Building The Bridge - PART 3

BUILDING THE BRIDGE

On my first couple of trips to China, I stayed at the China Hotel in Guangzhou. There was a Bus Boy there named Billy. I gave Billy one of my CDs. He was learning English and told me he would go home, and  sit intently studying my lyrics. One morning Billy gave me the greatest compliment for a writer – he said “Mr Nik, your music is different, it really makes me think”.

Exploring communications with Chinese people has become a passion for me.  Whether it has been performing at China’s biggest Universities or major Government Conferences or in small clubs, getting the chance to cross over languages, find common ground of entertainment and also open up new ways of communication has been very exciting. My music career has encountered some very high profile experiences, but many treasures have also been found in simple moments….

It was a crystal clear morning, just below zero degrees Celsius. I was on the side of a small mountain, overlooking a tranquil scenery all covered in light snow and ice. The mountain is actually a graveyard covered with pathways and small and large tombs.

I had been offered a very special honour to visit Charlie’s Grandfather’s grave, with the other male members of his family – his Dad, Uncles and some cousins. It was Chinese New Year’s Day 2012. This was a very traditional event. For about half an hour they stood relaxing and catching up. It’s a very interesting group of people – his Grandfather had been part of Chairman Mao’s inner circle of the Long March and around me were a couple of Government Ministers, a Chief of Police, Chief Magistrate – but today they are simply family sharing quality time. 

Next they let off a string of fireworks to chase away bad spirits and to let the Grandfather know they were there. They left some personal gifts, took a moment each to pray, then we went to the foot of the hill and burnt some special paper in a raging furnace. This was symbolic of sending money into the after world. To be included into that family experience is something I will never forget. Tradition and family underpin so much of the character of China.

The night before, New Years Eve, had been pretty crazy. We were in Zibo, Charlie’s family’s home town. In Australian terms you would liken Zibo to Toowoomba, a smaller regional city with pretty powerful economic and political ties – except Zibo has about 4 million people.

From about two in the afternoon until midnight, the sound of fireworks was constant. We had a great meal with the extended family, then we settled in to watch the Spring Festival Concert on TV. This is China’s most watched TV program – viewed by more than a billion people. It showcases China’s biggest names, top up and coming acts – has comedy, dancing – it’s great variety TV. Watching the show, I had no idea that quite a few of the people on the show would become involved with me in the coming months.

After the show, at about 1 am, we realised we hadn’t let off the fireworks Charlie and his wife Vikita had bought. So Bi Jie picked us up and there we were, in minus 10 degrees Celsius, lighting fireworks in a City Square in Zibo.

Bi Jie - is a traditional female  singer based in Beijing. Her first pop music project was the duet she sang with me – Reach Around the World Reach Around The World. This is the song that went to number 4 on the China National Radio Network (China’s biggest) chart.

For a country so big it can be a small place sometimes – let me tell you a story.

We were in Qingdao, a coastal city in Shandong and one of my favourite cities.  I had written Reach Around the World and it seemed to be an ideal song to show how we can use English and Mandarin together. We were looking for a female duet partner to record the song with and there was a young TV star we auditioned in Qingdao. Her voice wasn’t really right for the song.

At the time, Li Shanxion – who I had performed with at the second Guangzhou Tourism Festival - was also in Qingdao as a guest for a regional talent contest. He asked me to join, I did a guest performance on the show and we then had dinner together at one of his favourite restaurants – it was a Chinese medicine restaurant. The whole meal consisted of a variety of insects, roasted caterpillar larvae, never before seen vegetables …. I was actually glad to drink the rice wine that evening.

Shanxion was pretty well connected in the Beijing arts community and suggested we talk to a singer he had recently met at a festival who had greatly impressed him. So Charlie was on the phone talking to this singer -  the conversation became animated.

It works out that Bi Jie’s home town is Zibo and she and Charlie went to junior school together. So here, in a country of 1.3 billion people, through a third party, we had hooked up with a childhood friend of Charlie who was perfect for our project. OK-  that’s weird.

My whole journey in China seemed to be surrounded by similar coincidences. Glenn A Baker is a famous Australian music journalist and had caught up with me in Beijing. Through conversation it came up that he had been talking about myself and China to his friend Andy Summers, guitarist from the Police.

Then a few weeks later in Brisbane, Charlie and I were having dinner with legendary music journalist Ritchie Yorke. Ritchie was a great mate. He was John Lennon’s publicist, basically broke Led Zeplin in the USA, wrote the official biographies for people such as Van Morrison, was editor of Rolling Stone in Canada … respected by all. Like Glenn, he has followed and highly supported my work in China.

 At the dinner was a guy named Mike Howlett. Mike lectured in Brisbane, but as a producer he created albums for acts such as Flock of Seagulls, Martha and the Muffins, Joan Armatrading.  But probably most importantly, Mike was the guy who brought together Sting, Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland – The Police.

Next thing you know I am getting emails from Andy and chatting on the phone with him. He had a new band in LA called Circa Zero and wanted to do something in China.

We decided to hook up and spent a wonderful week hanging out and showing him the music industry there. 

My friends from the band Blue Tomato helped me look after Andy that whole week. Taking him to the Great Wall, music shops, clothes shops, fantastic restaurants. Andy made the mistake of saying he loved lamb at our first lunch. I think we went on to visit every major lamb restaurant in Beijing. He was over lamb by the end of the week.

We stopped outside one of Beijing’s few punk music clubs. There was a Chinese punk standing outside – done up like he had just stepped out of 1977 Britain. Andy went to take his picture, to which the guy screamed at us “f….off”. We burst out laughing. Great punk reaction. If only he knew that he was talking to one of the real developers of that musical period.

Not many Chinese know much about the Police. Or the Beatles, Led Zeplin, Hendrix. China only started opening up to the west in the early 80s. So they know people like Bon Jovi, Michael Jackson, Sting as a solo artist. Before you think that’s strange, remember they have major stars who in terms of real numbers are actually more successful than most western acts, yet hardly any westerners know about them. So in reality we know less about them than they do about us.

Of course the musicians in China know these artists and Blue Tomato were well aware of Andy and they had been greatly influenced by the Police.

A couple of days before Andy was to leave, he made an offer to play Every Breath You Take with the band at their club. I have never seen people more excited. That night the club was full. We walked in. Photos of Andy were on the walls, he was on the video screen, cameras were everywhere. Many top local musicians were there. While various western major artists visit Beijing, none join in on a local level. I sang with the band. Then Andy got up. It was great.

After the song we ushered him out of the club and into Li Jie’s Hummer and headed to a Jazz/Blues club called CD Blues. There Li Jie had organised for a string of Beijing’s top recording musicians to be there. Andy went on to jam with them. In the west it would be like having Eric Clapton, Stanley Clarke and Phil Collins jamming with him. It was awesome.

Angie was with me on this trip and she sang Bleeding Valentine with me.

Andy left Beijing amazed at the level of musicianship, the size and scope of the industry, but also at how disconnected the Chinese and western industries are and how unique my position is being at the center of it all.

We have encountered the same feed back when working with people such as Shakira and Extreme or industry gurus from companies such as Warner Music.  I am constantly amazed at the gulf that exists between China and the west in many ways. The music industry, between big companies, between Governments. The bridge we are building into the heart of the major media centres that run out of Beijing is very substantial.  I think my main point of difference has been that I haven’t been meeting people with business agendas in mind.
Most Australian companies and Government people go to China with agendas in place. They swap cards. They meet Chinese who also have agendas in place. Everyone is wary, cautious ….. and generally little is achieved beyond positive statements of good intentions with little or no real results. Very rarely do both sides really understand or communicate what they actually want and need – or know how to achieve mutual results. And at the end of the day most people want the same thing, a fair and equitable result based on a strong relationship.

I however meet people at music events and social gatherings and I am surrounded by friends who are major stars with high credibility. This delivers me quick credibility and acceptance with the group I am meeting. Its only after sharing music, food and wine that I then discover that the people there are major Government Officials, TV producers, Heads of the biggest Music and Media Associations, owners of power stations or coal mines or build satellites! I am a novelty to them and they see that I am supporting the development of Chinese Culture. They like that.

Often in the days that follow such get togethers, I will be re approached with a question like, “We are in this business. We know you have connections in Australia. We have never dealt with Australia before….we would like to. Can you help us”?

And it’s not always about business. Sometimes people just want to be better friends.