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Sunday December 5 1999

The Interview

Barry Cox is a 22-year-old car salesman who wants to be a singer. He comes from Liverpool, a celebrated nurturing ground of musical talent (The Beatles, Gerry & The Pacemakers, Cilla Black), so you might think he has a geographical head start in the race to land a record contract. Cox, however, wants to be a Cantopop star.

I heard him late one night last year on the BBC World Service; on radio, of course, the auditory gulf between Liverpudlian speech and Cantonese singing was particularly marked. Shortly afterwards, someone sent a mildly nonplussed piece about him from a British newspaper. He spoke of his desire to visit Hong Kong, and two months ago, he finally arrived.

We met at the Mandarin Oriental last week because it was the one place Cox knew how to get to from Tuen Mun, where he's staying with a friend. I'd suggested Lan Kwai Fong, but he said, 'I've only been there once and I don't know how to find it on my own. I'm not really a drinker.' This could explain why he looks so remarkably fresh-faced, despite frequenting karaoke bars until 4am. When I asked whose songs he likes to sing on these occasions he said, 'Lai Ming.' Who? 'You know, Lai Ming. Lai Ming. Leon Lai Ming.' Oh, Leon. Cox looked surprised and tut-tutted, affably, 'Thought you'd have known the Chinese names.' His own Chinese name is Gok Pak-wing, which means 'long life', and was bestowed on him by the headmaster of Wah Sing Chinese School in Liverpool's Chinatown, where he has been attending evening classes for the past three years. He has just gained a B in his Cantonese GCSE, for which he wrote a 180-character essay on Lai Ming ('You had to write about 'My Star' ') and spent 10 minutes talking to an examiner about food. 'I chose that because I thought it was easy. But it wasn't. She asked what was my favourite and I said, 'Special Chow Mein'. And she was asking, like, what was in it, why do you like the crispy noodles, what do you like best.' There is the tang of irony here because the point about Special Chow Mein is that it doesn't exist in Chinese cuisine: it's a concoction dreamed up for overseas markets. And without wishing to accuse Cox, who seems to be a pleasant, yearning youth, of being a noodle - crispy or otherwise - he, too, is a deliberate hybrid. He makes no bones about the fact that he sings in Cantonese to differentiate himself from every other Liverpudlian who might fancy himself as a crooner. 'If I sang English songs, I wouldn't stand out,' he said. 'Some newspapers have said I want to be Chinese but I don't. I want to be what I am but with a different character so I stand out.' That the longing to be individual should manifest itself in a Chinese fashion is, perhaps, a further irony. But four years ago, Cox decided he wanted to learn Cantonese when he heard it being spoken in his local fish 'n' chip shop. 'I stood in the chippie and thought, 'It's another route.' ' Where to? 'To doing different things. Me dad's a bit like that. He died two years ago, but he was into everything: the Royal Marines, the fire brigade, the police, farming ... he was a funeral director just before he died. He always liked to do something different.' So Cox signed up at Liverpool's Pagoda Centre, and the following Lunar New Year his teacher, Po Ling, asked the class if anyone wanted to perform a solo at a concert. Cox had a further premonition of uniqueness ('I was sitting there thinking, 'If I do this, I'll be different' ') and decided to sing a Lai Ming number, I Love You Okay, from the album I Love Ichiban. After weeks of linguistic struggle, his rendition was a triumph. 'My singing voice was rubbish but everyone was stood clapping because of the effort, and seeing that was boosting me up to do more and more.' A year later he was the special guest (does that mean the only Western performer? 'Yes') at a karaoke night in Liverpool, and was talent-spotted by someone from Manchester, where he has since performed to incredulous acclaim from the large Chinese community. He has also been dubbed the Leon Lai of Liverpool. But his heart has been yearning for true success, meaning a contract with a record company in Hong Kong, which is why he put his car-sales job on hold and came here.

I got the impression there had been a certain amount of ringmastery from the lordlings of the music business who had made Cox jump through hoops ('Most of them listen twice to the CD from a live show I done, and I had to sing a line to one of them to prove it was me') but have since retreated into silence. A gloom descended on Cox's natural perkiness as he contemplated this state of affairs.

'Not much I can do,' he said. 'Me friend's friend has got a clothes shop in Mongkok and I sit there and chat to them. I go for walks. Sometimes it is a bit boring and lonely, but these things take time. I'd like a part-time job to keep me occupied but I need a work permit. You get up and think, 'Where will I go today?' But there's nowhere to go.' His return ticket to England is dated December 20. Meanwhile, he works out in the gym: his other hero is Jean-Claude Van Damme. 'I've got all of his films, the soundtracks and his interviews on tape, he's always been a favourite.' Every night, he talks to his girlfriend, Niki, who lives in England and whose parents are Shanghainese. And he's been learning a few songs. 'Like Sugar In The Marmalade, have you heard it? It's a fast song, I like that so I can dance at the same time.' What he wants, he says, is to be 'the fifth' - to be enthroned with the four Canto kings, Leon, Andy Lau, Aaron Kwok and Jacky Cheung. He's never met any of them but he did go to a Leon concert 10 days ago and picked up a few tips. 'Most of the songs he sang were quite fast, dancey tunes, with smoke and strobe lights and stuff. It gave me, like, a boost to sing even more.' He would have liked to have met Leon, of course, but it was not to be; Leon swept grandly off into the night while Cox, inspired and ever-hopeful, trudged back to Tuen Mun.

'Sometimes I feel a bit, a bit ... excited in a way,' Cox went on, dreamily. 'When everyone knows me I feel as if I'm - not a kind of a star, not a celebrity, but special in a way. Like there's a new me when I'm around Chinese people. When they start clapping or smiling, I get carried away. I can't stop singing and dancing.'

whoa...if he gets famous and people ask him, who inspired him, he'd say "leon" XD that's the first time i've heard of a foreign person so determined to be a cantopop star. very intersting...thx for the article

What an interesting article. Thank you.

I am not surprised that even foreigners might want to imitate Leon. He's successful and a very good singer. But I doubt if anyone could replicate his charm.

tell you something else kinda related to this; in 1996, i watched a british children's programme where the presenters went to hk for an expedition ie. finding about its culture, etc. anyway, one of them went to a music show and asked the presenter about cantopop and introduced the 4 sky kings; "jacky cheng hok-yau, leon lai ming" and the british guy stops him and says, "now wait, i've heard leon and he's actually quite good isn't he?" then continues - "andy lau duk-wah, aaron kowk fu-shing"...nothing to say about the others!

Here's what he looks like :D
And another report:



Barry says "People say Leon can't sing but I think he can."

Raindrops dribble off the end of Barry Cox's nose as the dark-haired singer from Liverpool launches into a rendition of Leon Lai Ming's Love All Day. He sings with a gusto that suggests he is the lost fifth king of Canto-pop performing before a packed Hong Kong Coliseum.

The "concert" is being staged on a slate-grey Sunday afternoon in a decidedly unglamorous street between a Delifrance cafe and Sheung Wan Post Office. Undeterred, the self-styled "Leon Lai Of Liverpool" flings his arms around wildly as if semaphoring on acid and nervously attempts a few dance steps across the slippery stage - a two-metre long metal plank balanced across two small boxes.

A few of the hardier spectators respond as Cox belts out Lai's Sugar In The Marmalade and soon a sea of umbrellas (a multicolour hodgepodge of Hello Kitty, 7-Eleven, ParknShop monikers) begins to sway.

By the time Cox has rounded off with a Putonghua rap, from Lai's Happy 2000 which Cox has reworked as Happy 2002, the Liverpudlian has been handed balloons, sweets and a lai see packet from smiling spectators.

About the time he sees his first music concert - Lai playing in neighbouring city Manchester - and becomes transfixed (I thought 'doesn't he look cool'. It's the first time I'd had goose bumps just watching someone singing"). He is determined to become the new Lai.

Cox has little, if any, power over the movie's production. "I signed the rights away," he says. "But I hope whoever they cast to play me is good-looking and has style." His favourite actor is Jean Claude Van Damme, an unlikely proposition. Cox has been promised a cameo and his vocals may be used for voice-overs of the songs. It's not yet known if Lai will be asked to play a role in the film but Cox would like him to.

"Lai is my idol," gushes Cox. "I met him backstage at a concert at the Coliseum last October but I didn't get to say much to him becauses he was rushing around doing make-up, costume and that... but I managed to get my photo taken with hum and a friend got it autographed for me."

Cox's eyes light up. He didn't dare tell his idol he was known as Liverpool's Leon Lai. Says Cox:"He'd have thought 'What the...?' I have to try to break it to him slowly. I know there'll be a time when I can talk to him about it." (He later asks if I can help him meet his idol.)

Cox is not a fan of modern Canto-pop. "I'm more of a sei dai tin wong person," says Cox, referring to the four kings of Canto-pop: Andy Lau Tak-wah, Leon Lai Ming, Aaron Kwok Fu-shing and Jacky Cheung Hok-yau. "I like to say that I'm the fifth."

Even Chinese people say it's too hard but there's a first time for everything," says Cox. "When I watched Lai's concert recently, I sat there picturing myself on stage in front of thousands and thinking one day that'll be me'. It will happen.

wow thats so cool; and I agree Leon can sing....... sheesh....

heh Barry Cox looks a bit like Ronan Keating~

hmm i was thinking more gary barlow from take that :unsure:

Just read the article. Ive seen Barry in person, because I went to see this singing competition in Liverpool. I was living in Liverpool at the time. He is rather talented. Nice to read nice things about him and his attitude towards the chinese music industry!

Oh also..I also went to Wah Sing chinese school.....!!!

Ah M, I think that programme was Blue Peter, cos I watched it. The crew went to HK to visit different places, taste the culture and visited the RTHK studios and that is when some chinese guy mentioned the 4 sky kings, one of the BP presentater said that he is familar with Leon Lai....I cant remember if it was John Leslie or somone else like Richard Bacon.

ooh what did he sing? would've loved to see him perform!

yeah it was blue peter, pretty sure every chinese in uk watched it :) still got it on video somewhere.
and it was tim vincent, don't think naughty boy richard bacon stayed long enough to go on an expedition. maybe tim was listening to the 'perhaps' album at hmv so he could comment on that tv programme?

totally missed that, mind u i stopped watching BP such a long time ago... but recently started watching it again for Konnie :lol:

lol you watch the top 40 show on cbbc channel too? :P

I think he sang 'Ha ya king ching', I was sitin gin the audience and listening to him sing was such an interesting experience.

Ah yes...it was Tim Vincent!

sometimes... with the sound off though. :lol:

If u guys want to hear him sing, (and help him follow his love of Leon's music for more people around the World!!!).. then we have to support him!

Many of the big music companies around HK have been signing him up.. only to give him false hopes and drop him simply for the reason that he's "white". I would love to hear him singing Leon in HK - maybe Leon will be in the audience... haha how wierd wud that be for him...

Elly - I went to Wah Sing too :)

And Barry Cox looks like John Leslie from BP!!!!!!

Lol, anyway, l'rs