tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4767292359356432548.post2760132648088438414..comments2023-08-19T01:26:03.777-07:00Comments on Metal Only. No Rubbish.: Michael Jackson is missingJonathanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13439169949165545033noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4767292359356432548.post-66010260589602400162012-04-19T02:30:17.503-07:002012-04-19T02:30:17.503-07:00Yeah, some of the Coachella stuff was great but I ...Yeah, some of the Coachella stuff was great but I regret watching the At the drive in concert which is floating around youtube. I saw them years ago but at Coachella they seemed a pale imitation of their former selves. On Korea, I was there for the rocket launch but the only people who seemed to care was the tourists. My Korean colleague sighed loudly when I asked her about it prior to the launch and merely said "if anything happens, grab a bottle of water, some toilet paper and head to the nearest underground subway and wait for 24 hours," Sounds better than duck and cover...<br /><br />However, on the Kpop thing, I'm always a little fascinated when non-English speaking bands make a splash in our mainstream. I always remember being weirded out by 99 luft balloons as a kid - it sounded familiar but totally alien (I probably draw the line at the Macarena). I love that juxtaposition of the known and unknown but yes, there is nothing original about it at all. On the whole, its current popularity amongst hipsters seems to serve some creepy Asian fetishism. I'm sure the boys at Stereogum would never listen to a local equivalent ie an Australian or US song that sounds similar but not sung by a cute Asian girl in a short skirt.Jonathanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13439169949165545033noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4767292359356432548.post-12382434122378892292012-04-17T20:41:47.008-07:002012-04-17T20:41:47.008-07:00Glad to assist. Hope Korea was better than the mis...Glad to assist. Hope Korea was better than the missile tests would indicate....<br />I find the western appreciation of K pop to be somewhat baffling- I think of K pop as like my Kia. I bought it because it was extremely cheap, and I'm a cheap bastard when it comes to a commuter car, but I'm under no illusions- the design is just a knockoff of far better Japanese designs. Likewise, K Pop seems like a quick and dirty approximation of J pop, and therefore, only appealing to the undiscerning...Matt "Max" Vanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15126126569405496001noreply@blogger.com