Demerit is in town!

Demerit is playing Guilin tonight!

They will also join this years Warped Tour.

BEIJING

the type of expression to be found in every big city, in Beijing too, here at D-22.

In Beijing we also crashed a few nights at Nevins place in Wudaokou district. Nevin, a passionate and dedicated punk who is the part owner of famous live rock venue D-22. D-22 opened up its doors in 2006, and served as a home for the music scene that exploded in Beijing at the time. During our Beijing stay we got to see some interesting live shows at the venue. But foremost I was introduced to the Beijing underground scene, including acts like P.K 14, Carsick Cars, Casino Demon, Joyside, Guai Li and lots more that I will dwell on for a while to come. My favorites are Carsick Cars, a band that supported Sonic Youth, and Joyside, a rebellious and highly influential band featured in several Beijing underground scene documentaries. But considering how much the young, experimental bands that performed Sunday night at D-22 impressed me, Beijing will keep produce stunning and unique musicians. 

Joyside

Beijing Bubbles and Wasted Orient document the exploding underground scene in Beijing and cover the new generation Chinese that refuse to be a part of the mainstream Chinese society with all that means. These documentaries serve as a good introduction, and a substitute for Beijing Punk, as the latest news regarding that documentary is distribution problems. 

Did I dream SJ brought a white cat home tonight?

Did I dream SJ brought a white cat with him home tonight?

'But Emmy, he was crying all alone on the street, so I bought him sausage. And then he followed me here.'

china.

In Beijing we stayed a few days at Cha Cha and Wangkes place. That made me remember this skateboard movie that Cha Cha put on one cold January evening at Liu Liu's place in Guilin. It's cool to see now that I've been around in China too. It is a quite astounding country. We got to spend one night in Shenzhen as we headed back from our small Hong Kong trip. Shenzhen, a Chinese city that I never even heard of; though, with 8,6 million inhabitants and estimated to become one of the richest cities in China. I could see nothing but skyscrapers. It is good to be back in Guilin.

"The Park"

My favorite spot in Seoul is "The Park" in Hongdae. This sunny Saturday I got to spend in The park hanging out with and photographing Seoul new punks. I asked Hound if his mom was proud of him having Seoul's most compelling mohawk. He told me that she wasn't. She should, I tried to convince him. 

hey SJ

- Hey SJ, maybe you should think about getting a job?
- What job? Blowjob?

'I don't do subtitles' said my american friend.

'I don't do subtitles' 
said my American friend when I wanted to watch a Korean movie the other day. 

you can ask me about fish

- SJ, you don't really understand style and fashion.
- But I understand fish.


- Hey SJ, what do you think I shall wear tonight?
- I don't understand fashion. You can ask me about fish. 

the economics of happiness

"We are facing an environmental crisis, an economic crisis, and a crisis of the human spirit"


Why are we so looked in to the idea of Economic Growth? How sustainable can it possibly be to strive for infinite growth in an finite world? Maybe GDP is not an accurate measure for a countries (and its peoples) well-being? Let's instead propose an Economy of Happiness. 

And Banksys documentary "exit through the gift shop" is a brilliant example of art becoming superficial, and a superficiality consuming society. Or, of Baudrillards hyperreality.

DREAD LOCKS HERE I COME!!

YES! Finally I can get dreads! I always wanted to have dread locks, but it always seemed as too much of a process. So, OH BOY WAS I HAPPY when I walked down Koh San Road in Bangkok, Thailand with all the other backpackers one hot sunny day, and I saw that you can get FAKE DREADS!!!

DREAD LOCKS, HERE I COME!

"band t-shirt"

Back home in Stockholm I work at Beyond Retro, a vintage store.  

Costumer (young lady presumably born in the 90's): Hello, do you have any band t-shirts?

Me: Yes, what band are you looking for?

Costumer: Oh, it doesn't matter, I would just like to have a "band t-shirt".

I always had a thing for french philosopher Jean Baudrillard

I always had a thing for French Post Modern Philosopher Jean Baudrillard and his theories about the world (the consumer society) as a hyperreality, consisting of "simulacra":

"It is no longer a question of imitation, nor duplication, nor even parody. It is a question of substituting the signs of the real, for the real"

Baudrillards dismal and dystopic version of the consumer society is what comes to my mind in Seoul where consumerism seem to have its heydays. Sadly enough, because, with Baudrillard words:

"Melancholia is the inherent quality of the mode of the disappearance of meaning"

Seoul is not boring I just found it a bit superficial there for a while. And Black Metal.

Seoul is not boring. I just found it a bit superficial there for a while as I spent the afternoon glimpsing at people walkin the streets of Hongdae. But a little dinner with Verv at the magnificent Uzbekistan Restaurant in Dongdaemun did the trick. And some nice black metal that he provided me with served the purpose as well; I guess you ( I ) kind of need the black metal expression in places like Seoul. I absolutely felt no need for black metal in Cambodia.

"Luckiest Guy"

Yes. I'M A BLOG BUT THATS OK,  has undergone some changes. Mostly due to me being little bit shocked and confused coming back to the organised and little bit boring place Seoul is. As you might notice, I found it rather cool to play around with the funny new typefaces they now offer you, the blogger, at Blogspot. For the headlines I have used the typeface "Luckiest Guy".

they too tricky these little boxes with all weird letters and sometimes numbers too, what the hell they called I don't know. but they too tricky.

Fuck. I agree with SJ. 'Oh no, it's too difficult!', he exclaimed when he saw this little box with weird letters that you have to type in correct so that the computer can be sure that he is dealing with a real person here. Yeah, why they have to be so freakin' tricky! Sometimes I have to try like three, four times before I get them right.

I have a friend named ULTIMATE EXCELLENCE.

Google Translator sucks. But sometimes it is funny when it brings you the best surprises. Like I didn't know I had a friend named ULTIMATE EXCELLENCE (obviously my best friend).

that was a great weekend

It is a good idea to bring thousands of people together, play them some music that will make them move, jump up and down and scream out of joy.

Representing ANATOMIC TATTOO at the WORLD DJ Festival 2011, was four tattooed Korean ladies, one old punk dude, and one blond western girl in Mickey Mouse pants. Thus, our booth was by far the most punk one. Soon Yoon bought baby chickens that worked as a major attraction, we sold the Korean traditional BUG meal, and we also did tattoos. Our neighbors were, at our left  COCOA DRINK (that Ryan found so incredible delicious), and at our right, LIPTON ICE TEA. I believe I heard a content Jong Hee saying with drunk triumph ‘we have succeeded’, sometime round midnight Saturday night. And yes, I believe our mere presence was in deed a success!

Not quite as successful, was that the car keys mysteriously found their way out of the safe place Jong Hee put them; in the pocket of his shorts. We suspect that this as well occurred round Saturday midnight. Well what to do! Sunday was spent trying to track down a pair of car keys in the enormous mountains of trashes at the festival area. Unfortunately, I’m afraid, with not much of a result. After a few hours however, some other dude, a bit more observant then us we might guess, found them in the Cocoa Drink tent, our neighbor tent! Well we all know what they say, ‘you go out and search for something but you might as well find it at your doorstep.' Or in front of your nose. Or whatever. Anyway, with the car keys back in Jong Hees safe pocket, we went to have picnic by Hangang River! And this happy, sunny Korean spring day we encountered a great Wakeboard place with some nice Wakeboard dudes. So we got to end this incredible weekend with a great boat trip on the (dirty) Hangang River!

doing all right

doing not so good

we lost our car

You find me at World DJ Festival the next few days

Spring really has arrived to Seoul. 'What would be better then a FESTIVAL now', I thought the other day. Well, lucky for me then, Anatomic Crew asked me if I wanted to help them out at the World DJ Festival that is taking place this weekend about one hour outside Seoul. I don't know too much about the happening, but they promise 'Dancing under the shining stars', and RUX are playing, and Skasucks, and Smacksoft I think too, and a bunch of DJ's of course. 

Are you looking for another Kim, eh?

It is great to be back in Seoul. But why am I in Korea, and my Korean boyfriend is not?!

'Are you looking for another Kim, eh??' he asked me, Kim Sung Gyu, my Korean boyfriend.