Awesome Korean Drummer

Watch your back John Bonham. Keith Moon, consider this your notice. When it comes to playing drums, there’s a new sheriff in town. He wears all white, plays like a crazed manic, and rocks out no matter what – tempo be damned. Also, this guy’s ability to sneak his head into nearly every shot is uncanny. I’m not sure where this comes from, but this clip solidifies the fact that the Korean music scene is operating on a totally different level.

Hiking with Mr. Gwon

This Saturday I went hiking in the high hills of Seosan. My guide was Mr. Gwon, the principle’s father, academy van driver, and all around bad-ass. He doesn’t speak any English, just Korean and Chinese, so needless to say there was a lot silence on our three-hour hike, but at least there was no expectation to make conversation. Despite the language barrier we had a good time getting by with nods and finger-pointing. Mr. Gwon is perhaps the most physically fit 60 year-old I have ever met. Steep inclines and rocky terrain didn’t phase him one bit. In fact, when we got to the top of the peak he started doing sit-ups on a bench and even did a few pull-ups on a bar nearby (Seosan has a lot of random workout equipment on the sides of roads, and apparently at the tops of mountains. The picture above is a view from the top on a hazy Saturday morning.

The Wonder Girls

The song is called “Tell Me” and it’s judging by the amount of times I hear it each day, I can only assume it’s the hottest thing to hit South Korea since kimchi. It’s everywhere, blasting out of bars and restaurants and passing cars at all hours of the day. Kids sing it. Adults sing it. Hell, even I can sing it now. I think the song is kinda these days, but the Korean music scene isn’t quite as cut-throat as the U.S., so songs like this have a pretty long shelf life. The name of the fabulous five-some is Wonder Girls, and they probably only chose that name because Spice Girls was already taken. Anyway, the song is catchy in even in Korean, and as an added bonus, there’s accompanying dance move full of arm flings and shoulder shimmies. Bust this one out at your next Karaoke party and it’s sure to be hit.