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l'mumbai studios
translation by a.curious.octopus
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★Gangnam Style hits 350,000,000+ views★
FYI :: Psy and Korea Background
▶Gangnam is a posh cosmopolitan district in Seoul
▶Psy was born and raised in Gangnam, still lives there
▶Psy debuted in 2001 with a song titled "Sae"
▶Psy was arrested for possession of marijuana in 2001
★This is Hae-jin = HJ★
▶South Korea has mandatory military service of 21 months for all men
▶Psy lost his court case and was ordered to serve a "second term" in the korean army in 2007
▶Basically, he served in the army twice, not common
▶Psy is married, has twin daughters
today's "healing camp" guest, please come out!
★This is Gyung-gyuu= GG★
[I AM PSY!]
[SOJU AND CIGS TALK]
hello hello hello
oppan gangnam style♬
★This is Jae-*** = JD★
you want me to teach you guys the dance moves?
i really want to see how HJ does the HORSE RIDE
all right, first step, one and two and one and two, it's easy
giddy up like you are riding on a horse
then sway gently, your body will follow naturally
you are getting it!
YES!
so how did you come up with the song, gangnam style♬?
so i've been living as a married man since 2006
▶GG has been married for 20 years
i don't know if this sounds appropriate
but i really wanted to hear the word "oppa" once again ▶WOMEN refer to SINGLE guys as "oppa", loose trans.
i felt your despair in the song
music sounds FUN, but it's actually really SAD
your sadness can be felt by your singing and dancing
you know how it feels as a married man, right?
yeah, i know exactly! plus i live in gangnam, a "GANGNAM AJUHSSI" ▶"Ajuhssi" means married men, loose trans.
anyhow, Psy, you look like a person who needs no "healing" at all,
so what brings you to our "healing camp" show?
i am afraid of growing up, being mature,
especially on stage.
I wanted to really ask you, GG, about your secret in being
able to survive in this brutal entertainment world for more than 25 years,
East Asia's #1 "Long-Running" Comedian
like people from Andong ▶Andong is a city in korea where it boasts long lifespan for people
when GG goes into shooting, he acts childish and goofy,
but when conversations become serious, he shows his earnest side
and off camera, he is quiet and well-mannered,
so what's your secret in being COMICAL and SERIOUS all at the same time?
no wonder i got diagnosed with "panic disorder" from a shrink
▶GG really suffers from this
sometimes i can't control my own-self,
and i know exactly what Psy is talking about.
you feel really BLUE before the shooting,
but when the red light goes on,
you have to appear peppy and gay in front of the camera
but for singers like Psy,
being mature and adult-like
that would be problematic for you when you are making music and performing
here's what i mean by being anxious,
in every concert, i do parodies of female singers, right?
i dress up just like the singers,
and dance the exact choreography as well.
last year i parodied
Beyonce
wearing a woman's swimsuit...
in the old Psy, when i would cross-dress with women's clothing,
i only thought by how much the fans will be psyched-up about my kooky performance,
but now, after being married, these racy costumes don't feel all that "comfortable" when i'm putting on...
i kind of feel like a local CLOWN
"do i still need to cross-dress to make my fans happy?"
just these thoughts make me QUESTION myself as an entertainer.
the Icon of Immaturity (and Scandals)
i have prepared many questions that will make your nerves jump
certainly there are about your troubles with the law
but i heard that you told our writers to refrain from asking TOO MUCH...?
i... did...
and you pre-checked all our scripts and questions beforehand?
are you letting everyone know about this? haha...
so why DID you pre-check all our questions?
you know, when you have been living this long in life,
you may have stumbled here and there along the road,
and for most common people they remember them as just
"bad memories" in their lives,
but for people like me, they remain as permanent records and news headlines,
so, i wanted those "records" and "headlines" to be kept in the dark, unrevealed as much as possible to the public...
when did you start becoming worried (about growing up)?
just experiences of hardships, incidents and accidents in life,
when you are going through them,
you really FEEL how much they hurt, both mentally and physically.
there were several accidents during my concerts...
like one time, back in 2009 at Anyang,
i got on a crane to perform,
moving around above the stage,
then all of sudden, the power shut down.
it stuttered, started to lose power,
then pow! it collapsed!
and then in 2010, we went back to Anyang for an encore concert
because i felt bad for my fans...
but just like before, the crane fell again with the same power outage problem.
after the incident, i suffer from a post-traumatic disorder from the height i fell off
so say i am in the elevator, and it goes up passing 3rd floor,
i start to get really NERVOUS
i feel just fine when i am in 10th floor
but always when i am at about 3rd floor level,
i question the safety of the elevator and become worried.
further, my concert lasts about 3 1/2 hours on average
so like after about 2 hours,
my body becomes extremely dehydrated,
so i keep an oxygen tank in the back stage
in between song breaks, with lights off
i sprint out to the back stage, get some OXYGEN
and come right back to the stage.
and after about 2 1/2 hours, my legs get REALLY cramped
paralyzed?
like soccer players?
my legs feel like 50 metal skewers
just poking at all once
choking and aching
i THOUGHT i was all right, so i went on with it,
i was doing the Champion♬ dance move
you open your right leg like this,
once i finished the move,
i collapsed and PASSED OUT on stage.
the fans, however, loved the scene!
"what a performance!"
the fans realized the SERIOUSNESS of the situation
ONLY after i was carried away...
so i came up with a crazy solution to cope with my leg cramps.
i would have a DJ and dance time around the 2 1/2 hour mark
where i would be standing behind the DJ box, covering my lower body
while i am scratching and djing,
my physical trainers would come up behind me, and start prodding my legs
to dissolve the blood clots in my legs
prod with what?
acupuncture needles, and after about 30~40 needles,
a pool of dark red blood oozes out...
just like the crane fall before, subconsciously,
whenever my concert comes to the 2 1/2 hour mark,
i get jittery about my legs...
would i get the cramps again and pass out?
another PTSD.
after experiencing these uneventful accidents,
i became REALLY fearful, what ifs and thens,
and certainly, my family is concerning me the MOST,
when i tell my wife that i will be flying on WIRE again
she tells me to get the divorce papers...
so, why do you risk your life on concert stage? what drives you to do that?
the ONLY goal of my concerts is to
"always give MORE than what the audiences paid for"
plus the fact that i couldn't be on television for some time (e.g. banned indefinitely for smoking mariju...)
there weren't that many channels that i could reach to my fans
except performing on concert stages,
JD, you know what i mean by being BANNED and doing CONCERTS?
oh right... thanks for mentioning...
it's ONLY after his banning that JD started doing his "talk" concerts.
▶JD is now an influential motivational speaker!
nothing to do except my concerts...
same here!
but the MAIN reason, to tell you the truth, is because
when i was having troubles with the law in the past,
causing public outrage and all that,
i did not realize that my concerts would come to an END when i am arrested,
you know, i was so angry at myself because
i was doing my concerts without knowing that one of them could have been my FINAL concert.
regrets of "i could've sung more encore songs to my fans,
done more parodies, put more special effects, get more wild..."
so, after my arrest, i go on the stage with this in mind,
"Psy, this may be your LAST performance..."
because you never know when you will SCREW-UP in life again.
is that why you always CRY in your concerts in the end?
fans call you a CRY BABY these days.
why are you showing tears on stage?
let me remind you that
i have two or three INFAMOUS records that could've
literally ended a celebrity's career for GOOD.
▶Weed in Korea, OH YES!
but when i'm seeing thousands of my fans cheering for me on stage AGAIN
like NOTHING had ever happened to me,
i ask myself, "do i deserve their LOVE, still?"
you know, i feel really lucky, thankful, and sorry all at the same time
that's why i become teary on stage,
you mean like, "do i STILL deserve their love and support?"
"eventhough i'm still a worthless piece of ***@" kind of feeling?
"worthless piece of CRAP?"
[MENTAL COLLAPSE]
HJ nailed you hard, you won't forget about her CRAP talk!
so THIS is the moment when there's that caption,
[STRAIGHT TALKER HJ]
and the background music, dah rah rah rah~
[STRAIGHT TALKER HJ]
what do you mean by "worthless CRAP?"
what i meant was... was that...
HJ,
you are one mischievous lady!
i mean, let's be brutally honest here, Psy!
it was an absurd thing to do in the first place...
you becoming a singer? and making debut on public TV?
with your kind of "looks", just preposterous!
HJ, this is all your fault!
the show was going so well, with all my softhearted life stories
you ruined the moment HJ!
when you first made your debut,
there were so many rumors surrounding you.
that you were a 3rd generation chaebol ▶"Chaebol" like Paris Hilton of the Hilton Family
because there was no way in hell that
a person like Psy could ever be on television
without money or media connections.
if you are asking me if i grew up rich or not?
yes, my family was well-off.
however, our family was a bit different, per-se
we had a performance based system in our household.
what is that?
my dad would only AWARD me with money if i had only achieved "something"
no free lunch what-so-ever, and
my dad's alpha-and-omega philosophy.
to the children?
yes. for example, when i lost the court case and was sent off
to serve second time in the military
i was charged with stiff penalty fees by my corporate sponsors for breaching their contracts.
the fees amounted to some astronomical number since i had several sponsorships.
i had spent my entire savings on paying for the expensive legal fees, and i became virtually broke
then one day, my dad told me that he was going to "give" a hand
i was in a dire financial situation,
i thought my dad would just "give" me the money, out of pure love,
but he let me "borrow" the money with a condition of
signing an "IOU" note.
from your dad?
yes and
some months after being discharged from the army,
i worked my *** off and paid him back all the money,
and i thought my dad would say something-like,
"son, i am so proud of you,
it's only been several months after your discharge,
and you've paid back all the money that you owe me.
why don't you JUST keep the money for your family?"
but in reality, he said something-like,
"thank you very much, mister!"
"honey, let's not worry about getting our money back from Psy anymore!"
my mom runs her own restaurant,
and whenever i go there to eat,
i ALWAYS pay for my own food,
my parents, vice-versa,
BUY their own tickets for my concerts.
i realize that a lot of families may find this "unusual",
and i hated this "system" while growing up,
but now to think back about it,
if i did not have that kind of discipline, i ask myself,
"would i have worked my *** off?"
i now seem to understand my dad's emphasis on hard-work.
very appreciative of his teaching...
but i heard that during your teen years,
you were such a troubled and spoiled brat that
your parents forced you to go and study in america?
what was that about? kicking you out?
to tell you the truth,
i was the only person in my family
that had no interest in studying,
and certainly i was the worst of them all.
i remember when i was about 7 or 8 years old,
i intently ignored a warning sign and stepped inside a patch of grass lawn
that's when my mom realized for the first time that
"My son is going to cause BIG TROUBLES in life..." an omen.
you were a maverick
yes, a troubled maverick
once a teacher asked me why i was so "san-man", hyped up always?
i replied, "nam-san?" (wordplay, "san-man" is being active and "nam-san" is the mountain in Seoul)
such an annoying little brat.
i would've spanked you right away if i was your teacher.
if a teacher did spank me for REAL,
i would roll over on the floor and scream,
"help help, a student is being beaten to death~" (jokingly)
"a student is being beaten to death~"
and when they spank me like this,
really LIGHT,
i would STILL greatly exaggerate the pain
"oh teacher, how could you~"
such an annoying little rascal you were!
i am guessing that your dad taught you some SERIOUS disciplines.
i think this will answer your question EXACTLY.
my dad's KICK is beyond this world's comparison. forget Bruce Lee!
to tell you more about my dad,
he is a well-grounded, principled person.
his company has received several awards from the IRS
for his faithful taxpaying records.
that's the kind of guy he is, well-grounded and honest.
on the other hand, his son likes the tricks and gimmicks in life,
i questioned my dad once before,
"how do you know what lies ahead if YOU haven't made the first step?"
"what do you know about writing music, if YOU have never written one?"
when i was caught smoking the first time,
i told my dad cold-turkey, "you should quit smoking first!"
"what did you just say to me... you little!"
i really wanted to get out of my dad's RADAR
so i began to think of the gimmicks and reasons
for him to send me to the States.
"dad, if you want me to be your
successor of the company, the next GLOBAL CEO,
isn't the education system in Korea inadequate for me?
dad, i am your great son!
after all those Bruce Lee KICKS and disciplines about life,
i have come to realize what destiny awaits me in life!
if you send me to america, i will study my *** off and make you proud!
my dad was positive about it, and asked me get a certain score in my TOEFL exam,
i studied EXACTLY one month, and got the score that he wanted!
your score?
i think it was around 580,
so anything above 550 was good enough
and i got the 580 score with only 1 MONTH of studying.
my dad was totally stunned at what i had just achieved!
like i had gained his TRUST for the first time.
he was like, "after all those troubled and head-aching years... (tears rolling down)
his BRAIN is still functioning properly.
honey, let's send him to america right away!"
you know the ending scene in Usual Suspect,
where Keyser Soze fools everyone, gets in his car,
and gives this CONTENTED look? that's how i felt.
[PSYSER SOZE]
so i went and got into Boston University, majoring in international business
but right away i filed for leave of absence
and got all my tuition money refunded to ME.
with the tuition money... to think back, it was the most awesome decision of my life,
i started wasting it on drinking and partying... you know...
and then?
also i "met" a lot of women during that time...
then one day it hit me really hard...
i realized that i LIKED people laughing and being happy.
that i LIKED watching people who laugh and enjoy life!
is this the road god is telling me to go?
what kind of career should i pursue then?
singer? comedian? what? what?
a lot of thinking went on...
and it was around the time when HIP-HOP was booming and going mainstream
and i see these people RAPPING, not singing,
but still are called "musicians" in real life.
and they were getting grammy awards and all that
and suddenly it hit me, "that's it! this is the path! music!
plus i never lose to anyone with WORDS!"
next year came, i had received two semester worth tuition from home,
still on leave of absence, i began to buy musical instruments,
allowed me to practice and start making my own musics,
which eventually got me to Berklee College of Music.
so, when did you get caught by your parents?
in america, they ALSO celebrate Parents' Day, right? And...
Berklee sends invitation cards to students' parents,
so Berklee sent the letter to my house in Korea...
according to my mom, as soon as my dad picked up and saw the letter,
he got his drivers from his golf bag and immediately headed for the airport
which my mom calmed him down just before he left the house...
that's WHEN my dad cut off all my financial support
but i wanted to continue studying music at Berklee.
then how did you pay for your living expense?
as a person working in the entertainment and music industry,
i know this will sound cheap and wrong,
but i began SELLING music albums with illegal mp3 downloads...
i made non-stop dance albums that you hear in night clubs
like those albums that don't take breaks between tracks?
a typical club music set is 30 minutes of dance-time
blues time for 6 minutes,
30 minutes of d-time, 6 minutes of blues music,
this fills up the 72 minute blank cd EXACTLY!
so during summer in Boston,
i would fill up the cds with KPOP MUSIC that were popular in korea that SUMMER, then that FALL, then that WINTER...
i then sold my albums to every korean-owned video and music stores in the Boston area.
I admit it was an illegal, unethical thing to do,
but what can i say, they became a smash hit in Boston!
sold CRAZY!
CRAZY! because,
my albums played non-stop, from beginning to end!
local korean bars loved my music, and was played everywhere 24/7.
since my albums had no track breaks,
customers were kept in up-beat mood,
ordering more, drinking more, partying more
they all loved my albums!
back to college, i began writing my own songs,
about 50 in all, and created into a demo cd,
then i started promoting to every music agencies in Korea.
i did this about 2~3 years but got ZERO response...
to think of it now, out of the 50 songs created, the ONLY SONG
that contained the most benign and APPROPRIATE lyrics
was "Sae" (this is an ironic thing to hear because "Sae" caused public stir for obnoxious lyrics and lewd dancing, still WAS a smash hit!)
[THIS IS THE MOST APPROPRIATE... SONG?]
the REST of 49 tracks, let me tell you
could NEVER be heard on television?
hell yeah!
so, my demo albums were not getting any responses at all,
and if i kept pursuing this road without anything being "done"
i thought i would never get my parent's approval...
so i got to the point where i thought,
"hey, i got nothing to lose anymore,
why don't I just do THIS by myself?"
a singer yourself?
yes, "burning my ships", BE a singer myself!
and if this worked out as planned,
then some people may notice who i am
and start asking me to write their songs.
this is the behind the story of Psy-making...
to think of it, retrospectively,
that piece of rebellion and desperation inside me, made who i am today as PSY!
i could've just returned home to my parent's "golden nest" and security...
but SIMPLY i wanted to live a life that was different from my dad's,
i may have been disrespectful to my DAD, but i became desperate to GET OUT, so i just went on my own way.
so, with all this in mind, i continued to write my own songs,
then one day, my "sunbae's" friend moved into the same apartment i was living ▶"Sunbae" means older classmate, loose trans.
that "friend" was uploading his own songs in the internet, garnering a lot of attention,
that sunbae's friend was CHO PD
▶Creator of the popular song, "My Friend", with Insooni
an instant web star, eventually becoming a professional singer
i was like, "huh? how come i didn't know about this?"
so i uploaded my songs in the web, and one day,
the music agency that signed up Cho PD
decided to cast me as well!
during that time, everyone who had heard my voice had a GOOD IMPRESSION of me
"what a SWAGGERING voice this kid has!"
"i'm picturing - 6 foot tall, sharp looking, american-schooled, trendy-looking guy!"
i was indeed rapping with a low tone voice at that time
"yo, yo, what's the meaning of my existence, yo, yo"
the agency and i had several phone conversations.
"hello? this is psy speaking, yes?" (swaggering voice)
"oh~ yes~ is this really THE PSY that i heard on the web?"
"yes, this is he speaking... ahem..."
"Mr. Psy, why don't you come to Korea right away for an audition?"
they sent me a plane ticket
i ARRIVED in Korea, thinking how much they will LOVE me...
however, at the airport, the people from the music agency greeted me with utter DISAPPOINTMENT and SHOCK!
i saw their face changing from "this" to
"this"... (this must be a DREAM!)
so i got to their office, the CEO was there, all the staffs in the meeting room
they all began to discuss about ME.
the CEO opened the meeting with this statement,
"what are we going to do with 'THIS'?"
it's like, "we expected a beautiful product, but came out as a defect"
"what are we going to do with this?"
"are we going to get rid of it? what, what!?"
"how about we make him wear a cool MASK?"
everyone was giving solutions to MY unexpected "looks" problem
while i was there the whole time...
"how about a bit of plastic surgery here and there?"
CEO responded, "JUST A BIT? are you serious?!"
at the end, they reached NO conclusions... and just walked out of the room.
during that time, the agency managed Lee Jung-hyun as well, the super techno star
and she had just reached the #1 spot on the kpop chart that day
and i got to join in for the celebration party that night
at the kareoke bar, i showed off my usual repertoire that i do normally everyday
i would pick up an ice cube with a pincer and parody Lee Jung Hyun's techno dance
i had a repertoire full of these dance moves
that you made with your close friends in everyday life?
yeah, i was just being MYSELF!
i then got on the table, and
had the microphone held like this through my legs
i was about to sing, but the CEO told me to STOP! FREEZE!
"that's it! we found the solution people! that's exactly what we need from YOU!"
"after seeing your kooky dance moves, i see the light, the hope in your LOOKS!
we are going to push that KOOKINESS on tv"
so, all the dance moves you see in my "Sae" performance, came from that night
this is how PSY was BORN! and made his DEBUT!
so those farcical dance moves you created... they are part of your everyday life?
to tell you the truth, since i was a child
the only INTEREST that i had was
i JUST wanted...
all the women in the world to LIKE me!
[PSY's LIFE PURPOSE]
the female writers here, staff members, and even HJ
i am not saying that i want to DO something with them specifically
but just, with nothing attached,
i wanted their ATTENTION and INTEREST in me!
that DESIRE was SO strong since CHILDHOOD
so you wanted people's LOVE?
you know, i NEVER approached and hit on girls from my heart, but with my brains.
i am not getting it?
i hate guys saying things like "i love you from the bottom of my HEART"
heart is YOUR OWN heart, and ONLY you can FEEL it!
LOVE, however, is just DOING the things that the woman wants
SAYING the things that the woman wants to hear
TURNING ON the music that the woman wants to listen
so i put in a lot of thinking into this "philosophy"
i think you know EXACTLY what women want at the RIGHT moments...
like today, JD was asking me this before the show,
"Psy, when will i get married? when will i meet my true love?"
you are making all this public, huh?
if i can give the guys a tip about hooking up with a girl successfully
girls LOVE compliments from a guy
but we learn this from childhood
if some stranger comes up to you and randomly says nice things about you,
you know that he is a convicted sex offender... ▶Actually Psy says, "a north korean spy..."
if you thoughtlessly hand out compliments, girls will AVOID you.
so, how do you give out compliments the RIGHT way?
for example, HJ, "you have a very pretty face, a hot body..." those will never hit HOME well!
she might be uncomfortable with you. "is this guy hitting ON me? god no!"
what guys NEED to say is...
you DON'T mention about what she ALREADY has, but mention about what she HAS done TODAY to make her pretty and look hot.
for example, "HJ, your clothes match so well with you TODAY!"
"your white color choice looks perfect on you TODAY!"
"did you have your hair done TODAY? i love the new cut!"
you have to compliment a women on the effort she has put on TODAY!
so before the show, i was with Psy, then HJ showed up and
Psy looked and said, "HJ, i can't take my eyes off of your beautiful dress you are wearing TODAY!"
HJ was then giggling as she passed by us, then Psy added more,
"is it okay if i have my eyes attached to you for the rest of the DAY?"
yeah, he kept saying those things to me...
i laughed so HARD (feeling blushed)
so on your debut, you were known as the "Yupgi" singer ▶"Yupgi" means QUIRKY
becoming sensational!
in 2001, there were 2 hit products that year
Psy and "Yupgi" Bunny ▶Google Mashimaro
i still remember this, you know that i am managed by YG Family, right? ▶YG Family, one of Big 3 music agencies in korea
the first time i was up for the #1 spot, i was pitted against JINUSEAN
[YG's FIRST PRODUCED SINGER]
at that TIME, YG thought that I was
this worthless ugly-looking nobody kooky-monster who came from nowhere
ugly-looking kooky-monster.
so YG was like, "who is that KID up for the #1 SPOT?"
BUT i won OVER Jinusean that day, grabbing my first #1 spot in my music career!
and i still remember this, after i got the trophy award,
i got off the stage, and i didn't cry on stage because
i thought CRYING was no musician thing to do
i mean i am seeing guys crying after their 5th straight win
"can you still WEEP after sweeping the #1 spot for the past 5 straight weeks?"
"don't your eyes become dry after your 3rd week?"
so i didn't cry on stage, but i bursted with tears when i got off finally
while i was exiting, WEEPING, i saw YG staring at me
i remember it exactly,
while i cried, YG looked at me dumbfounded and said,
"STAFF MEETING RIGHT NOW!"
"I WANT THE MANAGERS HERE RIGHT NOW!"
he couldn't believe that a guy LIKE ME had won over Jinusean!
so what did YG tell you before you came HERE? ▶YG also made appearance on this show.
i told YG that i was going to DISCLOSE everything about his "personal" life...
HJ, please read out the reply that i got from YG...
"if you expose... you will completely ruin my Mother Teresa-like image to the public... please don't DISCLOSE... i will be your faithful SERVANT from now on..."
while i was watching "Kpop Star Audition" ▶YG being one of the judges
i found Lee Ha Yee as a TALENTED singer
so i called up YG, "looks like Lee Ha Yee is making the NEWS for her talent!"
YG, "She's NOT the topic maker right now! I AM getting all the MEDIA ATTENTION! GOOGLE ME!"
"how much attention YG?"
"like back in my Tae Ji Boys days?" ▶"Tae Ji Boys", 90s korean boy group, had a HUGE influence in korean culture
so Psy, you had your parents come into the police station after
your arrest for the mariju...
[PSY ARRESTED FOR MARIJUANA SMOKING/POSSESSION]
maybe your dad adamantly OPPOSED the idea of you becoming a singer because he knew that such incidents like this would happen to you one day...
so i smoked "something" that the country strictly prohibits... i admit that i did...
i went to america for education, but LEARNED something else...
to tell you the truth, i was 25 years old back then
i was scared as hell
normally, when your son gets into these types of situations
the mothers come into the station
and their responses are pretty much the same, as i heard from the officers.
they would start crying and ask for mercy to the officers...
"my son is a nice kid, did something he shouldn't have... oh please..."
but unlike other TYPICAL korean parents... when my dad and mom came in...
my dad was raised in north korea ▶Must have fled down to south korea before or during the WAR (1950-53)
came up to me, put his hand out, shook, and said calmly,
"why don't you quit smoking cigarettes at THIS chance?" (w/ north korean accent)
and just like that, he left the station.
and my mom came up to me and said,
"i knew that YOU would cause troubles..." and just left.
the officers stood there aghasted, "what kind of parents are they? that's not what we expected..."
you know i could've had a nervous breakdown at the moment i saw my parents' faces...
but since they left WITHOUT showing any real emotions
i actually became composed, and sturdy in the inside
when my dad told me "to quit smoking at this chance"
that short advice, along with the firm hand-shake
i felt my dad's "tears" in his hands,
moisture?
yeah, that wet warmth in his hand, i really felt his heartbreak...
usually for people who grow up in well-to-do families...
they don't WORRY too much because they think their parents will take care of everything, even in these types of situations
but when MY parents came in and left without much saying and doing,
you know what i thought at that moment?
"wow, i have FINALLY committed something that EVEN my dad can't fix up anymore" ▶Literally he said, "it's not my dad's SIZE anymore"
i have GROWN UP so much
i have OVERCOME my dad, AT LAST!
you still haven't learned your lesson, huh?
well, that's how i FELT at that moment...
when your mom said, "i KNEW you were going to cause troubles..."
i think it's not just your MOM who expected it, but most KOREANS and the PUBLIC knew that you were going to make the NEWS HEADLINES one day...
did you take a good long time to reflect back on your mistakes?
yeah, and you know, i didn't realize that i was doing something wrong until i got ARRESTED...
but the person who really got hurt the most from all this was my grandfather.
when my dad was adamantly opposed to my music career,
my grandpa was there to persuade my dad about my decision.
your singing career?
yeah
grandpa to dad, "you know, Jae-sang is doing this because he wants to write and sell his musics to people ▶"Park Jae-sang" is Psy's real name
looks like he has plans to run his own media company one day. why don't you respect Jae-sang's decision?"
when i was little, i learned to write calligraphy from him, learned the "drinking" etiquettes...
i was very close to him...
closer than any other grandchildren out there...
so i got arrested on Nov. 15 that year, and
my grandpa passed away only 3 days later...
i got arrested while he was suffering from late stage cancer
i THINK he knew about my ARREST... i don't know but...
i was not there at the funeral to lift his coffin
i will regret THIS for the rest of my life... because
my grandpa loved ME so much... and i couldn't be there on his deathbed...
so with all your scandals, and troubles with the law,
a lot of people thought you would not come back on television for a long time
but you returned to the stage in such short time
what made you decide to return so quickly? ▶Self-reflection is a big MORAL duty in korea after you committed something wrong... more so for celebs!
so 6 months after my arrest, there was the 2002 korea-japan world cup event.
although i was still on "self-reflection" mode,
it was WORLD CUP fever, and you know how most people even missed their work to support in the streets?
so i STOPPED doing my WORK of "self-reflection", and joined the crowd in the street to show my support!
your WORK was to SELF-REFLECT, right...
i supported our national team with the "Red Devils" ▶Korea's official supporting group for the national soccer team
and i was coincidentally caught by the SBS News at 6 camera,
i was at the seoul city hall, supporting
"i am here LIVE at the city hall"
and the female reporter
came up to me and interviewed LIVE, "oh, Psy~"
"oh, Psy~ you have the korean flag wrapped all around you..."
dae-han-min-guk ▶Republic of Korea!
that COINCIDENTAL interview was how i got OFF the banned list, ironically, and back on tv AGAIN!
you were banned UNTIL that day?
YES! but i heard that i caused a great STIR in the newsroom
"don't interview HIM! cut him off now!"
i said during interview, "it's world cup, as a korean, how can i be sitting at home? i am out to cheer and... let's go KOREA!"
"i can feel korea's BIG WIN today!"
dae-han-min-guk
that day, the RED DEVILS came up to me and requested
if i can do the half-time show for the supporters
at that time, i only had my debut song "Sae" known to people...
so if i DID sing "Sae" during half-time, and see korea lose... ▶When someone says YOU've become "Sae", it means YOU've fuc#ed up! lit. trans.
if the korean team loses in the end, everyone will blame me for singing that "Sae" song!
so i chose not to sing "Sae" and decided on something else...
right after the world cup, you came out with the song, Champion♬, a sensational hit!
when i was doing the performance that day at the city hall
i saw hundreds of young police officers surrounding the area, making a human barricade for safety reasons
and they were facing AWAY from the stage, looking at the streets
and right in front these officers were young people of their age who were enjoying my show
while i was performing, i can see these young officers turning a bit and taking peeks at my performance
so when i saw these contradicting scenes, i said to myself,
"that's STRANGE"
the officers and the fans were about the same age group
but because the officers were on duty, they had to look AWAY from my stage
while the fans were facing TOWARD my stage, enjoying
so the officers on duty, the fans cheering wildly
all of them in the same area, doing their jobs are CHAMPIONS, like your lyrics say?
yeah, officers, students, boys and girls, all of them here, doing their jobs, are TRUE CHAMPIONS!
Psy, you've had a lot of FATEFUL events crossed with the korean military
i did not expect this subject to come all so sudden
no turn signals to warn me at all
well it's more serious than just turn signals...
you were drafted "twice"
yes...
a lot of people get confused about the wording "twice". some people are even mad about this incorrect usage.
i was not DRAFTED into the normal military "twice", but ADMITTED to the training camp "twice"
first time, recruited for the "alternative military service" ▶Instead of being a "soldier," you work in a defense industry say Lockheed Martin, loose trans.
second time, for the "normal military service"
so i had the training done "twice" for those two.
so you receive your military tag number after you are discharged from the boot camp,
well i have two of them (unlike most men)
one from '05 and the other from '07
that means, you got 4 weeks and another 4 weeks, so total of 8 weeks in training?
for my alternative military service, 4 weeks
for my normal military service, 6 weeks
so in all, 10 weeks!
an army WARRIOR!
10 weeks of HARDCORE training!
honestly, when you are on a roller-coaster
you get scared the MOST right before the FALL, right?
moment you enter into the training camp
they tell you to empty everything out of your pockets
everyone pulls out
"even your cigarette packs!"
because you can't smoke there
"if we find any cigarette packs left in your pockets,
your training sessions will be..."
but I knew THAT
they don't search for your pockets!
and so, at the second time, i kept my cigarettes well-hidden in my pockets...
when you get your CBR training the second time ▶"CBR" they put you in a gas chamber filled with tear gas
you know the drills and everything
because i got the CBR training 2 years ago, i knew
how much the gas burns your nose, mouth, eyes, etc...
after you are in a hot tub for a long time, you know how your body adapts to the heat?
during my second CBR training, the burning sensation was a lot less than the first time... i felt NOTHING!
i heard that your daughters' birthday date is, coincidentally,
on the National Armed Forces Day
isn't my life story more interesting than a MOVIE scenario?
you are korea's TRUE SOLDIER, Psy!
during my whole court trial for the allegations against my unsatisfactory alternative military service
my wife and i were seeing this really serious-looking OB/GYN physician
"Mr. Park, according to my estimation...
the delivery date of your twins is...
"when is it, doc?"
looks like i won't be able to delay a day or two but is it okay to deliver them
on the National Armed Forces Day...?"
i ROFL when i heard this
my life is just so full of interesting COINCIDENCES!
since you served in the military "twice"
do you think that you FIT IN well with the military life?
when i was admitted the second time, i COULD NOT cry in front of my family
because if i shed tears, then i knew my whole family would WEEP also...
so, i didn't show my TEARS...
the problem was, if i cried and went inside the training camp,
then they wouldn't be able to console me with a pat on my back...
plus they would be crying all alone by themselves...
so i kept my mind off by rambling random stuffs
what kind?
i tried to lighten up the situation
started dancing around
did the Beyonce-like parodies, right before i went in
made a fool of myself
"won't the soldiers like my dancing?" kind of rambling.
and immediately after i said good-bye and entered the camp,
tears that were tightly held back...
opened the gates?
bursted open when i went in...
i was crying by myself, alone on the bench,
everyone felt very "uncomfortable" with me
the instructors and the fellow trainees, all of them found me "uncomfortable" initially
i am 31 years old and
and have been doing reserve forces training ▶Annual military exercises after discharge
and i was Psy, a singer, who looked like he had some temper-issues
i was sitting on the bench all alone, WEEPING
MOST people were freightened by that scene
fellow trainees as young as 19 years old
were observing this 31 year old celeb. who had just lost a court trial and redrafted...
my face was like this and WEEPING...
at first, people called me by my tag no. 167.
if someone called me "Yah" naturally, they feared that i was going to SNAP!
▶You never call "Yah" to someone older than you in society, but it's fine in the army because there is no age seniority
even the instructors were younger than me...
still called me no. 167, no. 167
so i went in the cafeteria that day
the menu happened to be "stir-fried spicy pork" ▶Google jae-yuk-bok-eum
they gave me some scoops of jae-yuk-bok-eum, but looked like it wasn't enough...
with my watery-looking eyes... i asked,
"can you please give me more jae-yuk-bok-eum, SIR?"
i felt like a starving animal when asking this... the sentimental emotions that i just experienced... gone after seeing jae-yuk-bok-eum...
the fact that they gave me so much white rice in the first place...
the amount of pork would have been inadequate to cover the portion of the rice...
this all happened, after you CRIED?
YES!
with watery-looking eyes?
YES!
i was SURE that i was going to have left over rice...
i really hate it when i don't have "something" to finish my rice...
so they gave me the EXTRA jae-yuk-bok-eum...
i did my first training exercise at Cheolwon
and for my second time, i went to Nonsan (where MOST people go)
Cheolwon was a small training facility while
Nonsan was the MECCA of the facilities.
if Cheolwon is the 7/11 store then Nonsan is like the Wal-Mart
while eating the Nonsan-made jae-yuk-bok-eum, i made a critique of the taste,
"Nonsan must be training its kitchen staff well, yum!"
was the Nonsan menu better than the Cheolwon?
usually, the jae-yuk-bok-eum you get in the army is not well-marianted...
the spices are there but they don't cover the meat completely
but in Nonsan, it is marinated everywhere!
and it tasted so DELICIOUS!
usually i would go for another round
and so, i got up and went for the second grab
however, everyone there was looking at me with GREAT FEAR!
he must be relieving his ANGER/STRESS by EATING!
my distressed face, my tears, my watery eyes (still not dried)
comes and asks for more jae-yuk, then eats and critiquing the taste by nodding his head, then
gets up and goes for the second round AGAIN!
"Psy is going to SNAP! ALERT! DANGER!"
people were scared at what they were seeing
one officer just ordered the kitchen staff to "just give him as much as he want!"
after i got my belly full, came back to my barracks, lied down
i saw the faces of my wife and twin babies
while looking up in the ceiling, gazing
after about 4 minutes...
it was morning and sunshine!
▶First night of army training, you don't fall asleep this easily!
i fell asleep so quickly on the first day!
i must've been fatigued out.
you were well used to the setting!
yeah, i must have been used to the environment and all
i knew that this will pass by soon
and knew what drills were coming the next day and all?
i still haven't lost touch contacting my fellow brothers and servicemen
when i meet someone and become a friend,
i am usually in touch with that person unless that person gets tired of me or starts disliking me
so like, my friends from Chelwon worried about me going the second time
as if it was their own personal problem
"you hear that Psy is being redrafted to the army? i'm going to puke! SICK!"
that's because the worst verbal abuse a guy can say to another guy is,
"why don't you go to the army AGAIN!"
i still have DREAMS about going to the army AGAIN
what's really ironic is
when i finished my first military service
and while i was having reserve forces training
i had dreams of being admitted to the army AGAIN.
but now i don't have those NIGHTMARES anymore! strange, huh?
because your nightmares have become a reality!
maybe people are dreaming ONLY about things that will never happen to them in life...
it's been 3 years and
i never had one NIGHTMARE of going to the army AGAIN!
so, what was the total number of years spent in the military?
comes to exactly 55 months
about 4~5 years
the sergeants in the army joked about this
4~5 years, you are promoted to staff sergeant
when these sergeants saw me across the hall, they would call out,
"hey there, Sergeant Park!"
and for my girlfriend-turned-wife, my occupation/status as a "soldier" to her...
comes to 5 years in total.
and i'm not EVEN a career soldier...
and your twins were born on the National Armed Forces Day
you are a military family Psy!
it's been 12 years since your debut, but half of the time, you were a soldier?
yeah, about half of the time i was serving in the military,
and for about 1~2 years i had my court battles, including my self-reflection period...
so, my whole singing career comes to not even
3 years in all...
you are still a rookie musician!
i heard that when Girl's Generation visits the army to perform, the whole base gets frenzy and wild!
but right up there with Girl's Generation is you and your performance!
i asked a favor to the battalion commander,
"if there is any chance that
i get an order from above to do any performances for the soldiers
can you please politely decline them for me?"
the reason i got redrafted the second time was
the fact that i was doing "private concerts" from time to time during my first service. ▶"Concerts" that were done outside of the military
so i wanted to serve my second time just like any other ordinary servicemen
but the period i got redrafted was, coincidentally, during the Army's 60th Anniversary
so much FATEFUL ties with you and the army...
you got redrafted during the 60th Anniversary period, talk about coincidence!
SO there were so many demands for "encourage-the-troops" performances in the military
frankly, these performances are
done at a very low budget
so it did not have the bucks to invite the superstars all the time
so they turned to ME, a corporal, who was receiving $80 a month (for military salary)
plus my musics sounded like war songs
like Champion♬
it's got that war song beat to it
[GI STYLE PSY]
it was about 6 months or so after (in 2008)
that i got the orders from the top to do these "encourage-the-troops" performances
so i accepted it reluctantly and went...
it was the FIRST and LAST time that I got really nervous before going on stage
why?
my court trials were well-publicized to all koreans,
and the fact that i was redrafted AGAIN,
i was going to face these servicemen with great humiliation...
"would they even give an applause?"
"will they react against me?"
i didn't know what to expect at all...
plus i wasn't even Girl's Generation
you know what soldiers HATE the most? MEN, esp. when it's a guy doing the performance.
they hate seeing guys singing and dancing
so i kind of rationalized all this to myself
if the reactions are not what they used to be
then i should maybe quit being a singer after i finish my service
today would be the litmus test of that decision
and since today is the first performance i am doing after my trials
i'm going to decide if i will be continuing my music career,
or to just call it quits and end today.
so before going on stage, i became really fluttery and anxious
i never get any butterflies in my stomach, usually
but at THAT time, i thought,
"will they LIKE me? BOO me off stage? ENJOY or HATE it?"
i became totally nervous...
but then, just before i got on stage
the host introduced ME with his usual line
"From the 52nd Division, Corporal Park Jae-sang, give it up for PSY!"
but at the moment he mentioned "52nd division", the crowd got FRENZY!
i can hear the crowds' roar and excitement behind the stage
i really did not expect it at all! i seriously thank all the guys who were there to support me...
upon stage, i think i clocked 100 minutes
by yourself?
i would've just done 2~3 songs and leave if there weren't that MUCH excitement...
but the crowd got WILD, and i returned to myself in being PSY again!
and i was very relieved by the fact that they were jumping and singing along with me the whole time!
"This is Park Jae-sang, reporting (back) to duty!"
[SONG IS TITLED CELEBRITY STAR♬]
after that 1st performance
i did about 100 afterwards
and even after my discharge in 2009,
you know there are men who EVEN avoid *** in the direction of the military camp that they were stationed during service,
▶Some men want to ERASE everything about their army days, loose trans.
BUT i STILL go and do the performances,
because i can NEVER erase that day of my life!
that day was...
that "encourage-the-troops" performance was... actually my BIGGEST encouragement as a person and a singer
must have been a "healing" concert?
also on that day, i thought about ways that i could be of practical "help" to the fellow servicemen
so soldiers occasionally get short breaks called "combat holidays"
it's when they go through harsh combat/battle exercises, they usually get the next day off for rest
so what if i ASK the commander about giving the crowd here a "combat holiday" the next day?
and so i ASKED HIM!
the crowd usually requests for encore songs at the end
so i would start saluting to the commander and senior officers, then
politely tell the commander, "your troops here are ZEALOUSLY asking for more encore songs,
so i will give them what they WANT! (everyone went wild, shouting, no need for roll call!)
but i want to ASK everyone to PARTY like there is no tomorrow, show your fighting spirit like it's a combat exercise!
AND if you (commander) think the troops will PARTY with the same fighting spirit as they would in training, then
i think you should give these guys the combat holiday they deserve tomorrow!"
"commander, if you want to see my encore songs, then please make an "O" sign for your approval OR i will end the performance right now!"
it would be HARD for the commander to decline
if the commander is sitting in front, there are at least 1000 troops behind him
the commander must give the OKAY sign or else...
the senior officers sitting next to the commander were not that "comfortable" with my request
when i said, "commander, please decide now!"
they were like, "is he fuc#ing serious about this?"
however, the commander DID put his hand up to make the "O" sign!
senior officers then starts laughing and clapping their hands along
"oh you sly Psy!"
so from then on 'til now, everytime i perform in the military
i make sure to ASK for the combat holiday
everyone is happy about it!
i am guessing you have received several awards from the ministry of defense?
yes i have, several of them
[GI IDOL PSY]
i have to say that i feel sorry to other men out there because
there is no other person than ME who has received
BOTH awards from the ministry of def. and chief of army staff
that's an amazing achievement!
yeah, very much so!
those awards are for REAL COMBAT PATRIOTIC SOLDIERS, it's even rare for them to receive... but
i received two awards of that kind, what a coincidence!
i think they awarded me because although i was readmitted AGAIN with all that court troubles,
i finished my service and left the army with a BIG smile on my face
which made the Army's image more friendly and all,
i still go and do the performances for our servicemen,
and the fact that i spend/donate all the performance fees back to the crowd for dinner and snacks!
i think all of these things were appreciated by the ministry.
can you appear on our show next year on korea's Armed Forces Day for a special?
Psy, i hear you are known as "Dr. Love"? about men's and women's relationships?
you must have counseled a lot of people about relationships, right?
where to begin this subject, so during my military service
OCCASIONALLY, you see an orange-suited trooper making a collect call to his girlfriend
but then starts punching the concrete wall... randomly...
a dangerous sign?
his girlfriend's cell phone number was changed... without the guy knowing about it.
i would stroll around the barracks and see random people punching the walls
i go up to him at night and say,
"SIR, you must be going through a difficult time, SIR!" ▶These "kids" are mostly in early 20s but ranked higher than Psy!
usually these "kids" are weeping inside their sleeping bag
"SIR, it must be difficult time for you, SIR!"
the kid goes, "please go away..."
"SIR, if i can be of your help..."
"just go away, leave me alone..."
this kid feels like it's the end of the world
of course
"SIR, i have more experiences than you, and
i can make your girlfriend come back to you if you let me talk to you, SIR!"
he would peek out and desperately ask,
"how?"
the kid then tells his problems to you?
the kid tells me everything that had just happened and i give him some advices
first, you should hang up the call first
second, you should know to never talk long time, be concise sometimes
did you learn all this professionally?
no, from MY own desperate situations!
what was funny was that
what these "kids" were worrying and thinking about 24/7
came to me as childish and immature,
their concerns were exactly what i had gone through 11~12 years ago
i started to feel dizzy when i heard their problems,
"how am i supposed to live with these "kids" for the next 2 years?"
they were talking about these petty, trivial problems, and then ask me,
"Hey Maknae (=Psy), what's your opinion about it?" ▶You refer to the youngest ranked or aged person as "Maknae"
i really didn't know how i was going to adapt to this YOUNG environment
but then i realized one day
let me just imagine myself that i had returned to high school
and just JOIN the crowd, and I DID!
so i had much of their solutions to most of their problems
from my rich experiences, you know, i was like 10 years older than most of them.
for the 70th Armed Forces Anniversary, why don't you join the army for the 3rd time?
for our young "concerning" servicemen, you know
GG, if i can be born again, i wish i can be your best friend, so that i can just... ▶"Best Friend" means of the same age
so do you think being redrafted the second time has helped you and your life?
i think if i were to experience that kind of situation 1000 times, then i will make the same choice and not regret it
i was recruited the second time in Dec. 17, 2007
my birthday falls on Dec. 31
if i were to wait 2 weeks, then i would have turned 30 and
eligible to do the "public worker service", instead of the normal military service ▶If you are over 30 or have some health issues, you may do "public worker service" instead
i was exactly 14 days BEFORE my eligibility
and it was the time when i had just become a father,
i had a wife who had just given birth,
i had two baby daughters who were less than 100 days old
i had 3 women that i needed to take care of...
i knew that i was to serve the army AGAIN as i was court ordered
but i ALSO knew that as a father/husband, i needed to be responsible for my family's well-being...
so i thought, "if i can just delay my entrance for just 14 days, i can come home in the afternoon to see my family"
▶If you are over 30 and married, you can commute from home while on public worker service duty
i can take care of my wife and see my kids more
so i thought about doing EXTREME things like 1~2 days before the day of my admittance
why don't i go to a bar late night and slap some big guy's face across and start a fight randomly
i'll be hospitalized for at least 2 weeks, won't i?
that much dilemma?
yeah, so if i can suffer some injury, get hospitalized for 3 weeks, then
i know i will be making news headlines AGAIN, but still i can be home and be a good father and a husband to my family
people will think it's an accident...
so i asked my wife's opinion about my "scheme"...
like i told you before, i was in a very positive mood, right before i was being readmitted
"hey honey, i think i have come up with an ingenious idea!"
"what idea?"
"i think i got the brains of Einstein. hear me out."
"what is it?"
"so i go to a bar very late at night
i would randomly punch someone in the back head
then the person would turn around and hit me back, right?
i would be hospitalized for 3 weeks, and be eligible for public worker service!"
but she answered back with this short reply and i will remember it 'til death.
"honey, i think that's being too cheap for PSY"
"Psy should just go and serve for his country. Period."
when i heard this from a woman who had given birth
i thought that i was able to do anything in life with this woman!
your wife is so cool, has the wisdom
yeah, she's an awesome lady
what kind of woman is your wife?
just like that, out of nowhere?!
i think this is my first time since debut that i am sharing about my family
so about my wife... i think every married guy out there listening to this will
ENVY me
first, my wife goes into a very DEEP sleep mode when she goes to bed
it's as if she has turned off her ears while sleeping
like i can turn on the music really loud and she would not wake up at all.
she also has a BIG pride/ego, so when i am outside home, and she calls me up FIRST and i don't answer her phone
she never calls me AGAIN until i call her BACK
what a wonderful wife you have!
a lot of fans think that i am very OPEN and LIBERAL about LIFE but
i realized how much patriarchal i am
AFTER being married
conservative?
yeah
you know that old saying, "those who partied HARD the most are the most HARD to PLEASE?"
that's an old saying?
yeah, an old adage, i heard
so, i realized i was uber-patriarchal after marriage
there are things that i am ONLY allowed to do but strictly forbidden for my wife and daughters
first of all, images of PSY and FATHERHOOD do not match well
very much so
PSY is unfit to be a good FATHER, a reliable BREADWINNER, and a kind HUSBAND
he just can't be like them because Psy will lose his high-powering MOJO feel
and if Psy loses this MOJO, then the whole family will go starving...
[PARADOX OF PSY = To be a Father, Don't be a Father]
so you have to give up being a father-figure, right?
yes, for our family's well-being and welfare, i need to maintain that MOJO
in order to do that, i must get "fresh air" occasionally at... night clubs
so i hear you ACT like you are single
no, no, i never acted like i was SINGLE
i just never tell the girls that i am MARRIED (never answering the question with yes OR no)
when i told the world that i was getting married,
it made the HEADLINES everywhere
but since my court trials have made MORE NEWS HEADLINES that year
my marriage news was not known to a lot of people, as a matter of fact
so people aren't sure of your status 'til today
so after my discharge in 2009, people didn't recognize me as a married man or a single guy,
but knew me as a retired SERVICEMEN
just a retired GI
when guys get out of the army, most are single
right right, normally like 20 something years old
yeah, and they begin a new life, meet new girls and all
so i have a lot of "friends" who are single lads
there are occasions when i HAVE to hang around with them with other single ladies
i honestly HATE these kinds of occasions
seriously?
i DISLIKE it very much (sarcastically saying)
yeah, i am a married man, you know?
BUT if i say something like this to them,
"hey my kids are waiting me at home, gotta leave!"
that would just ruin the whole party mood, you know?
you should NEVER~ EVER~ say that
exactly GG!
i REALLY want to go home, BUT
i JUST stay and sit there to not ruin the moment...
there are situations where i am sitting down with my single friends and ladies and
i see OTHER married guys who are staying and sitting there JUST like me
and for these men, when their wives call them up on cell phone
there are peculiar ways in which they pick up the phone
i know what you are saying.
so first one, as the cell phone is ringing, the guy asks the people (ladies) around him, TO
SHOOO~~~~
SHOOO~~~~
telling them to be quiet? mute!
because the phone can pick up the (girls') voices and all
so he picks up the phone, sounding relaxed
"yeah honey, yeah, i ll be home soon,
LAST shot, LAST one, oh alcohol smell!"
second variation is, these types of guys bolt out to a more quiet area
the take-off speed these guys make is SO FAST
they KNOW that the phone can immediately pick up the surrounding audio, so they swiftly get up and
"yeah honey~"
[EVEN USAIN BOLT CAN'T TOP THAT]
(third variation) for men who do this and go outside
they meet OTHER guys just like them
their walking pose is pretty much the same all across
let me show you
[ZIGZAG FOOTSTEPS]
"yeah, yeah, you are right, honey"
"i am wrong and you are right, honey"
and there are instances when these guys make eye contacts with each other
"i feel you bro" moments
camaraderie there?
then, at some point, they ALL go like this,
getting berated by their wife
so your wife knows everything about THIS?
yeah, she knows EVERYTHING about it!
and she understands all THIS?
don't you think you will be fooled like this by your future husband?
yeah, i will be so upset
i hear your wife has a "special" nickname?
my friend/singer, Sung Si-kyung, created the nickname for her
"The Buddha Wife"
-the wife shall never claim the husband as her everlasting material possession
the husband lives only in moments-
how did your wife receive that kind of KARMA?
did she get training in the temple? with other monks? (under the waterfall?)
the fact that i was away in the army for such a long time
and she distinguishes the Park Jae-sang she knows at home and the Psy she supports outside home
i know that Park Jae-sang should be a good father/husband at home, but
Psy on stage should be doing his JOB with his goofy and kooky performances, that's what she expects of me.
i hear that your wife serves up royalty-like breakfast for you EVERYDAY
what's that about? (hope you eat this and die soon?)
when my eyes are open in the morning, i need to eat right away
when my eyes are open
there should be food prepared
OR else i get really angry!
i can't compare that rage level to anything else
my wife had hard time in the beginning
but nowadays she prepares the breakfast BEFORE i am awake
you have such an "understanding" wife
definitely the most idealized type of wife a guy can have
there should be a statue of her in GANGNAM!
(SKIP... SKIP...)
but you know i ALWAYS come home to sleep,
never sleeping over.
if you come home 5 in the morning, isn't that considered sleeping overnight?
you have to get the wording correct here
"sleeping over" "sleeping out" means physically "sleeping" somewhere over a night
i just happen to be "going out" a long night
that's the difference
let me explain to you this way, "sleeping over" is when you lie down on a bed and you see different ceiling patterns than
the ones you are used to seeing in your bedroom
so, it doesn't matter how late you come home, as long as you come home, lie down, and see the same ceiling patterns, you're fine
so whenever i am finding HOTEL ROOMS, i look for ceiling patterns that look similar to the ones in my bedroom
[SECRET TO GG's SLEEPING OVER LIFE]
your wits, no wonder you are in this business for a long time, TEACHER!
never heard that one before
so when did you first meet your wife?
love at first sight?
she is a cellist, played since she was a child
another musician in the family
i know my wife will NOT like me for saying this but
i LIKE women who look very ASIAN-like
like Zen-style
your wife is Mulan-like?
that beauty of blank space you see in Asian arts,
that's what i am MOST attracted to!
honestly, HJ, i know you are very pretty and all, BUT
"girl, you are not my style"
(sounding as if Psy is a good-looking philanderer)
you are very Western-looking, too sharp for me!
what's funny is that all the women that i went out before i met my wife,
i don't think i ever passed 3 months of going out with any, not once
when you begin to feel that your love-fling is losing its steam, it's when you start feeling "uncomfortable" with that woman
but i went out with my wife for about 3~4 years
in that period, i made a fool of myself frequently, did stupid things and that
BUT i never felt "uncomfortable", never
with your wife?
yeah
you know how girls can be "uncomfortable" in your life? esp. for guys?
AND especially for musicians, who can be spending a whole day doing nothing but idling
most people would see us as unemployeed bum-heads
and during most of these idling times, i am wearing only boxers...
showing-off my really pale white skin tone
but i NEVER felt "uncomfortable" with my wife, never
so i thought, if i were to accept this socially-created institution called "marriage"
then i should choose this woman as my dear loving wife
since i was a kid, my DREAM was
to get married with a 24 year old when i am 40 years old
that has been my DREAM since my middle school years
i wanted to live the most awesome cool life so that even a 24 year old girl can be attracted to ME at 40,
but i got married when i was 30.
earlier than your DREAM?
definitely
people close to me were all SURPRISED about my announcement
any regrets? like i should've enjoyed more single life?
before the groom makes his entry, he stands behind the door all by himself
there is about 1~2 minutes of alone time
you stand there and begin to ask questions to yourself...
"last chance bro, IS THIS WHAT YOU WANT?!"
"did you enjoy EVERYTHING?"
and i answered with full confidence
"i don't know what new FUN things will be created in the future,
but i do know that i have experienced all the FUN things a man can enjoy today in korea!"
"let's go and get married!"
"your 20s was GREAT!"
i opened the door, walked the aisle without any regrets...
BUT...
it's been six years after that day
i kind of think that maybe i should've enjoyed a BIT more...
now that you are a father, can you empathize some of the things your father said to you and all?
i sometimes think of having another child, maybe a son perhaps,
but after picturing THIS for about 10~15 seconds,
little junior Psy annoyingly saying "san-man" "nam-san" "a student is being beaten to death~" "going on the grass lawn" being a little rascal and all.
i'm getting GOOSEBUMPS just picturing all this. i don't think i can handle my SON.
a lot of people can share this saying,
when a big, strong person shrugs his shoulder listlessly, it's seen more amplified to others
i know that my past mistakes have put a lot of "shame" in my dad's shoulders, many times in his life
i am guessing you are good with your dad these days?
it's very well!
there is a song that i wrote titled Father♬
came out in 2004
and RIGHT AFTER i wrote that song
my dad started to open up and LIKE me as a singer
he listened to the song one day and started nodding like this
definitely mixed feelings toward my dad
i feel thankful, sometimes i regret the way i rebelled against him,
but those rebellious moments became my motivational factors
so i thank him twice for that...
even though i wrote the song for him
it's still really hard for me to say "i love you" in person
i truly love him so much, but it's just so hard...
why don't you send him a message via our show then?
"father, i think i have called you "dad" all my life until the day i was discharged from the military...
i don't think i ever said this to you but...
it was really difficult during childhood, you know
because you were always too good for yourself
and the fact that i could never please you with anything...
even if i gave 120% in something, you were never satisfied...
so i took on a different path that you never approved
but look where your son is now? you never know how a person's life will turn out, right?
my defiance and rebellion has become the best engine
in making me produce music for the last 12 years
which i love still doing...
and the fact that i can always return on stage and recover quickly was due to
your LOVE, your INTEGRITY and your HARD-WORK ETHIC, that i felt and saw you in "distance"...
i really want to say that i am very thankful of your presence, i frankly respect you, and
I Love You ▶Sarang hahm nee dah
Psy, what is happiness to you?
happiness, huh?
yeah, since you went to the army "twice" and all, you may the know TRUE MEANING of happiness
aren't the questions so considerate of the GUEST?
summing up one's life like that, only GG can think of these types of questions.
since i was away from my "place" frequently
true happiness to me... is being where you are right now
as a singer, a person, a son, a father, a husband
being where i am supposed to be right now
is true happiness to me.
i take back earlier about you being WORTHLESS CRAP!
OPPAN GANGNAM STYLE♬!
l'mumbai studios
translation by a.curious.octopus
acuriousoctopus.tumblr.com