Playlist: Alexis Kwong Alvarez

The Playlist:

Alexis! 

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: Beckaly Franks

5 things keeping Beckaly Franks, bartender at The Pontiac, amused The Kills, Pablo Neruda, stand-up comedy, and Instagram for the pics of cats, sexy clothes and booze - Franks casts her net far and wide for entertainment!

Click to enlarge

Photography: Dino Busch
Hair and make-up: Krystina Te Kanawa
Location: The Pontiac

What I’m listening to: music is my platform and muse for everything. For example, The Pontiac’s soul beats to the tune Kissy Kissy, by one of my all-time favourite bands The Kills. I have been listening to everything from jazz to death metal, and all that lies between.

What I’m reading: right now it’s poetry. I usually carry around Pablo Neruda’s Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair. A loved one of mine turned me on to him and his passion inspires me to be dark and brave. Unfortunately, I had to leave my library back in the US, because shipping books is expensive. It mostly consists of art and cocktail books.

What I’m watching: I have a secret gang of friends that I go to the movies with called the Motorcycle Movie Club, but the first rule of movie club is you don’t talk about movie club. Other than that, I watch an abnormal amount of stand-up comedy online. Anything from old-school Eddie Murphy (Raw) and Def Comedy Jam, to Iliza Shlesinger.

What artists I’m following: performance artist Marina Abramovic. She made performance art what it is today. James Turrell is a legend in my heart. A cowboy whose medium of focus is experimenting with light, colour, perception and space. Also Xu Bing.

Where I’m surfing: I don’t have much time to fiddle on the web, unless I’m searching for what I need for the bar. Facebook to connect with friends and colleagues and Instagram to see all the pictures of booze, cats and sexy clothes.

Out in SCMP, a quick chat with this gorgeous gal; Beckaly Franks at The Pontiac.

More at: SCMP.com (yes, you have to pay/subscribe!)


http://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-entertainment/article/1853377/5-things-keeping-beckaly-franks-bartender-pontiac

Play List: Jonny Rees

A quick chat with rugby player Jonny Rees.

Play List: Sarah Lian

What I’m listening to: I’m loving Sam Smith, Sia and The Weeknd. Last year I was really into female MCs such as Iggy Azalea, Azealia Banks and Angel Haze.

What I’m reading: Essentialism by Greg McKeown helped me look at my task-oriented schedule and put everything in perspective. Sway: The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behaviour by Ori and Rom Brafman was also fascinating.

What I’m watching: Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel. His style and storytelling are so original. And I’m so glad Game of Thrones is back.

What artists I’m following: I have been following style bloggers and fashion brands on Instagram. I like to get inside the heads of creative minds – this curation process helps me look at the latest trends and gives me an idea of what to obsess over.

Where I’m surfing: I’m an avid Facebook user, but Instagram allows me to spend hours looking at images. I enjoy design sites such as Thedieline.com or SmashingMagazine.

(As told to P. Ramakrishnan) 

Notes: Through an introduction from my friend and colleague, stylist Tasha Ling, I met the drop-dead gorgeous actress Sarah Lian. A great fun chat with her for the weekly column The Playlist, that runs in SCMP (in The Review section!).

Play List: Maria Chen, Actress

What I’m listening to: I’m open to everything from Indian music to K-pop. Recently, I have been enjoying Gin Wigmore, Birdy, Ellie Goulding and Lorde.

What I’m reading: at the moment, Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching. I will also reread my favourite book as a teen, J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye.

What I’m watching: I watch everything from Game of Thrones to Big Rich Texas. I enjoy Orphan Black and Hello Ladies. I love talk-show hosts such as David Letterman, the two Jimmies and Ellen DeGeneres. I watch anything by Christopher Nolan, David Fincher, Robert Rodriguez, the Wachowskis and Tim Burton.

What artists I’m following: I’m intrigued by Yayoi Kusama, her art, her life, perspective and, well, psychiatric problems.

Where I’m surfing: I’m a Googler, and I can live on Facebook and YouTube. I also love watching Japanese TV dramas and variety shows online. I think I was Japanese in a previous life.

(As told to P. Ramakrishnan)

A quick chat with one of my fav people in Hong Kong, the lovely television actress Maria Chen.

Play List: Mia Kang: Quick chat with Asian supermodel in Hong Kong: 2015

Jewelry: Kasane
Photography: Boris Burgess

What I’m listening to: I’m still obsessed with All About That Bass by Meghan Trainor. Positive vibes, a soulful voice, and a healthy, supportive message. Being half Korean, I also love K-pop – 2NE1are my favourites. I have classical music on my iPod – it engages the mind.

What I’m reading: I’m interested in North Korea and have read some fantastic books based on first-hand experiences and stories from defectors. Dear Leader by Jang Jin-sung and Escape From Camp 13 by Blaine Harden are both mind-blowing.

What I’m watching: I love Game of Thrones, Mad Men, Boardwalk Empire, 30 Rock and QI, but my go-to TV show at any time of the day is, of course, Friends. The humour never gets old. I also love trashy reality TV: The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and Keeping Up With the Kardashians. Don’t judge me.

What artists I’m following: I’d love to work with photographer Wing Shya. I worked with make-up artist Wendy Rowe – she’s inspirational and breathtaking. I love makeup and how it can transform someone into almost anything. Olivier Yoan also inspires me – he is a Hong Kong/China-based French photographer.

Where I’m surfing: 9gag.com is great for laughs, Boredpanda.com has hilarious videos of cats doing funny cat things, but Telegraph.co.uk is my homepage – having a master’s in finance and financial law, I like being up to date with economic news and current affairs. There’s more to life than cats and Kardashians.

(As told to P. Ramakrishnan)
Published in South China Morning Post

Q&A with my fav Hong Kong model of all-time; Mia Kang. Gorgeous much?!

Play List: James Wong

Click to enlarge and read

Quick Q&A with Hong Kong TV actor James Wong. Funny kid - with an amazing following on instagram.

Playlist: Jun Tyler

What I’m listening to: all kinds of genres. I love classical music, including Bach, Chopin and Ravel. I also love jazz artists such as Chick Corea, Keith Jarrett and Roberto Fonseca. But I also listen to rock and heavy metal such as Metallica.

What I’m reading: I should be reading more, but I have the concentration span of a six year old. I do read the papers every day. I enjoyed reading Bruce Lee’s Tao of Jeet Kune Do. The Jazz Piano Book by Mark Levine is a great book to learn from. I never bothered when it sat on the piano stool 10 years ago, but now I can finally appreciate it.

What I’m watching: I enjoy British comedies and stand-up, Mock the Week in particular. I’m not very good at keeping up with the latest “it” shows. Recently I saw Gone Girl and thought it was mind-blowing.

What artists I’m following: nobody too crazy, but I think Roberto Fonseca is a great artist – a great pianist and a great live performer.

Where I’m surfing: I’m listening to a lot of music on Spotify. As I’m always searching for knowledge and inspiration, I’m always on Google and Wikipedia. Plus I’m watching a lot of boxing on YouTube.

(As told to P. Ramakrishnan)

A quick Q&A with Jun Tyler.

Pianist and model. 

Play List: David Klar: Ballroom Dancer Extraordinaire is Grooving to The Beat

Noted ballroom dancer David Klar has a quick chat with more the column. 

Published in South China Morning Post, 2014

Playlist: Joey Lee Pieterse

Photo by Douglas Pieterse

Joey!! One of my fav people in Hong Kong! Get fit people. Head to 9 Dragons.

Playlist: Angela Kan

A quick chat with the gorgeous Angela Kan.

Playlist: Adrienne Lau

Playlist with Adrienne Lau.

Playlist: Helena Chan: Eurasian model on her favourite things

Click on image to ENLARGE and read.

Hottie Helena featured in Playlist in SCMP.

Playlist: Zing Ng

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Playlist: Derrick Fong, Cinematographer

Click on image to enlarge, read.

Quick chat with Derrick. Have known him for a while and was psyched when I heard he shot a Bollywood film! Bless his socks the movie got bad reviews and tanked but the only credit the film had was its cinematography. Word.

Playlist: Arthur Bray

Click to enlarge and read.

Playlist chat with Arthur Bray, DJ at Yeti in the Basement.

Playlist: Shama Rahman

Quick chat with Shama Rahman for the paper.