The TV in Molly’s room at the hotel gets the full array of seventy-five satellite cable channels. She tells me that she’s watching one of the Spiderman movies.
I’m a little jealous. For some reason, I get only eight stations, all of them Korean. In the morning, I watch a few minutes of what seems to be a continuous infomercial for a product called Lil’ Critters Gummy Vites. These are multi-vitamins for kids, which offer a full array of nutrients counteracted by the teeth decaying sugar of gummy bears. The infomercial is hosted by a man and woman who are probably in their thirties, both of them seated behind a desk. He is dressed in a yellow shirt and a white cardigan, and has lots of gel in his hair. She is wearing what looks to be a silky robe. They are both extremely happy and animated. I don’t understand Korean, but I know they are singing the praises of Gummy Vites. Behind the couple there’s a screen upon which is projected a grainy clip of American blond-headed children, circa 1970. They look like the Brady kids, and they’re washing down vitamins with tall glasses of orange juice. They show this clip over and over while the couple smile and talk about Gummy Vites.
Finally, I have to switch it off.
Our hotel pickup is at 10am. The taxi driver’s nametag says Jum Bo. I can’t figure out if that’s his name or the taxi company’s. We load in at the Apgujeong Club, then go for lunch at Freshness Burger. Their slogan is “Hello, we’re slow! Everything is homemade.” We have chicken sandwiches and raspberry lemonade. Afterwards, we walk over to Caribou Coffee for coffee. We have an hour before soundcheck, so we browse around the shops . It’s a very stylish, hip neighborhood, with lots of interesting clothing boutiques. We find a stationery store called MMMG that sells all kinds of cool notebooks, pens, stickers and magnets. I buy myself a notebook for songwriting. On the front is says, “Winner Forever: Owl and Wrestler.” The idea of the design, I think, is a match between a masked Mexican wrestler and a barn owl. The wrestler is in position. The owl says, “I will fly to the moon.” It’s so wonderfully absurd, in that Asian way, that I have to have it. I think it’ll be a lucky notebook for songwriting.
Coming soon: soundcheck and the first gig
- Bill