Kim Jong-seo: "The recklessness of being crazy about music made me who I am today"

Singer Kim Jong-seo reminisced about memories with colleagues who were part of the heyday of South Korea's rock music in the 90s. In a video released on the YouTube channel 'Hyun Jin-young GO, Wookha GO!', Kim Jong-seo met with Hyun Jin-young to share episodes from his past band activities and his philosophy on music.

"The recklessness of being crazy about music made me who I am today"

Kim Jong-seo recalled the days when he devoted himself to singing practice so intensely that his throat would bleed. He mentioned that the recklessness and passion of that time were the forces that made him who he is today. Saying he cannot think of himself without music, Kim Jong-seo explained his life of being immersed in music, such as listening to music and shouting all day long. He made remarks to the effect that he could exist as he is now because of that past recklessness.

Regarding his current life, he mentioned the romance of living in the countryside. Kim Jong-seo revealed that he has been spending his time busily growing green onions, peppers, and perilla leaves in his backyard recently. Contrary to his charismatic appearance on stage, he shared his daily life of spending time tending to his garden at home.

No. 1 on 90s music charts and the record of 'Winter Rain'

During the conversation with Hyun Jin-young, anecdotes from music ranking programs in the 90s emerged. Kim Jong-seo recalled the period in 1993 when he was active with songs such as 'Winter Rain' following 'You Who Do Not Answer'. In particular, he mentioned the situation when 'Winter Rain' gained great popularity and explained the musical influence that the song possessed.

Hyun Jin-young recalled the memory of when Kim Jong-seo took first place on ranking programs and mentioned the joking remarks Kim Jong-seo made to him. The two shared a pleasant atmosphere from the days when they competed for 1st and 2nd place regarding past music broadcast rankings.

Sinawe and Boohwal, the rivalry and behind-the-scenes stories of rock bands

Kim Jong-seo continued his stories about the teams that led the rock scene at the time, such as Sinawe and Boohwal. He mentioned that Sinawe was the team that planted the roots of Korean heavy metal and explained the pride among those who played rock music at the time. He also conveyed the historical background of an era when the skills of guitarists, including Shin Dae-chul, and the technical competition (guitar wars) among them were intense.

Realistic hardships during band activities were also mentioned. Kim Jong-seo revealed minor episodes among members, such as childish quarrels where band members would not yield to each other to occupy the middle seat when traveling in a passenger car.