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Changing his tune

By Chang Ju-ping
STAFF REPORTER
Saturday, Oct 14, 2000, Page 11

Although Dennis Nieh -- host of ICRT's "Taiwan Tonight" -- is most familiar with the DJ's chair, he has also branched out into acting and stand-up comedy since returning to his native Taiwan from the US a few years ago. One of his latest forays casts him as a pitchman for McDonald's. PHOTO: GEORGE TSORNG

IN the early evening, tucked away in an out-of-the-way recording studio at ICRT, Dennis Nieh (聶雲) is warming up his audience for "Taiwan Tonight."

He floats a few jokes on the airwaves to entertain listeners and then rolls into a satirical scene-setter, describing a movie star playing an ordinary family man.

"Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta Jones are getting married, having babies, and picking up clothes. Douglas is gathering big bags, mall bags, everything, under his arms, around his neck and between his legs, trying to get all the clothes home."

Nieh reaches over to the computer in front of him and seconds later the movie sound track from "Mr. Mom" fills the studio. He smiles slightly, satisfied with his shtick. He is comfortable with this routine. It is something he has been polishing for more than 10 years, since his time as a heavy metal disc jockey in northern California.

Sitting in front of a large, state-of-the-art recording system, surrounded by computers and microphones, Nieh remembers his much smaller studio in San Jose. "I had two turn tables, a mike, and a small board with 8-track carts," says Nieh, who just played music for his first DJ job.

But in Taiwan, Nieh's role has grown well beyond just spinning discs. He promotes shows at McDonald's around the island; he goes to schools and prisons to give motivational talks; he does commercials; and he even started a mini-series on TV. Currently, he is on an island tour doing stand-up comedy with Theater Company 99, cracking jokes sans music.

PHOTO: GEORGE TSORNG

"People expect more of you," says Nieh, while backstage prepping for his part in the stand-up comedy "Talk Maniac." "In the States, if you are a DJ, then you are a DJ. You don't do anything else. But here, DJs publish books and get involved in other things."

Nieh was born in Taiwan and moved to the States at the age of seven. He lived in California until three years ago, after a business trip to Taiwan sparked his interest anew in the island. After about six months, he ran into ICRT's general manager, Doc Casey, at a bar. Casey invited him to work at ICRT and that was the night he stepped up to a career in the spotlight, winding up as the sedate and sometimes sarcastic voice behind "Taiwan Tonight," a window into local scenes colored with music and spiced up with entertainment news.

"In the States, if you are a DJ, then you are a DJ. You don't do anything else. But here, DJs publish books and get involved in other things."

Dennis Nieh

The show has earned Nieh quite a following. He gets about 80 e-mails a day from fans, some of which he answers with the rest being read on his live program. He also weaves in bits of infotainment gleaned from the local press between a steady run of popular American songs and a few local acts.

"Through my program what I want to create is an environment," says Nieh. "What makes a program humorous and fun to listen to is personality. That's why you add a little personality spice to make it interesting. That's what binds all the elements together to make it work."

What Nieh is tackling today as a DJ is a lot more sophisticated than what he did on his first broadcasting job 10 years ago in San Jose. During those simpler days, Nieh would send up an endless stream of heavy metal music -- no chatter, very little personality needed. Since then, he's been riding the roller coaster of radio broadcasting, moving from heavy metal to American Top 40 to Chinese pop.

Though reserved when it comes to revealing his personal life, Nieh insists on being true to himself, even if it means trouble for him. "I will not change myself to become something else just to please other people," he says.

It may be this kind of genuineness that makes director Deng An-ning (鄧安寧) wonder why Nieh did so well as a first-time actor. "It comes very natural for him to act," says Deng, who directed "Internet Beauty Live Show," a miniseries on Super TV. "Maybe it's because he's a California kid?"

Or, perhaps, it's as Liu Chih-chi (劉智琦), the program producer for "Taiwan Tonight," says: "Dennis works very hard, does not complain and really appreciates the opportunities that were given to him."

Despite his new success and his brushes with fame, Nieh still revels in memories rooted in ordinary family experiences. Like when the whole family would treat grocery shopping and cooking Chinese cabbage as a big deal. These are days he left behind on the other side of the Pacific. "The best thing that can ever happen in life is to be an ordinary person and lead an ordinary life," he says.

But ordinary seems a relatively abstract concept nowadays for Nieh. For the curtain is coming up and he's taking the stage again, this time as a comedian. Bounding off into the bright lights, he whispers: "Stay and watch."

For your information:

"Taiwan Tonight" airs on ICRT FM100.7 every weekday evening from 6PM to 9pm.
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