By Joseph Kast

Björk in Shanghai 2008

In 2008, Icelandic singer Björk made a plea for Tibet’s freedom at the end of a concert in Shanghai. She’s not been invited back, and the People’s Republic of China has since forbidden any potentially subversive musical acts from playing there.

Dylan played in Beijing and Shanghai in April 2011. Even though he’s been lionized globally for his ’60s counterculture music, he played noncontroversial sets to crowds of about 12,000 people both nights. He plowed through his shows, only stopping at the 90 minute mark to introduce his band. Nothing else—no pleas for Tibetan freedom of any kind.

Sounds like a typical Dylan show for anyone who’s seen the aging rocker perform in the past 15 years. However, this hasn’t stifled criticism from many in the media who felt Dylan should have used his performance as an opportunity to discuss China’s questionable human rights record. Maureen Dowd of The New York Times found his show to be worse than Beyonce’s private show for the Qaddafi family in 2009. “The idea that the raspy troubadour of ’60s freedom anthems would go to a dictatorship and not sing those anthems is a whole new kind of sellout,” wrote Dowd in her April 9th column, “Blowing in the Idiot Wind.”

The concert was shrouded in controversy before Dylan even picked up his guitar, because the Chinese government requested to see his set list in advance, and (perhaps) censored any songs with politically charged lyrics. Dylan denied on his website that any censorship took place, saying “[We] sent them the set lists from the previous three months. If there were any songs, verses or lines censored, nobody ever told me about it and we played all the songs that we intended to play.”

Critics of Dylan’s show, like Dowd, are particularly disappointed he didn’t mention incarcerated Nobel Peace Prize recipient Liu Xiaobo, nor Ai Wei Wei, a Chinese artist and dissident arrested without charges in Beijing’s airport only days before the concert.

Awaiting an unpredictable performance

Such criticisms of Dylan are mistaken on two counts. For one, Bob Dylan’s reputation is inaccurate. His highest responsibility was always to poetry, not politics. True, “Blowin’ in the Wind” and “The Times, They are a’Changin” enjoy legendary status as protest songs.
However, Dylan was leery of becoming a jukebox for causes. In his autobiography, Chronicles, he put it quite bluntly: “I had very little in common with and knew even less about a generation that I was supposed to be the voice of.” Dylan certainly wrote fiery lyrics about social injustice, but he also told his biographer, David Hadju, that folk music was “a bunch of fat people.”

Second, Dylan is not responsible for waging the battle for China’s soul. He isn’t political in his shows anywhere else, and has a reputation for disappointing anyone who shows up hoping to hear his most well-known songs. And it’s possible Dylan’s old, tired and content to entertain anyone willing to drop $100 to hear his “new stuff.”

We desire our favorite artists to share and fight for our own values. We expect them to be superhumans. We’re inevitably disappointed when they fail to meet these expectations. Dylan’s work in the 1960s did not inspire change so much as alert everyone who wasn’t already paying attention. There is a need for criticism of the Chinese government, but for that criticism to foster real and lasting change, it must arise organically from within Chinese culture itself. Artists like Ai Wei Wei are perfect for affecting that change. More effort should be placed on promoting his cause, and less on bashing geriatric rockers.

By Lauren Beckerle

Beach House Maldives is an exclusive retreat within one of the world’s most exceptional travel destinations.
Here, the legendary luxury of Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts is enhanced by nature’s marvels, creating a resort that is both wonderfully indulgent and deeply inspiring. Located in the most northern atoll of the Maldives, Beach House offers a world of possibilities that combines local flavor with global sophistication. At once exclusively chic and wonderfully laidback, the resort upholds the highest standards of modern luxury whilst maintaining indigenous traditions and an authentic island ambience. It’s no wonder that Beach House has earned a spot on Forbes’ Top Ten Most Remote Hotels (2010).

However, Beach House is technically not a hotel. Aside from the capital Malé, there are no hotels in the Maldives, only resorts. Most take up their own island (1500x1500m to 250x250m), meaning that the ratio of beach to guests is one of the best in the world. It’s hard to imagine that anyone would ever struggle to find a private piece of beach to relax on. Many locales have a “no shoes” policy and with such soft sands, it is easy to love this idea. Embark on a Maldives luxury holiday, where each experience is uniquely yours. A Waldorf Astoria Resort can be reached via seaplane from Malé. Team members will be in touch upon receiving a reservation to discuss and organize seaplane transfers and overnight accommodation options (if required).

Accommodations

Leisurely dotted throughout the island’s lush vegetation, these generously appointed villas are elegant and discrete. The interiors open up to invite the invigorating sea breeze, as do the open-air bathrooms and sun decks with cozy loungers. A private cabana directly on the beach is perfect for enjoying the views under the sun. Villas are 150 square meters (indoor: 45, outdoor: 105), have king-size beds and face the sunrise side of the island.

Luxurious retreats feature separate areas for lounging or entertaining, dining and sleeping. The Grand Beach Pavilion (left) is an ideal choice for a family or group of six. Breathtaking views can be enjoyed from the private deck or in the swimming pool. All Ocean Villas have separate areas for lounging, dining and sleeping, as well as open-air bathrooms with i-Spa bathtubs and rain showers.

*Note: The best time to travel to the Maldives is during its dry season (November to April). The weather is perfect for relaxing under the warm sun or taking a dive down to the beautiful city of corals and marine life. The temperature rarely falls below 25°C (77°F) during the entire year.

The film centers on a contemporary married couple, Dean Pereira and Cindy Heller Pereira, charting their evolution over a span of years by cross-cutting between time periods.

BY GRACE PARK

Blue Valentine centers on a young married couple’s dissolving marriage. Spanning their 5 year relationship, via clever but gently edited flashbacks, the film attempts to deal with the real reasons relationships break down. Although overlong and, at times, coming across as a little like an indulgent showpiece for actor/producers Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling, the film is to be applauded for its sincerity of intent and unobtrusive construction. The light-handed directing, Cianfrance rarely shot each scene more than once, and there were no rehearsals, combined with the gentle editing mean that Blue Valentine manages to be an extraordinary film, where nothing out of the ordinary happens.

Michelle Williams plays Cindy, a nurse, who was a pre med on her way to becoming a doctor, before she became pregnant with Frankie. Williams, who, after wonderful performances in Brokeback Mountain and Shutter Island,  has become adept at delivering a sense of bottled up resentment and  frustrated hopes.

Ryan Gosling, who starred in the sugary love-story The Notebook, and Lars and the Real Girl, plays Dean, Cindy’s husband. Gosling gives a career-best performance as the blue-collar, soft-hearted and slightly goofy Dean.

The film opens with the couple’s 5 year old daughter, Frankie (Faith Wladyka), calling out a name beside a lonely stretch of highway. This opening fills us with trepidation until it turns out that Frankie is seeking Megan, the dog. Frankie is soon safe inside her family home, but the sense of uneasiness, created by the opening sequence, follows us throughout the film.

Gosling has the more sympathetic character in the film. This seems to be a direct result of the scripting, not just down to the delivery of the role. Gosling’s character is goofy and charming, he plays the ukulele, he looks after an old man, he loves being a husband and a father. All of these things make him appealing to the audience, while Williams’ character is a little less easy to identify with. Some of this may be down to Williams’ acting style. She is self contained and rather tight-lipped, while Gosling tends to express more of his character’s inner life through his acting.

The film, though overlong and, perhaps, not a good choice for a first date movie, is a cleverly told, tenderly-wrought, sometimes uncomfortably raw, love-story. An uncompromising look at how even the most promising beginning, can lead to a sad and bitter ending.

“Maybe a little, in the beginning. He didn’t really have any regard for me as a person. You gotta be careful with that. You gotta be careful with the person you fall in love is worth it… to you.”

Michelle Williams

Michelle Williams is an American actress. She first achieved recognition for her role as Jen Lindley on the television teen drama Dawson’s Creek. Williams graduated to full-length features including Brokeback Mountain, for which she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, as well as I’m Not There (2007), Shutter Island (2010), and Blue Valentine (2010), for which she received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. Williams met actor Heath Ledger on the set of the film Brokeback Mountain, in which they played husband and wife. Williams was engaged to Ledger and gave birth to their daughter, Matilda Rose Ledger.

Ryan Gosling

Gosling began his career on the celebrity-making machine The Mickey Mouse Show, in 1988. More recently her has starred in the girlie favourite The Notebook and independent gem Lars and the Real Girl. Gosling was also awarded a Satellite Award and earned his second Screen Actors Guild Award nomination and his first Golden Globe Award for his lead performance in Lars and the Real Girl (2007). Gosling earned his second Golden Globe Award nomination for Blue Valentine.

Aside from acting, Gosling formed the band Dead Man’s Bones with his friend Zach Shields. They released their self-titled debut album in October 2009.

John Doman

John Doman (born January 9, 1945) is an American actor best known for playing Deputy Police Commissioner William Rawls on HBO series The Wire from 2002 to 2008 and Colonel Edward Galson on Oz in 2001. He plays Cindy’s aggressive and overbearing father in Blue Valentine.

Mike Vogel

Mike Vogel  is an American actor and former fashion model. Vogel began acting in 2001, and has since appeared in several films and series, including The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Grind, Poseidon, and Cloverfield. He plays Cindy’s brutish boyfriend in Blue Valentine.

Vogel is married to Courtney, a former model, and has two daughters, Cassy and Charlee, and two pugs, Orlando and Olivia.

By Lauren Beckerle

Anthropologist and cross-cultural researcher Dr. Edward T. Hall received his lifelong research inspiration at a young age. By the time he was in his early twenties, he had lived in Missouri, New Mexico, France, Germany and on American Indian Reservations in the Southwest. During World War II, he served in Europe and the Philippines. His experiences abroad helped to mold one of his most famous theories: high and low context cultures.

High context cultures include much of the Middle East, Asia, Africa and South America. Korea and China happen to be at the top of this list. These cultures are relational, collectivist, intuitive and contemplative. Diversity tends to be less prevalent, therefore, tradition has a better chance of staying intact. Since the cultural norms change very gradually, high context culture natives know social rules well (and don’t need to clarify them with elaborate language). For example, there hasn’t been a notable sexual revolution or rights campaign in Korea compared to those in the West. As a result, Koreans aren’t expected to deal with political correctness or sensitivity toward new causes. The more peaceful and less controversial approach towards life makes an “unspoken language” feasible (since fewer cultural and political changes consistently alter mindsets, laws and language). Unfortunately, said implicit communication style is often viewed by foreigners as scheisty, passive and misleading.

Within high context cultures, Dr. Hall theorized that group harmony and consensus trump individual achievement and a sense of justice. If a low-context Westerner experiences unfair treatment, it’s considered his/her responsibility to make a stand regardless of potential inconveniences and unpleasantness. By not doing so, the individual is viewed as weak (regardless of his/her social class, age, rank or sex). In the same case of a high context counterpart, keeping the peace is considered more important (especially if the offender is higher on the totem poll). Boat rocking is rarely rewarded in “The Land of the Morning Calm” and other collectivist cultures.

In the case of the low-context West (e.g. Britain, Germany, Scandinavia, Netherlands and much of America, Canada and Australia), the cultures are logical, linear, individualistic and action-oriented. Communicators are expected to be straightforward, concise and efficient. Social, political, religious and economic changes happen all the time, creating new standards and norms for everyone to learn. It is impossible to follow an unspoken language because rules are constantly changing. Also, low-context Westerners often view trust as more fleeting, while people from high context cultures place a heavier emphasis on it. This is why the former are used to explicitly written contracts. On the other hand, those from high context cultures often view these types of agreements as insulting, feeling offense from the suggested lack of trust.

Again, this is a very truncated version of Hall’s insightful theory. Its purpose is to whet appetites for more information. To learn more about Hall’s high and low context theories, consider reading Beyond Culture first. It’s ideal for Koreans and expats because it deconstructs common intercultural blunders experienced between Asians and Westerners.

BY GRACE PARK / PHOTO BY DANIEL KIM

Damotori is a traditional korean rice wine (makgali) bar located in Haebangchon. Damotori is Hanguel for the experience of drinking liquor from a big bowl. Damatori opened recently in January of 2010.  When the owner, Mr. Hong, decided to open a makgali bar in Haebangchon, everyone was doubtful of its success. Mr. Hong, having graduated from a college focusing on tourism and hospitality, always wanted to introduce something Korean to expats. The reason he chose Haebangchon was to come into the expat community.  It seemed the best way to close the gap and let them experience makgalli for themsleves. And his idea has been a hit.

Mr. Hong believes he knows what expats want. But after determining the location for his business another problem presented itself.  Through his research he learned there were too many different types of makgalli in Korea. He wanted to introduce not only commercial makgali but also very traditional homemade makgalli to people.  He finally narrowed it down to around 30 different kinds ranging in price from 5,000 won to 15,000 won.

 If you have no idea what you want to drink your first time, Mr. Hong suggests you try the sampler. The sampler, only 2,000 won, is five small bowls of five different types of makgalli and you can choose the 5 makgalli you want to test. You can test baedarimakgalli, which is famous for being former korean president Park Jung Hee’s favorite. The most expensive makgali, boksoondoga, is handmade traditional makgali from Busan. Its sparkling test is like Champaign.  It is the favorite amongst expats.. The foods that complement the drinking are very important as well. Mr. Hong highly recommends the Korean style pancake called Jeon. Mini potato pancakes are a mouthful size and have a crispy outside and soft texture inside.   Tofu with fried kimchi is one thing you must eat with makgalli. Mr. Hong emphasizes that “it’s not a factory kimchi! It’s homemade kimchi from haenam province!”  

Besides those foods mentioned, you can enjoy galbi and buchu salad, 18,000,won and some seafood pancakes for 12,000won. If you want something fusion here, they serve makgalli cocktail.  Made in five different flavors, strawberry, mango, banana, peach and yogurt, it is like soju cocktails.

Corn makgalli, is literally made of corn. It is a little bit sweet compared with regular makgalli. Chunglangju is made of rice produced in Bonghwa. It was awarded the best makgalli in kyungbook province in 2010. Boksoondoga is 100% traditional handmade makgalli in Anyang near Busan. Daedaepo (blue) is made of rice and Jiri Mount honey. Black bean makgalli tastes like soybean milk and is the one suggested for beginners.  OgokJinsangju is made of five different rices and the favorite of former president Noh Moo Hyun.

By Jessica Adel

For many North Americans, there are few sports that can boast the nostalgic clout of football.  The sport is woven into the backdrop of holidays, high school memories and epic tales of tail-gate-parties-gone-by. For players and enthusiasts now calling Korea home, the KNFL (Korean National Football League) offers an opportunity to pursue the passion of playing, or attending a game or two, right here in Seoul.

The KNFL, which plays under North American NCAA rules, has been in operation in various forms since the 1960’s. With 7 men’s teams and about 36 University level teams, the league is quickly becoming an exciting presence in the sports landscape of Korea. Based in Seoul, The “Seoul Warriors”, is a league team dedicated to playing and operating under the traditional customs of football in North America.

The Warriors came into creation for just this reason. After having played in the KNFL for Korean teams, founders Ian MacLeod, Lawrence Bowlby and Jason Braedon, decided to put their energy into creating a football club dedicated to spreading the knowledge and popularity of American football in Korea. In President and Head Coach Jason Braedon’s own words “We are a diverse group of football enthusiasts… building grassroots partnerships throughout Asia to market and grow the game here while maintaining a distinctly American style of operating the team.”

And though the ideals and style of the game may be distinctly American, this should not discourage involvement from players and fans that hail from elsewhere. 

“There are various people involved with the team from many walks of life. We have Koreans, expats who are Canadian, American, British and Australian- military, teachers, businessmen and even students. We are a truly multicultural organization, and proud of it!” states Braedon, enthusiastically.

Like many sports, involvement in the team doesn’t just mean an opportunity to play, but the chance to become part of a like-minded community, building friendships as well as endurance, strength, and strategic skill.  

“Usually twice a season we have getaways where we can talk about what we are trying to do with certain plays, and just chat about the general direction of the team,” explains Braedon “We play sports, BBQ, and have a great time bonding as a team with the players, their wives, girlfriends and children.”

Given the transient nature of much of the community that comprises the team, the Seoul Warriors are always on the lookout for players and volunteers. “We are looking for all kinds of participants” says Braedon “especially offensive lineman- though anyone is welcome to tryout.” 

For those looking to play with the team, there is a tryout system in place, and anyone is welcome to join in the process, regardless of experience level or nationality. And for those who may not joy in the bone-crushing antics of life on the field, there are many other volunteer positions available- photographers, ticket-takers, officials, assistants and more. And finally, for those who just love to sit in the stands, foam-finger and hotdog in hand, games in Seoul can be seen at US Yongsan Army Base, Korea University, and Namyangju Stadium Complex. 

To find out more about how to get involved or how to catch a game, visit www.seoulwarriors.com, send an e-mail to seoulfootball@gmail.com or check out the facebook fan page, Seoul Warriors ( ¼­울전사 ) fans.

By Jessica Wilmes / Photos by Simon Stawski

Martina and Simon Stawski have taken blogging in Korea to a new creative dimension through video blogging, or vlogging. As cyberspace is overloaded with readable information, the Canadian couple is giving viewers the chance to relax and simply watch on their comical site, eatyourkimchi.com. Their vlogs cover everything from how to use a washing machine and how to order in Korean at a kalbi restaurant to weekly reviews on K-pop videos and a segment titled “Weekly Treasure Find”, which introduces random things they spot around Korea. With more than 100,000 web followers, the site continues to gain popularity and the couple is receiving more public attention then they ever imagined.

Having been married for four years, the duo met in 2005 in a poetry class at the University of Toronto, where they both earned a Bachelor’s of Education and Art. With backgrounds in teaching, they packed up in 2008 for an adventure teaching in Korea and immediately began blogging their experiences. Initially planning to stay just one year, the couple fell for the quirks of Korea, and has since decided to stay and continue developing their videos, which are consistently fun, colorful, and well-put together. Their passion for producing quality videos, as well as sharing all the fun to be had in Korea, is evident as their videos are always changing and improving. To learn something about Korea, catch the latest K-pop video, or simply have a laugh, visit eatyourkimchi.com to support the couple’s video ventures in the land of the morning calm.      

Eloquence: When did you decide to start your own blog?

Martina & Simon: The first day that we arrived. We filmed our very first video as soon as we got off the plane, which was eating sundubu jiggae (순두부찌개)…Yum!

E: What was the inspiration for starting your blog?

M&S: When we still lived in Canada we did a lot of research on South Korea, but our family

Their passion for producing quality videos, as well as sharing all the fun to be had in Korea, is evident as their videos are always changing and improving.

only heard about South Korea being threatened by North Korea in the news. They were terrified about us moving here, so we started the blog to show them what South Korea was really like.

E: Which step in creating a blog is most difficult to execute?

M&S: In order for a blog to be followed with a dedicated audience, it needs to be updated regularly. Between being a full-time teacher, a husband, a wife, and a friend, it can be difficult to push yourself to also be a “blogger” and to edit or film when you’re feeling exhausted, but we found that now that we have a dedicated group of followers we don’t want to disappoint them. Our fans give us the passion and drive to be bigger and better.

E: What is unique about eatyourkimchi.com compared to other blogs about life and tourism in Korea?

M&S: First, we’re a video blog, and barely anyone does dedicated videos about Korea, which is a shame, because I think video now is vital to blogging. People don’t like to read as much as they like to watch. Also, a lot of a site’s traffic depends on social media now, and how shareable the content is.  Text posts just don’t get shared as much as videos do. Second, we’re not a typical tourism blog. We’re less interested in showing Korea’s nice tourist places and more interested in living in Korea, which to us means: Noraebang! Soju! Monsoon season! K-pop! Korea’s a lot more fun, quirky and lively than it is described by Korea tourism, so we’re interested in showing younger people how cool this country is, rather than showing them where they can spend their two week’s vacation.

E: What are some of the common reactions to your blog?

M&S: Lately we’ve been recognized a lot in public, which is always awkward for us because we don’t consider ourselves in the realm of “celebrity”. When someone wants to take a picture with you or shake your hand we’re completely flattered and shocked. It’s just shocking because to us, we’re just a happy couple that makes silly videos in our tiny home with our ugly dog.

E: Numerous followers and advertisers now rely on you for information and entertainment. For some, the pressures of this responsibility take the fun out of having a video blog. Do you ever feel this way?

M&S: Maintaining a video blog is now more enjoyable than it was before because of the reactions we are getting from people. As soon as the video goes live, we’re glued to our screens and reading all the comments, which are so hilarious and uplifting. The process of making the video – namely, the countless hours in editing the video – is the only difficult part. We keep on trying to make our videos better than before, and so we’re focused on things now that we didn’t care or know about before. But we’re creative people, and we enjoy the process.

E: Do you have any extra talents that we should know about?

M&S: Martina is really good at hide-and-go-seek. Specifically the hiding part. She can hide in the smallest and emptiest room. Simon is really good at Mario-Go-Kart. He remains the undefeated champion among our friends and consequently has to drink the most soju when we play with “punish the winner” rules.

By Karen Tam

Born and raised from Osaka, Japan, DJ Benkay has become one of the most renown club DJs in Japan. He plays everything from top 40, hip-hop, electro and house. His effortless movements when deejaying has become a signature image influencing other DJs in Japan, United States and Europe. He now resides in Hollywood, Los Angeles, performing every Saturday as the head liner DJ at the largest Asian American club venue located in the Historic Core of downtown Los Angeles, “Exchange LA”. The movie The Social Network and music video Kush by Dr. Dre featuring Snoop Dogg and Akon was also filmed in this club.

Krome Entertainment, one of the newest and highest quality marketing, planning and execution companies in Seoul, hosted KROMEANSWER: Krome Launch Party sponsored by TATTOO TIMES KOREA on April 23rd, 2011. WIth all of Seoul’s hottest partygoers in one spot, it’s no wonder this event was such a huge success! As soon as the clock hit 2 am, the crowd cheered holding drinks in the air to welcome special guest deejay, DJ Benkay!

Eloquence: How long have you been DeeJaying? What got you started?

Benkay: I started back in 1995, 16 years ago in Osaka Japan, when turn tables were cheaper back then and so happen a few friends were looking for someone to play good music. In the same year, I started deejaying at a local clothing store, and one day a few dancers came up to me, they liked my music and wanted me to make a cd for them to dance to. Later on, I made it into the night club scene, playing in one of the most popular clubs in Japan, Club Corn, and it’s still in Japan if you visit today! When I started deejaying, I was playing purely hip-hop music at Club Corn but now I play all kinds of music basically Las Vegas style.

E: Why did you decide to move to Los Angles. United States?

B: In Osaka, I became the top hip-hop deejay playing only in number one rated clubs, they were huge, high-end, and classy. One day I went to Los Angeles for vacation and that’s where things started to changed. Someone wanted me to deejay one night while I was still in the city, and I took it as an opportunity, but what came to my surprise was that no one knew me. I felt a bit sad and confused because in Japan I was treated like a celebrity and I thought people in Los Angeles would at least know me. Through that experience, I wanted to move out of Japan and become more well-known in other parts of the world. I loved Los Angeles while I visited and so I chose to start there, right in Hollywood!

E: How often do you visit Japan?

B: I visit Japan about once a year to visit my friends and family who I miss very much. I also miss japanese food a lot, especially sushi my favorite!

E: I understand that you now use the DJ software “Serato Scratch Live”, can you tell us a bit about it?

B: It’s the new DJ style for most DJs now days, I started using Serato Scratch Live back when I was in Japan. Scratch Live allows deejays to continue to use vinyl along with the Scratch Live box and the Scratch Live software in your laptop. There are so many great advantages about using Scratch Live, one is that I can still deejay using vinyl without bringing 300 plus vinyls with me to the clubs every time. Using Scratch Live, makes it easier to mix songs and I can produce my own style. Also, the sound quality comes out more clear than using mp3 which has too much digital sound.

E: I read that you would like to become an “International DJ”, where would you like to go next?

B: Yes, I would like to become more international as a DJ. Next, I will be going to China then Osaka, Japan, and finally back in Los Angeles in May. In the future I would love to travel and deejay in Europe, especially in London and Ibiza in Spain.

E: Have you been to Korea prior to this visit?

B: Yes, I have been to Korea once! This was back when I was in elementary school, so I don’t remember much of Korea.

E: What’s one thing you’d like to tell Korea?

B: Go to clubs, drink more and don’t forget my name, DJ BENKAY! See you in June!

By susan mogann

The lack of organization, unmarked stages, and an utter lack of musical diversity makes this my last year at the World DJ Fest.  Where should I start with all the problems?  Number One:  Who are these people again?  While I was familiar with about three names on the performance lineup, that was three times as many as the average foreigner could recognize.  Wherewasthe big name draw like last year’s G Dragon?  Remarkably Shut Da Mouth, a very famous DJ duo from Seoul, weren’t even top billing.  Their set, which was by far the highlight of my time there, was three hours into twilight.  They didn’t even get a night slot.

Everything that there was to do I did in a matter of hours.  Not what I want to realize when I have arrived at 4pm and plan to stay until 6 am.    And then realizing I am going for two nights in a row.  Needless to say, around midnightpeople were sleeping on the ground of a hay-filled barn tent between the food court and port-a-potties.

There was a lot of fun to be had regardless of the limited means the event provided.  People brought their own fun and excitement like a group of foreigners I met who dressed in baggy animal costumes.  Or the group of belly dancers who gave impromptu performances during the Shut Da Mouth set.  And there were the countless individuals entertaining me with their awesome or delightfully terrible fashion sense.

Provided by the festival were booths doing face painting, body art, dressing you up like a Japanese Princess Doll and a booth dedicated to making things out of cardboard like sunglasses.  The booze did flow at a cheap price and the music was constant.  Some other booths celebrated diversity. There was a group of Chinese kids who performed martial arts tricks and another booth decked out in Indian décor and incense.  Another booth provided massages, while another sold Doc Martin Shoes.

The beverages were awesome but the pay system was not.  Some booths only accepted T-Money cards as payment.  I suppose they did this to advertise using the card for more than just subway and bus fares.  However, you don’t want to learn this after standing in line for 15 minutes with only a man won in your hand.  The drinks in a plastic bag always tickle me so I was very pleased to see many neon colored beverages for sale.  The readily available energy drinks were awesome too.

The food, I felt, was lacking.  The food booths served your basic street vendor fare mixed with some fried chicken, corn dogs and hot dogs.  In fact, the teriyaki skewers were the only thing international about the food.  But truth be told, as I got drunker, the food got better!

Two cranberry vodkas, an energy drink with vodka cocktail, two soju cocktails, and a bottle of wine later, the food had been transformed into just amazing!  As event goer Michael Kotlorek II told me “The churros are delicious,” he slurred, “quote me or I will stab you in the neck.  Write my name with “II” because without it, that’s my father and he ain’t here.”  The event goer seemed really enthusiastic about the warm flakey pastries that were selling for 3,000 won each, but he returned with a different item.  “Churros are a one minute wait.  Change (extra emphasis on the ‘e’) to nachos.”

Kotlarek and his friend Ken Ephraim were having a great time at the festival.  At only 11pm at night Kotlarek was wearing a leopard print throw he had stolen from the F.OUND magazine tent along with a bottle of wine.  He had become the center of attention for Koreans with cameras when he and his straight friend Ephraim began sexually dancing at the Drum and Bass Tent.  Kotlarek had stolen the spotlight again when he danced with the belly dancers at the Shut Da Mouth performance.  He even put on a dress at the Princess Doll booth.

Ephraim had equally gotten attention from flash bulbs and video recorders when he showed off his hoola hooping skills earlier in the day.  They both had done the tight rope walking event that Reebok had set up in the food court area.  Both had found it “arousing,” and “exhilarating.”  But Ephraim was very disenchanted with the setup of the event saying “there is Ramyun in the urinal.  It is completely flooded.  There is a bag of Lays [potato chips] next to the toilet.”

Aside from a lack of cleanliness the true plight of the DJ festival rested on the location.  Yeongpyeong is a horrible rinky-dink little town that has no idea what to do with thousands of foreigners.  At around 3amKotlarek, Ephraim and their friend Marc Kneirzinger left the festival in search of a motel or jimjilbang.  Finding no places to sleep and learning that the nearest jimjilbong was an hour away, they were forced to check into a PC Bong where Kotlarekslept and Ephraim and Kneirzinger played video games until the subway opened.

Most festival goers complained of the agitating train system and the lengthy walk between the station and the event entrance.  The event just wasn’t big enough, with enough big names and enough things to do to make it a two day event.  It also isn’t worth a two hour ride out and back.  Kotlarek’s disappointment of the events location frustrated him to the point where he would actually pay more money to have it back in Seoul next year.

“Another 30,000 won,” he said thrusting his hand down in an affirming manner, “there I said it.”  If every foreigner promised to pay for the fees racked up in sound ordinance violations, can it be brought back to a normal place with a few good DJs again?  I hope so.

By James Hendicott

Those visiting the mud festival may experience bites, rashes, temporary blindness, burns-unit-worthy sunburn, exhaustion and some extremely odd changes of skin tone. That’s the same thing that hangovers are for, though, right – to teach us that all fun comes at a price?

 Frankly, if the thought of a muddy wrestling tournament and ‘the mud prison’ don’t already fill you with some slightly less than wholesome thoughts, you’re probably the innocent type. As you might expect, this west coast festival is full of the kind of shenanigans that’ll have you emailing jealous friends back home with a series of pictures and a note about how ‘music festivals are lame’. The best thing, perhaps, is the manic blend between the mud-fuelled daylight hours and the music, beer and soju focused nights.

 Wake up in the morning, grab yourself your first Cass (other chemical-tinged Korean beers are available) and head for the heart of small-town Boryeong. Along the way you’ll pass plenty of those aquarium-fronted seafood restaurants, before arriving at the heart of the carnage: mud games, wrestling, slides and a brightly colored mud-painting stand all taking their place in the core of the town square. For all the borderline-erotic obviousness behind such an event, there’s also a childishness to it all: having started out as a commercial exercise, it’s evolved into something that’s pure messiness, and can only end with a slow mud slide onto the beach and a full-body dunk or ten under the waves. The beach at Boryeong, incidentally, is probably as good as any on the west coast of Korea: it’s several kilometers long and a coated in a beautiful layer of white sand. The mud is all shipped in from elsewhere.

Koreas biggest music & mud festival, a week full of mud and flirty games.

——————————–Mud Festival Tips:——————-

-Be careful which bus you get on: there are a number of locations in South Korea that – to the untrained ear – sound a lot like ‘Boryeong’. You could end up somewhere entirely different.

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Book ahead. Accommodation for mud fest is hard to come by, and ‘just turning up’ won’t work. It can be pricey even when you book in advance, so get together a group of friends if you can.

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Take a heap of sun cream, for the very moment that mud comes off!

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Another option is to head out of town, where you’ll find mud-wading contests and other ‘Mud Olympic’ sports, or to tone things down and indulge in the medical side of the mud-fest – the only part that charges – with facials, more sedate dirt baths and other mud-based cosmetic treatments. Though some do find themselves allergic to Boryeong’s mud (2009 in particular had a rash-related controversy), it is certified as being of a good quality, and has recovered well from problem associated with Chinese oil pollution over the past few years. A bar of mud soap is still an outstanding comedy souvenir.

 Having painted yourself as Hulk  (let’s be honest, probably better to aim for Shrek) in the colored mud huts, the evening is the time to really kick things up a notch. Friday and Saturday evenings invariable descend into massive beach parties, with fireworks launched from the sands and the less than inspiring K-pop stage acts eventually giving way to more palatable DJs and plenty of late night messiness.

 The final weekend is the one to aim for, with the festival already a week old, everything operating smoothly and a final blow out lined up for everyone involved. Whether you find yourself rebranded as Papa Smurf, unable to move your limbs through sunburn or simply relaxed having coated yourself in the most unlikely of ‘beauty’ products, you can be sure that the nights are going to live long in the memory. And that’s if you don’t end up dunked next deep, or sat in a sloshing barrel of the brown stuff.