Texas please

Packing away my worldly possessions I bust the zippers on my suitcase. This in turn led me on a rounded tour of various Jukjeon tailors, ending with me in the hidden corridors of Shinsegae Department Store as a nice chap with an English lisp endeavoured to help me with my plight.

Walking out I heard some nice synthpop beaming from the poles outside Shinsegae. I stood by one trying to work out the Anglo voice - Lily Allen maybe? Turned out to be overhyped starlet La Roux, Reflections are Protection. A rather brave choice; maybe Universal decided to take a gamble after all and try push her in SK along with Japan (I was privy to a conversation with Universal execs after a day of posing as Eminem to promote his Relapse CD in the COEX. I never blogged about that, did I? Well I have now).

I'm listening to her album now; it's okay. She definitely won't break Korea.


#



Being unemployed and caught up in a civil petition as I await my return home, I'm finding all the days mould into one, livened up by Friday/Saturday excursions to foreigner-heavy Seohyeon down in Bundang. The tune of the moment is most definitely Poker Face by Lady Gaga. A song I originally dismissed for its euro-diva chorus has now snuck up on me and nothing gives a headier thrill in the club when it pans in with a subterranean wave, turns into rude blue guttertronic stutters and nasties up into the skanky army trail of the first verse


I wanna hold 'em like they do in Texas, please
Fold 'em let 'em hit me raise it baby stay with me
Luck and intuition, play the cards with spades to start
And after he's been hooked I'll play the one that's on his heart


The club goes wild. I've heard it forever, these passing days as one.

I should go home and work.

Jeongtonsa

Behind a petrol station I found this lovely temple.

Oedipus Marshall

Try head down to the Naim June Paik Art Centre in Yongin when you can, and watch the 30 minute Oedipus Marshall (Javier Tellez, 2006) when you're in there. That link will tell you all.

Ddongpari 똥파리

Finally saw 똥파리 Ddongpari aka Breathless this week, a much acclaimed movie from last year. I really recommend it, powerful stuff. The acting from Yang Ik-Joon and Kot-bi Kim is sublime.

Taekwon V Tower

'giant robot taekwon v statue will be six times as large as giant gundam statue'

It's actually going to be a tower with an exhibition about Robot Taekwon V on the ground level, an observatory in the chest area with another astronomical one based up in the head.

Haing mengleng follows me

I'm fascinated by this advert for Lotteria's 30th anniversary burger, the 불새버거, half shrimp half beef, real traditional Korean cuisine (or, K-usine).

Is it the odd choice of Franco accordion soundtrack? The Harvey Dent/Gollum battle between the two psyches as they debate between fish or bulgogi? Maybe just the 3-dimensional plastic make-up job on the actor, much like the Burger King monarch or Maximum Headroom, who has a memorable moment barking 'burgher! burgher! ...burgher' 3 times in a row, dying Shakespeare.

Whatever's going on, somehow an advert actually worked on me for once for the very next day I ordered one of these frankenfoods and found it to be very scrumptious.

MC Mong, stupid song

Yet irrepressibly jaunty.



Here's a funny story. I don't have an aerial connection on my TV, so I only know about two Korean dramas - the one which is basically Mulan all over again, and Tamna, which I blogged about last month in derision. Cue a few weeks of mockery of the show with friends relating to yellow fever and the general bad acting & writing on display, plus the freaky looking nature of the white guy they cast as the nobleman washed up on the shores of Jeju island. And what happens when I pay a midweek visit to the Korean Folk Village? Why, I stumble on the set of the making of a brand new episode of Tamna (freaky looking white guy nowhere to be seen). What are the odds. Here's a snapshot.

*Please note Simian Mobile Disco are DJing again in Seoul on Saturday the 12th, this time at Club Answer, or new club Mansion/Manshion?