Lasting Legend - Leslie Cheung (Part 1)

By RTHK
Downloaded from YouTube

[Note from Daydreamer: Dear friends, please follow the YouTube links I state herein because I just found out that there are more than one version of this episode being posted on YouTube. As a result, the episode was broken up into parts differently. If you have to rely on this translation to understand the episode, I strongly recommend that you use the links I used to prepare for the translation. Enjoy!!!]

Translated by Daydreamer on January 13, 2008

不死傳奇 - 張國榮part1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZjirIi5_8w&feature=related (run time 9:15 min.)
不死傳奇 - 張國榮part2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2rsu0Qdh7Q&feature=related (run time 8:43 min.)
不死傳奇 - 張國榮part3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sb-qr3K2bE&feature=related (run time 8:52 min.)
不死傳奇 - 張國榮part4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0gVY2ycE4E&feature=related (run time 8:05 min.)
不死傳奇 - 張國榮part5
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yugbJkDgw4&feature=related (run time 9:07 min.)

Hostess / Narrator: Karen Mok

PART 1 from YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZjirIi5_8w&feature=related

[Fans showing Gorgor’s memorabilia]
[The song “For Your Love Only” was played]

Fan: Here is where Gorgor lived in the 80s.

[TV showed set where “Days of Being Wild” was filmed]

Antique Shopowner at Cat Street (“SO”): Gorgor once shot a scene here.
SO: Every year at the anniversary of his death, many tourists [fan friends] from the States, Taiwan, Beijing, Shanghai will come here.

Reporter: From all over the world?

SO: Yes, there are also people from Shenzhen. They all know how to come here. Most of them know how to come. Some come every year. I can recognize them when I see them. Among them, there are a few, whom I recognize, have come here before.

Reporter: Are you a fan yourself?

SO: Yes, I am.

Reporter: You are too?

SO: Here on this key chain, I have put his photos.

SO: On this side also. [Showing her key chain to the reporter]

SO: About him … how should I put it … I really don’t know how to describe. He was very friendly, really nice. He wouldn’t put on air or be arrogant. [She looked at Leslie’s picture]

SO: Once every two or three days, I will take the picture out and look at it.

[RED – 1997 Crossover Concert was played]

Karen Mok: I will definitely consider myself as Gorgor’s first fan.

Karen Mok: When I first met him, he was singing in the Rediffusion’s song contest.

Karen Mok: My mom was a senior official at that TV station, so whenever there were big variety shows that required little kids to present flowers, I would be one of them.

Karen Mok: When Gorgor sang, he was dressed in white. Extremely cool! He sang “American Pie”, an English song. He danced and sang, really stylish; it was just fascinating and pleasant to watch.

Narrator announcing: The 7th contestant is Mr. Leslie Cheung from Hong Kong. He is 20 years old, a student.

[“American Pie” was played]

Michael Lai: He sang “American Pie” which was 7 minutes long. I said, “Man, when you are in a song contest, we can only spare you 3 to 4 minutes”. He said how could he bring out the mood of the song if it had to be cut short. I said I knew that would affect the feeling but nothing could be done since show time for each contestant had to be equal.

Michael Lai: He was very skinny, with dark complexion. He also carried some air of royalty.

[“American Pie” continued to play]

Mrs. Mok Ho Mun Yee (Karen Mok’s mother, former vice manager of Rediffusion TV): I and my boss went backstage. When Steve Wong Chek Chiu [then boss of Rediffusion] saw Leslie, he went to him and shook his hand. In front of us, he said, “Leslie, I’ll make you a star”. Leslie’s happiness and hope were expressed in his eyes. When we had eye contact and looked at each other, we knew it would be the case.

[“American Pie” continued to play]

[Showing TV series “Make a Wish” clip, the song “Need You Every Minute” was sung by Leslie]

Narrator: For Leslie who had just started his showbiz career, the title of a runner-up from the Asian Song Contest did not help him to have a smooth sail. He joined the then Rediffusion TV and went through a period of hard time, full of bitter memories.

[Song “Need You Every Minute” continued to play]

Leslie: At that time, my image was not very pleasing as I was really uptrend, wearing a suit and a navy’s hat; my outfit was avant garde.

Leslie: While I was singing, I saw a hat being blown at me, it looked really familiar and when I took another look, it was my own hat.

[Song “Silently Swimming Upstream” was played]

Lo Kwok Jim (lyricist): When I wrote “Silently Swimming Upstream”, I was describing the Leslie whom I knew at that stage, because he was very ambitious and full of confidence, believing that he would emerge and be successful.

Florence Chan: He was an artist full of confidence. Even at moments of despair, he never thought of giving up his performing career. He only thought of finding a new company or new performing ways to strive forward in this circle.

[1983 TVB Variety Show clip was played]

Narrator: In 1982, Gorgor joined Capital Artists Recording Company, like a wind-up spring waiting to explode, waiting for the arrival of the 80s, the golden era of Hong Kong’s pop music.

Michael Lai: At first, he tried to imitate different singers. Later, I felt that he should set up his own unique way, I therefore played Elvis Presley’s “Are You Lonesome Tonight” for him. After he finished listening to it, I asked him to try to lower his key a bit. It was my view that, first, singing in a lower key would make his voice sound more manly and sensual. Second, those who listen to the songs are not singers, so if they unknowingly follow you to hum or sing along, then you are half way to success already.

[Song “Wind Continues to Blow” was played]

Leslie [excerpt from his radio autobiography]: “Wind Continues to Blow” was my first record at Capital Artists Recording Company. When it first came out, the response was not ideal. I could say it was worse than what we expected. But perhaps I was lucky, people loved it more and more after listening to it many times. The number of people writing to the radio stations to dedicate this song got larger and larger. It therefore began my new stage. I signed up with TVB as its contract singer.

[TO BE CONTINUED]