blueteamnovel Chapter 94 The character of the work and the performer should be considered separately.
Chapter 94 The character of the work and the performer should be considered separately.
Chapter 94 The character of the work and the performer should be judged separately (Please subscribe!)
This living music legend is the core soul of The Beatles.
Lin Ruiyang never expected that he would run into this legendary figure who had long been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame backstage at Madonna's noisy party.
"Oh, I'm sorry, sir, I seem to have disturbed your peace." Lin Ruiyang was the first to react, bowing slightly apologetically.
"No, no, no, young man, please don't say that," Paul McCartney said with an unusually amiable smile.
"Actually, you've come at just the right time. The electronic music outside is deafening; Madonna is turning Malibu into a giant disco tonight. I was worried about not having a sober person to chat with this old man about those inappropriate old topics."
The old gentleman pointed to the empty sofa opposite him: "If you don't mind, would you like to sit down and have a drink? I'm guessing you're that young Chinese guy who's been making headlines in Hollywood lately, Lin?"
"If there isn't another Chinese director named Lin in Hollywood, then it should be me, Sir McCartney." Lin Ruiyang sat down generously.
"Just call me Paul. There are no fancy titles here." Paul took a sip of whiskey.
The faint electronic music from the distant party hall drifted over, but it had been largely drowned out by the sound of the waves. Compared to the decadent atmosphere inside, this place felt like another world altogether.
"How long have you been making movies?" Paul suddenly asked.
"It's been almost two years."
"Only two years?" Paul was clearly surprised.
"I heard you've already won awards at European film festivals."
"I'm lucky."
"It's luck again." Paul shook his head with a smile. "Young people like you always like to attribute your hard work to luck."
Lin Ruiyang did not refute, because humility is much more useful than boasting in front of such an industry leader.
Paul looked at Lin Ruiyang and suddenly changed the subject: "Actually, I've always been curious about what Chinese listeners think about the news about MJ?"
Lin Ruiyang was taken aback. He was somewhat surprised that Paul would ask about this.
"I think the judge has made a ruling, and regardless of what happens privately, everyone is still willing to believe the verdict."
As he said this, Lin Ruiyang racked his brains to recall the relevant circumstances in order to avoid saying the wrong thing.
"That's not what I meant. I want to know what everyone's attitude is towards his purchase of the Beatles' music copyrights."
Paul's expression became noticeably serious as he said this.
Upon hearing that it was about copyright, Lin Ruiyang immediately understood Paul's attitude.
In Hollywood, or rather in the history of global popular music, the battle between Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney over the rights to The Beatles songs (ATV Music Publishing) was no less impactful than an industry earthquake.
In 1985, at the height of his career, Michael Jackson beat Yoko Ono, the widow of Paul and John Lennon, to a bid of $47.5 million to acquire the copyright library containing 251 classic Beatles songs.
This caused a complete break between the two superstars who had been very close due to their collaborations on "Say Say Say" and "The Girl Is Mine".
Paul viewed it as a betrayal by an old friend, later painfully stating, "It's like someone bought the rug under your feet," while Michael saw it as a purely business-compliant investment.
Twenty years have passed, but this thorn is still stuck in the heart of this rock legend.
Judging from subsequent developments, this long copyright story ultimately came to a rather dramatic end.
Paul successfully reclaimed some of the rights to his work through legal means by utilizing relevant provisions of the U.S. Copyright Act (which allows authors to reclaim copyright 56 years after publication).
Lin Ruiyang organized his thoughts and answered frankly, "Paul, if you really want to hear the truth, it's that when Michael bought that copyright library in 1985, the general public in China across the ocean didn't actually have the concept of copyright at all."
Paul opened his mouth in surprise, but did not interrupt.
"That's the truth." Lin Ruiyang shrugged.
"China officially promulgated and implemented its first Copyright Law in 1991. So in 1985, and even throughout the early 1990s, for the vast majority of Chinese listeners, music was something to be listened to—cassette tapes, radio broadcasts, melodies drifting in the air—but it was not an asset that could be bought and sold or used as collateral for capital."
"Therefore, when this news reached China many years later through various rock magazines, people's perspective on this matter was completely different from the mainstream view of Western media."
A flicker of curiosity crossed Paul's eyes: "Oh? So what do they think?"
"In the eyes of Chinese music fans, this is more like a 'battle of the Olympians' in the pop music scene."
People would be amazed: My God, Michael Jackson actually bought the Beatles' songs! In everyone's mind, the Beatles are the gods of rock and roll, while Michael is the king of pop music.
The king buying God's scepter sounds more like a magical legend to Chinese music fans than a commercial acquisition smack of greed.
Upon hearing the apt metaphor of "the king buying the scepter of God," Paul's serious expression finally softened, and he couldn't help but chuckle.
"I am still very interested in performing in China in the future."
Lin Ruiyang said some words of welcome with some reluctance, but these were not his thoughts at all.
In his past life, he loved listening to music, so he was quite the music enthusiast. He would collect his favorite records and learn about the singers.
In September 2002, Paul McCartney revealed a dramatic plan through media outlets such as the Yanjing Morning Post: he intended to hold a free open-air concert in Beijing at the end of 2003, aiming to attract 500,000 spectators, and later planned to go to Moscow's Red Square.
But in the end, this amazing plan remained only on paper.
However, almost a week later, in an interview with the BBC, he described it as "savage, terrible, like the Middle Ages (It's...)".
The phrase "barbaric, horrible, mediocrity" is used to describe the Chinese market.
He also announced a firm personal decision—he will never perform in China.
He stated unequivocally, "I wouldn't even fantasize about performing there, just as I wouldn't go to a country that supports apartheid."
His wife, Heather, even called for a boycott of Chinese goods and the Beijing Olympics.
Even after that, he never changed his biased attitude towards China, including but not limited to deliberately omitting China when holding concerts in Japan and South Korea, and making malicious remarks during the pandemic.
This also made Lin Ruiyang realize that the work and the performer's character should be viewed separately.
Paul didn't notice the fleeting, subtle expression on Lin Ruiyang's face. He was clearly still immersed in the metaphor of "the king buying God's scepter," a smile somewhere between self-deprecation and感慨 (a sense of感慨, a feeling of deep emotion) playing on his lips.
"You know what, Lin? I've only been talking to you for less than twenty minutes, but what you just said made me feel more comfortable than any lawyer's statement I've heard in the past twenty years."
A country you've never been to, a group of listeners you've never met, and their understanding of your music is closer to your original intention when you wrote the song than the person sitting across from you signing the contract. This makes me realize that perhaps my understanding of China in the past has been far too limited.
I've even thought that maybe one day I should go to China myself and see for myself.
Lin Ruiyang didn't reply, but pretended to check the time on his watch: "Paul, it was great to chat with you tonight. The party's almost over, and I have editing work to do tomorrow, so I have to go now."
Paul paused for a moment, then smiled and nodded. "Of course, young people should prioritize their work. I'm glad to have talked to you about these things tonight. I hope we'll have another chance to discuss these topics again."
Lin Ruiyang responded with a smile, but sighed slightly in his heart.