This week, the K-Pop Dreaming team is bringing you a special episode from our friends at, “Shoes Off: A Sexy Asian Podcast” from the public radio station, WBEZ. It's a podcast that celebrates badass Asians who are making a mark on pop culture and entertainment. In this episode stand-up comic, Atsuko Okatsuka, is taking the world by storm with her first HBO special, The Intruder, and her viral Drop Challenge on TikTok. She talks about how she learned English by watching Scooby-Doo, what it means to be named Margaret Cho’s comedy heir, and how she took her mom and grandma everywhere — including to her honeymoon.

In a special live event in partnership between LAist Studios and GYOPO, Vivian delves into the origins of K-Pop with Michello Cho, a professor at University of Toronto, and Jheanelle Brown, a California Institute of the Arts faculty member. The conversation goes deep on the influence of hip hop on K-Pop's sound and dance, the impact of American imperialism on the music, and more. (originally published April 27, 2023) This episode features clips from these videos: Korean Kittens - What'd I Say: The Korean Kittens What'd I Say Girls’ Generation - Genie: Girls' Generation 소녀시대 '소원을 말해봐 (Genie)' MV (Start at 00:35) BTS - Intro Performance Trailer: BTS (방탄소년단) 가요대제전 Intro performance Trailer Seo Taiji & Boys - Anyhow Song: 서태지와 아이들(Seotaiji and Boys) - 하여가(Anyhow Song) M/V Yoon Mirae - Black Happiness: [MV] Yoonmirae(윤미래) _ Black Happiness(검은 행복) - Support K-pop Dreaming and other LAist Studios podcasts by donating now at LAist.com/join This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Save 10% off your first month at BetterHelp.com/Dreaming This episode is brought to you by your local Kia dealers. Visit kia.com to discover movement that inspires. This program is made possible in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.

Host Walter Thompson-Hernández returns home to L.A. and reflects on how much the city has changed since he was a child.

Walter was just eleven years old when he was admitted to L.A.'s infamous Scared Straight program for graffiti related crimes. In this episode, Walter, through a chance encounter, checks-in with his friend who went through the program with him, their anti-tagging arch-nemesis, and how they have turned out after all these years.