Small Talk With... Captain BB

The Boat was the bar Beijing forgot until DJs BB and Allen turned it into what may be the venue of the summer. BB talks about how they weighed anchor.

How’d you first find the boat? Two years ago I was looking to open an underground club but never found the right location. Last January, a friend introduced me to The Boat. So, I took Sam and Allen here to take a look, and we all loved it. A lot of clubbers know you and Allen. Who is Sam? Allen and I used to work at Nan Jie, where Sam was the manager. And you and Allen are both from Taipei, right? I grew up in Hong Kong and Taipei. But, Allen’s from Taipei. Did you meet him in Beijing? No. I met Allen in Taipei, where we both used to DJ at the Roxy. That’s where I got started. The old boat looked totally different. You must have spent a lot of time and cash fixing the place up? We bought the place at Chinese New Year, so all the workers had left the city. And we wanted to save money too, so we did a lot of the work ourselves. When you were designing the space, was their a key concept you were working with? Allen, Sam and I had similar ideas. We knew that upstairs was going to have a stage, and downstairs would have an underground club feel. The opening party was packed. People were standing in line for half an hour to walk over the bridge onto The Boat's deck. How many people came? 800. Wow. So, will The Boat be Beijing’s venue of the summer? Of course! And, why will it be the cool place to... You mean the “coolest”! Yes. Excuse me. Why will it be the coolest place to hang out? We care the most about the music. There are many good music venues, but when bands finish, there’s no place to hang out and dance. So our idea is to have live music upstairs, but after the show ends, there are great DJs to keep the party going downstairs. What kind of bands are going to play at The Boat? We don’t want to just pick one style of music. As long as the music's good, we want to hear it. From reggae to folk, experimental to rock. If you could have any DJ in the world to play at The Boat, would you have play? Personally, I’d like to have DJ Shadow play at The Boat. Why the Shadow? Well, I like him. The coolest thing about this place is it IS a boat. Can you weigh anchor and float along the Liangma River? You mean like really moving? Like drive the boat? Ha! It’s a real boat. It can float, but you can’t drive it.

Everyone Is Talking About... Midi-gate 2008

As Olympic uproar reaches a fever pitch, Beijing music fans must wait another five months to celebrate

Little more than a week before the onset of Midi Fest, tens of thousands of Beijingers were furious. The most massive cultural escape from the Olympic madness was suddenly canceled because Midi organizers failed to garner police protection. Some blamed the city for failing to support the local music scene. Others blamed the organizers for failing to fully secure police support for a festival they had promised and already booked. Unsurprisingly, each and every speculation eventually implicated the Games as an anti-Midi accomplice. After all, a delay until October was essentially a delay until after the Games.

"The police are responsible for the security of public spaces such as Haidian Park, and in this case [they say] security cannot be guaranteed," explains Midi organizer Zhang Fan in an interview with City Weekend. He then adds, "They are being overly cautious."

Although in years past, there have been skirmishes between local audience members and foreign bands, there is little reason to believe that such tensions would naturally evaporate after the Olympics. At the same time, the PSB may have more time and resources to focus on an event like Midi after the Olympics' closing ceremonies. No matter the reason, Midi's delay, along with other recent concert cancellations, is a blow to Beijing's music scene. It will be difficult to secure marquee acts in a city where large concerts can be canceled at a moment's notice. In the case of Midi, not only had most bands received permission to play, some had already paid for their own travel.

Looking to October, Zhang optimistically assures that when the festival returns, it will be "better prepared than ever before."

Just cope with the growing pains, Beijingers. Our little Woodstock will come back in just five months.

News You Can Use

Blame Canada

Beijing getting you down? Just head over to British Columbia, located 100 meters east of the Qianmen Subway Station. The British Columbia Canada Olympic Pavilion, opened May 1, features a 10,000 sq ft walk-through exhibit on B.C., a 1,000-year-old cedar tree and a real Canadian Mountie. You can also enter a contest to have dinner with China's most loved Canadian-no, not Celine Dion-Da Shan.

The Clock Is Ticking

The Phase-3 Olympic Ticket Sales Program opened at 9am on May 5. Although it’s meant to last until June 9, we have a feeling the 1.38 million tickets will sell out very, very fast. Head to a Bank of China or other BOCOG ticketing center immediately to get your hands on the goods, but grab your passport or other shenfenzheng that has been valid for at least six months before you do, as per Olympic ticketing policy.

Get Friendly with a Viking

May is China-Norway friendship month, being celebrated at the Marco Polo Parkside Hotel, which is offering special benefits to those bearing Scandinavian passports. Other nationalities can still enjoy the month-long Norwegian food festival, featuring “Scandanavian-Chinese fusion cuisine.” We don’t quite know what that means, but we’re looking forward to a tasty smorgasborg.

Beijing Gets a New Emperor

The Emperor, Beijing’s newest boutique hotel, opened in late April. The 55-room renovated hutong space is located just next to the Forbidden City and its bar, Yin, boasts a rooftop terrace that’s home to what may well be Beijing’s most exquisite view. For those of us who already have somewhere to sleep in Beijing, we can enjoy Yin, Shi (the Emperor’s imperial dining restaurant) and Yue (its luxurious spa).