Wednesday, July 07, 2004
posted by hermaning of onlyjerry@yahoogroups.com
http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/hey/story/0,4136,67305,00.html?
taken from the spore electric new paper dd wed 7 jul 04
TOO ROUGH?
Burly bodyguards bruise enthusiastic fans
Event organiser punches woman journalist
THE fans had waited a long time in the carpark just to catch a
glimpse of their idols Vic Chou and Jerry Yen. So when the two
members of F4 came out of the Singapore Expo Hall 2 on Jun 25,
excitement was high. The fans surged forward, but were held back by
burly security staff and artist minders.
Standing among the fans, photojournalist Hedy Khoo, 27, raised her
camera to get a shot. She was blocked. Then an event organiser
grabbed her camera. Miss Khoo struggled and jerked her leg towards
him reflexively. The beefy man, a former anti-narcotics officer, then
released his grip. He turned, paused, and threw a punch - straight at
Miss Khoo face. Ng Geng Whye, in his mid-40s, a project manager of
Unusual Productions which brings in Chinese pop acts like F4 and
5566, said when interviewed later: 'If I had punched her, would she
still be standing?' But reporter Wendy Teo and a member of the
public witnessed the punching incident.
While punches and fisticuffs are rare in Singapore, fans here often
complain about bodyguards and minders who shove, pull and yank
to 'protect' their artistes.
Student Quek Ting Ting, 18, said she went home with a sore right arm
from fabric burn recently while trying to pass a present to her idol
Jerry at the same event. She said: 'This big man (from Jerry's
entourage) suddenly appeared from behind me, grabbed the back of my
sweater and pulled it so hard that my arm got yanked. It was so
painful!'
Fans of Taiwanese boyband Energy cried foul last March when many
ended up with bruises from falls after being allegedly shoved by the
bodyguards.
Student June Teo recalled how her modesty was outraged by a security
officer while she was trying to get a closer look at Chang Shan-wei
last month. 'People at the back were pushing, so I was forced to
step forward. This security guy reached out to push me back and hit
my breast!' the 16-year-old said.
Photojournalist Khoo's incident left her with a swollen jaw and cut
in her mouth. But she's not alone. A woman reporter from a Chinese
paper recounted how her toes got trampled by rough security guards.
They shoved her aside when she was trying to interview Taiwanese pop
group 5566 during a surprise visit at F4's concert here last year.
TOP PRIORITY
Representatives from record labels and concert promoters whom The New
Paper spoke to said that the safety of their artists is their top
priority. Hype Records' artiste and repertoire director, Mr Jonathan
Tan, said his company employs four bodyguards for every artist.
Depending on the crowd turnout, he employs four to a dozen airport
police officers to escort the artist upon arrival, as well as put up
a barricade.
Promotions executive Yvonne Goh added: 'When the situation gets too
chaotic, the security guys have to form a human chain and protect the
artist with their bare hands and bodies. 'You cannot blame them if
they accidentally hit fans who are mobbing them. It's not just fans
who get hurt, the security people do, too.' Universal Music's
product manager, Miss Connie Low, cited the example of a security
officer who sprained his wrist while escorting Taiwanese boy band
Energy four months ago. But besides protecting the artist, Miss Low
said she also instructs the security officers to look out for fans'
safety.
'We have the responsibility to take care of fans too, because they
are our yi shi fu mu (Mandarin for rice bowl). Otherwise parents will
also complain.'
Mr Leslie Ong, sales director of concert promoter Unusual
Productions, said his company sometimes get instructions from artist
managers that they do not want photographs taken, because the artists
are tired, or because they have no makeup on. 'Then we'd have to
block photographers and tell them firmly, 'No photos please'. But he
added: 'If it's up to us, we'll of course welcome the media to take
pictures, because it's publicity for us.' Mr Ong declined to give
specific names of stars who issue no-photo orders.
Other concert organisers and record labels, however, said they have
never received such orders. Miss Susan Tay, marketing manager of BMG
Singapore, said: 'Usually we'd allow photos, unless the artist is
really sick or dead beat after a long day of work.' Juggling
expectations from artist managers, fans and the media is no mean
feat, she added. 'We have to protect our artists, but at the same
time, we try not to offend anybody. Fans are our rice bowl. Without
the media, our artists would have no exposure. 'It is tough trying
to strike a balance.'
Protecting stars from fans
IT'S a quick escape via a secret pathway, but is it really necessary?
When F4 stars Vic Chou and Jerry Yen arrived at Changi Airport for
their Gen-Y Pop Concert on Jun 25, they chose the hidden quick exit,
leaving about 200 fans disappointed. But some of the region's
biggest stars - including Bae Yong Jun, Ayumi Hamasaki and Takeshi
Kaneshiro - had recently stepped out into the open and waved
graciously to waiting fans. Mr Leslie Ong, sales director of Unusual
Productions, who organised the event which also saw performances from
other singers including Van Fan, Roy Chiu and Penny Tai,
explained: 'They were rushing to their concert rehearsal, and it was
more convenient to exit straight to the basement carpark.' Not
everyone, however, does this.
NOT DISAPPOINTING FANS
Ms Connie Low of Universal Music said: 'It's not necessary, because
we don't want to disappoint fans who travelled all the way there to
welcome their idol.'
Hype Records' Jonathan Tan and BMG Singapore's Susan Tay agreed. Mr
Tan said: 'As long as our safety precautions are ample, meaning that
we have employed enough security guards and put up a barricade,
there's no need to worry.' Miss Tay recounted how Jay Chou's face
was once scratched by mobbing fans upon his arrival in 2002. But even
then, she did not use the secret pathway for his departure. 'I just
employed four more security guards to escort him, and I noticed that
fans were later more disciplined,' she said.
SECRET PATHWAY A LAST RESORT
Play Music's marketing and promotions manager, Miss Wendy Lum, said
that 5566 films footage for its variety show back home, so it would
always insist on meeting fans. But it had to resort to the secret
exit four months ago. Miss Marcia Tan of Rice & Roll Music, who was
managing 5566's promotional trip then, said: 'The secret pathway is
only a last resort, a contingency plan if the crowd is beyond
control,' she said. 'For 5566, we had to use it because fans were
dashing onto the road to surround our bus, and there was no way we
could alight.'
But this star can't get enough of his fans
TAIWANESE singer-TV host Alan Luo would fire his bodyguards if he had
his way.
'I don't want any security! I want to get closer to my fans!' he told
The New Paper in February when he was here, though he was chased by
five busloads of fans, who were kept at bay by five security officers.
Isn't he worried of getting hurt? He laughed and said: 'I'm used to
it already. It's all part and parcel of being an artist.
Pop group 5566 has managed to educate its fans to behave in an
orderly manner during autograph sessions. Group leader Tony Sun said
their strategy of boycotting events when fans are uncontrollable, has
worked. He said 5566 once boycotted the Kaohsiung county in Taiwan,
after repeated pleas for orderliness went unheeded. Tony had boasted
then: 'You should see them now. Even when it's extremely crowded, you
can see that the fans are still seated neatly in proper queues.'
A fan of Jerry Yen's, Quek Ting Ting is also convinced that her idol
is actually against the tight security. She said she once booked a
hotel room on the same floor as Jerry in Singapore, and pressed her
ears to the door to his room. 'I heard him scolding his minders,
asking them why they didn't allow him to take presents from his fans,
and why they didn't allow him to go outside to meet them.'
Taiwan's R&B wonderboy Jay Chou also relented when fans started
chasing him after midnight when he was here in 2002. Miss Susan Tay
of BMG Singapore, who was his minder then, recalled that she got off
the bus to 'negotiate' with the fans. 'I told them that I'd get
everything they had autographed, on the condition that they stopped
following us,' she said. 'Each of them handed over three to four
items, including CDs and photos, and I got Jay to sign them. Then
they went home. Singaporean fans are still quite obedient.'
11:00 AM
