Pyongyang Rocks!

November 8, 2006 4:39 PM

Pyongyang Rocks! If you are a band playing any kind of rock, including heavy metal, then you can participate in 'ROCK FOR PEACE' in North Korea. What a blast!
posted by Yakuman (30 comments total)

North Korea's idea of Bush:

"I warn you that don't even think about your lives in the diversity ! The reason is simple. I am the ruler of the United States and the rest of the world. Do you need more reasons than this ? Therefore, every primitive nation must follow American rules and should obey to USA system. I will tell you what to do and you just do what I say. That's enough to make the world secure. Therefore, you just shut up and follow me otherwise I will teach you with my gun and I will shoot your ass as I did to dirty and smelly Afghanistan and Iraq".

The president of USA and the rest of world, George W Bush (Junior !).

It's kind of cute :)
posted by kdar at 4:54 PM on November 8, 2006

Wow, did Pres. Bush really say, "I will shoot your ass" because that's just crazy. Crazy, I tell you.
posted by Zack_Replica at 4:57 PM on November 8, 2006

From the first link:

DPRK is converting its conventional energy industry into environment friendly industry including solar energy.

Hmm, looks like someone is looking to rid themselves on their fossile fuel import dependence.

Other than that, is this all from this FPP? No links about previous DPRK rock festivals (excluding heavy metal)? Both links go to the same page?
posted by Pollomacho at 5:01 PM on November 8, 2006

Meanwhile, the North Korean propaganda machine keeps cranking out the hits.
posted by mosk at 5:07 PM on November 8, 2006

The lyrics should not contain admirations on war, sex, violence, murder, drug, rape, non-governmental society, imperialism, colonialism, racism, anti-DPRK, and anti-socialism.

Holy cow! What does that leave? Anybody want to take a stab? I'm not counting on anyone making it in except Al Yankovic.
posted by rolypolyman at 5:17 PM on November 8, 2006

(And for what it's worth, I'd pay a pretty penny to see this concert on PPV, assuming anyone shows it)
posted by rolypolyman at 5:19 PM on November 8, 2006

Asian communities in European Union will enjoy North Korean foods very soon within this year.

Well that's something else they have that a lot of North Koreans don't...

Whenever I read something about North Korea I can't help but thinking that the DPRK is best described as "a schizophrenic country".
posted by clevershark at 5:21 PM on November 8, 2006

doh! "can't help but think", of course.
posted by clevershark at 5:21 PM on November 8, 2006

Holy cow! What does that leave? Anybody want to take a stab? I'm not counting on anyone making it in except Al Yankovic.

They could try "Jazz Odyssey," but this is a festival crowd...
posted by mosk at 5:29 PM on November 8, 2006

Whenever I read something about North Korea I can't help but thinking that the DPRK is best described as "a schizophrenic country".

Now that I'm away from the US/UK media, DPRK, Iran and Venezuela seem much more stable. North Korea still seems pretty oppressed and sabre rattling but not so much "schizaphrenic" more just clinically depressed. Its the USA that's hearing voices!
posted by Pollomacho at 5:29 PM on November 8, 2006

"HEY, AMERICANS, YOU SHOULD LEARN A LOT FROM OUR NORWEGIAN FRIENDS WHO ARE HAVING REALLY GOOD TIME WITH NORTH KOREAN YOUNG SCHOOL BOYS."

That's wildly inaccurate, the USA is keeping up with the "have-really-good-fun-with-young-school-boys" gap. Just ask Rep. Foley.
posted by anthill at 5:32 PM on November 8, 2006

But who dare says DPRK have no sense of humor? Laughing, and funny joke everywhere!! This from the Guardian interview with Comrade Kim:

Can you share with the Guardian readers, a joke that's popular in North Korea at the moment?

Mr Kim's response:
"OH YEAH ??? O.K, LET'S GO BACK TO THE MOUNTAINS"
This joke became popular since Korean war in 1950. It means if we are again invaded by USA, we simply go back to the mountains where we have destroyed US army with our Guerrilla tactics. North Korea is incredibly mountainous country where foreign troops can not efficiently lead war. We still enjoy this joke when USA threatening us and this joke is telling you that we are not afraid of super power because both of us - DPRK and USA - will die all together, not we alone, when the second Korean war breaks out. Unfortunately, there is no possible way of survival under nuclear attacks.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 5:38 PM on November 8, 2006

No admirations on food either.

The audience might get a little restless.
posted by jason's_planet at 5:48 PM on November 8, 2006

It might be fun for a band to do this. Then again they might get creeped out when they notice that the entire crowd is clapping in exact cadence.
posted by clevershark at 6:01 PM on November 8, 2006

> The lyrics should not contain admirations on war, sex, violence, murder, drug, rape, non-governmental society, imperialism, colonialism, racism, anti-DPRK, and anti-socialism.

They could invite Wolf Eyes.
posted by ardgedee at 6:20 PM on November 8, 2006

"I will teach you with my gun and I will shoot your ass"

Me smell t-shirt.
posted by CynicalKnight at 7:05 PM on November 8, 2006

Mr Kim's response:
"OH YEAH ??? O.K, LET'S GO BACK TO THE MOUNTAINS"
This joke became popular since Korean war in 1950. It means if we are again invaded by USA, we simply go back to the mountains where we have destroyed US army with our Guerrilla tactics. North Korea is incredibly mountainous country where foreign troops can not efficiently lead war. We still enjoy this joke when USA threatening us and this joke is telling you that we are not afraid of super power because both of us - DPRK and USA - will die all together, not we alone, when the second Korean war breaks out. Unfortunately, there is no possible way of survival under nuclear attacks.


COMEDY GOLD
posted by stenseng at 7:27 PM on November 8, 2006

Asian communities in European Union will enjoy North Korean foods very soon within this year. An European company started to import DPRK foods directly from Pyongyang in co-operations with Voice of Korea.

I'm not sure it's moral to buy food exported from a country with as much famine and malnutrition as NK. I mean, normally foreign trade is good for the country of origin and the proceeds might reasonably be expected to improve the lives of the of the ordinary people producing it, but I sorta doubt it in NK's case. I'd feel like I was taking food out of somebody's mouth.
posted by George_Spiggott at 8:05 PM on November 8, 2006

It might be fun for a band to do this. Then again they might get creeped out when they notice that the entire crowd is clapping in exact cadence.

Well, clevershark, audiences in Japan often do that too...

and stenseng, you gotta read the other comments before you post yours, bruh! I got there first! I got there first! ;)
posted by flapjax at midnite at 8:51 PM on November 8, 2006

I'll be looling forward to the sanctions debate in the UN over what is and is not considered a heavy metal band under the UN's heavy metal embargo.
posted by three blind mice at 8:56 PM on November 8, 2006

looking.

looking. forward.

looking forward
posted by three blind mice at 8:57 PM on November 8, 2006

Can we just send them what's left of Creed and hope they keep it?

Or is that just daring them to nuke something?
posted by drstein at 10:21 PM on November 8, 2006

"and stenseng, you gotta read the other comments before you post yours, bruh! I got there first! I got there first! ;)"


Nah, I was just quoting and laughing dude - it's your scoop.
posted by stenseng at 10:27 PM on November 8, 2006

It can't be a coincidence that North Korea has announced this when rumours are spreading of a Britney Spears comeback.
posted by quarsan at 10:42 PM on November 8, 2006

Best festival ever.
posted by dead_ at 6:50 AM on November 9, 2006

If only Dean Reed hadn't drowned...
posted by AJaffe at 6:57 AM on November 9, 2006

quarsan writes "It can't be a coincidence that North Korea has announced this when rumours are spreading of a Britney Spears comeback."

And the day after the divorce announcement, no less. Must be a conspiracy.
posted by clevershark at 7:19 AM on November 9, 2006

Did she dump Kevin for Kim?
posted by quarsan at 8:45 AM on November 9, 2006

This isn't *too* weird since North Korea's done cultural exchange type of concerts before with South Korea where popular South Korean musicians were invited to perform and North Korean performers were sent to the South for concerts.

This was probably to further a "We are brothers and sisters. See we're not all bad, we're learning to open up, kind of. See how advanced we are," sentiment with the South and I wouldn't be surprised if a similar motives were behind this. And of course, to spread Juche around the world.

However, I'm more curious as to how they will describe this event in the North. If you know anything about North Korean dialect, it's not just a difference in pronounciation. They stress on using "pure" Korean so that means translating all loan words into fully Korean words phrases no matter how awkward. They even do it with words that have root in Chinese characters, which is really a pain when you consider how much of the vocabulary in Korean is like that. A lot of this is to humorous results for people from the South and now I'm trying to think of what they'll call rock music. "Music of the fast rhythm and beats?" "Music of the rolling and moving of hips?"
posted by kkokkodalk at 8:56 AM on November 9, 2006

This sounds like a perfect gig for the Dixie Chicks.
posted by Steven C. Den Beste at 2:15 PM on November 9, 2006