Jonathan Campbell - Red Rock

A rollicking account of how a global genre was transformed as it sank down roots in a very special setting.

J EFFREY W ASSERSTROM , author of
China in the 21st Century: What Everyone Needs to Know

The ancient rhythms of East meets West have rarely been played out so intensely or at such a raucous volume.

J ONATHAN W ATTS , author of When a Billion Chinese Jump

With consumerism the pervasive religion, freedoms taken for granted, and apathy rampant, the West largely has forgotten the power of rock n rollif not to change the world, than at least to change ourselves (and that is much the same thing). In China, the music never has seemed more vital or necessary, and as an astute listener, sharp journalist, and excellent writer, Campbell does an outstanding job explaining why.

J IM D E R OGATIS , rock critic, co-host of Sound Opinions

No dusty research required, no distant Q&As necessary, as performer, promoter, writer and pure fan, Campbell was part of the Beijing rock scene when the needle hit the mainline [An] insiders guide to the otherwise impenetrable world of what will become known as the golden period of Chinese rock music pulsing with the energy of the country itself

S TEVE B ARKER , BBC Radio DJ

A brilliant exploration of the Chinese opening to rock & roll, from a keen observer on the front lines of cultural transformation.

K EN S TRINGFELLOW , The Posies, R.E.M., Big Star

Campbell is the ultimate Beijing insider Red Rock is an entertaining and illuminating romp through the weird world of Chinese rock and roll.

J AN W ONG , author of
A Comrade Lost and Found: A Beijing Memoir

Campbells Red Rock has the narrative power of a fine novel, and is at the same time a cogent work of historical analysis the benchmark against which all future accounts of the phenomenon will be measured.

T ENG J IMENG , author of
Music-Made America: Popular Music Since 1960s

Musician, journalist, tour manager, van driver, guanxi master, barstool philosopher, old-school Beijinger Campbell is the insiders insider, and the perfect person to chronicle the rollicking rise of rock in China.

A DAM P ILLSBURY , Insiders Guide to Beijing

Campbell is the most objective observer of Chinese music Ive come into contact with over the years It is rare to see this kind of impartiality in promoting Chinese music.

Z HONG S HENG , Pilot Records (China)

An enthusiastically written history of Chinese rock music, based on active participation, numerous interviews, and research. [Campbell] succeeds in grasping the particular feeling and meaning of yaogun.

A NDREAS S TEEN , author of Der Lange Marsch des Rock n Roll

In this dazzling account of contemporary Chinese music, Campbell convinces us that there is always more than what we think we understand as popular music, there is always more than what we think we understand as China.

J EROEN DE K LOET , author of China with a Cut

Campbell offers a lively, clear-eyed assessment of both the promise and failings of this potentially transformative cultural phenomenon.

D ENNIS R EA , author of Live At the Forbidden City:
Musical Encounters in China & Taiwan

Campbell is the most qualified and capable writer to have undertaken this project. In the rock community here, we hold the same respect for the author as China does for [Dr. Norman] Bethune: Campbell has made Chinas business his own; he shares our hopes and concerns.

L B O , Scream Records (China)

Not only is this book a necessary read for anyone interested in the development of contemporary Chinese music and art, but it discusses with real authority an aspect of Chinas tremendous social transformation that few outsiders have considered.

M ICHAEL P ETTIS , professor at Peking University

RED ROCK

Copyright 2011 Jonathan Campbell

ISBN-13: 978-988-19982-4-8

Cover concept by Jackson Garland

Cover photograph (Gegentala Grassland Music Festival, 2005) by Jonathan Campbell

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in material form, by any means, whether graphic, electronic, mechanical or other, including photocopying or information storage, in whole or in part. May not be used to prepare other publications without written permission from the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. For information contact .

Published by Earnshaw Books Ltd. (Hong Kong).

To my parents, who inspired this book and its author in ways they couldnt have imagined.

To my wife, who inspires me every day.

And, to those who yaogun: Those who inspired the march of Chinese rock; those who marched then, and march today; and those about to march.

With a constant stream of Chinese food during my mothers pregnancy, the seeds of a China Hand were sown. My father ensured there was always music around, filling our world with mixtapes. This book results from that combination at least as much as it does from the support my family provided to me despite the distance between us. My only wish is that my mother could have seen it.

I was told to write with an ideal reader in mind; it just so happened that my ideal reader was also my ideal writer. Ian Sherman didnt just write about yaogun the way I wanted to, he wrote about it and everything else like nobody wrote about anything, ever. His gig listings were poetry; his live reviews, epic. The writing he did during his struggle with cancer embodied not just an inability to turn off the tap, but the determination of a writer not ready to stop. The tragedy of his passing is about much more than the void where his words ought to be, but that void is enormous.

There are eighty-something people who granted me larger chunks of their lives than Id imagined anyone ought to be granted, and the resulting hours of conversations meant that researching this book was a pleasure and editing it down was excruciating. I hope Ive managed to convey the excitement that each of you relayed to (and inspired in) me: it was an excitement that was essential fuel for this project.

The comments, patience and general greatness of those who read over early drafts are more appreciated than one could or should attempt to convey in writing. There is also an international network of punk peoples that granted me much-appreciated access to their world. Rockinchina.com deserves particular mention for their encyclopaedic and just plain amazing resource.

Team Earnshaw provided invaluable support of my work throughout the long, strange process, carving, despite my best intentions, Something, out of far too many things.

Countless others probably didnt realize their role in these pages, just as I hadnt realized I was doing research. Im grateful to everyone with whom Ive watched, played, argued, discussed and hung around, in front of, behind and among yaogun.

I was extremely lucky to have played and worked with some amazing musicians over the years, both on and off the stage. It started within weeks of my arrival in Beijing, and at t-minus seven days to my departure, I was still playing, still not believing how lucky I was to be doing it with you all. I didnt arrive in Beijing expecting to find rock, and I definitely didnt expect to play it, but I did, and I did, and there is, was and will be nothing like it, ever.

And, Weiwei: You Rock.

This book is not, by far, all-inclusive. There are far too many amazing musicians and people that I believe the world should know about to have possibly included in these pages (which didnt stop me from trying). Thus will my efforts continue online, at