Music break

by Robert Koehler on July 26, 2006

in Korean Culture, North Korea

Goose steppin in the Workers’ Paradise (HT to Japundit).

But if you want real music, Antti links to two—count ‘em, TWO—videos (here’s one, here’s the other) of live performances by late singer/songwriter Kim Gwang-seok, an artist the likes of whom we’ll never, ever again see.

Antti was kind enough to link to some other Kim Gwang-seok videos over at YouTube, including this one of one of my favorite songs:

VN:F [1.8.1_1037]
Rating: 0 (from 0 votes)

{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }

1 YeOldeToaste July 26, 2006 at 1:50 am

Forgot to close that blockquote, try again on the safe side:

“Kim Gwang-seok, an artist the likes of whom we’ll never, ever again see.”

I’ll play humble before I accuse this quote of hyperbole. (Like the whole the French getting their asses handed to them in Ganghwa Island thing) I watched the relevent videos and a few others on Youtube, and I don’t see anything that shattered the world or was even that original. (Unless it’s the “Yes, but he was the first *KOREAN* to do that” kind of originality).

Anyway fans or knowledgeables would probably be appreciated to quite a few readers who have never heard of the guy.

UN:F [1.8.1_1037]
Rating: 0 (from 0 votes)
2 R. Elgin July 26, 2006 at 9:29 am

I’ve done several arrangements of his tunes and would do more but some of the rights to his music is still contested by his wife and certain record labels. He covered quite a few pieces by other writers as well (Han Dol, etc.).

UN:F [1.8.1_1037]
Rating: 0 (from 0 votes)
3 Antti July 26, 2006 at 12:56 pm

The arguments over the rights to Kim’s music are covered in this Hankyoreh21 article from last December. It’s quite a complicated issue, going between Kim’s parents and his widow, and stemming from his father having signed his record contract in ‘93 instead of Kim himself. It’s said it was either because of taxes or because Kim was going to get a divorce. So there’ve been arguments every time something’s been published, and legal proceedings over the rights between the widower and Kim K-s’s father and brother…

UN:F [1.8.1_1037]
Rating: 0 (from 0 votes)
4 Origami July 26, 2006 at 3:44 pm

What a waste..

UN:F [1.8.1_1037]
Rating: 0 (from 0 votes)
5 railwaycharm July 26, 2006 at 8:06 pm

How did this person die Mr Marmot?

UN:F [1.8.1_1037]
Rating: 0 (from 0 votes)
6 R. Elgin July 26, 2006 at 8:14 pm

Thanks Antti for the information. It appears the people I spoke to were not telling me everything; certainly not about the divorce.

UN:F [1.8.1_1037]
Rating: 0 (from 0 votes)
7 Antti July 27, 2006 at 12:26 am

R. Elgin, to be exact, the two views were those of the two sides in the present dispute: Kim’s widower says that Kim had his father to sign the record deal because of taxes, and Kim’s brother says it was because Kim was thinking of getting a divorce. (They were married when he died.)

UN:F [1.8.1_1037]
Rating: 0 (from 0 votes)
8 R. Elgin July 29, 2006 at 1:26 pm

You know Antti, Kim’s dad, brother and wife need to quit being so greedy and settle their differences and turn all the money over to Kim Kwang Seok’s daughter, who deserves the money more than all of them put together.

UN:F [1.8.1_1037]
Rating: 0 (from 0 votes)

Previous post:

Next post: