'At least all my organs are real': '80s singer Dave Wang okay getting 'uglier' with age

Some celebrities bow out from showbiz and fade into obscurity, but for others, retirement doesn't have to be permanent.

Hong Kong-Taiwanese singer Dave Wang Chieh is in the latter camp.

Despite announcing his retirement in 2017, he made a triumphant comeback with a remake of his classic hit One Game, One Dream in December last year to mark 35 years of his showbiz debut.

Dave also released new singles, Those Were The Days and Sad Farewell, off his new album back in January.

In an interview with Hong Kong publication ETToday, the 60-year-old — famous for melodramatic songs like Do I Really Have Nothing, Lone Star and To Dream of a Lifetime Love — revealed that he has a new album Just in the works for release later this month.

"I hope everyone can support it, then I can hide under my quilt and rejoice for a while," he said.

Since moving to Canada after his initial retirement, Dave admits that his life is "boring", but appears to be satisfied with it and has no qualms with ageing.

"Like I said in the past, however old you are, you should look your age. I like the way I am now," he said. "Even though I am old and my hair is grey, at least my organs are all real.

"I got uglier, but I'm comfortable with my life."

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He also shared more details about his daily life.

Early on after his move, Dave's "life seemed to be all about fishing".

"I could fish from morning until night. I would also go diving for abalone or go down to the river to fish for salmon during their spawning migration," he said.

However, he finds that he doesn't have the "strength" to fish anymore as he ages. Instead, his focus is now on learning about architecture and cutting down trees.

"There are huge trees in the front and backyards of my home — some are seven or eight storeys high — heavy snow and storms caused them to fall and damage my house."

Fearing deaths or damage to his electricity or water supply, Dave wants to learn to cut the trees down himself.

He even revealed that he buys his own building materials and rents machinery like excavators to do maintenance around his home.

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drimac@asiaone.com