Welcome
And a little bit of K-pop
Welcome to Human | Nature
I’m launching this Substack as a way to stay in touch with old friends and build new ones. I’ve been thinking a lot about the world today and our relationship with ourselves, others and the planet. It’s a broad scope and covers a lot of ground so posts will be about a variety of topics.
I plan to drop a new essay every week, discussing everything from self care, science and nature, technology, food, capitalism and modern society. And anything else I feel like. The reality of nature is interconnectedness, so everything is connected.
As I enter this next chapter as an MSW Student in Philadelphia after more than three decades in New York City, today’s topic sits firmly in a world I spent most of my last chapter obsessing over: Pop Culture. I hope you enjoy and share with others if you feel so moved.
A Million Pieces
I Broke into a Million Pieces and I Can’t Go Back
But Now I’m Seeing All the Beauty in the Broken Glass
The Scars are Part of Me, Darkness and Harmony
My Voice Without the Lies: This is What It Sounds Like
-Huntr/x
In June, Netflix quietly released an animated movie called K-pop Demon Hunters. As someone who grew up on Disney films, I’ve always appreciated a good animated movie, so over a lazy Fourth of July weekend, I gave it a go and… I haven’t been able to get the songs out of my head ever since. They follow me everywhere—when I wake up, when I’m walking down the street, when I’m trying to sleep. They’ve taken hold of my brain in a way no soundtrack has probably since Hamilton.
For the uninitiated, K-Pop Demon Hunters is about a K-pop girl group called Huntr/x who keep the demons at bay with their songs (in the mythology of the film, the band follows a long tradition of girl groups who have been demon hunters for centuries) until a demon boy band named Saja Boys hits the scene to steal the fans away and therefore break the honmoon barrier between the demon world and humanity and finally let the demons walk the earth and steal human souls. I won’t spoil the film but needless to say, EVERY SINGLE SONG in this movie is a banger.
I’ve listened to the soundtrack and rewatched the movie more than once. I wake up with snippets of the songs running through my head and I need to understand: why? I’m a middle-aged white guy with limited knowledge of K-pop—some Blackpink, some BTS, and now, thanks to this movie, Twice. Why have these songs had a stranglehold on my subconscious for the better part of the summer?
But it’s not just me. My social media feeds are full of people obsessing over the movie and its songs. Huntr/x and the Saja Boys currently hold four of the top ten spots on the Billboard Hot 100. “Golden” reached number one in the U.S., making Huntr/x the first girl group since Destiny’s Child in 2001 to top the chart! Netflix has leaned into the frenzy with worldwide sing-along screenings which were number one at the box office last weekend, and Sony has submitted “Golden” for Oscar consideration. Something in this movie and these songs has touched a nerve that speaks to our current moment.
It's not just the catchy hooks and nasty beats, or the killer vocals by EJAE, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami. The lyrics in the songs are better than they have any right to be. The film feels like a 90-minute animated therapy session. Just by reading the lyrics above you’ll see, it is ultimately about facing your shame and learning to accept and integrate it into yourself. It is a film about healing, and I think in the Summer of 2025 as we watch concentration camps being built in the United States, the widening gap of income inequality, the dehumanization of immigrants, our cities under military occupation, war raging on in Europe and the genocide of Gaza—among so many other massive worldwide battles, people are yearning for healing. I certainly am.
As some of you may know, I recently left New York City after more than thirty years and moved to Philadelphia to pursue a Master of Social Work at Temple University. This was not a decision I came to lightly (or quickly). After nearly 20 years of work, my show But I’m a Cheerleader: The Musical finally opened in London in 2022 to rave reviews and a very loyal fanbase. But when it fell apart once again, I realized the entertainment industry—filled with exciting people and false promises—was not going to save me. It can barely save itself as it finds itself in competition with the world-devouring tech industry.
This lyric hit me hard because I too have felt broken into a million pieces — professionally, creatively, personally. I’ve had nearly 30 years of professional experience as a writer, producer, performer, publicist, film festival programmer, executive assistant, consultant, customer service rep, event producer and project manager. My resume made little sense to the naked eye (and certainly couldn’t make it past the job-hiring algorithms to a new career) and I wasn’t sure who I was after everything.
After more than a year of depression and soul-searching, I came to the conclusion that the only constant in a world that is changing at this breakneck speed is people; and people need help. Governments, industry, markets don’t care about us (if they ever did) but maybe I can do my small part to affect some change. If only I can get these damn songs out of my head.
Involuntary Musical Imagery (INMI) or as they’re more commonly known, “Earworms,” are very common, studies say they are experienced by up to 98% of people. Usually, they are just catchy hooks played on repeat in our head for a while, but often they stick because they engage with some existing memory or emotional charge in our mind.
I think for me, “What it Sounds Like”, is a reminder of this journey I’m on, stepping into my next chapter and doing something completely new. The experience of Cheerleader broke me into a million pieces, but when I look back at all the incredible things I have done over the decades—all the random jobs and beautiful people I’ve met—the scars do become a harmony and I can clearly see the path that I have been on all along.
I spend a lot of time thinking about the natural world, and how its patterns can mirror our own healing. This is the lens I call “Human | Nature.” In the natural world, darkness is necessary for ecological harmony. The bottom layer of a forest, the shaded understory is where fungi and mosses thrive, where life decomposes and creates nutrients for new growth. Without the shadowed layer, the forest ecosystem collapses. In the ocean, coral reefs are built from countless broken and dead coral skeletons, layered and layered until they create a vibrant ecosystem, teeming with life. Nature heals around scars and becomes stronger. We see this in a tree as much as our own bodies.
Maybe it shouldn’t be such a surprise that K-pop Demon Hunters has become a viral hit. At its best, pop culture serves the same role mythology or religion once did: a shared story we gather around, a ritual we return to, songs that function like hymns. Huntr/x isn’t just a fictional girl group; they’re leading a worldwide digital congregation, giving voice to what so many of us are feeling right now.
“I’m done hiding / Now I’m shining / Like I’m born to be.”
That pre-chorus from “Golden” is more than a hook, it’s a call to arms. In a fractured world filled with scars, wars, and demons both literal and systemic, maybe our first act of resistance is to embrace those scars and step fully into the light.
In that sense, Netflix’s “surprise” hit isn’t surprising at all. The world was in need of a story that reminded us that brokenness can be beautiful, that scars can harmonize, and that our voices, without lies, might just be all we need to keep the demons at bay.