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May 20, 2005
Japan or Japan?
sorry for the late post, dudes. my mom has this weird rule about no 'nettin' until after supper.
So, there was supposedly a band called Japan in the 70s! and they were like totally unkown outside of Japan even though they were British. How ironical.
Here's a link to their Wikipedia page.
Check out the TOTALLY AWESOME cover art above. you could not fake the funk on the awesomeness. (no, I did NOT photoshop them.)
So, Japanese stuff is like really really popular in my town right now. Like you go to to Blockbuster and it has like 100 anime tapes, and most of them are checked out.
Plus, there's this girl at my school who was like, "I really like Puffy Amiyumi," (the TV show) and so I stayed up all night DLing mp3s from Soulseek and made her this sweet mix cd with a bunch of Japan-only trakcs. (She listens to it all the time, and I don't get one thank you!)
I'm totally seeing Star Wars tomorrow night. (Craig says its so "f*ckin' awesome" and that's a quote.) Lucas rips off Japanese stuff so hardcore. The word "jedi" comes from the Japanese word "jidai" (I forget what it means) and Han Solo was a samurai name.
Posted by lance (guest editor) at May 20, 2005 11:12 AM
Comments
Japan was my favourite band when I was in my low/mid teens. I was well obsessed with them. They *were* known outside of Japan but were initially considered New York Dolls also-rans (Sylvian was a stage name that came from Sylvain Sylvain) and later Bowie/Roxy Music also-rans. Duran Duran cited Japan as an early influence, though. Japan had moderate success in the UK, with their highest charting single, "Ghosts", going in at #5.
It actually wasn't until their third album (Quiet Life) that the band Japan become linked with the country Japan. Giorgio Moroder produced popular discoesque single "Life in Tokyo", based on Sylvian's observances here. They sold out the Budokan and became idols here with groupies to match. At the time Sylvian formed a friendship with Ryuichi Sakamoto later resulting in "Bamboo Houses" -- they still collaborate to this day.
NME just published a special issue all about the new romantic period, and Japan figures prominently.
Momus would be about the right age to have grown up with them. Any opinions?
Great fan site.
Posted by: jasong at May 20, 2005 3:51 PM
I bought Japan's Tin Drum album "for my sister", ahem.
But "Forbidden Bamboo Houses" or whatever it was called, oh yes, "Forbidden Colours", his collaboration with Sakamoto, really sold me and by the time Sylvian went solo and released "Brilliant Trees" I was a big fan, and I'd say his solo records have been quite an influence on my own work. I like how he basically writes his lyrics by piecing together references to quality stuff in the work of other artists: it's very Japanese, that. And very, ahem, postmodern.
Hey, "Lance"!
Posted by: Momus at May 20, 2005 7:38 PM