May 29th 2004 - May 29th 2005
Posted on: May 28, 2005 11:12 PM
today i celebrate exactly one year of living in taipei city, taiwan. besides being host to many significant pop culture events, this last year has been a period where i have seen the most significant changes in myself. to mention a few, i now know a considerable amount of chinese, have lost nearly 45 pounds, shaved my beard, sold my first photo set, played my first solo show, gotten my first well paying job (and quit it), started dating a girl i've secretly liked for ages, and completely changed some of my life goals. this is also the first year where my interests actually seem contemporary (as opposed to being several years behind). this year has also certinaly been the busiest for me. taiwan isn't very big, and only staying here a year has encouraged me to attend as many 'happenings' as possible.
my first date with my first taiwanese girlfreind brought me to my very first taiwanese art exhibit; friction love. In fact, if this girl and I hadn't found a common love for large crudely painted girls with menacing looks in their eyes, she would have never given an american a chance. of course, the visit to taipei's museum of contemporary arts was more than just a first date to me, it was proof that taiwan had an extravagant contemporary culture that in some respects proceeds larger nations in the west.
the exhibit explored "the conversion between comics and contemporary art" and featured some of the most exciting young artists in east asia, including my favorite yoshitomo nara.
lately, taipei seems to be a hot spot for new and exciting film festivals. the first one i attended was the tailly high film festival featuring young directors from taiwan, japan, thailand, and korea. the tickets were cheap, so i was able to attend nearly every single film on the program, and soon got intimate with the doorman/projectionist (sweet! no ticket, no problem). i'd sit through three or four of these films in a row, jotting down notes and critiques in a little brown notebook. the most inspireing for me, was peep show tv from japan, the collection of korean shorts (man that country has problems), and the washing machine from taiwan. it was refreshing to see these young and critical voices in east asia, making films with the same materials and budgets i have available to me.
bands such as VARO, peppermint, chasing sparrow, the nipples, nylas, LTK commune, and the ladybugs are just a small piece of the incredible new music coming out of taipei. synth-pop, shoe-gazer rock, and (the less desirable) metal are very prominent growing scenes in taiwan, and great new venues for these shows are popping up all over. one of the significant events for me, was promoting the lucky dragons & nylas show in november. though i didn't do that great of a job as a promoter, i did get to spend time with luke and met an incredible amount of young musicians, distributors, labels, and producers. the second big event for me was the childish music multimedia concert, where i was introduced to lullatone (whom i've adored for several years now), kazumasa hashimoto, sora, yuki hayashi, and mondii (of spekk & plop). this re-evoked my passion for melodicas and simple melodies, and reminded me that you can never own enough nobukazu takemura.
one thing i was hoping to investigate while i was in taiwan, was children's literature. my ex-girlfreind introduced to me, 'jimi' (a full name in chinese, i promise), who is now my all-time favorite writer/illustrator. since i first read his book... um... the one that looks like this, last october, i've been recognizing his paintings in advertisments, commercials, stationary, subway tickets, juice boxes, and record covers all over taiwan. his art is colorful and imaginative, and his stories... well.. i don't know how to explain them, but they make me cry more than i'd like to admit. although i have yet to find english translations, sitting down with 10 year old students and have them translate each page for me has been one of my fondest memories teaching here.
so... i hope that wasn't too long. i'd hate to bore someone. its just horrible to try and choose three significant pop culture events out of this last year, when my whole year was built off of them. every single significant event in my life in taiwan either occurred during, or as a direct result of such an event. and... god. im going to stop now... i feel like im writing a five paragraph essay for WRT 150. anyhow... if you haven't heard of any of these artists/directors/authors/musicians, then please check them out. let me know if your interested, i'd be more than happy to send cd/dvds or an email packed full of juicy hyper-links. ok? ok.. bye bye
oh yeah.. i just read uhubug... thanks for the swell review. don't forget the four concert videos, it looks like people might be missing them. ha... people.... where is everybody tonight?!?
Posted by: james at May 29, 2005 5:06 AM
James!
How nice to have you process your last year in writing! I feel like I've learned more about Taiwan in the last month than in the previous 25 years. You've stretched yourself a lot in this competition- used so many mediums, tackled so many subjects. You are my Ultimate Blogger a hundred times over. I'll be crossing my fingers for you until the votes come in...
Your devoted amiga,
Willow
Posted by: willow at May 29, 2005 2:39 PM
Honestly, dude, you have taught us so much about Taiwanese culture. I didn't even know I was interested before, and you have blown my mind with betel gum and girls, snake blood drinks, lesbian bars, and so much more.
Thank you.
Posted by: Steve Schroeder at May 30, 2005 2:49 AM
I think we have some things in common! I spent some time in Taiwan following the music scene. Actually, Lydia mentioned you to me, she told me about the Lucky dragon show. Are you from NY? Too bad we never met. Please Check out my website!
www freewebs com islandofsound
Posted by: Marty at November 5, 2005 10:27 PM
so.. i just realized that its actually been one day less than a year, because i left on the 29th... which would have been the 30th here. anyhow...
one thing you won't notice, is that the bassist and drummer in chasing sparrow are the same to lovely ladies in varo... easily the most attractive girls in taiwan. if anyone is interested in exclusive tracks from there upcoming new album, i'd be happy to send them to you, they were recorded to an audience of cockroaches in my kitchen.
oh yes... let me know if any of he concert footage doesn't work. im having trouble with the html for .mp4's.
and boy i feel dull... it looks like i might be the only one taking the assignment sincerely. this may be my last post, being the sole remaining member of 'the merit badgers'... kind of wish i tried a more clever interpretation. oh well... it was a good day for me to be nostalgic, im leaving taiwan next saturday. 'ai you!' im going to miss this city. actually, i decided yesterday that i might be moving to shanghai next... i've met some new people, and it seems like i have a good opportunity to start a noise rock band and play abandoned buildings in shanghai ghettos. sounds rather romantic doesn't it... ha. i can be so foolish.
Posted by: james at May 28, 2005 11:29 PM