Goodbye Wong Jim, James (1941-2004)

Glutter’s Hong Kong

Yesterday in the early hours, Dr. James Wong Jim, better known as “Uncle Jim” passed away from his cancer at 64. A man who for forty years entertained the city with his straight talking, honest, gregarious, sometimes dirty, often off-the-cuff and always hilarious nature. Sometimes he played the fool, but not so far from the surface was an intense intellectual who explained the inspiration of a certain song from a chapter in a Chinese Musical Theory book he was reading.

Everyone feels like they know him, and with his social nature everyone has a story of when they met him. I grew up thinking I did, even though I have no recollection because my god mother likes to tell me that when as he worked with my aunt, he played with me a few times. Later on in life, I met his daughter who is an actor in her own right. I saw her on TV tonight, pursued by photographers as she rushed to her father’s side. It didn’t seem very fair and I wished those flashing bulbs would go away.

There are non-stop retrospectives on the radio and TV playing some of the 2000 songs he put lyrics and sometimes melody to in this 40 year career. Songs that run in the background of our lives, part of the collective memory of this city, most of them I know the words to but did not know until today, were his.

Songs that were themes of hit movies, TV shows, and number ones for top artists. Songs after songs by artists who are also no longer here, that died in the last two years, Roman Tam, Anita Mui, Leslie Cheung, and favorites of nearly every other person who ever stood in front of a mike. The most played are, "Shanghai Beach", of the lost glory days of Shanghai. "Under a Lion’s Rock," a description of the hill all Hong Kong people live under and a portrait of the difficult lives of the working class that defines the 70s. And the protest song "To be a Brave Chinese Person," demanding and reminding what that means, which is to keep fighting for freedoms and righteousness -a favorite in the Tiananmen Memorial and also the Democratic Protest. Until he came along, songs were about love, and he moved it into social issues and transcending the everyday, the ordinary people into something worth recording. He was a Dylan, a Mitchell, with a much bigger personality.

If writing one of those songs should reserve a place in history as well as the hearts of those who are under the Lion Rock, Dr. Wong was a prolific artist in every other way: Making movies, acting, writing books and columns, hosting variety shows and Miss Hong Kong. He interviewed the tops stars as well as politicians in day time shows, but his domain where he shined the most were his intimate late night talk shows. Where everyone who came on, put down their masks, while he and his cultural entertainment vanguards friends, drank expensive red wine, and sat on black leather couches, discussing the profane to serious with their invited guests. And as much as he liked to talk about sex, he was the first to come out and speak about AIDS, condoms and safe sex on television. If that is not enough, in his last years, he enrolled into Hong Kong University and gained a PhD and  became a Doctor in Philosophy.

Tonight, as I sat with my mother and her friends, along with one of their sons in front of the television. We watched riveted at his achievements, sang to his songs, and discovered new things, (he can sing Chinese Opera too?) one is aware that today’s passing is of a man who transcended the barriers of the arts, gained respect of generations and created a soundtrack that spanned a length of time that add up to a quarter of this city’s history.

HKVP: Translation of Chinese Paper Announcements of Uncle Jim’s Death

The Sun: James Wong dies
Sing Tao: "Devilish Genius" passed away this morning
Ming Pao: Joseph Koo pained by loss of dear friend
Ming Pao: James’ son: Please remember my dad and the way he laughs

HKVP: James Wong dies

For Newest Hongiwood news: Hong Kong Entertainment Review