The temperature in Huang Jie's room... well, it should be qualified as a cold storage room.
The temperature inside and outside feels only one or two degrees different, the only advantage being that it blocks some wind.
In such an environment, their ability to persist in their musical dreams is truly admirable, and Liang Liang cannot help but feel deep respect for them.
"How many musicians are there in Shucun?" Liang Liang asked Huang Jie.
"Not many. There are more in the summer, but some people leave when it gets cold in the winter. There are probably still about a hundred or eighty people here now."
The cold of winter still dampened the enthusiasm in some people's hearts; sometimes, people have to bow to reality.
Are there any bands from Shucun that have made it big? For example, those that have released albums or held concerts?
Huang Jie shook his head: "Not yet."
In Liang Liang's memory, it was more than ten years later that bands emerged from Shucun, such as New Pants, Painkiller, and Muma.
It's unknown whether these bands are still in Shucun.
It seems that no bands really made a name for themselves here in the 1990s.
"Xiao Liang! Dou Ge! You guys are a successful band now, could you share your secrets to success with us?"
Douwei rolled his eyes and turned to Liang Liang: "Liang Liang is the most qualified to answer this question, so let him answer you!"
Liang Liang has raised this issue several times before, and it seems we need to address it again today.
"This question is simple in some ways, but quite difficult in others. It mainly depends on how people understand it. To succeed in a band, there are several aspects. First, you need to have good songs that can be accepted by the public. Don't cling to the so-called rock spirit and make songs that eight out of ten people will find repulsive. You guys keep making these niche songs and are happy to do it. You keep thinking about these kinds of songs. I'm not trying to discourage you, but you will never succeed."
Huang Jie looked somewhat bewildered: "A song that's accepted by the public? Isn't that just a pop song?"
Huang Jie's understanding cannot be said to be wrong; songs that can be accepted by the public are indeed popular songs.
“There’s nothing shameful about making pop songs. If you think making pop songs is too low-class, you can make pop-rock. If you don’t make pop-rock, the music scene will be taken over by pop songs from Hong Kong and Taiwan. There won’t even be a drop of soup left for you. When you can’t even afford to eat one day, your ideals will also be shattered.”
Starting in late 1996, Hong Kong and Taiwan pop songs flooded into the mainland, dominating almost the entire music market and leaving not even 1% of the share for rock musicians.
The only genre that can rival Hong Kong and Taiwan pop songs is pop rock, such as Zero Point Band, The Flowers Band, and Half the Country in the previous life.
Although they are looked down upon by the rock scene and called fake rock, at least they can still represent local forces and have some works to compete with.
And what are those bands that cling to the spirit of rock and roll doing?
They just sat around with their guitars, eating and waiting to die, without even uttering a single pointless groan. Their contributions during this period were practically zero.
Regardless of whether Zero Point Flowers and Half the Country are genuine rock bands or not, at least they did something practical and preserved the flame of rock and roll.
But he was looked down upon by people who did nothing; the logic of this world is truly a bit distorted.
"But if I do that, people in the industry will look down on me."
"Haha! A foreigner once said, 'Go your own way and let others talk!' Why care what others say or think? Can their respect feed you? If you're starving and penniless, will they give you a penny?"
This is a real problem, and the Night Machine Band was speechless.
“You are young now and have time to squander, but what about ten years from now? When you reach middle age, what will you have to squander? How much time will you have left to squander? When you get old, you will look back and find that you have accomplished nothing in your life and have just drifted through it all.”
The members of the Night Machine band looked at each other in bewilderment.
Although they felt that Liang Liang's words were somewhat extreme, they made a lot of sense.
"For a band to break out and make a name for itself, it needs not only songs that appeal to the masses, but also opportunities for development. These two conditions are interconnected. If a band's songs are recognized by the public, then record companies will naturally come knocking on their door. The reason you haven't been approached by record companies is because your songs are not accepted by the public."
"You can't say that. It's mainly because the policy doesn't allow it. If the policy allowed it, how would you know it wouldn't be accepted by the public?" The keyboardist of the Night Machine Band expressed his different opinion.
"The world can develop in an orderly manner because of various rules and policies; otherwise, wouldn't the world become a primeval jungle? Since we live within these frameworks, why not abide by them and utilize our abilities within their scope, instead of challenging things outside of them? Isn't that just being a fool? I wouldn't be exaggerating to describe it as suicidal!"
Huang Jie nodded slightly: "That seems to make sense, but how do we adapt to these rules?"
"It's a simple matter. Just stay away from areas the country forbids you from touching. Do you really have to go headlong into them? Can't we go around them, or turn back?"
Whether a person can succeed in life is not necessarily due to their talent or luck, but rather their flexibility. Getting stuck in a rut and going down a dead end will never lead to success.
"Xiao Liang! Please be more specific so we can have something to refer to."
"I think these rock musicians in China have been misled by foreigners. You stay cooped up in your rooms all day, creating your own theories and focusing on the darkness of society. You call this critical spirit the spirit of rock and roll. You've fallen into a ditch. If you keep looking at the dark world, you'll become dark yourself. Why don't you turn around and sing praises to the light?"
"How do we sing praises of the light? By singing songs with a patriotic theme?"
"You can refer to our albums, the Black Panther band's album, and the Northeast Rock album. Listen to these songs carefully and savor them. Maybe you'll realize that rock can also be positive and uplifting."
"Did you guys hear Xiao Liang sing 'I Love You, Motherland' at his Hong Kong concert?" Dou Wei interjected.
"We haven't listened to this album yet, and we don't have the money to buy it!" Huang Jie honestly stated their predicament.
"I have some. I'll send you a set over. You can listen to it carefully. Rock music can include songs that are permitted by policy. The Blue Shark band got an invitation from the Spring Festival Gala program because of this song, and they are preparing to perform on the Spring Festival Gala."
Is the Blue Shark band going to perform on the Spring Festival Gala?
Huang Jie was dumbfounded.
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