Reason 3 – High IQ-tie
There is nothing quite like good old-fashioned intelligence that pushes a man’s attractiveness to the next level. Yes, a cute smile, some sculpted biceps and a schmexy goatee are nice. But none of that would work without throwing some brains into the mix. Couple that with talent, a warm heart, graciousness, a sense of humor and lots of charisma and what you get is yet another reason to love Byung Hee.
I love the fact that underneath his playful (and what some may consider quirky) sense of humor, G.O possesses this subtle intelligence that kind of creeps up on you when you least expect it.
Yes, there is absolutely NO DOUBT that he is extremely entertaining, and has a penchant to make everyone laugh.
But you know, a quick wit requires a quick brain. This is why I am convinced G.O is rocking some solid smarts in that gorgeous head of his. Variety show persona aside, when called upon to share his views or answer a question, you can expect him to carefully and thoughtfully respond.
Take for example when discussing jealousy with Mir on Sukira radio back in January 2013. I think he has an old philosophical soul living inside of him sometimes and find his thoughts here honest and insightful. He even seems to impress the maknae in the end (and perhaps even himself) with those thoughts on his own posed question regarding jealousy.
See what I mean about honest thoughts that flow from him. Even when Mir snickers at what seems to be a simple view, G.O is quick to rebut because he honestly believes what he is saying. He is so very sincere when he states that he is being true to himself. But what makes him even more wonderful is that he is being true to the world as well. It is simply who he is. Why put on facades or masks when being yourself is the most intelligent choice you can make, right?
Then, there is that goofy, out of left field answer to a seemingly well-known question that in its absurdity actually holds some truth. Yes, you all remember the Idol Army ‘ESC’ moment, I am sure.
G.O is just wired different – but you have to admit, that was a pretty solid answer as when you do hit the ESC key on a computer, you essentially are escaping control of the system. So there you go.
It has been purported that he possesses (or at least possessed at one time) an IQ of 142. That’s rather impressive, if in fact true. I still think he is probably mensa material. Can you do this? I can’t do this:
Well, here’s an interesting fact. Being able to do something like this is what specialists call having “eidetic memory.” Eidetic memory is the ability to recall images in great detail for several minutes. This ability is generally only seen in children and usually fades after the age of 6. In what I have read, it seems that eidetic memory and intelligence have no connection. Yet, Byung Hee is far past the age of 6 and is still able to do this. Furthermore, this ability is rarely seen in adults. So it may have nothing to do with his intelligence per se, but the ability to do it after the age of 6 is rare. I’m no specialist but I think there has to be some connection with brain function here, but that’s just me, and my biased self believes Byung Hee is a smartypants!
What about the music? I know music can be three chord simple. But I think when you are able to interpret a song in the way that G.O can, you must have some deeper understanding of music and its structure. These are only my views and maybe if I get the chance to sit down and talk to him about it, I can confirm that the reason why he understands and knows music so well is simply because he is a student of it every day. He is constantly studying, doing his homework, and practicing. Oh, and that he is smart, too!^^
At the time of his debut with MBLAQ, he himself talked about what was deemed his ‘natural talent’ of which he said he did not have. In fact, he felt he did not have a good singing voice and was often disappointed when hearing his own recorded voice. Unfathomable, right? His method to improve and/or learn was to practice by singing along with seasoned vocalists. Maybe the intrinsic understanding of music that he has stems from those years of self-study singing along with those musicians. He must have felt they possessed the kind of knowledge of music he too wanted to possess. His first ever album that he purchased on his own was a Stevie Wonder album. Right there has to tell you where this man’s mind was at!
I remember self-help guru Tony Robbins saying seek out those individuals who are having the kind of success you wish to have and learn from them. Find out what it is they are doing to achieve what they are achieving and emulate that. For example, if you want to learn to sing, don’t study the violinist, study the vocalist. G.O chose the likes of Stevie Wonder and Eric Benet to ‘practice’ with. Personally, I think THAT speaks volumes about his intelligence.
Then, there is vocal phrasing. G.O excels at vocal phrasing in a couple of ways. First, as a singer.
Vocal phrasing refers to the means by which the singer gives a particular expression to a song. This includes natural pauses. It can also include such things as the application of additional stops within the song’s phrasing structure to provide optimal breath control. This has particular importance in the execution of a song that stretches a vocalist’s natural range. G.O has quite a range, but understanding the fundamentals of vocal phrasing only adds to the strength and clarity of that range.
Next, as a composer in the melodic sense. G.O does compose and therefore needs to understand that the note sequences themselves represent a kind of language. This language is made up of musical notes, musical meter, pauses or rests in between lyrics and music, and have its own grammatical structure in a sense. A songwriter, therefore, will work out a melodic structure for a song that involves “phrasing” of note sequences as well as “phrasing” of the actual words for a song. Come on, you HAVE to have some intelligence to understand that, right?
The MBLAQ song 기도 (Pray) is one of G.O’s compositions. To me it is a beautiful example of his incredible vocal phrasing as both singer in the vocal sense, and composer in the melodic sense. Each member sings in this one and G.O has charge of the chorus, but pay particular attention to the way he weaves his voice around Mir’s when Mir raps. Just sublimely beautiful.
기도 (Pray)
Being a quick wit, often philosophical in his thoughts, and understanding the science behind music is pretty legit smarts in my opinion. Yes, I know I am biased, but I think the overall intelligence package here is definitely another reason to love Byung Hee.
