Recently Grover Mannings notified me that Psy Gangnam Style video has surpassed Justin Beiber’s Baby video as the most viewed all time video on YouTube. I’m not a big fan of this guy, because it is poor dancing which adds to the stereotype of Asian-Americans. (even though this is like the biggest dance craze now)
So the other day I was checking out YouTube and found this audition of Jason Viet Tien’s audition for the UK X-Factor. He comes off a bit dorky, but cute and not overtly creepy. (not to mention a standing ovation audition)
Here is a fond memory of yesteryear of the man who started it all. William Hung
dickwatch2 
Dick I wouldn’t read into Psy’s dancing abilities too much: I actually think he’s poking fun at some Asian (more specifically, South Korean) dancing styles.
He also adds some elements of American hip-hop/dance. The sunglasses, outfit, showcasing of scantily clad women, party-all-night-lifestyle, professing a “style”, and spoken-word verses of the song are clearly a cultural mix of South Korean and American music.
Is Psy’s song a work of art? No, but neither is Justin Bieber’s “Baby”.
The brilliance of “Gangnam Style” is that it blends a little humor, a catchy rhythm, a familiar song format, and visual elements that both Korean/American/European/global audiences can comprehend. The image of Psy himself is jovial and entertaining, not overly serious or uniquely Asian. He could just as easily be some guy from California making a music video if we didn’t already know he was Korean.
Quite often, music and cultural mixing happen spontaneously. In the jazz world, Dizzy Gillespie discovered Cuba’s virtuoso trumpeter Arturo Sandoval practically by accident when Sandoval arranged to pickup Gillespie at Havana Airport during his Cuba visit. Later, Sandoval joined Gillespie on stage and jammed along on many jazz standards, blending Afro-Cuban sounds together. Bop met Latin America for (one of) the first times.
Psy has laid the groundwork for other Asian artists to venture out into Western Music. It wouldn’t surprise me if we see a couple other Korean, Chinese, or Japanese stars born in the coming years.
There’s a chance Psy’s song will be a one hit wonder, but it is definitely an important world acknowledgement of the East’s potential for creativity, music, and pop-culture contributions. Psy’s music made us laugh and move, and those things are valued by many diverse cultures around the globe.