The Back Dorm Boys

• fudgester

  3 May 06, 10:02

  I wrote this article in my blog some time back... thought I might share it with you guys here. I don't know whether this subject has been posted before.
  
  The Back Dorm Boys
  
  
  The Back Dorm Boys: Huang Yi Xin and Wei Wei
  
  Also known as the Back Dormitary Boys, the names of the guys are Huang Yi Xin and Wei Wei. I'm not sure which guy is which (all the sources I have referred to don't seem to say who is who), but my guess is that Wei Wei is the guy on the left, while Yi Xin is the guy on the right. They are both undergraduates at the Guangzhou Arts Institute, majoring in Sculptures.
  
  Using a webcam, the duo have churned out lip-sync videos of several songs. The very first video they did was BSB's 'As Long As You Love Me' (which led to them being labelled as the 'Asian Backstreet Boys' and led to their current name). This video was then spread on the Internet and became highly popular. Since then, they've been able to come out with several other videos, not just of the Backstreet Boys, but also of several Chinese artistes such as Wang Lee Hom, and, erm... S.H.E.
  
  What makes these lip-sync videos so entertaining and so appealing to the masses is, ironically, the sheer 'authenticity' of these home-made videos. These guys used a low-quality webcam in their dorm room on campus to film their videos. Otherwise, they're just regular students like you and me who slog through daily lectures and plow through mounds of work. That makes them easily identifiable with other college students irrespective of the language barrier.
• fudgester

  3 May 06, 10:09

  The Third Guy
  
  There's a third guy who appears in the background of most of these videos.
  
  
  The Third Guy. Look at the background!
  
  This third guy has been identified as a friend of theirs, Xiao Jing. In the videos he does not seem to do anything much more than face the computer screen while the other two are lip-synching. It was at first speculated that he was watching the video unfold in real time on his computer screen (which would make him the 'director'), but as it turns out, all that he seems to be doing is... play CounterStrike. In spite of his non-paticipation in the videos, though, his presence has only served to make the videos have even more credibility. After all, a guy playing CS on his computer only accentuates the amateur dorm-room setting even further. Amazing!
  
  The videos have become so popular that, as I've said, they've become minor celebrities in their own right. They've been signed on as spokespeople for sina.com, one of the largest Internet portals in China. In addition, their lip-sync videos have been used by Motorola China to advertise their handphones.
  
  Heck, the ultimate honour has to be when the actually gave a 'live' lip-synching performance in China (Guangzhou, I guess) on October 31st last year!
  
  You can watch the video here:
  
  http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6440135875935340811&pl=true
  
  I know it sounds highly ludicrous that anyone can actually be famous by lip-synching. After all, Milli Vanilli was stripped of their Grammy back in 1990 for lip-synching their songs. And of course, I don't have to tell you guys about what Ashlee Simpson did. However, their videos do make for some hilarious brain-free entertainment, and I'm sure that appeals not just to frat boys who identify with them... but also, everyone else out for a laugh.
  
  Other videos by the Back Dorm Boys:
  
  As Long As You Love Me:
  http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7720839251560849261
  
  I Want It That Way:
  http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7720839251560849261
  
  Some Chinese song (can someone help me identify please?):
  http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5892416792984054419&pl=true
• fudgester

  3 May 06, 22:02

  Some other links and information on the Back Dorm Boys:
  
  Back Dormitary Boys Fansite :
  
  http://www.backdormitoryboys.com/
  
  Wikipedia article on them:
  
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Back_Dorm_Boys
  
  
• SingaporeMacross

  3 May 06, 22:09

  haha, here's their link..
  
  http://www.twochineseboys.blogspot.com/
• fudgester

  3 May 06, 22:52

  Originally posted by SingaporeMacross:

  haha, here's their link..
  
  http://www.twochineseboys.blogspot.com/

  Haha... great link!