children)

Haha yeah PBR is sold here well maybe not as a luxury beer, but definitely as a higher-end beer. Also, fun fact: they rolled out some kind of WWII Honor the American Veterans beer can design for PBR here in China. Have ya'll seen that???

[–]Xanola 67 points68 points  (6 children)

Haha what? Are this and this what they look like?

[–]TheSoundStage[S] 39 points40 points  (2 children)

YUP. Thanks for saving me a trip to the store out in the cold!

[–]blackjuggalo 21 points22 points  (0 children)

Yes

We Can!

Obama would be proud

[–]Big_pekka 11 points12 points  (23 children)

Have not seen but this intrigues me. Can u provide a pic please? I think its cool they would honor our troops from WWII. Not many Americans realize we attacked Japan in liberating occupied China.

[–]ComradeIvan 28 points29 points  (22 children)

This is nitpicking, but America technically didn't have much of a hand in directly liberating occupied China, since there weren't substantial American troops in China. The Americans beat up Japan separately in the Pacific.

Which, to me, makes China honoring American WWII troops 70 years later all the more remarkable, since the Chinese people didn't have a whole lot of direct interaction with American troops, despite being allies/co-belligerents.

[–]YouArentReasonable 105 points106 points  (65 children)

What is the nature of the lyrics the rockstars sing? Do they advocate the principles of freedom or are they more poppy... like about love etc...

[–]TheSoundStage[S] 297 points298 points  (63 children)

It really depends on the band. Some bands like SMZB skewer the govt whenever possible. Some just sing about mundane stuff. One really cool thing though about Chinese culture is that they have this very very long tradition of criticizing the government indirectly through the usage of metaphor. This dates back to ancient times with Emperors. So you'll have a lot of lyrics that seem weird at first but if you read between the lines you can get the message.

[–]flyinggrandmother 465 points466 points  (34 children)

Surely the government must know about this? Do the bands ever get in trouble?

[–]lulz 40 points41 points  (0 children)

These days the Chinese government is surprisingly tolerant of criticism, as long as it's just people blowing off steam. Try to politically organise against the government and they still come down on you like a ton of bricks.

[–]TheSoundStage[S] 337 points338 points  (24 children)

Don't downvote this guy. It's a good question.

Nowadays I don't hear about any bands getting in trouble. That may be because they know how to "play the game" or maybe the govt just doesn't care. Another poster mentioned Cui Jian, he's the "godfather" of Chinese rock. He was banned from playing for years for wearing a red scarf over his eyes once live in concert. The only musicians that get busted these days AFAIK are for drugs.

[–]swiftjab 26 points27 points  (4 children)

Exactly! As long as you're being indirect with your lyrics, the government doesn't care. A great example would be a super popular song called "Beijing Beijing" which is about the Tiananmen Square Massacre

[–]BoringPersonAMA 112 points113 points  (14 children)

don't upvote this guy

it's a good question

Well now I'm confused.

[–]TheSoundStage[S] 113 points114 points  (13 children)

Sorry, I wrote it wrong and then ninja!! edited it to fix that.

[–]BoringPersonAMA 421 points422 points x2 (12 children)

Where am I going to get my karma now?? I HAVE KIDS TO FEED.

[–]ThouArtNaught 45 points46 points  (4 children)

I'll give you 1 karma.

[–]imoses44 36 points37 points  (0 children)

Communist Party. (Ain't no party like a communist party, 'cause a communist party... is the only party around).

[–]Roadside-Strelok 40 points41 points  (4 children)

Surely the government must know about this?

Not sure if this is the case with China, but in many formerly communist European countries metaphors and other indirect ways was how writers, musicians, artists, etc. were able to "bypass" censorship. If it was something obvious, it would have been found out by the censors and they would not get permission to publish their work.

[–]TheSoundStage[S] 31 points32 points  (0 children)

It is the case.

[–]faintpremonition 17 points18 points  (0 children)

You can be openly critical of the government. What they censor is:

A) A call to action/demonstration B) Criticizing the censors C) Porn

[–]lightspeedisvariable 15 points16 points  (3 children)

This tradition exists in many cultures, and has sometimes given birth to incredible music and poetry. The really talented are able to write songs that sound like simple love ballads or reflections on daily life, but have an entire other flip-side meaning that you need context in order to access.

I imagine that the lyrics in most Chinese music will be inaccessible to all non-chinese speakers in this thread, so I'd direct you to Sinead O'Connor's "This is a rebel song."

As you listen to it, think about the song in two states: knowing the song's name, and not knowing it.

http://youtu.be/wbre5Fs9m8I

PS: Please don't go off about either the artist or the conflict this song represents. I offer this only as an example of between-the-lines meaning in lyrical content.

[–]YouArentReasonable 22 points23 points  (16 children)

That sounds very cool.

Would these metaphors translate into English? If so any examples you think are interesting that you would like to share?

Edit

Are the lyrics just anti govt or do they also promote the actual ideal of free express. I ask because being anti communist does not necessarily make you pro freedom. Perhaps anti-government is allowed but not expressing an alternative govt etc?

[–]TheSoundStage[S] 66 points67 points  (10 children)

Every episode of my show has English subtitles - check it out and see for yourself! ;)

[–]YouArentReasonable 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Thanks, this is very interesting to me. I obviously have an opinion but am open to having it changed by reality.

[–]techietalk_ticktock 21 points22 points  (2 children)

Yvan Eth Nioj

[–]strawboy1230 187 points188 points  (125 children)

Thanks for pointing out what many on reddit don't know--- that China isn't North Korea 2.0. There's messed up shit for sure but at the end of the day, everyone just wants their family, friends, and loved ones to be happy and healthy. For some reason many people have a habit of demonizing everything and anything Chinese on here...cuz that's all they heard growing up.

[–]wheeldog 73 points74 points  (61 children)

I don't demonize China but I wish not everything I own was made there and shipped here.

[–]joe9439 28 points29 points  (5 children)

I'm an American right now in China by choice. It is actually awesome. I can confirm. I shouldn't be telling this to reddit though because you will all come over here and mess it up.

[–]nomisazodrac 111 points112 points  (26 children)

What was your most memorable concert?

[–]TheSoundStage[S] 232 points233 points  (25 children)

Oh wow too many! I guess for now I'll mention three. One was the second concert I ever saw in China, it was in Beijing. Some really amazing bands played that night and it was life-changing for me, obviously! I had no idea that rock music even existed here, let alone that it was so good!

The next one was with my classmates during that same semester when I was studying in Beijing we went and saw this amazing band called Hedgehog, and the club we were in (now a pizza restaurant) had this overhanging balcony directly above the stage where you could get a bird's eye view of the band, and my friend was really drunk and kept saying he wanted to jump off and on to the stage, but I wouldn't let him because I didn't want him to break his leg! Kind of a non-story I know, but that was such a hilarious night.

OK here's a real story. Last year we had our first "music awards" show at a live venue where we gave away awards to local bands and had some of them perform. It was a big deal since the show is officially state media (i.e. the government) so to have them behind a public rock event was a big risk for them. Anyway, we had a punk band play and during their set, some wacked out guy went on stage, stripped completely naked and bent over and spread his asshole open to the whole audience...this went on for TWO WHOLE MINUTES! The whole concert including that was captured on tape, but I'm not going to upload it until I finish working here for reasons I hope you can understand! Believe me though that it happened, the footage is on my harddrive and one day it will be on Youtube!

[–]nomisazodrac 81 points82 points  (3 children)

Awesome! Looking forward to the anus vid!

[–]lazy_eye_of_sauron 62 points63 points  (2 children)

Be gentle, this is [m]y first time.

[–]OK_Soda 44 points45 points  (9 children)

Why...why didn't someone stop him? How do you just get up on stage and goatse for two minutes without a security guard pulling you away? Also, what does a state-sponsored punk band sing about?

[–]TheSoundStage[S] 68 points69 points  (7 children)

They talked shit about cops and urban enforcers (城管). HAHA yes it was a total goatse! That's the thing man...people think China is like this 1984 place...and in a lot of ways it ABSOLUTELY is...but in other ways they're just human beings and when someone does a fucking goatse on stage they just freeze in shock and no one knows what to do...

note: the punk band was not state sponsored haha...only the concert...so you can see the problem ;)

[–]AndemanDK 15 points16 points  (2 children)

why didnt you have any security people that could handle it??

every venue ive visited here in denmark has someone whos ready to jump on stage if something happens

[–]TheSoundStage[S] 34 points35 points  (1 child)

Because state media was unprepared to have a ROCK CONCERT 8-)

[–]Druidpryde 13 points14 points  (2 children)

YES! Absolutely love hedgehog, saw them open for PK14. So much great music coming out of the middle kingdom

[–]TheSoundStage[S] 20 points21 points  (1 child)

Hell yeah. PK14 is fucking world class.

[–]thatcurvychick 79 points80 points  (70 children)

Do people ask you questions about what America's like? And if so, what's the most common questions/misconception?

[–]TheSoundStage[S] 181 points182 points  (69 children)

Oh yeah all the time. A lot of them watch American TV shows and think that America is just like that. Friends was HUGE a few years ago, now a lot of people watch Big Bang Theory. Cable dramas are very popular as well because some Chinese streaming sites have bought the rights to them and subtitle them. So most people's conceptions of America are a combination of Chinese govt propaganda (bad) and American media (excessively awesome). Questions...well a lot of people ask me why the fuck I'm in China and not in America living the dream. Or they'll ask me if things they see on TV are true. Like if we all have big houses and SUVs. Basically everyone in China is The Cable Guy in regards to how they view America. They think it's awesome.

[–]Bagaratoni 31 points32 points  (3 children)

Do you think people's conceptions even out because of that?

[–]TheSoundStage[S] 79 points80 points  (2 children)

I think people are confused if that's what you mean.

[–]Bagaratoni 5 points6 points  (1 child)

Yeah, I meant that. ANOTHER QUESTION:

What do you do for fun?

[–]BBBTech 10 points11 points  (6 children)

Basically everyone in China is The Cable Guy in regards to how they view America

Didn't the main character try to kill himself out of resentment towards his mother using television as a parenting method?

[–]DJBurgerLove 55 points56 points  (25 children)

Are chinese rockstars as into, or into at all for that matter, the Sex Drugs and Rock'n'Roll lifestyle like typical rockers? Do they have a liquor or drug of choice if so?

[–]TheSoundStage[S] 116 points117 points  (24 children)

Yeah. Ketamine is big here, but I think that's actually more the clubbing scene. Once [around seven years ago] I was in a venue seeing some bands and there was this table of four guys and they took out this really nice wooden box that was full of weed. Like a fucking pencil box full of weed. And they all took out papers and started rolling...as soon as a joint was rolled they'd light it up and pass it around while still rolling...it was a rolling/smoking factory. Crazy if you think that now that could never happen with all the recent drug busts and shit. Jackie Chan's son RIP

Edit: I removed part of the answer to protect some artists' privacy.

I also want to add that Chinese rockers in general are a LOT less about sex drugs and rock n roll than their western counterparts. I think Asian people are just more low-key.

[–]cutecottage 22 points23 points  (10 children)

Drug busts? I've been hearing about crackdowns on money laundering and corruption on NPR, but not drugs. Can you elaborate?

[–]Impune 7 points8 points  (1 child)

That's probably because drugs have always been something that have been pursued by the police. It's not really a new development.

Corruption and money laundering, however, are more in the arena of the political elite -- and so the crackdown on Chinese officials is new because they were once seen as above the law and untouchable.

[–]Wyngarden 14 points15 points  (7 children)

RIP Jaycee Chan? Why? He's still alive.

[–]xertrez 21 points22 points  (3 children)

He got caught with drugs

[–]Southsideswinger 4 points5 points  (1 child)

My GF, who is Chinese, told me about Jackie's kid. What is most likely going to be the legal and social repercussion of him getting busted?

[–]sredac 36 points37 points  (4 children)

Are there any parts of your job that you dislike?

[–]TheSoundStage[S] 64 points65 points  (3 children)

Low pay and little support from employer. They don't get it.

[–]cutecottage 27 points28 points  (1 child)

So, do they know you're doing this AMA?

[–]TheSoundStage[S] 59 points60 points  (0 children)

Nope but I hope they read it

[–]professor_geebs 34 points35 points  (17 children)

Craziest thing you've EVER seen while partying?

[–]TheSoundStage[S] 85 points86 points  (16 children)

Large-scale military police drug bust on a bar street preceding the Olympics. People loaded into cop vans. Let's just say I was very lucky.

[–]Jombozeus 10 points11 points  (2 children)

I was there that night... Super wasted, I haven't been in Beijing for 4 years I can't for the life of me recall what bar I was at. But anyways I walked onto the main SLT strip and there was a tank line on the streets, and in my drunken stupor I waved and tried to take a picture. They saw me an waved me away and I was like damn I'm really fucking dumb lol.

[–]unclejimmy 4 points5 points  (9 children)

Bro be careful over there with the partying or we might be seeing you in 10 years on Locked Up Abroad.

[–]thehexpistols 32 points33 points  (4 children)

I'm a Chinese Canadian who can't read Chinese. It's really hard for me to navigate the web to find independent Chinese rock bands because all the sites are in Chinese. So thank you for doing this AMA and doing this show. I love that it has english and chinese subtitles – this is exactly what we need.

  • if I go to Beijing, what are the must-go-to venues for indie and punk rock shows?

  • How do Chinese indie bands fund their tours nationally and internationally? Does the gov't help them out with touring grants?

  • is there's a website out there that's like the "Pitchfork" for chinese music, but in english? If not, you should convince the communist party to start a website for your show... and umm hire me to design/develop it ;)

[–]TheSoundStage[S] 25 points26 points  (1 child)

  • MAO, XP, Hot Cat, Mako, Yugongyishan, Post-Mountain, Tango, Jianghu, DDC, Temple, Lao What, 13 Club...

  • For national, most of them do it themselves or are sponsored by a local label or company like Converse. Internationally they usually are invited, sometimes even by a country's govt, like in Europe this happens a lot (wtf America?) The Chinese government has been wising up lately yes and getting on board with sending bands abroad. It's awesome!

  • You mean like reviews and stuff? There are lots of blogs that discuss Chinese music, but nothing that's an exact equivalent of Pitchfork. anyway, I'll list some sites below:

http://pangbianr.com/ http://www.livebeijingmusic.com/ http://beijingdaze.com/

and of course my show!!!!!

We've had two annual music awards show the past two years, here are the Youtube links!

[2013] [2014]

[–]TheSoundStage[S] 51 points52 points  (17 children)

Are you guys digging this playlist?!?! I'm rocking the fuck out!! It's 1:15 in the morning here!

[–]jmj8778 11 points12 points  (2 children)

Liked track 1 more than 2, working my way through. 1 was great.

[–]Yankee0513 23 points24 points  (32 children)

Thanks for doing this! How is living in China different from living in the USA from a culture perspective?

[–]joe9439 92 points93 points  (9 children)

People socialize with other people. Like a lot. They'll go eat lunch with a group of friends and then head over to the park to discuss business while playing badminton. In the US we're really isolated and Chinese have more of a social life in general.

They also don't care at all what other people around them are doing or thinking. People always stop at the top of the escalator to check their email while people pile up behind them because who cares about the people behind you? People will also just stop walking in the middle of the sidewalk abruptly to check their phone. They don't bother to move over to the side. People will just calmly ride their moped down the sidewalk filled with 100s of people at 30mph because who cares about anyone else? It's like to Chinese people that other people are invisible while they are in their own world. When you speak to them though it is completely different. They actually do give you their full committed attention.

Everyone has a distrust and a disregard for government. If the government is doing like an ID check people will just walk around the barricade and just avoid them. If there is a barricade up that is supposed to keep people out of like a park people will just step over it. Nobody cares about the government and nobody looks to the government for a solution to anything. Government workers wear red bands around their arm to symbolize the communist party. The communist party tries desperately to get attention and love but nobody cares.

It's actually a lot more free in China than the US in many ways as long as you aren't always talking about how you love democracy and want to see the communist party burn. That'll land you in jail but if you want to do just about anything else just go ahead. Nobody is going to stop you. I have a wine vending machine at the entrance to my apartment building that the kids are always using. It's literally a machine on the street that dispenses wine bottles without an ID or anything.

People are really nice! It's like US southern hospitality but the entire country. If you don't instantly have friends in China you are just totally mentally messed up and have no hope.

[–]TheSoundStage[S] 47 points48 points  (1 child)

The 9,439th Joe is correct.

[–]TheSoundStage[S] 77 points78 points  (20 children)

It's a lot more free than people realize. You can drink beer in a moving vehicle and in the street. That about settles it.

[–]LifesABowlofJerrys 35 points36 points  (16 children)

It's a sad, sad day when there's more freedom to drink beer in vehicles in China than there is here in Merca. THANKS OBAMA.

[–]nikatnight 17 points18 points  (0 children)

I have also live here for three years. Let me hijack this.

It's quite similar but you'll notice a few differences both good and bad. Chinese people are less concerned with others than an average American is. Americans also have a far greater variety of common things to do like hiking, all kinds of sports, shopping, gaming, etc. In China people mostly eat and spend hours in a restaurant (often watching a show on their iPad) or go out to karaoke (ktv). Also stuff is cheap if you want cheap shit like cheap clothes or cell phone cases but anything quality is foreign made Or from a foreign company and its a lot more expensive than at home.

[–]corgiroll 21 points22 points  (2 children)

Would you say there are any big western influences on Chinese music and what they are if any?

[–]TheSoundStage[S] 24 points25 points  (0 children)

All of them!

[–]drlazar 18 points19 points  (15 children)

I just found out about Residence A thanks to this AMA. How can I get these guys' music? I've been frantically googling for 20 minutes now..

[–]TheSoundStage[S] 17 points18 points  (3 children)

Hey man here are some live videos I shot of them

And of course the episode I did about them!

[–]TheSoundStage[S] 18 points19 points  (5 children)

YEAH!!! I love them! I actually told them I'd be doing this AMA and they should prepare some stuff in case it takes off! Unfortunately it's quite difficult for Chinese bands to market their music abroad. I'm so glad you asked. PM me and I'll see about getting you a CD!

[–]Dave9557 31 points32 points  (29 children)

Do you hang out with Cui Jian? He's awesome. 我很喜欢崔健。 :D

[–]TheSoundStage[S] 56 points57 points  (23 children)

我也很喜欢崔健!!No, I have never met Cui Jian, the godfather of Chinese rock and roll! I have seen him in concert though twice and he is really something to see. Such a talented and charismatic performer. I'd love to interview him and hopefully will get the chance if my show gets bigger. For the most part though I focus on newer and younger musicians.

[–]Dave9557 15 points16 points  (20 children)

我很喜欢这个音乐。 谢谢!

[–]Will_Pun_for_Karma 119 points120 points  (19 children)

You and your secret codes.

[–]bigtcm 16 points17 points  (0 children)

我很喜欢这个音乐。 谢谢!

I really enjoy this music. Thank you!

[–]fatfartpoop 9 points10 points  (2 children)

Is techno/dance prevalent in the indie/underground Chinese music scene? Is there a rave subculture that you know of?

[–]TheSoundStage[S] 6 points7 points  (1 child)

Yeah there is one but it's not my bag.

[–]pre_nerf_infestor 8 points9 points  (1 child)

I came in to this AMA thinking you're a government sanctioned escort girl and I was gonna have to be embarrassed at my birth country for a week again. Thank you for, uh, not being that.

I tend to find mainstream Chinese music (mandopop) extremely same-y sounding, like every single artist, male and female, all just write soft and mid-tempo love songs. Can you recommend some artists that are mandarin but...well, the opposite of that? Maybe something close in style to 80s rock?

Thanks!

[–]willem_catz_defoe 32 points33 points  (5 children)

Do you have any suggestions for finding good Chinese music? How did you originally get involved with a public radio station in Beijing? One last one, what kind of censorship do you come into contact with while on-air in China?

P.S. You've got an awesome job, Dude!

[–]TheSoundStage[S] 71 points72 points  (4 children)

Do you have any suggestions for finding good Chinese music?

That's literally what my show's about!

How did you originally get involved with a public radio station in Beijing?

I majored in Chinese so I knew I wanted to be out here after I got my degree. I was just kinda floating around teaching English doing the bohemian thing for a few yrs here when my friend got a job at the station and then put in a good word for me. He directed an awesome documentary about graffiti in Beijing check it out!!

what kind of censorship do you come into contact with while on-air in China?

Great question! Basically we all have to abide by the three "Ts" - tiananmen tibet and taiwan, meaning we can't talk about them. I can't play any music that blatantly implicates the government. Maybe you think I'm fucked up but I figure if I follow their rules I can still slip it in. Keyword: blatantly. I play shit all the time that criticizes the society, the consumerism, the oppression, education system, etc. Also I host my show in English so I think that helps me get away with a lot more.

[–]Willamaxj 16 points17 points  (4 children)

How does what you are doing benefit the government? Couldn't the money be spent elsewhere?

[–]TheSoundStage[S] 39 points40 points  (3 children)

There are some people I work with above me who see the soft power benefit of sharing this subculture with the rest of the world would be my guess.

[–]kittlies 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Culture is very important to government. The American Abstract Expressionist movement was partially funded and promoted secretly by the government because they thought it was important to assert american cultural achievements (particularly those showed strength and vigor, 2 important American ideals,) and show them off to the world.

[–]KommandCBZhi 16 points17 points  (7 children)

Any Chinese metal bands I should watch out for?

[–]TheSoundStage[S] 20 points21 points  (6 children)

  • The Metaphor (隐喻乐队)
  • Dream Spirit (梦灵)
  • Nine Treasures (九宝乐队)
  • Ordinance (军械所)

[–]gegonut 7 points8 points  (7 children)

Aside from financial issues, what other hurdles might there be for getting some of these bands booked for shows in the US?

Is there a special dynamic between bands from mainland China and Hong Kong? Do they view themselves as part of the same or a similar scene?

Finally, any routes for tfvsjs CDs or merch? I'm really into what they're doing (Toe also) but I've only ever heard what I can find on YouTube or SoundCloud.

[–]TheSoundStage[S] 8 points9 points  (3 children)

Hi, the major problem for Chinese bands playing abroad apart from money is visas. America is pretty tight on that, but maybe now after APEC it will be easier!

I don't know much about HK bands, so that probably answers your question :)

Here are some sites you can buy CDs and stuff, but they are not comprehensive enough IMO. That's not to say there isn't a lot of great music there though!

https://tenzenmen.bandcamp.com/ http://faroutdistantsounds.blogspot.com/

[–]IMissHK 4 points5 points  (1 child)

Looks your like your question was skipped, but I am also curious about how much air time HK and Taiwanese artists get in Mainland. I know there are cross overs, like Jane Zhang with DA Mouth, and obviously a lot of HK stars sing in Mandarin for the Taiwanese/China market. But do malls, restaurants, radio, etc. play music from Taiwan and HK as much as Taiwan plays K-pop and J-pop/HK American pop?

Like, was Jay Chou insanely popular in China as he was in Taiwan and HK and abroad? Wang Lee Hom?

[–]axilidade 23 points24 points  (26 children)

how'd you get set up with all the being allowed to live in 北京/中国? did you fly in with a tourist visa and alter it later? i'm not necessarily trying to establish something entirely of my own, but i know you obviously can't just walk in and set up shop.

not sure what i want to do in life, but i know i want to do it in 上海. haven't been in 2 years, i miss the hell out of the city </3

[–]adhi- 18 points19 points  (5 children)

wow i haven't taken chinese in 4 years and had assumed everything was gone. but i knew those words, so i'm proud of that.

[–]nikatnight 14 points15 points  (2 children)

He probably did that. So many people come here on F business visas or L tourist visas or Z student visas.

[–]TheSoundStage[S] 31 points32 points  (1 child)

Yup. Came on a tourist visa and figured it out.

[–]lulz 8 points9 points  (9 children)

The rules have changed, you can't fly in on a tourist visa and change it in-country any more. You have to apply in your home country now.

[–]TheSoundStage[S] 54 points55 points  (8 children)

Actually I survived on a tourist visa by taking a fucking bus to Mongolia every 3 months and re-entering. It wasn't until I got my current job with a work visa that I didn't have to do that anymore. Sucked.

[–]im-a-new 6 points7 points  (6 children)

你好朋友! 你会说中文吗? Could you explain what led you to create a show for a Beijing radio station? How long have you lived in China? And if you've ever tried Tsingtao beer, what do you think of it?

[–]TheSoundStage[S] 14 points15 points  (5 children)

会说!青岛啤酒很不错 但是必须在青岛喝要不然不真正!我在中国六七年了。我觉得属于中国的独立音乐很牛逼所以中国的电台当然应该播放!

[–]im-a-new 5 points6 points  (0 children)

This was tough, 我的中文还很不好。谢谢你回答!青岛啤酒真不错。 Your career seems awesome and I wish you the best of luck!

[–]SuperstarTinsanity 10 points11 points  (2 children)

Hi! What is your background and what prompted you to do this? For the past two years I started to become really interested in working in radio.

I was from HK but there are many things about mainland that has changed that I don't know. My other question is, what is the regional media entertainment scene like in mainland? (Context of the question, it seems to me like every other actor/actress that you no longer hear about in HK have gone to the mainland to shoot drama, and always followed up with "oh he's huge there!"

[–]TheSoundStage[S] 16 points17 points  (1 child)

I majored in Chinese and took some vocational high school courses in media production. I never really did anything with radio, but I was a theater geek in high school too so learning about voice projection and diction really helps!

Regarding your second question, I've got no idea, sorry!

[–]the______dude 13 points14 points  (4 children)

How's the reggae scene in China? I've heard Long Shen Dao and they're really good.

[–]TheSoundStage[S] 17 points18 points  (3 children)

Pretty damn good. I included a track on the playlist in the OP. "Yunnan Reggae."

In fact, the producer of Bob Marley was a Chinese-Jamaican, Clive Chin.

[–]Idiosyncra3y 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Have you met Tenegger Cavalry and do you know any other good Chinese folk metal bands?

[–]New_Text_Document 6 points7 points  (1 child)

How come half the comments here are basically asking "Are you sure China isn't a dirty fucking commie hellhole? Blink twice for yes"

Like obviously a lot of people are just joking around, but I get the feeling that a good number of you are actually serious.

[–]postbroadcast 16 points17 points  (3 children)

Hey! Are you a fan of Carsick Cars!? They are one of my favorite bands and no one I've met in America seems to know of or like them.

[–]TheSoundStage[S] 20 points21 points  (0 children)

Haha...yeah I love Carsick Cars! I'm laughing though because they are super overexposed in the west (relatively speaking!) They have a very powerful PR machine behind them. Not to diminish their accomplishments as musicians at all, but there is a lot of other great stuff here, too!

[–]James-Wing 37 points38 points  (63 children)

So, how's communism?

[–]TheSoundStage[S] 167 points168 points  (46 children)

Pretty non-existent from what I can tell!

[–]SexLiesAndExercise 102 points103 points  (32 children)

For the naysayers, China is the same as any other "communist" state from the last 100 years. All of the nepotism, none of the equality for everyone.

They're somewhat similar to 19th century Britain, in that they have a ruling elite with very little democratic decision-making, and are halfway to becoming fully industrialised. Their economy has just about caught up with us in a few decades, so it's understandable that society is lagging behind a bit. I like to think we'll look back on society in 50 years and say that both China & the West were only halfway to becoming the badass utopia they became!

[–]Rguy315 34 points35 points  (0 children)

Just to help give people more insight, the difference between the west and china is who the workers are producing a surplus for. In America it's typically a CEO of a private company, in china it's a mix if private companies and the state. Point being, if china was really communist the workers would produce for themselves and collectively decide how to distribute the surplus. China does not have a communist economic system, but you could argue that the communist party is trying to build the economy to a point that a transition would be feasible... Of course their intentions are debatable.

[–]lostpatrol 130 points131 points  (25 children)

The US is about to elect the wife of Bill Clinton, and she will likely run against the brother and son of two former presidents. Nepotism is hardly a Communist trademark.

[–]SexLiesAndExercise 54 points55 points  (12 children)

I neither said or implied that it was.

Nepotism in the Chinese government is not really on the same level as it is in the US though, that's a silly suggestion.

America does has political dynasties - families who ammassed money and political capital (Kennedy, Bush, Roosevelt), but the Clintons were more recent and the first real beneficiary of prior political experience was Hillary, potentially followed by her daughter. This is largely down to how money works in the US political system. If you can pay for a huge campaign, you can run with a decent chance of success. If not, you had bloody well better know some rich people so you can raise funds.

In China, party members historically (and currently, to a slightly lesser extent) get their family members jobs at any and all levels of government. Government contracts don't go out to tender, they go to a party member's company or his family member's company. There's no huge effort to hide the paper trail because there's no real accountability.

While people complain about the shitty state of America's media and democratic process, it's undeniably more open and transparent than in China. President Xi is making a bit of a song and dance of rooting out corruption and nepotism, but they have a long way to go to catch up in that regard, and a lot of feet to tread on to get there.

[–]139mod70 33 points34 points  (4 children)

They're behind you right now, aren't they?

blink twice for yes

[–]wenger828 16 points17 points  (0 children)

no, we are not there.

[–]TheSoundStage[S] 36 points37 points  (2 children)

If they were, I'd be saying shouting Communist slogans, right?