Chapter 109
Chapter 109
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 110
Chapter Title: Jimi Hendrix
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Even in jazz, guitars are used, and in any modern band regardless of genre, guitars are included as session instruments. But if asked to name the music genre most closely associated with the guitar, most people would immediately pick rock.
In that sense...
"Uncle Jaehyuk."
-Yeah, Yeonwoo. What's up?
"Who's the greatest guitarist in history?"
-In our country? Or...
"In the world."
Yu Jaehyuk answered right away.
-Jimi Hendrix.
"Jimi... Hendrix?"
-No one greater.
"I see."
Yeonwoo hung up with Yu Jaehyuk and called Shuji Tatemura.
What answer would come from the man who left his mark on Japanese rock history?
-[Oh, Yeonwoo. What's my Yeonwoo need?]
"Grandpa Shuji, who do you think is the greatest guitarist?"
-[Hahaha, obviously me, Shuji Tatemura.]
"..."
-[Of course, joking. The greatest guitarist...]
After a brief moment of thought, Shuji gave his answer.
-[Has to be Jimi Hendrix.]
"Jimi Hendrix...!"
Yeonwoo hung up with Shuji and immediately searched his name.
Every wiki or blog introduction called him the greatest guitarist.
At this point, calling him the undisputed GOAT of the guitar wasn't an overstatement.
Yeonwoo stopped digging into his background and searched for Jimi Hendrix on YouTube.
He truly was great.
Even in old footage, the blue light emanating from him was so dazzling it hurt the eyes.
But Yeonwoo turned off the video before his fairy could appear.
"I'm... right-handed."
These days, guitars accommodating left-handers were common, but in Jimi Hendrix's era, dedicated left-handed guitars were rare.
Because of that, Jimi Hendrix played right-handed guitars upside down with his left hand.
It had a unique charm different from Wes Montgomery's thumb technique, but Yeonwoo didn't want his guitar to end up just mimicking one person.
He searched for other top guitarists on par with him, but unlike Jimi Hendrix, they were all still alive.
That meant he couldn't meet their fairies without encountering them in person.
"Still, as the greatest guitarist, there must be something to learn."
In the end, Yeonwoo turned back to Jimi Hendrix.
Thinking about it, he didn't need to copy everything. Just like he'd evolved from Grandma's piano to his own, he could learn and make it his own.
Plus, his searches showed Hendrix had immense influence on all modern rock genres, and his skill remained untouched, holding the top spot as the greatest guitarist even decades later.
Without even a ranking change.
No, putting any other top-ten guitarist in first place instead of Jimi Hendrix would get you labeled as someone who knows nothing about guitars, desecrating the instrument.
Yeonwoo began mesmerizedly searching for his videos again.
Jimi Hendrix's divine playing and overwhelming charisma started to captivate Yeonwoo.
No, he was already captivated.
Genius recognizes genius, they say?
Half a century after his death, everything he'd innovated had become relics of a bygone era, but Yeonwoo could recognize his genius.
As Yeonwoo dove deep into his videos, scouring every one, a blue light began to gather slowly.
Yeonwoo stopped the video and looked into the air.
"Huh?"
A spark crackled.
It was his first time like this, so startled Yeonwoo unwittingly pushed his chair back.
Amid that, the sparks intensified, then began faintly taking the shape of a fairy.
The fairy struggled to emerge from the sparks, grunting and wriggling.
"What's wrong?"
The fairy shrugged at Yeonwoo's question.
In the meantime, the fairy grew fainter, on the verge of vanishing.
Yeonwoo didn't know why, but he pondered how to help the fairy out.
He wanted to reach in and pull it free, but he couldn't muster the courage.
'Music.'
Thinking calmly, it was music.
Fairies were ultimately born from music.
Yeonwoo picked up the guitar beside him.
In a pinch, he played a song he'd composed using the familiar Wes Montgomery thumb technique.
The sparks weakened a bit, and the fairy's outline sharpened.
But no further progress.
Yeonwoo pondered, then recalled one of Jimi Hendrix's songs.
The song was already in his head. But unlike piano, he wasn't sure about playing it on his novice guitar.
No.
Since when did he worry about that?
Yeonwoo relaxed and played "Foxy Lady" from the Jimi Hendrix Experience using his most familiar technique.
As expected, it wasn't easy to follow Hendrix's playing with Wes Montgomery's thumb style.
No.
It was his own inexperience.
He tried flicking his thumb faster. He messed up more, but somehow the rock flavor came alive.
As Yeonwoo became entranced in his playing, the sparks began to fade.
And bursting through them, the fairy finally revealed itself.
A fairy with a mustache and afro hair looked at Yeonwoo and wagged his index finger side to side.
"What?"
Yeonwoo, who'd been playing strenuously, asked the fairy—Jimi Hendrix's avatar.
Jimi Hendrix's fairy silently pulled out a guitar.
A blue Stratocaster just like the one his master favored, and amps and effects pedals appeared around the fairy.
Without these, it wouldn't be a Jimi Hendrix stage.
With all three pieces of gear ready, Jimi Hendrix's avatar flipped the guitar upside down and began playing left-handed.
Ziiing.
The explosive sound kicked off the fairy's playing, captivating even Yeonwoo.
Amazingly, following his playing, a Red Fairy appeared too.
Just as Jimi Hendrix had shown in life that even noise and dissonance could be part of music, his avatar did the same, summoning the Red Fairy.
As Yeonwoo had learned from Yu Jaehyuk that Red Fairies could be part of music, Jimi Hendrix had realized it half a century earlier—and mastered incorporating it perfectly.
His avatar was showing Yeonwoo the same.
"Wow..."
Yeonwoo marveled at him.
"You're really amazing, huh?"
The fairy scratched his head at Yeonwoo's words after finishing.
"But you're shy unlike your looks?"
His real self had been extremely introverted when not indulging in booze or drugs.
This fairy, far from those vices, seemed to have inherited only his true personality.
Except when making music.
"Can you teach me guitar?"
Unaware, the excited Yeonwoo asked Jimi Hendrix's fairy.
The fairy nodded without hesitation.
Yeonwoo beamed at Jimi Hendrix's fairy.
* * *
While Yeonwoo immersed himself in guitar, Kim Beomsin's "Home" entered its 8th week on the Melboard Hot 100.
After climbing slightly to 6th last week, his appearance on the Edel Richie Show skyrocketed his recognition, landing at 3rd this week.
This made him the fourth Korean artist ever to enter the Melboard top 5.
Second for a male soloist, and the first for ballad genre.
Naturally, invitations poured in from the US.
Kim Beomsin didn't return to Korea after the Edel Richie Show, instead hitting performances.
He took any big stage calling, singing "Home," and Americans went wild for country music back in the Melboard upper ranks.
-A what does an Asian know about country?
-Black kids sing country, now even monkey asses are crooning country.
-Go back to your country you damn Asian.
Of course, not all reactions were positive.
Extreme racist hate comments or DMs came too.
Even without that, a minority of conservatives viewing country as America's exclusive domain slammed it as fake country.
But they were the minority; far more people raved over the Asian's take on country.
"Ugh, sick of eating nothing but bland, salty crap every day."
Fresh from a gig, Kim Beomsin sprawled on the sofa of his Airbnb—his US stay residence—acting cocky.
Park Sangchul, who'd followed him to America, looked at him pitifully.
"Didn't you have sundubu jjigae yesterday, hyung?"
"..."
"And the day before, you devoured samgyeopsal and kimchi jjigae."
"That was just dinner, you punk."
"What're you saying? You wanted LA galbi as late-night snack, so I marinated and grilled it myself—don't you remember?"
"...You bought pre-marinated ribs from the mart and hogged the credit."
Park Sangchul snorted and pointed to the kitchen.
"This place is in bumfuck nowhere—round trip to the Korean mart takes four hours?"
"You drive? The road manager does."
"All us staff, including me, are suffering like dogs. Got it?"
Kim Beomsin waved it off.
He knew Park Sangchul was right.
Just... after achieving the American dream here, he wanted to savor success.
So he booked extravagant Airbnbs for every stay.
This one was in Los Angeles.
A ridiculously pricey house on a high hill.
Renting the whole massive place cost a fortune—hundreds of billions in purchase price.
You know, like in movies: mansions with multiple huge pools, palace-like interiors packed with gym, theater, every amenity.
Extravagant for the company, but Kim Beomsin footed the bill himself on a whim to live large once.
He'd made bank in his youth and invested wisely.
Anyway.
"By the way, how's the new song Yuin made for me? Lyrics done?"
"Ellis is prepping it well and bringing it. Wants us to book a recording studio here in the US."
"Nice. Ah, you heard the guide track, right? What'd you think? Lame?"
Park Sangchul gave him an incredulous look.
"That song's lame? Why not just say a Melboard #1 track is trash?"
"Just messing. Sangchul, while we're at it, give Jiyeong the address—have her send top-grade hanwoo at least."
"Gonna pawn that off?"
Kim Beomsin shook his head.
"Gotta send something epic bundling 'Home' and this new banger. Songs are killer."
Park Sangchul might exaggerate, but Kim Beomsin was convinced.
Yuin's new song would outperform "Home" at minimum.