Rock steady─The New Paper 專訪 - 楊培安 Roger Yang

本文轉自：http://tinyurl.com/ckfm5cg
中文翻譯：http://tinyurl.com/csymgmy （轉自Facebook楊培安粉絲團）

According to Roger Yang Pei-an, there is no secret formula to stardom and
success.

The Taiwanese rocker, whose distinctive robust tenor voice has earned him
the nickname "Iron Lung Prince", is the epitome of perseverance.

The 40-year-old, who cited Queen's late frontman Freddie Mercury as his rock
vocalist hero, toiled for years on Taiwan's rowdy pub circuit.

He finally hit the big time four years ago, at the age of 36 - an anomaly
in the youth-focused Mandopop industry - when a major record label decided
to sign him on as its artiste.

Yang, who's in town to promote his latest album Those Years, a collection of
English classic rock covers, sits down with LOUD to share his bittersweet
rock 'n' roll story...

What made you decide to do Those Years? You covered some really good old
stuff by Poison, Deep Purple, U2 and Metallica!

I was 17 and in the second grade of junior college when I was first
introduced to Western rock music by my senior, Dick Cowboy (one of Taiwan's
rock pioneers).

From that point on, my life changed. I joined a band, started jamming
actively and subsequently, performed in pubs for 12 to 13 years.

Doing this album is my way of recollecting the memories of those early years
when my passion for rock music was ignited. I'm 40 already, I want to be able
to sing all these songs when I still can! (Chuckles)

It's interesting that all the tracks were recorded before a live audience -
we can hear cheers and applause. Was it a deliberate decision?

Yes, I held two live recording sessions and invited 500 of my fans to attend
each session. To me, the rock 'n' roll attitude is all about being direct,
straightforward, complete with imperfections and rough edges. I wanted to
keep the raw quality of my rendition of these classics; so even after
recording, my crew and I didn't do much post-production work to fine-tune
them.

You were on the pub circuit for more than a decade. Give us some insight into
Taiwan's vibrant pub scene. Were those tough times?

There were days when life was really miserable - the main problem about
performing in pubs is that most of the time, you don't feel appreciated.

On my worst days, I felt like I was just a clown on stage. Many customers
treat us merely as a sideshow. They don't really care about what we sing or
how we sing; they just want to drink, get wasted and be merry.

Then there are some customers who behave like they are the "masters" and us,
their "servants". They'd demand for us to sing only the songs they want to
hear.

So what's the most dedicated rock song in pubs? What's that one song you've
sung to death?

Definitely Hotel California by The Eagles. It's so iconic. I actually wanted
to include it in Those Years, but the copyright fee turned out to be too
expensive!

And your favourite classic rock tunes?

I have a couple. Yngwie Malmsteen's (below) Rising Force holds a special
place in my heart because back in 1991, my mates and I joined a national
Yamaha Band competition and I won Best Frontman for singing that song.

Another one would be Journey's power ballad Faithfully. The lyrics resonate
with me deeply, it's like a reflection of my life as a musician.

I'm on the road so often that whenever I'm home, I treasure every minute
with my family.

Back in Taiwan, I hardly go out.


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(C)lass 【 分組討論區 】 　煌奇板＆培安板
視聽劇場 偶像, 音樂, 廣電
Idols_1TW 人物 Σ臺灣希望群星館　　　　　歡迎來玩喔～＊
TW_Boys 台灣 Σ台灣男孩特區
HuangChi 台灣 ◎熱誠。真情。歌─蕭煌奇
peianyang 台灣 ◎熱情‧希望‧愛─楊培安

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