EastSouthWestNorth: Bus Uncle

Bus Uncle

Excerpted from Apple Daily via InMediaHK:

What is the most popular movie in Hong Kong? It is not M:i:3 (which is likely not to be shown in mainland China) and it is not Da Vinci Code (which is severely criticized by the Catholic Church). No, it is a stealth video clip entitled "巴士阿叔, Bus Uncle" on YouTube.

The incident occurred on the top deck of a Number 68X Kowloon bus on April 29. A young man observed that the middle-aged person in front of him was talking too loud on the mobile telephone. So he tapped the man's shoulder and asked him to keep the volume down. This led to a vigorous response, including a string of obscenities. The entire proceedings were recorded by another passenger named John using a mobile camera phone. The film was uploaded on YouTube and then seen by the whole wide world. As of May 19, 1.2 million people have watched the video clip! (Update: 1.9 million as of May 26; ETTV cited a 5.9 million figure on May 27, which probably combines all the editions).

Yes, but so what?

Well, I must say that even I am astonished by the spontaneous media exposures and brand extensions that have occurred so far.

REGIONAL VERSIONS

The original video clip appeared on April 29. The conversation was conducted in Cantonese, and therefore has a limited audience.
For general audience distribution, there is an "obscenity-filtered version" in which all the obscenities were blanked out. This is very much missing the point.
Due to the astounding reception, a Chinese-language sub-titled version was produced by an unknown person and uploaded on May 9. This opened the video clip to all non-Cantonese speaking but Chinese-reading people around the world.
An Chinese/English-language sub-titled version was uploaded on May 11, as befits Hong Kong's status as a cosmopolitan city that can talk to the whole wide world.
Here is the Part 2, in which the principals spoke on the phone to other parties for another minutes or so. This was sold to EasyFinder magazine.

MAINSTREAM MEDIA

On broadcast television TVB:

[Correction: The above photograph was in fact a Photoshop job by some pranksters. TVB has only mentioned Bus Uncle very briefly in a report about YouTube.]
Cable TV News clip.
A TVB commercial used to promote its World Cup coverage will feature its commentator Lam Sheung-yee spoofing the role of Bus Uncle (see Apple Daily).

See YouTube for the video clip.
Commercial Radio DJ Sammy issued a general call for the young man to come forth.
Commercial Radio 881 interviewed the young man named Alvin ((Cantonese) Part 1 and Part 2). Alvin claimed that he was the other party in the video.
Commercial Radio interviewed the camera man 巴士阿叔攝影師訪問(查小欣節目）
Newspaper (Chinese): 大熱! 巴士阿叔效應 Apple Daily via InMediaHK
Newspaper (Chinese): 巴士阿叔短片攝影師現身「倘有人動武有證據交警方」 Ming Pao via Yahoo! News)
Newspaper (Chinese): Apple Daily
Newspaper (Chinese): 巴士阿叔道盡港人受壓 Oriental Daily via Yahoo! News
Newspaper (Chinese): 「巴士阿叔」攝影師發意外財 Ming Pao via Yahoo! News) According to Jon, there is in fact a second part to the video in which Alvin called a friend and talked about encountering a raging uncle. Throughout that conversation, the uncle just sat and did nothing. There are about 160 video clips in the camera phone, and these have become the object of competitive bidding by the media.
Newspaper (Chinese) 欠缺「可能」的土炮網絡 + 巴士判官判了什麼？ Ming Pao via InMediaHK
Newspaper (Chinese) 巴士阿叔道盡港人受壓 Oriental Daily via Yahoo! News
Newspaper (Chinese) 巴士阿叔揭示社會問題 Tai Kung Pao
Newspaper (Chinese) 巴士被 青年﹕激勵努力工作任地產公司老闆稱「害怕阿叔動手」 Ming Pao via Yahoo! News
Newspaper (Chinese) 巴士少年首現身「為何想我還手」 Hong Kong Economic Times
Newspaper (Chinese) 香港自有狂人屋　香港自有胯下辱 Oriental Daily via Yahoo! News
Newspaper (Chinese) 巴士阿叔邀四眼仔做騷賺錢 Sing Tao
Newspaper (Chinese) 「最少八千」巴士阿叔受訪要收錢 Ming Pao (also reprinted at Yahoo! News)
Newspaper (Chinese) 性格缺陷說話會忽真忽假 Ming Pao via Yahoo! News
Newspaper (Chinese) 本報記者與「巴士阿叔」答問節錄 Ming Pao (also reprinted in Yahoo! News)
Newspaper (Chinese) 巴士阿叔趁紅搵銀 Oriental Daily via Yahoo! News
Newspaper (Chinese) 香港自有狂人屋　香港自有胯下辱 Oriental Daily via Yahoo! News
Newspaper (Chinese) 四眼仔口臭辣興失戀阿叔 Oriental Daily
Newspaper (Chinese) 「阿叔」昨到訪「青年」感震怒 Ming Pao (also reprinted in Yahoo! News)
Newspaper (Chinese) 若借醜聞發達應停發綜援 Ming Pao via Yahoo! News
Newspaper (Chinese) 四眼仔發威趕走「巴士阿叔」 Sing Tao
Newspaper (Chinese) 「巴士阿叔」熱潮的商機 Sing Tao
Newspaper (Chinese) 巴士阿叔要用人氣挑戰曾特首 Sing Tao
Newspaper (Chinese) 「巴士阿叔」新聞應告一段落 Ta Kung Pao
Newspaper (Chinese) 記者拒金錢採訪　巴士阿叔玩神秘 Oriental Daily via Yahoo! News
Newspaper (Chinese) 巴士阿叔要用人氣挑戰曾特首 Sing Tao via Yahoo! News
Newspaper (Chinese) 滾滾紅塵一眾生 Sing Tao
Newspaper (Chinese) 陳乙東躁漢柔情心繫三女人 Oriental Daily
Newspaper (Chinese) 餐廳打救　巴士阿叔甩難 Oriental Daily via Sina.com.hk
Newspaper (Chinese) 失戀阿叔發惡報警斬情絲 Sing Tao
Newspaper (Chinese) 巴士阿叔獄中情詩曝光 Oriental Daily
Newspaper (Chinese) 阿叔半島歎早餐賀返工 Sing Tao
Newspaper (Chinese) 北上按摩減壓　否認追「扒女」 Oriental Daily
Newspaper (Chinese) 「巴士阿叔」遇襲 Sing Tao
Newspaper (Chinese) 巴士阿叔遇襲 4煞闖餐廳狂毆 Ming Pao
Newspaper (Chinese) 成名　召妓　蒙面漢踩場打阿叔 Oriental Daily
Newspaper (Chinese) 抵打？得罪人？巴士阿叔遭痛毆 The Sun
Newspaper (Chinese) 黎洛文﹕從巴士阿叔到會考手機出貓 ——傳統媒體的落伍 Ming Pao
Newspaper (English): Video of grumpy Hong Kong man scolding fellow bus rider becomes Internet hit. South China Morning Post via AsiaMedia.
Newspaper (English): Associated Press and Associated Press May 25, 2006.
Newspaper (English): City full of 'bus uncles' just waiting to explode: experts (by Niki Law, South China Morning Post, May 28, 2006).
Newspaper (English): Bus Uncle taught me a lesson: take a different bus. (by Agnes Lam, South China Morning Post, May 30, 2006).
Newspaper (English): 'Don't make me meet Bus Uncle again' (by Agnes Lam, South China Morning Post, June 1, 2006 via AsiaMedia).
Newspaper (English): Hong Kong phone rage 'not settled yet' Rowan Callick, The Australian. June 5, 2006.
Newspaper (English): Average Chinese speak in cyberspace Steven Schwankert, Network World. June 6, 2006.
Newspaper (Englihs): The “Bus Uncle” Video Phenomenon That is Sweeping Hong Kong Alice Hill, RealTechNews. June 7, 2006.
Newspaper (English): A Six-Minute Tirade On a Hong Kong Bus Rides Into Vernacular. By Geoffrey Fowler, The Wall Street Journal. June 7, 2006.
Newspaper (English): Three men beat up Hong Kong's 'Bus Uncle' AP. June 8, 2006.
Newspaper (English): Irate HK man unlikely Web hero CNN.com June 9, 2006.
Newspaper (English): When Life Makes You Cry Uncle Eugene Robinson, Washington Post. June 9, 2006.
Newspaper (English): Elvis and the Bus Uncle Lane DeGregory, St. Petersburg Tribune. June 15, 2006.
Magazine: EastWeek (May 24, 2006, p. 26-29) (sorry, no online version). This one includes detailed analyses by a psychiatrist (about the states of mind of Bus Uncle and Alvin) and a sociologist (about the general social atmosphere in Hong Kong). It also has an interview with a 68X bus driver who recalled an earlier encounter with the Bus Uncle; the bus driver had to call the police because Bus Uncle was interfering with his driving by screaming at him.
Magazine: The Bus Uncle Interview (Next Magazine, June 1, 2006)
Internet: Wikia entry (Chinese) 林尚义声线高压呀叔搭公共汽车途中问候后生仔事件; Wikipedia entry (English) Uncle Bus; Wikipedia entry (Chinese) 巴士阿叔
Internet: Ever wanted to ask the guy next to you on the bus to shut up? Metafilter (read the comments)
Internet: Interview with the Bus Uncle Metafilter (read the comments)
Internet: I have stress! You have stress! Not resolved! Language Log
Internet: What is wrong with Bus Uncle profiteering? Sun Bin blog
Internet: The Bus Uncle Interview in Next Magazine EastSouthWestNorth blog
Internet: Bus Uncle: Identity and Politics EastSouthWestNorth blog
Internet: 由巴士阿叔，到星島造新聞實錄 小狼
Internet Video: 巴士阿叔陳乙東的自白  Next Magazine
Internet Video: 巴士阿叔陳乙東唱K Next Magazine
Internet Video: 巴士阿叔陳乙東天才表演  Next Magazine
Internet Video: 巴士阿叔陳乙東事件重演  Next Magazine
Internet Video: 巴士阿叔陳乙東金口再開  Next Magazine
Internet Video: 巴士阿叔陳乙東粗口論 Next Magazine
Internet Video: 四眼仔發威趕走巴士呀叔 Sing Tao
Internet Video: 巴士阿叔自爆性史影片 Oriental Sunday
Internet Video: 巴士阿叔淫賤實錄 Oriental Sunday

MULTIMEDIA EXTENSIONS

City University of Hong Kong has some notices in the manner of Bus Uncle. For example, "I've got to take exams and you've got to take exams," "I've got to occupy the room, so you shoudn't," "I've got pressure and you've got pressure," "So why are you MS people occupying the six rooms?", "Why are you challenging me over the room?" "What you are doing is unjust," "Do you want me to have a talk with you?" "50582163 Bus Uncle," "Will all the fans who support me sign here?"
Key phrases uttered by Bus Uncle were put into a rap remix.
Key phrases uttered by Bus Uncle were put into a dance remix.
A slowed down version is known as Bus Uncle (Darth Vader Version)
Key phrases uttered by Bus Uncle were put into a Sammi Cheng remix.
Key phrases uttered by Bus Uncle were put into a Kekoro cartoon remix.
The videoclip has been overlaid with the music piece Adagio with Strings.
Key phrases uttered by Bus Uncle were put into an up-tempo disco remix.
Key phrases uttered by Bus Uncle were put into a bamboo fight song remix.
Key phrases uttered by Bus Uncle were put into a Samuel Hui song about mahjong.
Key prhases uttered by Bus Uncle, Alan Ho and Miss Wan Alan Ho+巴士阿叔串溫小姐
Key phrases uttered by Bus Uncle were mixed into a radio program hosted with Chip Tsao.
The soundtrack has also been overlaid with music for the young people's karaoke version.
The sound track was laid over in a song over some video clips from Stephen Chow's movie The God of Food.
Key phrases uttered by Bus Uncle were put into a Hotel California remix featuring American idol contestant William Hung.
Key phrases uttered by Bus Uncle were mixed into a press conference by Hong Kong SAR Chief Executive Donald Tsang
Key phrases uttered by Bus Uncle were mixed with phrases from a speech by former Hong Kong SAR chief executive Tung Chee-hwa.
Key phrases uttered by Bus Uncle were mixed in with other people's phrases so that this becomes a sexually harassing telephone call.
Key phrases uttered by Bus Uncle were put into an X-rated version titled "My dick is under a lot of pressure -- use you mouth to help me"
For general distribution, there is a "clean and friendly version" in which two young people re-enacted the scene with much cordiality and minus the obscenities.
There is a full-text transcription (in Chinese)
Key phrases uttered by Alvin were put into a slowed-down monologue with musical back-up.
In a very short clip, there is a Chen Shui-bian version in which the voice of the Taiwan president is overlaid on the video clip of the finger-wagging Bus Uncle ("Could Ah Bian be wrong?").
Some people think that Bus Uncle bears a resemblance to a famous soccer analyst on Hong Kong television Lam Sheung-yee (林尚義). So there is a Lam Sheung-yee crossover edition in which the voice of Bus Uncle was overlaid on a television program clip in which Lam appeared with two other commentators. In EastWeek magazine, the real Lam Sheung-yee felt much aggrieved in this episode -- "Please let the public know that it wasn't me. I drive my own car. What would I need to take a bus?"
Previously, the nastiest man in Hong Kong was an individual known as Alan Ho, whose taped conversation to the Airport Authority inquiry line was leaked to the public as an example of a caller from hell (see Global Noise) So someone has mixed the two audio tapes to have a Bus Uncle versus Alan Ho match -- these two people from hell deserve each other ... There is another version that matches Alan Ho up with Alvin Ho.
Key phrases from Alvin's radio interview were put into a musical remix.
A complete new song dedicated to Bus Uncle 給阿義叔(四眼後生仔心聲) originally posted at HKGolden.
Montage of Bus Uncle being assaulted 巴士阿叔比人打

MERCHANDISING

From the video clip, the most memorable phrase were
# 我有壓力,你有壓力,你做乜挑釁我呀？("I've got pressure and you've got pressure. So why are you provoking me?")
# 未解決!未解決!!未解決!!! ("It hasn't been solved yet! It has been solved yet!! It hasn't been solved yet!!!")
# 唔手即係未掂啦?未掂即係要搞到掂啦!係咪啊 ("Is this not okay then? If it's not, then it'll have to be taken care of! Right or not?")
# 你好好打咩你！屌你老母！ ("Are you a good fighter! I fuck your mother!")
# 老母唔屌屌邊個啊? ("If I don't fuck your mother, then who do I fuck?")

The HK Bus Uncle Shop has printed the phrase ("I've got pressure") on T-shirts (for you, your toddler or your dog), tote bags and even teddy bears and selling them on the Internet.

They are also selling T-shirts, mugs, note books, book bags and even boxer shorts with the words ""It hasn't been solved yet! It has been solved yet!! It hasn't been solved yet!!!"
"I've got pressure and you've got pressure. So why are you challenging me?" and "It hasn't been solved yet! It has been solved yet!! It hasn't been solved yet!!!" are available as mobile phone ring tones for a small fee.
From a poster for the 1991 movie Taxi Hunter (about a citizen who administers extreme justice against unscrupulous taxi cab drivers who refuse to pick up some passengers, take the long detour, overcharge, refuse to give change, etc) comes Bus Hunter:
From the recent triad-themed movies Election and Election 2, comes a poster for an unauthorized sequel titled Election 3: It Hasn't Been Solved.
More quotations from classical movies such as Taxi Driver and Texas Chainsaw Massacre
An unexpected commercial winner is Sony Ericsson, because EastWeek asked around and obtained the opinion that this long, unchoppy and clearly audible clip was most likely recorded with a Sony Ericsson w800i camera phone. This is 1.2 million advertising exposures for product performance endorsement. Wow! They couldn't have purchased it even if they tried!

With a mega-hit like this, the inevitable question is this: Will there be a sequel?

Here is Chapter 2 in a video clip in which Bus Uncle is allegedly arrested by the police for molesting a female. Bus Uncle is actually not visible, although the voice does sound like him.

What is the lesson in all this? This was a multimedia tsunami in which Bus Uncle, the young man, the camera person, the multimedia producers and the merchandisers do not know each other but somehow spontaneously played their parts to arrive at where we are.