"Dialogue" like, let you make fun and timeless things in the right state: singer and cartoonist Chico╳Musician Ma Nianxian

Text｜ Li Xiaomeng ·Photography｜ Chen Yitang ·Venue Cooperation｜ Snow King Ice Cream , Allison Records China Store

This summer, veteran musician Chico completed and published his first commercial comic book "The Complete Works of Body and Mind" by hand, with an album of the same name at the end of the book. At the end of midsummer, we invite Chi Ge and Ma Nianxian, who has known each other for more than 20 years and belongs to the same philosophical style, to go to Ximending to relive their past feelings and talk about each other's stubborn and uncompromising music creation values. Talk about Chico's slash career as a singer-songwriter and cartoonist, as well as his conscience advice for physical and mental health.

In the middle of the day, there was once a lion's mane-like natural curly hair Qi Ge, with a refreshing and neat appearance. The editing team asked him how to address Ma Nianxian in order to avoid being unfamiliar and yet respectful: "Mr. Ma? Mr. Ma?" Qi Ge calmly replied, "Brother Ma." As soon as he finished speaking, Ma Nianxian of Gao Ruo waved his hand kindly and appeared. The two of them wore jeans at the same time, and they blended into the youthful Ximending without any disobedience. From the moment they met, Qi Ge and Ma Ge talked and laughed happily. Wherever they went along the way, it was like stepping into a two-person cockpit, keeping a distance from the outside world with a lively conversation like no one else.

Ma Nian was familiar with the road, and introduced the Wannian Building food street shop where he often went to eat when he was young (Qi Ge: "Don't you think we can go there to perform the stage version of "The Lonely Gourmet"?"), and then led everyone to the rumored The best place to visit is the 4th floor. Then, go to the Jiajia Records Store on Zhonghua Road, shuttle between the 2nd and 3rd floors, and browse the albums comfortably. When he was resting at Snow King Ice Cream, Ma Nianxian suddenly remembered that when Chico announced that he was going to start drawing comics again more than ten years ago, he gave him a Christmas picture of Chico's version of "Brother Wang and Liu Ge's Tour of Taiwan", which he still has today. Treasure carefully in his home. Ma Nianxian praised and said, "That picture is very different from what it is now. (Qi Ge) is really committed now."

➤Comic is a Punch to the world with pen and paper

Qi Ge, whose real name is Cai Kunqi, joined the music industry after retiring from the army, playing bass, playing guitar, and being the lead singer. On his personal website, Chigo's self-introduction has two identities side by side: singer-songwriter/caricaturist. The Complete Works of Body and Mind condenses his achievements on the long road of music and image creation, extracts the profound memories of his past encounters with others, as well as the whimsical ideas and personal interpretations that he hatched in his mind after studying the Tao Te Ching. The light-hearted, funny, and somewhat ㄎㄧㄤ narrative style is transformed into an allegorical comic.

In the past two years, Chico has continued to study the Tao Te Ching, without any purpose, but with interest. His comment to the Tao Te Ching was: "Sometimes it's useless, with a bit of a hater's tone, and sometimes it's too detached." From the very beginning, Chico hoped to transform the ideas of the past two years into A simple story that is like a race between the tortoise and the hare without too high a threshold. "Cartoons are the simplest, and the content should not be too hard, because the scriptures are actually full of esoteric."

"Eyes. Spectacles> is a short story corresponding to "The Elephant is Invisible". After the male protagonist picked up a pair of glasses and put them on, the whole world suddenly became innocent and cute. "Wherever he goes, the people he sees become playful children. Occasionally taking off the glasses will make him feel a little dizzy." Until the glasses were broken Only then did he notice a line of warnings under the frame.

Why does the most macroscopic phenomenon seem to not exist? Just as Okun's razor reveals that "the explanation with the fewest assumptions is often the closest to the truth", the more profound wisdom and truth, the more difficult to describe and measure. Such seemingly contradictory views bring comfort and allow Chico to reach a reconciliation with him. When we can recognize the vision and projection thrown to the outside world, the truth that we perceive in our hearts may not be the same. Maybe it is not a big misunderstanding of the world, but it may just be wise and foolish.

"The Complete Works of Body and Mind" combines comics and music, and is positioned as "a comic book that can be listened to". This is not the first time Chico has published comics. As early as 2011, he caught 5 amateur comics fans and independently published the kuso-feeling "Nongmin Calendar"; in 2014, he launched a record of the student movement, with a suspenseful plot. Philosopher's comic book "Singularity". Open the "Tropical Monsoon Vol.1" with the theme of "Asian Documentary Comics Publication" of Slow Work Culture, and you can also see Chico's short story comic "Opening the Back Compartment", which combines the mobile experience of walking and dancing alone touring around the world.

We asked Chico, what's the difference between drawing comics and making music? Is the fun in it comparable? He said, "Both creations are a very happy process for me, but the joy of drawing is more simple." Making music is the result of discussions and coordination with many parties based on personal auditory aesthetics, and the final presentation may not be what I like. On the contrary, "Cartoon is a form of self-expression, and the beauty and ugliness that others perceive are not important to me. When I draw it, it exists. If I find a more comfortable way of creating, I will continue to maintain it."

However, Chico admits that he is still relatively old-fashioned, and believes that the story should have a "starting and turning" and a clear ending to avoid confusing readers. Speaking of this, he asked with concern whether the story of "The Complete Works of Body and Mind" would be difficult to understand? Seeing us shaking our heads, Chico looked relieved.

A few years ago, Chico wrote his thoughts on Facebook : "I admit that most of my life has survived by pleasing others. Think about it, if I can choose a career again, I want to be a boxer, I want to feel the bones of my face burst open in my fist joints. I'm not here to please you~"

For him, painting is to practice boxing with pen and paper, selfish but happy, "like a punch." Chico's eyes were firm when he said this, as if he could see him panting and drawing with all his strength "the sweat on the road to create Shura." The crystallization of tears", the smile beats the world, but at the same time shows the courage and tenderness to protect the inner value (just like the album cover of the 2008 natural volume "Break Out").

➤ Fun and could be even more fun

Qi Ge, who played troupes in college and had an undiminished love for music after retiring from the army, joined Magic Rock Records as a production assistant, starting the beginning of getting to know Nuomi Group's lead singer Ma Nianxian. However, Chico was a fan of Nuomi before that, and he took the initiative to hug at the performance scene. "The whole glutinous rice ball can cover the spirit of the 1990s." Speaking of the glutinous rice ball, Chico's eyes still glowed: "It's super distinctive -- it's a human characteristic, not just dressed up."

In the era when recording equipment is about to be fully digitized, Ma Nian first chatted with Qi Ge, who was in charge of the recording studio, about music. In addition to the exploration of making music, not presupposing or resisting the equipment carrier, more importantly, they also pursue pure and interesting musicality, and also have the action spirit of doing what they want.

Ma Nianxian and Qi Ge are not very keen on the blessing of famous brand halo, "I don't think everything needs to be big, complicated or powerful, as long as you like and feel right." Qi Ge believes that more than To meet the mass packaging image in order to achieve traffic goals, or to compromise for high profits, lose the sharp teeth to challenge the world, "fun, want to do this, and the refreshment brought by the action process" is what they desire of.

The principle of being faithful to oneself is also implemented in the "Project Early" that the two collaborated on.

"Project Early", which started in 2005, is a 10-year limited music special project named by the nearly 30-year-old Ma Nianxian and Chico with the homophonic "Early". Looking for external sponsorship resources, Chico evaluates the feasibility and makes music.

The first album " Project Early " was released in a package that looked like a small telescope (the fans were caught off guard when they received it, and they didn't know how to unpack it). In addition to 3 songs, it also added a mini slide projector with a handle on the side. I saw the childhood photos of Ma Nianxian and Qi Ge. " Project Early 2 ", launched in 2006, brought more surprises: the EP outer box is an iPod-like cigarette case, but there is a cassette inside, just like the Kinder Surprise Egg advertising slogan "Three wishes are fulfilled at once". There are also three songs on the A side of the cassette, and the easter egg on the B side is a radio drama by Ma Nianxian and Qi Ge.

In 2017, Chico said on Facebook : "Project Early should be the most creative, but the worst-selling, coolest combo ever. We've all done fun and a little stupid things when we didn't play cards according to the rules. "Now Chico looks back and says, "In fact, we have done a lot of success, but it's still a little earlier than others." Even if the result is not as expected, at least have a good time and have no regrets.

The introduction to " Project Early 2 " written by Chico and Ma Nianxian 16 years ago is almost like a statement, and even now, it is timeless and thought-provoking:

"Under the promotion of easy and cool packaging, people seem to forget that music itself is the main reason for the birth of these technology products. We are not old-fashioned against technology, but we just hope that while enjoying the convenience brought by technology, not to Forget the role of these tools. With the advancement of the times, the replacement speed of these technology products will be faster than ever, and the real thing that cannot be replaced is the music itself... More than half of the important components installed in iPods all over the world come from Taiwan, and the ones installed in iPods What about the music and ideas?"

In "My SG" in "The Complete Works of Body and Mind", Chico expressed his views on pop music through the explosive protagonist Han Jimi: "The technique is very good, but it seems to me that there is a little less original interest." He emphasized That kind of raw refers to the state of Raw, just like indie bands in the 1980s, which were often formed by a group of people who had not received much orthodox training: "In the past, some things were spoiled, not as clean and tidy as they are now, but very good. smell."

In the contemporary era when algorithms are popular, the consumption habits, attention objects and favorite content of Internet users are all recorded in the big data database. If the orchestra follows the market trend to cater to the audience and formulate marketing strategies, the music style will inevitably be affected. Ma Nianxian said that the digitization of music has its practical benefits, and there is no need to resist it. However, when it becomes easier to obtain materials, it will make the style of music more and more homogenous.

Qi Ge also added that digital music is very efficient to produce, and the results obtained by referring to big data are of course beautiful and error-free, but it is not easy to make special features. On the other hand, in the era before the transition from analog to digital, there were not many channels for information sharing, and it was relatively closed. Most music creators started from their own hearts. "That aesthetic feeling will not sound the same."

We can't help but ask: So, what is the most important thing about making music? Brother Chi and Brother Ma glanced at each other, and Ma Nian was the first to speak: "It was fun at the beginning, but after you do it, you will find out—"

"It could be more fun!" Chico answered with a naughty but sincere expression.

➤Old-school romance that likes ugly things and believes in emotional communication between people

The character of unwilling to be grandstanding and insisting on his own style is also reflected in Chico's image creation method: the entire "Body and Mind" is hand-painted with colored pencils and watercolors. The dialogue and the lyrics in the appendix at the end of the book are also hand-written stroke by stroke. Up. "I can also draw very delicately, but it doesn't make much sense. I hope there is still room for mistakes, and ugly things will have a stronger stamina." Chi Ge thought of something and quickly added: "Actually, it's not really ugly, it's just a comparison. ”

He opened the "Complete Collection of Body, Mind and Mind" and took us to take a closer look at the inner pages of the comics: the rough lines are preserved, whether black and white or colorful, they are self-contained, exuding a strong sense of the 80s, old-fashioned but harmonious colors. When we saw the homepage of "My SG", we asked the woman with beautiful features on the wall, is it the love object of Chi Ge when she was young? He shook his head with a smile and solemnly introduced: This is the Japanese actress Akina Nakamori, who used to be called the "Goddess of Fenders".

"My SG", apart from the emotional development of the musician Amigo, the most eye-catching are the people who live in the urban fringe: the uncle who insists on only playing and singing Ye Qitian, the rumored Tai Chi old man who is very light-handed, The old man who read fortune-telling by palm reading and the aunt who cooks good dishes are all lifelike under the simple style of painting. Chico, who grew up in a poor environment since Chen was a child, said that social news often looks at relatively disadvantaged and marginalized groups from the perspective of snooping and compassion. However, Chico believes that "the people inside are super interesting!" In the spirit of mutual assistance, he showed Strong vitality.

The cover and back cover of "The Complete Works of Body and Mind" shows Amigo wearing Australian rock band AC/DC group T, crossing the zebra crossing to the Japanese trendy clothing brand Scoop Boys, and Tower Records next to it. . Through Amigo's story, Chico synthesizes Ximending in his memory and imagination, and also "burying a needle" in his personal life experience, leaving irreplaceable characters and records.

What is your favorite piece of Chico's new book? He called out <Poo Man> without hesitation. Although he also takes the responsibility of protecting world peace, the protagonist of "Poo Man" is completely different from other superheroes - he must allow himself to be swallowed by an animal and excreted through the digestive system in order to obtain the ability corresponding to the animal; When animals eat and excrete waste, they will have one more super power. Chigo smiled and pointed to Poo Man, who was flying high, and said, "He is very sunny! But his eyes are dead." When creating this comic, Chigo used watercolors and colored pencils together to increase the color saturation, making this especially colorful, and finally welcome An unexpected ending.

In high school, Chigo, who loves comics, once submitted a short comic contest, "the 18-page kind." As a result, the reply was written: Please work hard and work hard. "I actually know that I'm bad at drawing, but I still want to submit it to try it out." The feeling of loss can be imagined when the young contributors faced the standard rejection letter. So, what brought Chico back to the brush?

Surprisingly, what rekindled his motivation turned out to be a translated novel "The Cruel Genius". The protagonist of the novel disappeared, and his life and death became a mystery, but he left behind a room full of paintings. Chico said, drawing with his hands: "There are boxes after boxes of paintings, just like that nanny Vivian Maier, who hid all the negatives in a suitcase, and someone found tens of thousands of dollars at auction. Only after taking a negative, did I know that she was actually taking pictures during her lifetime.” Chico was moved by the plot of the works left behind in “The Cruel Genius”, so he took up the pen to meet the desire to create and paint for himself.

During the comic publishing process, Chico had a lot of exchanges and discussions with Huang Peishan, the editor-in-chief of Slow Work. Most of the suggestions from the editor's point of view will be accepted by Chigo, except for one point - the "Ball", which corresponds to the central idea of "The Tao Te Ching", must be placed first.

"Ball" depicts a huge unidentified water polo appearing in the mid-air of the Taipei Basin, which has attracted worldwide attention. It has not only become the topic of check-in attractions and famous programs, but even NASA sent astronauts to Taiwan to sneak in to explore the ingredients. After a lot of noise, the water polo disappeared again. It has also been forgotten by people... This article begins with the inscription "Shangshan is like water" and finally ends with the conclusion "Everything is born from existence, and existence is born from non-existence", which embodies the core purpose of the Tao Te Ching.

➤ Live in the simplest state and enjoy the process

"I'm also 50 years old this year. The Complete Works of Body and Mind is a review and a footnote."

Chico completed the trilogy of body and mind through music and comics: at the beginning, "Insufficiency of Body and Mind" criticized the hypocritical and pompous world, followed by "The Ghost of Incomplete Body and Mind Hits the Wall", which depicts the proposition of middle-aged divorce. The Complete Works of Body, Mind, and Mind reviewing different stages of life. The waves of time beat back and forth, and people gradually gathered and stitched together their bodies and minds, practicing returning to their basics, just as the Tao Te Ching contains the core concepts of "nothing" and "looseness".

When it comes to physical and mental health care, Ma Nian first said that many people around him are very particular about health care, and they have their own factions. If he is not feeling well, he will want to use theory and supplements from external things to maintain his health, but he tends to be natural: "Isn't it more burdensome to use external things to support it?" Eat, sleep, exercise, the body It may be able to naturally adjust and restore balance. "Just be easy and simple."

Chico mentioned that he longed for the life in the movie "Captain Fantastic": a couple with 6 children, living a self-sufficient life in the wilderness. They completely break away from the capitalist society, and teach and train their children the skills of self-reliance in the mountains, coexisting with nature. "This is probably what I think of as utopian life right now. That's how to live, to live in the simplest state."

Chico used to be obsessed with cycling and following teams, but that's gone. "Recently, I like to do nothing and be super dick." None does not mean nothing, but under the principle of not excessive pursuit and moderate reservation, it implies infinite potential. Chico said, "Actually, I do all this because I'm enjoying the process."

If someone feels that they are not good enough, they can accept that they are not good enough now, but Qi Ge believes that if he keeps working hard, the results will get better and better, and it will come naturally. For example, after many years of violation, he once again challenged himself to stop-motion animation, and completed the 4.5-minute "I Am Laopi" MV at the speed of advancing the finished product for a few seconds every day, which undoubtedly showed the spirit of hand-made creators.

Lastly, is there anything you want to say to your readers? Chi-ge threw out a sharp six-character post: "Read more, talk less." He felt that there is an online trend in Taiwanese society that is eager to express their opinions and fight with each other. "Don't be in a hurry for everything, don't be in a hurry to express your opinion right away." He sincerely appealed that in the era of information explosion, it is better to calm down and read a book carefully, rather than attacking me.

"Everything is born of existence, and existence is born of non-existence." After the series of body and mind comes to an end, we look forward to more interesting creations in the future (Wish Mago Chico will work together to recreate classics).

➤ Postscript: each other in the eyes of Chigoma

The editorial team asked privately, have these two people who have such a tacit understanding have ever quarreled before? We expected to hear the story of rebuilding the old good after the conflict, but Ma Nianxian and Chico poured a bucket of cold water: "No."

What do you admire most about each other?

Chico appreciates Ma Nianxian's "being honest with people and not too philistine." As a music producer, Chico has developed the skill of reading air and a soft figure, however, he admires Ma Nianxian's outspoken personality: "As long as he doesn't like it , or if you think there is a problem, you will tell it directly. Even on stage, you will tell it, it is really fierce, but I appreciate it very much.”

Ma Nianxian admires Chige's determination and perseverance that no matter what he is fascinated with, he will plunge into research.

Chico added that Ma Nianxian is more open-minded and casual, while he is obsessed with knowing the structure and function behind things: "When I like something, I want to know its secrets, anything I can do. I want to try to see how far I can do it and how far I can push this thing forward. If I invest, I will be afraid of myself." Chico finished, and we all laughed. ●(The original text was first published on the Openbook official website on 2022-09-13)

The Complete Works of Body, Mind, and Mind <br class="smart">Author: Chico Publishing: Slow Work Culture

About the Author: Chico

He is a musician and a cartoonist. When he was young, he formed the punk band "Three-legged Cats", and later formed the fresh folk band "Natural Volume" with Wei Ruxuan. He and his long-time friend Ma Nianxian co-created "Project Early Thirty Years" for 10 years. plan. Recently, with several musician friends Huang Xiaozhen, He Xinsui, and Lisa, they formed the "Go Downhill" band.

Besides playing music, Chico also loves to draw comics. Over the years, he has continued to publish graphic creations, and like music, he has also adopted an independent publishing method. There is an autobiographical comic "My BASS Road", and a collection of short comics "Nong Min Li" with a few orchestra friends who also love to draw. , the comic book "Singularity". In 2022, the latest work "Complete Collection of Body and Mind" will be published; it combines comics, music, Tai Chi, and Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching in one episode. It is also the crystallization of Chigo's sweat and tears in his creation of Shura Road over the years. ｜ "Chigo aka Stepping Song" Official Website ｜ Facebook Fans ｜