"'Laugh', 'Chicken', 'Every Note', 'Best Arrangement' 4 songs are a complete story."
The album title considered "On the Cliff", "It Doesn't Matter Anymore", "Time Changes Everything"... It was finally decided to be called "Haha Laugh".
Xie Tianxiao may be one of the "most terriers" of Chinese rock music, many of which are "old terriers", and the new album "Haha Laugh" provides some "new terriers", such as "chickens", such as "congratulations", such as "the best arrangement". No matter how the outside world "plays with the terrier", Xie Tianxiao has his own logical self-consistency.
Approaching the "Destiny of Heaven", Xie Tianxiao still has a relatively unique understanding of himself and a relatively unique expectation. Regarding the "King of the Scene" and "Earth and Ocean", he also has his own relatively unique way of accepting. Xie Tianxiao hopes that "Haha Laugh" is a unique music, and hopes that he can become a "world-class" artist, and has a kind of heroism of "I smile from the horizontal knife to the sky".
In this interview, we used the first-person oral method to restore this "self-consistency" and "heroism".
Written by: Nandu reporter Ding Huifeng intern Zhang Tong
A
OK King
I feel so lucky.
Whether in music or in life,
Always have a bunch of friends.
My previous band was "Cold-Blooded Animals", then "Thank Goodness Laughs and Cold-Blooded Animals", and now "Thank God Laughs and OK King". In the past, I managed too many bands, musically, in communication, a lot of questions and Zhang Luo. Now the band, mainly formed by our music director Zhang Yu, we record together, perform together, long-term cooperation, I have more time to think about music myself.
Do the new album "Haha Laugh", "OK King" band lineup is completely fixed, in addition to me and keyboardist Zhang Yu, the bassist is Wang Lei (former Baojia Street No. 43 Band), the drummer is Wang Bin (Sand Band, etc.), the quality of music includes technology, timbre, professionalism, dare not say that the universe is the most awesome, but also the most awesome on the earth.
Zhang Yu and I have been working together for a long time, Wang Bin is the best drummer in China, in addition to the band, many artists' recordings are also his drumming, in 2009 we did "Guzheng Reggae" on the cooperation.
Bassist Wang Lei and I were young and had known each other since I was 16 years old, when I was in school and had caused trouble, I was dropped out of school, and then we both went to Beijing to make music in their respective bands. The "OK King" band is a long acquaintance, in the music to save a lot of communication costs, they are very professional musicians, technology and ability are there, I want to play what basically understand.
"Haha laugh" we have adopted the same period of recording, this is the first time in so many years to use the same period of recording, because the need for guitar bass drums to have a particularly strong technology, the domestic can do the same period of recording of the band is really not much, must be everyone is particularly good, the whole band of strength to get together, a person off the chain has to start over.
I used to do albums are track recording, this time decided to record the same period, because usually rehearsal together, the whole process is very smooth, ten days the whole band was recorded, but the preparation time is particularly long.
I feel particularly fortunate that I always have a bunch of friends, both musically and in life, and doing albums together is something you have to do. Like Me and Wang Lei, when we first came to Beijing, our concepts were different, and it was also a fate to play music together after so many years.
A few brothers of cold-blooded animals before, like Wu Rui, who are now wild children, are usually very busy, and Li Ming has also returned from the United States. Whether to get back together, if I say it is impossible, and it is too contrary to the inner thoughts, there is no impossible thing; but if it is possible, it is relatively slim, I don't know why it should be reorganized, is it for a feeling, music or those music, I don't think there is a good reason.
B
Laugh
What I say is not a song of saliva,
Be sure to have its musicality and uniqueness.
You write a song called "Friends",
Can't I still write a song called "Confidant"?
Now I want to try all kinds of music, and if there is no freshness, it will be boring.
"Haha Laugh" is brighter than the previous music, more in major key, the original song basically does not involve odd beats, but like "Haha Laugh" is a 5 beat song, this temperament I can grasp, but the people who listen to the song are not so easy to understand and accept, the difficulty and depth of this song determine its listening crowd, but for me it is a kind of enjoyment, because it is particularly difficult to find the right beat, but also a challenge.
To do "Haha Laugh" is to make the music sound good, the quality to be the best, I am not short of money to make records now, no matter what, I have to do what I like. Before I had a lot of labels on me, Grunge or reggae, I didn't like it, and now I don't even like the rock label, all of these things don't matter, good music is the last word.
But what I say is not a saliva song, it must have its musicality and uniqueness, the artistic level should be there, no matter what style or type, it must be good.
Many people listened to "The Best Arrangement", saying that it was like the lyrics written by Bob Dylan and the melody written by Xu Wei, and the people who said this said this, the first did not understand Xu Wei, the second did not understand me, and the third did not understand Bob Dylan. The structure of the lyrics is not the creation of Bob Dylan, and ancient Greek verses have existed for a long time. I don't have a single lyric like Bob Dylan. Just like you write a song called "Friends", can't I write a song called "Confidant"?
And "Blowing in the Wind" is an anti-war song, and the meaning of my song is greater than that of Bob Dylan, it is another realm, and "The Best Arrangement" has nothing against, it is an inclusion.
As for being said to be melodic like Xu Wei, that is, I don't understand Xu Wei at all, Xu Wei's melody is completely different, of course, Zhang Yu is also helping Xu Wei arrange the music, but our music direction is different.
"The Best Arrangement" is actually very positive, for example, I have lost love a few years ago, and I must have felt particularly painful at the time, but this pain may lead you to a better zone, as long as you feel it today, then it is the best arrangement before. In addition, like "Every Note", it is quite a feeling of youth.
When music is made, there must be people who like it and some people don't like it, some people say this, some people say that, these statements will not affect my creation, if it is too affected by these, it is too fragile, and I am not qualified to be an artist.
There are also people who think that the name "Haha Laugh" is very strange, in fact, the original album wanted to be called "On the Cliff", last year during the epidemic I wrote a lot of songs, one of which was called "On the Cliff", originally wanted to call this name, the company also felt very good, I naturally went to the Internet to see if there is the same name, I saw Zhang Yimou's movie, and the immediate reaction was to change the name.
After that, I considered "All Is No Longer Important", considered "Time Changes Everything", originally decided to call it "All No Longer Important", but the last album title was "That's Not Me", it was all a negative sentence, I later thought that it was better to call it "Haha Laugh", I immediately called Zhang Yu, his first reaction was also this name.
"Haha laugh" can have many meanings, and it is related to my name, and the company agrees.
C
King of the Scene
I think that's right.
I am the "King of the Scene"
This is not self-confidence, this is reality.
I wouldn't be upset if the traffic wasn't much.
That's a different industry.
In fact, I don't care what others call me, I don't have such a strong self-esteem, and my self-esteem has been hurt so much that it doesn't matter.
But like the "king of the scene", I think it is right, I am the "king of the scene", this is not self-confidence, this is reality. I think my regret in this life is that I can't see my own scene. I feel like my scene can definitely be called king, and that's the reality. The "new godfather" is also, this is the recognition of others for you, you should be happy. But I don't think it matters now. What is important, many people say that the finale of the music festival, so many years I am indeed the finale, but why I have been occupying all year round, now there are new bands up, there are other bands to finalize is also a natural law. But anyway I have my place, I have my contribution to music, and this is something that belongs to me.
Traffic this thing, I value the useful, but this is another job, need staff to operate, my thing is to do the music well. You can't make everyone like it, it's more important to like yourself. I wouldn't be upset if the traffic wasn't much, it's a different industry.
In the past two years, because of variety shows, many bands have risen, and many bands have traffic. But I didn't go to a variety show, and I didn't see it, and about this matter, for example, I had nothing to worry about, and I couldn't blame other people for their actions. But I think Chinese rock is really dying. Because you go on that stage, you go to the race to fight for those things, and you've lost.
Others may have various reasons, such as music can be promoted better and let more people know. But I can't comment, I can't comment on other bands.
D
Earth and ocean
To be honest I think your music is copied from the West,
Learning from the West is the real soil.
Completely copycat Western rock,
Play exactly the same,
That's the real soil.
That's what you should be worried about.
Some people look at the cover of "Haha Laugh", including the font, and say dirt, afraid that they are not foreign. In fact, there are many meanings in the cover, but I don't need to explain, including the stove next to my head, symbolizing many things, fire can symbolize hope, can also symbolize destruction, can also symbolize civilization, symbolize instinct.
But this fire only appears on one side of the side, we have carefully considered, and can also symbolize the fire of this product, too much explanation.
MV is also, "Haha Laugh", "Chicken", "Every Note", "Best Arrangement" 4 songs are a complete story, I thought about it for a long time to coherent it, many people also say soil. But I will not fight against people who say "soil", do I have to fight with others for the sake of foreign atmosphere, to express my foreign atmosphere?
People who say that I am native, first of all, do not understand music, and secondly, those who carry inferiority symptoms must look down on themselves, look down on Chinese culture, and always think of foreign atmosphere.
Besides, what's wrong with me, I don't think "soil" is a pejorative term, and the people who say I am "soil" I don't know, they have nothing to do with me, why should I care about some people who have nothing to do with me, I'm not stupid enough to rely on them, they don't exist in my personal life.
Many people listened to the new album, said that they missed "Sunflower", missed "Ashima", and went to listen to it when they missed it, why did they hold me all this. You just let me be a little dirty, you can't let me be stupid, I don't know why it has to be like that, it must be hysterical, it must be particularly foreign.
If you want to listen to foreign, go listen to the symphony, do you think you can't just look at this cover soil?
I don't quite understand why I have to be foreign, this kind of person just hasn't really eaten Western food, and then every day he says that you have to take a fork to eat and accuse you of using chopsticks. You say that I made the music soil, to be honest I think your music copied from the West to learn the West, that is the real called soil, completely copy the Western rock, play exactly the same, that is the real soil, that is what should be worried about.
As an artist, a lot of things should be said by the family, the most terrible thing is that no one says you, no one says that you are not native, good or bad, that is a thing that should be paid attention to, so I thank the people who said that I am soil.
It is true that most Chinese music fans do not understand music, or know very little about music, and many Western music fans can play their own instruments and can play guitar themselves. However, many Chinese music fans do not have a clear position, and when they hear about this foreign atmosphere, they will follow it. On the other hand, the quality of my music fans is not low, why I can have a gymnasium tour in China, it shows that my music fans have a foundation, otherwise they can't appreciate me.
And
"World Class"
I'm going to play music when I'm alive.
Pick up the guitar and you can perform,
I'm not going to stop.
I was born in 1972, the old saying is also about to "know the destiny", I am not very satisfied with what I have done before, because I feel that many things have not yet begun to do, have not yet started, in fact, I wasted a lot of the talent given to me by heaven, "knowing the destiny" is still early.
I think Xie Tianxiao is the kind of world-class artist, like many domestic bands, and I am not at the same level at all, so they say I am okay, I can't say them, just bully them. I feel like I'm still too far from realizing my idea, and a lot of things I'm just getting started.
Two years ago, I talked to Sony, I was going to tour Europe this year, and the United States also had plans, but because of the epidemic, it was all disrupted, so I calmed down and put it on the music and finished the music first. I'm an ambitious person, so I don't care too much about things.
To be world-class doesn't have to have a global song, because I can't replace western artists in the West, but you should avoid your weaknesses, make your strengths, and put more emphasis on musicality, and should emphasize the uniqueness of music rather than lyrics.
I am Chinese, it is impossible to become a Western artist, just like Jackie Chan, making movies in Hollywood, but he absolutely cannot replace Schwarzenegger, he is a dragon, do Chinese kung fu, so he has achieved him.
I couldn't have done a song called "We Are The World," that's not what I should have done. Not only am I having a clear goal now, but I'm doing it right now.
I've seen the best bands in the world, I've seen a lot of the top ones, and I dare say that OK King is one of the best bands on the planet, because I play Chinese rock, I play dirt, you play foreign to the West, you don't play at all, because you play what other people have left.
If you want others to respect you, what you play should be your own thing, and what has Chinese characteristics is the most precious. I think I'll have a place in the world in the future.
My wife is Italian, and I know too well how Westerners see Chinese artists, so I'm so confident that I can develop in Europe. To give another example, you go to the United States to open restaurants and sell pasta, that's foreign, can you do italians? I make Chongqing hot pot, just make pancake rolls and scallions, that is mine, no one can compete with me, standing on the platform of the world, you know how important the hot pot is.
This is a mission, and I hope that the epidemic will pass quickly. I play music alive, pick up the guitar and perform, I don't stop, a few comments from others don't affect me anything, in fact I think I waste a lot of time, but I think I still have a lot of time.