A photo taken during the interview arranged by CCC for City Weekend with Cui Jian.

A feature story of Cui Jian and his talk at CCC.

In the Name of the Father
By Jo Lusby, May 23, 2002
 
What is it like to be credited with introducing rock music to an entire country? China' s biggest rock star, Cui Jian, says a few words (quite literally) to City Weekend
Cui Jian is late. Not very late, and if you' re waiting for China' s biggest pop star, it' s not a big deal. But still, he' s not here yet, we' ve been waiting 30 minutes, and we' re all beginning to get a little nervous that he' s not going to show.

When he finally breezes into the room muttering "hellos隆炉, sporting the white baseball cap that he隆炉s never seen without nowadays (convenient for hiding alarmingly thinning hair), the fuwuyuan stir, glance at each other, and giggle. Cui Jian has entered the building.

When the interview begins, however, it is apparent that the questions bore him, and trying to gain any kind of meaningful response is like pulling teeth, albeit from a very amenable patient. Does he feel shackled to the title of China隆炉s first pop star?  I'm tired of talking about the past,隆卤 he shrugs. I want to concentrate on the future.隆卤 He stops. So what of the future?  I'm making another album, he says, stops again, and waits patiently for the next question. What kind of music will it be?  I don't know yet ? it's not finished."

But, face it, does he really need any of this, when China' s public looks set to adore him for eternity regardless of what else he does musically from now on? After all, Cui Jian, China loves you.

Father Figure
隆掳Is it possible to write Cui Jian隆炉s name without following it with 隆庐the father of Chinese rock?隆炉隆卤 a Shanghai music journalist once complained. Well, yes ? you can substitute it for China隆炉s Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, or the name of pretty much any other groundbreaking Western musician.

Cui Jian隆炉s biography is probably as well known in China as The Beatles隆炉 rise to fame is in the U.K. He was born in Beijing in 1961 to an ethnically Korean family of musicians ? a father who was a professional trumpeter and a mother who was a Korean-style dancer. His musical debut followed in the footsteps of his father, playing classical trumpet in the Beijing Philharmonic Orchestra from 1981-87.

Shortly into his time with the Beijing Philharmonic, he began playing Western pop and rock in restaurants and hotels around the city with his first band, Seven-Ply Board. By 1985, he had reached the attention of a public outside of hotel dining rooms, performing original song lyrics discussing issues of sexuality and individualism to talent shows usually preoccupied with the songs debating affairs of the heart. As Cui隆炉s website breathlessly writes, 隆掳To a generation numbed by the deadening propaganda of the Cultural Revolution, the honesty of Cui Jian隆炉s lyrics [was] like a clarion call.隆卤

Cui started to gather a cult following on China隆炉s university campuses, and when he released his first real album, Rock and Roll On The New Long March in 1988 in collaboration with Beijing band ADO, his position as China隆炉s rock celebrity of the moment ? and the first of the new era ? was swiftly established.

Although his popularity remained undiminished throughout the 1990s, however, live performances in China dwindled, and his reputation was built largely through subsequent CD releases and his role in the independent movie Beijing Bastards, which Cui co-produced with Zhang Yuan. Movie soundtracks followed, for Jiang Wen隆炉s controversial Devils At The Doorstep (2000) and Roots and Branches (2001), as well as international and domestic concert dates.

Cui cringes at the mention of Roots and Branches, and whatever may come next for the star, it隆炉s unlikely he隆炉ll continue with movie cameos. 隆掳I隆炉ve only seen the movie a couple of times,隆卤 he shudders, visibly embarrassed at the memory of the family saga. 隆掳It隆炉s a horrible film, and I was really dissatisfied with my performance in it. Anyway, I don隆炉t have time for acting.隆卤

Time for Cui is still spent devoted to music, and it隆炉s still the only thing ultimately that gets him excited. 隆掳Live music is the only way there隆炉ll be a real future for Chinese rock music,隆卤 he says. 隆掳At the moment, Chinese music only exists in the media, and in piracy.隆卤

In terms of class acts in China today, Cui praises groups like the indi rock band Second Hand Roses (see interview, EG Cover), but generally categorizes the rock scene as being in something of a terminal decline. 隆掳Live vocal performances by Chinese singers may well completely die out over the next few years,隆卤 he shrugs. 隆掳Chinese bands are categorized by self-promotion and mutual flattery, not real live concerts like you have in the West.隆卤

隆掳There are few managers or producers who are willing to invest in live performances,隆卤 he continues. 隆掳They won隆炉t spend enough time preparing for concerts, they constantly try to cut corners on things like the costs of lighting and stage facilities. It隆炉ll only change when live bands come from overseas, and when foreign producers and agents enter the market.隆卤

Although he got his start doing cover songs of popular Western songs, Cui reserves a special part of musical hell for karaoke. 隆掳It隆炉s replaced proper musical education in China,隆卤 he rants, becoming animated for the first time in the interview. 隆卤To me, karaoke completely destroys musical sense and ability. It forces people to follow a uniform tune, and it隆炉s devoid of rhyme and personal feeling.隆卤

"You shouldn't compromise, or give in to any kind of temptation in your music, he warns. So does life for a pop star really begin at 40? Certainly, the suggestion that his heyday was in the mid-1980s silences the singer once more. While his initial audience has grown up, and it隆炉s their children who are beginning to drive China隆炉s popular tastes, he maintains that the new generation will be interested in hearing from 21st century Cui Jian, with new music that mixes electronic elements in with more traditional rock guitar sounds. 隆掳People over 30 like my old songs,隆卤 he says. 隆掳But youngsters around 20 tend to listen to my new songs. I won隆炉t just repeat my previous works ? it would be a blasphemy against my music creation.隆卤 And anyway, the people love you, Cui Jian.

Cui Jian is giving a free talk on popular music in China (and will probably be playing a few songs too) in Beijing, at the CD Cafe on May 30, 7-9pm. For more information, call 6432-9341, or email info@chinaculturecenter.org