Netflix Explained is a new series where they talk about different topics each week. Each episode lasts about 20 minutes and they air every Wednesday. Their very first episode was on k-pop so you know I was all over it. I was nervous when I pushed play. Nowadays you see so many “bandwagon” fans who “don’t know the artists” but claim they are fans. There’s been an influx of “kpop reactioners” who honestly know nothing about nothing but benefit on the popularity of BTS and the genre in general. I don’t claim to know everything about Korean entertainment even though I’ve been around FOREVER (since 2011) but at the very least, folks should do basic research on what they are going to be speaking on, especially when they are putting on a public forum and trying to financially benefit from it…. but whatever, that’s a different article.
The episode started off pretty well. It discussed the history of the genre complete with video clips of Seo Taji & The Boys. My goodness, how the music has changed. Naturally, it discussed the explosion of Psy and BTS and I like than rather then pretend to know everything on their own, Netflix and Vox spoke with actual people in the life. Epik High, Primary, Tamar Herman, and others were on hand to explain the phenomenon that is now sweeping the States.
I’m always proud to see something that I’ve loved for so long get the global recognition it deserves. Makes me feel like a proud mama. If you haven’t watched the episode yet, please do so. I’m not sure if there will be any future episodes on the subject (because really, 20 minutes isn’t enough time to scratch the surface) but I will definitely be keeping my eye on it.
If you have watched it, let me know what you thought of the episode in the comments.
1 Comment
I also watched and loved the episode. I was amazed about how they covered so much in just 20 minutes. Not only did I like the interviews with industry insiders but I loved the fact that you get a little bit of history, a little bit of a music lesson and a better understanding of K-Pop as a commodity. My favorite part is where the show breaks down the lyrics and melodies of popular songs.
There are times when I’m proud to see K-pop being covered by worldwide media outlets but on the other hand, am disappointed when they’re merely glossing over the surface of what K-Pop is. Anyone who is a musicologist shouldn’t miss out on this one.
Sidenote: Love the section about Seo Taiji and the Boys and “Come Back Home” (from the 4th album) but wanted to say that the song that put them on the blacklist by adults was initially “Classroom Ideology,” (from their 3rd album) a song that criticized the Korean school system. A song I initially hated in the 90’s because I didn’t like metal but now this is my favorite song of theirs. They used to say that if you heard the song backwards, you could people worshiping the devil. Which is something that they could have compared with the Beatles.