Why our brazen attempts will always fall short
Bob Dylan said it best in Ballad of a Thin Man; "You have many contacts, among the lumberjacks to get you facts when someone attacks your imagination" ... and attack the creative minds is exactly what I'm going to do. Not a week goes by that I'm not asked about the music scene and I have to shrug, exhale and say, "It's getting better." It's like I'm speaking about a sick grandparent who occasionally shows signs of life. We look to the promoters, the fans and even the musicians themselves as responsible for the lack of a scene, when in fact none of them are. This goes for everyone involved--it's also not the club investors, bar managers, chefs or writers' fault. It's no one's.

Bars fail for the same reason boyfriends do, and we get excited for that one concert a week for the same reason girls get too clingy. The explanation is none of it, none of what we bring to this town, is here to stay. This isn't a city where things are built to last--at least when it concerns us laowai. In a population of 20 million, we're 200,000+ strong, which works out to 1 percent, and as much as I'd like for someone to be the muscle-bound man from 300 that stands up to the monsters, I'm not going to--and you need to stop as well.

We, as the foreigners, are going to make about as much impact on the vibe here as we do by rolling our eyes at the old man who spits next to us on the road--none at all. Our ideas, our mindset, and our "way-of-being" is simply not going to bleed over. Our hatred of Canto-pop is not going to turn teens onto The Pixies; interest cannot be forced. "But wait," you cry out from your stained couch seat at the latest hipster bar, "we're making a difference!" Then tell me, how many locals are sitting next to you right now? We aren't involved with their scene and we can't expect them to be with ours. It's a relationship of convenience for both parties and the sooner that's admitted, the less pressure will be put on doing things we simply enjoy.

The mindset of us leading a musical / nightlife revolution needs to stop-it's simply not going to happen, at least not by us. Simply try new projects and new sounds you've been considering, f*ck the lingering concern in the back of your mind that what you're doing is not going to be accepted or make a difference, and I promise we'll see an improvement.

Aric S. Queen