I haven’t seen anything new about that whole Jay/Mayday sales issue lately, though that might be because Mayday is spending a third week at the top of the G-Music sales chart, with Jay now down to fourth after both the Cape No. 7 soundtrack *and* Jolin Tsai’s new English album, in which she covers (among other things) the Carpenters’ “I Won’t Last a Day Without You.” Yes, that cover seems just wrong to me, too. The only Mandopop act I want covering the Carpenters is sodagreen. Well, Tanya Chua would likely do a credible job as well, but that’s really it.
Anyway, the next artist to push Cowboy Jay further down the charts will be Wu Bai (伍佰), with his new album, Spacebomb (太空弹), due out next week. Oddly, he promoted the album by dressing up like Michael Jackson and filming a commercial for American discount retail chain Target:
Well actually, that’s not really a Target ad, though I think that if the chain wants to open a branch in Taiwan, they have a ready-made endorsement deal. The little kids are not, as it might appear, dressed as targets for the space bomb, though they are supposed to be taking part in some sort of “space bomb new human selection meeting (太空弹新人类选拔会).” I don’t have the foggiest idea what that means, though I suspect it probably doesn’t matter all that much. When asked if he hoped to take on Mayday and Cowboy Jay in the sales war, Wu Bai answered that his only concern has ever been the music, and he doesn’t care at all about the sales figures. Very wise.
Mayday is back in action on the Carlsburg Beer mini-concert tour, and next week they’ll be in Kunming performing new songs, along with older favorites like “Tenderness (温柔),” “Embrace (拥抱),” and “Love-ing (恋爱ING)” – though I can’t help but think it is getting to be about time to retire that last one. (Okay, in spite of the fact that the news was that pre-orders would start on the mainland this week, I can’t find anyone who is actually taking pre-orders. So at this point, if they’re performing new songs in Kunming, they’re assuming either that the crowd is hearing them for the first time or has downloaded the CD. Meanwhile, my Taiwan copy hasn’t come yet either, and my patience is wearing thin.) Monster comments that getting together with friends, drinking beer, and enjoying each others’ company is the most important thing, far more important than little things like the volatile stock market.
In an apparently unrelated tour of the mainland, Mayday will be heading to Nanjing for an appearance linked to their BenQ spokesmen duties. The rumor is that there will be only 600 tickets available, and so during an electronics sale this month, the first 30 people to spend 6000 RMB (~US$878) on electronics will get tickets, and there are also raffles for tickets for people who spend 1000 RMB (~US$146) on assorted products. What happens to the rest of the fans in Nanjing is unclear – maybe wait for the Carlsburg beer tour?
Or, you know, maybe Xbox will sponsor a third route – Mayday was off doing their Xbox promotional duties yesterday.
Speaking of mini-concert tours, a number of the Taiwan version copies of the new Mayday CD have tickets to a campus concert in them. They’ve sold around 80,000 copies of this version, and planned events at 27 schools so far. The band started the shows in Taichung last weekend, where Masa was prevailed upon to strip off clothing. As he pulled off his shirt, he commented that he’d never imagined that in order to sell an album these days, you not only have to sell your artistry, but your bodies.
So why was Masa taking off clothes in the first place? Well, he broke a bass string, and Ashin tried to fill the gap while he fixed the problem by singing in a rather high register, his voice finally breaking. At that point he told the hapless Masa that he’d better quickly get the problem resolved, because soon he wouldn’t be able to go on. Then, naturally, the fans decided to punish him by demanding that he remove clothing. Masa was not terribly willing, but he pulled off his shirt, revealing that he already has developed a few little rolls around the stomach area (okay, fun Chinese lesson of the day: the article calls these “鲔鱼肚,” or “tuna belly”). The fans then turned their attention to Guanyou (um, I mean absolutely no offense to Guanyou here, but why?), but he put a stop to it, telling the fans quite honestly that without his shirt on, he is all ribs with a bit of “tuna belly” of his own below that. Hearing this, Ashin couldn’t help but ask, “What, do you think you’re a ’surf-n-turf’ dinner?”
In other band news, Ashin played director the other day, taking responsibility for the band’s video for the song “Spring’s Scream.” Ashin’s last turn behind the camera was four years ago, when he directed the MV for “Nine Ball (九号球).” The name of the song comes from the titled Kenting music festival of the same name. The rest of the band was surprisingly well-behaved throughout the shoot, though that might have to do with the fact that Monster says they were all afraid that if they made Ashin mad he’d add to their individual parts in the video, thereby eliminating their time to rest. The video also featured a hundred-some fans to provide the screams.
I don’t think any of Jay’s albums deserves to be under *that*! (Referring to Jolin’s English album) Not even this one! I had a dream that Jay’s album came out like that, with it all covers of English songs, including Elvis’ “Can’t Help Falling in Love with You,” and I thought it was Cantonese until I read the lyrics. (Bad nightmare for a Jay Chou fan!) I can’t imagine why Jolin would be able to sell an English album at all! Her English is pretty much on the same level as Jay’s, judging by the very rare clips of Jay actually saying something in English, and her singing is even worse than her English! Plus, I’ve heard many of these songs hundreds of times, and the originals were so much better! I hope those sales drop for that particular album soon.
Funny Chinese phrase! I’ll have to remember that one, then. I don’t know when I’ll use it, but I’m sure it’ll be rather funny to use.
I bought the new CD last weekend, and I have been listening to it non-stop whenever I can since then. I think it will be worth the wait for you!
i heard that ashin now has a girlfriend. i don’t know… when i first heard about it was like aww why =’[ but kinda felt happy for him at the same time haha. hope ashin is happy =]
omggg mayday were sooooo perverted in the school concert when they shot the video. i read some of the jokes on ptt and i kept laughing! especially when guan yo told a joke and then monster HAD to make fun of guan yo using that joke.
i LOVE lian ai-ing! I can never get enough of it
shirtless masa… hmmm
i shall definitely go back in time and see that concert someday.
xoxoxobexoxoxo: dont listen to the press when they’re talking about ashin’s relationships – they’re really unreliable
no it’s true >.
he has been dating a girl called “dan dan” for 8 years. he’s been very quite about it that’s why not alot of people know. when the media ask him about her, he won’t deny it but he just won’t say more.
Hmmm …. why do I suddenly feel like going out for sushi?
Someone should sneak backstage and swap out all of Masa’s bass strings for really weak ones, so he’ll break more. Maybe he can take off his shirt at every stop on the tour!
More than 8 years
xoxoxobexoxoxo: he’s been with dang dang for more than 8 years – since uni [thats what i read from somewhere long time ago]
but the press know better than to stir with ashins relationships XD the mayday fans on forums get so pissed haha
I’LL VOLUNTEER TO SNEAK BACKSTAGE!!!
DD
my gosh, im praying for the strings to break so much at hong kong XD we need more “treatment”!!!!
D
Well as long as you’re back there, cat, would you mind confiscating Ashin’s suspenders for me as well? Thanks!
actually im kind of in love with the suspenders
I can’t bear to see them off him now~ especially the jean ones 
im kind of hoping that ashin will design his own suspenders for stay real!
Uh-oh, we better keep Merry and Cat away from each other!
I confess I find the suspenders sort of charmingly eccentric, especially as he seems to be “cutting back” on them as if he’s trying to stop smoking. It’s one of the perils of being a rock star: sex, drugs, alcohol, suspenders ….
Cat: Would they look like the super rainbow-colored ones he wore for the new album’s photoshoot?
I think I’m stuck in a classic “騎虎難下” position here – I can no longer accept the suspenders. There was a time last fall when I could, but… that time is now behind me. Though Steve, it looks like you might buy into my twelve-step program proposal. Any time he wants to come make amends with me for his suspender sins, I’ll be ready to listen.
I still say that as long as he doesn’t dress up like a clown with black lipstick and comes out with good songs, he’s fine. Well, I guess there are other things up there with dressing like a clown, but I won’t go there, and I hope Ashin doesn’t, either. (I also hope Jay doesn’t, but he has failed me when it comes to dressing like a clown.)
That’s another Chinese phrase I need to memorize, and it’s a Chengyu!
hobielover: im kind of thinking that they’ll look like the stay real phone straps – he wore them like suspenders when he was wearing the space suit last month.
i especially love the suspenders being down there in the be happy photos, it makes me think as if he’s wearing his boxers really low
where did his glasses go? i miss his nerdy look
and guai shou should totally go back to those sunglasses and cowboy hats – they look totally hot
OH, so those things were phone straps? That makes Ashin an astronaut who wears phone straps as dangling suspenders and plays with a 扯铃. That’s so…out there! I’m not sure how it compares to dressing like Michael Jackson and then doing some weird, spacey stuff. (I admit I’m a sci-fi freak, and I loved Jay Chou’s “Secret” as well as “Star Wars,” but I think things are getting a little out-of-hand due to China’s space projects.)
merry! forget about the pre-orders, when it comes out in asia i will just Fedex it to you
EXPRESS! lol