Nothing says controversial like Hank Williams

A few nights ago our fearless leader, T. Laoshi, and his wife invited us over to their apartment for dinner. By dinner they meant Peking Duck, from the same recipe (and cook) as you'll find here. Honestly, I don't think I'll ever go to another dinner party that isn't at the home of an international super star with a gourmet meal (that was featured on tv) made by his wonderful wife... I've had a taste of the high life and I will never go back!

Apart from the floor to ceiling posters from the Met (featuring T. Laoshi with some other people your might have heard of*), and the copious amounts of whiskey being thrust upon us**, it was truly like any other evening with a group of singers.***

I'm honestly not writing this post to brag about my fabulous life in China, or to tell jokes. (Although both seem easy to do at this moment). I want to retell a story that Fearless Leader told us.

More than 30 some years ago, this type of cultural exchange between Eastern musicians and Western musicians would have been impossible. Fearless Leader told us that the first song in English he ever sang, he learned by listening to an illegal radio station and jotting down the chord structure and what sounds he made out of the words. Back then he was not the operatic sensation we know him as, but an indie guitar player. He performed the English song he learned on the radio and got into a great deal of trouble with the police. You might be thinking, was it Bob Dylan? John Lennon? Nope. It was Hank Williams "Jambayla on the Bayou".

I think about this story and am amazed to see how different life in China is now. I had a rather stinted view before I came here, which I think is part of the reason for the program. A few nights after hearing T. Laoshi's story, I went in search of more evidence that things had changed. I found a card for a music store on the internet, which sounds like the beginning of every great adventure! After taking a picture of it with my cell phone and showing that to the cab driver I ended up on a street with music shops abundant. (I'm not sure how I made it, but I did). Some store sold only brass instruments, there were 5 or 6 dedicated solely to violins. Some stores had ukuleles and guitars on one side and erhus and gu zhongs on the other. It was amazing. I'll share more on this adventure later, but I will leave you with some pictures.

The Chinese made ukulele I just had to buy... the company's name is Mo Li (my Chinese name, as well we the title of the song I sing in the Gala concert. It's meant to be. I also bought a metro tuner, mostly just for the name

This has nothing to do with the story above, I just needed to show my only option for bacon in this country.

Again, this does not go with today's blog. But I am sick and my fabulous room mate bought me flowers 

and put them in this ghettofied vase she made with an old water bottle. Love it.

*Pavorotti, Borodina, shoot me now...

** I was offered a glass of whiskey, which I wisely turned down. T Laoshi  then asked if I just wanted to try it, and I chose to oblige him by saying just a taste. I ended up with three fingers.We were all bullied into booze in this fashion, not that any of us were/are complaining!

*** Which of course means we ended the night around the piano singing Elton John and Billy Joel... I only wish I were kidding. Top it off with more than one wine glass being shattered and you have yourself a party. Thank God nobody suggested beer pong, as Maestro was there (another legend), and I'm quite sure the table we might have played on is worth more than my car.