Comments on: Eric Stonestreet can't believe what's happening.

Eric Stonestreet can't believe what's happening.

phaedon — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 12:31:19 -0800

PSY (with Special Guest MC Hammer) live at the 2012 American Music Awards. [slyt] No further explanation necessary.

How Scooter Braun made it happen.

By: whitneyarner

whitneyarner — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 12:34:02 -0800

I am pre-empting the haters and saying I LOVE THIS.

By: newfers

newfers — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 12:36:45 -0800

I'm hating the pre-emptors and saying "meh".

By: Narrative Priorities

Narrative Priorities — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 12:38:40 -0800

I think my favorite detail is PSY's decision to rock a pair of hammerpants.

By: The Card Cheat

The Card Cheat — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 12:38:52 -0800

The early '90s are back, so I guess MC Hammer's due for a revival.

By: boo_radley

boo_radley — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 12:40:35 -0800

newfers: "I'm hating the pre-emptors and saying "meh"." TOO LATE

By: Brocktoon

Brocktoon — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 12:40:54 -0800

The cursing was loud and furious from my family when they discovered this had preempted Once Upon a Time. Usher received the bulk of the admonishments.

By: Slothrup

Slothrup — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 12:42:43 -0800

The early '90s are back, so I guess MC Hammer's due for a revival. That must be why the Bieb is giving off a distinct "Vanilla Ice" vibe these days...

By: boo_radley

boo_radley — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 12:43:17 -0800

also who was that at 3:05? He looked lost and afraid, poor guy.

By: MartinWisse

MartinWisse — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 12:43:17 -0800

Remember Snowcrash and how that Japanese cyber popstar comes to America to gain credit by playing at a true hardcore heavy metal festival? Yeah, this is sort of the for real, mirror image of that as rap stars of yesteryear use a Korean rock star to get back in the spotlights...

By: MCMikeNamara

MCMikeNamara — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 12:43:24 -0800

So over in Metatalk, people have been talking about limerance and whether or not it's a new/overused word. I'd like to ask the wordsmiths if there's some word that means when something happens that may have not seemed immediately obvious but then when it happens, it's obviously the thing that should have happened , but it's still awesome that it happened. Because I'm pretty sure that's what this is. I am also sure that I would subscribe to a "Eric Stonestreet can't believe [this thing] is happening" tumblr. And it would require me actually using tumblr.

By: srboisvert

srboisvert — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 12:43:33 -0800

When does ashton kutcher get around to telling us we have all been punked? Has he forgotten and now the conspirators are now trapped in their lies and are forced to just live them forever? When did the prank start?

By: inturnaround

inturnaround — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 12:43:49 -0800

Hammer's just a refrain and a pair of pants now.

By: Wolfdog

Wolfdog — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 12:45:20 -0800

This is good news for Psy, who has been suffering from a lack of visibility and could definitely use a friendly boost from a relevant figure in the business.

By: MCMikeNamara

MCMikeNamara — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 12:47:01 -0800

(Side note: come on, Internet, I should be able to cut and paste "gates to the mansion are decorated with golden letters spelling the word "hammer time," which Homer bashes with a hammer to spell out "Homertime" into some sort of image search and it should give me the proper Simpsons image)

By: elizardbits

elizardbits — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 12:47:14 -0800

Japanese cyber popstar OMG HIS NAME IS SUSHI K

By: Keith Talent

Keith Talent — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 12:48:36 -0800

First I admire the fact that there isn't even any pretense of singing live. Second, I'm not sure who any of those people they kept cutting to in the crowd shots were, but if that's the level of dancing by supposed music professionals, we are all in trouble. (Actually none of us are in trouble, unless you're a fan of pre-manufactured corporate pop. As long as you listen to actual music, thing's are fine.) My kids do the dance better than those professionals.

By: boo_radley

boo_radley — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 12:48:42 -0800

If it's Eric Stonestreet I may literally die of not reading the the thread title

By: phaedon

phaedon — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 12:48:49 -0800

I would subscribe to a "Eric Stonestreet can't believe [this thing] is happening" tumblr OMG too funny.

By: East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94

East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 12:49:12 -0800

U Can't Touch This But U May Scream At It

By: griphus

griphus — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 12:49:15 -0800

Okay, so how long until I can just walk into a store and get a lemon-yellow slim-fit suit?

By: Mei's lost sandal

Mei's lost sandal — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 12:49:39 -0800

Obama pivoting to the Pacific; in Myanmar today. Gangnam style blow up. Coincidence? OR 4 DIMENSION CHESS.

By: Think_Long

Think_Long — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 12:49:39 -0800

Isn't this song supposed to be making fun of rich and shallow people? Kind of funny to see them dancing along to it. Maybe I'm missing the point.

By: persona

persona — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 12:50:33 -0800

I was hoping for Los Del Rio.

By: carsonb

carsonb — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 12:50:44 -0800

The early '90s are back, so I guess MC Hammer's due for a revival. Proving that a bad song is still right twice a decade.

By: East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94

East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 12:51:43 -0800

I'm hating the pre-emptors and saying "meh". you are insufficiently legit to commence

By: brain_drain

brain_drain — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 12:54:10 -0800

By: Foci for Analysis

Foci for Analysis — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 12:57:38 -0800

This is even more ridiculous than the Anderson Chewbacca Campaign of 1980.

By: newfers

newfers — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 12:58:15 -0800

I'll change it to "an emphatic 'meh'" if that helps lend credibility to my dislike of the underlying 'meh'-ness of that of bad music and shitty dancing.

By: carsonb

carsonb — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 12:58:23 -0800

Normally I'd be in the 'meh' camp on something like this, but in this instance I view it as a person who has been touted as a musical genius actually following through and making good on it. That remix is indeed genius, and PSY has earned my respect. Also, I'm sorry but any designer or shop owner who dressed their female customers in outfits not designed to handle Gangnam Style for this event should be fired/shuttered ASAP. That song is a wardrobe malfunction ongoing.

By: zix

zix — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 12:58:41 -0800

It has been at least 12 hours, is there an animated gif of the old white guy doing the Arsenio yet???

By: MCMikeNamara

MCMikeNamara — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 13:00:10 -0800

If not, we might as well pull the plug on the Internet.

By: Billiken

Billiken — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 13:01:35 -0800

I was hoping for Dolores Del Rio

By: KevinSkomsvold

KevinSkomsvold — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 13:03:42 -0800

"DEATH BY NOSTALGIA: It isn't necessary to imagine the world ending in fire or ice -- there are two other possibilities: one is paperwork, and the other is nostalgia. When you compute the length of time between 'The Event' and 'Nostalgia For The Event,' the span seems to be about 'a year less in each cycle.' Eventually, within the next quarter of a century the nostalgia cycles will be so close together that people will not be able to take a step without being nostalgic for the one they just took. At that point, everything stops. Death by Nostalgia." (FZ) -- The Real Frank Zappa Book I met MC Hammer at CES in 1999. We had torn down our booth and we were walking out the back door. Hammer was sitting in a metal chair in the XM Satellite launch booth talking to some dopey looking geek. I felt kind of bad for him. Seeing him last night was sort of neat. Hey, if people like it and he can make a few bucks, why not?

By: phaedon

phaedon — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 13:06:46 -0800

Galaxy Quest: MC Hammer edition.

By: BungaDunga

BungaDunga — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 13:10:45 -0800

Arguably the best part of this is the awkward audience shots.

By: East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94

East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 13:12:02 -0800

Perhaps you would like a PSY song that is Not Gangnam Style: this is pretty catchy

By: zo219

zo219 — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 13:12:13 -0800

Best comment on the youtube thread: "This is the culmination of all mankind. All culture has led to this moment." Just so.

By: item

item — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 13:21:34 -0800

Vanessa Del Rio would've fit in nicely here, as the fantasy world she and her fellow performers depicted in their films a quarter-century back has finally become a reality. Yes, we are living in a flashy big-budget 80's porno, complete with rampant abuse of substances, airbrushed pimples, and straight-from-the-shitpile music.

By: deathpanels

deathpanels — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 13:22:12 -0800

Rarely is a one-hit wonder total eclipse event captured on film.

By: persona

persona — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 13:25:21 -0800

For those of you who want a little more meat on your performances how about the 'singing' and modern-dancing Pink?

By: Wolfdog

Wolfdog — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 13:26:11 -0800

I was hoping for Ronnie James Dio.

By: asnider

asnider — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 13:26:49 -0800

Surprisingly, I'm disappointed that MC Hammer didn't have a bigger part in this whole thing. A few samples from "2 Legit 2 Quit" and some dancing -- not a single word uttered (except, possibly, "Hammer time," which sounded like someone was saying it live). This was basically just "Gangnam Style" with a rapper who hasn't been relevant for about 20 years tacked on at the end. That said, I really loved the awkward crowd shots. One of the most popular songs in recent months and NO ONE IS SINGING ALONG. BECAUSE NO ONE KNOWS THE WORDS. If American artists can get an entire stadium of people who don't speak English to sing along, word-for-word, when they perform abroad, surely at least a few people could have learned the words to "Gangnam Style" by now (he said, while casually admitting that he doesn't know the words either).

By: needled

needled — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 13:26:52 -0800

Gangnam Style works well Korean heavy metal style, too.

By: ROU_Xenophobe

ROU_Xenophobe — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 13:27:55 -0800

Okay, so how long until I can just walk into a store and get a lemon-yellow slim-fit suit? Right about the same time you can just buy an [lizardo] elevator overthruster [/lizardo].

By: griphus

griphus — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 13:29:05 -0800

I'm sort of concerned that PSY is going to be a one-hit novelty act stateside because of the language barrier, but I'd like to think that the American Pop Music Machine will recognize the fact that he is a brilliant producer and that his talent will remain relevant to the music scene here longer than his persona will.

By: fifteen schnitzengruben is my limit

fifteen schnitzengruben is my limit — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 13:31:37 -0800

Ban Ki-Moon was right, Gagnam Style is a force for world peace. PSY, long may your ridiculous horse dance serve as an antidote to people who hate fun.

By: item

item — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 13:33:59 -0800

By: sparklemotion

sparklemotion — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 13:35:06 -0800

For someone looking for more PSY that is a little more like Gangnam Style, but not quite, I personally recommend Right Now. Or something a little more nationalistic (and amazingly put together, there's Korea. That It's Art video was really well done for a concert footage montage too.

By: THAT William Mize

THAT William Mize — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 13:40:10 -0800

Love this. I hope that Psy is enjoying the HELL out of it; every single minute. The only thing that worried me is that I wanted to throat punch pretty much every single hipster in the audience every time they cut to them. That's a lot of punching. I would probably have to do it in shifts or something. Keep on, Psy. Keep on.

By: boo_radley

boo_radley — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 13:40:59 -0800

item: "Oh but it is entirely fitting that the director if this monstrosity felt the need to cut to a reaction shot of one of the only black guys in the entire audience when MC Hammer made his entrance. " That was the presenter, too.

By: bullitt 5

bullitt 5 — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 13:41:45 -0800

item, that was the person (Will.I.Am?) who introduced the performance.

By: MCMikeNamara

MCMikeNamara — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 13:44:29 -0800

Oh but it is entirely fitting that the director if this monstrosity felt the need to cut to a reaction shot of one of the only black guys in the entire audience when MC Hammer made his entrance. So classy. To be fair, that particular black guy is Will.I.Am -- though he also was dressed like he time traveled from 1991 to warn Hammer to be more careful with his money. (Funny side note: putting Will.I.Am in the chrome bar up top gets a network error since my requested host "will.i.am" could not be resolved by DNS.)

By: RakDaddy

RakDaddy — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 13:44:39 -0800

What the hell was on the crown of will.i.am's hat? Were those reflectors? Buckles? Was his hat getting ready to skydive?

By: aught

aught — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 13:46:15 -0800

the director if this monstrosity felt the need to cut to a reaction shot of one of the only black guys yt in the entire audience I am embarrassed to admit I was watching the AMA's live -- brain dead and we'd caught up on the good shows on the DVR -- but since I was, I can tell you I saw plenty of "black guys" in the audience during the course of the broadcast.

By: aught

aught — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 13:48:02 -0800

(Not saying there weren't a lot of creepy and horrific aspects to this awards show, but that angle was not one of them.)

By: phaedon

phaedon — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 13:51:13 -0800

Oh but it is entirely fitting that the director if this monstrosity felt the need to cut to a reaction shot of one of the only black guys in the entire audience when MC Hammer made his entrance. Uh, ok, the same black guy that introduced the song? Yeah, cutting to him is a travesty. Plus, you can't prove that was a black guy. Maybe it was a white guy in a green screen suit with a hologram of will.i.am transposed on him.

By: fearfulsymmetry

fearfulsymmetry — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 13:52:21 -0800

I'm not entirely sure that was the real Hammer.

By: mazola

mazola — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 13:54:46 -0800

Unimpressed. Well ok, maybe I'm a little impressed.

By: item

item — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 13:57:48 -0800

OK EVERYONE: I am very sorry that I did not recognize will.i.am. Wait, on second thought, I don't think that I actually am. signed, i.te.m

By: oneswellfoop

oneswellfoop — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 13:59:30 -0800

It appears to be part of Psy's current strategy to reach out to 'legacy' pop acts for a little mash-up action. He did a 'walk-on' at a Madonna concert. Probably a smart move in the direction of avoiding the "one-hit wonder" syndrome (which apparently is hitting Gotye, who lost in two categories last night). As for the other videos, "Right Now" did well with the often-used 'break out of routine' theme (and him in the fake chest was hilarious) and "It's Art" showed how his on-stage persona is seriously informed by vintage Elton John (NOT a bad thing). He already owns his home country and if he just goes back there, he'll be fine. But I suspect he's going to do something even wackier for a follow-up (maybe English-language?) and I, for one, will enjoy it.

By: oneswellfoop

oneswellfoop — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 14:02:12 -0800

Also, I predict his follow-up WILL include a cameo appearance by McKayla "unimpressed" Maroney.

By: ckape

ckape — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 14:04:58 -0800

Oh my how M.C. Hammer has fallen. It used to be that no one was allowed to wear more ridiculous pants then him.

By: Ber

Ber — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 14:10:02 -0800

Too busy watching the Walking Dead and the football game to even remember this show was on. My wife is an awards show maven, but this one is strictly low-tier for her. If the early 90s are back, then how come we don't get a video from the reunited Soundgarden? Now that would have been awesome.

By: royalsong

royalsong — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 14:10:03 -0800

What the hell was on the crown of will.i.am's hat? Were those reflectors? Buckles? Was his hat getting ready to skydive? Honestly and truthfully thought they were USB ports at first.

By: danny the boy

danny the boy — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 14:10:38 -0800

THAT William Mize: "The only thing that worried me is that I wanted to throat punch pretty much every single hipster in the audience every time they cut to them." Did we watch the same video? Industry award show music number, audience made up of men in suits and women in eveningwear? I didn't see a single "hipster" (whatever that is) in the audience? Could you post a screenshot, circling the hipsters in the crowd? Was it that old white guy?

By: palbo

palbo — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 14:12:21 -0800

Did anyone actually realize that it was MC Hammer there? Also, i wonder if there's some sort of contract or agreement that says all those famous people in the audience must dance and pretend to have fun to the beat of the shitty music.

By: maudlin

maudlin — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 14:12:39 -0800

One day all hipsters will be old white guys, even if they aren't young white guys RIGHT NOW. And they will have lawns, man. But you won't be able to understand them.

By: tonycpsu

tonycpsu — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 14:15:29 -0800

My favorite crowd shot is the old dude right here. You go, old dude!

By: SweetTeaAndABiscuit

SweetTeaAndABiscuit — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 14:19:08 -0800

Reading some of these comments here have me already tempted to break my "I"ll be good for Christmas" pledge in griphus's MeTa thread. In light of said thread however, I'll simply say I liked the song, PSY, MC Hammer's appearance, everyone's wardrobe, the introduction by will.I.am, and the people in the audience singing and dancing, especially the old white guy.

By: obscure simpsons reference

obscure simpsons reference — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 14:20:33 -0800

(Side note: come on, Internet, I should be able to cut and paste "gates to the mansion are decorated with golden letters spelling the word "hammer time," which Homer bashes with a hammer to spell out "Homertime" into some sort of image search and it should give me the proper Simpsons image) posted by MCMikeNamara Here you go: HomerTime

By: tonycpsu

tonycpsu — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 14:23:58 -0800

SweetTeaAndABiscuit: As a (FSM willing) future old, awkward white guy, I couldn't agree more.

By: symbioid

symbioid — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 14:24:08 -0800

I was hoping for See Three Pio

By: The Card Cheat

The Card Cheat — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 14:30:43 -0800

I caught the last half hour or so of the broadcast, and the thing is...as dorky and terrible as the audience's "dancing" to Psy was, many of them seemed to be genuinely enjoying the performance. By way of contrast, when Stevie Wonder was on, everyone was standing and clapping and/or swaying in place, but not with much enthusiasm.

By: spinifex23

spinifex23 — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 14:38:36 -0800

Roommate rushed home from work yesterday to catch Once Upon a Time, and also was sorely disappointed that the AMA were on instead. She exclaimed "I don't even know what Im watching. I don't know most of these people." (She's a 50-something who adores Michael Jackson, and thinks Adele is cutting edge. I'm not about to expose her to Borknagar or Mayhem any day soon.) However, she kept PSY on due to my pleading, and afterwards, deemed it "Good!". So, there you go, PSY. You won over the 50-something white woman demographic.

By: alasdair

alasdair — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 14:50:41 -0800

This is it, isn't it? My first child is nigh, and already there is a whole pop culture phenomenon going on and I have no idea what it is. I'm so OLD. I mean, this was on STRICTLY COME DANCING (I think DANCING WITH THE STARS in the USA) and I had NO IDEA what they were on about. Even Bruce Forsyth was doing it and he's about 106. So it's the Macarena/Birdy Dance/Jitterbug of 2012, right? Help me out here.

By: Renoroc

Renoroc — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 15:01:03 -0800

This is the moment we pass the torch of cultural domination to Asia.

By: Wordshore

Wordshore — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 15:01:23 -0800

Won't be long now before Psy's Gangnam Style (767,510,438 views and the most 'likes') overtakes Justin Beiber's Baby (801,803,802 views and the most 'dislikes') to be the most viewed video on YouTube. Hmmm. Feeling twitchy to do a FPP when Gangnam Style becomes the first to a billion views. Still have time to work out how to frame the post so it ties in with cats, Mitt Romney's tax returns, George Lucas, Twinkies, and why you should leave your partner. Unless Gangnam Style gets pipped to a billion.

By: graventy

graventy — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 15:08:29 -0800

Two questions: Is this the first non-English song sung at the AMA's? Do you think that producers asked PSY to pick his collaborator, and he chose MC Hammer? Because he knows his moves. Also point of clarification, MC Hammer was no one hit wonder, as evidenced by the fact that this mashup was "2 Legit 2 Quit" and NOT "Hammertime". Get with it, people.

By: zsazsa

zsazsa — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 15:11:13 -0800

I was at a wedding last weekend and they played Gangnam Style at the reception. The dancefloor response was huge (and tons of fun to dance along to; it's not hard for someone who's never seen the video to pick up the horsey-dance). I'm wondering if it will have staying power.

By: Twang

Twang — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 15:15:21 -0800

Is this the first non-English song sung at the AMA's? Nah, the first shows were all American songs. Until the BeeGees showed up in 1979. Do you think that producers asked PSY to pick his collaborator, and he chose MC Hammer? Google did it.

By: Wordshore

Wordshore — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 15:25:37 -0800

I'm wondering if it will have staying power. MetaFilter folk have been posting and commenting on Gangnam Style for four months now. And the line on the views meter isn't really slackening off. It's gone through several waves of parodies, and there's probably going to be a wave of Christmas-related parodies any week soon. So, yes, looks it has staying power. More than Mitt ... forgotten his surname (anyone?) ... and other things that have come and gone this year.

By: Kwine

Kwine — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 15:43:14 -0800

I thought Pink's live performace of Try was incredible.

By: deo rei

deo rei — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 15:45:12 -0800

Well, glad he made it.

By: deo rei

deo rei — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 15:48:27 -0800

This is the moment we pass the torch of cultural domination to Asia. What? The entire phenomenon is a product of the west! That's like saying Plato lost because he died.

By: anothermug

anothermug — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 16:00:38 -0800

I was hoping for the Statics del Rheo.

By: Egg Shen

Egg Shen — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 16:18:34 -0800

I like to imagine Psy desperately wanting to sing a heartfelt song he wrote about a romantic breakup but being condemned to do nothing but the horsey-dance for the rest of his career because I'm dark that way.

By: Samizdata

Samizdata — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 16:23:38 -0800

Egg Shen: "I like to imagine Psy desperately wanting to sing a heartfelt song he wrote about a romantic breakup but being condemned to do nothing but the horsey-dance for the rest of his career because I'm dark that way." No you aren't. Because that's the way it always ends up.

By: needled

needled — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 16:28:24 -0800

Psy singing a heartfelt song about fathers

By: jess

jess — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 16:30:06 -0800

It warms my cold black heart to see a non-English song being sung at the American Music Awards.

By: ninazer0

ninazer0 — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 16:33:38 -0800

Not the first time I've heard something at one of these awards nights that I couldn't understand the lyrics to. (not mumble-ist!)

By: Egg Shen

Egg Shen — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 16:39:38 -0800

Psy singing a heartfelt song about fathers Versatile! Maybe next he'll compose Seoul Oratorio.

By: graventy

graventy — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 16:43:19 -0800

Twang: "Nah, the first shows were all American songs. Until the BeeGees showed up in 1979." Sorry, I should have been more specific. First non-English-language performance, is what I meant.

By: potsmokinghippieoverlord

potsmokinghippieoverlord — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 17:22:08 -0800

By: asnider

asnider — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 18:31:56 -0800

Oh my god. It's the HOKEY POKEY of our age! Come on now, I think YMCA is a fairer comparison. It's still a terrible comparison, because PSY is awesome, but let's be more charitable than the Hokey Pokey.

By: schroedinger

schroedinger — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 18:43:15 -0800

There's an old Simpsons where Marge finds a nice Chanel suit and it gains her access to upper-class activities and gains her increasing popularity. It's her only nice suit and she has to wear it all the time. When she gets snide comments about repeating the same outfit, she reconfigures it and recuts it into various new designs, which buys her time and keeps her popularity afloat. But everyone knows she's just wearing the same suit over and over and over and she can't keep it up forever. posted by brain_drain at 12:54 PM on November 19 Psy has been a figure in the Korean music scene for about a decade, and it is kinda offensive to imply he's a talentless one-hit wonder just because you only heard of him now. Korea's not the same as the worldwide stage, but they have a well-developed music industry of their own and a Korean artist who gains international popularity is hardly the equivalent of a bumpkin gaining entry to country clubs, or whatever you're trying to imply. Gaining popularity via Internet meme should be regarded as a happy accident rather than the defining focus of Psy's career.

By: item

item — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 18:43:45 -0800

I'm having some trouble here understanding just what the fuck is wrong with the Hokey Pokey.

By: vytae

vytae — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 18:44:41 -0800

Come on now, I think YMCA is a fairer comparison. It's still a terrible comparison, because PSY is awesome, but let's be more charitable than the Hokey Pokey. Hokey Pokey < Chicken Dance < YMCA < Macarena < Electric Slide < Cupid Shuffle < Horsey Dance The Cha Cha Slide is so much worse than all of these, I don't even know how to represent it.

By: danny the boy

danny the boy — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 18:56:17 -0800

Yeah I came back to say what schroedinger just did. The guy studied (but did not degree) at the Berklee School of Music, has 6 studio albums and a bunch of Asian music awards. You don't have to preemptively feel bad for him for his "one hit wonder", though I'm sure he appreciates your concern. And how many one hit wonders are social criticisms (in this case, of Korean consumer debt) wrapped up in a satire of popular music tropes, the perfect execution of which caused it to be so widely popular in the first place...?

By: zsazsa

zsazsa — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 19:19:46 -0800

vytae: Even though some people may not like Gangnam Style, if it displaces any amount of Cha Cha Slide it's a net benefit to mankind.

By: marsha56

marsha56 — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 19:27:53 -0800

I'm late to the PSY party, but I'm a fan now. When the Gangnam Style video first appeared on MeFi, I watched it with everyone else, but just didn't get it. But just late last night, I was surfing on YT and somehow ran across PSY's channel and for some reason watched some of his other videos. The concert ones from his LIVE SEOUL PLAZA concert are just amazing. So much energy and fun and wow factor: Right Now and Shake It. I also watched his "making of" video for the original Gangnam Style vid, and really enjoyed it, especially seeing him laughing and getting such a kick out of the silliness of the Gangnam clips.

By: discopolo

discopolo — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 20:20:11 -0800

I am going to say "Too legit....too legit to quit!" under my breath all week now for sure, in addition to, "Ehhhhh SEXY LAYYY-DEEZ!" which I've been saying now and then anyway. THIS IS AWESOME!!!!

By: phaedon

phaedon — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 00:15:28 -0800

The one thing that just totally gets me is I keep hearing what a humble guy PSY is. And I have almost no direct evidence for this, but now that it's in the back of my mind, every time I see him I notice how happy people are around him. In an incredibly short amount of time, this guy has connected with every nook and cranny of American culture - he has danced with the head of Google, leaders of the UN, and even his musical idols like Hammer and Madonna. This guy is so hot, he doesn't gain anything by paying homage to them. Even at the end of this dance routine, if you look closely he forms the bottom part of an H with MC Hammer, and the set closes with H's branding, not PSY's. Totally unnecessary and simply awesome. And I say that having worked in the American music industry, where it goes without saying that most of our artists are spoiled, entitled brats. In fact, there is an entire economy built around the idiocy of "superstars" like Britney, Xtina, Linsday Lohan, not to mention (unfortunately) a lot of modern-day rappers, etc. Everyone's gettin pulled over, doing drugs, and fighting over money. I secretly hope he's a really kind person and that his success is largely based on that.

By: Mezentian

Mezentian — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 01:00:36 -0800

I was hoping for Young MC. Now there was a one-hit wonder.

By: phong3d

phong3d — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 08:23:47 -0800

I'm looking forward to PSY showing up in "Where the Hell is Matt? 2014"

By: ultraviolet catastrophe

ultraviolet catastrophe — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 08:37:12 -0800

If anyone wants to learn more about PSY and K-Pop in general to put this whole thing in context, this New Yorker article is a good read.

By: subdee

subdee — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 11:14:41 -0800

Is this where I plug my article on Gangnam Style? I wrote an article on Gangnam Style. If American artists can get an entire stadium of people who don't speak English to sing along, word-for-word, when they perform abroad, surely at least a few people could have learned the words to "Gangnam Style" by now The cast of Glee learned the words! Right here. Incidentally, in their cover you can hear the Bollywoord influence a lot better.

By: subdee

subdee — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 11:21:00 -0800

Anyway, my favorite Korean things related to Gangnam Style: Crazyno - Musiche (crazy guy in suit wants you to listen to his CD) TVXQ - Catch Me (most bizarre use of the LMFAO Party Rock squelch) E.via - I'm a Girl Who Knows How to Play a Little - forget the HyunA version, *this* is the female-POV response song-and-video the world deserves. brilliant video, too)

By: herrdoktor

herrdoktor — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 12:14:01 -0800

I'm glad that the audience for the AMA didn't know all the words, because when group of people who know all the words sing it at the same time my mind EXPLODES.

By: homunculus

homunculus — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 16:23:27 -0800

Why is China censoring a fake photo of its leaders doing 'Gangnam Style'?

By: Wordshore

Wordshore — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 17:59:20 -0800

Prediction time. Gangnam Style is on 775,547,066 YouTube views at the moment. It's recently averaging 7.21 million views a day, which means 31 more days to reach 1 billion views on YouTube. Which uh means that it'll get there on December 21st 2012. Oh. Which is also this day. Oh shit. I don't think that's a coincidence... :(

By: Alvy Ampersand

Alvy Ampersand — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 22:02:45 -0800

I was hoping for Lana Del Ray.

By: Mezentian

Mezentian — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 22:47:53 -0800

I'm sure no one wants ANOTHER post, so I'll just leave this video of Goths at Whitby here: GANGNAM STYLE PARODY Whitby Gothic Style. The lyrics are informative. I think the gauntlet has been thrown down to Wave Gothic Treffen.

By: the man of twists and turns

the man of twists and turns — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 09:23:41 -0800

Bill O'Reilly Attempts To Explain Gangnam Style

By: Lentrohamsanin

Lentrohamsanin — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 09:51:18 -0800

Psy has been a figure in the Korean music scene for about a decade, and it is kinda offensive to imply he's a talentless one-hit wonder just because you only heard of him now. Eh, he's in good company: Kylie has been a ginormous worldwide star for multiple decades but if you say her name in the US most people still furrow their brows and go "Do the Locomotion?".

By: homunculus

homunculus — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 13:44:18 -0800

PSY's Protesting Past

By: Mezentian

Mezentian — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 19:41:55 -0800

Kill those fucking Yankees who have been torturing Iraqi captives Kill those fucking Yankees who ordered them to torture Kill their daughters, mothers, daughters-in-law and fathers Kill them all slowly and painfully Well, that's going to go down well.

By: homunculus

homunculus — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 18:02:03 -0800

Gangnam Nationalism: Why Psy's anti-American rap shouldn't surprise you

By: homunculus

homunculus — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 18:03:51 -0800

The PSY scandal: singing about killing people v. constantly doing it