Source: Mingpao Translation: llwy12 BIG FOUR -- Love and Righteousness: Mingpao interviews Andy, Edmond, Dicky, and William Andy Hui, Edmond Leung, Dicky Cheung, and William So – 4 good friends who have known each other for over 20 years – came together to form the group “The Big Four” to put on a concert, hoping to show the world the “realness” of their long friendship. As a warm-up for their concert, Big Four came together today to “gossip” about each other and reveal “their other side” for all to see. R = Reporter A = Andy E = Edmond D = Dicky W = William ************* Part 1: Edmond – The Most Furious Moment Among the 4, Edmond has always been known as the one who speaks in the softest voice and always very polite – surprisingly, there have been situations where he has shown his “rage”… A: Edmond is like “water” – very soft; he has a high EQ and doesn’t anger easily, perhaps this has something to do with his zodiac sign. Whenever we have meetings and ask for each others’ opinions, he will always listen to our opinion first, then give his suggestion. D: Among the 4 of us, Edmond’s EQ is the highest. A: But I’ve seen him get really furious – it was terrible! D: That time, he told us to get out of his house. A: No, he only told YOU to get of his house. D: You guys too! It was my fault – I caused trouble for you guys! E: You (points to Dicky)were so naughty that time! A: That time, Edmond was really mad…he was so furious that he wanted us to get out of his house immediately! D: (imitating Edmond’s tone of voice) Get out! Get out of my house immediately! All of you go away! R: What was actually the problem? E: Can’t help it….if you were me, just saved up some money to buy a house, the remodeling was just completed barely one week, then someone shatters your bathroom door…I’m sure you would be upset as well! A: I remember at that time, Edmond had a housewarming party, we were all so happy. When we got there, the first thing we did was look around the house. When we saw a few bottles of soy sauce in the refrigerator, we were like “Cool!”…so when Edmond wasn’t watching, we took the bottles of soy sauce, went to his bedroom, and put them under the bedspread…. D: Then we took a stuffed animal that we found and stuck it in the refrigerator (William can’t stop laughing). A: Afterwards, when Dicky got there, Edmond happened to be in the bathroom. So Dicky stood outside the bathroom door and started banging loudly on it (the door was made of glass)…all the while, he kept yelling, “hey, Edmond, come out!” Then, after Dicky banged on the door a couple times, there was suddenly a loud “cracking” sound – the entire glass bathroom door all of a sudden shattered! I immediately rushed inside and saw Edmond sitting on the toilet with a horrified look on his face…Dicky was apologizing profusely. Seeing what had happened (the glass door shattering), we were all shocked and did not know how to react. All of a sudden, Edmond came out and started yelling at us loudly: “Get out, get out!” He wanted Dicky to get out of his house…I tried to talk him out of it, but then he told me to get out as well…. D: Throughout my life, whenever I come across a contentious situation, I am able to argue with the other party…only this once, I was completely speechless…. R: Did you bang the door that hard? E: Very hard! He did break the glass after all! D: Actually, thinking back now, how can my little hand shatter such a big piece of glass? You should go seek out the construction company that remodeled your home! A: Luckily I was told to leave as well because the next day, Edmond called and interrogated me: “What did you guys do? My new bedspread had soy sauce all over it, and hot sauce too! The entire cover had a “salty” smell…last night, I had to sleep on the floor.” I acted surprised and said I don’t know what happened, that I believe it was Eddie (Ng Kwok King)’s idea. Then, 1 month later, I heard that one day Edmond was hungry, so he opened the refrigerator to get something to eat. When he looked in the fridge, he saw a piece of “beef” and was wondering to himself why it was there, since he didn’t remember buying beef – plus it was covered in ice. He patted the “beef” to get the ice off and then let out a cry – hey, why is there an eye on the piece of “beef”? Actually, turns out the piece of “beef” was actually the stuffed animal that we had stuck in the fridge during the party. All of us had forgotten about it, so it sat in the fridge for more than a month without anyone knowing…(they all laugh) E: I wasn’t mad at them for long. After they replaced the bathroom door, then everything was fine. Part 2: Dicky -- Selective of Friends Dicky’s image has always been that of a wayward, prodigal son; when faced with “big” issues, he has no problems handling, however when it comes to the “small things” in life, it causes him a headache. W: In his own personal life, Dicky is very absentminded, however when it comes to other people, he is very attentive and cares a lot about their feelings. D: True! I’m not a “big man” (大男人 – meaning requiring people, especially females, to heed their wishes), when it comes to handling the “small” issues in life – for example: packing a suitcase – I have the ability to create such a big mess. So at home, for “big” matters, I make the decisions, however for the “small” things, I rely on my wife or my brother. E: When I first become familiar with Dicky, I figured out that out of the 4 of us, he is the most selective when it comes to friends….it’s very hard for him to get comfortable enough with people to be friends with them. In the past, when a group of us friends would go out, if there were people in the group that he did not know well, he wouldn’t go. A: (sighs helplessly) On my birthday, he wouldn’t come either! E: Ha ha….you still remember? A: (pretends to be upset) Of course – it was my birthday!! It was only last year – he was in Hong Kong at the time! R: So he hurt you pretty badly? A: (helplessly) I’m used to it…I don’t have the strength to argue with him about it anymore… D: Hey, I’m a performing artist, of course I have a certain temperament! Plus if I want to be nice to you, I can be nice to you every day! (everyone laughs) A: What else is there to say? Even when it’s my birthday, he does this! He is definitely very selective when it comes to choosing his friends, however as soon as he finds out that his friends or family need help or are in a difficult situation, he will devote himself to them and find time to be with them. Part 3: William – Makeup Skills Exceed a Woman’s It’s well known that William So loves music and loves fashion; surprisingly though, he loves makeup even more – in fact, his skills at “drawing eyebrows” even exceeds a woman’s! D: The thing about William that leaves the greatest impression on me is of course his glasses and his fashion sense…also, eyebrow pencil! His skill at “drawing eyebrows”…… E: …Amazing!! D: Fast and accurate, simultaneous! Other people only use 1 eyebrow pencil , but he has the ability to use 2 – at the same time – one in his right hand and one in the left...oh, and he’s also “loud and obnoxious!” (everyone laughs) A: William has a special skill – that is, he can take one look at the jeans and shoes that you are wearing and immediately cite the brand name, year, and season; absolutely amazing! Back then, when we were kicking soccer balls around day after day, living a casual “jeans/t-shirt/tennis shoes” life, he was already reading fashion magazines…such a naturally aesthetic person. D: In addition to being a “fashion dictionary,” he is also a “music entertainment encyclopedia.” He knows when <<Marlboro Red Hit>> started, which artists participated, etc., even as far back as knowing when the artists released albums…. W: No I don’t…you’re crazy! (everyone laughs) R: When did you fall in love with fashion? W: In high school…faced with math, science, history, and all the other school subjects, it drove me crazy, so I started reading Japanese fashion magazines. The hobbies that the 3 of them (Edmond, Andy, Dicky) have – for example, soccer and snooker – I have no interest in…come to think of it, I don’t even know how we became friends (without any common interests). A: I guess we complement each other’s shortcomings! R: You’re not even interested in the soccer matches that men love watching the most? E: He’s not even a little bit interested. D: If you tell him to go play soccer, he would probably have to make sure his shorts are perfectly ironed first, as he has to make sure he shows his “prettiest” self at all times! (everyone laughs) W: Yea, I would be thinking to myself: When I run, are the edges of my shorts floating? D: (teasing) Yea, why don’t you think about whether your pose will be “pretty” when you fall down? (everyone laughs) E: William cares a lot about his friends. Whether it’s his friends or fashion, he is very meticulous. D: I guess he has pretty good people skills and gets along well with others. A: What do you mean “I guess”?? His is A LOT better than yours!! (everyone laughs) Part 4: Andy – Lover’s Sensibility Andy is known for singing emotional love ballads, however on a personal level, he is actually someone with a lot of “fire.” D: Out of the 4 of us, Andy is the most “emotional” in that he cries easily, so it’s perfect for him to sing love ballads. He’s also the most timid, always asking “Are you sure? I’m a little scared…” However, he is a very righteous person and extremely nice to friends, otherwise, we wouldn’t be able to be such good friends for so long. R: How about Andy having a lot of “fire” and getting angered easily? D: He does have a lot of “fire”…but this time, his “fire” is not because of me, I didn’t make him mad. Sometimes, he’ll just get upset all of a sudden! Nothing much we can do except understand and accept his shortcomings – that’s what friends are for. Especially now that we are using the name of BIG FOUR as a group, we have to pay special attention and not let the <<Artist Feel>> of being established singers in our own right get in the way. E: I’ve known Andy for many years, we were once under the same record company; he’s one of those people who has a huge sense of responsibility toward his friends as well as his work. W: Actually, Andy has changed a lot in the last couple years…he’s more willing to step back and reflect rather than constantly rushing forward non-stop. To him, this is definitely a good thing. Several years ago, the 3 of us would have to constantly pull him back and try to persuade him not to rush forward so quickly and to stop giving himself so much pressure. Conclusion: Reflections from the Reporter One night, many years ago, after getting off work, I was walking through Times Square in Causeway Bay. In my rush to get home, I was busy weaving in and out of crowds of people…all of a sudden, I felt someone tap me lightly on the head. When I turned around to look, I saw that it was Andy, Edmond, Dicky, and William. I remember at that time, it was rumored that Andy and Edmond were on “bad terms” with each other…but seeing the 4 of them together in the middle of the busy walkway that night, it made me think: there is so much gossip and rumor in this world – we really shouldn’t believe everything we hear….
