Going Crazy for Michigo

Happy Tuesday internet! Starting now (dramatic fanfare) we will be updating on TUESDAYS. Maybe making the worst day of the week a little more fashionable will make it more bearable. ;)

SO ON THIS GLORIOUS TUESDAY, we are talking about one of the most well known artists in kpop and his recent eclectic, crazy, off-his-rocker comeback. 

MICHIGO- GDRAGON

The MV for Michigo came out April 19th, 2013 and the video had 4,478,853 views as of April 30th. 

If you haven't seen this insanity yet, please experience the wonder here: 

TO THE CREEPY SUBWAY( click )

Overall impression:

Em: As always, GD has a sassy, weird style that is totally and completely his own. It was reminiscent of the insanity of Crayon, but with elements of One of a Kind thrown in. Initially he started in a relatively innocuous ‘street-clothes’ type outfit, then quickly moved dark leathery outfits as part of his alter-ego. Lots of tight pants or weird shorts, jackets, and wigs EVERYWHERE for him. The other people in the video ranged from fairly simple punk-y outfits to the super badass girl with green lipstick and leather and spikes everywhere. Oh and one more thing—most of them had masks. Creepy anime girl masks.

Don't worry, dancer girl is just high off life.

What a luscious wig. (Because he's worth it...)

On my way to school. Riding the scariest subway ever.

Ruby: Animegao. Yeah. They were a…. surprise. It definitely held the hallmarks of  GD. There were A LOT of exaggerated hairstyles and heavy (though really well done) makeup in this video. Some really interesting individual pieces got lost in the wonderland-esuqe muddled confusion. That being said the shapes and styling was very intricate, creating a complex and unique atmosphere. Gotta love skinny jeans and a loose, cropped jacket. There was a very clear distinction between the dancers and GD, as they stayed mostly in street clothes and added masks.

my face scarf is super cool! too bad it was in the video for all of 3 seconds.

One of the many animegao....

Other promotional Materials:

Em: There appears to be almost no promotional materials for Michigo. Guess GD just didn’t need them…the video spoke for itself.

Ruby: He has dropped a hint for the performance of this song during his concert series. He wears a very long, red leather car-racing suit with appliques. It’s interesting. Really not connected to the video at all. I bet it looks cool from afar, but from close up the coat is overwhelming since GD is so skinny.

GD live stage outfit for Michigo. 

Continuity:

Em: Though it had the usual insanity of a G-Dragon mv, there was also consistency in the level of craziness. There was a different wig for every outfit, each one crazier than the last one (afro, Mohawk, etc) but they each went with the outfit. The color scheme for GD himself was almost all black and white, with some smaller exceptions. The masks also remained throughout the video, tying the scenes together.

My my what a wig collection you have.

Ruby: The scenes were continuous in their weirdness, I guess. I mean the theme for the video was insanity, so good work everyone, you worked hard today. Mission accomplished? A lot of it strayed into ground that was a little fetishy, with the harness for example. But hey, the slightly sketchy, very odd quality in this video really is consistent.

GD's shiny new harness.

Band’s Overall Image:

Em: Like I said, this is VERY GD. Though it has different themes than previous videos, you can still tell pretty easily that it’s him. His style is distinctive in its craziness and testing of boundaries. Also he seems to have a thing for weird shorts. He has a well-established image of a unique, out-there artist using playful concepts with…twists. Such as the kink in this video. O.o

you know what they say about men with big feet.....

Ruby: Interestingly, GD’s solo work takes on a very different style than his hand, BIGBANG, does. G-Dragon recently has been going increasingly crazier in his wardrobe choices. Although heartbreaker era was slightly less out-there, he has always opted for weirdness and off trend fashion to set himself apart. Its one of his selling points; you’ll never be bored.

This is from Heartbreaker.... hey that mask looks familiar....

Heartbreaker makeup. A little bit wacky, a lot of a bit cool.

Trends in K-POP:

Em: GD sets the goddamn trend. However, this is consistent with themes of having fun and partying that we see from a lot of bands (his just might win craziest). Though the video wasn’t specifically about a party, it had the same ideas of letting loose, going nuts, and having fun.

 

PARTY IN THE LIBRARRRRRYYYYYYY..... study party. duh.

Ruby: AND THEN THERE ARE THE FETISHES. This video, from the bathroom voyeur to the super phallic gun to GD’s enormous feet, was filled to the brim with pseudo-sexual innuendo and imagery. Kpop recently is RIFE with fetish-related fashion! It’s not a new idea, going back to much older ukiss and tvxq songs, but there does seem to be an increase in it recently. Jaejoong’s Mine and Jo Kwon's Animal both make different references to the idea. Other examples are pictured below.

Voyeur GD approves.

Spanking. Apparently GD thinks this "feels good"....

Bom in 2ne1's I am the Best ft. Poodle and Spiky Boobs

Jaejoong's Mine, he sure does like his chains....

Dongho in Ukiss's Man Man Ha Ni. At the time he was 15.

NOTHING SEXUAL GOING ON HERE T-ARA. NOPE.

Can't even defend Brown Eyed Girls- Abracadabra....

Conclusion:

Em: I think the song and video worked very well with the image he had cultivated, and I suspect he had a lot of fun filming it. He certainly enjoyed riding the giant pink elephant. GD appears to be testing the limits of how weird (and sexual) he can get in an mv before he’s forced to leave the country, and it’s certainly entertaining. As usual, another successful single.

He sure enjoys waving around his.... elephant trunk.

Ruby: I always enjoy a little bit of weirdness and originality in videos. Typically I adore GD’s complete disregard for other’s opinions or social acceptability. While I loved most of this video I found it a little underwhelming following That XX and Crayon. I mean, That XX had this grungy elegance, which GD pulled off so well, despite the obvious contradiction in that statement. Beyond that Crayon managed to go insane (oh that wonder-woman cape) without being confusing or disorienting. While I loved the feistiness and snarkiness of the video, I wish it had been a tad bit more focused. Honestly.

 

From Crayon- GD and his favorite jammies.

From That XX- CLASSY AND SASSY.

Daily Dose of Daebak:

LIP RINGGGGGGGGSSSSS

EXCUSE ME WHILE I WHIP YOU WITH MY RIDING CROP FLY SWATTER. 

Leave us some good vibes or suggestions here or on tumblr! 

You can answer this, if you like: Which is your favorite GD comeback from this year? 

I know what mine is >.<

Lots of love,

Ruby & Em