China: Red Rocker Video for a Mayor Fresh Out of Quarantine

Now that New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin is cleared to leave Shanghai, here's something to remember his quarantined stopover with: The Red Rockers new wave classic "China" video. John Thomas Griffith, back in LA after a Cowboy Mouth stint entertaining the troops in Iraq, said go for it so here's the video in all its new wave glory. Some pop culture trivia - director Oley Sassone also directed the opera episode of Xena, Warrior Princess, titled "The Bitter Suite," and the music video for Mister Mister's "Broken Wings."

If the Mayor has a headset and wi-fi on the plane to Australia, I suggest that he rock out to "China" while hoping there's no Swine Flu passenger on this leg of the trip. His office issued a statement that he and his wife were "departing Shanghai today in the best of health and spirits."

The trip has been billed by Nagin's office as an industry hunting tour, and in a CNBC post titled, "China Will Take Over US as No.1 Consumer: WPP CEO," Sir Martin Sorrell predicts that economic recovery will appear in the fourth quarter from the East, not the West. Bullish on the advertising industry's future despite the severe slump, he predicts that new media and emerging markets will be key.

So in answer to the Red Rockers lyric, "China, China calling out to your history, is that the way you will always be?" Probably not in this rapidly changing global village. Bloomberg just reported that Beijing Auto is a Possible Bidder for Ford's Volvo branch.

twittering: @kbeninato