Half a month ago, Tan Qiao, the host of the "Tan Talk traffic" program, re-found the news of "Balloon Brother" and twice appeared on the hot search of the whole network.
This reunion, as if the balloon brother who was taken care of by time and did not even have a few wrinkles, seemed to have changed nothing. Life is still embarrassing, and the love of singing has not changed. However, the short chanting by the toilet was quickly interrupted by the neighbor: "What to sing!" ”
Just like 11 years ago, his free attitude of loving singing touched everyone. However, what no one guessed was that his reputation changed dramatically after half a month - signing contracts with influencer companies and registering accounts on major platforms. He wears a suit to make videos and publishes "chicken soup" of "musical dreams" that do not match the image - "his spiritual world is like an ocean, and the money is only a few pieces of shredded paper." ”
And when the balloon brother faced Tan Qiao again, he denied whether to sign the company and other inquiries, or kept silent.
Some people say that the balloon brother has changed, criticizing him for "forgetting his roots", saying that he is just a leek cut. Some people also say that even the 200 yuan rent still owes dozens of yuan to the balloon brother, life is difficult enough, there is nothing to lose. Signing a contract with an influencer company to make life a little better is understandable.
It is also said that the balloon brother flew away.
Did the balloon brother really fly away?
①
Back to the public eye
Balloon brother signed a company as an Internet celebrity
Brother Balloon can still remember the first meeting with Tan Qiao. It was June 2011, and he was driving in the fast lane with a balloon and one hand on the BMW bicycle faucet. Finally, he was stopped by the traffic policeman Tan Qiao.
At the scene of the dialogue to correct the traffic violation, the balloon brother turned out to be the main guest, and insisted on sending Tan Qiao a gray wolf balloon. He said that his wife had left and made a living on his own as a part-time worker. He sang loudly suddenly, sometimes without a preface, and danced with his hands.
The second time they met, when Tan Qiao stopped a young man from driving a motorcycle without a license, the balloon brother broke into the camera again. He was still holding a balloon. Sang "Wait a Thousand Years".
This kind of untimely and almost absurd ease and happiness with the dilemma makes netizens remember this man like the protagonist of "Hello, Mr. Tree".
Screenshot of the video "Tan On Traffic".
At that time, no one would have thought that the fire of "Tan On Traffic" would become a cog in the changes in the fate of many "traffic violation" protagonists a few years later.
Brother Balloon is one of them.
In the late spring of 2022, Tan Qiao saw this old friend again. He still lives alone, living alone in a room in a house on the outskirts of the city, "the monthly rent is 200 yuan, this month is paid, there is still a difference of tens of yuan." "Occasionally move and carry, move things to a small supermarket nearby, you can earn 20 yuan." He also thought about giving 10 yuan to Tan Qiao, who "helped".
Screenshot of Tan Qiao's return visit to the balloon brother video.
He was still talking to himself, and the songs and golden sentences blurted out. However, the balloon brother no longer sells balloons.
Screenshot of Tan Qiao's return visit to the balloon brother video.
After this reunion, Tan Qiao received a large number of private messages from netizens, saying that Brother Balloon had established his own social accounts on many platforms, "wearing suits" and "realizing his musical dreams", and the remarks he made were not like the style of Brother Balloon himself.
Tan Qiao commented on this: "The strong smell of chicken soup comes to the face. ”
Facing Tan Qiao, Brother Balloon claimed that he was a "nephew" who had not been seen for many years and saw that he was on fire and wanted to take a video of him. But for the inquiry about whether to sign the company and whether anyone gave him money, he flatly denied it, or kept his mouth shut.
It is somewhat absurd that the "nephew" has not yet distinguished between true and false, and another "cousin" appears to expose that the "nephew" is fake.
Tan Qiao met with the "nephew", but the other party quickly admitted that he was an agent instead of a "nephew", saying that the balloon brother had also signed a contract with the company. According to the contract, Brother Balloon shares 30% of the income from the cooperation, and another 20% is used as his living and consumption expenses, and the company withdraws the remaining 50% of the income.
After a storm, the balloon brother from the netizens love life, optimistic and lovely ordinary people, at this moment into the accused of too many lies, short-sighted object. Some people say that the balloon brother has changed, criticizing him for "forgetting his roots", saying that he is just a leek cut.
From a vegetarian to an Internet celebrity, did the balloon brother fly away?
②
Move from a monthly rent of 200 yuan to a private house
Someone takes care of life 24 hours a day
On the afternoon of April 21, in a small district in Chengdu's Pidu District, a Red Star News reporter met with The Balloon Brother.
On the Internet, he is known as the balloon brother. In real life, his name is Deng Kai.
Registration is required to enter the community, and the security guard will ask the identity of the visitor, and even after learning that it is the media, he will go upstairs and knock on the door to ask for the reason. For the past 9 years, Deng Kai has been living in a private house with a monthly rent of 200 yuan in Chengdu's Jinniu District.
Balloon brother DunKai in a newly rented house.
This is a three bedroom apartment. The balloon brother lives in the master bedroom, and the other two live in the company staff. In addition to Mr. Dai, the head of the balloon brother team, who is responsible for the entire team work, there is also a male staff member surnamed Zhang who takes care of the balloon brother's life 24 hours a day.
"He was found on March 27 and signed on March 29. Stayed in the hotel for a while, rented the house on April 10 and moved in. Team leader Mr. Dai said.
Mr. Dai is the "nephew" in Tan Qiao's lens. He explained that the reason for using the identity of "nephew" is because it is different from Tan Qiao's legitimate reason of "returning to visit the balloon brother", and the company that suddenly appeared did not have a legitimate identity to shoot it, so it decided to lie.
"But it failed." Mr. Dai said that he was indeed wrong, and he himself suffered criticism and online violence as a result. "Criticized, deservedly. But just punch us, don't punch the balloon brother. ”
The criticism of netizens is that the balloon brother reappeared in front of the public because of Tan Qiao's video, and after the fire, in the face of Tan Qiao's inquiry, he was not honest about telling the truth of the contracted company, and even called the company's people "nephews".
In this regard, Mr. Dai said that this is also required by the company. But that night, Brother Balloon kept telling him, "It's very uncomfortable, (lying) that there are ten thousand ants crawling in my heart."
In Tan Qiao's video, it is mentioned that if the balloon brother defaults, he will face millions of yuan in damages for breach of contract. But "the most valuable thing in the family is a broken TV", how can he afford it?
Tan Qiao returned to the contract exposed in the balloon brother's video.
Mr. Dai said that in fact, this is a constraint on the "digging the foot of the wall" company, not against the balloon brother himself. "There is an input cost for the company to invest and protect his life." Mr. Dai said that if the balloon brother grows and matures according to the company's planning and training, and a company offers better conditions to recruit people, then this part of the compensation must be borne by the new company.
If Brother Balloon himself proposed "unwilling to cooperate again" and terminated the contract, Mr. Dai said that he had been authorized by the company to explain to Tan Qiao that he could "terminate the contract free of charge". "How is it possible to find him to pay (1 million)? He didn't. Mr. Dai said.
③
Listen to the songs of Xie Di and Ma Siwei
The company arranges music theory classes, two lessons per week
Find the balloon brother on March 27, sign the contract on March 29, why is it so fast?
"Of course it's fast." Mr. Dai said that as far as he knew, when he was looking for the balloon brother, there were also many familiar colleagues in action.
Mr. Dai told the Red Star News reporter that after he had the idea to sign a balloon brother and successfully persuaded the company to invest, on March 27, he looked for a balloon brother for a day, and did not ask for the exact location until 5 p.m. That night, he didn't talk directly about signing the contract, but about music, "I really feel that he likes music." ”
Mr. Dai said that he personally likes rapping, and he feels that the life experience of Brother Balloon at the bottom of society is too suitable for (rapping), "What is even better is that these experiences are real." "Mr. Dai said that they listened to the songs of Xie Di and Ma Siwei to the balloon brother, which resonated with him very much." The reason why he liked old songs before was because he could only touch old songs before. ”
Mr. Dai said that the company's planning for balloon brothers is based on the basics.
At present, the company has colleagues majoring in music teaching, starting from the foundation of music theory and musical instruments to teach balloon brothers. In the future advanced stage, we will find better teachers to teach and guide.
"Two classes a week, about two days a week. Other times, he likes to go to tea, like to do anything, will accompany him. Mr. Dai said that this is also based on the consideration of the age and cultural level of the balloon brothers.
"At present, the balloon brother singing is really only at the level of enthusiasts." Mr. Dai said this was undeniable. But what about 1 year, two years or even 3 years later? Mr. Dai said that this also shows that the company is not short-sighted of "cutting leeks".
For netizens to criticize "cutting leeks" and "blood-sucking capitalists", Mr. Dai did not shy away from it, "Of course, I want to make money." "But the company is not making quick money, cutting a wave of leeks and leaving." We are not a quick-selling team, time will tell. I just hope you can see every step of his growth. ”
"(I hope to see) the 52-year-old balloon brother, who has such a (musical) dream." Mr. Dai said.
When he heard "52 years old", the balloon brother interjected and said "big instrument late".
How is traffic monetized? Mr. Dai said that according to the current plan, some of the future realization will come from commercial performances. The other part wants to derive the output of music education from the "learning process" of the balloon brother. "For Brother Balloon, do what he likes. For me, it's a big deal. For companies, there are benefits. Mr. Dai said.
④
Holding a mineral water bottle in his hand, he sang "The Lone Brave"
"Who says a man covered in mud is not a hero"
On the afternoon of April 17, the "Real Balloon Brother" account of Douyin and the B station platform released the first work of The Balloon Brother - the MV of the cover "Lone Brave".
The balloon brother with a bottle of mineral water in his hand danced alone in the dark night on the streets of the city, singing the phrase "Whoever says that a man covered in mud is not a hero."
Screenshot of the video of Brother Balloon singing "Lone Brave".
Mr. Dai told Red Star News that at present, the B station and the Douyin platform have been played more than 4 million times. The real photographers were only Mr. Dai and another colleague.
All the footage of this video was filmed for only one night. Because the next day of filming, Tan Qiao released the third video about the balloon brother, had to be interrupted. "We have to deal with this matter first." Mr. Dai said.
"Netizens said that we have serious sound repairs. Of course, we must repair, and if we don't fix the sound, we will say that we are not professional. "Mr. Dai said that the introduction of the MV on the cusp of online public opinion is to clarify that the company is not cheating the balloon brother, so that everyone can see the dream and talent of the balloon brother." Otherwise we wouldn't even have a chance to speak, and the balloon brother wouldn't even have a chance to show. At the same time, it is also this "Lone Brave", every lyric, singing the balloon brother himself. Mr. Dai even said that in the future, the balloon brother may become a musical symbol.
Mr. Dai said that now it is the first work, but what about the tenth and the hundredth? "You can see his progress."
"If we were really black-hearted capitalists, we might have started to live stream the goods." Mr. Dai said, but we are not. The company is not large, there are only more than 10 people, and the average age of the team members is twenty-five or six years old. Nor is it a professional MCN company, there is no channel to bring goods, "let alone a capitalist." ”
Mr. Dai said that moreover, there are now Tan Qiao and tens of millions of netizens supervising.
⑤
Balloon Brother Relatives:
Valuable can be used, and hope to ensure future life
For the balloon brother and the company to sign a contract, Mr. Dai dialed the WeChat phone number of the balloon brother's cousin to understand the family's views. As for the identity of the cousin, Deng Kai, Mr. Dai and the cousin himself all stressed that the identity of the cousin is real.
Balloon brother cousin said that he also saw Tan Qiao's video and learned about his cousin's recent situation. In the face of netizens' criticism, the cousin explained that The balloon brother is an adult with his own parents and family. As a relative, it is not possible to pay attention to him at any time and assume the obligation to support him. "I've helped him find a job before, but for his own reasons, he can't go to work." The cousin said that he felt that there was nothing wrong with signing the company, and that it was valuable to be "harvested".
The reason why he appeared after his cousin was concerned, signed a company, and spoke out as a cousin was that he did not want the balloon brother to be deceived, "In the end there was nothing." "I never thought about what to seek from my cousin. He also looked at the contract signed by Brother Balloon and the company, and questioned the unreasonable places, such as social security issues and future living security issues. "Now the balloon brother has his own traffic, I hope that the society will pay attention, the relevant departments will pay attention, and someone willing to help him (change the status quo) is the best."
Mr. Dai added that although he and Brother Balloon have officially signed a contract, the specific content of the agreement has been explained to him one by one, and now Brother Balloon has a family to help him check it, and the specific content will be revised in detail.
On the phone, the cousin repeatedly told Deng Kai to sing well, live well, and not to sign casually.
Deng Kai talked to his cousin on the phone.
⑥
Tan Qiao:
Balloon brother is not nothing to lose
On April 20, a Red Star News reporter contacted Tan Qiao, who said that after filming the second video of the return visit, he had repeatedly called brother Balloon, but no one answered, and he did not receive a reply after that.
For the concern of the balloon brother, Tan Qiao said that he has always felt that the balloon brother is not particularly good in the emotional state, and wants to find a psychotherapy expert to consult how to adjust, and then he can help the balloon brother better integrate into society and do some work within his ability. Finally, shoot some small videos to record the daily life.
"(Once) Brother Balloon was separated from the internet society, and now he is suddenly pushed to the center of the network, in the face of sudden fame and fortune, will it be a kind of harm to him?" Tan Qiao is worried that the balloon brother has been out of touch with society for too long, and he is "confused" and does not know what he signed.
Tan Qiao said that in March this year, they filmed a "goodbye balloon brother" video, and had specifically reminded the balloon brother to be cautious, if there is a company to sign a contract with him, as a friend, you can help check the pass.
But in fact, Tan Qiao learned from netizens that Brother Balloon signed a contract and opened an account on various platforms. "Shocked, did you do this so quickly?" It was also at the request of netizens that I returned to visit the balloon brother again and learned the real situation of the "fake nephew".
There is a saying on the Internet: don't worry about the balloon brother being deceived, because there is nothing to lose. Tan Qiao said that he would not comment on this, but gave the example of his own investment failure, "Brother Balloon is not nothing to lose, he has a lot more." ”
Tan Qiao said that everyone has their own choices, balloon brother chose to sign a contract with the company, if the company is really to help him, rather than "consume" him, it is also very good. But there have been too many short-lived celebrities on the Internet, who have just come out brightly and make money everywhere. But after being squeezed dry, it was thrown aside. "If the heat of a moment is exhausted, who will pay attention to an old man with a balloon?"
Balloon Brother Dunkai sings in the park.
On April 21, the Red Star News reporter contacted Tan Qiao again to tell him about the current situation of Brother Balloon's life. He hoped that Brother Balloon could really live well.
Dialogue Balloon Brother
I didn't think of anything else, I wanted to live well
Reporter: How have you lived all these years?
Balloon brother: Used to sell balloons, do some small business, sell dry chores, pedal through three rounds. Help the friends who run Didi and Lala to move goods, and they will give me some "cigarette money". Very little every month, one or two thousand.
Reporter: What do you think of the title of "Balloon Brother"?
Balloon brother: After being photographed in 2011, everyone called me balloon brother, and foreigners also shouted so, and I also returned "hello". You can (shout) it. Some may be ironic. Sometimes they say I'm a balloon brother and I say I'm not. Calling me for a group photo, I said "next time, next time."
Reporter: In March this year, after Tan Qiao found you again, what changes did his life have?
Balloon Brother: When I saw Tan Qiao, I was excited and sad. The excitement was because Tan Sir was a good friend. Sad because I didn't tell him the truth. I have time to ask him to fish, but I don't know if he likes fishing or not. Some netizens shouted "Balloon Brother" downstairs, saying that they were my fans, buying me milk and fruit. But I said no.
Reporter: Do you think you're on fire right now?
Brother Balloon: I don't think I'm a red, I have to be like Li Boqing (is red).
Reporter: How did the company that signed up now contact you?
Balloon Brother: They looked for me for a day. I was upstairs nibbling on ducks. They say that you are now red and can make you even redder. Well, I like to sing. Singing is the mainstay, (like Li Boqing) swinging Xuan Longmen array.
Reporter: How did it feel to shoot the cover song "Lone Brave" for the first time?
Balloon Brother: It feels okay. Do you think I'm singing well? I (used to) sing old songs, Jiang Dawei, Rong Zhong'erjia (these). I haven't heard it before ("The Lone Warrior"), and after a few days of studying it, I'll be able to learn it. I learn a song for a week at most. The first time I went into the studio, like singing in a song hall, I wasn't nervous, I wasn't nervous anywhere.
Reporter: If you breach the contract and need to compensate 1 million, what do you think?
Brother Balloon: I can't default, I will definitely cooperate with them. What is happening now, and what will be the same in the future. Go with them all the way. I didn't think of anything else, I wanted to live well.
Reporter: What are the plans for the future?
Balloon Brother: If you want to sing, or mainly cover songs, I will not compose lyrics and music myself.
Red Star News reporter Yu Zunsu photographed by Wang Hongqiang
Edited by Peng Jiang
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