Psy way

I remember watching “Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me” in a theater near Broadway in New York more than a decade ago, bowling over with laughter whenever Mike Myers would go “shagadelic.” He was strange, yet a fun character. Far from the average Hollywood looker, there was something endearing about the guy.

Is that what foreign fans find charming of now world-star Psy? According to accounts the rapper/singer gave in a 90 minute press conference, definitely. Psy said that people in the United States likened him to the character in Austin Powers.

Returning to a hero’s welcome, the 34-year-old was humble and honest about the sudden fame that has come his way.

Even reporters seemed proud of him where one called him a true patriot. Psy for his part said that he felt like Jim Carrey in “The Truman Show,” and that every day has been unbelievable. And he beamed with happiness and gratitude, flashing a smile brighter than Jack Nicholson’s in “As Good as It Gets.”

There was no need of any extra lighting in the room where there the presser was held — that winning look lit up the conference room and probably everyone watching him.

When Psy first appeared on the Korean pop scene more than a decade ago, he was different. Although boasting a good voice, nice facial shape and smooth skin, the singer was no stud. Appearing on one talk show, Psy talked about how the president of his first agency literally sighed when he first saw him and seriously debated whether to sign him. Around that time, there was another ordinary-looking singer, Park Jin-young, now president of JYP Entertainment which is home to such popular groups as 2PM and Wonder Girls.

But Park knew how to dance seductively. Psy knows how to dance, but in a style that Koreans refer to as “makchum,” which translates into “dancing as you like.”

But Psy’s songs are vibrant, energizing and great to dance to. His end-of-the-year concerts have been popular as people flocked to immerse themselves in the singer’s energy to see the old year out and welcome the New Year in.

He seemed done for when he had to re-enter the military for a second time. He was found out to have not lawfully fulfilled the compulsory national service the first time.

As a married guy in his mid-30s in a music landscape where teen-dominated girl groups and boy bands reign, he looked like the last guy to “go where no one has gone before.”

When “Gangnam Style” first came out, it evoked memories of my college days in the 1980s where I as a product of Gangnam, or southern Seoul, would hit the nightclubs where they played Euro-pop and people did the horse-riding dance.

It prompted nostalgia of the light-hearted days of youthful partying and basking in the warm affluence of the area.

Psy, who is also from Gangnam, may have drawn from his party days. For the younger generation, the beat is catchy and the video aptly captures the parody message about the area and its people that are often scorned as “money-driven.”

But the Gangnam area is large, and most parts of it still remain open to newcomers and therefore increase its dynamism. It’s an expensive place but one doesn’t necessarily need a certain social status or have to meet membership qualifications to get in. Parody or not, the dynamism of the place and the singer fit perfectly.

Psy is said to have received invitations to perform all over the world, but he isn’t shirking the prior engagements in Korea to appear at college festivals. Anyone going to the Korean Grand Prix in October can expect to see him perform on race day.

It remains to be seen whether he will top the Billboard Chart. Critics forecast that Psy is probably at the highest point of his international career. But if anyone can, the singer can surely say that he did it “Psy Way,” an impressive feat in the conformist Korean society. <The Korea Times/Kim Ji-soo>

news@theasian.asia