Danny Dunn is the lead guitarist of Soul Shake, the hottest professional foreign rock band in Beijing. OK, Soul Shake is possibly the only foreign rock band in Beijing. And as of Wednesday, the entire band’s been in lockdown.
Last year I spoke with Soul Shake’s lead, Tom Knight, where he told possibly the most memorable story in the entire run of The Beijing Sessions - a story of a beer promotion gone horribly wrong. Danny remembers.
Danny’s from Liverpool, home to another musical act you may have heard of. So we had to talk about Get Back, the incredible three-part Peter Jackson series that streamed on Disney + earlier this year. Like me, Danny’s estimation of Paul grew after watching the series.
Danny’s girlfriend is Christine Yang, also a friend of the program. Like Christine, Danny’s vegan - and we talk about that as well.
Etc.
Last week I wrote about Shannon Bufton, a cycling pioneer in Beijing. I expected to write a pretty straightforward profile, but things got a little complicated after I spoke with Harry Li, a Beijing-based TV commentator, who does not think Bufton is a pioneer.
Bufton, 45, is at the forefront of a cycling revival in Beijing. He’s “iconic,” said Harry Li (李陶 Lǐ Táo), a TV commentator. “He brought new kinds of ideas,” said Fù Yìqún 付轶群, a longtime Beijing cyclist. His bikes are a “ridiculously comfortable ride,” according to influential writer and cyclist Andy van Bergen.
With a new brand space opening later this month, Bufton is in Beijing for the long haul. But with previously empty mountain roads now teeming with cars and bicycles, and heart disease mostly keeping him off his bike, he’s setting his sights on new frontiers — and fending off a claim that’s downplaying his legacy as one of Beijing’s route pioneers.
You can read the feature on SupChina: Shannon Bufton, a pioneer in Beijing cycling, forges ahead
Danny Dunn of Soul Shake