So Namjoon’s IG posts today reminded me to rebuild a thread off my old acct from after he shared a first look @ Rkive in the new Yongsan building. (Because Yun Hyong-Keun)
[Rebuild]
First, some things don’t change🥺Joon’s trio of framed desk pictures have been the same for yrs +
1) a picture of ARMY from 5th Muster in Busan 2) *THE* @BTS_twt family photo 3) Yoshitomo Nara’s Poindexter, 2010, charity postcard print +
1) Picture of ARMY
Joon has explained that he keeps ARMY on his desk, next to him. In his January 2021 VLive he said if he thinks we will all meet again one day, everything becomes fine, and he always looks at this picture…+
This is the photo (BTS are on stage, ARMY are on both sides of them, a surrounding them) +
2) *THE* BTS Family Photo
Namjoon’s shown & explained this pic a lot over the yrs (including during this year’s Festa). BTS took it the day they filmed the 3rd Muster VCR, after doing their Chuseok VLive.
In 2018, he named it as a “cherished item” in the 오, 늘 exhibition book+
In April 2019, during promo for MoTS:P, Namjoon gave framed copies of the pic as part of his gift bag to ARMYs who attended the MCountdown pre-recording on Apr 16/17 (they were filmed rly late at night & took a long time so members used to take turns giving goodie bags to ARMYs)+
The next day was Tae’s turn to gift goodie bags, and he gifted ARMYs ahi went to the pre-recording a collection of photos he’d taken himself…and also gifted *that* BTS family pic too🥺 (unframed) +
Namjoon was asked about the framed pic during his April 23, 2019 MoTS:P Album Behind VLive.
He said he didn’t know why he liked it so much, but that it was so cute - that they were all so cute…🥺🥺😭
And he keeps it, now next to ARMY, on his desk still+
3) Is a print of Yoshitomo Nara’s 2010 “Poindexter”. The print was done in 2011 as part of a charity postcard set after the 3.11 earthquake. In January 2019, when Joon twt’d a studio photo showing the print on his desk, the artist himself QT’d and explained it +
I think the original (?) was up for auction in June 2021, it was estimated to sell for $22,000-$32,000 🧐 +
So the painting above his desk is a Yun Hyong-Keun (idk the exact one). It also looks like it’s at least the 3rd Yun Hyong-Keun piece he owns. There was a different one in a pic from his home w Moni, and yet another diff one in the HYBE Insight 360 photo exhibit of BTS’ studios +
He’s one of Namjoon’s fave Korean artists, and is one of the most significant Korean artists of the 20th c. Joon’s visited lots of exhibitions (in Venice, NYC, in Korea) of his works over the yrs (he’s twted pics at several exhibitions & been reported to have attended others) +
It’s Yun Hyong-Keun’s paintings on the walls on the instastory video Joon posted of himself talking while at the museum in Texas +
As explained ⤵️, there was a joint exhibition with paintings by Yun Hyong-Keun at the Chinati Foundation
Rambling thoughts thread:
In the past, BTS’ albums were within narrative arcs, in trilogies and within a larger “Reflection of Youth” arc — all conveying their authentic personal stories through music and art. That big “narrative arc” (theoretically) ended w Map of the Soul and +
a “final” “finding of self”.
MOTS was (originally) meant to be a trilogy (persona, shadow & ego) but we got the masterpiece MOTS:7 instead of two separate (probably) EPs.
Now, BTS have mentioned “New Chapter” a lot (JK @ AMAs, Joon @ Variety, Joon @ PTD press con) and BHM too +
(At this point, I think we’re all more than half expecting the next album to actually be called “new chapter”🤪😂🤡)
But, interestingly, +
BTS’ 1st US TV performance was actually filmed March 2017 & they were rly worried bc the stage was tiny🥺In talks w the show BTS’ team said what mattered was what BTS wanted & BTS had to decide. BTS agreed to perform in the space but wld review, approve AND cld edit out anything+
So a couple things:
- Commonly spread info is that Nov 2017 AMAs were BTS’ US TV debut. *Technically* it wasn’t.
BTS filmed The Secret Show for JBTV in Chicago in Mar 2017 (it broadcast (only on a handful of stations) in June 2017). The 2017 AMAs *were* BTS’ US national TV debut+
- Was reminded of this often overlooked fact since the tl brought up ⤵️ pic bcoz of how much seating BTS has at the AMAs w “they’ll still squish together” & “ottoman on coffee table!” etc😂
- so the reason, at least for the ottoman, is bc they’d cleared space in the hotel room +
I was rereading Joon’s Nov 2020 BE Interview in WV mag to check something (else), but his answers here struck me again, especially in retrospect:
“I used to be attuned to speech and focus on language and auditory textures, but now I can look at my thoughts from many diff angles
+
“…I think [studying art] gave me an eye for looking at the world in one long, continuous stroke. So now it's become a little challenging for me to write lyrics these days. I've become more cautious…
I used to have so many ideas pouring out that it was hard to pluck one out…
+
“But now…l sense that the rhythm of my creativity is slowing down more & more. That's the source of my dilemma. I'm only 27…I still need to wander around & get tripped up a little…Or maybe BTS experienced so much in the past 7yrs, that now it's time for us to take a breather?”
[Thread]
“though I always tell myself that
I got better, stronger, to trust & believe in myself, I still end up collapsing & it's very difficult to do anything abt it…
+
Namjoon Fancafe 20160510 ltr after May 7/8 start of The Most Beautiful Moment in Life On Stage: Epilogue tour
“And I still feel afraid. A lot of you guys probably feel the same, right? There's nothing more terrifying than properly admitting that you are "afraid"…
+
Namjoon Fancafe 2016.05.10
“But now I've come to realize little by little that there are so many people standing by my side. I've thought over and over that from now on, I want to offer you my hand and help you up whenever you fall down…
+
Namjoon Fancafe 2016.05.10
This narrative is annoying & the number of likes tell me 21k people haven’t bothered to watch the full original content, but instead blindly believe out of context screenshots. Why? Because this fits whatever victimization story they’ve made up/been told?🙄🤦♀️
[Thread] to clarify+
The 1st draft of the House of ARMY script had Jin playing a cuckoo clock & deliveryman. He asked to also play a TV. Instead the skit was revised to also include banana & flower roles (no TV)
It was hilariously ridiculous and he and Jimin struggled to not laugh throughout filming+
One *could* take a screenshot of the editor caption saying “he’s embarrassed” to use out of context, to say he was “hurt” by how it was scripted. But that is hugely speculative and totally ignores all the other footage of him laughing & having fun while dressed as a silly banana+
I can almost understand how, if someone only started paying attention to BTS post 2018, they cld (v mistakenly) believe ARMY has always been big/powerful, or BTS had a powerful/big label. Those opinions & beliefs are from ppl who’ve never learned anything of BTS & ARMY history +
BTS have been careful since late 2017 of their influence and of thinking/referring to themselves as underdogs, but that doesn’t erase their/our history.
For example:
+
In early 2018, when discussing BTS’ lyrical use of the baepsae motif Yoongi said
“We’re very careful about calling ourselves baepsaes now. But the reality is that that’s where we started and that’s where our roots are.”
+