- MUST READ: Stephanie Wood penned a wonderful story on the great K-pop machine. Here’s just a sample:
American-born Nathan McMurray, 37, a long-term Seoul resident and lawyer who has a Korean wife and who blogs about Korean culture, remembers a time when things were different. “What we have today is not what existed 10 years ago in Korea,” he says. “When I first came to Korea, we had independent acts that worked their way up … just like any other music scene. Older Korean music was subversive, it had challenging messages … and it was moving.” Does K-pop last? No, says McMurray. “It’s confectionery. It’s candy. It’s something that tastes good for two seconds, then you’re sorry you ate it.”
SBS PopAsia host Jamaica dela Cruz might choose to pick a fight with naysayers like McMurray. For her, there’s nothing wrong with the manufactured nature of K-pop. “It’s showbiz, babe,” says dela Cruz. “Dress up for me, give me costumes and she-bam! It’s entertainment, so entertain!”
- If you haven’t already seen them, check out these photos of Seoul in the Guardian by Mike Beech, one of the guys who runs online magazine Chincha.
- Dennis Rodman apparently thought Kim Jong-un was a swell guy. UPDATE: This is the best commentary on the Rodman visit I’ve read:
In the 30s, serious intellectuals traveled to the Soviet Union to hail it as the future of humanity. In the 60s and 70s, writers, actors & other assorted glitterati went to Cuba to be schmoozed by El Jefe. And now North Korea has hauled in…a retired basketball player with a penchant for shock publicity. The quality of useful idiots is on a definite downward trajectory.
- The wife and I went to Bukhansan National Park this weekend. Oh, and we took in yesterday’s sunrise from Mt. Ansan, too. See the Tumblr.
{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
Things were different 10 years ago? Sure they were….. let’s count the ways, shall we? H.O.T., G.O.D., SES, FinKL, Babyvox, etc. The more things change, the more they stay the same I guess.
1. Rodman may be either stupid or a genius. Who knows. If he’s making nice with the Hitler of the 21st century, and something happens to change things there, it would be great. But looking at the photos and the way KJU looked when hugging Rodman leads me to believe the guy is just a figurehead with zero power.
2. The photos of Seoul are pretty cliche. The use of motion blur? Something amateurs do when they first get an SLR/DSLR. Not a single good image among those.
If he had zero power I find it unlikely that he could have convinced his senior advisers(puppeteers) to allow a visit from Rodman. It was well known before he came to power that he had an obsession with the NBA and publicly inviting players, particularly those of such ill repute like Rodman, must have ruffled quite a few feathers and been opposed at the top levels because of the contradictory message it sends about the regime. While the move may prove to further destabilize the regime because of questions over his fitness as a leader, I think it in fact proves that he has more power than we previously thought.
Holeo is right. Also these opinions are not only dumb because they cling to outdated ideas of authenticity but because they’re based on a situation that does not exist. Look at the instiz real time or weekly charts: Idol acts do not dominate. Singer songwriter types, talent show twee indie duos, bands, ballad singers very much stuck in the past – these are the dominant forces on the digital charts of Korea – the only charts that matter. Sure some idol artists do very well here as well, but most boy bands survive not on sales or mainstream presence but a smaller, very loyal group of dedicated fans. You’re not more likely to sell tons as an idol artist than as any other type of artist.
Maybe they let him have his little fun to keep him docile? Who knows, and it sure does not hurt to have westerners of some stature suck up to north Korean leadership. He has his fun with a basketball player and plays along with the old fogies calling the shots. The more I see of him the more it seems to me he’s not the sharpest tool in the toolbox but he is a Kim and the whole place is built on the worship of the Kims. The military probably needs him and he needs them.
It was strange to hear Stephanopolis imply that Rodman was somehow legitimating Kim’s rule through the visit. This is Dennis Rodman we’re talking about here – who became a pro wrestler, dressed up in drag, got into legal trouble. It’s not as if Rodman carries some great moral stamp of approval. There’s nothing to lose from having Rodman buddy up to Kim. It’s America’s ‘soft power’ at work. Kim grew up in Switzerland and it’s worth a try to appeal to any interest he has in Western pop culture. It doesn’t mean that we need to offer him any concessions.
Also, I wonder what the North Korean audience thought of the sight of Kim and Rodman together – with Rodman’s nose piercings, hat and sunglasses in Kim’s presence. I’d imagine that they must have been surprised.
Wasn’t Stephanopolis “legitamating” Rodman? Until the U.S. drastically reduces its soldier count by less than 5 thousand or better yet exits S. Korea, it doesn’t need Rodman to “legitimate” Kim’s rule. It’s about time to leave the Koreans with their own 60+ year slap-fest smack dab in the middle of China and Japan. GTFO America!
The blurb that goes with each photo is more offensive than the pictures themselves.
Image #3 is atrocious, simply atrocious. Looks like horrible post processing. These are even worse today than they were yesterday. Looks like really bad stock photography.
Thanks for the link love, Robert!
“MUST READ story on the K-pop machine”… lol
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