I came across a .gif today that I wanted to share on this 707th day of G.O’s service since it is a G.O One Shot day and discovered that there were many nice photographic captures from the same event. You all know how I like to break my own rules when that happens. So a little bit of movement and a whole lot of G.O intensity from the Seoul Drama Awards on 30 August 2012 coming at you.
Each one of us has our own way to navigate and express emotion. Some are screamers while others are silent. Some are weepy while others are stoic. Then there are the lucky ones who are able to express emotion through art. I do not know where G.O would fall on the spectrum were he not an artist. But I do think he most readily has used music to reveal the emotions of his heart be they emotions that have expressed happiness or those that have been wrought with heartbreak.
For my One Shot today, a little bit of the art and poetry of Mona Lisa. It is no matter that Mona Lisa is now over six years old. I never tire of listening to it, in either of its Korean or Japanese incarnations. It is one of those early MBLAQ songs that has held up year after year and is as equally provocative visually as it is vocally. I also never tire of watching performance after performance of the song. Usually with One Shots I alternate between picture and .gif. Today, I felt like both.
말하지 말걸 [I Shouldn’t Speak] was the first MBLAQ ballad I completely fell in love with when I began my journey as an A+. You have to remember, I came to the party late and thus began purchasing their albums all out of sync relative to their release. I recall being captivated by the Mona Lisa concept with my newly established bias paying homage to one of my favorite actors, James Dean. I was quite intrigued. Mona Lisa was one of the first albums I purchased both physically and digitally. 말하지 말걸 [I Shouldn’t Speak] was the lone ballad on the album and it caught my special attention. Even though a solid group effort, G.O’s vocals tear at my heart. His voice in the studio version is perfection, filled with all the of longing, pain, and sadness that accompanies the end of a relationship. Hearing and watching G.O sing this song live however deepens the poignancy of the regret-laced lyrics that he brings to heart-wrenching life with every note. A Vocal Virtuosity moment today from the Curtain Call stage back on 30 November 2014. Sigh . . .
And with a long and satisfying sigh . . . I can officially say that G.O has completed one full year of his two year military obligation and that he has exactly 365 days remaining. It has been an absolute honor celebrating this incredible young man every day since he entered training camp back on 18 February 2016. In its own little way, each day has almost been like a prayer of gratitude for me. Each day a small way to be thankful that G.O has shared his artistry, his kindness, his charm and his own humble graciousness so very generously with all of us. For today’s very meaningful celebration, I just want to share a little bit of G.O’s angelic presence from MNet’s July 2011 Wide Open Studio on this celebratory Fan-Camming Friday day.
Let me just cut to the chase for this Fan-Camming Friday by saying that anytime a fan cam features an accidental flash of otherwise covered up skin and a wink, along with outstanding vocals and provocative choreography, it easily reaches that gold standard of fan camming. This is my choice for Day 359 ~ one week from the year marker of G.O’s service. A cam from amazing masternim letsgoinho taken at the Human Target Awards on 22 November 2011.
In 1985, I made my first journey to Fairmont, Indiana. A friend and I drove from Chicago in a blue and white 1957 Chevy Bel Air two plus hours into America’s heartland. It was summertime and we were making our first visit to the hometown and burial place of the late and iconic actor of the 1950’s, James Dean. Thus began my love affair with the mercurial actor (proves in some small way I was always destined to be a fangirl ~ *smile*). Today is 8 February and is also James Dean’s birthday. Were he still alive, he would be celebrating his 86th. I can think of no better way to celebrate than being able to honor one of my all time favorite actors of the past with my new found favorite artist of the present. Today, my soulful countdown ode to G.O comes by way of his ode to James Dean.
We all must agree that sometimes the suits/clothing style our gorgeous music men in absolute quality had to wear were sometimes a bit extravagant and somewhat loud. I realize that on a stage, images and even the artists themselves must appear larger than life. It is all part of the entertainment process and I understand that completely. Still, I love the easy comfort of button down shirts, some times with a jacket, sometimes not, with dress slacks as seen during Mirror, or those amazing suits our men wore during the Broken era. A quiet sophistication. However, I am not going to deny how fantastic and sexy G.O looked at the Lotte World Public Broadcast show on 25 February 2012 in that vibrant red and black ensemble.
In looking back over the 308 posts in this series thus far, I have come to the conclusion that I really can babble on quite a bit about G.O. It’s funny. When I decided to take this journey, I told myself I was going to keep it simple. A picture, a video, a small commemoration, so long as I was consistent and posted something daily. But now, this series has become very much a labor of love for me and I find that I just cannot keep it simple when it involves G.O. I will do my best today however to try and contain the feels as I honor the absolute vocal virtuosity captured in 말하지 말걸 [I Shouldn’t Speak] at MBLAQ’s performance in Yokohama during the Blaq% Tour, 9 September 2012.
I knew going into this project, this countdown of the days G.O was away fulfilling his mandatory military service, that he would provide me with more than enough moments to share of his talent, creativity, humor, and intellect than days he had to serve. The best part of this journey is when I look at a blank entry in my countdown log and have a moment of anxiety thinking what do I write about today? Without fail, something always arrives to the doorstep of my mind…or perhaps heart, and another day sees a little bit more of G.O’s magic. A couple days ago I introduced another little sub-category to the mix which I labeled Impromptu Melodies. The one I have for today can also easily be stored on the Vocal Virtuosity shelf. It is Thursday so we can throwback a little here to August 2011 and an impromptu moment on 도전 1000곡 [1000 Song Challenge] with our vocal virtuoso and a little Mona Lisa.
