Radio ChopstiX: An American DJ in China

By Rick O'Shea

Already a best seller in China!
"Radio ChopstiX-An American DJ in China" is an amazing story from Rick O'Shea, an American who became the most famous foreigner radio DJ in China! Starting as a street painter in Canada, he followed a radio career in Florida and Hawaii, where he invented the most imaginative radio station ever- "Space Station KULA."

Fate can lead you to unimagined places and experiences. Radio waves carried him to Taipei, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing. China's national broadcaster, CCTV, said that he "changed radio history in China." Millions know who he is, but few know his story.

And for the first time, he writes about his relationship with one of China's most famous writers, San Mao, whom he knew for ten years up to her tragic death in 1991.

Radio ChopstiX is a creative radio story and more. Rick has experienced life in China from a much different and original perspective. He became a piece of modern China's history as a part of the bridge between China and the world; an "unofficial Ambassador to China!" (updated April 2013)

• Language: English
• Publisher: eBookIt.com
• Release date: Aug 2, 2011
• ISBN: 9781456604554

Book preview

Tennis

Ch 1 - Sunset on the Great Wall of China

In the center of Beijing, between The Great Hall of the People and the National Museum of China, faces are hard to see because everyone is wrapped up in warm clothing in the middle of winter. Many scarves cover the faces of those who have gathered here. The Mongolian winds are freezing my exposed face as I stand in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square. Every night at sunset the PLA Guards take down the red national flag, which flies above the north end of Tiananmen Square. Chairman Mao looks directly across Chang An Avenue over the Square at the ceremonial flag lowering.

I’m joined by hundreds of local residents and tourists who brave any weather to watch the ceremonial procedure. As I stand in the icy air, waiting for the flag to begin its descent, a PLA guard surveying the crowd sidles up next to me, keeping his eyes on the people now surrounding the flag’s podium. I can sense the guard’s eyes now focusing on me and I am thinking that perhaps I have done something wrong. What did I do? Do I look suspicious in the crowd that is mostly Chinese? He then moves closer and then turns to face me directly. He asks in a low firm tone, Ni hao are you?

I pause for a few seconds, smile and answer, Very cold but just great, thanks… and ni hao are you?

In that instant, in the freezing wind, a warm bond is established between Chinese and foreigner; between military and civilian; and between radio personality and faithful listener. Ni hao are you? I had coined this expression and used it on China Radio International for a decade. On that cold day, it came back to me in a most unexpected way!

Soon after that exchange, the China flag was lowered and briskly folded in the traditional manner, as it has been many thousands of times before, in exactly the same way, every day.

The 20 or so guards who supervise the flag lowering marched in tight formation and then retreated back across Chang An Jie with the folded flag to their post in the Forbidden City. The crowd in the cold wind dispersed quickly as night fell, and a few minutes later I walked through the yellowing tile pedestrian tunnel that goes under Chang An Jie and approached The Forbidden City. Standing directly in front of the imposing picture of Chairman Mao, which greets all who enter The Imperial Palace, I am humbled by the history that precedes me on this very spot. It’s one of the most famous sights in the world, and I am proud that I have lived in this neighborhood, living close to history, for years.

(Rare night lighting on the entrance to the Forbidden City)

Through the years, many have urged me to write this book about my experience of being on the radio in China during this important modernization period; the opening up of the world’s most populated country and my contribution to and witnessing of that change.

San Mao, one of the most beloved Chinese writers, told me years ago, You must write a book. You touch people with your creative radio work, but radio is invisible and disappears quickly. A book will last longer.

(a letter from San Mao, or Echo in English)

And now, I’m writing this book from my apartment in the center of Beijing in an old walk-up apartment that is a remainder of a hutong; a traditional housing courtyard in Beijing. In fact, many buildings around me are disappearing and being replaced with new futuristic buildings. The particular building I live in has a connection to an art academy that was nearby. Many respected and revered artists and their relatives have lived in this building since the 80’s and the dark red brick is traditional in old Beijing. And since my life has been that of a multi-media artist, it seems a kind of fate that I ended up here in this community of artists. I feel right at home.

I’m not going to discuss politics or the financial power of China, nor will you learn about doing business with China from me. It’s a personal journey of how I escaped the regular life of suburban Detroit and became the first foreigner to live in China and do a daily music and talk program on the radio. It was on the air every night for 11 years and became a part of the lives of millions.

I never thought I’d be in the entertainment business. Growing up, it had never really crossed my mind. If anything, I was somewhat shy and introverted. OK, not totally introverted, but definitely not an extrovert. No one ever said to me, Hey, you should be a DJ! In any group situation, I’ve always been and I think still am, pretty quiet. I’m not the type of person that needs to be the center of attention but I transform when I’m on the radio! It’s like I’m free of gravity, a part of the atmosphere around us, and wanting to attract the attention of invisible listeners. Off air, I enjoy just blending in with a crowd and not being noticed. Of course, that can be pretty difficult for a white guy in China. But get me in a studio behind a microphone and I unleash another part of myself…

In 1996, I came to China to do a nationwide nightly radio program. It’s the story of a different kind of international relationship between China and the West; the unofficial kind that’s not between political statesmen, boardroom businessmen, or foreign teacher and student. (Some have used the expression unofficial ambassador to China.) It’s all about the invisible bond between millions of Chinese and their radios. Delivered bilingually in Mandarin and English, JOY FM on China Radio International grew to be an incredibly popular radio program in Mainland China. We delivered the message of always look for the joy in life. It was not just the name of a program; it was the essence of what we did on the radio. We encouraged a generation of students and workers to strive for a better happier life.

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Loved by Chinese and foreign listeners alike, Rick has changed radio history in China- CCTV (China Central TV)

You are a friend of China, thanks for what you have done for us- Jing Yuan Zhao in Beijing

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Now…11 years and 4,100 radio programs later, I’m not on the radio in China anymore. Suddenly, I’m off the radio to become just another face in the crowd. But the guard who asked ni hao are you? reminded me that I had left an impact on one of the largest radio audiences in the world.

In 1972, Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai said after US President Nixon’s visit to China, This was the week that changed the world, as what we have said in that Communiqué is not nearly as important as what we will do in the years ahead to build a bridge across 16,000 miles and 22 years of hostilities which have divided us in the past. And what we have said today is that we shall build that bridge.

It was not planned, but I became a part of that bridge in a small and unexpected way.

Let me take you to one of my favorite places in the world to start this story—the less visited rougher Simatai section of the Great Wall of China. The sunset colors reflect on this historical structure weaving like a dragon through mountaintops and valleys.

Sitting on the Wall, I can sense the merging of my history with that of China. It’s a powerful and deep feeling. As I feel the breeze and embrace the silence, my mind projects scenes of my life, like a movie, on the weather-smoothed wall surface.

I see myself as a kid, trying to hear late night radio stations from as far away as possible. I took a life’s ride on some of those distant radio waves, from Motown to the Great Wall of China…

(Great Wall of China)

(The Forbidden City)

Ch 2 - Motown- Radios, Cars, and Music

Detroit rocked and was a privileged musical place to grow up. I took it for granted that we had access to so many types of music, and radio was in those days the primary carrier. Radio stations brought us rock, pop, country, classical, gospel, jazz, underground and a variety of even more kinds of music.

And then, there was Motown; a Detroit based recording company formed in 1959 by Berry Gordy, a successful African American Rhythm and Blues (R&B) songwriter. Motown was the home and grooming school to many talented black musicians and singers. I think that as Detroiters, we breathed in the music and absorbed the Motown that flowed around and through us. Originally known as Hitsville, USA, the name was changed to Motown, which produced and developed the talents of the Temptations, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, The Jacksons with Michael Jackson, The Supremes, The Four Tops, Stevie Wonder, The Commodores, Marvin Gaye and so many more. Gordy wanted Motown to have a special identifiable sound, and hired some of the best writers and producers in the business. It was the Motown sound with a pulsating danceable rhythm and a distinctive soul.

(Motown or Hitsville USA, Detroit)

Our birthplace remains a part of us. We carry it through our lifetimes just as we carry our genes, no matter where we may eventually go. I grew up in the city itself, and then, to escape the racial tension growing in Detroit, our family moved to Southfield, a suburb bordering Detroit in the northwest section.

I was born Stuart Kaufman, the first son of Ben and Doris. My elder sister Donna married Mike, a dentist she went out with since university. They still look young and have great children and grandchildren. My brother Larry is a few years younger than me. He was a doctor in Hawaii for many years but recently moved to Thailand working in hospitals and enjoying life.

(Me at 5 years) (Donna, me, Mom, Larry)

We lived for many years in Southfield, which was very clean, very safe, and very normal. Maybe too normal. In many ways, I seemed to fit in just perfectly. But the people I would read about who escaped the norm always fascinated me. I remember clearly how I wanted to do something adventurous. I always admired and was inspired by people who followed their passions. Sometimes at any cost!

(12 years old)

But, those adventures that I read about were a far distant dream for a kid from suburban Southfield. However, even as a regular suburban family, we did get a taste of the orient once or twice a month when we’d go to Lotus Gardens for Chinese food. Each pair of chopsticks was wrapped in white paper and had easy 3-step directions on how to use them. Not very difficult at all.

Every Chinese restaurant in the US will serve you a fortune cookie at the end of the meal. We all look forward to this. It’s a cookie served to each diner and when you break it open, a piece of paper reveals your fortune. But I don’t remember ever getting a fortune cookie that said, You will live in China and spend more than half of your life there! There were absolutely no clues, at any point, that my life would lead to China. I was a regular kid headed for a traditional American future of school, marriage, 2 cars, 2.3 kids, and become a lawyer, doctor, or accountant, etc. I had absolutely nothing to rebel against – only the fear of boredom and the acceptance of a life that I could not get excited about.

(In Southfield High School)

A lot of my life has been related to radio and one of the first radios that I ever owned was the one that my father bought for me when we were visiting the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, just next to Detroit. I was 10 years old and it was a kit to build a very small real radio receiver about the size of a small book, and it worked with no batteries. I was fascinated. They are called crystal sets because they use a crystal diode and magically capture the radio waves with no batteries. It somehow ran on energy from the AM radio waves themselves but you had to clip it on to something metal like a fence, a lamp, or my favorite, my bedpost. The radio set had a knob and a small metal rod that worked as the AM tuner. I spent hours putting this little radio set together.

The set came with a hard plastic earphone that was shaped like a baby pacifier. It only went in one ear because AM radio is in mono, not stereo. It was never comfortable to wear in the ear like today’s earphones, and almost impossible to fall asleep with! It hurt to listen for a very long time with it in the ear, yet I was so drawn by the radio programs that I physically suffered just so I could listen late at night. The sound wasn’t very loud and I really had to push it deep into my ear. If I somehow managed to fall asleep, the earphone would dig into my ear and cause so much pain that it would wake me up again. But that radio was my nighttime passage to the invisible audio world of radio. I felt connected to it as I secretly listened in bed.

As a kid, I never dreamed that I would ever get into radio as a career, but I sure listened to it a lot growing up in Detroit. Most radio stations were on AM. WJLB was a great ‘soul’ station; CKLW was pure pop, WKNR played Top 40 pop music and had a ‘morning guy,’ Dick Purtan, who was fun and off the wall. Detroit was a great radio market, and I guess I was just naturally a fan of radio. I can still remember listening to DJs like Lee Allen and Joel Sebastian. These guys were very popular in those early days.

Lee and Joel also had a TV show on Saturdays called Club 1270, which was on WXYZ-TV. We’d ride our bicycles to the TV station to meet some of the guest celebrities before they walked into the station. I met Cassius Clay, who later became Muhammad Ali, the greatest boxer of all time. And legendary singers like Marvin Gaye and Gladys Knight. I still can’t believe I shook hands with celebrities like that.

As a kid, I would stay up very late at night and listen to Don Zee’s All Night Satellite on station WXYZ -- one of the first radio stations to broadcast past midnight in Detroit. In those days, most broadcasts went off the air by 12 o’clock, so it was special to hear an after-midnight show. It was worth the earache from that painful earpiece!

And on certain nights, if the weather was right, I’d be able to pick up stations from Chicago, Toronto, New York and other far away places. I’d listen until I fell asleep…every night.

That little radio was truly a magic box. I could travel through the air, like Superman, hearing live voices while lying on my bed in Detroit. I thought, These guys are invisible and I’m picking them up from a city far away. This was my first taste of the power of radio. I couldn’t see these DJs, but I could feel them, and enter an audio world accessible on that little box. I could hear stations and become familiar with the personalities and the local music from those areas as if I was living there. (Remember, that was in the last century. Today that dream is realized to the maximum as you can hear stations from any part of the world on the internet.) I would hear commercials about concerts in Cleveland, an Italian restaurant in West Virginia, and a live broadcast from a new shopping mall in Buffalo, New York where you could meet the DJs. On a clear night, I could even hear signals from as far away as Florida. And I could imagine living in those far away places…and hear the same radio stations that the local people were listening to. I was transported.

Detroit radio was a big part of our lives. And all of those stations combined created a soundtrack to those formative years. CKLW was a Canadian station that broadcast from Windsor, Ontario; just across the Detroit River. They promoted their BIG personalities. CKLW was known as The Big 8 (which stood for 800 on the AM dial.) One night I was driving around Detroit with my cousin Steve and we were tuned into CKLW. The DJ said, Okay, if you are driving around in your car, roll down your window, take a deep breath, and shout out as loud as you can, ‘I listen to The Big 8!’ We rolled down the window and yelled as loud as possible into the traffic, I LISTEN TO THE BIG 8! I could feel the immediate influence of radio and we could hear a few other cars doing the same thing. It was more than just listening. We were reacting to it along with hundreds of thousands of other listeners because of this power from an invisible source. And all that we had to do was turn on our radios and latch onto the radio waves in the air.

I never thought I would actually get into radio. I just enjoyed listening to it, maybe as much as watching color TV, which was fairly new. Both were essential to a kid like me in Detroit.

As teenagers, we would look anxiously for the days of the Michigan State Fair. It was an exhibition that happened once a year and people from all over the state of Michigan came to display their livestock like hogs, cows, and horses. But that was just part of the fair. An amusement park was erected and also a stage for music performances. One of the favorite rides was a single car attached to a high-speed, metal track called The Wild Mouse. The ride slowly climbs up a steep slope, pauses and then comes down at high speeds while hanging on to very tight turns that make you feel as if the car will fly off the tracks at those turns.

Scared the hell out of us but it was great fun!

But our main reason to go to the Fair was the music. We liked the rock and country performers but what we really wanted to see were the major Motown acts like Diana Ross and the Supremes, The Temptations, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, Stevie Wonder and The Four Tops; all for free. This was the real Detroit soul music that we were proud of.

It was an era of musical discovery for us that seemed to begin with Motown, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. We would listen to WKNR and hear a brand new song from The Beatles, and during the song, a voice would whisper over the musical bridge, WKNR Beatles Exclusive! I thought I was very privileged to hear it first and I would specifically listen to WKNR for that reason. Radio was cool, DJs were stars, and it was always available. Radio is mysterious, invisible and directly connected to the mind, the rest of the world and an invisible universe.

The early transistor AM radios were small and could fit in our pockets. They had tiny speakers and earphones were not needed. We were connected to our personal radio whenever and wherever we wanted to be. This was a new era. We were not stuck at home listening to a table radio. Young people like me felt connected by sharing the radio waves together.

Back in the late 1960’s a new kind of radio arrived. It was called FM and it was broadcast in stereo. It was like going from black and white to color TV! The advantage of AM is that it can broadcast far but in mono. FM stereo is much clearer and naturally better for music but the range is much shorter than AM. It was the beginning of the change from AM to FM. WRIF-FM, WABX-FM and WKNR-FM were some of the first FM rock stations in Detroit. Radio was even more exciting now!

"A little less of the flim-flam, a little more of the rock and roll! I’m Uncle Russ Gibb, this is ‘KNR FM, and these are The Stones and ‘Not Fade Away’…"

That guy was just so cool!

FM was technically too new to put much money into as the audience was very small and they sold very few commercials. But the stations, by law, had to put something on the air. Can’t just be a blank space on the dial after you have the license to broadcast. Most went for cheap programming just to hold on to the FM station until it became more viable. Some FM stations played classical music; some played boring elevator music; but rock started to realize the power of stereo. The program hosts were the opposite of high speed- talking- between- every- song- DJs who populated AM. FM DJs worked almost for free and played 2 or 3 songs together and they would speak in more natural voices. It was anti-AM hype radio. This was a new home for rock music and it fit FM better than AM because the sound was much better. We started to buy more albums than singles. FM reflected that appreciation of great music. AM stayed with their more talk, more singles, more commercials approach. So it became cool to listen to the alternative radio on FM with DJs who could be more laid back and creative with their shows.

Tuning in to the ‘Inner Voice’

In high school, I had my first car, a blue Chevrolet Impala convertible. I was able to get around, and more importantly, date girls and drive around with the top down. So cool, so American! One girl I went out with in high school was Bonnie – a lively, bright fun girl with a cute face. I met her as I was lifeguarding at a swimming pool during the summer at a country club in Southfield. One day, Bonnie took me to see a neighbor of hers, Raquel, a woman of about 50 who was reputed to be a person particularly in touch with her sixth sense. I was suspicious. I didn’t really believe in that ESP (extra sensory perception) stuff. But Raquel did seem to have an aura around her and it was quite obvious to me the moment I shook her hand that there was something special going on.

Come in, get comfortable, and we’ll get to know each other, she said as we entered her home.

We sat down and after a little small talk followed by some uncomfortable silence in the conversation, she suddenly asked, You can feel it, can’t you?

I paused, and then slowly replied, Yes, I feel it.

She had somehow touched something inside of me, and I felt at that moment that speech was almost unnecessary. I felt an extra sensory communication, a connection way beyond words and gestures. I am not sure exactly how it works, or when it works, but she gave me some insight into this.

"This extra sense started to work for me when I was about six years old. My parents died in an automobile accident, and I needed protection from the world. That’s when I found an extra sense that would guide me away from danger.

Everyone has this sixth sense that protects us from danger. It’s a natural power that escapes most of us who live in a normal, predictable protected environment. If you don’t use it, it will diminish," she said.

I am glad someone verbalized this for me. I recognized the feeling as one that I had felt before. It felt strangely familiar. Look for and trust this sense, she said, If you are going to have any extra sense, it will be activated in conjunction with your instinct to survive. It’s what humans have had since the beginning of time. All living beings have this. We eat because the sensation of hunger tells us we need fuel. Our other senses do the same thing. They help us survive. So it just might be possible to feel a situation and sense a danger. Well, we hope so anyway! she added.

She pulled out a deck of cards and we did a few exercises like guessing the card in her hand. I had a high percentage with that game, which could have been luck, but more importantly, I felt like I was linked to her. I never forgot how she helped me identify that feeling, and to recognize when that sense was trying to tell me something.

You’ve got to feel life. It’s all around us, she said, but if you are not open to receive it, you will miss the whole experience. Too many are unwilling to feel or trust this life force. Don’t ever turn off your inner receiver.

As I’ve traveled through the years, I’ve found an indescribable force has guided me along. When I try to fight it, I can feel a resistance from within. There have been times I knew I should have trusted my inner voice, and times I’m glad that I did. I think many of us have this inner-soul gyroscope. It helps to be aware of it.

College Daze…

For many Americans, the 1970s was a confusing decade. After the civil rights movement, the women’s liberation movement, the Vietnam War, the assassinations of John and Robert Kennedy, and Martin Luther King, many of us questioned our lives, our values, and our ideals. We reevaluated our lives.

I live my life with much of the spirit from those days. It’s a spirit that says we can dream of the future and accomplish whatever we put our minds to. We can be adventurous and open ourselves up to the world’s possibilities. We look at the world as one home. I know this spirit can be tested through the years, yet I wanted to open up and be more accepting and trusting of life.

I shared a lot of my university time with Steve Zacks. He was not only my dorm and apartment mate, but also my best friend all throughout college. In fact, our friendship went back to our early teens. Steve was a very active guy in university. He was a champion racquetball and handball player who encouraged me to become more physically conditioned. I learned how to be highly competitive in the cubicle that is a racquetball court. He was naturally competitive and participated in many kinds of school activities, from student council to school fundraisers. He was involved in university, not just a student. And unlike many students, he was interested in the world outside of school.

After a long day of classes and meetings, Steve and I would usually end up together in our apartment at night and we’d discuss school, sports, women, etc. At 11:30, we’d watch the first half hour of the Tonight Show on NBC for the jokes. But at midnight, it was time for Brother Murphy!

Brother Murphy had a religious call-in radio program and we hated it! I mean we loved it! I mean, we loved to hate this program! It became our nightly obsession.

He was on from midnight to one o’clock in the morning and to this day, he was one of the most boring people that I’ve ever heard on the radio. He was a preacher who spoke in a falsely sincere monotone dull voice and we listened to him because he was so bad. Listeners called in to his program with their religious issues. Some called in with their tales of woe looking for the word of God’s messenger Brother Murphy to say something encouraging. Some called looking for forgiveness for something they did. Some called to praise God for something good that happened in their life. The thing that made it so fascinating was that those who called in were way more interesting than the Brother! His style was so boring and irritating that we couldn’t help but call in with our own far-fetched stories. He needed us.

I’m Brother Murphy. What would you like to share with us tonight? he’d begin in a voice that showed no life in it at all.

While Steve stayed in the living room, I’d go into the bedroom, our studio, and call Brother Murphy and go into a routine.

Brother Murphy, I am visiting Michigan from my native Alabama and I’m workin’ in a bar as a bartender, I would begin in a terribly fake and incorrect southern accent, and I must tell ya that I am sometimes tempted to personally welcome some gorgeous women who come into the pub. Well, last night, I started to go after a beautiful full figured blonde lady who came into the bar by herself. We exchanged smiles and small talk and then she invited me to her home for some late night coffee. I gotta tell ya, I was surprised that she would invite me home so soon after the first meeting. And the lights were off. I could not see any pictures in the home.. ...

Mmm..., was the usual response from the Brother as he listened to callers. It sounded more like a grumble than the sound of someone paying attention to the story.

Well, Brother Murphy, I must tell you that it was impossible to stop as we got tangled up in each other. Then suddenly, as I was smoking a cigarette, her husband suddenly came home early and we could hear him open the front door. I left through the bedroom window, hoping to get out with my life! He saw me runnin’ across the lawn and he yelled at me some terrible words! The reason I called is to ask for a prayer. I swear, I didn’t know she was married. Can I get a prayer?

Brother Murphy paused… then… answered slowly, God will understand because in your heart you did not know you committed a sin. God will forgive you.

Then I would walk into the living room and Steve and I would laugh out of control!

Sometimes our goal was to get the sinner’s prayer. Then we’d act appreciative for his response. Sounded like he hated to give us that prayer sometimes. You had to earn it.

Other guys on campus would join us on the program. They’d call in with fake stories from our various locations to add life to his show. We were becoming the real stars of the program and we’d congratulate each other the next day in class about our performances.

After a while, Brother Murphy began to recognize us, so we had to change our voices and come up with more imaginative ways to fool him so that he’d let us on the show. That was the real challenge, creating a variety of distinctively different characters.

Steve’s younger brother, David, created one of my favorite characters and is now in our imaginary "Brother Murphy Hall of