By Trista di Genova
Staff Writer
In September 2008, I interviewed for The China Post a clean-cut, charismatic Canadian entrepreneur in Taiwan who had started his own UN-consultative organization, Clean Development Group (CDG).
I met him at The Wild East art exhibition, and later he was the perfect interview subject for my ‘Expats Making A Difference’ series in The China Post at the time.
Then a year later, I get an email from Scott:
I have attached a rather unorthodox attachment which is a song I recorded in 6 hours by myself with 1 engineer during my very brief visit to Taipei. I had a tune in my head and went in and played all the instruments and vocals and am curious what you think…
Here’s the song, “Fool”
Needless to say, I liked it, to the point where the Mp3 started to actually, erm, wear out… reminded me a bit o’ the Psychedelic Furs.
So Radio Banciao and The Wild East Magazine got this SCOOP INTERVIEW with THE MAN HIMSELF, the BEEF on MAKIN’ the SONGS:
WE: That’s you singin? Frickin nice.
Scott: Thanks.
WE: How do you know how to play all those instruments? …and so you’re workin on music these days?
Scott: No, I have always done music for fun - that’s all. I was in Taipei when I wrote it… I’ve played a few instruments since I was a little punk (kid, not music). I am just finishing a few new songs right now in Taipei, but am still based in Canada.
WE: What are you doing these days?
Scott: I am still doing the environmental thing - just finished a 244 page government report on renewable energy.
When I jetted off an email to tell him how much I LOVED that song and for more details for THIS SCOOP for our Radio Banciao listeners, he wrote “Fool” ‘concerns not just how we view others, but how we view ourselves.’
He added:
Your timing is impeccable! …I wrote the songs either in Taiwan or Canada and I recorded all the instruments in Taipei. Fool for example was in my head in Taipei and took about 6 hours for me to record. I spent a little longer on the other 5. I hope you like them. They all have their own story…
THE STORY BEHIND THE SONGS
The song “Taiwan” - “Is an acknowledgement of the transitions taking place between the East and West and the reality that so many mistakes are often repeated (globally, on all sides). That our species just has difficulty learning from history and experience and often make choices based more on opinions than fact. And that there are a handful of individuals on all sides that eventually lend intelligence, tact, diplomacy, understanding and genuine acts to enable compromise that provide longitudinal and healthy progress for the masses.”
‘TAIWAN’ Lyrics
There’s much we’d like to say – shey shey
We hold hope but never pray – shey shey
We’re friends, not enemies – shey shey
There’s a future I can see – shey shey
The roads been shut down and gated, the journey was highly under-rated
The gentle, men and ladies can’t sleep in the backs of their Mercedes
There is a lot to swallow, if we’re really gonna lead or follow
Extending a handshake, better than embargoes or an earthquake
Both sides have a lot of hidden dirt – shey shey
To open a world of hurt – shey shey
The fact that the right is always wrong – shey shey
They’ll learn to sing along – shey shey
11 - “Is about the complexity and simplicity of a healthy personal relationship. It is written to reflect and respect the details that are universal and the progression and detours relationships can and often take.”
Beautiful - “Is about how people get entangled in themselves, religions and other superficial comforts and misunderstand and often just completely miss others perspectives and possibilities. Also about those people who just become purely twisted in a bad way and “toxify” others as a means of coping or manipulating. In so doing they also miss the places pure beauty lays.”
Fade Away - “Is about removing ones self from a situation that is, or that we feel, is not ideal for us. Whether with another individual or situation. The tools we select to enable such changes and the justifications that we use, real and /or self created fiction.”
Life Expired - Is letting others know that dealing with death of friends, family, and other lives important to them is most definitely a traumatic and solo experience, but one with universal elements shared and understood by those who have already been apart of this inevitable journey.
