X Never Marks the Spot

Getting into BTS, fanning on a band, one thing that didn't really occur to me was how it could impact my relationship with music.

My musical tastes have always been really basic. I like what I like and so I've collected a diverse playlist over time (Jpop from anime, miscellaneous songs from fanvids, that time I got obsessed with Blind Guardian) but I mostly tend to go for music that I'd call "accessible," the sort that I can decide within a single listen whether I like it or not.

So a couple of days ago a member of BTS, RM, band leader (and my bias), released his second solo album. "Right Place, Wrong Person" is self-described alternative/experimental hip-hop/pop/??? -- one friend said he's going through his Sgt. Pepper phase -- and I listened to it when it dropped going 😅😅😬😅😂😅

It wasn't a surprise -- we knew he'd been working with an indy Kpop collective, and he'd performed one song from it before, which was already pretty off the beaten path (in retrospect, "Come Back to Me" is by far the most standard pop song on the album!) But RPWP is, in a word, weird -- rough and raw and very definitely Not My Kind of Music. Not something I'd ever seek out or listen to again.

Except because Namjoon's part of BTS, so I have this parasocial attachment that means I want to hear what he has to say -- and because his last solo album I absolutely adore, though it's a completely different beast -- I did listen to it again.

And again.

And several more times, and every time I enjoy it more? Not even in an "appreciating art" way but in a vibing, bopping along, riffs-getting-stuck-in-my-head want-to-hear-it-again way.

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In conclusion: fanning on music is fun, and I'm happy to have this gateway into it!

So anyway, hey! how are you doing? Anyone still here?

In no particular order:

* Have finally seen White Collar! Every bit as cute and OT3-y as everyone says, I quite love it. USA is so very good at providing just the kind of lightweight fun I particularly like in my TV. And it's slightly more serious than Psych, which I like because it allows for bits of h/c. And the one thing I really want to see, (Peter getting hurt!), the show might actually be giving us, if the previews for next ep and this spoiler pic are anything to go on. If there were a little more to the show I might be actively fanning; as it is I've read through most of what's on AO3 (my favorites are bookmarked)...if anyone has any recs not on AO3, for either gen (Peter/El) or OT3, set me up? (I am fine with seeing Peter as entirely straight. Even if Tim DeKay apparently is not! :P)

* Speaking of the AO3, we've officially broken 100,000 fics! (If you want to join the fun, the invitation queue isn't that long a wait, or else ask and I can see about hooking you up with an invite ^^)

* Also watched Sherlock, as it came out, while I was visiting gnine in London, no less, which was a trip, with all these places popping up onscreen that I'd just seen. Sadly I seem to have missed the fannish boat on this one. I mean, I liked a lot of it, thought the updating was very clever and it was well-shot and Benedict Cumberbatch most closely matches my mental image of Holmes among all the actors I've seen in the role (and he does a fabulous job with the part, too). But there were things I didn't like about it, and overall I prefer last year's movie adaption. And then, too, there's still not enough for me to fan on - I'm slow to win over; it tends to take at least a full season for me to really fall for a series. Hence me having few movie fandoms.

* Speaking of London, oh man, that was such a fantastic trip. Didn't do everything I'd have liked to, will have to go back, but it was marvelous and I love the city, it's thrilling and alive and old, it's got that sense of history, the presence of the millions of people who have walked its streets over the centuries, that the Japanese cities do and American cities don't, really (even Boston, much as I love Boston.) Also we made it to Wales, went to Cardiff and ran across the Ianto Shrine, which was very special and hysterical and I love fans, I really do.

* Speaking of other stuff, I am still not writing. It's driving me slowly insane, and then when I'm depressed I have more trouble writing, which makes me more depressed, and fuck vicious cycles anyway. Argh. There's fic I want to finish, and fic I want to write, and then there's original ideas I've been poking at, and something better congeal soon...

* ...Or I could blame the not-writing on my brother for giving me his PSP with Disgaea. It's one of his favorite games of all time and he's been wanting me to play it forever but it was still mean, as he knows how obsessive I get about games, and Disgaea feeds on the collect 'em all/keep leveling up completion instincts to cruel and unusual degrees.

* I ought to do a music post, I've been listening to a bunch of my old anime OSTs and am inclined to inflict awesome* BGM on people. Until then have a lovely cover of "Fireflies" (this kid's got a gorgeous voice!) Found through this highly entertaining musical face-off: Recorder vs Glockenspiel, fight!
   * X-parrot's definition of "awesome" may not concur with anyone else's on the planet.

* No new Ben 10 until October, siiiigh. Apparently they couldn't resist delaying the hour-long special ep until 10/10/10 :P

* Ow ow ow. Kitty is kneading her claws into my bare leg. She could just be being affectionate but she might be hungry (Anna only really loves me for my opposable thumbs) so I better go make sure she has food.