For Patrick Ho, the times they are a-changin'
Home Affairs chief Patrick Ho Chi-ping yesterday indulged in a bizarre 'conversation' with American folk-music hero Bob Dylan in a bout of cultural fever.
Enthused by the West Kowloon cultural project, Dr Ho broadcast a Hong Kong Letter on RTHK radio directed at Dylan.
Feigning as if he were speaking directly to the 1960s icon, Dr Ho recounted how he made money during his student days in America busking on the streets - often strumming Dylan's popular tunes.
'How are you? Maybe I should call you Bob,' Dr Ho said. 'First let me congratulate you on Rolling Stone magazine's selection of your masterpiece Like a Rolling Stone as the greatest song of the past 50 years.'
Dr Ho praised the singer's lack of conformity and tendency to challenge authority, saying Dylan's perseverance helped him to break convention while recording a pop song that was twice the radio standard of three minutes.
'At one time I made a living by performing on the street, singing your songs while strumming my guitar,' he said. 'That's why I always tell my friends it was music that brought me up.'
Dr Ho read out his letter in Cantonese.
In continuing his address to Dylan, he explained that the West Kowloon cultural project was important in creating venues for the staging of cultural events - amenities that were sorely needed in Hong Kong.
'In Hong Kong few people choose a career in the arts. Sponsorship is hard to come by and very often the meagre sponsorship they can get is not even sufficient to cover performance expenses.'
He said Hong Kong artists lacked global recognition, but added the problem was mainly due to marketing and business management, and not talent.
'Mr Dylan, this brings to mind another of your songs . . . As the song goes, The wheel's still in spin . . . The times they are a-changin.
'Let's all grasp this golden opportunity and rise to the challenges of a new age.'
Meanwhile, unexpectedly large crowds have mobbed the West Kowloon cultural hub exhibition in the three days since plans of the rival bids for the controversial development went on public display.
By last night more than 7,000 had visited the Hong Kong Science Museum, a testament to the public mood after weeks of high-profile blunders by government and leading land developers.
