ID :
207903
Mon, 09/19/2011 - 05:50
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/207903
The shortlink copeid
In pop culture, old is new again
SEOUL, Sept. 19 (Yonhap) -- Yoon Kyung-ho starts his workday when ordinary salaried workers end theirs. These days, he couldn't be happier about that.
Yoon, 47, runs a pub nestled on a narrow alley near the main entrance of Sungkyunkwan University in central Seoul. His customers do not complain that the pub has a limited choice of hors d'oeuvres to go with their beer or the unsophisticated interior. For them, the pub's music is plenty enough.
Yoon is the disk jockey of his pub, and he chooses from his cherished collection of LPs of old Korean and foreign pop songs. His pub, fittingly named "Doors" after the still-revered American rock band of the 1960s, is enjoying "its heyday of business" these days thanks to the recent revival of old popular songs, Yoon said. His shop boasts a wide collection of about 6,000 LP records.
"Doors" out-survived other pubs and cafes of its kind, which at their peak were the rudder of the country's culture in the 70s and 80s. Most went out of business in the following years, driven out by more chic, westernized bars and globally franchised coffee shops.
"I often visit this place after work because I always miss the sentimental sound of LP records and a glass of beer," said Park Hyo-soo, a 42-year-old company worker from eastern Seoul. "I relax listening to songs by the Doors, Bob Dylan and Led Zeppelin."
On screen and on TV, songs, dances and fashion from the 60s to 80s have returned with force with enthusiastic support from the age group that grew up during that period.
The movie "Sunny," about aging housewives who reunite with their long-lost high school classmates and rekindle their friendship, was an unexpected big screen hit, turning out to be the most viewed Korean film in the first half of the year. The film replicated the youth culture and scenes from the era when people traveled long-distance by train instead of by car, when denim jackets, polka-dot prints and Nike sneakers were the in, must-have things.
In the movie, street demonstrations against the country's military regime are juxtaposed to girls dancing to the tune of Boney M's disco song "Sunny," both indelible trademarks of the age. Opened in May, the movie had attracted 7.44 million local viewers by the time its screening ended last month.
Popular girl group T-ara picked up on the retro trend for its latest album, matching the dance steps, hairdos and stage clothes to the 70s' style disco dance song "Roly Poly." Their mini album raked in 2 billion won (US$1.87 million) in just two months after its release in early July. It is one of this year's top-selling online albums.
"I Am a Singer," a TV survival program in which established singers compete against each other, has also provided a boost, and eventually ended up promoting, the trend. Old-time singers are receiving new spotlight as their songs, which had been in near oblivion due to boy bands and girl groups dominating the mainstream media, are being sung in a fresh new way.
Some pop culture critics see the retro phenomenon as a product of Koreans' yearning for the "good old days."
"The trend reflects the tough reality facing the Korean people," said Kang Un-cheol, one such critic. "For the mass public, old memories are like an exit from their mental stress from the current society encouraging endless competition to survive and from uncertainty about the future."
But Kang Tae-gyu disagrees, calling the trend another cyclic fad that comes and goes in any pop cultural market.
"Old culture, first of all, gives people a sense of familiarity," Kang said. "New contents, whether they are a fashion item or a song, can quickly appeal to the mass public when they follow the retro trend."
The use of the retro code can ensure commercial success, easily winning the hearts of not only the middle-aged older group but also the younger generation to whom the past culture will come across as something new and fresh, he said.
Whether socially driven or a cultural cycle, the retro trend seems to have staying power. The boom began at the start of this year when four old-time male folk singers who rely on acoustic guitars appeared on TV together for a program named "C'est Si Bon Concert."
"C'est Si Bon" is the name of a music cafe which was located in Seoul's Myeongdong shopping district in the 70s, where numerous big-name singers such as Cho Young-nam, Yoon Hyung-joo, Kim Se-hwan and Song Chang-sik staged live concerts.
The public reception of their music was explosive, leading to the singers' national and overseas tours that are still ongoing.
Yoon, 47, runs a pub nestled on a narrow alley near the main entrance of Sungkyunkwan University in central Seoul. His customers do not complain that the pub has a limited choice of hors d'oeuvres to go with their beer or the unsophisticated interior. For them, the pub's music is plenty enough.
Yoon is the disk jockey of his pub, and he chooses from his cherished collection of LPs of old Korean and foreign pop songs. His pub, fittingly named "Doors" after the still-revered American rock band of the 1960s, is enjoying "its heyday of business" these days thanks to the recent revival of old popular songs, Yoon said. His shop boasts a wide collection of about 6,000 LP records.
"Doors" out-survived other pubs and cafes of its kind, which at their peak were the rudder of the country's culture in the 70s and 80s. Most went out of business in the following years, driven out by more chic, westernized bars and globally franchised coffee shops.
"I often visit this place after work because I always miss the sentimental sound of LP records and a glass of beer," said Park Hyo-soo, a 42-year-old company worker from eastern Seoul. "I relax listening to songs by the Doors, Bob Dylan and Led Zeppelin."
On screen and on TV, songs, dances and fashion from the 60s to 80s have returned with force with enthusiastic support from the age group that grew up during that period.
The movie "Sunny," about aging housewives who reunite with their long-lost high school classmates and rekindle their friendship, was an unexpected big screen hit, turning out to be the most viewed Korean film in the first half of the year. The film replicated the youth culture and scenes from the era when people traveled long-distance by train instead of by car, when denim jackets, polka-dot prints and Nike sneakers were the in, must-have things.
In the movie, street demonstrations against the country's military regime are juxtaposed to girls dancing to the tune of Boney M's disco song "Sunny," both indelible trademarks of the age. Opened in May, the movie had attracted 7.44 million local viewers by the time its screening ended last month.
Popular girl group T-ara picked up on the retro trend for its latest album, matching the dance steps, hairdos and stage clothes to the 70s' style disco dance song "Roly Poly." Their mini album raked in 2 billion won (US$1.87 million) in just two months after its release in early July. It is one of this year's top-selling online albums.
"I Am a Singer," a TV survival program in which established singers compete against each other, has also provided a boost, and eventually ended up promoting, the trend. Old-time singers are receiving new spotlight as their songs, which had been in near oblivion due to boy bands and girl groups dominating the mainstream media, are being sung in a fresh new way.
Some pop culture critics see the retro phenomenon as a product of Koreans' yearning for the "good old days."
"The trend reflects the tough reality facing the Korean people," said Kang Un-cheol, one such critic. "For the mass public, old memories are like an exit from their mental stress from the current society encouraging endless competition to survive and from uncertainty about the future."
But Kang Tae-gyu disagrees, calling the trend another cyclic fad that comes and goes in any pop cultural market.
"Old culture, first of all, gives people a sense of familiarity," Kang said. "New contents, whether they are a fashion item or a song, can quickly appeal to the mass public when they follow the retro trend."
The use of the retro code can ensure commercial success, easily winning the hearts of not only the middle-aged older group but also the younger generation to whom the past culture will come across as something new and fresh, he said.
Whether socially driven or a cultural cycle, the retro trend seems to have staying power. The boom began at the start of this year when four old-time male folk singers who rely on acoustic guitars appeared on TV together for a program named "C'est Si Bon Concert."
"C'est Si Bon" is the name of a music cafe which was located in Seoul's Myeongdong shopping district in the 70s, where numerous big-name singers such as Cho Young-nam, Yoon Hyung-joo, Kim Se-hwan and Song Chang-sik staged live concerts.
The public reception of their music was explosive, leading to the singers' national and overseas tours that are still ongoing.
