Fashion & Online Radio: Interview with Showrunner of G1 Podcast

Fashion & Online Radio: Interview with Showrunner of G1 Podcast

Those of us living in Korea or outside of Korea now have the chance to tune into these wonderful stories from a local expat who’s been around the Korean block for the past five years. More or less DGal’s age in SoKo has been 5 crazy years!  This guy must have some unique and telling stories to tell, right?! I present George to you, the cool voice behind G1,a podcast released twice a month packaged in a neat radio-style show in English sharing #expat experiences and topical issues, as well as his in depth thoughts, opinions, discussions and point of view regarding extremely fun and controversial issues with an emphasis on K culture.  He’s hosted and reported for the following shows: Music2theMax, Moonlit Tracks, Koreascape and interviewed UFC champion Mauicio “Shogun’ Rua.  This individual character with his own brand of personality is an inspiring DistrictDude (Boys, like the name?) for his passion and style alone. Here’s what the podcaster had to say!

1. YOUR FULL NAME AND LOCATION.

George Prime Nguyen, Seoul currently, but born and raised in San Jose, California. People say I have a ‘west coast vibe’ but I’m not entirely sure what that means.

2. WHEN AND WHY DID YOU START A PODCAST? 

I started the podcast in November of 2014, after I left live radio (for a pre-recorded show) because I wanted to practice my presentation and stay sharp. At first, it was just a personal project; I had no idea what the hell I was doing, and the initial upload was just an emotional rant about dealing with passive aggressive racism. That’s about the time I really started tuning into other popular podcasts, and it opened my ears to what was possible. I realized no one else in Korea was doing the kind of storytelling/documentary style podcasts that I enjoyed listening to, so I adapted the concept to the Korean culture and my own personal style. I still keep that original embarrassing emotional rant online to remind myself how far I’ve come, and how far there still is to go.

3. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONAL STYLE? 

First and foremost, I live by the following rule: always dress well enough that someone wouldn’t hesitate to introduce you to their colleague or friend. I follow that rule by alternating between dress shirts and skinny ties, or fitted caps and v-necks.

4. WE THINK YOUR STYLE IS GREAT FOR THE BOYS, WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR FASHION INSPIRATION? 

When putting together an #ootd, I’m usually guided by how I want others to react to me. If I want to appear more inviting, I may choose neutral colors and pair them with regular fit clothes. If I want to leave an impression, I opt for more form-fitting shirts and pants that let you know I squat.

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5. WHAT KINDS OF STORIES ARE YOU HOPING TO REVEAL? 

With my podcast, the main priority has been, and always will be, to increase the dialogue and rhetoric surrounding controversial issues. I doubt I’ll solve world hunger overnight, but I think if we can make topics easier to discuss and raise awareness, we can at least recognize and respect opposing viewpoints, and perhaps find a way to be just a little more human. In particular, the episodes I’m most proud of have been the sex episode, ‘what keeps you here’, plastic surgery, and my two-part on the impoverished elderly. Yeah, diverse AF, right?

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6. HOW DO YOU BALANCE YOUR LIFE LIVING IN A FOREIGN COUNTRY WHERE THE LANGUAGE AND THE CULTURE ARE DIFFERENT? 

I learned the language (to an extent) and came at the culture with an open mind. That having been said, just because I understand, doesn’t mean I embrace. I come at stories with a perspective that reflects the culture I came from and the values I have come to cherish. Six and a half years into Korea, it hasn’t failed me yet.

7. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE STREET STYLES IN SEOUL?

Seoul street style is as diverse and adventurous as it gets. I tend to make safer fashion decisions than the college kids, but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t dye my hair teal and sport a vintage hockey jersey with black pencil-thin skinny jeans…If I thought I could get away with it.

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8. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT KPOP STYLES?

Most music related fashion gets increasingly…experimental…proportionate to the number of members in a group.  Seven members with extreme looks, sharp angles, and 17 colors in their hair, somehow is just more acceptable than one solo artist doing the same thing. Unless you’re Lady Gaga. But I suppose you need an aesthetic every bit as attention-grabbing as the music, right? 
 
The influence media exerts on trends in particular is a bit alarming to me. Skinny guys aren’t as in vogue as they were half a decade ago, but the impact can still be felt on what’s made available by mainstream clothing manufacturers. It means I have to frankenstein my own size: I’m an XL slim fit here in Korea….where I’m from, we just called that a ‘medium’. I’m not saying one is right or wrong, I’m just trying to find pants that fit my waist AND my thighs.

9. WHAT’S THE MOST EXCITING THING ABOUT RUNNING A PODCAST BASED IN SEOUL? 

Creation. Taking it from an idea I had while spacing out in front of the bus stop, to waking up in the middle of the night because I just had to jot down notes, laying down the outline, procuring the interviews, and asking people to cut me open with their stories. When it’s all said and done, there’s X minutes of audio that never existed before and it forces listeners to think and feel, reevaluate and criticize.

10. WHERE CAN PEOPLE GO TO LEARN MORE ABOUT YOU?

https://www.facebook.com/g1pdcst/ or www.g1pdcst.com or tweet at me, bro @g1pdcst

11. ALTHOUGH DGAL IS AT THE NOVICE STAGE OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP, ANY CHANCE READERS CAN TUNE IN ON AN EPISODE TOGETHER? 

DGal’s got the visual side covered, I’ll handle the audio. When the right story needs to be told, we’ll be ready.

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WEARING 

Tie & dress shirt: H&M  | Jacket: Member’s Only | Pants: Uniqlo | Shoes: Vans

Wonder about some other DistrictDudes? Dandy was a cool guy to interview, Click here!

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