Rockstar Again - Chapter 101



Only Noblemtl

Episode 101. A rolling stone gathers no moss (1)

Waaaaaaaaaaaaah!

“#$%^!@&*%$#!”

“!@#!@@#(*&^%#$.”

Kirk Schmidt and Lars Roemer of Metallord scanned the auditorium, which was quickly engulfed in flames.

“This is crazy… … .”

“What is the situation?”

The vocalist who was supposed to start the performance suddenly walked across the stage a few times and had a little conversation with his members.

He walked back to the center of the stage and suddenly slammed his guitar down.

Until then, the audience’s reaction was…

‘what?’

‘What do you want to do now?’

That’s what it felt like.

To the point of being bewildered and surprised.

You can easily get a feel for the atmosphere even without knowing Korean.

Because audience reactions are not limited by language.

But the mood suddenly heated up when the vocalist who broke the guitar said something into the microphone and threw down his sunglasses and mask.

I feel like I’ve been dropped into the middle of a blast furnace without even knowing English.

“WTF… … What the hell did you do?”

Lars Roemer asked, but Kirk Schmidt was equally perplexed.

I don’t know Korean myself, so I don’t understand the current situation.

Are you cheering for the face to be revealed?

The vocalist who revealed his face is objectively handsome, even considering that he is Asian.

His eyes, without sunglasses, are clear and large, unlike those of Asians. Although he does not have the angular, handsome face that is commonly thought of in the West, his lines are thin and sharp overall.

If you look at it that way, it’s a face that would be acceptable in the West.

Among the pop artists that American teenagers and 20-somethings cheer for these days, there are quite a few with faces like that. Thin lines and a neutral feel.

“He was handsome.”

Lars Roemer responded to Kirk Schmidt’s words without taking his eyes off the stage.

“I hope I’m wrong.”

“what?”

“Talent. If the heavens had given that guy such a talent, I can’t even imagine what they would have taken away from him. Or… … they might have prepared to take something away… … .”

“Hmm. If you give me something, do I have to take something in return? That seems a bit weird, doesn’t it?”

As Blue Porcelain took the stage, Lars Römer’s eyes turned to Kirk Schmidt for the first time.

“God is fair.”

“… … .”

“There were some who showed off their talents of the century. They seemed to have it all. And they lived short lives as if they had promised. Jimi Hendrix. Kurt Cobain. Michael Jackson. Freddie Mercury of Queen. Elvis Presley. Need I say more?”

When the names of legends came out of the mouth of a friend who was called a legend, Kirk Schmidt tried to pass it off as a joke.

“Don’t we have everything?”

“We’re not. I’m short and bald. You have an ugly face and curly hair. And you’re not creative. It’s an objective story, so there’s no reason to be sad. Just like you’re not creative, I’m not a vocalist either. Oh, you’re not a vocalist either.”

“I’m confused because I can’t tell if you’re joking or being serious… … .”

“I’m serious. 100 percent.”

It was a rare and excessive compliment.

Like any other rock star, Metallord is also full of pride in himself. His talent is so great that Lars Roemer, who created Metallord’s colors, is worried about the sky, not jealous.

Kirk Schmidt laughed bitterly through the roar of the audience.

“I hope that guy loses his hair later on. He doesn’t live a short life like the stars you mentioned.”

Lars Roemer’s eyes turn back to the stage as he listens to Kirk Schmidt.

I don’t know Korean, but it’s transmitted with my whole body.

“Can you feel it?”

“what?”

“Who is the ‘lord’ that rules this venue?”

“That definitely feels good.”

Both people’s eyes were focused on the vocalist in the center of the stage who was singing while playing the guitar.

The ability to perform live.

The ability to produce one’s own songs is a must for any rock band.

Looks that would get groupies’ panties on stage.

A splendid performance that will make fans who come to the concert hall wet their backs.

These are the virtues a rock star should have.

Of course, even if you are a rock star, it is impossible to have everything mentioned above.

But if I had to name one talent that a rock star should have, it would definitely be it.

‘That kind of charisma at such a young age.’

Lars Roemer’s eyes lit up.

That musician had it.

It’s a talent that can neither be learned nor earned.

A gift of choice.

A talent given by heaven.

I want to get into the performance, but my thoughts are complicated.

There was also the rock band’s stubbornness in not wanting to be dominated by this musician’s performance.

So, I opened my mouth and asked the local agency staff who accompanied me.

“What was that vocalist saying earlier while hitting the guitar? What did he do to start this mess?”

The original plan was for the two of them to just quietly watch the performance, but since they are such big names, the Korean performance agency sent someone to get them tickets.

“ah…….”

An agency official named Michael Jung briefly smiled at Lars Roemer’s words.

How should I explain this?

As the interpreter was trying to figure out how to interpret it, he hit his head and said, “Oops. This isn’t going to be broadcast. Then why don’t you just convey it as it is?”

Michael Jung began his interpretation of the raw, unorganized material.

With a little context… … .

“The guy who just broke the guitar was a pretty popular idol in Korea. I wonder if he could really be called an idol… … but anyway, the public’s view was that he was just a handsome idol who sang well and played the guitar well. But one of the members’ faces… … .”

Even though the explanation was quite long, Lars Roemer listened to Michael Jung’s story with great concentration.

“So?”

“One of the members’ faces was exposed to the paparazzi. The reaction was negative. He was very old and was treated like a regular celebrity. I think he was upset about that. He said, ‘What does age have to do with musical ability when you’re doing music?’”

After hearing the agency’s explanation, the performance of playing the guitar makes sense.

Honestly, I was getting sick of the performances where they broke guitars during the concert.

As they were rock legends, they had countless gigs, and the opportunity to see other rock bands perform. The number of gigs they had was just as many as the number of opportunities to play together.

When smashing guitars became tiresome, some rock bands even started burning their guitars by pouring gasoline on them and setting them on fire.

Also, some guitarists even plucked the strings with their teeth.

Rather than a performance of liberation and rebellion, it became a kind of show.

But it wasn’t a show.

“To the rock spirit.”

“yes?”

“Ah. What I just said was just a soliloquy, so don’t worry about it.”

“yes…….”

Then Kirk Schmidt whispers to Lars Roemer, who is listening to the performance again.

“Welcome back?”

“hmm.”

“Even if you don’t necessarily want to gain something, watching a show like this gives you strength. Isn’t that like gaining something?”

“That’s true.”

Kirk Schmidt started by seeing a guitar video on YouTube, checking out the band’s name, and here we are.

It was more than enough to cover the cost of a round-trip first class ticket to and from Korea.

“#$#$ha!”

“Yi!@#ha!”

Again, amidst the cheers and screams of the fans, which have grown louder in the two people’s ears, a chant of some sort is heard.

The surrounding audience, half-blind, were shouting something in unison.

That doesn’t sound too unfamiliar.

“What are you saying?”

Interpreter Michael Chung responded to Kirk Schmidt’s statement.

“My vocalist name is Lee Dong Ha.”

“Move?”

“Yes. If you were to express it like me, it would be Dong Ha Lee. If you express my name in Korean, it would be Jeong Michael.”

At Michael Chung’s words, Lars Roemer and Kirk Schmidt locked eyes.

This is what a foreign language is like.

When you don’t know, it sounds strange and you don’t hear it clearly.

If you listen to it with knowledge, it will start to stick in your ears.

“Yidongha!”

“Yidongha!”

It’s a slogan that we’ve heard before at their Korean concerts. Of course, back then they were chanting “Metal Road.”

“Fxxking idiot… … .”

“He seemed like the same arrogant bastard.”

“… … We may be foolish… … but it saves us some trouble.”

* * *

Kim Dong-sik thought and thought again while hitting the drums.

Can this be called thinking?

It’s not that complicated, so I don’t think it can be called a thought.

It’s quite deep, so I think it should be considered a thought.

‘Who am I and where am I?’

Rock is a genre.

Dance is a genre, and classical music is also a genre.

But before a field is recognized as a genre, it goes through one common process.

Explosive growth.

After explosive growth, it stabilizes and becomes a genre.

Explosive growth inevitably reflects the times.

Contemporary trend.

culture.

So what kind of culture was rock?

After the end of World War II, a temporary peace came to the world.

But behind the temporary peace, war still rages.

Nevertheless, it was a time of peace in Europe and the United States, which could be said to be the center of the world.

The land of both continents was free of saturation.

In any case, the world that found nominal peace achieved rapid economic prosperity.

Construction work was underway here and there, commerce was booming again, and the mechanical skills gained during the war were transferred to automobiles and machinery, enriching people’s lives.

There was repression behind it.

The faster you pull the rubber band, the stronger the rebound.

Rapid prosperity brought corresponding suffering to the people.

Fear of not being able to keep up with the times.

The fear that war might break out again.

Will a new dictator somewhere abandon art and bewitch the people?

Am I living well?

When we wake up and the world changes, are we losing our humanity?

Such fears gave rise to the hippie culture.

In the midst of the chaos, a new era of equipment emerged, represented by electric guitars and amplifiers.

Contemporary music sings of its times.

Zeitgeist?

I don’t know.

Anyway, because it was that kind of time, rock was also confusing.

Because it was a wealthy time, they also sang about love.

I was concerned about poverty in the distant African continent.

Even while singing a song of reversal, trying to quell the flames of war that are still burning somewhere.

It comforted the youth who rebelled against the harshness of the times.

So, rock is the music of liberation and rebellion.

here.

There is a rebellious rock band that greeted liberation.

The twenty-one young leader was angry on their behalf.

As the leader broke the guitar and grabbed the microphone, the bassist, who was well into his fifties, took the lead and took off his mask and sunglasses as if he had lost his mind.

This is pretty scary.

Once I started hiding my identity, it became easier.

I do the music I want to do, but there’s no risk.

But something like incomplete combustion continued to linger on the corner of my mouth.

Did you get so excited during the performance that you even drooled?

“Hehehehehehe… … !”

It wasn’t true then, but it might be true now.

Kim Dong-sik, who had covered his face until the end, stopped playing the drums.

Lee Dong-ha, who was singing, glances back.

That monster doesn’t even panic.

The relaxed face made the audience think that the drumming that had just stopped was some kind of performance.

Kim Dong-sik stopped his hands and took off his mask.

Sunglasses too.

“Hehehe… … !”

I thought it would be better to laugh, so I laughed without holding back.

I feel like I’m going to scream if I hold back my laughter.

You could say I’m crazy.

Because it seems really crazy.