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Raging rocker speaks softly offstage

(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-11-10 14:16

The point Cui Jian brings up the most when discussing his film is that he's not a very savvy director.

The rock icon is far less ferocious than many believe. He instead comes across as humble and polite. He ignored his mobile phone all of the many times it went off during the interview.

Known as China's Bruce Springsteen or its Bob Dylan, Cui rose to stardom in 1986 with his signature song Nothing to My Name (Yiwu Suoyou), which evoked senses of disillusionment and a lack of individual freedom felt by young people at that time.

In the following years, Cui has been known not only as the "Godfather of Chinese Rock" for his songs closely related to social changes - a title he rejects - but also as an outspoken warrior against everything filthy in the music industry and society as a whole.

He is the fiercest opponent of lip-synching in live performances and initiated the anti-lip-synching campaign in 2002. He played an active role in charity performances and led many rock stars to stage a benefit concert for the Sichuan earthquake victims in 2008.

He frequently went off topic during the interview to address issues, such as the entertainment industry's fall, official corruption and artistic freedom in China. He kept going until his manager had reminded him three times that he had a schedule to keep.

He doesn't show many facial expressions, so it's hard to read how he's feeling from his face, which is half hidden under a cap. But he speaks in a fast, straightforward and candid manner.

He would say very direct things, such as, "I don't know how to talk to you if you have not seen the film," or, "I'm really not a good director."

He keeps a low profile, and has never appeared in commercials or posed with famous actresses or singers for magazines.

So he's no darling of the paparazzi, who discovered he'd lived with his parents until he moved into an austere apartment several years ago.

People know little about his personal life, and he never talked about it in interviews.

He always wears a white cap emblazoned with a red star in public. He once said that the cap is a signature of his public figure status. He does not wear it around family and friends.

He defines himself as an artist rather than a star. And an artist's responsibility, he emphasizes, is to criticize, not to hype.

His ongoing national tour will wrap up with a stop in Beijing on Christmas Eve.