I know: the first death-knell of a blog is usually posts that start with "Sorry for the light posting"
don't worry, readers, I'm still in it for the long haul... thinking about what direction the blog will take next...
and things have been hectic. I started my first Korean language class this week...
but this was just too awesome not to post:
one expat's life in Korea
Friday, November 05, 2010
Tuesday, November 02, 2010
Cartoon about Hagwon
from @tsbray on Twitter, this is a flickr series that's an awesome portrayal of the hagwon life, as viewed by a student:
go see it on flickr: here's the first panel.
Here's the flickr page where you can see it all.
go see it on flickr: here's the first panel.
Here's the flickr page where you can see it all.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Superstar K: Korea Needs 장재인 and 김지수
So "Superstar K" is the Korean counterpart to "American Idol"
Wifeoseyo has been totally enrapt in this show: she had her favorites, and rooted for them, and the final was this weekend.
There's more on the finalists at ALLKPOP
The two finalists were John Park - known by some as the Korean-American American Idol contestant from a previous season, and Huh-Gak, a shorter, less handsome guy, but all-Korean.
Here's Huh-Gak, in one of the performances that hasn't been taken down from Youtube because of copyright violations.
Here's John Park, singing "Man in the Mirror" from a previous episode: his English is stronger than his Korean, and Wifeoseyo says this was the best song of the "Michael Jackson Tribute" episode.
As much as Wifeoseyo liked him, the last thing Korean pop needed was for John Park to win, and reinforce the feeling that, in the same way John Park lost in American Idol, but won Superstar K, that Korean music is a similar but inferior version of western music.
And the two finalists were both good singers and performers. Heo Gak, the winner, had a touching story and everything, he'll made a decent balladeer once he's plugged into the star machine... but this Korea Times article touches on the best thing about this tv show: The really exciting Superstar Contestants were two other members of the top 5.
You see, two other contestants in the top five were actual musicians, they were something different. We've gotten used to the superstar idol factory, and the Kpop machine: kids pass an audition, train for seven years in foreign languages, sexy dances, and how to dance in unison and be charming in front of a camera - (echoes of Geisha training, if you ask me)... and a lot of unhealthy stuff seems to be just taken for granted during their training and rise to stardom - as reported by the Human Rights Commission. And let's not forget Jang Ja-yeon - they never caught/stuck it on whomever she was, um, "servicing"...
Instead, I want to tell you about Jang Jae-in and Kim Ji-su: these two also made the top five, before they got cut. Jang Jae-in doesn't have a great S-line. Kim Ji-su doesn't have great abs. But they play their own instruments. And whatever song they had to sing, they made it their own. They were even considerate enough to do a duo for one show, and totally reinvented the song "Cinderella" by Seo In-young (one of my least favorite Kpop stars) - I won't even put her song on my blog... but you can watch it here.
Their rendition is AMAZING.
now, my friend, who knows a lot, reminded me on Saturday that there are lots of Korean popstars that play their own instruments and write their own music: she mentioned Crying Nut, No Brain and Cherry Filter.
That's true. On the other hand, I don't know if any of them ever hit as broad a demographic as Jang Jae-in appealed to, by getting on this show: Wifeoseyo AND her mother watched this show, and rooted for Jae-in.
So yeah, Crying Nut and Cherry Filter have had their success. But I think Jae-in has a shot at actually becoming a significant cultural force - she might have the best shot an actual musician has had at contending with Miss-A and SNSD and SuperJunior, in a long time, and the Korean music scene needs a new model for success. Badly. My favorite Korean musician/songwriter is Kim Kwang Seok, and everyone of a certain age in Korea makes the same wistful, nostalgic face when you say his name. I don't know if any singer/songwriter in Korea has had that kind of impact since, but I think Jae-in is young enough, fresh enough, and talented enough, to do that, and to introduce a different model (um, talent) to Korean popular music.
Fact: she's the first young Korean female artist in years where I'd rather buy the CD than watch the video. Who actually listens to the music for most of these bands, anyway? You can't see Rain's sixpack when you're listening on your Mp3 player, so what's the point? Nine Muses isn't even pretending: they're being openly presented as model-idols.
I'm holding my breath. I'm excited. Jae-in has the potential to become more than just the Queen of Hongdae, and I hope to all the gods of aesthetics that she does, and that the next time I walk down Jongno street, I hear her coming out of cosmetics shops, instead of another Kpop dance band or gooey ballad. Kim Jisu? Same: I'd buy his CD. I wouldn't just watch his video, and silently seethe when Wifeoseyo watches it.
That's right. The same way Korean girls need Kim Yu-na to be successful, because she's talented and excellent and she achieved her goal, so that they can have an awesome hero other than "good mother, good wife", K-pop needs Jae-in to introduce a different model for success, so that when kids watch Korean music shows on TV, maybe they decide to pick up an instrument, instead of just practicing their aegyo, doing situps, and taking dance lessons.
That'd be nice.
Wifeoseyo has been totally enrapt in this show: she had her favorites, and rooted for them, and the final was this weekend.
There's more on the finalists at ALLKPOP
The two finalists were John Park - known by some as the Korean-American American Idol contestant from a previous season, and Huh-Gak, a shorter, less handsome guy, but all-Korean.
Here's Huh-Gak, in one of the performances that hasn't been taken down from Youtube because of copyright violations.
Here's John Park, singing "Man in the Mirror" from a previous episode: his English is stronger than his Korean, and Wifeoseyo says this was the best song of the "Michael Jackson Tribute" episode.
As much as Wifeoseyo liked him, the last thing Korean pop needed was for John Park to win, and reinforce the feeling that, in the same way John Park lost in American Idol, but won Superstar K, that Korean music is a similar but inferior version of western music.
And the two finalists were both good singers and performers. Heo Gak, the winner, had a touching story and everything, he'll made a decent balladeer once he's plugged into the star machine... but this Korea Times article touches on the best thing about this tv show: The really exciting Superstar Contestants were two other members of the top 5.
You see, two other contestants in the top five were actual musicians, they were something different. We've gotten used to the superstar idol factory, and the Kpop machine: kids pass an audition, train for seven years in foreign languages, sexy dances, and how to dance in unison and be charming in front of a camera - (echoes of Geisha training, if you ask me)... and a lot of unhealthy stuff seems to be just taken for granted during their training and rise to stardom - as reported by the Human Rights Commission. And let's not forget Jang Ja-yeon - they never caught/stuck it on whomever she was, um, "servicing"...
Instead, I want to tell you about Jang Jae-in and Kim Ji-su: these two also made the top five, before they got cut. Jang Jae-in doesn't have a great S-line. Kim Ji-su doesn't have great abs. But they play their own instruments. And whatever song they had to sing, they made it their own. They were even considerate enough to do a duo for one show, and totally reinvented the song "Cinderella" by Seo In-young (one of my least favorite Kpop stars) - I won't even put her song on my blog... but you can watch it here.
Their rendition is AMAZING.
now, my friend, who knows a lot, reminded me on Saturday that there are lots of Korean popstars that play their own instruments and write their own music: she mentioned Crying Nut, No Brain and Cherry Filter.
That's true. On the other hand, I don't know if any of them ever hit as broad a demographic as Jang Jae-in appealed to, by getting on this show: Wifeoseyo AND her mother watched this show, and rooted for Jae-in.
So yeah, Crying Nut and Cherry Filter have had their success. But I think Jae-in has a shot at actually becoming a significant cultural force - she might have the best shot an actual musician has had at contending with Miss-A and SNSD and SuperJunior, in a long time, and the Korean music scene needs a new model for success. Badly. My favorite Korean musician/songwriter is Kim Kwang Seok, and everyone of a certain age in Korea makes the same wistful, nostalgic face when you say his name. I don't know if any singer/songwriter in Korea has had that kind of impact since, but I think Jae-in is young enough, fresh enough, and talented enough, to do that, and to introduce a different model (um, talent) to Korean popular music.
Fact: she's the first young Korean female artist in years where I'd rather buy the CD than watch the video. Who actually listens to the music for most of these bands, anyway? You can't see Rain's sixpack when you're listening on your Mp3 player, so what's the point? Nine Muses isn't even pretending: they're being openly presented as model-idols.
I'm holding my breath. I'm excited. Jae-in has the potential to become more than just the Queen of Hongdae, and I hope to all the gods of aesthetics that she does, and that the next time I walk down Jongno street, I hear her coming out of cosmetics shops, instead of another Kpop dance band or gooey ballad. Kim Jisu? Same: I'd buy his CD. I wouldn't just watch his video, and silently seethe when Wifeoseyo watches it.
That's right. The same way Korean girls need Kim Yu-na to be successful, because she's talented and excellent and she achieved her goal, so that they can have an awesome hero other than "good mother, good wife", K-pop needs Jae-in to introduce a different model for success, so that when kids watch Korean music shows on TV, maybe they decide to pick up an instrument, instead of just practicing their aegyo, doing situps, and taking dance lessons.
That'd be nice.
Halloween Partayzzz!
I've been getting tons of invitations to Halloween parties on facebook and by e-mail...
turns out having a widely read blog means people want me to pass on word about Halloween parties.
So if you're part of the 50% of my readers in Korea, or if you're one of the 50% of my readers outside Korea, but you're planning on visiting Korea next weekend, here's what I've got:
Wolfhound Pub in Itaewon promises to give me a free beer, and maybe even a beef and mushroom pie (my favorite) if I tell you about their Halloween party. It's a 10 000 won cover, and big prizes.
So, I'm sure it's going to the the best of all the parties. I'm sure of it. And you should totally go! Here's the party facebook page.
Hi Expat has a pretty good rundown of Halloween parties here, which you should look through. Dillinger's, Sky Bar Lounge, Stompers, and many more are featured on the list.
Freebird sent me an interesting sounding party invitation: they're going to set up a bunch of bands around the edge of the room, and then each band will take turns playing one song each, trading off songs, so that there's a constant flow of music, and the party space has no front row: you can just hang wherever you like. 15000 cover, and the facebook event (including some of the bands playing) are here.
Korea's new to the Halloween game, so it's still a little hard to find a good costume shop; however, so far I haven't been let down by Namdaemun market: go to Hoehyeon Station, and head down to the main stretch, and towards the west end of the market. See map.
View Costume shop in Namdaemun in a larger map
Got another Halloween party or a link to a listing to tell me about? Leave it in the comments!
turns out having a widely read blog means people want me to pass on word about Halloween parties.
So if you're part of the 50% of my readers in Korea, or if you're one of the 50% of my readers outside Korea, but you're planning on visiting Korea next weekend, here's what I've got:
Wolfhound Pub in Itaewon promises to give me a free beer, and maybe even a beef and mushroom pie (my favorite) if I tell you about their Halloween party. It's a 10 000 won cover, and big prizes.
So, I'm sure it's going to the the best of all the parties. I'm sure of it. And you should totally go! Here's the party facebook page.
Hi Expat has a pretty good rundown of Halloween parties here, which you should look through. Dillinger's, Sky Bar Lounge, Stompers, and many more are featured on the list.
Freebird sent me an interesting sounding party invitation: they're going to set up a bunch of bands around the edge of the room, and then each band will take turns playing one song each, trading off songs, so that there's a constant flow of music, and the party space has no front row: you can just hang wherever you like. 15000 cover, and the facebook event (including some of the bands playing) are here.
Korea's new to the Halloween game, so it's still a little hard to find a good costume shop; however, so far I haven't been let down by Namdaemun market: go to Hoehyeon Station, and head down to the main stretch, and towards the west end of the market. See map.
View Costume shop in Namdaemun in a larger map
Got another Halloween party or a link to a listing to tell me about? Leave it in the comments!
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Prince on the Muppets and Old Spice Grover
So for one thing, I LOVE the muppets right now.
Remember "The man your man could smell like" - that old spice commercial? This one.
Well how about "The Monster your man could smell like" -- here's grover.
And, see, I don't know ANY artist that grows on you as much as Prince does -- the first time I listened to him, I didn't get it. A while later, I tried again, and "Purple Rain," the epic song, was the '80s song that got me over my previous prejudice against '80s music (I hated '80s music until about 2002), and convinced me to give the rest of it a chance. Still don't like the synth stuff-- sorry, Duran Duran, but the more you listen to prince, the more you love him.
Sign O'The Times is one of the most complete, impressive musical accomplishments in music: it was ALL done, from writing to mixing, to playing of every instrument, completely by Prince by himself, and it might be the best album of the '80s. It's certainly in the top ten. And here is the most charming song on that album (again, one that grows on you), with the muppets.
Other artists that grow on you?
Bob Dylan -- but strangely, he later grew off me. Too many lyrics being deliberately obtuse - like his songs were a prank on the kinds of people who want to find meanings in them.
Tom Waits & Leonard Cohen - generally, the songwriters are the ones that do this best.
Sigur Ros - at first it seemed ludicrous to me that a band could find international success with whale sounds. But then one day, I just kind of got it.
Artists I loved immediately:
TV On The Radio
Andrew Bird
White Stripes
and a bunch more.
Remember "The man your man could smell like" - that old spice commercial? This one.
Well how about "The Monster your man could smell like" -- here's grover.
And, see, I don't know ANY artist that grows on you as much as Prince does -- the first time I listened to him, I didn't get it. A while later, I tried again, and "Purple Rain," the epic song, was the '80s song that got me over my previous prejudice against '80s music (I hated '80s music until about 2002), and convinced me to give the rest of it a chance. Still don't like the synth stuff-- sorry, Duran Duran, but the more you listen to prince, the more you love him.
Sign O'The Times is one of the most complete, impressive musical accomplishments in music: it was ALL done, from writing to mixing, to playing of every instrument, completely by Prince by himself, and it might be the best album of the '80s. It's certainly in the top ten. And here is the most charming song on that album (again, one that grows on you), with the muppets.
Other artists that grow on you?
Bob Dylan -- but strangely, he later grew off me. Too many lyrics being deliberately obtuse - like his songs were a prank on the kinds of people who want to find meanings in them.
Tom Waits & Leonard Cohen - generally, the songwriters are the ones that do this best.
Sigur Ros - at first it seemed ludicrous to me that a band could find international success with whale sounds. But then one day, I just kind of got it.
Artists I loved immediately:
TV On The Radio
Andrew Bird
White Stripes
and a bunch more.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)