Year of the Dog

He looks so fabulous here standing on a chair lol So 1st day of CNY & saw sum darling little girls dressed in chinese clothes complete with embroidery & frog buttons. They looked sweet but the point is they dun dressed like that all the time. It will be fun for CNY but they probably prefer cutoffs & little tops. Actually felt the whole celebration of CNY is reaffirmation of chinese roots. CNY songs the epitome of what chinese music is all abt. No matter how modern Chinese ppl become they still dun forget how to celebrate Lunar New Year. So I honestly dun feel we Chinese ever in danger of forgetting our roots. To be honest, sometimes we are a bit too proud of our roots :P
Nobody can be perfect all the time, nothing is always the best, there must always be room for improvement so one must be able to accept criticism else how on earth can there be improvement? But I know ppl still get pissing mad even tho just airing my views on my own little blog ^__^ I criticise David heaps of time but dun mean I dun love & support him but still I do see flaws in him.
He is not a vry natural singer & get nervous when asked to sing impromptu. He always remind ppl that its not 'rehearsed' even tho he usually sound better than most other singers. Probably he is such control freak that he need the perfect environment in order to perform. I do wish he is able to 'let go' more like Eason Chan who is an extremely natural singer & is not afraid of sounding unrehearsed. To ppl who r not his fans, I realised that David can come across as arrogant & preachy heehee but that's the way he is. He will not pretend to be the kind of bashful, modest, no-opinion idol singer that the Chinese public seem to want.
I cannot say his songs are totally original but this is true of most music written today, however his music is less 'manufactured' than other singer/composers. I am not saying Susan Says is an unoriginal song, I like it a lot & understand why he mixed in Chinese opera. After all he was brought up by a Chinese opera singer, its in his 'roots' ^__* but at least he stop short of putting his mother or any other Chinese opera artist into his mv or worst, have his mother sing the chinese opera bit. Do you know what I mean or perhaps you dun or nvr will. He just used Chinese opera cos it suited the song. If ppl listening to the song felt that its representing Chinese music & help them discover their roots then wonderful but somehow dun think that was his intention.
Of cos he is by no means the first to use Chinese opera in his song, Shin already used it in One Night in Beijing. He is also not among the first to use chinese instruments in his songs, actually lots & lots of chinese songs used chinese instruments. Just go listen to Teresa Deng & Sally Yeh. Perhaps what ppl think is original & fresh just rehashing old ways of making music sound chinese. But we cannot keep looking backwards just cos we want to reaffirm our roots. Progress is inevitable just like we no longer wear chinese clothes with frog buttons. So in music we should try to accept that 'westernised' is not always a bad thing. Like hanyu pinyin, if its chinese it should still be acceptable.
Hm ... seemed Chinese censors has decided to ban Memiors for fears sex scene between Zhang Ziyi & Ken Watanabe might ignite anti-Japanese feeling. Oh well guess they can read the book ... wonder if its translated into chinese? Found the latest release by Banana Yoshimoto the other day, such a cute title 'Hardboiled & Hard Luck':D

Gong Si Fai Cai! Wan Si Ru Yi!

My blog & I wish everyone a very Happy Doggy Year. Hope support for David will be just as forthcoming & warm this year. Here his right eye a bit swollen when he got hit by a mike :/ He seemed to have problems with mike, wasn't he hit by one in Spore too? Maybe he should include it in his clip abt the horrors encountered in staging concerts. Apparently it was quite hilarious.
There was a skit where he rushed backstage to change clothes to sing Black Tangerine & found his staff mbrs playing cards. He cried out, "I have to sing Black Tangerine next!" & a woman appeared with a basketful of tangerines *__*
I really like how David is careless with his image & always willing to laugh at himself. He is so willing to play along even tho it may make him ridiculous & be laughed at. In 'I love black world' he was funny when they made him playact in various situations. He even spoke in Shanton, a dialect in China & apparently danced the tango but wasn't included in the version I dl. He sang Over the rainbow & sounded super marvellous even if tho he forgot most of the lyrics ^_^
Latest news is David gave big red packet to his mom, always so filial. Remind me just had the most confusing reunion dinner where everything came in the wrong order. We had dessert in the middle & steamed fish at the end, still it was all vry scrumptious. Also online chat with US buddy who was incensed at more racism on US radio mocking Asian's accent with 'ching chong'. I got to wondering maybe it could also be our fault.
I watch Rain's Sad Tango & was impressed. Rain morphed from usual cute Asian boyish looks to becoming very matured & sexy. Even tho the song was derivative his vocals improved tremendously & he sang with feeling this time. The dance choregraphy excellent, very modern hiphop with spanish overtones. Not only that but Rain managed to project a modern Asian feel without use of any asian accoutrements like a fan or using traditional Korean music. I am not surprised his star is rising so fast in the West. Just goes to show that to make music sound Asian dun always mean using Chinese instruments or incorporating Chinese opera. In fact I am rather tired of this style of music & I mean David here as well cos he kinda started it all didn't he? At least he dun do it to excess & make music so 'chopsocky' perpetuating the myth of the kungfu Asian who make 'ching chong' sounds.
So here make a CNY wish that for his next studio album, he will use less or no chinese instruments & no more Chinese opera plse, just give us good sincere music & we will be satisfied. We are not depending on you to 'show the world how good Chinese music is', let the others do it if they wanna. We just want the real, the original, the one & only David Tao ^__~

The untold story

After his successful concerts in Taipei, no rest for David as he heads back to LA to work on his new album with tentative release date of June >"< erm ... wasn't it suppose to be Feb? So David will not be spending CNY with his family but his dog haha guess kinda appropriate. Guess we will not be seeing much of David till maybe March when he prepare his HK concerts. Hope he will leave lotsa msgs @ his website, oh well at least 1 heehee
David went on TW variety show called Black World in chinese with host Hen Rei who is bf of Fanfan. Bt link available @ davidcn & I alredi dl & watch abit, was kinda fun. Will post review soon but here r sum great screencaps posted by mbr of TW Yahoo grp. He does look good in black & red esp with dark hair ^__^
Vry interesting blog entry, read it if u wanna know more abt David's difficulties in staging his TW concerts. After reading, I feel that even tho David may not be able to stage concerts again in the Taipei Arena but at least he has done his best for his fans so they could enjoy the best concerts he could staged for them. His fans now has the most wonderful memories & his concerts will surely go down in TW entertainment history as some of the best ever staged.
My admiration for him increased even more for his neverceasing pursuit for excellence in his music irregardless. He could be one of the few singers who staged concerts not to make money but to reward his fans for their support. Such a real artist, a sincere musician & wonderful person. Yes I am running outta adjectives & praise cos I dun know how to put in words my feelings for him now. I just want ppl to know this & understand his efforts. He said he may write abt this in a book in 10 yrs, actually I hope he write it sooner & also release the TW concerts dvd soon plse plse plse plse plse

Unstoppable David!

David celebrated succcess of his concerts. It was said he broke the bad luck of performing at Taipei Arena with his 2 concerts not suffering any glitches altho he did suffered mild injury at the corner of his eye when a worker accidentally hit him with a mike *poor David* Sum news on TVBS tonight but not enough. They only showed white outfit but wanna see the others to see if there r any changes.
They did showed aftershow celebration & he looked marvellous, vry glowy. Such a change from earlier when he looked rather stressed. David did said that for a while he thought he was unable to hold his concerts & that holding concerts in Taiwan vry difficult. When the media asked why, he said he will tell the reason in 10 yrs. A lengthy article posted by TW Yahoo Grp abt the management of Taipei Arena addressing this problem but the chinese beyond me to understand. Anyway no matter what he still managed to achieve vry good results. Our dear David such a champion dun u think ^__^

Here another fab slideshow @ Tom.com of his celebration. It seemed Melody & Butterfly were left out, otherwise pretty much the same songlist as previous concert with 1 new song Sula & Lampa. He also did the Beijing opera bit before Susan Said & the english medley, both well received. But sum disappointed David let his female singers did the rap for Susan said & yeah agreed with them. Even tho I am not into rap, I love the one in Susan Said esp when he did it the special way @ Hunan NY concert.

Many fans said they were impressed how unselfishly David let his band mbrs & backup singers take centrestage. More celebrities on 2nd night such as SHE & Fanfan's bf who said Fanfan who attended 1st night told him it was great so he came & also to thank David for writing a great song for his gf which apparently vry well received in China even winning a few prizes *yeah yeah* David was also grateful to those celebrities who actually bought tickets to attend, he said jokingly now he know who r his friends.
Sum confirmation @ taozeehk that dates for HK concerts are indeed April 14-16, tickets range HK$400/$300/$200/$100. Also survey of 100 ppl abt whose concert they r willing to pay $400 & Eason was the absolute winner while David was 5th after Jason Lo, Joey Yung & Miriam Yeung (info credit AsianFanatics). Guess maybe ppl in HK r a bit tired of pretty idol singers who cannot sing vry well live. Always been the trend in the west that more established singers like Sting & Billy Joel do better in concerts so maybe its catching up here in the east.
Cos if u think abt it, if you gonna pay to spend 3 hrs in the dark with thousands of strangers then the singer has better be able to deliver live performance professionally. If not, then might as well stay home & listen to the cd if u like the songs. Even if the stage, the outfits, the dancing are fantastic, can always wait for the dvd & watch in the comfort of yr own home. So the only compelling reason to attend a concert if u r not extreme fan is when you want to experience the raw talents of the singer & enjoy his live singing. This is the kind of concert that David is able to deliver show after show. So PROUD of him @_@

White angel with guitar

He looked just dashing here like a prince ^__^ The outfit is a bit more elaborate but he wear it so well esp with the guitar, so full of power! Really nice slideshow @ tom.com *melt* could anyone else look more mesmerising in a concert? Probably but not when I am concerned I guess haha
He does the pointing thing so well too heehee Anyway hope 2night concert is just as successful. He sang 30 or more of his own compositions as well as the English 80s medley he did in Spore. Also during Close to you he came down the stage to shake hands. During encore he mentioned phone theft then sang Bastard & Sula & Lampa. As in the other concerts he ended with Love Can.
His parents came, Jordan Chan was there too *muak* so cool & Joanne. Dun really care what's their relationship but just think its so good of her to brave the media to attend. Lotsa fans said they dun want the concert to end cos it was so enjoyable, that is of cos not possible BUT some kind soul post @ DT forum that HK CONCERTS has been announced, dates from April 14-16 & ticketing should start from Feb 21. If accurate, looks like 3 shows like Soul Power. David also mentioned that his new album should be released soon altho think David's idea of 'soon' is kinda not equal to his fans' ^__~

Taipei Concert No 2

Looks like its another successful concert for our dear David judging from the comments posted @ DT forum & TW Yahoo grps. He should be resting now to recharge for 2moro concert. David went & inspect Taipei arena & was impressed with the size & sound. But cos he was so worried, he kept having nightmares abt losing his voice, wearing the wrong outfits, etc. He made a VCR of his nightmares cos he wanna share them with his concert audience ^__* Hype Records has put up a little slideshow of his Sin concert (info credit Davten Yahoo Grp). Well good luck & best wishes to David again for his 2nd concert.

1ST TW CONCERT 2NIGHT!

Such a lovely pix of David interacting with kids during his cooperation with Worldvision last yr. Dun know abt u but I definitely believe u can tell someone's sincerity & goodness by looking at his demeanor. David got it in heaps, just radiate off him like the sun.
2NIGHT THE 1ST TAIPEI CONCERT @__@ Sending him & his band all the good vibes I can muster so both concerts go smoothly. Also like this pix of him playing the piano. He dun look as natural as Leehom but still vry mesmerising. He could be the slowiest producing Asian artist in the world but that's the way he is.
He stops caring abt winning awards & it was cute when they gave him one he won last yr in Golden Hits & he was so clueless abt it haha he thought they were giving him expensive tea or something in the box. How can I not love somebody like that? Cap credit davidcn
Then he went on Xiao Chu program & he asked how long it will take for him to produce Aisha's album, David vry earnestly said that its not so simple. Cos to him its not just doing someone a favor, he must have the time & inspiration to do it. He dun just write or produce by the number. Cap credit SGFC
But let's not forget his sweet, sexy side heehee so here's a closeup of his doll which will be available for sale at the concert tonight! So those going, look out for it, even if u r not buying, it should be worth a look rite ^__^

TW concert countdown - 1

Lotsa David in rehearsal pixs posted but like the one above best. He looked really focused & just breaktaking hee the darker hair really works well! Also digging the Beatles tee.
Just 1 day more so have a good time those lucky ppl going esp Jae, do come back with report. Also dun forget to yell out Korea when David look for his overseas fans ^__^
News of David having his mobile phone stolen in the gym. Since its an old model, he felt enraged that the thief would even bothered. He decided to dedicate 2 songs to the thief in the concert - Bastard & Sula & Lampa. Hm...think its 1st time he will be singing Sula & Lampa, lucky TW fans! I so wanna to hear it, when is he coming out with live concert dvd?
Also news that concert tickets r selling so well not even David's parents get free entry. Other exciting news is the releasing of new Love Can merchandise with special edition profile tee, hooded parka wih Love Can logo, 'lifesize' DT doll ... just joking *_* & free pack of Love Can postcards with NT800 purchase. SGFC is taking orders for the profile tee, plse visit their forum if u r interested. More rehearsal pixs here & here

TW concert countdown - 2

Such a gorgeous cap of David grinning away, credit SGFC. His hair back to a darker color but he lost sum weight. He said its cos he wanted to present a nice image in his concert but I hope he dun overdo it & risked his health. After all, ppl attend his concerts mainly to hear him sing.
Sum friends of my auntie went to see Jacky Cheung were critical cos he appeared gaunt & scrawny. They felt he was trying to stay 'young' but I dun think so altho Jacky did seem to have lost lotsa weight. But they also felt he wasn't singing as well as before & it could be his 'scrawny' image affected their enjoyment of Snow Lake Wolf. Anyway sure it dun apply to David but just I rather see him healthy and in great singing condition. Here's a nice page with a great english translation of Spring Wind. Btw dreamzstar has started thread @ davidtao for concert best wishes ^__^

TW concert countdown - 3

3 days to concert, TW fans must be so excited! But David is still concerned abt the lights situation in Taipei Arena, he felt if it happens again in his concert, there should be refunds & an apology. Shall send heaps of best wishes so both of his concerts go smoothly ^__^
Just finish watching his Ren Ci performance on clip kindly posted by Reb @ davidcn & I really enjoy his rendition of Love Can. It was so heartfelt & he just sang with so much emotion. As the lyrics go in this song - even simple has the most meaning. Here sum screencaps courtesy davidcan & SGFC with varying degree of cuteness heehee
Here he stick out his tongue when he sweetly replied he will not dressed up like Superman in this concert.
Doing his pointing thing
You can do it David!
Talking abt his golden voice?
Too many talkshows can get tiring

TW concert countdown - 4

Welcome & thanx for yr comments Mandy & Ice. Since I dun find The Great Leap at all bland, can't help u beachgurl :( dun u like Art of War, Fated, Love Can, Song for Anita, Sweet hour of prayer, 2night? Well cheer up, can always wait for his next album rite? Apparently David went on quite a few entertainment programs to promote his TW concerts. Only saw the TVBS one & he looked just a teeny bit tired & thin *sigh* They showed sum footage of Ren Ci concert & David described the stunt performed by Venerable Ming Yi.
They compared it to Live Aid & asked David if he considered doing charity concert & David said yes *yeah yeah* & they said they thought he was most suitable to put on such concerts *so proud* Also mentioned lighting problem in Taipei Arena & hoped that it will not happen during his concerts. David mentioned in a media report that he will include 80s medley, probably similar to the one he did in Spore.
Also during Golden Hits he mentioned 80s band called The Rats, well I can't find a band called The Rats but there was a UK bank called The Boomtown Rats and the lead singer is BOB GEDOLF!!!!!!! What a coincidence heehee Anyway maybe he meant them cos they were sometimes shortened to The rats. But realised why his name so familiar cos I think his ex-wife married this singer from australian rock band who hanged himself or sumthing like that. The ex-wife later also died from drug overdose & now Bob is looking after their daughter, quite a sad tale.
Bob Gedolf is also extremely talented musician & his greatest hit with the Boomtown Rats is called I don't like Mondays, can listen @ this fansite, scroll down. It has the most amazing piano intro & I just love love love this song. Apparently the Rats wrote it after listening to a radio broadcast in 1979 abt Brenda Spencer aged 16 who opened fire on children arriving at Cleveland Elementary School in San Diego from her house across the street. She killed 2 men & wounded 8 children, mercifully none of the children died. When asked why she did it, one of the things she said was I don't like Mondays. Here's the lyrics -

I Don't Like Mondays
The silicon chip inside her head
Gets switched to overload
And nobody's gonna go to school today
She's going to make them stay at home
And daddy doesn't understand it
He always said she was as good as gold
And he can see no reason
'Cause there are no reasons
What reason do you need to be shown?
Tell me why?
I don't like Mondays
Tell me why?
I don't like Mondays
Tell me why?
I don't like Mondays
I want to shoot
The whole day down
The telex machine is kept so clean
As it types to a waiting world
And mother feels so shocked
Father's world is rocked
And their thoughts turn to
Their own little girl
Sweet 16 ain't so peachy keen
No, it ain't so neat to admit defeat
They can see no reasons
'Cause there are no reasons
What reason do you need to be shown?
Tell me why?
I don't like Mondays
Tell me why?
I don't like Mondays
Tell me why?
I don't like Mondays
I want to shoot
The whole day down
All the playing's stopped in the playground now
She wants to play with her toys a while
And school's out early and soon we'll be learning
And the lesson today is how to die
And then the bullhorn crackles
And the captain crackles
With the problems and the how's and why's
And he can see no reasons
Cause there are no reasons
What reason do you need to die?
Tell me why?
I don't like Mondays
Tell me why?
I don't like Mondays
Tell me why?
I don't like Mondays
I want to shoot
The whole day down
Written by Bob Gedolf & Johnny Fingers, performed by The Boomtown Rats
Lotsa info on their official website even tho they r disbanded but most of their albums were re-released recently. David too formed a rock band when he was younger. It was called Express & he was the lead singer as well as guitarist. Hopefully it was the Boomtown Rats David was refering to but guess its too much to wish that he will ever perform I don't like Mondays?