Yes, Michael Jackson’s unexpected death saddens me. I never truly condemned the man in my mind, considering the strange and multifarious reports from every possible angle on every aspect of his notoriety. No one can deny that the man was unusual, eccentric to the point of elevating eccentric to a new level, and the recipient of some unforgiving press.

But I’ve had a wholly different reaction to his death than I expected. For the first time since Frank Sinatra’s expected but still untimely death, I’ve felt nothing but joy, thankfulness. For what he gave us as a musician and performer, I am proud to be a music fan. Listening to Michael Jackson’s old songs, reading through his mammoth Wikipedia page, I realize just how much of an impact his music had on the evolution of my musical tastes. As I was growing up in the early 90’s, the first time I had to really develop my own musical taste without anyone’s else’s input, I found that Michael Jackson was the only musician who really spoke to everyone. It was still sort of sketchy to love TLC and Salt n Pepa (both of whom were huge at the time) because they were largely viewed as “black groups” (I said “fuck it” and they were still my two favorite groups, but being a preteen in the Bible Belt wasn’t easy because of that. :/). I liked Garth Brooks and U2 in 1991 as well, but that music was as white as you could get. Michael Jackson released ‘Dangerous’ that year, and I loved literally every song from that album. It felt right. Thanks in large part to the mastery of Teddy Riley (whose influence is perhaps most audible in ‘Black or White’ and ‘Remember the Time’), the album combined everything I loved about the oldies I grew up on with the R&B/hip-hop I loved as a kid, with the vast array of Top-40 pop I was becoming interested in as well. Perhaps my musical genre really got lost in New Jack Swing until I discovered J-Pop. In Jackson’s ensuing absence from the Top 40 charts following the scandals of the 90’s, I began to dig in my parents crates and discovered 70’s funk and R&B, developing my fascination with Motown and appreciation for the musical genius of Stevie Wonder. But I can honestly say that Michael Jackson laid an important foundation for me with ‘Dangerous’.

I’m considering the dates now. I thought that Paula Abdul was the first artist whose dances I learned step-by-step from MTV. It wasn’t. Now that I think about it, it was Michael Jackson’s ‘Remember the Time’. I wasn’t very good at it - remember, I was 11. But I recall practicing that dance with my best friend Stella, re-enacting the video (she always got to be Iman, LOL) which absolutely mesmerized me in my youth.

Michael’s sister Janet followed with her groundbreaking ‘janet.’ in 1993, which also grabbed me and found its way into my very first CD collection as a staple. I composed a dance to the song ‘This Time’ for a sleepover in the 7th grade and, since then, my friends knew me as “the one who danced”. So embarrassing, in retrospect, but so very satisfying and invigorating at the time.

This is the legacy a truly powerful pop idol leaves. As I alluded to earlier, I felt the same happiness - thankfulness - upon Frank Sinatra’s death. A deep-abiding gratefulness for everything that had been given to us. These were two people who devoted their entire lives to performing, to evoking emotions in others. Not simply creating or producing things, but putting their entire bodies, their souls, right out there on stage for everyone to see, night after night, sacrificing a lot of things in the process.

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When I woke up this morning, the last thing I expected to do was spend an hour or two researching Korean groups, their fan clubs, and the intense drama surrounding them. But I did. I took particular notice of a couple of Korean girl groups recently, only to find out that one of them is apparently so massively disliked that the “anti-fans” (yes, they call themselves anti-fans and they are organized) have succeeded in getting the new album pushed back so that the offensive images on the cover could be altered: I’ll say that the plane is pushing it, considering Japan-Korea relations over the century, but the medals? They allege that the Victorian cross on one member’s jacket is Nazi iron cross (it’s not) and that the eagle emblem on another is the Nazi brass eagle (it’s a brand, actually).

I loved the “marine girl/fetish military” concept from the first moment I saw it because, I’ll be honest, I love seeing ladies in uniform, even if they’re “Legg Avenue” style uniforms. Researching the new firestorm surrounding SNSD (which is the abbreviation for the Korean name of So Nyeo Shi Dae/Girls’ Generation), I fell down the rabbit hole into the seamy underbelly of the K-Pop world.

Internet reporting about the I Love Korea Dream Concert 2008 was most appalling. Not because I actually believe that one fan group raped a girl in another fan group and nothing was done about it, not that I believe people were stabbed or legs were broken. No, I do not believe these things (more later). I’m sickened that fans would take things this far, make these allegations. The controversy surrounding Dream Concert 2008 is this: top acts from different labels were selected to appear at this 17th annual concert, to be held at a stadium seating some 40,000 people. The stadium packed out at 50,000, leading to fighting over seats and strained fan relations. Security wasn’t prepared for the chaos and things got out of hand. Not overly out of hand, but it got bad.

Here’s where things get all gangland on us: fans of different groups were present in all their splendor. Now, fan clubs in Korea apparently run a little differently than in other countries. When you become a Cassiopeia (fan of DBSK), an ELF (fan of Super Junior), a VIP (fan of Big Bang), a Honey (fan of SNSD), etc etc etc, you are expected to devote yourself almost monogamously and fanatically to the group. Take a specific color of balloon with you to concerts and, apparently, defend your group’s honor with all the power in your being.

Sounds weird to me. I’m used to my number of over-the-top fan clubs, but the craziest thing wota have been accused of doing in the last few years is dancing like effeminate crazies. Not driving a girl to suicide because she took a picture with someone (but that, too, I take with a grain of salt, because fan camps seem to be out to smear other fan camps. I can’t believe any shock stories, here). You can still cheer for another group without being accused of turning coat.

At the Dream Concert, fans divided themselves into sections in the stadium. There was already a heated controversy because SNSD (the up-and-coming, relatively newbie girl group) was slated to perform with the big name acts. Fans of DBSK and SuJu were already mad as hell because the girls were on the same label and were, therefore, marketed along with the boys. No one is allowed to touch the boys, by the way. No one is allowed to breathe the same air as the boys, it seems. So, business makes no sense to these fans and they decide to boycott the performances.

Most videos have been taken down, but the fan accounts on both sides are creepy. From newsprime.co.kr: “The 10 minutes of silence during the SNSD’s performance by the male-group fanclubs was clearly visible and revealed the current situation of our (Korea’s) fan culture’s lack of etiquette and manners.” The allegations of violence between clashing fans is blown out of proportion, from what I can gather - after all, who wouldn’t want to bring shame to a rival gang by claiming that a shove was a purposeful attack intended to break a leg? As for this:

“”A friend of mine was taking a long time to comeback from the restroom, so I called her. She picked up the phone and told me that she was in a certain row, naked and crying. She was going to the restroom when a couple guys came up from behind and ripped her clothes and touched her body and took pictures and then left. They looked like high school boys…she says she doesn’t remember anything but that the boys were holding pink balloons.” (well-circulated message board post)

…that is revolting. I don’t know whether to believe this happened or not. It just seems so unreal. Why wouldn’t you call the police? Why wouldn’t you try to find the (admittedly minimal) security? Search up “dream concert 2008 rape” and no official news outlets picked this up - but then, I don’t know how to search this in Korean. Concert organizers would have had hell to pay, from parents and authorities alike, if behavior like this had happened. I can imagine the cultural differences leading to a hush of the alleged rape, but the way this is being passed around message boards is crass and immature, like it’s just another bullying. The tag at the end “they were holding pink balloons” (which is the symbol of an SNSD fan) is abhorrently childish. I’m willing to roll my eyes at anti-fan behavior, but when you start to use gender issues and something as serious as rape to defend or defame an idol, you’re crossing the line.

Here’s where I get into uncomfortable talk about gender and girl culture.

Girls are mean. Let’s be totally frank about that. I was discussing it with my dad last night. Most of the stories of “bullying” we grew up on were about the boy being picked on by the stereotypical “bully” and getting beaten up after school. Girls are made of sugar, psychological warfare, and everything nice. It’s a wonder that some girls even make it out of their adolescent years, and who isn’t at least a bit messed up by girl-on-girl bullying? Just because it’s psychological doesn’t make it less real.

I want to think that the peaceful-if-crazy J-Pop fans and the batshit-tough-talking K-Pop fans are different because of the genders prevalent in the fan clubs. I’ve never heard of an incident of wota having it out over which group of cute girls is better, or even being silent during an entire concert set. Sure, at H!P concerts the cheers are obviously louder for different members, but there’s at least a modicum of respect for all the performers. A recently-debuted group in Korea, abbreviated to ItT (I can’t remember the exact name), got into some security trouble because its lead singer looks a lot like one of DBSK’s members, Hero. The fellow’s webpage was bombarded with threatening comments from DBSK fans, including things like “be afraid when you walk alone at night” and “why did you get plastic surgery to look like (Hero)?” This isn’t actually uncommon, these days.

Fans of these boy bands are young, mobile, and mean in a very girly way. Mean in the way that gets under your skin and sets up shop. It’s very, very sad that I can take something like a rape allegation and scoff in disgust because a group’s prior behavior has turned me off of believing anything they say.

I also see much more hostility in the H!P fan ranks when girls are involved. There are few women that I know of (I proudly count myself among the ranks), but we try when we can to smooth things over. Sure, we make fun of Mitsui Aika, but that’s (by our own admission) because every group needs a butt monkey, and she’s the most likely target. If I were ever to meet her in person, I’d bow down before her.

I’ll conclude with this: do these “anti-fans” care what their idols think of them? Does it ever occur to someone that obsessed that maybe their behavior is unwanted and unwelcome? That maybe DBSK wants SNSD to be very successful, to have cheering fans at the concert, to just exist in the same space as another band? What if they want to date, to get a girlfriend, to get married down the line? These boys will always have to worry about crazy fans. I’m sure that female idols worry about this, too, but the level of obsession is much tamer with fans of female idols, I find.

I actually stumbled upon ‘Dream Girl’, the After School-brand remake of Morning Musume’s ‘LOVE Machine’, by complete accident. I’ve been getting interested in K-Pop more since the resurgence of Wonder Girls and the amazing new tracks by Girls Generation. I downloaded several songs by exceptionally brazen, Pussycat Dolls-esque quintet After School after falling for their endlessly danceable song ‘Diva’. ‘Dream Girl’ popped up randomly, and from the first few notes I thought “well, this sounds familiar”.

Fine, so the update does lack the social commentary of Morning Musume’s original (I never thought I would compare a song in Morning Musume’s favor concerning social consciousness), but it really succeeds in bringing the song back to the market with a new, fresh sound. I wanted to make sure everyone had heard it. Give it a chance, it really sort of kicks ass. And may I add that this stripped down PV is far less uncomfortably sexy than After School’s other videos, especially ‘AH’, which stops just short of softcore porn (and, considering that it takes place in a schoolroom, that’s either a loli dream or naseous. I dunnow, I prefer my lolis looking less like tarted-up porn stars. Ick).

They’re great vocalists, though. Which is the main thing Korea usually has going for it compared to Japan.

I’m going to attempt to make a quick comparison of the Japanese and Korean pop markets, but I do not claim to be anything of a well-rounded listener in the K-Pop world. I’m a complete newbie, regardless of having listened to BoA for years. That doesn’t qualify me. But I’m going to try and explain why I would much rather endure the sometimes atrocious vocals of Japanese pop.

K-Pop is, to me, bland. It seems to recycle the same R&B hooks ad infinitum (ad nauseum), and the vocals, while often stunning, are in that same R&B rut of “pretty, but unmemorable”. When a tune becomes catchy and danceable (’Gee’ from Girls Generation, for example, which, I’m sorry for saying this, could kick the ass of any recent Morning Musume release) (Hell, the Jack in the Box ‘Mini Buffalo Ranch Chicken Sandwich’ jingle could do that), it’s a rare and magical thing and it’s tremendous. But the chasm between awesome and mediocre in K-Pop is ginormous. I can’t get over it, most of the time. Take the original ‘Girls Generation’ EP, for instance. Only 1 out of 11 songs (’Ooh-La-La’) is an honest-to-goodness dance song with the sort of “pop” hook I most enjoy, and the eponymous ‘Girls Generation’ could almost count if you squint. If I’d heard the album first I’d have never guessed this same group would produce ‘Gee’.

Meanwhile, the only recent H!P single from whence I could not derive an obvious hook was ‘Bye Bye Bye’, about which I will probably bitch forever. This definitely takes away from my musical cred, I suppose, but we’re talking about the arena of pop in general. I don’t want to elevate international pop to anything higher than it has to be, and in doing so I have to boil it down to one important contrast: Japan = better tunes. Korea = better singers.

This is why BoA kicks so much ass. She’s combined the two, somehow, although her last three albums have been mired in that same bland R&B crap as even the best K-Pop girl groups. I’d apologize to anyone who likes these albums, but it’s just my opinion, it’s not gospel. Chill.

Therefore, I want some recommendations: any K-Pop loyalists out there want to spread the word of some awesome songs that don’t sound like generic studio crank-outs that seem to loop at 4:00 am on MTV Jams?

While I’m here, some Girls Generation eye candy.

Sup, ‘Crazy About You’ era MiniMoni?

My consumer relationship with Shiina Ringo borders on neurotic. This is not because I am an obsessive fan; no, quite the opposite. I am a fan in every sense of the world, and I respect her greatly, but so help me, I cannot bring myself to be more than passingly interested. She fascinates me. Everything from her strange physical features, to her fashion sense, to her absolute command of a stage and audience is undeniable. So why do I declare her among my top role models if I can’t even claim to be a huge fan? Because I admire her, I think she is one of the few truly gifted artists who has “made it” in the Japanese music industry, and so help me I am crazy about her early albums. I’ve decided to review my favorite of those, which happens to be her first. ‘Muzai Moratorium’ was released in 2000, and the media and public reaction is well-chronicled on other blogs (better blogs). I just want to review the music. Let’s do that.

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I’ve been going through a bout of blogging malaise. Two books to write (well, one to edit and two to write, one of them being a J-Pop long-form project), no Pleasure Principled to fuel my inherent need for intelligent blogging (which otherwise makes me feel self-indulgent) (like this blog is at all less narcissistic), and a general sense of disconnection from the rest of the blogging community at large. I haven’t grown with the times, unless you count my Twitter, so…let’s just get past that and say: I’m feeling sort of crap right now and it will probably shine through in some snark. You’ve been warned. OR IT MIGHT NOT IDEK.

I also feel non-metaphorically like crap, because as I type I am trying to quite literally write off a headache - a splitting headache, with a fever to match it. I know, what.

So what brings me here, to my old stomping ground? Nothing less than awesome, epic news. You know that group that, about seven years ago, introduced me to Hello!Project? Maybe you don’t unless you read my mail. OK, for the sake of argument, let’s say you don’t read my mail. It was MiniMoni. Specifically, this song and video. This EXACT video, straight from the television rip. It was the one my friend Kevin first showed me, complete with that intro and then Mika’s English lesson at the end:

I could be heard singing this song, and several others in MiniMoni’s catalogue, like a madwoman up until 2004, when I discovered
Aya Matsuura, Petit Moni, and subsequently the rest of H!P. MiniMoni will always have a very special place in my heart. My favorite was Mika. Second favorite was Aibon. I thought Yaguchi looked like a bitch. I didn’t like Tsuji at all back in the day. But none of that would matter when Ayaya completely derailed me, and then Yossie came along.

MiniMoni. My beloved MiniMoni. I slipped their songs into all my mix CDs, I knew all the words before I knew even a lick of Japanese, then Takahashi joined and I still can’t really figure out what happened (I really think the MiniMoni style shift is what rooted my deep and abiding dislike of Takahashi…if you wanna psychoanalyze all that).

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THANK YOU, HE-HULK!!!

Oh, dear god, photobook, you are too beautiful for words. This sucker is on par with the Miki Fujimoto photobooks, ‘Hatachi’, and any Sayumi photobook for sheer photographic beauty. It doesn’t hurt that Maasa could stop a Mac truck with her gorgeous.

Here we go! A few highlights for me, along with some lulz.

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I missed my own anniversary. On May 8th, 2009, Pink Wota turned 2 years old. Of course, that first year was spent on Livejournal, but still - two years blogging for the J-Pop-o-sphere.

That’s right, Erika, TWO YEARS.

I’m so sentimental I just might go drink some water and dick around on the internet.

*bakes a single cupcake for PW, remembers she can’t have cake right now, pouts and eats a yogurt with a candle slowly sinking into it*

You may leave well-wishing, snark, and horrible live pictures of Risako here.

This one is a little lame by comparison. Sorry for that. So much is going on. Poor Miyabi’s mack is compromised on so many occasions. I laugh a lot.

….and the mp3 player I embedded doesn’t seem to be working (D:), but you can just download the file or play it in your browser here until I can fix the stupid thing: http://www.pinkwota.com/seishunbusguidepv.mp3