Playlist: Jeroen Groenewegen, Percussionist, Second Hand Rose
If an alien came to Earth, what music would you recommend they listen to?
This is a trick question. Everyone knows aliens don’t have ears. They communicate through telepathy. So, if they tap my brain while I’m listening to “Goggles” by The Melvins or P.J. Harvey’s “Is That All There Is,” they might get a shock or thrill, but I’m not sure it would do humanity any good.
What songs would be on your sex mix?
None of the songs by Second Hand Rose. They dressed me up in this ridiculous bishop costume for a show at Tango a few weeks ago. There was a red mitre on my head and my hairy legs stuck out from under the flimsy white robe. It somehow made sense when we got on stage and two thousand people went insane. Best show ever. That said, I’ll stick to Jaga Jazzist in the bedroom.
What was your wedding song?
At our wedding in the Netherlands, we had guest performances by Maikel Liem, the bass player for the Amazing Insurance Salesmen; Lin Di, who sings and plays pipa in Cold Fairyland; and Xiao He, the best musician in Beijing. A perfect day.
What’s your favorite music video?
“Heading for Tumi.” In Hong Kong, I asked the director Susie Au about the images of Wong shooting men with toy guns. Au explained that the feminist allusions were her own and went on to give me a quote that became central in my Ph.D. thesis: “In the final analysis, clips are about the projection of a self, the self of the star. It’s about exploring her fantasy, or my fantasy about her.”
What is your favorite TV theme tune?
“Little Boxes” by Malvina Reynolds. It’s anti-conformist.
JEROEN’S FIVE-SONG PLAYLIST
“Shui 18” by Xiao He because I miss the rain.
“Brutal and Cold-Blooded” by Second Hand Rose because it’s fun to play.
“Idiots” by Faye Wong. I like how her voice blends into the erhu.
“Flood” by Cold Fairyland. The band is composed of three couples.
“Qilian Mountain Range” by Liu Kun. It’s a good tune for a long journey.
Join Jeroen for heated intellectual discussions at his monthly pop music salon. Details at http://blog.sina.com. cn/liuxingyinyueyanjiu.
This article originally appeared on page 53 in the February issue of the Beijinger.
Photo courtesy of Jeroen Groenewegen
