On a Friday afternoon, while I was listening to Metalhead Politics and drawing, there was one line that instantly caught my attention. Talking about how the inspiration behind his music, Freddy Lim—the vocalist of the metal band Chthonic— was reflecting on a question he often gets from Western metalheads asking why there are metal bands in Asia. What do Taiwanese have to be angry about? To this, Lim responds, “Check out Taiwan’s history, then you will know where our anger is from.”
As a 2nd generation Taiwanese American who isn’t fluent in Chinese, there’s a lot I don’t understand about Taiwan. It wasn’t until I became an adult that I started to untangle the stands of Taiwanese history that I knew, and I began to understand the anger that Freddy Lim mentions. It’s the anger of having Taiwan’s destiny ripped out of our hands countless times: first, by colonizing powers such as The Netherlands and Japan, then, by the U.S. decision to gift Taiwan to Chiang Kai-Shek and the R.O.C. after World War II. It’s the anger of being a relatively young democratic country that has been denied representation and support by international organizations that champion human rights and self-determination. But behind the anger is also pride in Taiwan’s eclectic history and how far we’ve come. From a small country that lacked a central identity, Taiwan has become a progressive state with a stable democracy.
As I’ve grown to know more about Taiwan, Taiwan’s vibrant political landscape is one part of Taiwan that I love the most. Many are quick to point out that Taiwan is not perfect, and it’s true that there is still a long way to go. However, when I reflect on social movements that have taken place in the past years, such as the Sunflower Movement and the Wild Strawberries Movement, and the ways that Taiwanese protestors continue to hold the government accountable and challenge politicians’ commitment to democracy, I feel excited for the future ahead.
Ghost Island Media‘s podcast, Metalhead Politics, features one such protestor turned legislator. Over the 6-podcast long series, Ghost Island Media co-founder Emily Y. Wu talks with Freddy Lim—a former Sunflower Movement protestor, a founder of the New Power Party, and a current member of the Taiwanese parliament—about his opinions of Taiwan’s current status and his hopes for the future. Throughout the podcast, Wu and Lim cover a variety of issues; democracy in crisis, transitional justice, and nation building are just a few of the conversation topics. The episodes are a candid look at Taiwanese politics and Wu does a wonderful job of facilitating conversation to make these topics easily accessible to international listeners.
In addition to politics, Lim and Wu discuss music and Taiwanese culture. As the vocalist of Taiwanese metal band Chthonic, Lim showcases his love of Taiwanese culture as he talks about how he uses the unique tonal quality of Taiwanese language as a base for the melodies of his songs. Each episode they share one Chthonic song and one song by a different metal band, which provides a nice introduction to metal music if you—like me—don’t know a lot about it! The resulting podcast is such a refreshing blend of passion: for politics, for music, and for Taiwan.
Metalhead Politics is a wonderful podcast because it not only address the anger, but also the love behind Lim’s music. From the pride in Lim’s voice as he talks about speaking in Taiwanese to his daughter, to their optimism for Taiwan’s future, Lim and Wu have created a podcast that is an excellent snapshot of current Taiwanese issues. If you listen to Metalhead Politics then you will understand where our anger—but also our love for Taiwan—comes from.
(Featured image by Ghost Island Media via Metalhead Politics)
Taiwan Culture Corner 