This is not really an abroad column. I'm not here to shock you with my witty cultural anecdotes.
I'm far more interested in seeing what happens when distinctly Western artistic trends break their way into a country whose No. 1 import is popular culture, for better or for worse. Just for comedy's sake, let's hope for the worst.
You would think that after flying halfway across the world you would escape the tedium that is popular American rap music, but walk into any bar in Shanghai and you'll hear all the mindless comforts of home.
But do Chinese people have the same hip, indie alternatives that make you feel like you have refined taste? Is there a trendy underground rock scene in Shanghai? It might take a little digging to find the answers, so for now, after only being here for a couple weeks, it's been pretty much just hip hop and karaoke.
Let's assume you know what hip hop sounds like and skip straight to karaoke, a Chinese reflection of a Japanese reflection of American music. So far, I have encountered two distinct types of karaoke: public and private.
Public karaoke usually happens in any old bar where the people are drunk (or confident?) enough to get up on stage and belt out some tunes in front of complete strangers. I happened to walk into one of these bars on my second night in Shanghai just as two 20-something Chinese women were giving a performance of the Ricky Martin classic, "Livin la Vida Loca." (It's stuck in your head now, isn't it? Sorry about that.)
These women can't really speak English, so they most certainly aren't very good at singing in Spanglish. Since I was a Westerner, however, I was a natural choice to kick these women off the stage, and I reluctantly abided.
I did my best, remembering some words here and there and still managing to impress the crowd. I hoped that the song would end soon so that I could be done with Ricky Martin for the rest of my life. That's when my attitude changed completely.
"Somebody once told me this world is gonna roll me/ I ain't the sharpest tool in the shed," echoed from the speakers surrounding my head.
"Hey, isn't this the song I once listened to 38 times in a row in middle school?" I thought to myself. The next thing I knew, I was belting out every single word and hitting every single note of Smash Mouth's delightful, unforgettable hit, not taking a breath until the song was finished. I decided that this must be what it is like for people who like popular music, and I was sold on karaoke from that day forward.
Private karaoke is a different story. Though private rooms are a fun place to hang out with a large group of friends, they are also arguably the easiest place to find a prostitute in the entire city. I might stick to the big stage for the time being (though I'm sure private karaoke would make for a very interesting column).
I was pleased to discover that the other pervasive form of music in Shanghai is live jazz. Existing almost exclusively in the former foreign concessions, these places seem like they have been lost in time. There are almost no Chinese people present, which made me wonder whether or not colonialism ever really ended.
Though I wasn't surprised by the presence of other foreigners, I am impressed that a Chinese city can get so many quality Western jazz bands to play at these places. However it happened, though, I am grateful that Chinese people have a larger perspective on American music beyond just hip hop and karaoke.
Although, these findings are just scratching the surface, and I won't rest until I'm a full-blown scenester within these next three months. I'll keep you posted.
