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# Performer has led an interesting life
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/performer-has-led-an-interesting-life/
- Published: 2008-04-21T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-24T23:54:57.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Education, Santa Monica, #archive-import

*By*

University Graduate School of Journalism.

“I always thought journalism was for the people,” said Mew.

With a highly valuable degree in hand, he moved to Chicago. He worked at NBC News for 10 years before returning to sunny California.

“My mother got hill, so I moved back,” said Mew. “But in Chicago, I learned from the best, like Connie Chung, Chinese like me.”

Mew says his ethnicity never stopped him from pursuing his goals, both in his professional and personal life. His grandparents moved from China to San Francisco in the early 1890s, surviving earthquakes and internment camps. Mew’s mood changes when he talks about his family.

“They always supported me,” he said. “With whatever I wanted to do, but they had it hard growing up, real hard.”

The difficulty of living in the United States in the early 20th century resonates with Mew’s political views. He is a vocal supporter of Barack Obama.

“He is the lesser of three evils,” he said, but he soon gives him credit. “He is a good guy, a guy for the people and the product of the daily machine.”

Unlike politics and Obama, there was one thing in life that made his heart beat faster than anything else: Jazz.

“Jazz is my life,” he said. “Music reflects the things I am interested in.”

The move from San Francisco to Santa Monica was a decisive one for his music career. In 1999, Mew packed his bags and his saxophone and drove down the Pacific Coast Highway.

“I love Santa Monica so much I dedicated a song to the city,” he said.

“Sunday Morning Santa Monica” is his first homage to the city that gave him the opportunity to experiment with his instrument. The melody is a captivating mixture of nostalgia and effervescent joy.

“I have been playing on the promenade for more than 10 years now,” Mew said. “Before the city started forcing all those rules on performers.”

Mew has gotten several tickets for noncompliance and loud music. Hidden to most, the dynamics of a street performer’s life includes many obstacles. The hierarchy of the promenade is clearly marked.

“The disco carts are so darn loud,” said Mew. “They get privileges because they pay more to rent their space, I only pay $40 a year.”

The constant fight and competition wears on him.

“I am just an honest man who wants to make a living by playing jazz,” he said.“I lost all my money in the stock market in 2000 and now I have 30 credit cards and tons of debt.”

Mew said his biggest concern isn’t money. He dedicated the last 10 years of his life to improving his musicianship to a world-class level.

“I want to be known for my artistic merit and my 300 tunes online,” said Mew.

He says he will never change his routine. He will always come back to the promenade, to his fans, to his friends, and to his dreams of jazz glory.

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on April 21, 2008.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/042108.pdf?ref=smdp.com)