Bon TV is the Blue Ocean Network. They make TV shows about China in English. Recently, China Music Radar have been watching.
First they checked out a talk full of platitudes and stereotypes that failed to even mention a single band in the first 45 minutes and were not impressed. Here .
Then they came across something much better.
Andrew Field is someone with a brain. That's an expression that means he is thoughtful. Obviously. He has made a Beijing scene based documentary called Notes From The Chinese Underground and appears on Bon TV to give an hour long interview about it.
Both parts can be watched at CMR here.
Watching the interview I was blown away to actually see someone who knew the scene properly and who blew off the types. He even made a point of saying that people always look for the Chinese-ness and judge the music on that, then makes a good case as to why that's misguided. This is well worth sitting through, although nothing new to people who know the scene well. We'll have to look out for the movie too.
Ditto that. Andrew was one of the first dudes I met when I pensively dipped a toe in the water of reporting on the Beijing music scene in mid-2007, offering myriad helpful insights, connections and advice.
Great guy, and as I commented on CMR, my buddies who caught the screening of "Notes" at D-22 said that it was a solid and well-done effort.
Can't wait to see the finished product.