Fan Club Goodies

IF ANYTHING IS TAKEN OUT OF THIS SECTION, PLEASE CREDIT YGBB + (the7REAL.) theREAL.@YGBB FOR COMPILING THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION + Trivia. DO NOT COPY+PASTE INTO OTHER FORUMS/SITES WITHOUT PERMISSION. (mostly also because it is still under construction...)

F.A.Q. [under construction]

Q: Why are they named BIGBANG?
A: The term "Big Bang" is one that can literally describe the group itself. Big Bang is group that is like the real BIGBANG of the universe. The birth of this group is the attempt to break the stereotypical image and show a more unique and original performance. Derived from the "Big Bang Theory" - meaning a start with an explosive bang - the group works to 'change the stereotypical "Idol Star" market' of today. [source]

Q: What is the name of Big Bang's fanclub?
A: V.I.P. Big Bang took their popular slogan 'Big Bang is VIP' from their 2nd single and soon turned to use to call their fans VIP which is meant that Big Bang fans are their 'Very Important People'. Big Bang currently have an 'official' VIP Fanclub site and the only way you can join it is (1) if you attended the first Big Bang concert, "The Real" where fans were given specific codes to access the site. (2) Sometimes Big Bang's official fan cafe 'YGBIGBANG' will make an announcement when the fanclub is open to join again, but in the past you would need to send in the mounts (little cards) from the first 3 singles and first album to the address below and would have to provide a valid Korean Social Security number to join. Registrations for 2nd VIP was open from June-July 2007 and is now closed.

Q: Do they have an official balloon color?
A: NO. They do not have an official balloon color, mostly because all of the colors are taken. Instead, the official cheer item for Big Bang are the black and white BB hankerchiefs/bandanas. Not only can the hankerchief be used in replacement of a balloon color, it can also be worn for fashion.

Q: What happened to So-1?
A: Jang Hyun Seung, who is remembered fondly as SO-1 from the Big Bang documentary, lived and trained with Big Bang for 2 (and a half) years prior to their debut. In episode 9 of the Gom TV documentary show, both SO-1 and Seungri were dropped from the group. CEO YG's reason for eliminating Hyun Seung was because he was not particularly outstanding at one thing, but just did 'okay' with a little of everything.YG told the two boys that if they still wanted to continue training in YG Ent. they could use the practice room facilities to train on their own. He also told them that the possibilities of rejoining the group was less than 10%. In episode 10, YG allowed the two boys to go after the 10% chance in a final performance on August 1st. YG stated that he felt bad to have to been so straight forward with the boys, but in the position that he's in, he could be no other way. He felt that if he wasn't straight forward with them, the public will be, so he had no other choice but to make his decisions. When the day came for them to meet with YG, Hyun Seung said that no matter what the outcome would be, he would give it his best shot so he wouldn't have any regrets in the end. Seungri opened up and said that he was going to try and show a different side of himself - he wouldn't give up his confidence and he'd do his very best. On the 10th episode aired on the 13th of August, they performed in front of YG one last time for the chance to be in Big Bang. This was when Seungri returned back with Big Bang, while Hyun Seung was let go. YG felt that Hyun Seung needed more training, and so he was dropped from the group. It was said that Hyun Seung had nothing that stood out in particular (no star quality or that IT factor about him) Although he was just decent at singing and dancing, Hyun Seung did not really improve much while SeungRi improved tons for the last chance to remain in Big Bang. Hyung Seung was welcomed to use the practice room to continue is training in YG although after a few months, Hyun Seung quietly left the company and since then has been spotted dancing in the dance crew "Star System" for T.Max and modeling for Monster K (hair). We will miss him dearly and wish him well in his future endeavors. [source 1] + [source 2]





Q: Where can I send them gifts, fan mail?

KOREA:

A: 서울시 마포구 상수동 349-10 호성빌딩 4층 (주)YG 엔터테인먼트
우편번호 121-829

Seoul-si, Mapogu Sangsudong 349-10
Ho-sung building 4th floor
YG Entertainment
postal code 121-829
SEOUL, KOREA

[click here for other YG artist address + mailing tips]

JAPAN:
A: Spacia Ebisu Room 312, Higashi 3-6-22, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0011 Japan.

Q: Is GD's tattoo real?
A: YES. G-Dragon's tattoos 'vita dolce' and 'moderato' located on his inner arms are real. 'vita dolce' is Italian for "sweet life" and moderato "moderate" (but also used as a musical term). The tattoos seen in the Dirty Cash MV and in The Real DVD photobook were temporary tattoos known as 'henna'. G-Dragon's tattoos were done in May of 2007 at Carey Heart's (ex-husband of the U.S. artist, Pink) famous tattoo parlor "Hart & Huntington Tattoo Parlor" at Palms Casino located in Las Vegas. [source]
G-Dragon's tattoo on his back, "too fast to live too young to die" is also real.

Q: I talked to TOP on myspace! Do Big Bang have real myspaces?!
A: Simply, a big NO. There are many posers on Myspace who will do anything to make you believe they are real when they are not. Do not fall prey to these people who obviously have no lives. Big Bang are far too busy to be chatting with fans daily on Myspace and even then, and if you REALLY look at these Myspace pages, and know a lot about Big Bang then you would automatically detect how fake they are with every detail. These sites are harmful because they fool fans and provide inaccurate information. The only thing close to a personal friend network site Big Bang would have would be Korean cyworld sites and most of Big Bang's cyworlds they have closed down themselves or not in use. Please report any fake Big Bang myspaces that you happen to encounter because 100 reports = a myspace ban.

[read here for more info]

Q: Do Big Bang smoke?
A: We know through photos that TOP and GD smoke/smoked. There are no official articles/proof to indicate whether or not they have quit/still smoke/or if the others smoke. It is only TOP and GD that have been known to smoke.

Smoking is bad for the health, but is a personal choice and not a testament to an individual's character.

Q: Why do some people call TOP, "Tempo"?
A: Before entering into YG Entertainment, Big Bang's Choi Seung Hyun was an underground rapper that went by the name of "Tempo" and was still referred to Tempo in Big Bang's documentary on GomTV. When they officially debuted as a group, he was given the stage name 'T.O.P.' by fellow YG artist Se7en, meaning to 'be/go to the TOP of the music industry'. Although it is usually spelled 'T.O.P.' it is not a monogram for anything specific yet.

Q: What does Mangnae/Maknae mean?
A: Maknae stands for "Little" - as in the youngest of a group or a family, in Korean. Seung Ri is the youngest member of Big Bang and is often called this by his 'Hyungs' in Big Bang ('Hyung' meaning 'older male/brother figure in Korean). Fans will also sometimes refer to him as Mangnae/Maknae if they are older than him as well.

Q: Can Big Bang speak any other languages (Chinese, English, etc)?
A: In the documentary episodes it is mentioned that YG trainees are to choose between Chinese and Japanese to learn. G-Dragon can speak Chinese and Tae Yang can speak Japanese. English is one of most spoken languages around the world and Big Bang take in a cultural influence from the West. From their songs we hear them speak English, but this does not mean they are fluent. Among Big Bang--G-Dragon, Young Bae and TOP would know the most English but have limited English conversational skills and Daesung and Seung Ri with the least English skills. Because of their plans for debuting in Japan, all the members of Big Bang are currently beginner to intermediate level of Japanese, with exception of Tae Yang who is at advanced level.

Q: Does Big Bang write their own songs/produce any of their own music?
A: YES. Big Bang are very much involved with the making of their music, whether it be the writing, composition, arrangement or the producing of songs. Their credits to some of the songs they were involved in can be found in their single/album booklets with the info/credits. For their 2nd mini-album 'Hot Issue', five out of six songs were composed, written, and produced by G-Dragon.

Q: If TOP is the eldest in Big Bang, then why is G-Dragon the leader?
A: As seen in the documentary show, G-Dragon was chosen as leader of Big Bang for his outstanding all-around abilities as well as his seniority - he trained for 6-7 years in YG entertainment (with experience in the music industry before joining YG) while TOP trained for 2 (and a half) years. TOP still looks after the group as the older brother figure.

Q: What is an i-VIP?
A: I-VIP/i-VIP stands for International VIP (Overseas Big Bang fan). Some international fans created the term to use to refer to each other. It is not an official nickname, it's just another internet slang for Big Bang fans. It is not to be confused with separating International and Korean VIP as all Big Bang fans are 'one' and are VIP.

Q: What is fanservice?
A: Sometimes you may see members like G-Dragon touching other members or saying something in interviews that might make you question his sexuality. There are also jokes of G-Dragon and Seungri being the 'couple' of the group, but this is not the case. If you¡¯re unfamiliar with Asian cultures, touching is a sign of friendless, not necessarily a motive for romance. If you see people display physical contact that you wouldn't find as normal standards, then they are just doing it fun and displayed by celebrities it's most likely for fan service. What's fan service? It;s just something to do to please the fans. Despite the touching and skinship you might see between guys, Korea in general still have difficulties accepting homosexuality. This is could be equivalent to American standards (of course there's loopholes like doing it for publicity such as stars like Britney Spears & Madonna or t.A.T.u). Fans of Big Bang have created 'couple' names for certain pairings for fun such as G-Ri, JiRi (GD+SR), SunDae (TY+DS), ToDae (TOP+DS), BaeRi (TY+SR).

Please do not let this change your perception on Big Bang. Despite whatever they do, they are STILL Big Bang. Do not judge them harshly without thinking logically or giving them the benefit of a doubt. You do not have to agree what things they might do (whether it's fanservice or taking risks such as acting or US debut), but hopefully you can respect their decisions and continue to support them as a true fan.

credit: StarCrystal@Se7enthHeavenForums (edited for BB)

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THE RUMORS

RUMOR: Big Bang wrote, composed, and arranged the last two songs on the Kara debut album.

FALSE. YG's Big Bang did not have any involvement in the making of Kara's album. The Big Bang that is credited is another older group by the same name which falls into the catagory of k-rock.

RUMOR: G-Dragon's "This Love" is about GD's ex-girlfriend who's name starts with a "J" like in the song.

FALSE. "This Love" is a song based on G-Dragon's real experiences with a one-sided love with his friend "J". Even in the lyrics, it talks about how even his friends thought he was a fool for liking someone who didn't like him back. G-Dragon already cleared up the story on a radio show, that he and "J" were only friends but he had liked her for a long time even though she already had a boyfriend. Like in the song, G-Dragon eventually confessed his feelings to her, but she couldn't return his feelings because she didn't feel the same way and she had a boyfriend. He also said that they are still friends and that "J" and her boyfriend even attended one of Big Bang's concerts. Before the radio show, Korean netizens found out who the real "J" was and she had to shut down her Cyworld because fans were cursing and bashing her. Many artists write songs with a past love/unrequited love's name in it, but these fans went and researched who she was. So, the fact is that there is a friend of G-Dragon who exists - a girl with a name that starts with a "J" and whose birthday is September 19 - but she is not an ex-girlfriend. "This Love" is simply a story about G-Dragon's unrequited love.

***Because "J" was such a popular subject among fans who always would always ask around on who she was, Big Bang had a parody segment in "The Real" DVD where they 'revealed' that "J" stood for the Jinu of Jinusean.