Oppan Gangnam Style!

Posted on 2012.11.01 at 20:19
Current Mood: wryly amused
Tags: funnies, vid

Okay, I need a laugh. My kids showed me this video a couple weeks ago. Apparently this is a huge hit, a video by a South Korean singer who calls himself Psy. Gangnam style refers to an upscale district in Seoul known for opulence. This is now so popular that it's spawned a bunch of parodies and spin-offs. You all probably know about this already; I'm always the last one to know about a trend. Anyhow for those of you who haven't yet seen this -- enjoy. It's pretty funny, especially the guy in the elevator (who is supposedly a well known S. Korean comedian). If you want to know more check this site out.

17 comments Leave a comment

Comments:

hhimring at 2012-11-02 09:24 (UTC) (Link)

Apparently, there is a Gandalf Style version!
Marta posted about it on her journal.

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nelyo_russandol at 2012-11-02 11:20 (UTC) (Link)

You mean this one?

I'm not convinced by either of them, deep meaning or not.

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elfscribe5 at 2012-11-04 05:37 (UTC) (Link)

Everyone's imitating this. Liked the Gandalf style.

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nelyo_russandol at 2012-11-02 11:28 (UTC) (Link)

I watched it and maybe wasn't in the right mood, but it doesn't really do much for me.

I'm always the last one to know about trends. My children tell me I'm "old-fashioned" and even my Chief Nazgul accuses me of living in a different planet. He's right, you know. :o)

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elfscribe5 at 2012-11-04 05:38 (UTC) (Link)

I can totally see that it's not everyone's cuppa. I thought it was funny.

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mysid at 2012-11-02 13:30 (UTC) (Link)

The first time I saw this (my kids showed it to me), I was simply "WTF?" But then I read about how the whole song is a social commentary about people living beyond their means and being all about keeping up appearances. Suddenly many things in the video started to make sense: Sunbathing on a private beach? No, it's a public playground. Partying in a limo? No, it's a subway. And the other "WTF?" things in the video started to make sense once I realized that parody and satire were the point of the video.

(A coworker said that her son is being Psy for Halloween.)

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elfscribe5 at 2012-11-04 05:40 (UTC) (Link)

I read that too about the social commentary. Up until this I had no idea there was a big problem with maxing credit cards to maintain an opulent life style in S. Korea. Looks like the world is learning bad habits from us. Does her son do the Gangnam style dance?

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engarian at 2012-11-02 14:03 (UTC) (Link)

I've enjoyed the variety of take-offs on this video but had never seen the original until now (silly me). It's rather amazing to see what goes viral now-a-days, but this one was quite fun and has a catchy rhythm and simple tune. Fun!

- Erulisse (one L)

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elfscribe5 at 2012-11-04 05:41 (UTC) (Link)

I don't know why but I found myself watching it multiple times. LOL.

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kymahalei at 2012-11-02 16:03 (UTC) (Link)

Well, you aren't the last person to hear about this. I am totally clueless. It made for a fun wake up, and next time I'm procrastinating, I'll head to U Tube for the spinoffs.

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elfscribe5 at 2012-11-04 05:42 (UTC) (Link)

I can see why it's appealing. Something sort of exuberantly silly about it. Even better that it's actually a political commentary.

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salixbabylon at 2012-11-02 16:26 (UTC) (Link)

I had heard of this but had no idea of the context - thank you for that info! I kept meaning to look it up but never did. :)

*hug*

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elfscribe5 at 2012-11-04 05:43 (UTC) (Link)

I'd be clueless without my kids. lol.

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pandemonium_213 at 2012-11-02 23:35 (UTC) (Link)

Heh. And here I thought I was behind the times because I "discovered" it in early September. ;^) I had actually heard about the Gangnam 'hood long before the video, thanks to my pal, the Sardonic Hobbit, the very cute young Korean-American fellah who was my former co-worker and part of the Jersey happy hour crew. I still get a kick out of it, and I'm glad it gave you a laugh, best medicine and all that.

Back when I posted the video,

lilith_lessfair shared this article from The Atlantic with me: Gangnam Style Dissected.

Yes, many parodies and animated gifs ensued, including this one: