Damn Idol Episode 132
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There is a saying: among all geeks, Western geeks are the geekiest.
The saying arose because Western enthusiasts immerse themselves in certain cultures with tremendous scale and expertise.
They are especially fond of analysis and debate, which often leads to thesis-level interpretations turning into fights on forums and internet communities.
And what if the genre in question was blues, deeply rooted in American culture?
What if it involved Donald McGus, a man called a giant of the blues?
No more needed to be said.
Reply: 9999+
A fight that drove the comments into the tens of thousands broke out.
However, this fight was not about whether the music was good or bad.
Because anyone who enjoyed blues had no choice but to immediately acknowledge the excellence of Han Sion and Donald McGus’s performance.
The subject they were fighting over was simple.
-You can tell just by listening to the song, can’t you? Donald McGus is leading. There’s no doubt.
-Leading the song doesn’t mean he has the upper hand in skill. Look at 0:34–0:46. Donald McGus created dissonance against the technique Zion’s guitar was producing. It means he couldn’t keep up.
-Isn’t that obvious? Donald McGus was improvising, and that guy Zion was playing a prepared piece.
-Bullshit. Then how do you explain 1:11–1:17? McGus played around with the blue notes there, but Zion responded instantly. How is that not improvisation?
-Agreed. It’s perfect call and response.
-I don’t know. It’s true that you can see Zion’s improvisational sense in that part, but I think it should be seen as a kind of rubato.
-I agree too. Only that part was improvised.
Donald McGus and Zion.
Which of the two had played better?
That was the main point of debate.
If they took it one step further, the question became whether Zion’s performance really was improvised.
But those participating in the argument,
and those simply watching without participating,
all agreed on one proposition.
That Zion and Donald McGus were musicians on equal footing.
It was astonishing.
Who was Donald McGus?
A musician who had debuted forty-eight years ago at the young age of eighteen and had not once strayed from the blues scale.
He was the deepest-rooted tree in the genre of blues, a towering giant with the most growth rings.
Then who on earth was this young man sharing melodies on equal terms with such a master?
-Zion is a legend in Seaside Heights. In just one week, he captivated every musician in the city.
-When he stood on the Theater’s open mic just once, people lost their minds. He played piano even more stylishly than guitar and sang.
-(Video) Here, he’s playing bass. Apparently it wasn’t even his own bass, but a borrowed one.
Eyewitness accounts that sounded like they belonged in urban legends followed one after another, but no one knew Zion’s exact identity.
That was because Sion had never spoken Korean in Seaside Heights.
Just as talk began going around that Zion might be a Japanese guitarist or a Chinese pianist—
-Wait, isn’t the guy in this video uploaded to Color Show Zion?
-Huh? I think it is.
-No. His clothes are different.
-People can change clothes, idiot.
-Doesn’t the age look a little different? In Color Show he looks completely like a boy.
-Shut up and listen to the guitar he plays on Color Show. He’s Zion.
There was a brief back-and-forth, but Sedal Baegil’s
There was a difference between electric guitar and acoustic guitar, but it was more than enough material for Western geeks who analyzed everything to dissect his playing style and habits down to the smallest detail.
-That’s right! This man is Zion from Seaside Heights!
-The way he grips diminished chords in that unusual way is identical. It’s not an open chord.
-That’s right! It is him!
The conclusion was reached.
The person who had appeared out of nowhere, turned Seaside Heights upside down, and performed with Donald McGus at a level worthy of being nominated in the Grammy jazz instrumental category was……
-Damn. He was a K-pop artist?
-Oh, I always thought K-pop would achieve big things in America someday. They’re truly passionate.
-Wasn’t K-pop created through mechanical training?
-I don’t care if he’s a K-pop artist or whatever. Zion has skill that deserves respect.
-So Dope, Bro.
The view count on Color Show began to climb at a terrifying rate.
The views recorded in Korea were nothing in comparison.
The population of the class that consumed the culture was different.
On top of that, Colorful Struggle was the song among those Han Sion had composed that had stayed at the very top of Billboard the longest.
In other words, it was a song that fit Western sensibilities perfectly.
It was a version sung together with Sedal Baegil, but the emotion contained within the song was still the same.
-We need the track.
-Why the hell isn’t Apple Music distributing this song?
-You idiots. The track is on every platform except Apple Music.
-Why isn’t it on Apple? Is it because of Samsung?
-Sounds plausible.
-Oh, Apple Music started distributing it. I guess it was delayed because of a streaming contract issue!
-But what the hell does Sedar Back Ill mean?
-Sedar means to calm or alleviate in Spanish.
-Does it mean soothing a hurting back? That’s kind of weird.
-I think interpreting it as easing the pain of the past fits better.
-Haha. If they were gangsters, it could also mean putting down their illegal actions from the past. Like Snoop or Pusha T.
-People who listen to hip-hop, get out.
-Am I the only one who thinks that friend named Koo has a really special sense of rhythm?
-I’ve never thought Asian men were sexy, but Lee is seriously amazing.
-People who only look at faces, get out too.
-Someone recommend these guys’ other songs!
Around then, Koreans who had belatedly grasped the situation stepped forward.
Videos of Han Sion and Sedal Baegil singing on Coming Up Next were uploaded with subtitles, and the same was true elsewhere.
Unexpectedly, Western listeners did not like Seoul Town Funk all that much.
They agreed it was an excellent arrangement, but their reaction was that, with the original song already existing, there was no real need to listen to this version.
The song they went wild for the most was Resume, and next after that, unexpectedly, was Under the Streetlight.
-Oh, progressive rock, which is dead even in America, kicked open its coffin and rose again in Korea!
-Wow, are Korean musicians amazing? Or are these guys amazing? They pull off so many different genres.
-Sedar must be a superstar in Korea, right?
-No, no. These guys debuted through a reality show that aired this year. Seems like they’re only just getting popular now.
-I watched Coming Up Next too. The subtitles are kind of crappy, but it was watchable. But there’s something really strange.
-What?
-They were competing over debuting, and Sedar lost, right? Then why did Sedar appear on Color Show?
-Sedar lost? How good was the opposing team?
-They sounded just okay to me. But the interesting thing is that Chris Edward appears on it.
-What?
Seaside Heights.
Zion and Donald McGus.
Coming Up Next.
The songs Sedal Baegil had released so far.
No matter how people encountered this issue, the final destination was always Color Show.
-Damn. I only just listened to Colorful Struggle. It’s insane.
-I thought K-pop nerds were just making noise, but no. It’s insanely good.
Colorful Struggle, a rock-based contemporary R&B song, had struck Western listeners’ tastes dead center.
And then something unbelievable happened.
-HOT R&B/HIP
-HOP SONGS.
……
4
8. Colorful Struggle
- Sedar Back Ill
--
HOT R&B SONGS.
……
2
4. Colorful Struggle
- Sedar Back Ill
-It entered Billboard.
48th on the R&B/Hip-Hop chart, which tallied up to 50th place.
24th on the R&B Songs chart, which tallied up to 25th place.
Of course, these were not major charts like the Hot 100 or Album 200.
But among the minor charts, the R&B chart was an extremely major one.
No matter how low the rank was, it was not an easy place to climb onto.
Color Show was powerful content, yes, but appearing on it did not mean one would enter Billboard.
-If the performance with Donald McGus had been released, it would have taken first place on the jazz instrumental chart.
-48th on the R&B chart is more impressive than that.
-We basically put them on the chart. The nerds did something big.
-The song was good, idiot.
The American listeners who had first discovered Zion found it fascinating.
They had only been chasing down a talented new blues star, yet he had ended up putting his name on the R&B chart.
But however fascinated they were……
it could not compare to Korea.
[Sedal Baegil enters Billboard chart at 24th place!]
[Sedal Baegil makes history on Billboard!]
Articles poured out like mad, writing the 24th place on the R&B Songs chart as if it were a ranking on the Hot 100.
Those who knew the exact situation clicked their tongues at the reporters’ wordplay, but the general public did not.
Rather than checking the facts, they remembered that Sedal Baegil had entered the Billboard chart at 24th place.
The issue began to boil over.
Forget Choi Daeho or whatever—shouldn’t they grab Sedal Baegil right now?
Shouldn’t they call to cast them?
That perception became widespread.
Then, a fifteen-second video broadcast nationwide completely blew away the last remnants of Choi Daeho’s influence.
A programming advertisement for
[Isn’t that the person from beep—?]
[They sang beep— on beep—, didn’t they? Why is a professional singer appearing here?]
Amid scenes clearly intended to stir curiosity flashing by quickly,
the screen suddenly slowed.
And then……
[I hope they do their best.]
[If possible, I hope they win.]
Sedal Baegil appeared as a complete group.
That was all there was to Sedal Baegil’s appearance.
After that, only the broadcast schedule for SNZ was discussed.
[Who will be the protagonist of Stage Number Zero?]
In a fifteen-second programming ad, it lasted barely two or three seconds.
But its destructive power was strong.
-Hey, what the hell, Sedal Baegil is going on SNZ???
-No, what lololol their next move after Billboard is SNZ? lololol
-Can’t we just say they won and give them the prize money? Our kids need to shoot the music video for Colorful Struggle...
-I’m just passing by. I think that is quite a good opinion.
-Yeah, SBN. Make one broad-minded sacrifice. Give the survival show prize money to Sedal Baegil and only pick up to the runner-up.
-lololol...
That’s tempting?
-Sedal Baegil, open album funding once. I’ll save on drinking money once and support you.
-Nine years on the one path of indie music, ignoring girl groups even in the military... and now I’ve fallen for a boy group...
Just by looking at the public’s reaction, it was clear.
At the current moment, Sedal Baegil was a cheat code for ratings and a blue-chip prospect.
They had crossed the critical point.
Choi Daeho’s influence had vanished without a trace.
Casting calls poured in.
Even from terrestrial variety shows, which were not easy for rookie idols to break into.
At last, the news Sedal Baegil’s fandom had been desperately waiting for arrived.
[SBN Music Taste confirms Sedal Baegil appearance!]
-Finally!
-Music show!!!!!!!!!!!
-We’re escaping the Daeho occupationㅠㅠㅠㅠ
-The day of the public broadcast will be designated a national holiday, right??
But news that no one had expected also arrived.
[Sedal Baegil’s promotion song? Colorful Struggle + pre-release track from the album]
It was an album announcement.