Giving voice to Taiwan's working class

"We had one guy who came a few times and didn't say anything. He sat there with his head down in total shame and embarrassment," continued Chuang. "I asked him to write some lyrics that summed up his mood. Before you knew it he'd penned three songs, began to be part of the group and is now a very active member of our workshops."

The group made its long player debut in 1998 with Lucky as Shit (福氣個屁), an album featuring not only the band, but the voices of roughly 30 recently laid-off factory workers.

Featuring a selection of folksy/rock renditions of traditional Taiwanese workers' songs, such as The Brave Taiwanese Workers (勇敢的台灣工人), as well as a Taiwanese-language version of L'Internationale, the album was released to coincide with the 10th anniversary of the Taiwan Independent Labor Movement (台灣自主工運).

The album's rather natty title was taken from a popular TV commercial of the day and was a spoof of the catch phrase for Whisbih (維士比), in which Hong Kong movie star, Chow Yun-fat (周潤發), was seen to swig on the caffeine soaked energy drink with a group of workers. Lucky as Shit may not have gone platinum, but it certainly put the band on the map.

"Every time I heard [Chow] say `you are lucky' in that commercial I thought `what a stupid thing to say.' I mean, factories were being closed down like never before. What on earth did Taiwan's workers have to be lucky about? They were losing their jobs and were plain out of luck," stated Chen.

Even before the culture award and the sudden upsurge in media interest that has followed, it has been a busy year for the band. It has held numerous workshops, performed with members of the Collective of Sex Workers and Supporters (日日春關懷互助協會) at fund raising events for unemployed prostitutes, taken an active roll in recent anti-war protests, played at numerous labor rallies and even made time to record and release a new album.

Released this week, Taiwan Buffalo vs. WTO (台灣牛vs. WTO) -- the cover art for which shows the Taiwan Buffalo giving the WTO (in the guise of Uncle Sam) a good whooping -- once again sees the group joining forces with various labor groups for a series of

melodies.

Helping the band to give musical voice to their concerns apropos Taiwan's growing unemployment rate and high industrial accident rate are members of the Collective of Sex Workers and Supporters and the Taiwan Association for Victims of Occupational Injuries (工作傷害受害人協會). The main target of the Black Hand's musical ire is the WTO, an organization that, according to Chen, gives good reason for Taiwan's working class to be distrustful of its professed benefits.

"There was a lot of media hype and talk before Taiwan joined the WTO, but I'm pretty sure that a large percentage of the population wonders what all the fuss was about. And, more importantly, quite what Taiwan got out of it," said Chen. "The price of rice wine went up and the price of rice has fallen to an all-time low. Has it helped us, the workers, or has it simply helped the rich to get even richer?"