Wu Man Interview - From A Distance - Part II

PCM: Do you play the electric pipa in concert?

Wu Man: I have, yes.

PCM: Do you do it often?

Wu Man: Not very often.

PCM: Do you want to get people use to the traditional sound?

Wu Man: I think it depends, take the guitar. There all kinds of guitar. People know there is all kinds of guitar.   Rock, classical so it depends on what type of music you want to hear. It's a good way to show how flexible it is. It's an ancient instrument, we have this beautiful ancient elegant sound but we can still be modern and electric.

PCM: Where does the bowed pipa come in?

Is that something you invented?

Wu Man: Well that CD basically, when I recorded that CD I wanted to see how the sound would be changed when I do different things. Before that I had opportunities to work with many different musicians. So we did some experimental things. I wanted to see the changes in personality of this ancient instrument. I bowed the pipa because I saw some central Asian instruments where they were bowed and plucked and in Uzbekistan there is a bowed and plucked instrument so I tried that on the pipa. Then for the electric Pipa, for recording I'd have a mic on the pipa and the first time I tried some distortion,  I thought, "Hum.... this is interesting let me try to write a piece".

Plus people always said I sound like Jimi Hendrix when I would play Ambush From All Sides. I did not know Jimi Hendrix when I came to this country. I would say, "Who is Jimi Hendrix?".

PCM: People said that for Ambush?

That's not electric.

Wu Man: It's not , (laughter) people said it sounds like Hendrix because of how wild Ambush sounds.

PCM: Ambush From All Sides is one of the most amazing piece in music for me. I thought it was contemporary, I was surprised when I learned it was written in the 1800's.

Was the album from A distance a hard recording to make?

I had that in my CD player for almost a year, before I changed it. I think it is one of my favorite CD's.

Wu Man: Oh, thank you. It was not a hard album it was the most fun to record.. It was a very different experience, all my recording were very classical and tradition this was a departure for me. Opposite and different direction.

PCM: What was your parents reaction to Shanghai Blue's and Bamboo Dreams?.

Wu Man: Oh they enjoyed it, my friends really liked Dancing.

PCM: That is the second song on the CD. I often keep that on replay.

Wu Man: The situation has changed since I left China. It is updated and modern. It's not suppressed anymore. They see it as a away to preserving the tradition.

PCM:    On Vincent's Tune you have your son singing a song that you wrote the piece around.

Wu Man: Yes, he was four at that time. Everyday he sang that song. He always played this song on his toy piano. We don't know where this song came from, it's not Chinese, and it's not American but he always sang it. I don't think he got it from tv. One day when he was playing, I snuck in the room and taped him.

He blushed the first time he heard it. He said mommy that's my voice. I asked him," Do want to keep the CD". He said he wants to keep it for when he's older.

PCM: Does he call it "His" CD

Wu Man: No, he says, "This is mommies CD" .