So DT has been caught 'dating' & fans are outraged. May I gently remind them that (1) DT is male & single (2) it's not a sin to go out with a 22 yr old unmarried woman even if that woman is 18 yrs younger (3) he has never promised his fans that he will stay celibate until he is married (4) even as an idol singer, he does have his rights & privacy, who are we to judge? Surely as fans who have listened to his songs -- Do I Do I from his first album, Let's Fall in Love from Black Tangerine, 2night in The Great Leap to Play in 69 David Tao, we would know that he does have this lascivious side to him or we would nvr have all these wonderful songs. The trouble is that he LOVES sexy hot mamas ^_^ but that's not a crime just a weakness. In RE DT he claimed he was being used & is probably still being used. Ever noticed that most times he was 'caught', the lady in question is usually in showbusiness, not very famous & in this way, acquired her 15 mins of fame. Anyway I don't understand why all this angst abt him being seen with a beautiful young woman. Are we so innocent that we think that 40 yr old male celebrites don't go out with gorgeous young girls if they have the opportunity? Even an ice queen like Faye Wong went out with a gorgeous young man 11 yrs her junior. David presenting a Beatles album to Ang Lee during opening of Taking Woodstock in Taipei. Apparently Ang Lee's next movie will be Life of Pi. I am a little nervous how he is gonna handle it, not with too much of his sticky sentimentality I fervently hoped like personalising the tiger or having laughable moments when Pi connects with the tiger in a human way. Life of Pi is great cos even though it's a work of fiction & fantasy, Yann Martel treats the reader with respect by never letting the tiger be anything but a majestic animal and yet he created a marvellous character called Richard Parker. Pi never ever get close to the tiger cos he knows that the tiger can only regard him as either provider of food or a meal itself. This is the reality of life. Tigers are not very Disney friendly to humans especially when they are hungry. Fans should be wise to view DT in the same way too. He is not this sanitised version of your idol. He urinates & farts just like an ordinary man ... and he has never pretend to be anything else.
The first time I heard 69乐章, I was immediately captivated by the song Surviving Leopards. It is a strangely quiet song with an underlaying sense of utter hopelessness. During David's online chat in Bejing, he explained the meaning of this song. First he asked if anyone knew where in the world is the greatest surviving number of the endangered species, snow leopards? The answer is of course China where there is only about 2-3k left. He was driven to write this song when he learnt that the snow leopard is unable to roar so it is silent when it is being slaughtered. He compared this to the current destruction of our planet Earth & nature. Both too are unable to call out when it is being slowly destroyed until it is too late. So once again, thank you DT for being able to touch me with your masterful songwriting. I now know why I have unshed tears in my eyes whenever I listen to Surviving Leopards. I feel that DT himself is a Surviving Leopard. Once again he is being criticised for suddenly changing his music style, 69乐章 is said to be not selling well & his market worth is in question. The media & critics are trying to drive him to a quick death cos David refused to conform to their ideal of a talented songwriter who produced only beautiful music to their ears. I wondered if Picasso got the same kind of criticism when he turned to Cubism. Before he turned to the style that he is now famous, Picasso produced the most hauntingly beautiful fine artwork. Who can forget the sensual Femme where he used only three lines to depict a woman's derriere? But why should he go on producing the same beautiful artwork over and over again? Used two lines to draw a woman's body *roll eyes* He was an intelligent man who needed to be challenged so he turned to Cubism. Perhaps the same can be said about David. His latest album is a cacophony of music that to me is like Cubism. Cubism engages the eye with multitude of viewpoints, David heightens our aural acceptance of music & leaves us to decipher what he is trying to say. Like Surviving Leopards or Play with its playful play on 'gay' ^__^. Don't forget that the Stonewall riots which started the gay rights movement happened in the year 1969. So for those who think David's latest album is too 'frivolous', maybe they should go back to their history books :P I love that he mentioned Don Quixote cos if I were to chose a word to describe 69 David Tao it would be quixote, a crazy David going wild about the music he loves & yet still so righteous & idealistic as ever. A freefalling David at last fighting windmills ^__^ I found this quote in Don Quixote which perhaps describes it best: "When life itself seems lunatic, who knows where madness lies? To surrender dreams - this may be madness; to seek treasure where there is only trash. Too much sanity may be madness! But maddest of all - to see life as it is and not as it should be." Some good news is that the mini-movie Adoration dvd will be released this month. Can't wait to watch it! Also there will be a series of concerts in Taiwan starting 10/16. David was also invited to be a guest speaker in Fudan University in Shanghai. He asked a rhetorical question: Why songwriters in 1969 were able to use music to reflect current affairs but not songwriters in 2009? He didn't give an answer probably cos he didn't want to be too controversial ^__^
Wednesday September 23, 2009 Making movies By SETO KIT YAN Singer-songwriter David Tao delves into filmmaking. IT HAS been three years since David Tao released an album and it is because he has been pursuing another passion of his – filmmaking. Although Tao made his mark in the entertainment industry as a musicmaker, he is fast turning into a filmmaker. Early this month in Taiwan, he released Adoration (An Lian in Mandarin), the first short film he directed, which starred Taiwanese actress and lingerie model Cheryl Yang. “Actually, my biggest dream is still filmmaking. Hence next year, I’ll be making my movie.” A graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles, with a major in psychology and a minor in film, Tao says his upcoming film will be a musical love story over an hour long. “For the time being, when I’m shooting my film, I’ll just have to put my music aside. I don’t think that I can make music, produce an album, film my movie, all at the same time. That would be spreading it too thinly. “So for the next year or so, my whole focus will be on making the movie. Moreover, I’d like for the success of my movie to far exceed that of my music or albums,” says Tao who was in Kuala Lumpur to promote his latest release, Opus 69, recently. This 14-track album is Tao’s sixth studio album and has his signature R&B/ rock vibe, though it leans more towards the latter. Like a journal that traces memories of his music-making days back when he was 16 or 17 years old, Tao says Opus 69 is the kind of music he wants to make now, combined with the raging teen rebel attitude he had then. This is further reflected in the fun and adventurous word play in his carefree lyrics. “I feel like it is an album where I write the kind of lyrics I want, sing the kind of songs I want, play the kind of music I want. The sound comprises lots of guitar, drums and base. It’s a very easygoing album, yet presents a very clear concept.” Born in Hong Kong in 1969 to Taiwanese entertainers – actor/ singer/ composer Tao Da Wei and Chinese opera singer Wang Fu Rong, music-making is inherent in Tao’s blood. Having spent more than 20 years penning songs, the singer-songwriter says he still enjoys the intial stage of music-making most. “It’s composing, not mixing, arranging, or creating. The stage where I’m trying to figure out what I want to say and how it comes out as notes. “It’s actually the very first stage, of how I really feel about something. It is most painful sometimes, but also the most revealing.” This led to some musings about Opus 69. “It’s based on two things, really. The year 1969 was when I was born. Also, I believe that in the 60s and 70s, not just music but culture, ideology, politics, social movement... all these things influenced me a lot. “This album is not just about me. It has a lot of my own stories and my ideology in it. And, it has a lot of the atmosphere of the 60s and 70s. “There are songs about war/ anti-war, songs about naked love, very revealing, and also songs with a bit of humour. “I think a lot of today’s music doesn’t have that, they are very detached and don’t reflect much on the composer or the singer.” While some critics have deemed his latest album too frivolous, Tao is not overly concerned about conforming to musical conventions. “I’ll accept everything in life. Have a sense of humour and you’ll live a happier life,” says the 40-year-old Tao. His career aside, he days he is ready to settle down and start a family. The man just wants a wife and kids to go home to. David Tao’s Opus 69, distributed by Galaxy Music, is available in local record stores. (Reposted from The Star Online)
Here's a sweet little DT encounter courtesy of Malaysian fan Ling when David was in KL recently (thanks a lot bloodbubble *_*):
It was a Thursday night (10/9) when my friend and I met David Tao at the hotel in KL. David was in town to perform at the T Music Festival that Saturday. About a week or so before his arrival, my buddy keepjfish had sent me info on David's KL itinerary. I passed on the info to my friend Jessie, who's also a huge DT fan, and we made plans to meet up at the hotel that Thursday evening to wait for David to return after his afternoon press conference. We arrived at the hotel about 6ish in the evening after work. The lobby was crowded as there was a buka puasa dinner in the restaurant upstairs. We waited for almost 2 hours, many guests came and went but still no sign of DT. By then we were nearly dying of hunger so we went off for a quick dinner nearby the hotel, hoping that DT wouldn't have returned to the hotel when we were out for dinner. After a quick-ish dinner, we went back to the hotel and it was all quiet by then. We could see guests at the buka puasa function slowly disbursing, but yet still no sign of DT. Alas, we discovered then that DT has returned to the hotel around 8:30PM when we were out for dinner! We continued to wait, and by 10:30PM, David came down from his room and we managed to catch him as he was leaving the hotel. He was dressed casually in jeans, a white tee and a grey jumper (hmm was he cold?) He was accompanied only by his manager and approached us when we called him. He was such a sweetie, we chatted for a bit. As he was not in a hurry, he took the time to answer our numerous questions. (I think it looked like we were interrogating him haha) I asked if we could take photo with him, and he was very obliging :D My friend then asked if we could take individual photos, and David replied 'sure, why not?' *OMG* (at this point I thought I was gonna faint LOL) I brought along a CD and DT signed it for me. It was surreal and until today I can't stop grinning like a silly monkey each time I think back to that fateful Thursday evening.
Nosebleeding pix of our Dave ^__^ Sry for not blogging for so long. Just enjoy reading DT's tweets. He is really cute when he asked for the best icecream shop in Singapore or help with airline tickets. I think he is more wary of writing abt controversial stuff as he gets quoted out of context so often by the Chinese media. David had been vry busy, going to Malaysia for a concert. Here's a great blog with nice writeup, pixs & vids. He also guested in Harlem Yu's The Million Star & I have been watching it repeatedly cos he sang so many songs fabulously. He has this incredible way of singing old hits so they sound new & fresh. His vocals were so powerful that his voice reverberated in the small studio. It was hilarious at the end that the producer even let him sing the last song in his own way. Normally if the first two lines of the song are wrong, they will stop the singing. In the end, everybody sang the chorus for him, it was so cute. I enjoy his voice so much, I wish they let him sing more. Here are some of the vids on youtube: Marvellous version of Spring Wind. LOVE LOVE LOVE his soulful rendition of The Eagles' Desperado Power Station's old hit the DT way. David also guested in Shen Chun Hua's Life Show which can also be watched on youtube. It was really touching at the end when Ms Shen told him that as a mother, she has tears in her eyes everytime she listened to Catherine. She even took the time to read out the lyrics of Catherine as she felt that mothers should listen to this song which may help them with their relationships with their children. I think as a songwriter, to have a mother said that to you is probably quite an honour. It could be the reason that a lot of critics are disappointed with his latest album as they expected him to write more of these kind of moving songs. But you can't lay this kind of burden on creativity. 69 David Tao is a very different album to The Great Leap. It's really is a terrific album with amazing songs.
Kyrie Elesion/ A Big Mess /Adoration /Play /Zero to Hero /Surviving Leopards /RE: DT/ Summer Love Triangle /Miss Sweetie /Chinese Lady /Whose Oscar? /Love Needed /Your Song /Heroes If you have been wondering if you should get David Tao's latest album 69 David Tao, my recommendation is get it. It is one of the most unpretentious chinese albums you will ever heard. It doesn't pretend to be the major work of a singer/songwriter or strived to be trendsetting with fusion of east-west mix. It doesn't have catchy poppy songs, samples of popular western hits or 'poetic' lyrics. It is just a fun album because the people who worked on it obviously had a lot of fun putting it all together. Listening one gets a lighthearted feeling & can't help tapping one's feet to the rhythm. It's like listening to a high-octane live concert. This album is all about the music, crisp, clear, FUN music! As with the title, the album is heavily influenced by music of the 60s & 70s so for some, it may sound 'alternative' cos it lacks the familiar pop sound of recent digitalised music. It can be a rather challenging album too as the sound is just so different from the mainstream. To really fully appreciate this album, you must have listened to the music of Queen, Eagles, Jimi Hendrix, David Bowie, Rolling Stones & of cos Beatles just to mention a few. The big surprise is that he referenced Queen quite a bit. I think it could be that Freddie Mercury is one of the few Asian musicians who made such a big impact in the west. He makes quite a few statements in this album & the biggest is his disappointment & losing faith in the Chinese music industry. The most obvious is in Whose Oscar? which is actually a reworking of the cm song he wrote for Icetea in China. Just so DT, to use a commercial song to refute the ppl around him who think he is not conforming to the entertainment standards in order to remain popular. Oscar is probably a cheeky reference to the many chinese music award shows with meaningless awards. Chinese Lady is such an infectious song that makes you wanna get up & boogie but is he talking abt the continual objectification of chinese women? The intro of the album is my fav, a litany called Kyrie Eleison which is Greek for 'Lord have mercy'. This litany was quite often used during the 60s as an antiwar protest. The most popular was probably Mr Mister's Kyrie. David's version is more traditional & a great way to start off an album with a strong 60s rock & roll influence. The litany synced into A Big Mess reminscent of Tonight's News syncing into Dear God in Black Tangerine. As expected critics are dismissive of this album with their usual complaint that DT is capable of more to which he replied in Whose Oscar that he is not their ideal support & not to depend on him for 'pride'. Perhaps it's appropriate that he ended the album with Heroes with the aftermath of Lui Xiang failing to qualify in the Beijing Olympics. Lui Xiang was supposed to succeed not only for himself but for an entire country as well as for 'chinese pride', but it is unfair & unreasonable to expect one man to carry all that burden. Besides Lui Xiang has already proved that he is a hero by becoming the first chinese athlete to win a gold Olympic medal in hurdles. So the expectation for David to once again prove that he is the 'chinese music godfather' & come up with an album that would rejuvenate the chinese music industry is also unrealistic. Besides one should not judge an album by the singer's past works. Also as I expected, most critics mentioned his age as if that should matter. They felt that this album is too 'young' for a 40 year old singer. Perhaps they forgot that Michael Jackson came up with Invincible when he was 45? While most critics did said that it was not up to MJ previous standard, they would never mentioned his age nor insinuate the album was too 'young'. No wonder DT is so disappointed with the chinese music industry when the level of music criticism stooped to such puerile juvenile comments as well as ageism. Only good thing is they cannot compare him to Jay Chou since it's not r&b, so they compare him to Wubai whose rock music is probably the only kind they know. One critic even said that if David wants to do rock music, he should listen to Wubai. With nothing else to criticise since the music production is excellent, the critics fall back on their pet peeve, David's lyrics. Maybe they should go & listen to John Lennon's lyrics or Jimi Hendrix's If 6 is 9. Don't they realise that sometimes lyrics should also follow the flow of the music. Music should be an audio experience from the melody of the song to the singer's voice then to the lyrics. If one needs lyrics that read like poetry to appreciate a song, then something is terribly wrong with either the melody or the singer's ability to move his audience. I have always felt that David's lyrics, written with the help of talented lyricsts like WaWa & Francis Lee, blended into his songs & music so well. He used the lyrics like musical instruments along with his voice to express the feelings in his songs. Since he is not a very poetic person nor is his Mandarin of a very high level, most of his lyrics has been very simple and direct. As many fans have felt, this could be DT's last album for a long while as one can detect vry strongly from this album that he is determined to have a go at making his own movies. I think he tried to do both but felt that it would compromise both his integrity as a songwriter & a director of movies. And you know what? I used to think that he should stick to music but after listening to this album, I know that I should let him go. He does not have the heart to do music in this kind of environment where he is always being compared & where the charts are always being manipulated. He remains one of the very very very few singer/composers who stick to doing music wholeheartedly with success. Maybe you don't like his music, but you cannot accuse him of selling out on music. David appeared in a press conference yesterday, watch here. There are also 2 versions of Zero to Hero mv, one that is like a mini-musical & pure joy to watch & a KTV version. His mini-movie Adoration is set to be released in cinemas in Taipei on 9/6. Musical ver:
Typhoon has brought forward the release date of 69乐章 to 8/21 cos the entire album tracklist had been made available for streaming as well as downloading on many, many websites including youtube & one of his fansites in China since 8/15. David was of cos vry unhappy abt the situation saying it was vry harmful & disrespectful but not much he can do abt it. When interviewed in HK after participating in the Artistes 88 Fundraising Campaign, he praised his fans for informing him abt this first in Twitter. Many news reports also quoted his tweet abt delaying the album release, making him one of the first Chinese artistes to have tweets quoted in the news ^__^ Anyway although it is unfortunate but I think it would still have happened even if the album has been released on 8/15. Definitely it will affect the sales of the album but let stay optimistic till 8/21. Here he is a bit morose but still wonderfully soulful singing Love Can in HK.
Today would have been DT album release but all his fans appreciated his gesture. He participated in a TV fundraising event in Taipei last night. It was cute watching as before it was his turn, could already see him in the background wiping perspiration from his face & neck *swoon* He was lovely. He was gonna perform a special guitar rendition of I Love You but there was something wrong with the sound equipment & DT the perfectionist suddenly emerged ^__^ He was quietly angry & kept explaining patiently that he couldn't perform without the background music. I think they expected him to just strum the guitar and sing like in a talent show. I just love love love this side of David although some could said he was a bit much since it was a charity program. But then this is David the professional, he would not perform unless conditions were right. Anyway he went & manned the phones for a while. They fixed the sound problem & he came back front to perform and what a performance! His guitar skills have improved enormously & he played with such fervour. He reminded me of Eric Clapton who is the only guitarist who could move me. As always he managed to blend a western sounding guitar sound with a chinese sounding song. Dear DT, you are such a wonder *_* Already on youtube:
David decided to postpone the release of his new album for 2 weeks. He was so upset by the devastation caused by Typhoon Morakot that he felt he could not talk abt his new album at this time. A news event to launch his hr-long movie was also cancelled. He felt that we should all concentrate on helping those in need for the time being. Here's a link for donation specifically Taiwan. Although delaying album release is indeed a very small thing but at least it's in the spirit of his song, Zero to Hero, where one person do all that he can to help. Combined that one hundred, even one thousand, so by his little gesture, a lot of his fans are encouraged to help & that is a very good thing indeed. Dear DT, we really appreciate your attempts to right the world's wrongs by your words & your deeds. You are using the talents God gave to you to help others & I'm glad that this is the path you have chosen in your journey in music.
Apparently the Macau concert was a blast *__* He sang Zero to Hero & MJ medley. Much was made of the fact that he only wore one outfit *scratch head* He's a singer not a model. Anyway here's the songlist: 1 Runaway 2 Wan Bu Liao 3 Close to you 4 Let's fall in love 5 Shanghaied 6 Susan says 7 Who do you love 8 Moon represents whose heart 9 Airport in 10:30 10 Zero to hero 11 Smalltown girl 12 Black Tangerine 13 Regular Friends 14 Marry me today 15 Too Beautiful 16 -MJ Medley- Man in the mirror ABC Rock with you Human Nature You are not alone Billie Jean I'll be there 17 I love you 18 Rain 19 Love can Wow that's a lot of songs & still ppl complained that it was too short. I watch some clips & his voice is just pure melt-you-honey yet full of vigor. His live performance just keeps getting better & I hate to say this but sometimes I rather he sings solo throughout. In his concert, I only want to hear his voice & I can't have enough so I rather he take a break, have some water than continue singing. He did a marvellous slow version of Billie Jean that just blew me away. When interviewed, he said that he will be doing more concerts so hopefully he will still do the MJ medley. Heard his second single, Adoration, which is also the theme song for his hr-long movie. It's apparently the most expensive produced song in the album as David did 3 different versions in order to capture all the different moods in the movie. I cannot honestly say I like the song nor the way he sang in it. It's catchy in a cutesy kinda way which I dislike & the lyrics is way too corny. And yet it captured the essence of chinese romance as depicted in our movies, songs & idol series. The song has a pseudo-western feel which can get annoyingly cloying & yet there something abt it that is just so right. I don't know, it's just a crazy song which can either be a hit or not. Apparently the production of this song caused a lot of his staff to fall sick & David felt sorry abt it but he still want to encourage them to work harder. So he thought of getting a black tee with white lettering 'SLEEP is for beginners' send over from US so that he can wear it & discourage them from sleeping in front of him. Is this a man a slavedriver or what? & why is he so obsessed with sleep all of a sudden?
Hope DT & his audience had a great time in Macau. There will be a preview of his 2nd single 暗恋 on 8/10 & 8/11. A version of Your song has been leaked & it's really ear magic. It sounds wonderfully acoustic & yet not really demo version. I am quite happy to get the same version on the album or the studio version although I doubt he will try to change it much if it's a demo version. It gave me the same intimate feeling as his first album. You can almost imagine him in the studio, singing into the mike with eyes closed. It's a studio sound that cannot be achieved digitally and it sounded like it was done in one take. The vocal is a bit uneven but his control is near perfect. This is what singing should be all abt where you get carried away by the voice & afterwards part of the melody & some lyrics linger in your mind but the next day, you cannot recollect the song except that it touches some deep part of your heart. Then much, much, much later when you have a quiet moment, you listen to the song again. Good music should be slowly savoured & not put on repeat. The lyrics written by WaWa is simple yet heartrending. One can say this is a typical DT love ballad but the lyrics show a difference. In the past, he always refused to back away from failure in love, gets depressed & even revengeful. He sought for perfection in love and would settled for nothing less. Now he has learnt to let go. The lyrics went from hopeful to resigned to inevitable. It's a small & subtle change but I like it. I feel now his music & WaWa's excellent lyrics are more in tune. Dear DT, thanks once again for making me feel the music again. Anyway congratulations to Jay Chou who is taking the road well traveled by other Asian stars eager for international fame by taking on a role in a Hollywood movie. I really hope he do well *so he will stop plaguing our Dave heehee" Actually I'm really glad that Stephen Chow turned down playing Kato, the iconic role made famous by Bruce Lee. Stephen Chow is Stephen Chow & Bruce Lee is Bruce Lee. I don't want to see Stephen try to take on Bruce. Both of them are unique in their inimitable way & should stay that way. So you see sometimes letting go & taking the road less traveled can be more satisfying & even rewarding. Another lesson by DT ^__^
He looks so cool & natural next to a bike *__* Brief writeup on cctv.com:
David Tao promotes new album 2009-08-03 09:42 BJT After a three-year hiatus, Taiwan singer David Tao is set to release his new album, the "69 Concerto." Apart from all the back stage work, Tao is also in charge of directing the music video. The album is named 69 Concerto because it's Tao's sixth album, and the ninth musical work. The singer was born in 1969.
Interesting they translated 69乐章 to '69 Concerto'.
As always with David, we get a music lesson. He used glam rock to describe his first single Zero to Hero. So what is glam rock? It was popular in UK during the 70s. The best eg is probably David Bowie then T Rex & *shudder* Gary Glitter. Glam rock is characterised by a strong science fiction & androgynous theme. Which could be why he used the term 'yin yang ren' meaning hermaphrodite in chinese. Of cos Zero to Hero is pretty toned down glam rock but once again he is able to fuse a western musical style with asian elements seamlessly. I also love the quixoteness of the song telling the story of a salaryman bogged down by the drudge of daily work having fantasies of being a hero with a phoenix plane. But the song also carries msg of environmental & antiwar issues. His play on the fish used for sushi could be reminding us that sushi maybe a trendy food but it is also causing the depletion of seafood such as blue-fin tuna & octupus. Likewise his play on the words 'egg' & 'bomb'. Overall there is the simple theme found in most anime of good overcoming evil but first it has to start with the individual turning from zero to hero. Each of us must make a stand for the environment & be strong abt antiwar. Come to think of it, Zero to Hero is almost like MJ's Man in the mirror.
Yesteday, David made an appearance as the spokesman for Yahoo safety for kids online. During his 'Are you experienced?' prelaunch party for his new album, he revealed the lyrics of 6 songs: Zero to Hero, Your song, RE DT, Play, Too Stupid and Adoration. Here's a very nice blog describing the event complete with pixs & of cos DT has helpfully uploaded 10 clips on youtube.
Opus 69, DT's 6th studio album, is up for preorder @ Yesasia, the blurb is pretty interesting so include here:
After his "123 We Are All Wooden Men" world tour, Taiwan's "Music Godfather" David Tao comes back with his new album in three years titled Opus 69. The number in the title references a number of things, among which is that it's the singer-songwriter's 6th album and 9th CD. Besides, David was born in the summer of '69, and the symbol of his zodiac sign, Cancer, resembles "69". Moreover, in the ancient text of I-Ching, 6 and 9 symbolize "change" and "rebirth", and the numbers when pronounced in Japanese are similar to "rock", which is what this highly anticipated album is about! David puts aside his famous R&B style to return to his musical roots in rock music for this band sound-oriented album, which comes with new songs like "Your Song", "Zero to Hero", "Adoration", and "RE.DT".
Not sure what comes with the pre-order, was hoping it's the 1-hr movie where DT can be seen as an adorable hairdresser ^__^ I think in Taiwan & HK, it's a poster. If anyone have news abt preorder in Singapore & Malaysia, plse let us know. Opus 69 is a fairly cool name. I think I am going to love this album.
I almost cannot breathe, the tram is too crowded I smell poisonous gas, did someone farted? Hurrying like an ant, no time to drink coffee Every day there are eight meetings Lean against the toilet bowl to have a rest
I and you, we are the same, like fools I want to chase, I want to fly Super Phoenix plane ready to leave
From Zero to Hero, to the demon I say no I am my own Hero Do you have any objection? I am not your fried egg sushi I want to chase, ready to fly, I am Superhero
Sea urchin, tuna, pollack, toro
Finally, it's almost time to leave work My headache is about to explode Dear colleague, how about a meal together? Boss issues command, tonight is overtime The date is cancelled, sleep on the street again?
From Zero to Hero, to the demon I say no I am my own Hero Do you have any objection? I am not your fried egg sushi I want to chase, ready to fly, I am Superhero
Fried egg, BB bullet, deep water bullet, space bullet, black egg
Yin Yang Ren: Hahahahahahaha, I will let you see my power Hero: How evil, prepare to launch blue laser beam! Yin Yang Ren: Hahahahahahaha, it's no use, you cannot escape Hero: Hmph! I will let you see the power of my phoenix plane, change!
From Zero to Hero, to the demon I say no I am my own Hero Do you have any objection? I am not your fried egg sushi I want to chase, ready to fly, I am Superhero
Please note this is a very rough translation but just to satisfied those chinese challenged ppl hee! I love the nonsensical lyrics which actually, if you think about it, have a lot of meaning. I love the way he mixes the chinese sound of egg to the chinese sound of bullet, both of which are 'tan'. I just love love love the song. I am so glad he released this as his first single cos I remember he wanted to release My Anata as his first single for Black Tangerine. DT, you rock!
Oh dear, so much news abt DT that can't really catch up. The most exciting is of cos the release of his first single Zero to Hero aka 火鸟功. You can hear here complete with chinese lyrics courtesy & thousand thank yous to DTFC or here complete with spinning cube of DT ^__^ . The chinese name is a throwback to Kagaku Ninjatai Gatchaman (Science Ninja Team Gatchaman), a Japanese TV anime from the 70s. Since I am not too fond of this kinda anime, I have never watched it but apparently it was immensely popular being the first to follow US superhero format. 火鸟功 is apparently the supersonic plane called GodPhoenix. The english name tied in with the album name ie 6 can be turned to 9, zero to hero. Basically the song is an encouragement that anybody can be a hero & while very simplistic with ideals of good overcoming evil like in a superhero anime, still its very cartoonish concept is rather attractive. The song is fast and crazy with David exercising his superb vocals to the max. I love it which is saying something since I don't normally like this kinda song but under David's master of production, the song just zings. David also made a media appearance to promote the song which had its premier today & his new studio album, 69 David Tao, with release date 8/15. A full-length hour-long movie directed by DT will be released along with the album. Sorry this is brief but can manage to post this much today. A brief look at Zero to Hero mv:
As expected DTFC fanatics came up with goodies galore in a short time after DT first outing for his new album on Sun. So all the links here for clips uploaded to youku.com are gratefully thanks to them. DT attended a charity concert on Sat singing 3 songs - Rain, Love Can & I love you. He wore a light blue tee & a rather 60s waistcoat: Too bad he didn't have his hair sleeked back like in his promo pixs ^__^ Then on Sun he met with fans & media I think to have a little singalong. There are quite a few clips but the one you should really watch is his Intro mv If you have been following him on Twitter I think you will understand his posts more abt the filming, getting early in the morn, riding a bike & of cos the church scene. It all come together beautifully in this mv of a love lost or gained. I won't say more so you can have the surprise of watching it. The woman in the mv is a Taiwanese actress called Cheryl Yang & I can understand why DT chose her. She has a vry rare beauty that is almost transcendent & yet there is more than a bit of sluttiness to her too. You can understand why a cerebral man like DT would be entranced by her. The mv ends with a teaser Aug 2009 The End then changing to Aug 2009 Beginning. So I am guessing that some of the songs in his new album would alude to this love affair. He previewed a funky new song which is a bit My Anata, a bit Rain, a bit Bastard, a bit Beatles & vry rock. Of cos he had to showcase his sterling vocals too heehee Vry nice song, I like the chorus where he goes 'I want to fly....' Then he sang Simon & Garfunkel's The Sound of Silence where he once again showcased his excellent vocals followed by a brand new DT love ballad. It started off sickeningly sweet like your usual chinese love ballad but then as usual DT just took off into uncharted area with kinda old-fashioned boyband rnb beat. He also sang Beatles' Across the Universe written by John Lennon here & here, then interviewed by Taozi where he talked abt MJ & how talking bad abt him is like casting the first stone. If you still wanna watch more, here the charity concert on Sat but only a glimpse of him. Among the performers was a weirdly dressed Jam Hsiao. Mentioned him cos someone told me that the 1st single of his new album sounded like a song by DT. I went to listen to it & apart from the fact that its kinda pseudo-rock, it sounded nothing like DT. This happened a few times when a male chinese singer released a vaguely rockish song & ppl would remarked that it sounded like DT. I think maybe that even though DT didn't do a lot of rock songs, the most popular would be Black Tangerine, but most ppl would have an impression of them cos as usual he wrote & sang them with so much sincerity. So really makes me all excited for the release of his 6th studio '69 rock' album next mth. Go DT *__*
3rd session featuring organ posted at D6T9, watch here. Does this man never sleep? He is also confusing us with his sleep cycle tweets heehee Anyway this is the most enjoyable clip as David is just much too adorable with his too small hat. Can hear more of the song which is really fun & catchy. He also had a charity event in Taipei & hopefully we get to see some pixs soon.
First release SUPER COOL pixs of DT's new album & I am loving it already ^__^ He looks almost exactly like when he first came out except thinner. The album is called 69乐章 but no english name yet. This is his 6th studio album & 9 music project. He is born in 1969 so the number 69 is chosen as the album's name. He really did carry all those fascinating 60s related stuff on his back. He said he feels like a modern Don Quixote still crazily chasing after his dreams. For this album, he has directed mv & I think music documentary but not sure. Anyway the album will be released in August.
Poor DT being bugged once again by a certain idol who claimed he had poor judgement when he awarded him second not first in a singing competition which happened aeons ago. Imagine carrying this silly grudge for so long cos he always wants to be numero uno. This man is unbelievably childish & annoying *roll eyes* So here I am debugging *__* cos as usual he timed it just when DT abt to drop his album so poor David has to answer to media. Although reading DT tweets I think the album is not close to ready yet so I think maybe end of July or even August. He may even do it after his Macau concert knowing him *sigh* But the good news is davidtao.com is back up again & DT has promised a revamp soon which goes with the new album -- so exciting. Someone has posted a pix of a huge billboard of the Macau poster at Twitter & Dave even said he might do MJ medley. Actually I was hoping he will do MJ at his concert although I do hope he is not going to wear a sequinned glove. It will be so tacky. Anyway remember to wish DT Happy Birthday tomorrow!!!!!
So if you have seen the 2nd D6T9 Sessions clip, you'll know why I'm posting waffles ^__^ If you haven't go watch it now! I love his boyish enthusiasm where he urges his followers to share & tell him what we think of it. But ... sry to say I'm not particularly taken with the snippet I heard so far but then it is just a sampling. Maybe I will be bold & logon Twitter to tell him haha After all we can't just praise him all the time right? The other thing is that he is VERY stressed abt his voice *heart pain* & it seems that no doctor can cure him. Even though I am worried but nothing much to do but pray for him. Then he asked if there are other real artists on Twitter *so cute* Dear DT, dun worry you are in good company when even the US President is twittering hee! So here's the 2nd D6T9 vid:
So glad to see DT has more than 600 followers now & yeah I think most of us join Twitter just to follow him. Quite a few familiar fans amongst the followers & it's just great to know we all have been following him for quite some time ^__^ He said to post photos as he want to know who's he is talking to. Also I think it's also nice to post location so he will know that he has fans from all over the world. So where's the Thailand, Indonesia, Korea, Japan representing huh? You can ask him questions you know cos he WILL answer them. I am surprised no one has asked the release date of his new album or maybe we're just so used to waiting for him to surprise us. I find it's amazing that his chinese typing has improved vastly hehe Anyway like DT I should go to bed so here's a nice vid to enjoy. It's U2 paying tribute to MJ in one of their recent concerts. They played Angel in Harlem which they wrote for Billie Holiday then synched into a little bit of Man in the Mirror & Don't stop till you have enough. So nice of them to do that & bring tears to my eyes.
Okaaaaay, did a bit of updating the links & stuff so now I am on Twitter as well ^__^ Anyway probably won't do a lot of posting there as I don't have the time, I will just be following DT. Now that I got over the shock that it's really him on Twitter & D6T9, I think it's really great that he is using freely available net resources like Twitter & Youtube to connect with his fans. I mean why not? Who says a singer/composer has to be this secret, mysterious figure that you can only idolise? Isn't this what we all have been hoping for? That David would talk to us and answer our questions? Also he reveals a very silly, mischevious side to him that we hardly ever get to see when he is on TV or radio. Here's a screencap from a DTFCer that encapsulated that exactly: (Screencap courtesy & thanks to DTFC) Anyway re-reading his posts on the stuff he had been working on his new album made me so excited! Can't wait till the album drop YAH!!!!!!!
Oh wow it is really David Tao at Twitter hehe cos he just posted an awesome clip of the making of his album at his DT69 blog!!!!! Anyway come to think of it, it's kinda make sense to use freely available resource @ wretch & Twitter to reach his fans. Such a cunning devil he is ^__^ I remembered when I first read Moby's journal, I was amazed at how casual & real he is. He is presenting as he is - warts & all. Which is what DT is doing & at first I was not used to it but now as I read his postings, they kinda make sense. Anyway spread the word so he can have more followers. Here's the DT youtube vid, love the panda T hee!
On a somber note, still vry sad about Michael Jackson's passing. Realised I have either lost or given away most of his albums, now I desperately need to listen to Thriller *sniff*
Watched Beyond the Ken & it wasn't as good as I thought it would be. The weak point is Gillian Chung who is not really subtle in her acting. Her role required someone more fey & complex not just as a victim. Since the movie hinged on her dual acting so eventually the payoff failed because Gillian wasn't believeable enough as the 'princess taking revenge'. Tao Hong & Daniel Wu were excellent but unfortunately they were not the payoff. I do feel sorry for Gillian since she seemed to be paying penance for a crime she did not commit. Ppl villified her cos she did not come out to confess & lied abt her relationship with Edison. Maybe one should put oneself in her shoes. Imagine you are a young female asian celebrity & naked and intimate pixs of yourself are seen by many, many, many people. Wouldn't you be so embarrassed that you would try to hide & lie, hoping it would all go away? She was stripped of more just clothes. Her dignity, her pride as well as her career all going down the drain. This is not a movie, it's her real life. She had to face her parents, and they had to face their relatives & friends. In the movie, Beyond the Ken, one of her lines was 'when you are lovers, anything is possible even taking naked pictures.' It was just bitterly ironic that it came true for her in real life as well. I don't know. I guess I am posting this cos I just wanna warn ppl out there not to be so gullible on the internet. Never trust anyone you have never met online even if you wholeheartedly believe he is David Tao.
It is now confirmed that David will be holding a concert in Macau at The Venetian on 8/8. Here's a very nice article in Macau Daily Times:
Taiwan R&B icon to perform at Venetian Sunday, 21 June 2009 Popular Taiwanese singer and music composer, David Tao, considered to be the grandfather of Taiwanese R&B, will make his Macau debut performance at The Venetian on Saturday, August 8. His all-time-hits will be featured in a live performance that will include an elaborate stage set that will compliment his simple yet diverse music. David released his first self-titled album “David Tao” in 1997 which introduced an R&B trend into the Taiwanese music industry. Since then he's played an important role in the Taiwan's music history. The R&B revised version of “Spring Wind”, originally a favorite Taiwanese folk song, started the trend of covering old songs in an R&B style. These sorts of songs have become some of the artist's most highly rated songs. His self-titled album was a success with nominations for a total of 4 awards including “Top Ten Best albums”, “Best Producer”, and “Best Song” and “Best Lyrics” for the track “Beach”. David won most awards among all Taiwanese singers in 1998. He was also described as “The Most Talented Asian Composer-Singer” by US Billboard. Tickets will go on sale on Monday. (Reposted from Macau Daily Times)
I think he is finally coming out of his self-imposed hibernation. Can't wait to hear his new songs & read his music reviews, news, promos, eg. There was also some news that he will be holding a series of concerts in a smaller and more intimate venue in Taipei. It was claimed that David said that this was in tune with his new album which calls for a more unplugged atmosphere. Hope it's true cos I really like DT unplugged >"< like the pix below taken by DTFCer: (Pix credit & much thanks to DTFC)
The guy masquerading David Tao in the infamous I am 69 & on Twitter has posted a pix of himself as he does bear a striking resemblance to DT. The trouble is ppl still think that it is David. Shouldn't the fact that he is covering a large portion of his face raise suspicion? Guess the internet is a strange place where ppl like to believe in the impossible. Anyway just wanna warn young fans especially in Taiwan to be careful should this guy ask you out or for money. DT should really make some statement abt this imposter since he is recently the Yahoo spokesman for safe internet surfing.
Came across this blog reviewing albeit rather late David's debut album cos it has made it into the top ten albums in Taiwan from 1993 to 2005 in a book called Taiwan Popular Music Taiwan - 200 Best Albums. Really enjoyed it & gave me an even newer perspective on David's music. I like that the writer admitted readily that he didn't think much of the album or David Tao initially because he thought it was just an ABC singer apeing western r&B. This is something David had to endure most of his career including being called godfather of chinese r&b. It was funny cos lately when he was interviewed, he again refuted the r&b godfather label saying his music is not always r&b but I think he got it wrong. He was called godfather of chinese r&b mainly cos ppl thought that he was the one who really showed how chinese r&b could be done well. But still most people thought that he was just copying western r&b & refused to believe that he contributed to how chinese music developed in the late 1990s & early 2000s. The other reason why people liked to dismissed his music was that it's much too accessible & has mass appeal. Strangely enough, he addressed this recently when he was interviewed. He said that music needs to be accessible in order to be heard & the most logical way was thru commercialism. David has always been able to straddle good music & commercial music with ease. His self-titled album is the perfect eg. It sounds like your regular radio-friendly album but it tells you stories that affects your life like being in love, out of love, first love, loneliness, despair, anger, jealousy, frustration. If you take any song out of the album, it is a standalone song that you can enjoy but if you listen to the album in its entirety, you find that the songs tell their stories sequentially. All his albums are like that. This is something that is easier said than done. Most albums have a couple of good songs & no continuity while some others are great only if you listen in its entirety. Anyway here's the list of top ten best album from 1993 to 2005 in Taiwan:
1 Ocean, Pau-dull, 1999 (海洋/陳建年/1999) 2 In a Flash, Kimbo, 2005 (匆匆/胡德夫/2005) 3 Wanderer’s Love Song, Wu Bai, 1994 (浪人情歌/伍佰/1994) 4 The Sounds of the Sun, Wind and Grass, Samingad, 2000 (太陽風/草原的聲音/紀曉君/2000 ) 5 Lonely Bird on a Tree Branch, Wu Bai and China Blue, 1998 (樹枝孤鳥/伍佰 and China Blue/1998) 6 Walking to Danshui, King of Kinmen and Lee Bin-hui, 1997 (流浪到淡水/金門王與李炳輝/1997) 7 Tao Zhe, David Tao, 1997 (陶吉吉/陶吉吉/1997) 8 Come Home, Shunza, 1997 (回家/順子/1997) 9 A Fabulous Adventure, Cheer Chen, 2005 (華麗的冒險/陳綺貞/2005) 10 Sisters, A-Mei, 1996 (姊妹/張惠妹/1996)
I think in the list, David's album is probably the one that most ppl heard of or even just a few songs like I Love You & Airport in 10.30. Also I think his is the only debut album in the list. His other albums also made it into the 200 list: 40) Black Tangerine (2002/8) 47) I'm OK (1999/12) 75) The Great Leap 2005 (2005/1)
Doesn't he look so ordinary here? That's what I like abt DT is that he really doesn't go for nor like being a star. He was in Shanghai busy judging for Icetea band competition. I think it should be drawing to a close soon. Here he is being cheesy & adorable for Yahoo promotion of safe surfing for kids. Some clips here, here and here. Lately there had been news that he was unable to tape his songs due to having a cold for a few weeks so he was coy abt his new album coming out in July *sigh* I am too bored to care abt it anymore. I find it vry annoying when there is no real explanation for the constant delay. Maybe it's not really his fault as look at how Leo Ku was being treated for signing up with another label. I have a feeling that probably if it's up to him, the album would have been out last yr. Instead fans are being teased with news abt him filming mv at a nightclub with sexily dressed bargirl: If he was unable to tape the songs then how can he film an mv? Then there's this weird blog where it was claimed he wrote this piece called I am 69. There is at the moment no confirmation from DT or his company whether or not this is true. I can't help but suspect it's just another stupid promotional gimmick by Typhoon. Only good thing abt this sudden blast of unexpected DT news is that it could mean that maybe his album is abt to drop soon.
So DT has been caught 'dating' & fans are outraged. May I gently remind them that (1) DT is male & single (2) it's not a sin to go out with a 22 yr old unmarried woman even if that woman is 18 yrs younger (3) he has never promised his fans that he will stay celibate until he is married (4) even as an idol singer, he does have his rights & privacy, who are we to judge?
David presenting a Beatles album to Ang Lee during opening of Taking Woodstock in Taipei. Apparently Ang Lee's next movie will be Life of Pi. I am a little nervous how he is gonna handle it, not with too much of his sticky sentimentality I fervently hoped like personalising the tiger or having laughable moments when Pi connects with the tiger in a human way. Life of Pi is great cos even though it's a work of fiction & fantasy, Yann Martel treats the reader with respect by never letting the tiger be anything but a majestic animal and yet he created a marvellous character called Richard Parker. Pi never ever get close to the tiger cos he knows that the tiger can only regard him as either provider of food or a meal itself. This is the reality of life. Tigers are not very Disney friendly to humans especially when they are hungry. Fans should be wise to view DT in the same way too. He is not this sanitised version of your idol. He urinates & farts just like an ordinary man ... and he has never pretend to be anything else.
