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For China's early rock stars, life begins at 40
By Chen Nan (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-10-26 09:49
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 A family man and popular children's book author is the new image of rocker Zheng Jun. [Xie Yu/China Daily] |
The release of his debut album Naked turned Zheng Jun into the rock sensation on the mainland in 1993, with legions of fans drawn to his introspective lyrics, angry sounds and moody looks.
Now 42, the singer still looks and dresses like a rocker, in skinny faded jeans, boots, a black shirt, and wild fluffy hair. But there is no trace of the arrogance for which he was once well known, both on and off stage.
That has now been replaced by a subtle sense of humor and responsibility.
The picture of the father playing with his 9-year-old daughter is an unusual one for a rock singer but the Xi'an native is proud of his new image - as family man and popular children's book author.
This January, he published his graphic novel Tibetan Rock Dog. Its sell-out initial print run of 100,000 copies attracted the attention of the West. A Hollywood company stepped in, releasing a 3D animation of the cartoon last week in Beijing.
"The book started with me telling my daughter bedtime stories," Zheng says, adding that he never thought the idea would develop into an international film project. "She loves cartoons, especially Japanese and American ones, and we would often watch cartoon flicks, such as Kungfu Panda and Toy Story. But I wanted to give her something about Chinese culture and about myself, besides my role as a father."
He combined his love for music, dogs and Tibetan culture to create Metal, or Mai Tou in Chinese, a Tibetan mastiff who grows up in a remote temple in Tibet and moves to Beijing to pursue his rock dream. He forms a band with like-minded fellows called Rock Dog, with whom he experiences the struggles of living in a big city, confronting failure and falling in love.
The story and characters were fleshed out by Zheng and his daughter over four years. "She would add her own imagination to the story, and we shared and laughed about it," he says. Zheng also started his own company and invited a number of Beijing-based comic-book artists to illustrate it.
"Metal the dog is something of a self-portrait, and I dedicated the story to my daughter, who is fascinated with dogs, just like me," says Zheng with a smile, admitting that fatherhood has changed him from bad-boy rocker to doting father.
"I am not a star in front of her. She not only gave me inspiration for the cartoon character but also changed my life," he says. "I've become a different person. Before, I was a rock star and behaved like one, going out and drinking all night. But you can't do that when you have a child."
Negotiating with publishers and investors was a big change for the rock singer. "I have never had a 'real' job, going to work at 9 am and adjusting to dealing with colleagues, which was a challenge for me," he recalls. He sees the book as a responsibility, not only in terms of taking Chinese culture to the world, but also as a gift for his daughter.
"I love traveling in Tibet because the place tells me that real happiness lies in keeping everything simple," he says. "Now, I feel like I have given myself another childhood with my daughter."
Now that Tibetan Rock Dog looks set for the lights, Zheng says he will go back to his beloved music career. "Music is a private thing where I can express myself. My passion for music is the same as it was 16 years ago, but I am moving toward a different stage in life, which will be reflected in my next album," he says.
