Letter #130: A-List to Playlist

Good morning, Erin.

I’m convinced that I’ve forgotten how to write. 

Not in the literal sense, obviously, as my letters to you no doubt attest, but as an avocation: I don’t think I remember how to write stories. 

Which is not to say with any certainty that I ever knew how to do it—and I am certainly open to the idea that the years of churning out…well, if not always a completed product then at least the makings of a project were in some manner attributable to that kind of beginners luck, that fabled “one novel” that everyone is said to have within them. But, whatever the reason, I only mean that I used to be able to do something with the noise inside my head, the roiling sea within my heart. I used to have things within me that needed to be pulled out, dressed in the cloak of imagination, and made to give account of the insubstantial in a structured, lyrical voice. 

But now…

My imagination still flares up, from time to time: an impulse runs its finger seductively under my chin, forcing me to meet its gaze, and, lost to its insinuations, I follow after it, breathing heavily, eyes wide and unfocused as my mind fills with glamor, excitement, and sudden, unshakable confidence. 

But the high diminishes, deadens, devolves—faster and faster with each new enticement, the cumulative weight of my foolishness making it harder and harder to form even the outline of a notion of a trace of an idea. And I am left hollowed, defeated, and ashamed. 

…point is, if you tasked me with writing a novella in 100 days, I’d probably just stress-eat myself into a coma. But, fortunately for Netflix, Cho Jung-seok is much more reliable, and so he set about squeezing the creation of his very first album into the hundred-day window between the end of one project and the start of the next. 

Now, I say fortunate for Netflix, but is it fortunate for us? Well, perhaps we’ll find out as we discuss the musical documentary series, A-List to Playlist.

1. It’s a light, amusing series—if you already like Cho Jung-seok at all. If you don’t, though, it’s kind of whatever, with the show being pretty…unconcerned about a lot of the details of his journey, neither giving us much of the specifics of the process nor showing us any negative tensions or conflicts or obstacles. It’s a puff piece, in a lot of ways, just a cute extended behind-the-scenes video for his fans. Which is fine—and which I enjoyed, given that he’s my second-favorite Korean actor. It’s a quick watch (except for the 90-minute finale), but I wouldn’t say it’s a necessary one.

2. Oh—just to say: I’m going off of what the subtitles say: Cho Jung-seok, not “Jo Jung-suk,” which I think is how I’d written his name in the Captivating the King letter…because that’s how it was written in the subtitles for that. 

3. Early on, Jung-seok makes a point of saying that he knows 90% of this process is going to be utilizing his connections and 10% will be down to his hard work. And it’s true: the success of the project certainly hinges on his ability to actually make the album, but the entire point is that the rest of the checklist that everyone else in the world desperately fights to gain access to is already taken care of. And, conveniently, it also means we get to see a dozen cameos from former co-stars, big-name musicians, and big-name musician-adjacent folks. So, lots of very satisfying sizzle, and not much on the steak side.

4. Speaking of famous folks (that I recognized), we got appearances from:

• the great and powerful IU!!! (because they were in You’re the Best together, and he’s her first stop for advice when she’s got trouble with an acting role—so she’s kind of paying him back for all the help)

• rappers Dynamicduo, whom I know from the theme song to Busted! Season 1

• lyricist Kim Ea-na—or, as I know her, the awesome older lady host on Heart Signal

• singer/songwriter Yoon Jong-shin—or, as I know him, the host with glasses on Heart Signal

• the other four members of the main cast of Hospital Playlist—all of whom I know from things that are not Hospital Playlist:

• Actor Friend from Thirty-Nine

• the math tutor lead guy from Crash Course in Romance

• the idiot brother from The Sound of Your Heart

• the turncoat detective from Busted! (Season 1)

• Kong Hyo-jin, who is the main girl from When the Camellia Blooms and It’s Okay, That’s Love

4A. For a bunch of folks in their 40s, these five Hospital Playlist folks look really good. (Especially, as I mentioned in my Connection letter, Actor Friend from Thirty-Nine.) And throw Kong Hyo-jin in there, as well. Good for them!

4B. I dunno if this counts, but the guitarist in Jung-seok’s backing band during the finale episode concert is Park Shin-hye’s brother—and I know her as the female lead from Doctor Slump. 

5. For the record: the idiot brother from The Sound of Your Heart is a total cut-up. Just effortlessly funny. 

6. In the studio/small house he’s rented for this project, Jung-seok’s got a big Union Jack mousepad on his computer desk. I note this because it soooooo reminded me of his music company CEO office in You’re the Best. (Uh, because it also had a bunch of Union Jacks in it.)

7. The first thing Kim Ea-na does when critiquing Jung-seok’s song lyrics is to point out that his English grammar is incorrect. So…I’m in love with her, now. 

7A. Also, she mentions she’s written a song for IVE, my rebound-favorite k-pop group—and I knew which one she was talking about! I like it, too. I mean, it’s no “Blue Blood,” but it’s still a good one.

8. For the record, Actor Friend from Thirty-Nine is a total sweetheart. And a really good singer! 

9. What the—Yoon-ha and Yun-jae from My Sibling’s Romance are getting married?! Holy mackerel! Wow, good for them!

9A. Seems a little fast, though, no? It’s only been…I was going to say 8 months or so, but maybe it’s closer to 10? Well, whatever, they’re adults: if you know—you know. Why waste time? And, again, good for them.

10. Speaking of being married, though: the indisputably best part of the whole series is Episode 5, because it’s A) the most involved we get in the overall process, with Jung-seok hosting guests who will help him with this lyrics, and B) the episode that features his wife, Gummy (who is apparently a famous singer)...and boy oh boy those two are so obviously in love with each other. So, we get our only real moments of album-making minutia (with the three guests being actual musical professionals who had relevant and serious things to say about the task at hand) and about 30 straight minutes of charmingly unabashed marital affection. 

11. In the same vein: Kong Hyo-jin mentions her husband, at one point, and the rest of the people in the room with her complain that they’d wanted to invite him out but had gone straight off into the military after the couple came back to Korea (they’d gotten married in America)—and I said, “Wait, how old is her husband?!” And it turns out that he is 10 years younger than she is. Which, y’know, good for her!

11A. But here’s the kicker: her husband is musician Kevin Oh—who I know from his being a part of Ju-mi’s backstory on Heart Signal 4! (This is during the age/occupation reveal: Ju-mi is a lawyer and, in the footage we see of her at work, she’s having a contract meeting with him. How do I know it was him? One of the hosts exclaims, “Kevin Oh?!” Which host, you ask? Why, the lovely Kim Ea-na.)

12. Speaking of Kim Ea-na, she drops a little of her Heart Signal expertise on us when she listens to Gummy explain why she wasn’t sure if Jung-seok liked her in the months before they started dating: “He would call you for no reason once a month? Look, if someone keeps in touch without there being a specific reason to, it means he likes you!” I leave it to you to decide if she’s right or not. 

13. And speaking of dating shows: you may or may not recall that the turncoat detective from Busted! (Season 1) was one of the guest judges on Transit Love 3. At the time, he was in (or just coming off of) being in Hedwig and the Angry Inch. The 100-day window in which Jung-seok is trying to make his album is between the filming of Captivating the King and starring in…Hedwig and the Angry Inch. 

14. In his home studio (that is, the studio in the basement of his home, not the studio he’s renting for the project), Jung-seok has six interesting pictures on the wall: 

 

For 10 Daryl points, can you tell me which of these images is not like the others? And, for a bonus 5 Daryl points, can you tell me what should be there in its place?

15. When she listens to one of Jung-seok’s song demos, IU says she thinks it’s great, prompting him to loudly declare that they can pack up the show, now, since it’s not going to get better than a compliment from IU. And he is right, because IU is an avatar of the divine. Which is a scientific fact. 

16. When Jung-seok’s PR manager for the project meets IU, the man’s brain shuts off, and he just fanboys himself into oblivion. Which is hilarious—and right, because IU is an avatar of the divine. Which is a scientific fact. 

17. I don’t know if this was a goof or maybe more a “method acting” kind of deal, but Jung-seok deliberately dresses like a “hip hop guy” when he meets with Dynamicduo to get a lesson on how to rap. 

18. Jung-seok does a cover of IU’s “Love Wins All,” and, if nothing else, it got me listening to the original a whole bunch, these last couple of days. And that ain’t a bad thing. 

19. Jung-seok’s concert in the finale is attended by what looks to be about 1000 women in their 30s who dressed up like characters he’s played in various TV shows. It’s…kind of adorable. 

And that’s all I have on A-List to Playlist. Which, again, was enjoyable…but not special.

HOWEVER…if there’s any chance watching this show might inspire you to do that Lizzy McAlpine cover album I’ve been asking for, then it’s the special-est show that’s ever been made, and you should drop everything and watch it right now. Like, right now. 

…like, I’d buy your album. On CD. I don’t even have a CD player anymore. Because I used to listen to CDs in my car. Which I don’t have anymore. Because some stupid lady broke it. And new cars don’t have CD players. Because I’m the only person left in America who listens to CDs. But I’d still buy your CD. And then, I guess, a CD player. Or maybe an external CD rom drive for my laptop. Rip the tracks onto my ipod, add them to my “Erin Does Singing” playlist. Oo, that sounds like the plan: you make a CD, I’ll buy it, and then I’ll rip it with my newly-purchased external CD rom drive. 

You don’t have to autograph it unless you want to. 

…

ANYWAY.

Whatever you’re up to, these days, I hope you’re enjoying yourself. 

More soon.

—Daryl