Boing Boing editor/partner and tech culture journalist Xeni Jardin hosts and produces Boing Boing's in-flight TV channel on Virgin America airlines (#10 on the dial), and writes about living with breast cancer. Diagnosed in 2011. @xeni on Twitter. email: xeni@boingboing.net.

  • shocking

    How is this a parody?

    • chaopoiesis

      Ai was East Asia’s most famous artist. But now Psy is. So it’s self-parody.

  • LinkMan

    I actually think this analysis (linked from the WaPo piece) is far, FAR more on point than the WaPo analysis.

    We all seem to want some bad-ass subversive artist to emerge from China.  And the Grass Mud Horse meme is a great example of subversion.  But Ai didn’t build that.

    And this is just more of the same co-option:  “Hey look, a popular music video with equine imagery.  Let’s re-label it with the name of a subversive internet meme and film ourselves doing the dance poorly, and maybe people will pay attention.”

    ZZzzzzzz.  The Thai sailors did it way better.

    • http://www.xradiograph.com/ OtherMichael

      We all seem to want some bad-ass subversive artist to emerge from China.

      I don’t.

      Sometimes I’m just happy to let a dancing video be a dancing video.
      Why does it have to be revolutionary?
      Why does it have to innovate?
      Why does it have to break new ground?

      Why can’t it be something incremental, building up in tiny little pieces some sense of ideas or ideology, or way of thinking?
      Why can’t it just exist?

      He looks like he’s having fun.

      • LinkMan

        That’s exactly why the Thai sailor video was so much better.  They were clearly just having some fun.  If Ai Weiwei threw up a video of himself and his friends boogieing down to PSY, it would be fun, too.

        But by titling his little dance video “草泥马style” (“Grass Mud Horse style”) and throwing in those handcuffs, he’s trying to add a little dash of political commentary–he’s trying to say something.  Like Mr. Tao said in the blog post I linked before, maybe Mr. Ai is simply trying to say something about fun in a politically oppressive environment.  But it sure seems like he’s just throwing up a silly dance video and labeling it something it’s not.

  • Mister44

    I still find it amazing Psy exploded into our international psyche to become firmly lodged as part of our culture. Bravo.

  • http://www.kmoser.com kmoser

    I’ve heard of life imitating art, and art imitating life, but this is like art imitating art. Of course, this is assuming either of them can be considered “art”.

  • Ooe R

    The title translates to “Grass Mud Horse Style”, which in itself doesn’t mean anything… but it’s pronounced exactly the same as “**** your mom”.

    • yopdiesel

       http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFlxfuEZu5Y&

  • http://twitter.com/therealrainfall Randy Treibel

    This “parody” is absolutely terrible.  They could’ve done so much better.   For example, pen with a close up shot of him sitting on a beach/lawn chair.  Then, when the camera pans out he is surrounded by Chinese military/police.

    Every single Gangnam Style “parody” has absolutely missed the point.   They think “Hey if i do the horse dance and wave my hand above my head it’ll be funny.” No, PSY’s brilliance, this would’ve been another rubbish pop song that we all wished would go away while we rant about how bad the state of pop music is.  The brilliance of the original song is that it appeals to intellectuals, semi-smart people, not so-smart people, and children as well.

    • ocker3

      Yes, the broad appeal is one key, but a key part of the method is to both laud and lampoon himself, his specific sub-culture, his riches, excess, and pop music itself. The yoga scene both exploits the women in it and makes fun of men who objectify and exploit women. The scene with him dancing in the horse stables shows off how rich he is, then he dances like a horse/jockey, suggesting that we are all animals. The next scene with the ‘snow’ blower shows off how cool it is to dance in front of a giant fan that throws stuff at you, but then shows the gunk getting in their eyes and mouths, making it very hard to be sexy and cool, but we respect him because he keeps performing when that happens.

      Being self-aware is what he is exhibiting, enjoying his life while showing he knows it has flaws, we respect that and it gives us license to enjoy the otherwise over the top video.

    • http://twitter.com/fossilfuels Funk Daddy

      The Romney Gangham style video was brilliant & hilarious. It was lots of easy shots at Romney & Ryan (they are twotoo easy targets) but the execution was great, like really

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTCRwi71_ns

  • TheMudshark

    Try this instead:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RO2AO1zl-ng
    It´s not a parody either but at least it´s somewhat entertaining.

    • http://www.nunoncastors.co.uk/ James

       Amazing.

  • http://www.doggo.net doggo

    “So apparently Gangnam is an upper class part of Seoul, similar to Hollywood. The girls there tend to be prim and proper during the day, but wild child partiers at night. This song is displaying the fact that he is also a classy dude, but knows how to party as well, and he wants to get himself a Gangnam girl.”

    Oppan Gangnam Style
    Gangnam Style

    Najeneun ddasarowun in-ganjeogin yeoja
    Keopi hanjaneui yeoyureul aneun pumgyeok ittneun yeoja
    Bami omyeon shimjangi ddeugeowojineun yeoja
    Geureon banjeon ittneun yeoja

    Naneun sanai
    Najeneun neomankeum ddasarowun geureon sanai
    Keopi shik-gido jeone One Shot ddaerineun sanai
    Bami omyeon shimjangi teojyeobeorineun sanai
    Geureon sanai

    Aremdawo sarangseurowo
    Geurae neo hey, geurae baro neo hey
    Areumdawo sarangseurowo
    Geurae neo hey, geurae baro neo hey
    Jigeumbuteo gal ddaekkaji gabolkka

    Oppan Gangnam style
    Gangnam style

    Oppan Gangnam style
    Gangnam style

    Oppan Gangnam style

    Eh~ Sexy Lady
    Oppan Gangnam style

    Eh~ Sexy Lady
    Eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh

    Jeongsokhae bo-ijiman nol ddaen noneun yeoja
    Iddaeda shipeumyeon mukkeottdeon meori puneun yeoja
    Garyeottjiman wenmanhan nochulboda yahan yeoja
    Geureon gangjakjeogin yeoja

    Naneun sanai
    Jeonjanha bo-ijiman nol ddaen noneun sanai
    Ddaega dweimyeon wanjeon michyeobeorineun sanai
    Geun-yukboda sasangi ultungbultung han sanai
    Geureon sanai

    Aremdawo sarangseurowo
    Geurae neo hey, geurae baro neo hey

    Areumdawo sarangseurowo
    Geurae neo hey, geurae baro neo hey
    Jigeumbuteo gal ddaekkaji gabolkka

    Oppan Gangnam style
    Gangnam style

    Oppan Gangnam style
    Gangnam style

    Oppan Gangnam style

    Eh~ Sexy Lady
    Oppan Gangnam style

    Eh~ Sexy Lady
    Eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh

    Ttwineun nom geu wi-e naneun nom
    baby baby
    Naneun mwol jom aneun nom

    Ttwineun nom geu wi-e naneun nom
    baby baby
    Naneun mwol jom aneun nom

    You know what I’m saying

    Oppan Gangnam style

    Eh~ Sexy Lady
    Oppan Gangnam style

    Eh~ Sexy Lady
    Oppan Gangnam style

    • Mister44

       One more thing, IIRC “oppan” is like big brother, a term of endearment similar to boyfriend.

  • http://twitter.com/stooneyoriginal Stooney

    Unfunny and badly done. Fail!