The Stone Buddha of Mabuk-ri

Yonghwajeon Temple, Yongin Local Relics No. 52

Bongguksa

With my school bankrupt and closed, I was bored sitting around at home so I hopped on the Bundang Line and came across Bongguksa 국사 Temple.

Walking in the grounds I met a former MC turned monk, who invited me to eat noodles & dumplings with others in the monastery. Aged 23, he was a freestyler in Seoul just 5 months before taking up his studies in the temple. Really nice guy. Thank you MC Mandu x

http://cans21.net/EN/culture/Daegwangmyeongjeon.asp

Last Angel

In Bundang's Last Angel: A guy with an eye for the guys hoisted me up to the elevated dance stage overlooking the bustling main floor space. Here we go again I thought.

'Where are you from?'
etc etc im a teacher etc
'Is your mother Korean?'
Wasn't expecting that one. No.
'...Is your father Korean?'
'...No!'


Today I popped down to the corner shop, stumbled across a pansori performance at the local temple. Shame I'm leaving this place soon.

x kino

Lately on Twitch there have been some fantastic reviews of Korean cinema by the always excellent X. Read his takes on 김씨 표류기 (Castaway on the Moon) above and 반두비 (Bandhobi). Also a trailer was posted recently for September's 내 사랑 내 곁에 (Closer to Heaven).

#

Found a cracking blog here on graffiti in Korea - Wall Art Korea, and out of Taiwan it's Tagging Taichung.


This post was brought to you by Uncle Tomato, proudly leading the British Invasion since 2008 x

Top Tracks of the 2000s

As inspired by Pitchfork

#1 More Than A Woman Aaliyah




and the rest in no particular order

Go With The Flow Queens of the Stone Age


They Removed All Trace or Branches Bare - Hood


Fatalist Palmistry Why?


I Luv U Dizzee Rascal


Egowar Gang Gang Dance


Leyendecker Battles


Save Me Save Me Xiu Xiu


Hey Ya! + Prototype - Outkast


Lost Cause Beck (plus Cellphone's Dead and the 2 singles from Guero)


Feel the Love or Hearts on Fire, oh and Future deserves a mention - Cut Copy


Adlai Stevenson Sufjan Stevens


1 Thing Amerie


Get Me Off or Plug It In or Romeo - Basement Jaxx


Get Along With You or Good Stuff - Kelis

Lady Modjo


The Seed The Roots


Do You Know Squarepusher Squarepusher


Harder Better Faster Stronger or Digital Love (or even Face To Face) - Daft Punk


Gravity's Rainbow or Golden Skans - Klaxons


Bucky Done Gun M.I.A.

Middleclass Stomp or A Tale of Apes - Subtle. Anything on the 13&God album too


In The Morning or Double Shadow or More Than Real - Junior Boys


Anything on the Hissing Fauna album by Of Montreal


The Future is a Mesh Stallion Neon Blonde


Yoshimi Pt 1 Flaming Lips


Long Distance Call Phoenix


Beach Party Air France


Grass or Did You See the Words- Animal Collective


Rolex Wiley

We Are Your Friends Simian v Justice

Give It To Me Timbaland

Best pure indie songs (PONANA) -

Banquet or The Prayer Bloc Party
Apply Some Pressure Maximo Park
Brianstorm Arctic MonkeysLast Nite The Strokes
Evil - Interpol
C'mon C'mon Von Bondies

I fell in Cheonggyecheon Canal

Walked into a local convenience store yesterday around 3am and found a little 8 year old boy at a laptop manning the counter, dolled up mother hiding outback in a white blouse and blue skirt. It was a Saturday, just let the little bastard rest for once!

And that same hour as I walked back home some high schooler with his friends shouted at my back 'Night is dangerous!!' Melodramatic but a nice change from what usually gets bellowed at me.

#


Today 3 of the local techno marts are all holding sales on the same day, up and down the same street, meaning many scantyclad women on the mic standing beside clowns on stilts and dancing inflatables.

...Whatever That Means

CHECK OK Korea. OK?

...Whatever That Means are a promising alt rock group just starting out in Korea, half American half Korean.



They play a free gig tonight the 21st in shItaewon.


More live music...



Melt Banana play two gigs this weekend in Hongdae, 25k each. Support comes from Lazy Magnet, who's touring Korea this month, supported on Thursday 27th by Yano Shiku, Urasawa Satsuki, Sen Yukie, Fujieda Musimaru (japanese butoh dancer), and Itta (from 10). Day after catch him with Sato Yukie & Kopchanjeongol (a Korean 70’s psychedelic cover band), Korean folkers Anakin Project, plus Jap psych-garage with Kawaguchi Masami’s New Rock Syndicate.

29th you'd maybe wanna catch retro garage group OH! Brothers at Ssamzie Space in Seoul.

#

This sounds good - on September 19th a bunch of bands play with the added twist of being set up at the same time along the perimeter of the venue with the audience right in the middle. Each band does one song at a time, no breaks, back to back to back etc., until the show is done. Info here on SUPΞR C۞L۞R SUPΞR. Oh and Round Robin, cos it's a Round Robin event. Bands include 10 and Japan's Henna Dress. The Samiyam tour also looks good (US nintendo fuckery).

October 24th brings the Grand Mint festival, headlined by Maximillian Hecker.

Hello Baby!

SNSD aka Girls Generation look after a baby.

마더

A fantastic review of this year's 마더 Mother went up yesterday on Twitch. Mother has been picked to represent Korea at this year's Oscars.

Coincidentally, Bong Joon-Ho's previous films The Host and Memories of a Murder were picked by Q Tarantino this week as two of the best films to be made since 1992. One other Korean flick gets a mention there, Joint Security Area, which I'd never heard of.

탐나 Tamna - The Island

A young English nobleman sails to Japan, crashes into Jeju instead. Gets saved by a Jeju mermaid. Remarkable.



A Radical New Korean Drama?

Scully Doesn't Doesn't Know

I borrowed the first album by Korean indie trio Humming Urban Stereo 허밍 어반 스테레오, the 2cd Very Very Nice! and Short Cake. Their style? Well, one song is named The Lady From Ipanema so that's a big indicator. When I first listened, one song's loungey refrain sounded remarkably like 'Scully doesn't doesn't love you...' Not wanting to believe, I just assumed it was her accent's take on sayin 'Cos he'. But no, the song's actually called Scully Doesn't Know, and it was released in 2005, 3 long years after The X Files actually finished making new episodes. Outdated perhaps, but the song's a cult hit in SK, even leading to a 'sequel' song on HUS' sophomore release entitled Mulder Does Know.

변태 !! aka My Favourite Subway Ad

Have you seen this infomercial? Always makes me laugh. A pretty young girl sits on a Seoul train, reading a book. Opposite her is a pervy 40something peering over the top of his newspaper at her with the most OTT overacting, sweaty brow with a few nervy strands across it, having a good old lech at the young maiden, waggly eyebrows and parched lips. Next to the girl sits another brute male, a businessman reading over her shoulder, who then begins rubbing his leg against hers. More OTT melodrama as the young girl cringes in pain, scream within her temples.

I always see this advert on the subway TV, yet yesterday I just couldn't stop laughing at its ridiculousness. Love it!

wawoo deux

Track back one post for more on Wawoo

wow woo Wawoo

You must go to Wawoojongsa Temple in Gyeonggi-Do.

You must.