Reason Number 1 that Korean Highway Rest Stops ROCK!

First Thing:

Korean highway rest stops are THE GREATEST PLACE to buy Trot, 트로트 music, in the world. There was a song I heard in a taxi and found catchy enough to sing, and get it stuck in my friend Amy's head. . . I went down to the Trot Music Stand which EVERY Korean rest stop has, and sang a bit of the song, and the lady pulled out just the CD. Cheap, too -- a double-CD - two full hours of cheesy musical goodness -- for only ten thousand won (and the way the won's going, may as well spend it these days).

This is the song: a goofy, great, silly, catchy as hell song to accompany your drive.

I don't know why they ONLY have Trot at the rest stops -- you'd think dropping in a few other genres would make sense . . .but I'm not gonna go looking a blessing from heaven in the mouth, now, am I?

장윤정 - 이따이따요 Chang Yoon Jung - Later,Later


You know you wanna dance.

The other great thing about trot music is this: it is absolutely the best noraebang (karaoke) music in the world. It's simple, not hard to sing, and instantly familiar for everyone around. I swear these songs are written to head straight for the Karaoke room, but buddy, it works.

and now you're gonna have that song in your head all day.

Teeheehee.

Nirvana in Korea: Lithium, or Roboseyo's chuckle for the day

The Original Song, by Nirvana

Nirvana - Lithium
by Nirvana

Now, the SECOND goofiest version of the song.
(by the bliss-out band, polyphonic spree, with sock puppets)


Thanks to No-Brain, the Korean punk band, (makers of this song, which I like) and the album of Nirvana covers by Korean punk bands slipped to me by Gomushin Girl. (thanks, eh?), we have a new champion for goofiest version of an awesome song (Lithium is one of the greatest Noraebang songs EVER too, just so's you know.)  This is pure beauty: wait for the chorus, and listen to the dude's pronounciation.

Epically Bad Wedding

Even worse than this:

Geek in Korea experienced the entire grab-bag of Korean traits that annoy foreigners (short of a discussion about The Islands Which Shall Not Be Named) in a single wedding. Go read about it.

P.S. Trot music (the stuff he was forced to listen to for two hours on the bus) sounds like this: (music from a CD I got at a rest stop on the way down to Damyang).

Turn your computer volume up to maximum, and then imagine being trapped on a bus with this for two hours, to drum up some sympathy for Geek In Korea, and maybe leave a kind comment on his blog.



Here's the video Geek In Korea himself uploaded. Pretty awful. It's like the worst elements of disco, the worst elements of polka, and the worst elements of Indian pop music, all rolled into one.


And..two pictures from Damyang, to tide you over until I can write it up properly.

Back from Damyang

It was beautiful there.

If the complaining expats thing is still interesting to you, go check out the conversation-starter/comment pertaining to that topic, which I posted at the Hub Of Sparkle. It takes a stance different than most of the others I've read, and might be worth discussion.

I'll put up more about Damyang once I get the pictures sorted, adjusted, and slideshowdafied. Until then, I want to tell you about David Smeaton, an amazing photographer I discovered through The Grand Narrative's James linking him. Scroll through his photos: they're amazing, and here's a picture he posted from another photographer that stopped me in my tracks.


More Tony Frissell pictures here.

David himself is the taker of possibly my favourite photo of Seoul: this one.
From here.

Go check him out!

Off for the weekend

I'm going to travel down to Jeollado this weekend, to see the Bamboo Forests. That will be good.

In the meantime, I really liked this photo essay over on Galbijim about Chilseong Market in Daegu: an amazing looking market of a type that's slowly vanishing from the cities, and also the kind which, if you don't know how to find it, you probably never will.

Go take a look!