Upclose with New Pants

HK Magazine: Your album was "Most Important Album of China, Hong Kong and Taiwan" in '98?
Peng Lei: I’m sure it was just a minority thing. We’re not that popular with the mainstream majority, eh?

HK: Who’s your music for?
PL: Young people. I’m a dragon [30 years old], and disco was really big in China when I was growing up. In the early 90s, everyone dreamed of growing their hair long and fantasized about joining a heavy metal band. But we were too poor to do heavy metal - the equipment’s expensive - so we turned to punk.

HK: How do you view the Beijing band scene?
PL: There are many shows, a lot of varied genres... But while it seems vibrant, it’s a struggle. There’s not much money, but people are still passionate enough to play. Nowadays everyone just wants to download free music off the internet, so bands get even poorer. Some mainland bands may have fame, but they certainly don’t have fortune like you think they would.

HK: Which song most represents the band?
PL: Our song “Dragon Tiger Panacea” is like Chinese punk disco. I talk about how before, we had Bruce Lee, who was hot, and now, we have Jet Li, who is not. It’s about how Western influence in China may seem like it gives us more economic growth, more money, but it’s not really that good. And it’s like, China doesn’t need to prove anything to the West. We shouldn’t have to feel like we need to show off.

HK: That’s true. Though sometimes showing off is kind of fun...
PL: Our bassist Pang has a different image at every gig. I don’t even know what he’ll be like until we get on stage. One time he was Bruce Lee, and the last time, he dressed up like a Xinjiang native, grilling lamb kebabs onstage.

HK: Your music video is like a martial arts movie.
PL: Yes. I directed it. I’ve directed many films. My father was a children's book illustrator, and I used to do children’s animations.