Making art and selling out! “I am a musician.” That’s my usual reply when asked what I do for a living. All through the 20 years of making my living as a musician, that reply has been met with a variety of responses, a mixed bag of disbelief, skepticism and often times, empathy. Twice, because of my speech impediment and occasional stutter. I’ve had people responded with: “Wow! You’re a magician, show us a trick or two.” Well, I guess I could. On rare occasions, when the stars are aligned and I am in flow state (very rare) you could say that I am performing a magic trick on my guitar? But where does music really come from? It is a vibration, we can feel and hear it but, where does it really come from? How did the magician pull the rabbit out of the hat? The experience it puts us through is unique for everyone but it’s power is undeniable. And yet, it is so undervalued these days, at least to me. So, how does one make a living in a time when music is, supposedly, undervalued? I am not even gonna attempt to explain it but I can shed light on how I managed to make a living out of it. As to whether I sold out or not, that is entirely up to you to judge and decide. I work as a musician, more specifically, a music arranger. What is a music arranger? That is enough material for another blog post. In short, I orchestrate a song, a pop song mostly. When you listen to a song that I have arranged, almost 100% of the instruments are played and recorded by me. With the help of the computer, I piece a song together using a variety of softwares and samples, programming instruments, “tricking” the listener into thinking that there’s a whole band playing together in the studio. Although sometimes, we’ll go into the studio and record some real violins and cellos which are mocked up beforehand. Other than that, everything you hear from the start till the end of the song are played by yours truly. That’s my feeble attempt at explaining what a music arranger does, I have to stop here as this was beginning to morph into a different blog post. I am a cog in the wheel, part of the many components that makes up the assembly line for the Chinese pop music industry. There are lyricists, composers and producers to list a few others. We each play a part and for that, I get paid and make a living. I make a living but, am I making art? Am I proud of my work? Yes and no, it really depends on which song you’re referring to? You see, for the greater part of my early career, I was at odds with myself. I wanted to make a mark, push the boundaries and challenge the status quo. I was constantly going against the tide, swimming upstream, why? I did not want to sell out! You know what? Nobody cares! I made peace with myself a few years ago, shortly before my wife and I decided on relocating to Taipei (I am currently based in Beijing). Something went off inside my head. I came to terms with the fact that I am not an artist (least not in this industry), I am a service provider. Let me attempt to give an analogy. When I order char kway teow (stir fried flat noodles) from a hawker. I want a plate of char kway teow! Don’t give me some Neo fusion, experimental kway teow with tomato or cream sauce. If I wanted that, I would’ve gone to some avant-garde restaurant for a trip to the loo. Give me the lard, lup cheong (Chinese sausage) and dark soy sauce. Same for my industry or any other industry for that matter, I was hired to make a pop song, so, make a pop song! Don’t try and turn it into some self serving and experimental abomination. My naivety was rewarded with premature hair loss and I probably deserved that. So, how do I live with myself? How do I sleep at night knowing that I made yet another pointless and silly bubblegum pop song? A song that revolves around the same, fail safe, good old tried and tested chord progressions. Mind you, I do not despise pop songs. In fact, I adore pop songs, although I can be quite a snob (my wife can attest to that). I enjoy all forms of music and there are so many timeless and beautiful pop songs out there. Back to my point, I am providing a service. I am a professional after all, or at least that’s how I picture myself. It is a trade-off! Let’s put it this way, out of ten songs that I produce, one or two of them are really beautiful and lovely songs. And on occasions, certain producers give me free reign and complete artistic freedom to explore, experiment and create something different, and, if I may dare say.., I am given a chance to possibly, create art! That one song makes it all worth it, that is the trade-off. To satisfy my artistic, egocentric cravings, I run a tiny Youtube channel on the side. I make little short videos from footages shot using my phone and score music to the visuals. I don’t do any of this to please anyone but me, myself and Irene, (sorry I cannot help it) my wife. So ya, that feeds my soul as I negotiate this unorthodox and often times, paradoxical life of mine. A very clear line is drawn between what is work and what is art. I do not know how others deal with it but this seems to work fine for me. So, what is making art and what is selling out? Who's to say? Art is so subjective. Although it still grates my fucking nerves when someone points out that Bon Jovi’s “It’s my life” is a Rock anthem. One may argue that it’s a matter of taste, you say tomato and I say tomato. But this is not the point that I am trying to make. At the end of the day, I am a part of this big machine! This isn’t, in anyway, a jab at the industry (though it’s very flawed). To do so would be hypocritical, as I am, after all, part of the conveyor belt. Sometimes we ship great products and most times we ship just for the sake of shipping. Although it is not always the end product or the reviews that dictates what is or isn’t a great product. To me, it’s a state of mind. When I get asked what I do for a living? I say it proudly, confidently and without remorse. I am a musician. I shall end with two quotes by Frank Zappa and Mick Jagger, respectively. “Art is making something out of nothing and selling it” - Frank Zappa “It’s not selling out, it is making lots of money” - Mick Jagger
2 Comments
livinguktaiwan
2/15/2020 08:14:11 am
Hi there, I just want to verify that this is your account on Steemit. Thanks a lot
Reply
Derek Chua
2/15/2020 08:32:00 am
Hi, yes, that's my Steemit account.
Reply
Leave a Reply. |