台湾歌手陶喆前天到京，宣布将于2010年1月2日、3日在北展剧场举办“上太空说”个人演唱会。接受记者采访时，陶喆透露，忙完这场演唱会， 他的事业将转向影视，当导演、写剧本。“导演、编剧是我将来想做的事情，专辑和演唱会方面要画上一个小小的休止符，今后大部分的时间会放在电影上。”陶喆 说。
但陶喆表示，北京的演唱会不是最后一场，只能说今后开演唱会的频率会小很多，包括专辑。他透露电影剧本已经着手在写，明年3月会全力投入到剧本和电影上，演员方面会起用新人，陶喆说不打算用明星。
原文：
The Nanjing show was a great success! Thanks you guys! I had a great time and it was the best show for the band and I to date.
12月5日陶喆“上太空说”2009南京演唱会在五台山举行，舞台被布置成充满上世纪六七十年代气息的复古客厅。演唱会最high的时刻，便是陶喆邀请现场不同方位的观众合唱《找自己》。陶喆大赞南京的歌迷足够热情，而他的安可时间更是长达二十多分钟。
南京五台山体育馆举办陶喆演唱会，一名曾经因为倒卖演唱会门票的男子，持票欲进入内场看陶喆演唱会，主办方认定他是黄牛，拒绝让其进入。后双方发生口角，结果一下子来了10多人将该男子暴打一顿。随后，南京警方介入调查。
昨天，记者到江苏省人民医院见到了被打者王某，王某正在做检查，脸上有瘀伤，手一直捂着自己的下体。一名身上挂着“演唱会工作人员”牌子的小伙子陪在一旁。
据王某说，他是上海一家公司的员工，平时特别喜欢听陶喆的歌曲，当天听说陶喆在南京开演唱会，便坐了下午1点多的动车来南京。下午4点多，他一下火车，就花了18元钱打的赶往五台山买票，但是被告知票已经全部卖光了。于是，他一直在检票口找黄牛买低价票，一直等到晚上开始检票时，他才花了400元钱，成功买了一张面值为1280元的门票。随后，他持票欲进入演唱会现场。这时一名检票员冲到他面前，说他是个黄牛，禁止他入场。“即便我曾经当过黄牛，但我现在有票，主办方无权不让我看演唱会。”王某说，他当时生气了，就和检票员吵了起来，可没想到突然冲出10多人，对他拳打脚踢。随后，王某大声求饶，大家才住手，他才得以报警。很快，110民警赶至，进行调查处理，并责令演唱会主办方派人陪他去医院检查。
那名陪护王某的小伙子告诉记者，他是南京大唐亚太国际演出交流有限公司的员工，公司负责这场演唱会的运作。当时工作人员在检票的时候，已经注意王某很久了，断定王某就是个黄牛，所以没让王某进场，没想到王某张口骂人，双方就发生了冲突。
没多久，一位自称是大唐亚太员工的女子打进记者的电话，表示打人的都是检票处的工作人员，不是他们公司的员工，只是他们公司聘请来的，所以打人一事按理与他们公司无关。至于具体情况是什么样的，警方正在调查，一切以警方的调查结果为准。通话后，王某再次找到记者哭诉，说主办方将陪护他的小伙子喊走了，孤零零丢下他一人在医院检查，自己不得不支付了800多元钱的医药费，随后再找主办方，主办方就置之不理了。
昨天，记者就此事找到了南京鼓楼警方核实，警方告诉记者，王某确实曾经因为倒卖演唱会的门票被抓，也被南京警方批评教育过。但是，这次王某有没有倒卖票警方查无证据，也不好处罚，主办方打人肯定是不对的。就此事，警方按照治安案件进行调解处理，后来在王某二次报警后，警方找到演唱会主办方，演唱会主办方也陪王某去医院检查了，检查结果王某身上多为软组织挫伤，并无大碍。最后，经过民警协调，演唱会主办方承担了相关的治疗费，同时给予王某200元钱经济赔偿，并向王某道歉。王某也觉得满意，不再追究了。
资房地产眼光精准的陶喆，买下在上海第２栋房产，并在过年入住新房旺人气，没想到却被零度低温寒流整惨，大年初一入住第一天就因水管结冻没水，败兴返父母家，第二天续住更惨，从洗热水澡变冰水澡，最后又得向妈求援，他搞笑说：「天啊！我的过年前两天还真惨！」
寒流整人 新屋出问题
无惧金融海啸，陶喆危机入房市，还在大过年搬进只有一张沙发、床及桌子的简单新房，爸爸陶大伟及妈妈王复蓉看过房子后，担心太简陋，儿子住不舒服，他拍胸脯说没问题。父母才离开，恶梦跟著开始，他开水龙头想洗手，却没半滴水，检查许久，才发现室外水管全结冻了。
我的妈呀 室内没暖气
第２天，他不死心重返新居，检查了水龙头，发现水管恢复运送，还打电话向妈报平安，王复蓉质疑：「你确定吗？」他自信说：「OK啦！我可以自己过！」
当傍晚他边唱歌边洗澡，洗得全身都泡沫，冲澡时却眼睁睁看著热水温度显示器，从45度一路飙降，热水迅速变冷水，逼得他在一分钟内迅速冲澡，冻得全身鸡皮疙瘩的他又发现室内没暖气，不得不厚著脸皮打电话向妈求救：「妈，我还是回家好了。」
热水急冻 浑身是泡沫
回想著大年初一、二的新居入住事件，陶喆说：「你可以想像眼看著温度一度一度往下降，我却全身都还是泡沫的糗态吗？」
陶喆到上海陪父母一周，他搞笑说，因之后要忙工作，先陪完一整年的份，妈妈才不会抗议。
剛剛在LA度過了兩個禮拜的密集製作期，我正登上飛回台北的班機。這兩個禮拜之所以會如此的緊湊，是因為我同時間要搬出LA的住處，要處理一堆規劃裝箱的事宜。過去這幾年，好像我只要回到洛城 (雖然停留的時間不長)，我就會被一堆庸碌瑣事淹沒。儘管我希望可以多享受一些輕鬆時刻，但是似乎就只是不停的勞碌奔波。我的混音工程師、好友Craig 形容得好，我是把「一週當一年過啊」。如此的生活可以過得像是精力十足、精彩十分似的，但是很明顯的，這並不是我所想像或想要的樣子。不幸的，結果就只是事情太多、時間太少。但是，人生不就是這個樣子嗎?
我心裡一直在思考著專輯的製作與概念，上個禮拜，我已經在Burbank的Glenwood錄音室開始跟幾個樂手進行專輯的器樂錄音。專輯製作的初期就好像一場戀愛的開端。你還摸不清自己跟對方的關係，甚至不了解自己在想甚麼。情感豐富卻又戒慎恐懼，深怕自己犯錯或失去所有。很多事被放大誇飾，經常會失去對事情的觀察能力。如果「愛是盲目的」這句話是真的，那對我來說則是創作過程常會讓我在製作的時候變得盲目。就像談戀愛一樣，我心裡充滿類似的情緒 : 熱情、恐懼、得意與困惑。於是，「折磨」就成了藝術與創作的同義詞。
我們一開始的前兩天是先錄鼓手Shawn Pelton的部分。我大概從八年前就很欣賞他的鼓技，直到現在才有合作的機會。有些人可能不熟悉專輯製作流程，尤其是跟樂手合作的模式，所以我先解釋一下這部分。雇用這些頂尖樂手，並不保證一定會成功，或者會如你所願。你可能找到一個功績彪炳、技藝高超的樂手，但他並不適合你的音樂。有些樂手則是專擅某種曲風，當他們在演奏其他類型時，便會顯得有點憋手憋腳的。幾年前，我曾經為了一首歌要找一位木吉他樂手，有一個朋友介紹了他的吉他教授。這位吉他教授頗負盛名，同時他也任教於美國一流音樂學府。這應該不會有甚麼差錯吧 ? 嗯… 結果是錯得一蹋糊塗，他並無法為歌曲設計適合的樂句，即使我哼給他聽，他也彈不出來。但我也得說，他的態度其實是很專業的，也願意一再嘗試。然而，錄音室的租用時間有限，每超過一小時，就要再多花一百多塊美金，我不得已只能提早喊停，讓他先行離去。最後我知道我應該順從最初的感覺，不能雇用他，因為他事實上是位爵士吉他教授 (雖然我一開始就知道)，而不是搖滾/流行吉他手。你也許會好奇為何一個爵士樂手無法彈奏搖滾、流行或甚至是古典音樂呢 ? 當然這沒有任何定律，但是樂手 (就跟其他人一樣)有自己的風格、品味好惡與個人傾向。爵士樂手可能具備搖滾音樂的彈奏能力，但不一定具備搖滾音樂的感覺或態度。因此，讓適合的樂手可以跟適合的樂風相互配對是一件很重要的事，而這也是製作人要扮演的主要角色之一。這就像要幫電影選角一樣，導演跟選角導演在知道一個演員是否適合之前，要先研究並摸清一個演員的細微特質。
Shawn為了這次的錄音，特別從紐約飛到洛城，所以我不想再從重蹈幾年前爵士樂手的覆轍。懷著既期待又怕被傷害的心情，我先到旅館接Shawn，然後我們在早上11點開始錄音。我們先花了一個小時調校聲音 (真鼓錄音的準備工作包括許多的麥克風擺位、音量檢測、鼓具調整、音頻設定等)，然後我們開始錄製我們的第一首歌【Just Can’t Believe】(暫定歌名)。此時，我心中的石頭總算放下，因為Shawn聽起來實在太棒了，一切正是我所期待的，甚至是超乎想像 ! 他打鼓的感覺與韻律跟歌曲完美結合在一起，他的鼓有一種很鮮明的特色，而這正是我一直想要的。這也歸功於Craig的好耳力與絕佳錄音技術。我原本也很擔心跟Shawn會不容易合作，因為紐約客的犀利態度是很出名的，但是事實上他是一個很貼心、凡事有條不紊的人，這有點出乎我的意料之外。總括來說，跟他在 A棚一起工作的那兩天就像是一場夢，我迫不及待想要讓大家聽到最後的成品。過去那一整個禮拜，我們跟許多優秀樂手合作錄製了低音吉他、吉他、踏板電吉他、電風琴、電鋼琴、電顫琴、甚至是真的馬林巴木琴。這真的是我長期以來最開心的一次錄音，很榮幸可以跟這些樂手工作，從他們身上我也學到很多寶貴的經驗 – 許多人還是我第一次合作的對象。與其我娓娓道來這些細數不盡的錄音過程，不如影像說明來得有用，因此我會將現場的側錄畫面上傳到幾個網站供大家瀏覽。然而，最痛苦的部分是過去這幾天還夾雜著打包與搬運的工作，這不僅對我的體力是個嚴峻的挑戰，甚至到晚上我還得用雙手來彈奏吉他。最後我只能縮短部分錄音時間，因為我的手實在無法施力了。
有趣的一點是這張專輯少用了許多MIDI與取樣樂器，而增加了真實樂器演奏的部分。我並不是一開始就有如此打算，只是結果變成這樣了。這可能是因為我想要回到我的根源，想要讓一切回到搖滾樂團的現場演奏。現代的音樂人經常在爭辯要用甚麼方式進行或者甚麼會是比較好的。電腦改變了音樂製作與聆聽的方式，但是這並不意味著音樂因此變得更好。進入錄音室錄製真鼓、低音吉他與吉他(或其他需要的真實樂器)確實會提醒你音樂的本質是甚麼。每個樂器與樂手的不完美及獨特觸感會讓音樂活起來，聆聽者也許無法了解這些技術層面，但是他們的內心卻是可以明顯感受與欣賞的。我經常喜歡說一台普通鋼琴的現場錄音要比那些完美取樣、容量高達100GB的電腦軟體所發出的鋼琴音色來得好聽且有生命力。不幸的是，我們現在聽到的華語流行音樂 (及多數的流行音樂)有90% 都是這個樣子。許多年輕的音樂人與製作人甚至不太清楚這些樂器長甚麼樣子，以及它們在樂曲中的演奏及使用方式。我們擁有的只是數位版本與實物快照。假如最後所有的東西都可以被數位複製或標記，難道這就代表隱藏在這些東西背後的意義與情感也可以被「剪貼」嗎? 或者事實上，它們其實是兩碼事 ?
有人說科技永遠是跟創作過程並存的。然而，關鍵是在於它被如何使用，是否因此激發出一些原創體驗。
所有的歌都寫好了，接下來的幾個禮拜，我會進行歌詞、電腦程式編曲及吉他錄音的工作。我把這個階段稱為「豐滿」階段，在骨頭上鋪滿皮肉，讓內容更豐富。整個骨架已經安置好了，這將是呈現在我專輯中最細膩且最堅固的部分。雖然春節將近，我會花許多時間陪伴我的家人，但同時我也會繼續進行專輯的製作。不知道為什麼，我喜歡在假日工作，這可能是因為只有這時候，我才不會被一堆電話、電郵及其他會讓我分心的事物所影響。這是一段寧靜平和的時光，讓我可以完全逃離我們所居住的大環境，進入我的小世界裡。
我希望你們在未來的幾週裡面，也可以享受到同樣的平靜與愜意。 我希望你們在牛年少些「吹牛」，可以擁有更多喜樂、覺醒、幸福與愛的真實時刻。
新年快樂陶喆
Having just finished two very densely packed weeks of production in LA, I’m now aboard a flight back to Taipei. What made the two weeks even more challenging was that I was also moving out of my current residence in LA so there was a major amount of organizing and packing. Over the past few years, it seems that whenever I’m back to LA (however short the duration of my stay) I’m always very inundated with errands to run and things to take care of. As much as I’d like to relax and enjoy my time there, it seems more like a rat race for me. My friend and engineer, Craig, describes it best as “cramming a year of living” into a few weeks time. It can be very energizing and euphoric but it’s definitely not something I plan for nor something I necessarily always enjoy. Unfortunately, it’s a product of having too much to do with too little time. So what’s new, right?
As the concept and production of the album weighed on my mind, I officially began my overdubs last week with several musicians at Glenwood Studios in Burbank. The early stages of production of an album are very much like the early stages of a love affair. You don’t quite know how you stand with the other person nor do you know how you even feel. There is this great rush of emotion but at the same time you feel trepidation and fear in making the wrong move or losing everything. Things become magnified ten times, exaggerated, and often putting things into perspective becomes very difficult. If the saying “love blinds you” is true then in my case the creative process blinds me during production. And like in love, I am filled with all the similar emotions all at once: passion, fear, elation and confusion. Henceforth, the term “tortured” is often synonymous with artists and the creative process.
Our first two days of overdubs was with a drummer named Shawn Pelton. I’ve been an admirer of his playing for about 8 years but only until now had the chance to work with him. Now let me clarify one thing for all of you who aren’t familiar with album production and especially working with musicians. Hiring these top musicians doesn’t always guarantee success or what you want. The musician may have a ton of credits up his sleeve and be technically amazing but he might not be suited for your music. Some musicians play a certain style with ease yet stumble through another style of music. A few years ago, I was looking for an acoustic guitar player for one of my songs and a friend of mine referred me to his guitar professor. This guitar professor had quite a lot of sessions under his belt and was also a music professor at one of the leading music universities in the US. You can’t go wrong with a guitar professor, right? Well, turns out everything went wrong because he simply couldn’t come up with parts for the song or even play the ideas I had sung for him. In his defense, his attitude was very professional and he was willing to do take after take to get things right. However, studio time was ticking at over a hundred dollars an hour and so I had decided to end the session early letting him go. In the end, I realized that I should’ve went with my gut instinct and not hired him because he was actually a jazz guitar professor (which I did know at the outset) and not a rock or pop player. You might ask why can’t a jazz player play rock, pop or even classical? There are no set rules, of course, but musicians (like any other people) have their own styles, personal likes and dislikes, and idiosyncrasies. A jazz guitar might possess the technical ability to play a rock tune but he might not possess the right feel or attitude. Therefore, matching the right musician with the right style of music is very important and one of the key roles of the producer. Just like casting an actor for a part in a movie, the director and casting director must study and understand the nuances of an actor before knowing if he or she will be right for a part.
Shawn was flown in from New York to LA especially for this session and so I definitely didn’t want a repeat of what happened with the jazz guitar player a few years back. With both anticipation and trepidation, we started our session in the morning at 11am, as I first picked up Shawn from his hotel. After an hour of dialing in our sounds (setting up real drums for recording involves a lot of mic placement, level checking, drum adjustment, EQ’ing, etc.), we started on our first track “Just Can’t Believe” (working title). At that point, all my concerns were relieved as Shawn simply sounded amazing and just like I had hoped for and more! His feel and groove was laid back sitting perfectly in the track and his drums had a very signature tone that I’ve always craved for in my productions. Kudos also to Craig for his great ears and engineering! I had also worried that Shawn might be difficult to work with especially since New Yorkers are known for their edginess but he was a sweetheart and also very methodical which I didn’t expect. All in all, the two days with him in Studio A were a dream and I can’t wait for you guys to hear the final results. Over the course of the week, we did bass, guitar, pedal steel, organ, electric piano, vibraphone and even real marimba overdubs with some incredible musicians as well. It was the most musical fun I’ve had in a long time and it was such a pleasure and learning experience working with all the musicians-many of which I’ve worked with for the first time. I could go on and on in detail about the sessions, however, a picture is worth a thousand words and, so, I’ll be posting video up on various websites for you to watch. The most painful part, however, was that I was juggling packing and moving the last few days which not only was tough on my body but also on my hands which I needed to use in the evenings playing guitar. In the end, I had to cut a couple sessions short as my hands were simply out of strength.
It’s interesting to note that this album has the least amount of MIDI and sampled instruments and more of the real stuff. I didn’t purposely choose to go this direction but it’s just the way things turned out. Perhaps I felt I was returning to my roots and playing in a rock band that I wanted to keep everything live. Musicians now live in an age of constantly debating which way to go or which seems to be better. The computer age has definitely changed the way music is made and heard but it doesn’t always translate to better music. Going into the studio and recording live drums, bass and guitars (or anything real instrument for that matter) really reminds you what music is all about. The imperfections and individual touch of each instrument and musician breathes life into music and which is something the listener might not technically understand but definitely feels and appreciates on a gut level. I often like to say that a live recording of a not-so-great quality piano is still better and more organic than perfectly sampled 100GB software generated piano. Unfortunately, in Chinese pop music (and the majority of pop music for that matter) that is what we hear 90% of the time. It has come the point that a lot of younger musicians and producers don’t even know what some of these musical instruments look like let alone how they are played and used in music. What we are left with now are digital copies and snapshots of the real things. If everything eventually can be digitally cloned or imprinted, does that mean we can also “copy and paste” the meaning and emotions behind them? How does one thing exist without the other? Or are they, in fact, separate things?
With that being said, technology has always co-existed with the creative process and it forever will be. The key, however, is how it is utilized and whether it in turn generates something empirically original.
All the songs have been written and I will be working on lyrics as well as some programming and guitar overdubs over the next few weeks. This is what I call the “fleshing out” phase at which I put the meat and skin on the bones. The skeletal framework has been laid out and it’s some of the finest and most solid work that’s appeared on my albums. Even though Chinese New Year is around the corner, I’ll be working through it while spending quality time with my family. For some strange reason, I enjoy working during the holidays, as it seems like the only time I’m not blanketed with phone calls, emails and other distractions. It’s a tranquil and quiet period in which I can completely escape into my little world from the big world we live in. I hope many of you can experience this sense of serenity and relaxation during the upcoming weeks as well.
I wish the Year of the Ox brings you less “bull” and more genuine moments of joy, awareness, prosperity and love.
Happy Chinese New Year
DT
陶喆新专辑，可望春天发行。天王陶喆千里迢迢自美返台谈“梦想”，接着又风尘仆仆赴大陆准备跨年演出，心里不舍的是在美过世的爱犬Lucky，牵挂的则是明年春天要发的新专辑。
陶喆周日到诚品演讲，主题是“梦想”，正中“陶大师”下怀，滔滔不绝讲了6大点，其中举了不少偶像史汀的例子，以及他自己明年下半年的电影大业。演讲完立刻飞到北京工作，接着转南京跨年。
陶喆也报告好消息，自2006年《太美丽》以后就空白的个人专辑，可望在2009年第一季交出成绩单，他透露，只差3、4首曲，就能开始写词、编曲，“这会是一张更重、更摇滚走向的专辑。”这张“概念专辑”也将潜藏许多“言外之意”，挑战歌迷的理解力。
虽然“陶大师”侃侃而谈，但同事最近不敢触及狗狗话题，就怕硬汉会心酸。原来他在洛杉矶的爱犬Lucky因病情严重，在10月底安乐死。陶喆说：“养过宠物的人都知道，看到它们痛苦是件多么伤心难过的事情。”这只狗原本是陶爸捡到的流浪狗，陶喆形容这狗“很有自己的态度”，直到现在，他对爱犬的离去还未完全释怀。
“音乐让我说Love”跨年演唱即将上演，除了“抢眼”的明星阵容，江苏卫视也将在演唱会舞台设计上植入秘密武器，为观众送惊喜。昨日，记者从主办方获悉：莫文蔚将登上“画轴”亮相；花儿乐队将被“机械臂”送到观众眼前；而陶喆将从地下“弹”出，让歌迷感到期待。
200万再现奥运“画轴”
“音乐让我说Love”跨年演唱会请来众多大牌明星，明星如何出场，主办方作了不少设计，更是启用北京奥运会开幕式的画轴。工作人员介绍，跨年演唱会舞台的地面设计成了一个大屏幕，打开后，犹如“狮子大开口”一般，呈现一副画面。值得注意的是，这种舞台就是张艺谋当初为奥运会开幕式特别购买的，总投资近 200万元。据透露，莫文蔚出场时就将采用这一秘密武器，“画轴”舞台将由地面平铺变成垂直上升状。
“大手”送明星到眼前
跨年演唱会舞台装有三大“秘密武器”，除了“奥运画轴”外，第二个就是观众期待已久的“机械臂”。它是从舞台中央伸展出去的一只“大手”，能够直接伸到在场观众中间区域的头顶上面。演唱会现场，观众能够感觉歌手就站在眼前。据透露，花儿乐队在演唱《嘻唰唰》和《穷开心》这两首歌时，他们就将在“机械臂” 的“拥抱”下，伸向观众席，带领大家一起欢歌跳舞。
歌手从地下“弹”出来
跨年演唱会的第三个秘密武器是具有“大变活人”之效果的快速升降机。据介绍，这顶级的舞台设备，能够将演员在一秒之内从原地升高到二十几米的高空，当初张靓颖个人演唱会的时候就大胆尝试了这一装置。跨年演唱会陶喆出场时，将把歌手从地底下“弹”出来，也为观众送上一个大礼。对此，尝试者陶喆笑称，“这要求歌手不仅敢唱还要敢拼，在空中唱歌还是第一次，我很期待。”
