Pong just had an interview, or a conversation rather, published alongside Ivana Wong. You can read the original here if you have paid a monthly subscription.
Letting Go of Childish FantasiesI suspect most of Pong's fans here don't have paid sub. of that news website, so I'll try and translate a few relevant snippets of it here. It was quite an eye-opening conversation, I have to say.
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Nov. 16, 2009. Apple Daily
Ivana Wong and Pong Nan had known each other since they were children, and now that they are working together in the colourful world of the entertainment industry, they are still able to find admirable qualities in each other, as well as criticize each other's faults. Wong says she doesn't want to lose her naïveté, while Nan says he lost his a long time ago and had become a lot more practical-minded. They are very different from one another, yet they both believe in one thing: "if someone hurt their friend or family member, they'll stab that person to death in revenge."
Pong's Profile:
- auditioned to become a singer, but failed
- found a part-time job as a songwriter
- played piano accompaniment
- 2001 - signed a contract to become a songwriter; wrote music for Sandy Lam and Eason Chan
- 2004 - released his first full-length album; wrote all the songs and lyrics himself
Pong: I used to be a pain in the neck (needle in people's heart) because I would deliberately say things to provoke others and create a lot of conflict.
Ivana: Why did you do that? Did you hate those people?
P: No. I just liked to argue. I used to think that if I just said what was on my mind, even if it was hurtful, that this type of behaviour showed how clever I was. Inadvertently, I also hurt a lot of people's feelings quite badly. Now, frankly, music production is a job that requires team spirit. This doesn't mean that I would compromise my principles at every turn, but if I could avoid conflicts and not allow others to have hard feelings about my behaviour, that's already an improvement. I have to be responsible for what I say, especially in the entertainment industry. If I say the wrong thing even once, I'll attract criticism ever after.
P: At my previous record company, my colleagues thought that I wanted to be the enemy of the entire world, and they asked me, "What's the matter with you? Having attitude isn't the problem, unless your attitude creates problems for others who work with you, then it's a different story." That's the gist of it; the boundary is truly very thin.
P: Some people think that being hyper-emotional proves that they have a unique personality, and so they indulge in that type of behaviour. What they won't admit is the fact that they're truly doing it to seek attention.
P: When I look at Ivana, I have two thoughts: 1) she is so quiet, almost as if she's living in the milky way, very distant. 2) she has so many complicated ideas. I don't know when she's happy or sad.
I: That's easy, I'll explain myself to you. I'm usually a very cheerful person. If you see me suddenly become quiet and introspective, then there are only three possible reasons. 1) I'm hungry. 2) I want to sleep. 3) I'm angry at something/someone or I'm sad.
P: "Rare Creature" is a breakthrough song for me because the singing style sounds very lazy.
I: Your lyrics are too obvious. That's a very risky and dangerous move on your part.
P: Is it?
I: Especially this line: "A little white rabbit that pretends to be innocent will die early." You're talking about me! Thanks for helping to promote my innocent image.
P: Do you truly think I'm talking about you?
I: I'm kidding. I think you're actually referring to a general group of people, not me specifically.
P: I'm really referring to the commercialist society where each person is a "rare creature." When I was a student, I had a lot of dreams and ideas, and I would frequently criticize this and that about the society around me. For example, I would say that adults are too cynical. When I entered the working world, I myself had to struggle for survival, and that's when I realized that everyone has one similar instinct. This instinct is to eat when we're hungry, just like Ivana =P, and we'd fight to advance our careers. Who can swear that one would never become one of the bad guys?
P: ...I admit that I cannot say with complete honesty, "I'm one of the good guys." I admit that in the past, when I had to fight for something, I had to betray my own conscience...Everyone has experienced this before, being semi-evil yet semi-good. Sometimes, you think that people who would do anything to climb up the ladder are strange (Cantonese colloquial term). In a commcerialist world, who can afford not to be like this? You have to do whatever it takes, even if it will hurt others' chances. If you're good at it, then you're considered a hawk, a lion or a peacock. If you're not very good at it, then you're considered as little more than a mouse that roams the dirty streets and alleys.
P: I'm a turtle. ...I'm very slow, but I know I won't get killed and live a long life. I want to find a short cut, but if I stood in front of a short cut, I still won't allow myself to walk down that path. ...I'd rather be like a turtle so that I can hide under my shell and do whatever I wish.
I: If you had to be an animal, you'd be a horse.
P: Ivana doesn't have to be a little white rabbit. She's actually a wild crane that likes to fly leisurely amongst the clouds. You'd be a friend of the Magic Crane.
I: I don't get it.
P: You have boundless imagination. You're not like a pheonix who only likes live in Heaven, nor a ostrich that only likes to dig the dirt all day long. When you sense that you need to return to earth, you'll descend once again. But, ideally, you'd rather stay amongst the clouds and not worry about the ordinary folk.
P: We've known each other long before we entered the entertainment industry, and I started this career a year earlier than you did. Initially, I was very worried about how you were going to adjust to this new environment. In the past two years, however, maybe because we're working in the same company, I've come to realize that you're actually very aware of practical needs. You know what to do in order to preserve your own identity.
P: You're not one to allow others to wait on you and pamper you. Instead, you create this magnetic field around you that makes others want to compromise for you and leave you some freedom to do as you wish. They wouldn't want you to compromise your character.
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That's all for now. I'll translate more later.
It's a nice change from the last album.
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I'm sure that's what most students and youngsters feel right now so hopefully this song will speak to them.