Jonathan Campbell tells Matt Fleming about laying out a history of rock music in China

When it comes to Chinese music genres, rock ‘n’ roll doesn’t crowd-surf to mind. But there’s been a growing scene in China over the past quarter of a century – and former Beijing resident Jonathan Campbell has charted its emergence in Red Rock: The Long, Strange March of Chinese Rock & Roll. The book, published in Hong Kong, shows the circumstances which have allowed rock music to thrive despite it being a rebellious, individualistic art form. Campbell was a writer, music promoter and performer in Beijing and one of his bands, Black Cat Bone, played Hong Kong a few times.

Red Rock marks the 25th anniversary of the birth of rock ‘n’ roll in mainland China. Is it a definitive history?
I don’t see how any history can be definitive, really. But Red Rock is certainly a much-needed big-picture look at how yaogun, the Chinese version of rock ‘n’ roll, developed – and how the country that birthed it did as well.

What inspired you to put pen to paper and write the book?
Anyone who sees something they’re immersed in covered by others has had the feeling that they can do it better. In my case, it wasn’t so much that I had the full story, it was that I knew I could get it. In fact, I started out assuming that the book would be mostly about the past 10 years, but as I dug backwards it occurred to me how important the journey to the past 10 years was and how much I, and too many people around me, had disregarded it.

Has the scene changed significantly over the past quarter of a century?
Hell yeah. The scene has changed as much as the country. It’s really hard to imagine what life for someone with an interest in rock music would have been like 25 years ago. Being remotely interested in anything outside of mainstream society was inconceivable to literally the entire population, save a couple of crazy kids. China started acknowledging the existence of the rest of the world in the 80s. In the early 90s, Zhang Youdai, a radio DJ, had to cut his hair to go on the air. By the mid-90s, you had long-haired rock stars. In the late 90s you started to see rock clubs. By the early 2000s rock music was no longer off-the-charts. These days, rock listening and playing is almost normal. Almost.

What challenges have rock bands faced in mainland China?
In the beginning, they faced a society unable to process the existence of anything outside of the straight-laced mainstream. And, for many, they faced a life on their own, never imagining there were other people like them. Once communities were formed, gigs and parties were literally underground and often shut down by the authorities. These days, the biggest challenge is the general population’s indifference.

Is this form of music getting a bigger following now?
Definitely. But because of the early successes of bands like Black Panther and Tang Dynasty in particular, plus the international interest in the late 90s in the punk bands of the Beijing scene and, in the Olympic era, in the general scene, it seems to me that newer bands expect a huge following, and often act as though they have one. Certainly there are more large-scale events and venues featuring rock music, and it’s gotten more acceptance among the general population. But the rock fan in China, like anywhere else, really, is still a minority. But they are an important minority.

Will you be following the book up (maybe in 25 years’ time)?
Sure. I was going to say I stopped writing long enough to get the thing printed, but the truth is that there’s a lot more to talk about.

Red Rock: The Long, Strange March of Chinese Rock & Roll is published by Earnshaw Books (Hong Kong), priced $180. Check out www.jonathanWcampbell.com for more details.