http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2000/10/14/57254
Changing his tune
Since returning to Taiwan, DJ Dennis Nieh has parlayed his livelihood into a mini-entertainment business, succeeding as an actor, comedian and radio host of ICRT's "Taiwan Tonight"
By Chang Ju-ping
STAFF REPORTER
Saturday, Oct 14, 2000, Page 11
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.
"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.
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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| 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 |
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PHOTO: GEORGE TSORN |
No guts no glory
● 基本資料
英文名：Dennis Nieh
身高：183 cm
體重：75 kg
生日：11月17日
星座：天蠍座
學歷：蒙市大學商學系畢業 Cal Poly Pomona
語言：華語、英語、閩南語、粵語
《經 歷》
● 電 台
美國聖荷西KLEL(FM97.7)電台主持
KWSS(FM94.5)電台主持
洛杉磯KAZN(AM1300)電台主持
KAZN(AM1300)電台主持音樂總監
台北 ICRT社區廣播電台音樂總監.行銷市場部總監
ICRT電台主持 Taiwan tonight
假日音樂榜週一至週四PM7:00~8:00 週五PM7:00～9:00(LIVE) 週日Taiwan TOP20
● 廣 告
2009天主教失智老人代言
亞培幼兒恩美力出門篇及蛋糕篇
麥當勞麥脆雞I&II
麥當勞99自由配篇&捷運篇&得來速篇
中華電信009國際電話&002國際電話
CROCODILE服裝代言
● 主 持
美國舊金山翡翠電視台(TVB) 城市追蹤主持
美國洛杉磯華美電視台(KRCA) 閃亮的節奏主持
公視---少年哈週刊
中天---好運萬事通（樂透開獎＆四星彩開獎）、世界樂透透
七點樂透透、大樂透、愛在民宿
中視---搶鮮大陸、大陸真奇妙、綜藝大哥大
非凡---前進大陸
成都---一曲成名
廣州---超級消費王
安徽---幸福密碼
TVBS---娛樂新聞
大地頻道---超越生活
非凡新聞台---發燒消費通
三立都會台---西洋樂勢力、音樂風雲榜
三立台灣台---黃金夜總會
緯來綜合台---整人潑辣王、領帶與高跟鞋
衛視中文台---求愛紅不讓
● 電 視 劇
超視---網路美女live秀
華視---重新維修101（金鐘劇）、莒光園地：神啊！讓我們殺青吧！（保密防諜）、歡喜來逗陣
中視---愛情大魔咒
台視---名揚四海、求婚事務所
TVBS---八星報喜
● 舞 台 劇
2001 綠光 台北秀秀秀
1990 九九劇團 九九狂講曲PART 2（TALK SHOW）
● 電影
愛神幫幫我
● 出 版 品
2009 作夢都會笑的幸福
2008 戀愛英文ABC
2002 下一分鐘會更好
● 唱 片
2007 聶雲「情不自禁-浪漫情歌發燒專輯」
其 他
2007嘉義國際管樂節代言人
電影公司相關活動：保羅沃克、蜜雪兒羅莉葛茲、尼可拉斯凱吉、胡凱莉、卡麥蓉狄亞等。
洛杉磯職業籃球隊快艇隊13場現場轉播
職業籃球隊湖人隊(NBA)現場轉播(三年共45場)
美國麥當勞.狄斯耐.樂透.三菱汽車ALL NEW GALANT及
HP印表機等電視廣告配音
美國電子花車遊行主持
周華健美國演唱會主持
唱片公司相關活動: 男孩特區、五角、黑眼豆豆、帕吉歐、寇比凱蕾來台記者會、殷正洋.趙詠華.劉錫明歌友會.
校園巡迴演唱主持.洛莉歌友會主持.蓮娜瑪琳新歌發表會.
外交部年春宴主持.
歌友會(12.13場)..等
各大品牌發表會主持
各大品牌VIP演唱
《聶雲記事》
2006 入圍金鐘獎娛樂綜藝類最佳節目主持人（綜藝大哥大）
2005 入圍金鐘獎娛樂綜藝類最佳節目主持人（綜藝大哥大）
2004 入圍金鐘獎最佳節目主持人（少年哈週刊）
2003 入圍金鐘獎最佳節目主持人（少年哈週刊）
2002 入圍金鐘獎最佳節目主持人（少年哈週刊）
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