안녕하십니까?
In this episode of Texting, Tomek and I review the critically acclaimed film Past Lives. Although our visceral reaction to Celine Song’s directorial debut was to give it two thumbs down, we did enjoy reminiscing about our time in Korea, where all those years ago we founded the Korealist movement and ko-edited (sic) a magazine called Koreality. During our lengthy—but always entertaining and frequently irreverent—conversation, we also managed to discuss such relevant topics as the Eternal Triangle, the Chinese Zodiac, the films of Park Chan-Wook and Richard Linklater, the vicissitudes of intercultural romance, the difference between diegetic and non-diegetic music, and the distasteful glorification of artsy power couples with MFAs. Press play above for the full experience.
Show Notes
The title of this post is a play on the title of a kitschy TV series that I occasionally watched in syndication when I was a wayward adolescent:
At various times during the pod I ask the audience to cancel me for my inappropriate comments and observations. I must have had this song on the brain:
After we recorded this episode, I did a quick search for recent news of the great Korean poet Ko Un—whom Tomek and I interviewed and drank soju with back in the day—only to discover that he got #MeToo’d a few years ago. Here he was in happier times:
I can’t locate the Orhan Pamuk quote I bungled, but I know it’s from My Name Is Red.
As noted in the pod, 인연, the Korean word often translated as destiny, is derived from a Chinese Buddhist concept:
Since Tomek refused to promote my song “Rice King,” I will do so here:
The Next Text
You decide, textual deviants!
(a) the alchemical treatise known as the Emerald Tablet
or
(b) Muammar Gaddafi’s 2009 speech to the UN?
Vote below!
P.S. The video for S3E5 is now up on YouTube:
Love, Korean Style