Tuesday, September 21, 2004
Cult Of William Hung

This blog is supposed to be a discourse on the disturbing phenomenon and cult of personality that is the Hung Man but I'd go on a slight detour first before going into that.It seems that our boss Rogue is slightly going mental and doesn't exactly seem to know what she is doing and what the repercussions of her actions will be like on her staff.I am,of course,talking about the imminent BIG presentation that Colossus and Jubilee will be handling tomorrow.Read the twoeggs blog for a better idea of what went on as I don't really want to repeat the things that went on.Anyway,it seems weird to me that her actions have little or no consistency at all.She's afraid to take charge of the really important issues and yet want to niggle over things that should be non-issues.Her way of approaching things is also really baffling to most of us.There might be a method behind the madness although the madness is the part which is much more apparent to us.I am sure she will throw in more spanners in the works for the two of them today,not to mention screwdrivers and hammers.Whatever she sees fit.It might actually be a greater feat to get past her rather than the presentation itself.Mark these words.

I happened to just buy the F.I.R. debut album yesterday as well as the Prodigy album "Always Outnumbered,Never Outgunned" and really wanted to do a review of either album but I haven't had a long enough listen to both albums to form an opinion so I'd have to leave that for later.The F.I.R. album is quite a pleasant surprise though.I pondered really long and hard before deciding to purchase it to see why it stayed on top of the RIAS charts for so long.There is a good reason for it because it is a good album.And coming from a band,that is a rare thing.We have all heard about the dearth of bands in the Mandarin pop/rock music scene(forget about all those China bands,we haven't heard of 99% of them)and F.I.R. comes as a welcome break from all that R&B girl idol/male crooner bulls#$% that is polluting the market.Ninety percent of those "singers" seem to think that dragging a note or two and pulling off a few falsettos qualifies them as a genuine black-influneced authentic singer.Crap.You're all pretenders.Some more coming from some small village in Taiwan or Malaysia or a HDB flat in Singapore or Hong Kong for that matter.Stop pretending to understand and master R&B just because you heard it off a radio.You have no idea of the roots and origins of such music.You are but a sacrilege.The least I feel these singers should know is understand why R&B is sung this way and don't reduce it to a mindless technique,like Mariah Carey.Oh,that was a huge detour.F.I.R. is pretty good.In a market where there isn't much band (not boyband)music to choose from...go on,name them:Mayday,Wu Bai and China Blue...???Ok,as mentioned by some critics,F.I.R. sounds like a Chinese version of D.A.I. or Every Little Thing.I am not sure if that is necessarily a bad thing.If there isn't such a thing in the Chinese pop market,why is that a bad thing?If we had a Chinese version of Keane or Radiohead here,would people call it bad too?As for the Prodigy album,I,sort of,liked it as well.But more on these two albums some other day.

William Hung's stopever here has been some kind of a whirlwind affair but Channel U and Channel I doing specials on him and newspapers devoting column space to him.All this for what?For an "American Idol" reject who can't carry a tune who happens to be Chinese?Does he even deserve all this attention?What has he got that we haven't got?Courage?Ask those who appeared in the "Singapore Idol" auditions.Why don't we make them into superstars then?Because he has a good and sincere heart.Why don't we feature all those volunteer who spend all their time helping the unfortunate then?Make them into popstars.These people would at least deserve it because they would BE the ones with the good,sincere hearts.Working not for recognition but for passions.Who the hell is Hung when compared to these people?Or we feature him because he is cute?Cute?Our taste has just plummeted to unprecedented lows.I used to think only some like Tom Cruise could be considered cute.Hung is cute?Like a pig,you mean?If you think nerdy is cute,please head down to Science Faculty,NUS for your dose of the hottest hunks in the world.You will not be disappointed.

Having raised various points on why Hung might deserve to be an idol and failed to see the vaildity in all the points,I can only think it's the East's sad obsession with thinking all things that "made it" in the West.The Chinese have had this obsession to be seen and accepted or respcted in Western eyes for ages now.We seek their approval like an eager puppy looking to appease its owner.Mybe it's the way they import thier businesses and culture wholesale here that us this way.And maybe I should not just put it down as a Chinese trait but as an Asian trait.The Japanese certainly always seem keen NOT to look Asian with their cleached blond hair looks.I am sure they really want their stars to break into the Western market too.But usually they only want that to be done when the stars are good at something.Hikaru Utada with her upbeat music(oh dear...it's R&B as well).Beat Takeshi with his violent films.They don't do a William Hung.

Is there such a lack of talent here that when someone like Hung gets some media attention in the US,he comes here and we make him a king?For f#$%?I don't think Hung would gte hero worshipped elsewhere in Asia.Here,in the Chinese markets,we make films with him in the starring role(a movie co-starring Nancy Sit)and we makes two-part TV specials about the "legend".What damn legend is he anyway?I seriously think we are making a huge fool of ourselves in the eyes of countless others.Like Brad Pitt said in Se7en,Hung is but"a flavour of the month,a T-shirt".He's a caricature.By all means,feature him in whatever things you want but moderate it.Don't make him out to be something he is not.Because he is nothing special.I wonder whether the movie deal is a ploy to get Western audiences.If that is,the movie makers are doomed to fail.Who would pay $5 to watch a buck-toothed man who can't sing or act?Blind people?Even then,they'd get their hearing damaged if he was to start singing.

Yesterday,in a discussion over lunchtime,Jubilee had mentioned that she saw Hung in one of his specials filmed here and how weird the guy can get...or is.How he'd laughed and giggle and erm,I think that's spooky.He also seemed to come across as a most sincere person.Real.Just being himself in the interviews.A guileless person I suppose.Either that,or like Colossus mentioned,the most sophisticated person on the planet who is playing all of us on his small finger(a chubby one no less).Does he know the world is laughing AT him?Is he playing along?Or does he simply choose to ignore?If so,is money more important than dignity for him?Why else would one choose to ignore the ridicule then?

Having said so many bad things about Hung,most must think I hate the man,right?I don't.I have no reason to.I can understand that all these weren't even up to him.If the media plays it up,what can he do about it right?Well,he CHOSE to play along.He could have slipped back into the background and let all the hype slip away but he didn't do that.He milked it and got himself a record deal so that in the guise of "Inspiration",he can lead people to believe...in what?That if he could do it,so could others?Who's kidding who?Once bitten,twice shy...would we seriously embrace another Hung-like figure?Maybe he's supposed to inspire us to follow our hearts and then we'd realise our dreams too?Well,at whatever costs, including your own dignity and integrity?You must be joking right?What "Inspiration" is this?

I slam him not because of who he is but what he signifies.I don't really care what he has or will become.I hope his parents are genuinely happy guiding his career along.People will get tired of him.Then they'd toss him out like old furniture.If he becomes a superstar,the likes of Andy Lau(despite not liking him,I have to adknowledge the guy works his ass off trying to improve)and Tony Leung(that's a genuine talent)know they're in the wrong business and should retire and let all the William Hungs in the world take over.It's not about talent.It's about fab.