드라마 스페셜 - 락락락
KBS, 2010, 4 episodes
Genres: drama, biography
Written by Park Kyung-sun, Bang Hyo-geum
Directed by Lee Won-ik
More information: Wikipedia / HanCinema
Rock Rock Rock:
The Legend of Kim Taewon
There are people who travel life paths so compelling that fiction itself could not write anything more interesting. Whether they reach great heights or fall to deep depths, we watch their efforts, joys, sufferings, and the unexpected turns of their fate with enchantment. Cinematic biographies are like augmented reality: while we do not detach from our own reality, we receive the life experiences of others as an addition, the virtual—that is, spiritual—experience of which enriches us in many ways.
Young people growing up after the Second World War found their voice of generational self-expression in rock music. Starting from America and gaining strength in Europe, the musical trend had become much more than a genre by the 1960s; it represented a lifestyle, with its own patterns of behavior, dress, entertainment, and conduct. By the 1970s, rock gods like Led Zeppelin ruled the sky of young people's aspirations, all having emerged somehow from the cloak of the comet-like Jimi Hendrix. Their influence reached every corner of the world, merging the world's youth on a global level.
With the drama Rock Rock Rock, we arrive in Korea at the very beginning of the 80s, where an immense competition, reminiscent of gang wars, takes place among high school youth for the position of the best guitarist. Two brilliantly talented boys measure their skills, not only copying musical patterns from their idols but also donning the specific image-blend of their beloved Western stars. Thus, one becomes the "Korean Jimi Hendrix," while the other becomes the "Korean Jimmy Page." In a few years, both will become defining figures of Korean rock history, but in this film, we focus on the latter boy, whose real name is Kim Tae-won.
Just as the starting "holy trinity" of metal music in socialist Hungary was represented by the bands Illés-Omega-Metró, in Korea, we find the bands Shinawe-Boohwal-Baekdoosan in a similar position. However, there is a temporal shift between the two phenomena, as the harsh dictatorship existing until the very end of the 70s in Korea buried previous rock music initiatives, and the freer air of the late 80s already brought heavy metal with it. Because of this, the sound of Korean bands was a kind of mixture, naturally colored by domestic musical roots.
The emerging formations, however, faced not only the task of finding their own musical identity but also the creation of the genre's entire infrastructure. They had to fight for their own audience, for the procurement of instruments, for the creation of rehearsal opportunities, for obtaining performance venues, and for the possibility of making records—making the legitimacy of the music they played accepted by labels and managers specialized in previous trends. All this without guiding precedents, relying on their own determination, ingenuity, and persuasiveness.
It is no wonder that at first, none of this even occurred to Kim Tae-won, who dropped out of school and wanted nothing more than to take the stage as a guitarist in any formation. As a start, however, he immediately received a cruel lesson regarding the vulnerability of musicians to the mafia that ruled entertainment venues, which almost deterred him from a musical career. But as in every innate talent, the flame within him could not be completely extinguished.
Almost at the same time, fate wrote another sad, melodramatic chapter into the boy's life with a deep love that could not unfold, the loss of which almost led the young man's life into tragedy.
After the initial nihilism, nothing remained but trying through his own strength, to which two forms of help arrived. As an external supporter, the owner of a music store saw the forces raging within Taewon, in whose soul a wonderful rock ballad, "Rain and Your Story," had already begun to play. From that point on, the mission became clear: Kim Tae-won was not only an excellent guitarist but also one of the greatest innate compositional talents, whose musical expression had to break through every obstacle.
And obstacles there were in abundance. Since everything was in a state of ferment and formation, the musicians themselves were searching for their places. The resulting band formations did not remain stable; they were blown apart by individual ambitions, as it had not yet become clear who the leading talents were.
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| The real Kim Tae-won |
Kim Tae-won feels with increasing firmness the path he wishes to follow. However, the incomprehension, jealousy, and rivalry of those around him, the departure of bandmates, and occasional obvious betrayals consume his strength. Even among his fellow musicians, he remains a lone wolf, struggling with no small amount of internal doubt regarding his own talent. To overcome his demons and replace the strength needed to stay on his feet, he chooses the worst tool: he turns to drugs.
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| No Min-woo |
In the drama, Kim Tae-won is brought to life by a young actor, No Min-woo, who has his own musical career. He is a singer who plays multiple instruments and has been part of various musical formations. This would be enough to authentically experience and evoke the life of the great musical predecessor. However, much more happens. No Min-woo simply undergoes a transformation: he becomes Kim Tae-won himself. Every flicker, pain, and struggle enters his own blood. While in the first episodes we see the story with a somewhat descriptive nature not lacking in humor, in the third episode, the atmosphere of the drama and No Min-woo’s acting also change. We descend into the hells, experiencing the deepest pits when the musician wants to climb out. Even stronger than the agonies of withdrawal are the tortures of reclaiming his personality, because he must find his way back to music, which means life. No Min-woo physically transforms as well. He does not simply lose his physical strength; he himself becomes almost nothing—a broken wreck, unable to walk, trembling, and driven by visions.
One cannot forget how he appeals for rescue to the girl who does not leave him. Hong Ah-reum portrays one of the most beautiful and strongest women in love we have ever seen in a Korean drama. The name of Kim Tae-won’s band became Boohwal, which means "Resurrection" or "Rebirth." At this point in his life, the album Remember was born, which is one of the darkest in tone, yet perhaps the most uplifting I have ever heard. One of the drama's highlights is the cathartic moment of recording "Reminiscence III" in the studio.
The drama leads viewers through the story of Boohwal's first years, roughly in chronological order, sketching over some real details or swapping events here and there, up until the first professional recognition with which Kim Tae-won's compositional skills were awarded. Having passed through the cataclysms, Kim Tae-won became calmer and wiser. He can even reconcile with Lee Seung-cheol (Lee Jong-hwan), with whom he had previously confronted most strongly (and whom we will later see again as the singer of Boohwal). With a detached, bittersweet humor, he can formulate his self-description: "Even now, I am only a third-rate guitarist." He is a humble man whose doubts did not leave him even when he had obviously written himself into the history of rock music for everyone to see.
The drama pays a painfully beautiful tribute to the tragic-fated singer Kim Jae-gi, who is presented as one who arrived in Kim Taewon's life as a professional savior alongside his love. The way Choi Min (Choi Min-seong) brings him to life is the second heart-warming and simultaneously heart-wrenching miracle of the drama.
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| The real Kim Jae-gi |
The film is full of cameo appearances; we can recognize many musicians. Among the actors, Jang Hyun-sung also stands out, being able to palpably convey all the difficulties in the life of a manager standing by a band.
Rock Rock Rock does not only remain a memorable drama, but in my case, it was capable of something more: watching it and the songs heard within prompted me to track down all the albums of Boohwal, which was formed in 1985 and has thus already passed its 35th anniversary, and which I have listened to countless times because they represent a true musical treat. In the same way, the life story of Kim Tae-won spoke to my heart, the further events of which I had to learn as well. Life did not spare him in the future either; he emerged from numerous further trials, continuing to provide a humane example for everyone.
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