K-Drama School

por Grace Jung

Entrevistas de comedia After Shows Criticas de Televisión

Temporada 1

K-Drama School - Ep 44: Navillera and Julia Styles's Shakespeare with Tim Murray

[Spoiler Alert] In this episode of K-Drama School, Grace discusses the show Navillera (tvN, 2021), and dives into its queer theme, existential exploration on pursuing the arts in one's 70s, and being there for one's artistic self. Grace's guest is the very funny LA-based comedian and actor Tim Murray (@tmurray06 on Instagram) who is on HBO's The Other Two and the film Swan Song (2021). Grace and Tim discuss tennis, Oprah, 1990s movies and TV shows, childhood trauma, and Amanda Bynes. Follow @KDramaSchool on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok. Visit kdramachool.com to learn more.

K-Drama School: Ep 43 - Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha and Bob Balaban as Foucault with Leah Steuer, PhD (c)

[Spoiler Alert] In this episode of K-Drama School, Grace discusses the show Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha (tvN, 2021). She addresses Kim Seon-ho’s scandal, and how to pick up the pieces in the aftermath of #MeToo to find healing. Grace’s guest is Leah Steuer, PhD Candidate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who specializes in television audience studies and affect theory. Leah is also Grace’s old friend from back in the UCLA master’s degree days in Los Angeles. They start out by discussing The Many Saints of Newark (2021) (spoilers ahead) and The Sopranos (spoilers ahead), then dive into academia and graduate school stresses, adjuncting, the impossibility of capitalist expectations, meaningful living, affect theory, charting new research terrains methodologically in audience studies, Foucault’s acid trip in Death Valley through the help of Dr. Simeon Wade, Bob Balaban, Ray Liotta, self-doubt, imposter syndrome and mental health. Comedian Ai Yoshihara (@aiyoshihara3 on Instagram) closes out with some hilarious answers to Grace’s flashcard questions based on Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha. Follow @KDramaSchool on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok. Visit kdramachool.com to learn more.

K-Drama School: Ep 42 - Till the End of the World and Elephant Vibes with Misho Shakur

[Spoiler Alert] In this episode of K-Drama School, Grace discusses the campy narrative of the show Till the End of the World (MBC, 1998), and how Ryu Si-won was a 1990s K-drama hottie who met his downfall after getting marred in a domestic abuse scandal. Grace’s guest is the very profound and funny New York-based comedian Misho Shakur (@misho.shakur on Instagram). They talk about trust, fear, tools, love, Jesus, cults, elephants, psychedelics, Syria, trauma, Dumbo, and so much more. Follow @KDramaSchool on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok. Visit kdramachool.com to learn more.

K-Drama School - Ep 41: Squid Game (Pt II) and the Failure of Capitalism with Dr. Suk-Young Kim

[Spoiler Alert] In this episode of K-Drama School, Grace discusses the show Squid Game (Netflix, 2021) for the second time. (For her first take on Squid Game, check out episode 39 of K-Drama School podcast.) Grace finds the arguments on Twitter over Squid Game’s subtitle translations ridiculous given the high subjectivity of language interpretation. She asks why critics are not questioning Netflix’s impossible expectations and demands out of laborers who work under high pressures and strict time deadlines which are not conducive to ideal translation work. Furthermore, all media goes through a great deal of mediation via many different hands and minds; the perfect encapsulation of an auteur’s vision is impossible. Grace emphasizes the importance of working less and stressing less. Happiness does not equal money. Happiness is attainable without a cent but the mythology of capitalism dictates otherwise and most people buy into its beliefs. Grace analyzes the character Ali’s position in Squid Game and the plight of migrant workers in South Korea who come from parts of South Asia, China, North Korea and Eastern Europe. Grace dives into neocolonialism and Korea’s subempire status over developing nations under the shadow of America’s global empire. Grace’s guest is Critical Studies Professor at UCLA’s Theater Department—Dr. Suk-Young Kim who authored K-Pop Live: Fans, Idols, and Multimedia Performance, Illusive Utopia: Theater, Film and Everyday Performance in North Korea and DMZ Crossing: Performing Emotional Citizenship Along the Korean Border. Dr. Kim and Grace discuss Squid Game and the failures of capitalism, the horrific reality of our neoliberal existence in developed societies, Netflix’s neocolonial demands and expectations out of South Korea (cheap labor, low production costs) and how that is costing lives on underfunded Korean productions while draining Korean creators of their physical, mental and emotional well-being, South Korean netizen’s impossibly high expectations, the illusions of capitalist systems, the under-appreciated black humor of Squid Game, and the increasingly harrowing circumstances of recent PhDs in the current arts and humanities job market. Berlin-based comedian Tobias Hauser closes the episode out with hilarious answers to Grace's flashcard questions based on Squid Game's scenarios. Follow @KDramaSchool on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok. Visit kdramachool.com to learn more.

Ep 40: Autumn in My Heart and Catcallers’ Ignorance with Elbert Danger Kim

[Spoiler Alert] In this episode of K-Drama School, Grace discusses the show Autumn in My Heart (KBS, 2000)—the show that launched Song Hye-kyo, Song Seung-hun and Won Bin into international hallyu fame. Grace breaks down the show’s highly camp dramatic theatrics that threw her into a pit of adolescent despair for a full year, how Y2K K-dramas ruined beaches for her, the intense fire of K-drama netizens of South Korea, and the significance of affective attachments between viewers and television characters. Grace then has a discussion with LA-based comedian Elbert Danger Kim (@elbertdangerkim on Instagram) about death, tuberculosis, fear, Zen retreats, why Elbert has “Danger” as a middle name, the importance of tending to the inner child, and the late Norm Macdonald’s deep sensitivity to art. Follow @KDramaSchool on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok. Visit kdramachool.com to learn more.

K-Drama School - Ep 39: Squid Game and Neoliberal Mommy Issues with Mai My

[Spoiler Alert] In this episode of K-Drama School, Grace discusses the show Squid Game (Netflix, 2021) which is streaming exclusively on Netflix. Grace predicts an Emmy and/or Golden Globe nod for Netflix next year due to Squid Game. She then breaks down Squid Game’s critique and deep analysis of neoliberalism, the show’s sexism (a common problem caused by most male Korean filmmakers), Lee Jung-jae’s stardom, Hwang Dong-hyuk’s sly way of exposing his filmography on the show by inserting Gong Yoo and Lee Byung-hun as cameos, and Squid Game’s critique of global hierarchy, capitalist patriarchy and white supremacy. Grace’s guest is Hamburg-based Vietnamese German comedian Mai My (@maimycomedy on Instagram). They discuss bad living situations as teenagers, massage requests used as sexual assault, friends who saved their lives, media as trauma-bonding and reliving trauma, and mother complexes.

K-Drama School - Ep 38: Dear My Friends and How to Be a Good Man with Glenn Bolton

[Spoiler Alert] In this episode of K-Drama School, Grace discusses the show Dear My Friends (tvN, 2016) which is streaming on Netflix in non-South Korean territories. The show features veteran Korean actors including Oscar-winner Youn Yuh-jung, Mother (2009, Bong Joon-ho) actress Kim Hye-ja, Na Moon-hee, Go Doo-shim, Shin Goo and Go Hyun-jung. Grace mourns the death of comedian Norm Macdonald and celebrates having met comedian Bobby Lee at the Comedy Store. Grace talks about the progress she’s made with CBT, and the importance of triangulating therapy with spiritual work and meditation for self-improvement. Grace’s guest is LA-based comedian, musician, and rapper Glenn Bolton (@g_rillah) whose EP We Eatin Out Here is available now (link is on his Instagram bio). They discuss barbeque, being supportive to friends with substance abuse problems, Glenn’s music career, getting bullied as a child, how lousy Hollywood can be as a neighborhood, and what it takes to be a good man. Follow @KDramaSchool on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok. Visit kdramachool.com to learn more.

K-Drama School - Ep 37: Record of Youth and The Uncanny Valley with Duckie L'Orange

[Spoiler Alert] In this episode of K-Drama School, Grace discusses the show Record of Youth (tvN, 2020) which is streaming on Netflix in non-South Korean territories. Grace is still on the road. She discusses disorganized comedy festival runners, the US Open Women's Championship game between Leylah Fernandez (19) and Emma Raducanu (18) who broke all odds and expectations, giving women inspiration and hope everywhere. Grace then talks to Berlin-based clown, puppeteer, performance artist, cabaret and comedian Duckie L'Orange. Duckie's act "popohund" or "bumdog" appeared on Das Supertalent (Germany's Got Talent), and has over 3 million views on YouTube. She also showcased her work at the Sydney Opera House and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Grace and Duckie discuss the importance of artist residencies, performing drag king, Duckie's philosophy behind puppets and clowning, and how COVID-19 has turned every individual on earth into a woman by being told to stay in the house and what to wear. Follow @KDramaSchool on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok. Visit kdramachool.com to learn more.

K-Drama School - Ep 36: DP and In Support of Dissent and Desertion

[Spoiler Alert] In this episode of K-Drama School, Grace discusses the Netflix-exclusive K-drama DP (2021, Netflix). Grace pays tribute to late LA comic Fu. Rest in peace. Grace does a deep-textual analysis of DP, Korean masculinity, militarism, South Korean military’s homophobia/transphobia, what desertion means in the face of dehumanization, corruption, cronyism, bullying, hazing, assault, the perpetual cycles of toxic behaviors, and consequences of standing up for one’s beliefs. Follow @KDramaSchool on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok. Visit kdramachool.com to learn more.

K-Drama School - Ep 35: Coffee Prince and a Good Feminist Man with Dr. Mark Hussey

[Spoiler Alert] In this episode of K-Drama School, Grace discusses the show Coffee Prince (MBC, 2007) as a queer text for both queer pleasure and queer upset. Grace cites Jack Halberstam's theory on female masculinity and Judith Butler's theory on gender as a performance in reference to Go Eun-chan's tomboyism. Grace’s guest is Dr. Mark Hussey who is a Virginia Woolf scholar and now professor emeritus of Pace University's English department where Grace earned her B.A. Dr. Hussey is the author of Clive Bell and The Making of Modernism: A Biography which is newly published by Bloomsbury Press. He and Grace discuss what the purpose of reading a biography is, how to harness anxiety for productivity, what the English major is, why theory and jargon are necessary, how the fear of the future never stops, and what it takes to be a good feminist as a man. Follow @KDramaSchool on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok. Visit kdramachool.com to learn more.

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