半裸有何罪 (轉載《AM730》「730視角」專欄)

這完全是傳媒課程的最佳反面教材，讓學生具體明白甚麼叫斷章取義、以偏概全、不理脈絡的新聞報導。話說零八年平安夜，除了本土行動的julian再 被控襲警罪 ，叫人憤怒兼神傷外，有隊其實叫做《永遠懷念塔可夫斯基》的獨立音樂單位，也在同一天被召上差館，進行「友善」對話。

事緣是， 組合鬼馬地在facebook開了個event，在灣仔創作人集中地富德樓搞一個小型音樂會，叫做《半裸聖誕派對》（其實是一首早在2007年已出過街的 單曲），也巧心製作了一段性感而健康的音樂錄像，女主角美麗清新，樂而不淫。明明是獨立樂團小圈子佳節精品，「半裸」兩個字，卻觸動了誰的探射燈，自己有 鬼，不查不問，就在主流媒體報道了，更認定為「網上攬客」，於是警方上門，商罪科跟進，大興問罪之師，唉，樂團不過是年輕人，以幽默感和創意擦中「大人」 的道德虛線，用得著如此嗎﹖正當中坑名咀在大聲說小聲哭哀悼飯島愛，詳說自己怎樣自小在她身上學習性知識和體位(性知識貧乏如此，還要大書特書？臉紅不臉 紅)，為何年輕人直白坦歌自己的慾望又不可以﹖那份直率比清水還要純，對女孩子青春的身體的尊重和愛慕，比主流媒體雙雙無處不在的偷窺眼睛，不知健康多少 倍﹖誰天天用露半球圖片攬客？誰出賣女人的身體﹖誰心裡有鬼﹖

正如樂團新歌「灣仔差館奇遇記」所唱，有權者才是標準所在﹖「警察掃黃可接受手淫╱微型音樂 會卻是罪行╱簡化報道傳媒有甚麼責任╱半裸派對就萬萬不能╱警察卻有權全裸搜身╱傳媒警方聯手讓音樂不能發生」唉。年輕人罪在無權？

2009-01-08M
35 小歇 730視角

Getting noticed at last (CHINA DAILY)

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/hkedition/2009-01/24/content_7426638.htm

Getting noticed at last
By Nicole WongUpdated: 2009-01-24 09:04

Lam Ah-P (left) and Ho Shan, members of Local indie group "Forever Tarkovsky Club"
HONG KONG: Hong Kong has always taken pride in its reputation for fostering a distinctive creativity recognized as avant garde and even edgy. Recent years have seen things get even edgier. There was, for example, the pas des deux involving one music group and law enforcement concerning a "showcase" venue. It began with an event billed as the "Christmas Half-Nude Party", the debut concert of the local indie group, "Forever Tarkovsky Club". Publicity for the event was augmented by a photo that was "edgy". Concert title and photo set some into a moral frenzy. Media, never averse to lurid tales, furnished a wealth of pre-concert publicity with sensational reporting and before long, a musical concert had become transformed in the minds of many into an orgy.

Thus, neither the "Christmas Half-Nude Party" nor any items of wearing apparel ever came off. What did happen was that all the frenzy aroused the attention of local law enforcement.
"We walked out of the Wan Chai Police Station with the advice that it's illegal to host a public function in a private premise. After that we canceled the gig," said the band's two members Ho Shan and Lam Ah-P. "It was a case of the music being silenced under moral pressure from media and law enforcement."

"Forever Tarkovsky Club" cancelled its debut concert. All that remained were the lubricious images shared among wildly titillated regulars of an online form and perhaps a sense of achievement among those who opposed the event without ever finding out what they were opposing.

Original publicity photos for the band's music performance, "Christmas Half-Nude Party" Photos courtesy of "Forever Tarkovsky Club"

Crime of music

The premise the duo chose for the grand debut concert is the Foo Tak Building. It's a commercial-cum-residential building in Wan Chai, known to be the residence of artists and art organizations. In keeping with the spirit of indie music shows, the band planned an intimate mini-concert for an audience of 16 in a vacant unit of the building.
As Lam remarked, the band specified in its Facebook posting that the performance was not to be racy, sexy or even "half nude." "The title 'Christmas Half-Nude Party' is the name of one of our songs. We made it very clear that the audience had the choice whether they wanted to pay for admission to the gig."

Despite the disclaimer and enthusiastic response from music lovers, a few of the event's promotional photos spelt trouble. The black and white portraits featured the band and their female friend Siu Ding, who posed half-nude with a keyboard across her chest. Within hours she became the focus of much fascination in a local online forum noted for its fixation with all topics "macho".

"Some guys tracked down her personal blog and photos, and posted them for everyone to see," Ho recalled. "In the next few days, both our Facebook posting and our music video on Youtube were deleted. Then there were stories in two local Chinese newspapers that called us 'netizens recruiting for a Christmas half-nude party'."
According to Lam, the newspapers never approached him or his fellow band member asking for an interview. He pointed out the stories made no reference to the band's name or that a band was organizing the event. "They spoke to the residents of the Foo Tak Building, to lawyers and to the police. The whole thing was so distorted that they made us look like sickos planning an orgy."

All that is what led to Ho and Lam being taken, inevitably, to the Wan Chai Police Station on December 23, four days before the band's big night was to take place. In the hour-long meeting, the two band members laid out their case before the Technology Crime Division of the Crime Prevention Bureau (CPB).

"The CPB had second-hand sources like Siu Ding's blog and the online forum posts," Lam elaborated. "In the end they accepted that we're musicians, but reminded us of the media reports. Finally they cautioned that we'd be in breach of the law if we held a show without a license."

While the police declined to comment on the particular case, a spokesperson said that to organize any public activity or event in an establishment not licensed as a place of public entertainment is an infringement of Chapter 172 of the Places of Public Entertainment Ordinance.
"But that's how independent bands have always run their shows. Our experience is just an example of the dilemma we face as musicians," Ho argued. "The good thing is that it sparked some lively discussions online and in local independent media. The discussion is all very fair-minded and there's been a lot of support for us."

Wider recognition

The cancellation of the group's original concert might prove a blessing in disguise for Ho and Lam. On December 28, 2008, the band debuted at Kubrick, a bookstore in Yau Ma Tei. The concert was renamed, in all sober seriousness and strait laced propriety, the "Healthy Moral Christmas Party". And the duo debuted a new original tune, "The Misadventure in Wan Chai Police Station".

For all the sarcastic overtones, the one-hour concert drew an audience of over 100. It was featured on RTHK TV. The band's new found notoriety also attracted the attention of some mainstream music lovers, who checked out the band's blog and music videos orbiting out in cyberspace.

Besides the new found attention, Ho said the course of events opened a fresh interaction between the band and the audience. "In the past we tended to hang out with our friends, to create and perform in private. Now we get feedback from strangers on Facebook and through other channels."

Named after the late Russian director Andrei Tarkovsky, "Forever Tarkovsky Club" started two years ago as a small circle of friends gathered to screen movies.The gatherings evolved into sessions, at which Ho played experimental guitar compositions and Lam recited his poetry.
"Our club is really a collaborative effort; our friends participate in the meetings through a wide range of mediums, like modern dance and stage magic," Lam emphasized. "Shan and me are the band because we're responsible for the music. We have a German artist friend who creates our videos."

The band's music revolves around diverse themes, from social responsibility, poverty and prostitution, to cult movies and the club's persuasion to anarchy. A standout piece is "Please don't go flag-selling in Sham Shui Po", which pokes fun at the absurdity of fund-raising in one of the poorest districts of Hong Kong.

"We wrote the song after we saw someone doing it in Sham Shui Po on a Monday. In reality, flag-selling activities by approved charities are organized on Wednesdays and Saturdays," Lam recalled. "It was a dodgy business. It's ironic how the poor in Hong Kong get exploited rather than getting helped."

Following the legal entanglements over the canceled gig, Ho said the band will aim to host its future concerts in venues that are properly licensed public entertainment venues, like the Fringe Club in Central. "We'll have a fuller line-up featuring our friends, though the performance will still be spontaneous."

The two young men have much to look forward to in 2009. Apart from the debut album of "Forever Tarkovsky Club" in April, Ho will release a new album with his band Pixel Toy. Lam will also launch a new release with his band My Little Airport, which has signed record deals in Spain, Korea, Taiwan and the mainland.

It is impossible to survive as full-time independent musicians in Hong Kong. Thus, both Ho and Lam have other commitments, including working for a living. There is some identity conflict among alternative music groups whose members often embrace labels of rogue, rebel renegade and so on, against the artistic imperative to wider acceptance, as independent musicians seek recognition for their works.

"By nature, independent bands cater to a small and alternative audience, though we also try to attract the mainstream audience sometimes. A challenge for the local independent art scene is that most youngsters are unwilling to spend time pursuing their passion. Still, it's no excuse for us not to work hard on what we do," Ho concluded.

再談「永遠懷念塔可夫斯基」之灣仔差館奇遇記 Text：袁智聰

　上回講到(請以講古佬的口脗讀出)，由My Little Airport的阿P和PixelToy的何山另組成的「永遠懷念塔可夫斯基」，為配合單曲〈聖誕半裸派對〉的發表而原定在12月27日舉行一場《聖誕半裸音樂會》，以作為他們的首次公演。結果遭某大報章的新聞版以偏蓋全地炒作與抹黑成為「聖誕半裸派對網上攬客」活動。就在前文刊登上載當日(12月23日)，阿P和何山亦被召往灣仔警署跟警方溝通溝通。事情亦有了戲劇性的發展。

　當天就在「警方的強烈勸籲下」，他們決定把《聖誕半裸音樂會》取消了；同時，阿P亦告之會把演出改為《健康道德聖誕樂融融音樂會》並另選場地舉行，聲稱以「歌頌人類正面道德真善美」作主題，擺明要對愚昧的道德標準來個投其所好，以作反諷。當時，我還對他說時間那麼急，只差幾天而已，好難找到表演場地喎。誰不知，他們真的找到了Kubrick，讓《健康道德聖誕樂融融音樂會》在12月28日晚舉行。

　於是，「永遠懷念塔可夫斯基」的處男表演，就由一個只限16名觀眾參與、要在facebook上報名的「微型」演出，而變成可以與(小)眾同樂的公開舉行小型Live Gig。一如所料，當晚門票全場售罄，阿P和何山的半Acoustic表演方式加二人的冷面笑匠Gag位，跟場內100名觀眾帶來45分鐘「樂融融」的音樂聚會。

　在《健康道德聖誕樂融融音樂會》裡，「永遠懷念塔可夫斯基」大部分獻上的都是未經發表過的新歌，如〈綑綁桂綸鎂〉、前文提及過探討應否在深水埗這個香港最貧窮的區域賣旗籌款的〈請不要在深水步賣旗〉、阿P的唸詩作品〈我會在暗中保護你〉；但現場取得最大迴響，定是記述了5天前二人「上差館」之荒謬體驗的〈灣仔差館奇遇記〉。

　《健康道德聖誕樂融融音樂會》演出的兩天後，「永遠懷念塔可夫斯基」亦火速將〈灣仔差館奇遇記〉此曲聯同音樂錄像在網絡上發表。

　正當這陣子唱道：「我哋經已失去太多興趣 / 我哋經已失去太多伴侶」的〈聖誕半裸派對〉那份在浩浩蕩蕩爽朗Noise-Pop曲風下的失落心情仍叫我津津樂道之際(好一首失落聖誕歌)，〈灣仔差館奇遇記〉亦成為近日徘徊在我耳畔的一曲。

〈灣仔差館奇遇記〉由12月23日二人在警署被誤稱為「甚麼柴可夫斯基」開始，從而刻劃出整件事情的荒謬絕倫。「警察掃黃可接受手淫 / 微型音樂會卻是罪行」、「半裸派對就萬萬不能 / 警察卻有權全裸搜身」，已一針見血地對如此的社會道德標準作出狠狠的批判。

　社會性的歌曲不一定是以激進火爆搖滾與咆哮戾氣演繹而來，像〈灣仔差館奇遇記〉這樣傻裡傻氣且淡淡然的簡約民歌曲風，一樣可以極具譏諷與批判意味。