Fandom (9)--An Idiosyncratic View From the Inside

With A Little Help From His Friends (2)with Anthony WongIn 2001 Leslie and Anthony Wong, along with many other Hong Kong singing stars, participated in the performance of a charity single, "Getting Through Winter Together".  

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhtURbezSKoAn executive at Universal Music was impressed with the brief duet that Leslie and Anthony sang and suggested that they should do a collaborative album. This was the birth of  .Anthony Wong was a very big pop music star in Hong Kong, although he had a somewhat different fan base from Leslie. He started out as half of Tat Ming Pair back in the mid-80s. They performed pop music that was heavily influenced by British New Wave and pop at a time when most other artists in Hong Kong were firmly entrenched in Cantopop.Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02vms3Eokz0This next video is a later performance of one of Tat Ming Pair's hits from the late 1980s, "Forbidden Colors," as performed at a 2005 Tat Ming Pair reunion concert.

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LC0fvMFu-D8Anthony, after Tat Ming Pair disbanded at the end of the 1980s, went on to have an extremely successful solo career. He has a unique musical style that mixes pop, rock and electronica and he frequently collaborates with some of Hong Kong's top lyricists who often contribute rather evocative lyrics. His music videos are usually extremely creative and he has honed his stage craft to feature unusual and highly theatrical costumes, sets and set decoration. Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNPOQ0THiI8Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVuBVCqnejkAnthony Wong has always presented an image outside of the mainstream that, nevertheless, has been accessible and appreciated by a certain segment of the general population. To some extent Anthony, like Leslie, has been viewed by the media and general public as a "gay icon." While musically their styles are quite different, they have enough complimentary characteristics that a pairing of these Hong Kong pop superstars makes perfect sense.In a 2002 interview with Anthony discussed the collaboration between the two artists in the following way (the original article appears to have been published in English). "It was really like two people having some fun, a bit like having high tea in between our two respective massive workloads. There was no special concept, no propaganda, no special message. It is just that many people think Leslie and I "should" work together. It is true to some degree, for example both of us have rather glamorous packaging when we perform on stage and neither of us is afraid to show our feminine sides, which everyone has."In a July 19, 2002 article in Anthony described in what ways their music is similar:  it is dramatic and both like Spanish, French and Italian rhythms. When Anthony analyzes the singing voices of the two stars in his interview with Sandy Fong for People Mountain People Sea, he had the following to say:  under some conditions our two voices are very similar and sometimes even I cannot tell them apart. There is a difference in the timbre of our upper register, but in the lower register we sound very, very similar, except that Leslie gives the listener a very sexy feeling, Where Anthony feels they do differ is in their respective approaches and techniques, as well as how they choose to express themselves.  "As we got to know each other better, we could appreciate that we are in fact very different." ( )The plan of the album was simple:  each artist would sing an older song that the other had composed, they would each compose a new song for the other to perform, and they would compose a song together.Early on they tackled the challenge of making the EP more collaborative since they only had one duet.  In "Typhoon #10" Anthony sang back-up to Leslie's lead. In "Far Away, So Close" Leslie contributed spoken dialog. Leslie first recorded many monologues quite casually and by instinct Anthony chose the suitable parts and inserted them into the song. Anthony was quite happy with the final result as it seemed tailor made and the dramatic effect was totally natural.  Anthony selected a song Leslie had composed for Vivian Chow many years before, "If you Knew My Hidden Reason" for the new album.First here is Vivian's version.Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oQAOErkqIQNow Anthony's.Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lt31QJW9rTIAnthony had composed a song back in the 1990s with the same name as an award-winning Wong Kar Wai film that Leslie starred in:  "Happy Together."  Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWdS6YfFsTMFor Leslie, Anthony together with the People Mountain People Sea production team arranged the song to give it a Latin beat in keeping with the film, which was shot in Argentina and featured a lot of tango music.Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qy2tCUtCDhUAnthony then gave Leslie a new song he has performed in concert, but never recorded--"Typhoon No. 10."Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QkfIlVzZdA"Dream in the Night,"  was originally slated to be on Anthony's solo album. But feeling the song was suitable for a duet, he presented it to Leslie, who liked it. Anthony and Leslie developed the rhythm and then decided on what the lyrics should say. Anthony wanted the song to talk about living a life under pressure as he was a fan of the David Bowie/Queen song "Under Pressure." Lam Jik was invited to write the lyrics of "Dream in the Night." Leslie and Anthony first recorded the demo together, then rehearsed and recorded their respective parts separately. StartFragment

Dream in the night

Now is twenty four degree, now is twenty five degree

Now is twenty eight degree, there is nothing for me to do

While sound asleep, who go hand in hand through tunnel

Spy on me, follow me, scared nearly to vomit

I resist, I run, I want to register

All along I cant sleep 'cos of the noisy nightmare

Start again to sleep, prepared to forget who I am

In the dream comes the song, lover's tears

Return to sleep, how many people gift me with toys

In the dream share a castle, let's sleep soundly

Now is the 14th, now is the 15th

Now is the 18th, but what's left to be done

While sound asleep, why holding a knife

Walking across a long road, the dream is frightening

Return to sleep, how many people gift me with toys

In the dream share a castle

Let's sleep soundly

Now is 24 degree, now is 25 degree

Now is 28 degree, sitting on the lonely railway

In sound sleep, who's squeezing my sweating hair

Gradually gradually calm down

Gradually gradually calm down

Now try best to be calm, don’t ask why

Calm and quiet ocean, who cruise the dream together

After a long backstroke swim, get a sleep then will wake up

Able to get company for a swim, get a sleep then will wake up

EndFragmenthttp://xoomer.virgilio.it/nguidett/night.htmVideo: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RgMgleXxjw(There is no authorized official video of this song.  This is a fan video made--apparently--by a Japanese fan featuring footage of Leslie.)Finally, there was the composition that Leslie and Anthony wrote together, "So Far, So Close." Leslie completed a full demo before he presented it to Anthony. Anthony says that the original composition was full of tango feeling but, because Happy Together was already arranged in a Latin style, the arrangement was changed to what we hear on the album. Leslie spoke virtually random dialog and Anthony then chose phrases to juxtapose to what he sang. He said combining these two different elements was like "dotting the eyes of the dragon" and added a certain vitality and drama to the song.StartFragment

So far, So close  

 : When leaving the bookshop, I left the umbrella behind – I hope you're the one who got it back home... At zero hour zero minute year 2000, at the live telecast of the NY Times Square Party, have I seen you there? 

: The deeper the night, the more beautiful it looks, but who will call?

When I have close look at my face, billions of people are in love.

Scenes appears in my mind, Persian Gulf is at the far South

In the lighthouse, who's dating me, no need to meet in person 

Who is on the other side, seeing each other at the balcony, communicating our desires

You turn off the light, I light a cigarette

Separated by a glass panel, separated by a city, talking to myself, passionately in love with you

Meeting at Blackpool, meeting at Antarctica, or actually really, meeting behind this building

But everyday, when I turn left, you’re going right, we never meet.

 : If you know me, what Christmas present will I receive this year? This café, this glass, have I drunk from it before?

 : Fate is on the table, the globe is turning

Pick a spot, press on it by instinct, can I touch you?

Who is on the other side, seeing each other at the balcony, communicating our desires

You turn off the light, I light a cigarette,

Separated by a glass panel, separated by a city, talking to myself, passionately in love with you

Meeting at Blackpool, meeting at Antarctica, or actually really, meeting behind this building

But everyday, when I turn left, you’re going right, we never meet.

 : I took the train from Brussel to Amsterdam, watching several dozens of towns and villages flying before my eyes, several thousand miles of land, several millions of people, I suspect, the only chance we can meet in our lives has already been missed.

 : Favourite songs, very similar?/: Li Tai Cheung’s new album, have you bought already?

: To you, have I dialed the wrong number?/: I suspected you are the one sounded rusty the other day

: I sit here – have you sit here before?/: I recognised your writing

: Occasionally looking at the same sunset/: It’s floating from Asia all the way to South America

 : Who is on the other side, seeing each other at the balcony, communicating our desires

You turn off the light, I light a cigarette,

Separated by a glass panel, separated by a city, talking to myself, passionately in love with you

Meeting at the platform, meeting at the moon, or actually really, meeting behind this wall

Or one day, when you turns left, I am going right, we don’t even meet.

 : I’ve bought two comic books by Kay Mi, I am going to give one of them to you.

EndFragmenthttp://xoomer.virgilio.it/nguidett/sofar.htmVideo: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bA2GFQlVyVEAnthony has continued to sing this song--with Leslie's pre-recorded dialog--in concert over the years. Here is a 2003 performance during a televised charity show. (The song begins at the :50 second mark.)Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fa0Yr74wzswAnthony also sang it again in Shanghai in 2007(?). This fan-made video of the song is special for capturing the audience's response to Leslie's voice. Hearing the cries of "Gor Gor" and "Leslie" erupting spontaneously throughout the audience during the song, this is an extraordinary testament to Leslie's popularity even years after his death.Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLRY5AVVE8EAll in all  was an extremely successful experiment. The pairing of two of Hong Kong's most uncompromisingly creative artists played to the strengths of each. Not only are Leslie and Anthony two of Hong Kong's most original performers, always pushing the envelop with their albums and live shows, they are also highly individual composers. The collaboration of these two music icons on this album was a milestone in Hong Kong popular entertainment that has withstood the test of time. It is no exaggeration to say that will endure as a legendary album from two of the industry's greatest and most unique superstars.Preparation of this blog relied on a number of translations of interviews with Anthony Wong published in 2002 to promote the launch of the album, translations of the song lyrics and a translated excerpt of a 2009 interview in which Anthony spoke about working with Leslie on the album.  http://xoomer.virgilio.it/nguidett/anthony.htmhhttp://xoomer.virgilio.it/nguidett/sun040602.htmhttp://xoomer.virgilio.it/nguidett/cashflow.htmhttp://xoomer.virgilio.it/nguidett/anthony01.htmhttp://xoomer.virgilio.it/nguidett/awong09.htm