Kim Jong-il (also written as Kim Jong Il, Korean: 김정일, Hanja: 金正日; born 16 February 1941) is the de facto leader of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (most commonly known as North Korea); the official leader of the country is still his long-deceased father Kim Il-sung, the founder of North Korea. He is the Chairman of the National Defense Commission, General Secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea, the ruling party since 1948, and the Supreme Commander of the Korean People’s Army, the fourth largest standing army in the world. In April 2009, North Korea’s constitution was amended and now implicitly refers to him as the “Supreme Leader”. He is also referred to as the “Dear Leader,” “our Father,” “the General”, and “Generalissimo.”
In his younger years, Il was less concerned with his father’s interest in fascism. He hadn’t the time for it with his push to achieve global rock stardom. The family business of dictatorship would have to wait.
Il formed a band called The Kim Jong Il Group, which featured him on lead guitar, Rod Stewart on vocals, Ronnie Wood on bass, Nicky Hopkins on piano, and a series of drummers, eventually settling on Micky Waller. During 1967 Pink Floyd wanted Il to become their guitarist after the departure of Syd Barrett but this never transpired. Nick Mason recalls in his autobiography that, “None of us had the nerve to ask him”.
Shortly after the release of the Kim Jong Il Group album the band was officially dissolved and Il’s management put out this statement:
“The fusion of the musical styles of the various members has been successful within the terms of individual musicians, but they didn’t feel it had led to the creation of a new musical style with the strength they had originally sought.”
In the years that followed, a pattern of failure and escalating hostility toward other artists, and the industry as a whole emerged.
“He just wasn’t very good,” says Barry Gibb of his 1973 audition for the BeeGees.
“With an ego like his, you’d think he could really play”, once quipped the late Gram Parsons. “You’d be dead wrong”
Right-wing rocker Ted Nugent reluctantly admits that Il’s failed audition for the Amboy Dukes resulted in one of the Nuge’s biggest numbers. Originally penned by Il as “Wang Dang Sweet Pyong Yang”, the tune would become a tail-chasing anthem throughout the Western world Il has come to loathe.
Perhaps the final straw was his failed audition as lead guitarist for metal giants SLAYER, losing the spot to Kerry King, a player notorious for wretched, sloppy, chromatic solos. Il packed up his gear and returned to North Korea (No Seoul there) to return to the family business.
And The Rest Is History™…
