The last man standing

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The last man standing

Posted On : Apr-29-2010 | seen (677) times | Article Word Count : 812 |

Xie Tianxiao is one of the country's first-generation rockers and he says the scene is better than ever today.

Rocker Xie Tianxiao is driving his old jeep on the crowded streets of eastern Beijing when he turns around to one of his friends and puts out his right arm.
"I had a fight with my wife last night. Both of us got drunk," he laughs and reveals a cut among the sea of tattoos.
"It was an accident and we pretended nothing happened when the kid came out from her room," he says. "We didn't want to scare her."
Dressed in skinny pants, leather jacket, with short hair and black sunglasses, the 37 year old says he still has his old rock energy after 20 years in the business, though he has a family now.
"I stay at home and take care of my daughter when my wife has stuff to do," he says. "I used to hang out with friends every night. But now I have learned to control myself."
He has just finished rehearsals for his upcoming tour and is on his way to the offices of his independent record company, Thirteen Month, which promotes original Chinese music.
He needs to choose some pictures to make posters and promote the upcoming concerts.
"I am busy these days. But my wife and daughter understand. They have a rock-star husband and a rock-star father after all," he says.
Having just released his fourth album, The Last Man, Xie kicked off his national tour on Wednesday, with the first stop at Shanghai's Mao Livehouse.
He says he has toured China many times, but this time he will visit places he's never been to before, like Jiaxing in Zhejiang province, and Kunshan, Jiangsu province.
"These towns are small and seldom have a chance to hear rock music. That is the reason why we are going there, to promote Chinese rock."
"I am not worried about how many will come to see me. All I have now is excitement and curiosity about these places," he adds.
Xie started his music career in the early 1990s. With his band Cold-blooded Animal, which he formed in 1997, he rose to fame for his low, deep voice, wild roaring and heavy rock beats.
Between 1997 and 2002, Cold-blooded Animal held hundreds of gigs in Beijing, released their first self-titled album in 2000, which sold more than 200,000 copies across China.
Their success also attracted attention abroad. In 2001, they were the first Chinese rock band to appear at the South By Southwest Music Festival in Austin, Texas. And they became the first Chinese rock band to appear in Rolling Stone magazine.
His short stay in the United States also inspired his creativity.
"I left China because the rock situation was really bad then. But I was homesick, so I returned. I used to regard rock as Western music. But surprisingly, I found that it could be expanded with Chinese culture," Xie says.
On his return he released his second album, X.T.X., in 2003, which cemented his position as a leading figure in Chinese rock 'n' roll.
He has been called the second rock hero, after Cui Jian, though Xie doesn't like the comparison.
"I don't like being compared or analyzed. We are doing different music on and off the stage," he says.
He has introduced the guzheng, or Chinese zither, into his music and the instrument has become a striking visual element in his live performances.
"Rock is hard and strong but the guzheng's sound is as soft as running water"
Born and raised in Shandong province, he learned Chinese brush painting and Peking Opera as a child, under the guidance of his parents.
But due to a rebellious streak he committed a crime at 14, and his punishment was to stay at home, under supervision. Bored, Xie learned to play the guitar and gradually got into rock music.
"I believe it was destiny that made me connect to rock music and I feel lucky that I found it," he says.
He says being a rock musician is much better now than it was 20 years ago. A performance then brought in just 100 yuan, but now he can make 100,000 yuan ($14,650) per show.
"There were no audiences then and doing rock music equaled starvation," he says. "Now I can make ends meet and support my family by making music."
Even so, he says persistence isn't the key to his success, it is his love for music. "Making music is like making love, which is natural and intuitive for me," he says.
"People say the music industry is dying but I don't think so. As long as the music is good, whatever the genre, people will like it and follow it. That's what I want to do."

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<h1>The last man standing</h1> Author: <a href='http://www.articleseen.com/profile_zinsser.aspx'>zinsser</a> Rocker Xie Tianxiao is driving his old jeep on the crowded streets of eastern Beijing when he turns around to one of his friends and puts out his right arm. 
"I had a fight with my wife last night. Both of us got drunk," he laughs and reveals a cut among the sea of tattoos. 
"It was an accident and we pretended nothing happened when the kid came out from her room," he says. "We didn't want to scare her." 
Dressed in skinny pants, leather jacket, with short hair and black sunglasses, the 37 year old says he still has his old rock energy after 20 years in the business, though he has a family now. 
"I stay at home and take care of my daughter when my wife has stuff to do," he says. "I used to hang out with friends every night. But now I have learned to control myself." 
He has just finished rehearsals for his upcoming tour and is on his way to the offices of his independent record company, Thirteen Month, which promotes original Chinese music. 
He needs to choose some pictures to make posters and promote the upcoming concerts. 
"I am busy these days. But my wife and daughter understand. They have a rock-star husband and a rock-star father after all," he says. 
Having just released his fourth album, The Last Man, Xie kicked off his national tour on Wednesday, with the first stop at Shanghai's Mao Livehouse. 
He says he has toured China many times, but this time he will visit places he's never been to before, like Jiaxing in Zhejiang province, and Kunshan, Jiangsu province. 
"These towns are small and seldom have a chance to hear rock music. That is the reason why we are going there, to promote Chinese rock." 
"I am not worried about how many will come to see me. All I have now is excitement and curiosity about these places," he adds. 
Xie started his music career in the early 1990s. With his band Cold-blooded Animal, which he formed in 1997, he rose to fame for his low, deep voice, wild roaring and heavy rock beats. 
Between 1997 and 2002, Cold-blooded Animal held hundreds of gigs in Beijing, released their first self-titled album in 2000, which sold more than 200,000 copies across China. 
Their success also attracted attention abroad. In 2001, they were the first Chinese rock band to appear at the South By Southwest Music Festival in Austin, Texas. And they became the first Chinese rock band to appear in Rolling Stone magazine. 
His short stay in the United States also inspired his creativity. 
"I left China because the rock situation was really bad then. But I was homesick, so I returned. I used to regard rock as Western music. But surprisingly, I found that it could be expanded with Chinese culture," Xie says. 
On his return he released his second album, X.T.X., in 2003, which cemented his position as a leading figure in Chinese rock 'n' roll. 
He has been called the second rock hero, after Cui Jian, though Xie doesn't like the comparison. 
"I don't like being compared or analyzed. We are doing different music on and off the stage," he says. 
He has introduced the guzheng, or Chinese zither, into his music and the instrument has become a striking visual element in his live performances. 
"Rock is hard and strong but the guzheng's sound is as soft as running water" 
Born and raised in Shandong province, he learned Chinese brush painting and Peking Opera as a child, under the guidance of his parents. 
But due to a rebellious streak he committed a crime at 14, and his punishment was to stay at home, under supervision. Bored, Xie learned to play the guitar and gradually got into rock music. 
"I believe it was destiny that made me connect to rock music and I feel lucky that I found it," he says. 
He says being a rock musician is much better now than it was 20 years ago. A performance then brought in just 100 yuan, but now he can make 100,000 yuan ($14,650) per show. 
"There were no audiences then and doing rock music equaled starvation," he says. "Now I can make ends meet and support my family by making music." 
Even so, he says persistence isn't the key to his success, it is his love for music. "Making music is like making love, which is natural and intuitive for me," he says. 
"People say the music industry is dying but I don't think so. As long as the music is good, whatever the genre, people will like it and follow it. That's what I want to do."
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