Interview with Pan Africana frontman “Rankin’ Kim” Douglas. By Trista di Genova The Wild East His voice is smooth as rum; his smile infectious and his manner at once mellow, engaging and humorous. There’s something inspirational, soothing about Kim Douglas’ very presence; in fact, it comes as no surprise to
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Answering In A Quiet Place: Taiwan Singing Legend Kimbo
Kimbo and I were able to have an extended chat that afternoon; he agreed to allow me to interview him for The Wild East Magazine, about his experiences not only as an award-winning Aboriginal singer, but what led him to become an activist and leader in Taiwan’s democratic and human rights movement.
Kimbo was born in 1950 in Xinku, Taitung, “near a small harbor of the Amis tribe,” he said. His mother was Amis and father Baiwan. He lived there until he was 2 ½ years old, then moved again to the village Jialau, near Taimali, his “final home,” as he called it.
“Typhoon loves us,” he said, of the village that floods and is nearly wiped away every few years; the latest devastation took place during Typhoon Morakot last August.
Read moreADOGA: Rocking Taiwan
By Phillip Charlier for The Wild East ‘Adoga’ may be a mysterious word to people residing in the Wild West. The current number one result when you Google the word is American Dehydrated Onion and Garlic Association. In Taiwan, it has a very different meaning. It is the Hoklo Taiwanese word for a
Read moreDeep Purple to Rock Taipei
Tickets are selling fast for the Deep Purple concert May 10, 2010 at the Taipei World Trade Center Nangang Exhibition Hall.
Read moreExclusive interview with Lisa Furtado
By Trista di Genova The Wild East So how did Nelly Furtado’s sister end up teaching in Kaohsiung, Taiwan? I was tired of the routine of living in Victoria, BC and being in university. I finally graduated and was looking for a big change. The year before I graduated I
Read moreBeyonce in Beijing: Shut up and dance?
While China changes so fast the facts blur, one habit that remains is audiences sitting politely in their seats during rock concerts as if they were listening to political speeches at the National People’s Congress.
Read morePeacefest spirit, gearing up
By Trista di Genova The Wild East Meeting under banyan trees in ShiDa Rd. park, organizers of this year’s Hoping for Hoping “Peacefest” gathered for the first of weekly discussions, on Tuesday, Sept. 8. Peacefest fans may be pleasantly surprised with the decision to hold this year’s music festival on
Read moreTaking over Bliss: Interview with Travis Bannert
annert, 29, is from Edmonton, Canada. He came to Taiwan two years ago, “to get away, see Asia, similar to the situation of a lot of people here,” he says. In Canada, he was an investment banker, and “didn’t want to push paper anymore,” and managed promotion for a nightclub. In Taiwan, he taught English in Taipei County for a year. Three months ago, he and a friend took over the lease for Bliss, a popular pub and live music venue in Taipei.
Read moreChopin Piano competition draws int'l talent
The 12th Taipei International Chopin Piano Competition will be held Sept. 7-21 at the National Concert Hall in Taipei, drawing talent from around the world to Taiwan’s top piano competition. The event has been coordinated every year since 1985 by Frederic Chopin Foundation Taipei, which was founded by Mme. Anna
Read moreA Preview To The Wild East
“East Meets Mae West,” by Trista di Genova Saturday, Jan. 19, 7 p.m.-midnight PLACE: Beat Studio, Taipei “I think of it as a Beat Studio Avantro-spective, a taste of the year to come. Something to make the Biennial people jealous!” laughs Trista di Genova, a first-time curator in this experience,
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