Respawn Entertainment: Days of Glory

Chapter 972 Flowers Blooming Outside the Wall

Time magazine, the same weekly magazine as the one on Earth, although headquartered in the United States, still has different regional versions.

Whether the US version was influenced by CAA is unclear to DGM, but the European version, Evelyn's, is very clear: they have their own independent editorial rights. Leaving aside the current controversies, the uproar caused by the Rolling Stones' previous tour in Europe was enough to warrant a Time magazine appearance.

However, the layout and length are hard to say...

The rules are exactly the same as on Earth: you have to be selected for the year's list of 100 people or have reached a certain level of influence to have a chance to be included.

As for the cover, Evelyn felt that Bianlang still needed some time to build up his reputation.

To draw a parallel with the original Earth, the first Chinese star to grace the cover of Time magazine was disco queen Zhang Qiang.

In 86, she became the first Chinese artist to be interviewed by the US edition of Time magazine, and was named one of the world's most popular female singers of the year, alongside Whitney Houston and Teresa Teng. A photo of Zhang Qiang and her mother was also published in Time magazine.

As for the cover, the first person is Gong Li.

In 96, Gong Li became the first Chinese artist to appear on the cover of Time magazine, changing the history of Chinese people appearing on the cover of Time magazine, which was previously dominated by political figures. From then on, Chinese people appeared on the cover of Time magazine, and artists became the main focus.

Gong Li, as the cover star, spoke about various aspects of Chinese cinema.

Next was Faye Wong, and then Jackie Chan…

If we compare them like this, Guo Sichu should have been on the cover as well, but in fact, Guo Sichu has only been on the cover of the Asian edition; she has never been on the cover of the US edition.

Of Bian Lang's friends, only An Feng has been featured on the cover of the US edition.

As for the European edition, all the Chinese people who have appeared on the cover are from the sports world; there isn't a single one from the entertainment industry.

This idea was naturally proposed by Wang Wenhui. He also understood the habits of the Chinese people and the media. Anything that could boost national self-confidence internationally, such as the Nobel Prize, the Grammys, the three major European awards, and the Oscars, was the most likely to ignite the internet.

Just think back to when Mo Yan won the Nobel Prize in Literature, and people pushed carts into bookstores to sweep up his works. That shows how crazy international recognition can be in boosting national self-confidence among Chinese people.

Bian Lang has achieved some success, which is quite remarkable within the industry, but once he breaks into other circles, many people will find it unremarkable.

It's even quite possible that they'd just comment, "He's just a rock musician, right?"

But if Bian Lang were to appear in Time magazine for his rock music, the significance would be entirely different. In Wang Wenhui's words, "Since those people in China are still not giving up and want to bring the battle overseas, let's give them a little shock by having them interviewed by the top media outlet!"

This is a good opportunity to slap music in the face.

However, Evelyn felt that simply being featured in Time magazine based on a tour wasn't quite enough. But something was better than nothing...

With this in mind, after discussing it with Bian Lang, Evelyn personally went to the headquarters of Time magazine in Europe in London.

Meanwhile, the production of "Ole ole ole ole" on Bian Lang's side was also nearing completion. With all the work falling on Steiger's shoulders, the Rolling Stones' second team began rehearsing the songs for their North American tour.

Thor is so obsessed with "Hotel California" that he loses all sense of direction and tries to get Bian Lang and the others to train with him whenever he gets the chance.

Zhu Wei thus gained valuable experience in playing the wooden bass...

After arriving in London, Evelyn waited only one day before meeting with Time magazine's editor, Summer.

The middle-aged man in a suit sipped his coffee and chatted leisurely with Evelyn about the Rolling Stones' concert in London: "Undeniably, the Rolling Stones' live performance was the most captivating I've seen in the last five years. It's only a matter of time before they're on the cover of Time magazine, so why the rush?"

This is a rhetorical question. As the editor-in-chief of Time magazine, it's impossible that he doesn't know that both domestically and internationally, people are targeting Bian Lang.

"If it's just an interview with Wave, how can we shorten the time?" Evelyn didn't waste any words and went straight to the point.

Originally, she didn't have high hopes for Bian Lang getting on the cover, but after hearing Summer's tone, she felt there might be a chance. So she asked directly, like she was discussing a business deal, not wanting to beat around the bush anymore.

“Ms. Evelyn, Wave is very lucky to have an agent like you. But I still want to say from a journalist's point of view that, based solely on the effect of the Rolling Stones' European tour, his personal influence is not outstanding enough.”

As editor-in-chief, Summer wasn't focused on the potentially substantial business fees; his primary concern was always the value of the news and its contribution to Time magazine. Firstly, Bian Lang's Chinese identity itself could attract many previously non-readers of Time to become readers.

Although the Rolling Stones tour still has its timeliness, it is ultimately centered around the band. He personally felt that it would not be appropriate to interview Bian Lang in isolation, especially since there are many shows on this tour, which would make the interview focus less concentrated.

If Evelyn had faced this problem yesterday, she would have had to rely solely on words. But now that the video for "Ole ole ole ole" is finished, it's just a matter of when to release it, so she's naturally more confident.

“I think Mr. Summer might want to take a look at this first…”

After Evelyn finished speaking, she took out a tablet from her backpack, opened the video, and handed it directly to Summer...

A few minutes later, Summer smiled knowingly and said, "I thought this might drag on until early next year. I really didn't expect Wave and his friends to be so quick. So when do you plan to launch it?"

“Starting from October 1st, many Chinese tourists will come to Europe for China’s National Day. That will be the best time for Wave’s influence and spread… You should also know about the entanglements between Chinese and Koreans, and the Korean girl groups, Wave’s biggest competitor…” At this point, how could the editor-in-chief, Summer, not know the key to this?

The conflict between the Chinese people and the Koreans, and the competition among the major sports brand sponsors of the World Cup—just these two points alone could generate a considerable amount of advertising revenue for Time magazine with a little effort. Therefore, he decided to take on this job almost instantly.

However, he couldn't give a precise interview time right away: "If that's the case, then Wave certainly deserves to be on the cover of our European edition, after all, he'll be creating many firsts. But I need time to organize the interview content, and I also need to contact Adidas... If possible, I hope Wave's friends can also accept our phone interviews, such as those from Juventus..."

Upon hearing this, Evelyn felt a little like she'd been tricked: "They were just planning to wait for us to come to them!"

But in reality, Sammer came up with this idea quickly in that short time thanks to his keen intuition. He had indeed done his homework beforehand to facilitate his play, but that was all related to music, without any other elements. Now, it's not just about music anymore; it also needs to extend to football and commercial value.

It's clearly not as pure as before; there's less musical content, but the topics resonate with a wider audience. Moreover, while he felt that "Ole ole ole ole" was indeed impeccable as the World Cup theme song, musically it didn't showcase Bian Lang's profound talent in songwriting; instead, it exuded a businessman's shrewdness!

After understanding this, he admired Bian Lang even more. Many artists, after achieving a certain level of success in their field, often tend towards isolation, becoming detached from the market or society, and then doing things that seem inexplicable…

For example, the Cai Niao duo!

But Bian Lang is different. He can write works like "Rock 'n' Roll Suicide," but he is willing to use the extremely simple slogan "Ole ole ole ole..." to win the hearts of fans.

So he made a decision: if the interview went well, he would consider recommending the Rolling Stones to headquarters.

According to his deduction, the Rolling Stones' trip to the United States will definitely not be a simple journey.

Sammer said he needed time to prepare, but in fact he and Evelyn flew to Berlin early the next morning. At the same time, Noohir, Time magazine's official European photographer, also rushed to Berlin.

The entire interview process went smoothly, and the entire process, including the interview and filming, was completed in one morning.

During the event, an executive from Adidas also arrived and personally presented Bian Lang with a jersey signed by all the national teams sponsored by Adidas that participated in the World Cup.

"Wave, we hope to invite you to participate in some very interesting activities with us during the World Cup!"

Bian Lang never had the chance to watch a World Cup match live in his previous life, so he's determined not to miss it this time: "As long as it doesn't interfere with my watching the game live, anything is fine with me!"

"Of course! Also, I'd like to ask a personal question: when are Rolling Stones planning an all-English album?"

This question stumped Bian Lang. He doesn't have many English albums that he can completely replicate. Pink Floyd's three albums are not easy to replicate, and the same goes for Guns N' Roses and Big M...

However, he was actually unwilling to release a classic compilation album directly, because that might cause music fans to feel aesthetically fatigued, thereby reducing the attention or classic status of some songs.

After all, this isn't Earth. On Earth, if the album were titled "Classic Western Rock Compilation," every song in it would be highly regarded. But this is on Planet Blue, and the songwriters are no longer the likes of The Insects, Pink Floyd, Big M, Led Zeppelin, or Guns N' Roses—any one of them could dominate an entire scene.

Instead, it was Bian Lang, this "newcomer" who had not yet achieved the title of world rock icon!
After thinking for a while, Bian Lang replied very seriously: "I have always had a plan, but I am not sure about the specific time. However, I will finish recording all the English songs for this year's tour by next year."

Hearing Bian Lang's extremely serious answer, this person immediately revealed their fanatical fan side: "Really? Then will there be a compilation album? Can I use my personal connections..."

Bian Lang smiled without saying a word; this favor was naturally reserved for Evelyn.

……

Bian Lang, along with Zhu Wei and Lin Yaorong, flew back to China from Berlin on September 29th. After arriving in Shanghai, Lin Yaorong returned to Hong Kong first, while Bian Lang and Zhu Wei went back to Kunming.

Upon arriving at Changshui Airport after a long absence, Bian Lang emerged from the satellite terminal and was picked up by an office vehicle carrying Guo Sichu. In the VIP lounge of the main terminal, Bian Lang met his bandmates from the Rolling Stones; they were all waiting for their late-night flight to Haikou.

In the past, the Rolling Stones wouldn't have traveled with such a grand entourage, but now that the lead singer is the diva Guo Sichu, their travel arrangements can't be the same as before. Otherwise, in a public place like an airport, their chances of catching a flight smoothly would be virtually nonexistent.

"Wow, this is a huge upgrade!" Bian Lang joked with a laugh, immediately earning a glare from Guo Sichu: "What are you so jealous of? It's all the same Rolling Stones' prestige..."

Before Bian Lang could even respond, Liang Kuan's words left him speechless: "What's with all the sour talk between family members? You two only have an hour, hurry up..."

"Sister Kuan, what's wrong with you..."

After briefly telling Liang Kuan about the progress in Europe, Bian Lang didn't go looking for a private space with Guo Sichu. After finishing his business in Chuncheng, Bian Lang went to Haikou to meet up with them. He could still hold back for a day or two.

Liang Kuan, however, had a private chat with Bian Lang...

……

The final episode of "The Big Band" will air on October 2nd. Those self-media outlets that have recently been exploited by overseas critics of Rolling Stone are preparing to make one last push at this time. Even if they can't expand their influence much further, if they can damage "The Big Band's" ratings, the sponsors will still give them an extra reward.

Because of the inevitable surge in popularity of tourist hotspots during the Golden Week holiday, these self-media outlets chose to upload their articles criticizing Rolling Stone in the early hours of October 11th, hoping to generate buzz overnight and receive a boost in traffic from their sponsors in the morning.

But to their surprise, when they woke up, the topic of European travel was all the rage, and it was closely related to Bianlang!

Chinese tourists already traveling in Europe are all sharing a video that is playing "Ole..." on large screens in major European tourist cities!
(End of this chapter)