Play List: Jeremy Wong

What I’m listening to: my recent favourite tracks are all guitar songs, anything that makes me grab my guitar and play and sing in my room. A Step You Can’t Take Back from the film Begin Again is my top jam right now, and I’ve always loved Wonderful Tonight by Eric Clapton, Fast Car by Tracy Chapman, Wonderwall by Oasis and Wherever You Will Go by The Calling. My favourite Hong Kong singer is Eason Chan and my favourite band would be either Coldplay or Green Day, depending on my mood. I hate K-pop – I don’t know why it’s so popular in Hong Kong.

What I’m reading: The Rules of Life by Richard Templar, which is very inspiring. As a model, I need to know what’s happening in Hong Kong fashion, so I read Prestige HK, Men’s Uno and Esquire. Fashion magazines are littered all over my room. I don’t really have a favourite writer; it just depends on what I’m interested in at the time, whether it’s psychology, philosophy or history.

What I’m watching: my favourite TV show is Family Guy. I love cartoons. I’m also a big fan of The Avengers. My favourite movie of all time is the 1971 Oscar winner, Love Story, starring Ryan O’Neal and Ali MacGraw.

What artists I’m following: can I say Eminem is my favourite artist? He is so talented and his lyrics are amazing. His wordplay is just too cool. I used to be obsessed with Michael Jackson and everything he did in the early days before it all got tragic. And the general, weird coolness of LMFAO. Not just their party songs and catchy tracks, but what they get up to themselves.

Where I’m surfing: Instagram is important to me. I’m amazed at the number of followers I have and the number is constantly growing. I update it daily. It was great when I was promoting my book G.Y.M. Get Yourself Moving (a fitness book). I shop online a lot, so Hypebeast, Mr Porter, Asos, End Clothing and Ssense are on top of my history list.

As told to P. Ramakrishnan
Portraits by Lim Tse Wei - 林子伟

Playlist: Wilfred Wong Kam Yuen, Actor/Model

What I’m listening to: I like the classics like California Dreaming by The Mamas & The Papas, the  soundtrack to the film Chungking Express and Sealed with A Kiss by Brian Hyland. If I saw you in Heaven by Eric Clapton, Let Her Go by Passenger and Maps by Maroon 5 are my top played songs on IPod.  Under the Fuji Mountain by Eason Chan is a perennial favourite. In fact, my favourite Hong Kong singers are Leslie Cheung and Eason Chan. My favorite band is Beyond;  the most successful and influential rock band from Hong Kong; they were my only reason for learning guitar!

What I’m reading: The Little World of Liz Climo by Liz Climo, a book with a quirky, charming animal kingdom, with lots of amusing anecdotes. Magazines litter my apartment like GQ and L'Officiel Homme. My favorite novelist is still J.K. Rowling, after all, I grew up with the Harry Potter series. Where is my Howgarts letter?!

What I’m watching: My favourite TV show is Slam Dunk by Takehiko Inoue. I am a big fan of basketball shows. My favourite TV show is The Greed of Man by Wai Ka-fai (1992). My favorite Hong Kong movies are Farewell My Concubine (with Leslie Cheung and Gong Li in 1993), Chungking Express by Wong Kar-wai and Echoes of the Rainbow (2010) by Simon Yam and Aarif Rahman.

With Hollywood movies, although the critics didn't love it, I really enjoyed The Walk with Joseph Gordon Levitt. Based on the story of French high-wire artist Philippe Petit's walk between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center on August 7, 1974, the visuals were incredible. I enjoyed Interstellar, Moulin Rouge, Midnight in Paris - Woody Allen movies are a hit and miss, this was quite wonderful, especially as Paris was beautifully captured.

What artists I’m following: Wyman Wong - the DJ, author, sometime-actor and fashion columnist. He is well known for being one of the most important Cantopop lyricists in Hong Kong. His word play is always very cool, hip but accessible. I have been reading his fashion columns since my University years.

Where I’m surfing: Instagram - particularly during fashion weeks when real time updates are a must. I don't really like to evaluate others based on the numbers of followers or likes on their posts. It's really not important - either I like it or don't, statistics aren't for me. I frequently visit fashioncopious.com and models.com for the industry updates. I have also subscribed to Athlean-X and Fit Men Cook on YouTube, since you are what you eat and the only shortcut to a sculptured body is to eat and train properly.

As told to P.Ramakrishnan
Portrait by Ivan Ho

See archive of past Play List columns here and here

Play List: Jennifer Van Dale, Lawyer

What I’m listening to:  Bruce Springsteen. There are always several hundred Springsteen songs on any device I own. If I had to choose a favourite song it would be "Mary Mary," mostly for the strings. It was released on an EP in 2014 to support Independent Record Store Day. I also love side B of The Wild, the Innocent and the E Street Shuffle. AC/DC has also been involved in every speeding ticket I've been issued. The rest of my ipod ranges from Duke Ellington to Queen Latifa, to classic rock to Johnny Cash. I like clever lyrics and love Lyle Lovett and Mary Chapin Carpenter.

The other thing that is always on my ipod are podcasts. I have been listening to them since  2007.  Whenever I got my first ipod. I listen to work-related things in the morning (Harvard Business Review, Get It Done Guy, Planet Money) and fun stuff on the way home (The Moth, This American Life, The Splendid Table, and StoryNory, which is a story telling podcast for kids, but they serialize books as well. I'm currently waiting for the next installment of the Hounds of the Baskervilles.

What I’m reading: There are about five real (i.e. paper) books on my bedside table at any one time, but it might take me months to get through them all because I tend to fall asleep within 10 minutes. Right now I've got an O Henry collection, Poor Richard's Almanack (yes, the one by Ben Franklin and yes that's how it's spelled), One Night at a Call Centre, Humans of New York (the first one), a Lou Reed biography and Peter Carlin's Springsteen biography. I'm also re-reading "Redefining Girly" by my friend Melissa Atkins Wardy and The Gift of Fear (both highly recommended for all parents).  My favourite authors are Elmore Leonard and JK Rowling for their ability to tell a good story and their use of language.

My favourite books are There was a Horse, which is a collection of Russian and Eastern European fairy tales with horses that was published in the 1950s. I grew up with it in the house and at some point it went missing. My sister and I searched for over 15 years for it but it was out of print. I finally found a copy online and gave it to her for her birthday. Best.Gift.Ever! The Education of Little Tree, which is the story of a part Native American boy growing up in the 1930s. It's presented as semi-autobiographical and I was hugely disappointed when I found out the author was in fact a white supremacist, because the book and its lessons are anything but.

What I’m watching:  I loved Justified (based on an Elmore Leonard story). I blew through five seasons of Downton Abbey on some long plane rides this year. Last week I watched Season 1 of Les Revenants and loved it, which is funny because technically it's about zombies and I hate zombie anything. I have zero interest in the Walking Dead.



What artists I’m following: My favourite photographer hands down is Gordon Parks. His work records such an important part of US history that's often suppressed, and his fashion photography is some of the most elegant art you'll ever see. Unfortunately he died about 10 years ago, but his works are very re-visitable. I follow two south African theatre and TV actors: Chantal Herman and Jai'Prakresh Sewram, who are also friends. I love live theatre and will try to see a show whenever I can. I also follow Bastian Baker, a Swiss singer who was performing in a town square one Sunday in Bern once when I happened to be having lunch outside. The tunes were catchy and I've followed him ever since. I have a very dear relative, John Murdock, who performs comedy and political theatre in NYC whose day job is a balloon man in the park. I see him perform every chance I get.

Where I’m surfing: I spend way too much time on Facebook. I control my news-feed very tightly and I use it as a source of alternative news that I wouldn't get through most newspapers or TV news. Its also very useful for monitoring Sai Kung Traffic! Tumblr has great memes. I also spend a lot of time looking at food websites. I subscribe to the Cooks Illustrated site, and regularly check The Kitchn (not a misspelling)


As told to P. Ramakrishnan
Portraits by Tse-Wei (http://www.limtsewei.com)
Tse-Wei is a Photographer/ Video Director based in SG/HK

 

UPDATE: It is with such grief that I end my run with the column - I always got to meet and chat with interesting people in Hong Kong via Play List (and earlier in the column 'Almost Famous' that ran in SCMP years ago).

Jen is one of my favourite people in Hong Kong - and after the above, I think I know her a lot better. Or she wants me to think I know her better... all a mystery, wrapped in a riddle, packed in a puzzle.

Play List: David Elliott

5 things about fine art photographer David Elliott

What I’m listening to: music is usually playing when I’m working, so the likes of Ed Sheeran, Coldplay, Andrew Bird and James Blunt, among others, are on a loop. My favourite male singers include Frank Sinatra and his modern counterpart, Michael Bublé, and my favourite females are Sarah McLachlan, Eva Cassidy, Alicia Keys and Norah Jones. Plus, doesn’t everyone love Adele?

What I’m reading: over the years, I have enjoyed Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin, The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, and The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran. Photography books such as Genesis by Sebastião Salgado, The Earth from the Air by Yann Arthus-Bertrand and Manufactured Landscapes by Edward Burtynsky.

What I’m watching: I liked Birdman, Chef and even the soppy The Fault in Our Stars. The last great TV series was Breaking Bad. One of my favourite films is The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.

What artists I’m following: Christoph Niemann has a unique ability to visualise and create. He can take something simple and transform it into something inspiring. Steve McCurry is also inspirational. I like illustrator Tanya Piratay and painter Simon Birch, whose vision and drive are a great model for aspiring artists.

Where I’m surfing: apart from the obvious Facebook, I’m often on Instagram to see what the creative folk are doing, and on YouTube for music and comedy stuff like Jimmy Fallon. I’m a massive sports fan, so I regularly log on to ESPN.com to keep up on basketball, hockey, American football, tennis and golf.

As told to P. Ramakrishnan. Portrait by Jesper McIlroy   

Play List: Thomas Ng: Hong Kong Actor and Model

Portrait: Dino Busch Photography
Outfit: Calvin Klein Jeans
Accessories: L. Luminous, at Joyce

Hong Kong model turned actor Thomas Ng. Chat with South China Morning Post for the column. Set q's each week. 

  Below: Outtakes from the shoot. 

Play List: Reanne Moe

5 things dance entrepreneur Reanne Moe loves right now

What I’m listening to: music is a constant inspiration for me as a dancer, instructor and playlist mastermind at the bar Rummin’ Tings. My top three albums at the moment are Currents by Tame Impala, Winter’s Diary 3 by Tink and The Beyond/Where the Giants Roam by Thundercat.

What I’m reading: I enjoy anything by David Sedaris (Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, When You are Engulfed in Flames) and Paul Coelho (The Alchemist). Tales of Ordinary Madness by Charles Bukowski is fantastic. Recently, I’ve been reading books on finance and accounting, start-ups and business plans.

What I’m watching: on TV there’s Orange is the New Black, Power and Masters of Sex. My favourite film is Best in Show – I can recite the entire movie. I love all of Christopher Guest’s films.

What artists I’m following: It was awesome to see Misty Copeland become the first black principal dancer of the American Ballet Theatre and I follow her on Instagram. I’m no ballerina, but ballet is the foundation that lays the technique for all dance, so I appreciate the fundamentals. Oddisee, a producer/musician/MC out of Brooklyn, is a worthy artist and someone I admire. His music is quite special. I enjoy Hong Kong artist Peter Yuill’s work. It is Illuminati-esque.

Where I’m surfing: SoundCloud, 22tracks, BuzzFeed, The Huffington Post, YouTube and Spotify. And, of course my own site (dance-pass.com).

As told to P. Ramakrishnan. Portrait by Dino Busch. 

Met Reanne Moe at Rummin' Tings and she's bril! This amazing portrait by Dino Busch.

Play List: Tanya Pirate

So thrilled this feature ran over the weekend. Double brilliance of Dino Busch photography and the artistry of Pirate!

Click to enlarge!

Play List: Lauren Andlovec

Play List with dancer Lauren Andlovec