No other good place to put this, so I'll just tell you that me and this group are now broken up. ^^ I was thinking about Big Bang's History of Songs About People Who Don't Pick Up Their Phones (http://tmblr.co/ZLRcYyIW0Mp8) and the more I thought about it, the more it seemed to me like those songs are communicating something to the other members of Big Bang as much as they are communicating something to the audience - that like PDoherty in the Libertines, GDragon is using the audience to validate his feelings for TOP/the others, or else using his power as sole writer to emotionally manipulate TOP/the others into staying in the group with him, despite the fact that he is - I suspect - sometimes pretty abusive.
And I wish I didn't see that, but now that I do see it, I kind of don't want to be a part of it? And it's a shame, because I really like the attention to detail in the stage shows (which comes out of the control instinct), the genre-bending in the music (which comes out of the members' distinct tastes and the fact that GDragon writes "for" them), the gender-bending in the MVs (in which an innate femininity is covered up under an exaggeratedly masculine persona, and everyone decides that GDragon can't possibly be a girl/is still cool anyway because he's the "dominant" one), their ability to capture sexual euphoria in music (you read my phone sex theory right? in addition to that, Gdragon reportedly records the other members' vocals over and over until he's satisfied with them LOL), and finally, their strong sense of narrative, which appeals to me as a conspiracy theorist (and which includes post-rush-of-fame songs like Bringing You Love (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_eLIuWHBzA) which are almost better if you think they are about some mindgames/sex games that got way out of hand under the glare of the spotlight).
In other words, according to my sense of what's going on here, the art comes from a messed up place and the messed up place contributes to the art; and I think I could make peace with this if I thought they were moving on, but I'm not sure I really believe they are doing that, or can do that without some major time off to reflect. GD sometimes strikes me as being like a scarily smart five-year-old.
Also, I don't think I would mind if I was just a casual fan, but I also feel like there's no way (for me) to be a casual fan of this group because they're on a conscious quest to addict you to their music with implied inner-group drama, adrenaline rushes, manic euphoria rushes, and phone-sex sounds in the vocals and backing. Honestly I'm probably safer if I just institute a total ban.
Possibly I am just being really dramatic here, but I dunno, I kind of don't think I am. ^^ BTW I don't really blame anyone in the group for being this way, in some ways it seems like they never really had a choice. I kind of blame the CEO of YG entertainment, if anyone. That whole company is starting to feel kind of abusive to me.
Phew. There's my personal essay, off my back XD. BTW I have theories about why the other members "accept" (or enjoy) this treatment, but that's straying way far away from the music. Poke me on gchat sometime, though, if you're interested.
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And I wish I didn't see that, but now that I do see it, I kind of don't want to be a part of it? And it's a shame, because I really like the attention to detail in the stage shows (which comes out of the control instinct), the genre-bending in the music (which comes out of the members' distinct tastes and the fact that GDragon writes "for" them), the gender-bending in the MVs (in which an innate femininity is covered up under an exaggeratedly masculine persona, and everyone decides that GDragon can't possibly be a girl/is still cool anyway because he's the "dominant" one), their ability to capture sexual euphoria in music (you read my phone sex theory right? in addition to that, Gdragon reportedly records the other members' vocals over and over until he's satisfied with them LOL), and finally, their strong sense of narrative, which appeals to me as a conspiracy theorist (and which includes post-rush-of-fame songs like Bringing You Love (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_eLIuWHBzA) which are almost better if you think they are about some mindgames/sex games that got way out of hand under the glare of the spotlight).
In other words, according to my sense of what's going on here, the art comes from a messed up place and the messed up place contributes to the art; and I think I could make peace with this if I thought they were moving on, but I'm not sure I really believe they are doing that, or can do that without some major time off to reflect. GD sometimes strikes me as being like a scarily smart five-year-old.
Also, I don't think I would mind if I was just a casual fan, but I also feel like there's no way (for me) to be a casual fan of this group because they're on a conscious quest to addict you to their music with implied inner-group drama, adrenaline rushes, manic euphoria rushes, and phone-sex sounds in the vocals and backing. Honestly I'm probably safer if I just institute a total ban.
Possibly I am just being really dramatic here, but I dunno, I kind of don't think I am. ^^ BTW I don't really blame anyone in the group for being this way, in some ways it seems like they never really had a choice. I kind of blame the CEO of YG entertainment, if anyone. That whole company is starting to feel kind of abusive to me.
Phew. There's my personal essay, off my back XD. BTW I have theories about why the other members "accept" (or enjoy) this treatment, but that's straying way far away from the music. Poke me on gchat sometime, though, if you're interested.