Blocked in Beijing!

I may have been interviewed for a Chinese news programme, but the authorities in Beijing take an even dimmer view of my blogging activities than do my employers: Plashing Vole is blocked by the Great Firewall of China (test your own site here)

Tested From:	Shanghai, China
Tested At:	2012-07-12 14:30:34 (GMT +00:00)
URL Tested:	http://http%3A%2F%2Fwww.plashingvole.blogspot.co.uk
Resolved As:	74.125.71.132
Status:	404 - Not Found
Response Time:	1.022 sec
DNS:	0.685 sec
Connect:	0.029 sec
Redirect:	0.000 sec
First Byte:	0.308 sec
Last Byte:	0.000 sec
Size:	1228 bytes

Obviously it's hurtful to be scorned by my fellow socialists - or it would be if there was even the tiniest hint of socialism left alive in China - but I suspect the comrades are more offended by my love of early-90s lo-fi.

So even though they can't see it, here's a lo-fi tribute to my long-suffering Chinese fans - some indie tracks using 'Chinese' in a tediously stereotypical fashion.

The Auteurs, 'Chinese Bakery':



Then there's Blur's 'Chinese Bombs' (try not to work out what Albarn's on about, he's not very bright).



As for Brett Anderson's 'Chinese Whispers'… oh dear. But at least I'm not giving you George Formby's 'Chinese Laundry Blues'. I love George, but his racial attitudes are a little dated, to be kind. Although he did insist on playing integrated venues in South Africa and when Jan Smuts phoned him to complain, his wife picked up the phone, listened to the general and slammed the phone down after telling him to 'Piss off, you horrible little man'. Which was good.



Here's a band I loved and haven't played for years: Luna, with 'Chinatown' (Shack's 'Chinatown' isn't online, which is a massive fail for the Internet as far as I'm concerned.



And then there's wonderful Melys, the electro-pop Welsh/English bilingual band - another 'Chinese Whispers':



Although I like Natalie Merchant, I get the sense that 'The King of China's Daughter' tries rather too hard to be a bit Chinese and might not be entirely authentic.

Couldn't leave out R.E.M's '7 Chinese Bros':

I couldn't finish without a nod to politics, so here are a excerpts from John Adams' opera Nixon in China (also on the Civilization IV soundtrack):

'The Chairman Dances'



'The People Are The Heroes Now':