GFN Radio: Face2face – A Heart-to-Heart from GFN

Face2face

A Heart-to-Heart from GFN

As this radio program is in an interview format, I took the liberty of writing the article as an interview as well. — Arlo

Arlo, the Host: Please tell us about the show. Arlo, the Interviewee: Face2face is a one-hour talk show that airs at 7–8 p.m. on GFN every Sunday night. I am the host, which means that I interview the guests. The show has a great writer, Jang Mi-rang (장미랑), who writes insightful questions as well as books interesting people to come on the show. The show is produced by Kim Mi-young (김미영), who is GFN’s chief producer as well as the person who first hired me seven years ago! I was very excited to work with her again, as she was my producer for my first years at GFN.

Why is it named “face2face”?

The first and most obvious reason is that it is meant as a joke. Describing humor, Kant wrote, “Laughter is an affection arising from the sudden transformation of a strained expectation into nothing.” I think that perfectly describes my intention. Radio is by definition only audio and over distance. It is the opposite of face-to-face. This is the paradox.

Then there is the implied meaning of the phrase. If you tell someone you want to do something “face-to-face,” it has a serious connotation. It might be a date, it might be a breakup, or it might be a meeting with your boss. I think it also suggests authenticity, maybe because it has a parallel structure with “heart-to-heart.”

Finally, there is the pandemic. I miss seeing people’s faces, smiles on the street, and responses to my exaggerated expression when I am trying to make a joke. A lot of foreigners I know are quite homesick, and all of the Zooms and messengers in the world cannot make up for the feeling of being in a room with your family and friends. I think that a year and a half of mask-wearing and long-distance communication has left us all wishing for a little more face-to-face. This show is meant to make you feel closer, in distance as well as in empathy and understanding. Stylistically, I chose lowercase letters to make it less pretentious, and the number “2” is a transparent attempt to seem hip. Also, it is a play on the fact that the episodes are generally a conversation with two people: host and guest, though at times there are multiple guests.

Who do you interview? Are they mostly foreigners or Koreans?

The tagline for the show is “These are the great stories of ordinary people.” They are people from different walks of life and different countries, telling us their story of how they got here, what they are doing, and where they will go next.

We try to invite guests that are related to something topical in the news. Our first guest was the representative of the local Myanmar community who spoke about resistance to the coup. When there was news of changing tattoo laws in Korea, we invited a local tattoo artist.

Other guests come in because they are visiting Gwangju. Two students and a professor associated with the Critical Language Scholarship Program were recent guests. They are here for a short time for an intensive language program.

Gwangju is a city of art, and so we also try to have a lot of local content creators as well. Local musicians, YouTubers, puppeteers, and actors have appeared on the show.

Finally, some of our guests are people who we think have an interesting story to tell. It could be because of their interesting work, such as a funeral director or a veterinarian. Or it may be that they are involved with something important, like domestic adoption or environmental preservation.

www.gwangjunewsgic.com

What do listeners get from the show?

Like any of GFN’s programming, we are serving two

different groups of listeners. Of course, anyone can listen to enjoy our entertaining and informative programming, but some listeners are also listening to improve their language ability. This program offers some candid conversation with guests for whom English may be a first or second language. In either case, it is a great opportunity to pick up natural speaking patterns. Diverse guests with different cultural backgrounds offer diverse perspectives and experiences that all listeners can benefit from learning about.

Sometimes I hope a guest can really change some minds. For example, a group of guests who had adopted children domestically may have given some listeners a completely new perspective of something that has been traditionally stigmatized in this society. A Korean high school student who studied in schools in four different countries offered words of inspiration to students and teachers, as well as contrasting education and learning styles.

Also, I think foreigners living here in Korea can definitely benefit from interviews with Korean guests. Whether it was a professor giving advice about learning the Korean language, or a Korean veterinarian giving tips on raising pets here, there is plenty of informative content that can help expats learn and adjust.

What do you enjoy about this job?

I think it is a lot of fun to interview people. I do not like small talk. I would prefer to learn something interesting about someone. The truth is that most people enjoy talking about themselves, so with a little coaxing, the shyness of being in the studio melts away, and it becomes a natural dialogue. The longer format of the show gives a chance to break the ice as well as an opportunity to get into more depth with the interview subject.

Are there any changes to the show format for its second season?

Starting this fall, we are hoping to book more interviews with people outside of the city. Of course, we would like to have guests that offer our listeners a special opportunity to learn about something new. The pandemic has made this kind of thing more difficult, but hopefully as the country opens back up, we will have more opportunities for high-profile guests.

How can listeners get involved?

First and foremost, by listening! Also, if someone is interested in coming on the show or knows someone who would be a great guest, they can contact us through social media or personally. This is community radio, so it is important to have that kind of direct engagement, face-to-face.

Photographs courtesy of Arlo Matisz.

The Host

Arlo Matisz is an economics professor and the host of GFN’s face2face. He is big-headed and big-hearted.

From Top: Dr. Kim Eun Kyung, a veterinarian; Funeral Director Choi Giwon; Arlo, the host; Myonayzar, a representative of Myanmar in Gwangju.

Top of The Drop

By Daniel J. Springer

If you are a lover of music, especially of new releases, keep ahead of the curve with Top of the Drop. Each month, Daniel Springer, “Danno,” picks his favorite newly released tunes and gives a heads-up on upcoming albums and EPs that you might want to keep on your radar. — Ed.

Joan As Police Woman (feat. Tony Allen & Dave Okumu) – “Take Me To Your Leader”

For those unfamiliar, Joan Wasser is a long-time (read: since the 90’s) veteran singer-songwriter who has released under the Joan As Police Woman moniker since 2004. This is the lead single to her upcoming album, due out in early November. If this is any indication of the quality within, this is going to be a superlative record. Accompanied by the late father of afrobeat Tony Allen and The Invisible’s Dave Okumu, this is a restive, choppy, borderline jarring piece held together with a deep baritone piano line and the smooth vocals of Joan and company. The Solution Is Restless, Joan As Police Woman’s ninth career LP, drops November 5.

Silk Sonic – “Skate”

After the release of “Leave the Door Open,” the ultrasensual soul-dipped initial single to Anderson. Paak and Bruno Mars’s upcoming album An Evening with Silk Sonic, it was rather hard to conceive how they could possibly come close let alone best that perfection. Well, no worries there as the second single “Skate” is another retro soul dance gem that is absolutely pitch perfect on the production side. For those who are more optically oriented, the video is a street-level rollerskating afro-puffed rainbow of a visual that is just as good.

Alice Russell – Heartbreaker (Sefi Zisling Remake)

One of the best soul singers in the UK is back with a deluxe edition reissue of To Dust, which is her 2013 introduction to the world for most fans out there. This tune sees a jazz-centric version with a good bit more than a hint of afrobeat tossed in from Tel Aviv-based veteran producer and multiinstrumentalist Sefi Zisling.

Khruangbin – “First Class” (Soul in the Horn Remix)

The band that says they are from Houston, Texas just for cover of their true intergalactic heritage here on earth are back with one of the best collab remix albums of the past couple of years. While this remix album has become a huge phenomenon for major artists like Khruangbin over the past couple of years, this remix LP of 2020’s Mordechai is set apart by not only having some great known names like Quantic and Soul Clap on there, but also giving true underground DJ’s and producers like NYC’s Natasha Diggs and Chicago vet Ron Trent a shot in the major limelight. Mordechai Remixes is available everywhere now.

Nemo Cee – “Sunday Afternoon”

This is the opening tune to the artist’s three track EP called simply A. Born in Tijuana, Nemo has bounced between Mexico and California during his life and is now based in Oaxaca. While he may not have a huge profile by any stretch, the beats as evidenced here are almost as righteous as his political side, which he puts right in his bio.

IDER – “cbb to b sad”

One of our tunes of the week for August, this is a lovely lamentation on the dishonesties that occur internally between couples on an everyday basis, which the London femme duo call “the ick.” Explaining further, they state, “It’s a confession to staying in a relationship that you know isn’t right for you because you

don’t want to deal with the inevitable sadness that comes with ending it.” IDER’s sophomore LP shame dropped August 6 and is a very quality listen front-to-back.

MF Robots – “Brand New Day”

You might get thrown off by the “MF” in the moniker, but it only means “Music For,” ya dig? This is the new project founded by Brand New Heavies originator Jan Kincaid and former band vocalist Dawn Joseph. “Brand New Day” is the lead single to their upcoming Break The Wall LP, which drops November 26, so definitely do mark it.

PawPaw Rod – “Thin Lines”

PawPaw Rod is Rodney Hulsey, a singer and rapper hailing from Oklahoma City, who blends ’60s soul with the cadence of hip hop — like a woozier Bill Withers or Gil ScottHeron. A PawPaw Rod EP is out September 17 on Godmode, which is the label behind Channel Tres, Yaeji, and JPEGMafia amongst others.

Alanna Royale – “Fall In Love Again”

This is part of an as-yet unsigned LP that is getting majorly touted by everybody who’s heard it in full. Nonetheless, this single was dropped in July by Colemine Records and, like the rest of the album, was produced by Monophonics maestro Kelly Finnigan. The artist herself hails from Boston and is now based in Nashville, hitting the road on the West Coast leg of the delayed-due-to-Covid Monophonics “It’s Only Us” tour, which kicks off in September.

Bicurious – “Palapalapa”

For those of you unitiated, this is an absolutely thrashing two piece band out of Ireland that first came to our attention in 2019 with the release of “I Don’t Do Drugs, I Just Sweat A Lot,” which was a smashing epic of metal, jam rock, and just general cheekiness. Now comes the band’s debut LP (re) constructed, which dropped July 30 and has nine songs that clock in at a hefty, shape-shifting 46 minutes and change.

Paul & The Tall Trees with Adrian Quesada – “Love Doesn’t Need To Be Heavy”

as of August 6 with their latest EP, I Understand. While obviously not as long as 2019’s So Long fulllength, this one is also stylistically different, with an even more pensive and pausing approach to the arrangements punched in by Paul’s own sensical pleadings and explanations to facilitate a far better life and world.

August Releases

Jungle – Loving In Stereo (August 13) Davendra Banhart and Noah Georgeson – Refuge (August 13) Junior Mesa – Cirque du Freak (August 13) Lorde – Solar Power (August 20) Villagers – Fever Dreams (August 20) Big Red Machine – How Long Do You Think It’s Gonna Last (August 27) Chvrches – Screen Violence (August 27) Steve Gunn – Other You (August 27)

Watch Out for These

Little Simz – Sometimes I Might Be Introvert (September 3) LANY – gg bb xx (September 3) Manic Street Preachers – The Ultra Vivid Lament (September 3) Amyl and the Sniffers – Comfort To Me (September 10) James Blake – Friends That Break Your Heart (September 10) Park Hye Jin – Before I Die (September 10) The Vaccines – Back In Love City (September 10) Jose Gonzalez – Local Valley (September 17) Brittany Howard – Jaime Reimagined (September 24) Poppy – Flux (September 24)

The Author

Daniel J. Springer (aka “Danno”) is the creator, host, writer, editor, and producer of The Drop with Danno, broadcasting nightly on GFN 98.7 FM in Gwangju and 93.7 FM in Yeosu between 8 and 10 p.m. Prior to this, he was a contributor to several shows on TBS eFM in Seoul, along with being the creator and cohost of Spacious and White Label Radio on WNUR in Chicago. You can find “The Damyang Drop,” his monthly collaborative playlist with The Damyang House, on YouTube and Spotify. @gfnthedrop