supreme nothing

Supreme Nothing's 1/2 Hour of Power, Episode 19: Chill

2011-08-22T00:13:00.002-04:00

The new podcast is something different. What do you call it? Japanese Post-Rock? Ambient Space Musik?

At it's heart, the theme is to chill out. It's quiet and evocative. It's melancholy but not at all depressing. It's the downtempo soundtrack for the early morning.

Enjoy... and chill.

Listen to episode 19 Here!

Supreme Nothing's 1/2 Hour Of Power! Episode 18: SUMMER SPECIAL!

2011-07-31T23:45:00.006-04:00

Happy summer everybody! The new episode of the 1/2 Hour is here to provide your soundtrack to the season! Play it your car, at the beach, in the shower, and enjoy these long sweet days of fun and sun....

Give it a listen right here!

Supreme Nothing's 1/2 Hour Of Power: Episode 17!

2011-06-14T22:24:00.001-04:00

Here we go! Episode 17 is here and ready make friends! It's a doozy, with some jazzy punk, old-school country, indie-pop, delightful music from Singapore, classic rocksteady reggae, Japanese folk-psychedelica and more!

Go listen to the goodness right here!

In this episode:

Seagull Screaming Kiss Her Kiss Her

Slim Gaillard

Supreme Nothing's 1/2 Hour Of Power: Episode 16!

2011-05-10T23:10:00.000-04:00

It's on! The 16th installment of the Half Hour of Power is here is here to rock your world and change your life!

Sit back and enjoy some punk-rock, Japanese hip-hop, Cambodian garage rock, cha-cha-chas, noise-core, Bulgarian chants and more!

Give it a listen right HERE!

In The Mood For Love, A Film By Wong Kar-wai

2011-04-18T22:52:00.004-04:00

I've been a huge fan of Wong Kar-wai's brilliant work ever since I saw his landmark film, Chungking Express a few years ago. I felt as though my eyes had been peeled wide open as I stared at every frame of that amazing movie.

And while Chungking Express impressed me with it's gritty style and expressive color palette, it wasn't until I saw his film In The Mood For Love (花樣年華) that I realized what a true master the man is. This is simply the most lushly gorgeous and beautifully melancholic movie I've ever seen. Every time I re-watch it, I find myself swept away....

Maggie Cheung is always stunning in everything she does, and in this film she shines at her brightest. She has an incredible grace and poise that you simply can't turn away from.

Tony Leung Chiu-Wai has always been a major presence in Chinese cinema, and his restrained acting (intensifying the conflicted feelings of his character inside) in this movie stands among his very best work.

The sets are top-notch, with beautiful colors and details that take you to 1960's Hong Kong.

And then there's the inspring wardrobe. Maggie's amazing traditional dresses are a character in their own right, and I'd love to have a couple of Tony Leung's classic vintage ties from this film.

In The Mood For Love is easily one my very favorite movies, and rightfully stands as one of the very best films of the 21st century. I can't possibly recommend it enough.....

Supreme Nothing's 1/2 Hour Of Power: Episode 15!

2011-04-10T19:12:00.004-04:00

The stars must have aligned as this podcast was being assembled, because without really trying, this unassuming half-hour as turned out to be one of our personal favorite episodes!

In this episode you get some classic 90's rock, funky television themes, Japanese power-punk, pulpy surf-music, Bollywood jams and lushly beautiful pop waiting to entice your ear drums!

You can listen to the streaming version HERE!

Or get the direct download HERE!

Supreme Nothing's 1/2 Hour Of Power: Episode 14

2011-03-23T22:26:00.006-04:00

Once again it's time for another podcast, but this time we thought we'd do something a little different...

It should be no secret to anyone who visits this blog that we love Japan. Love love love it. The Japanese have graced us with some of the world's most beautiful art and culture. Their visual art, film, philosophy and their music paint an enduring portrait of the gifts they've given us. It seems right that this podcast should be for them.

This half hour is composed of entirely Japanese music, from gorgeous Enka to Punk Rock, from sweet Ballads to quirky Pop. Please enjoy this episode and hold your glass high towards our friends in the East. (And maybe give them a helping hand as well)

Download the Episode 14 Podcast Here!

Listen to the Streaming Version Here!

Supreme Nothing's 1/2 Hour Of Power: Episode 13!

2011-02-22T20:55:00.004-05:00

Episode 13 is anything but unlucky! The Half Hour returns once again to make life a little louder and a little more danceable. Rejoice, renew, and freak out!

This time we're offering up some punk-rock-funk, lush and lovely enka music, full-tilt and hard-drinking garage rock, dazzling group-sounds, surf-music from Singapore, bitter blues-rock and much more! Can you dig it? Yeah, we knew you could...

Download the hi-fi extra-visual podcast here!

Or listen to the low-fi streaming version here!

Gang of Four...

Azusa Michiyo...

And hey, have you seen the supreme nothing facebook page?

Supreme Nothing's 1/2 Hour Of Power: Episode 12!

2011-01-16T12:07:00.006-05:00

Here it is, episode 12 of the Half Hour Of Power! Why, that's like a whole year's worth!

This time you get some delicious pop music, French fuzz-rock, Japanese Indie, Beatnik spoken-word, groovy instrumentals, Korean psyche-folk, 70's "Muscle-Rock" and whole lot more! Dig in!

Download the audio/visual version of the show right here!

Or listen to the lo-fi stream version here!

More neato exclusive goodness can be found at the supreme nothing facebook page!

Supreme Nothing's 1/2 Hour of Power: Episode ELEVEN!

2010-12-13T23:40:00.003-05:00

"Do you know how many time zones there are in Soviet Union? Eleven."

That's right, it's time for another episode of the Supreme Nothing podcast! In this episode, we've got crunchy J-Rock, evocative Exotica, Bollywood hippie-funk, Honky-Tonk, lovely Enka music, North Korean pop, and much more waiting to warm you on a cold December night!

Here's the swingin' set list...

The Phi-Mu Washboard Band - Love Hurts (more here!)
GO!GO!7188 - C7 (on iTunes!) (cdJapan)
The Blue Shadows - La Cumparsita
Asha Bhosie - Dum Maro Dum (on iTunes!)
Stonewall Jackson - I Washed My Hands In Muddy Water (iTunes) (Amazon)
Ayumi Ishida - Blue Light Yokohama (cdJapan)
The Jankowski Singers - Light My Fire
The Panchonbo Electronic Ensemble - Reunification Rainbow
The Flirtations - Christmas Time Is Here (Again) (iTunes) (Amazon)

Download the awesomeness HERE!

Thanks and enjoy!

NEW! Join the Supreme Nothing Facebook page! More cool stuff and maybe even some exclusives!

Note: The purpose of Supreme Nothing's 1/2 Hour Of Power is to share music that deserves to be heard. We encourage you to support the artists behind the music you love. There is no profit to be made from this podcast, and no commissions are being received by the links provided to purchase music.

Supreme Nothing's 1/2 Hour of Power: Episode TEN!

2010-11-16T21:28:00.002-05:00

Hey, TEN episodes, that's some sort of milestone, right? The Half Hour returns with another liberating and highly fulfilling episode of audio oddities and assorted treasures!

This time we've got Japanese Spazz-core, lovely Brit-pop, heavenly Bossa Nova, French torch-songs, Gothic Country, and much, much more, including a reveal of a guilty pleasure that I've kept quiet for too long...

Download this audio adventure

right here!

Tracklist:

Qomolangma Tomato - In Your Reality (Buy It!)
Sandie Shaw - Long Live Love ( iTunes )
Vals Dan Folke Mart Fryburg - Haar Harmonikassen (Thanks to Splogman!)
The Milkees - Breakaway (Myspace)
Antonio Carlos Jobim - Samba de Uma Nota So (One Note Samba) (iTunes & Amazon)
Moira - Si Tu Dois Me Quitter
Lightning Beat Man - Wild Baby Wow (Official Website)
Perfume - Baby Cruising Love (CD Japan)
Tarnation - It's Not Easy (iTunes )

Qomolangma Tomato...

Sandie Shaw...

Enjoy the music, and thanks for listening!

Supreme Nothing's 1/2 Hour of Power: Episode Nine - Halloween Special!

2010-10-17T19:37:00.003-04:00

BOO! The Half Hour returns just in time for Halloween enjoyment! For the month of October, we've got terrifying dirges, undead hits, and delightfully monstrous ditties that will tingle you spine and keep you up all night!

Here's the playlist:

Milton Delugg - Theme From The Munsters
The Damned - Grimly Fiendish (iTunes) (Amazon)
Swingin' Neckbreakers - No Costume, No Candy (Amazon)
Gene Moss - I Want To Bite Your Hand
Shonen Knife - Devil House (Recorded live, 1997) (SK on iTunes)
Roy Clark - Spooky Movies (Roy on iTunes)
Roky Erickson - The Creature With The Atom Brain (Amazon)
Vic Mizzy - Morticia's Theme
Ruth White - Spleen

You can download the terror

right HERE!

Note: The purpose of Supreme Nothing's 1/2 Hour Of Power is to share music that deserves to be heard. We encourage you to support the artists behind the music you love. There is no profit to be made from this podcast, and no commissions are being received by the links provided to purchase music.

Furthermore, we will not be held responsible for any heart conditions caused by this podcast. If you are easily frighted, this episode may be too much for you to bear. You've been warned!!!

Supreme Nothing's 1/2 Hour of Power: Episode EIGHT!

2010-10-01T23:18:00.000-04:00

Yes, yes, it's just a little bit late, but here at the Supreme Nothing compound, we will release no podcast before it's time. Episode eight of this series of audio exploration is waiting to take you away to a magical place for the next thirty minutes and 18 seconds....

Here's the score...

Wiskey Biscuit - A Shot In The Dark
Cub - My Chinchilla (You can get this from iTunes!)
Scott Walker - Best Of Both Worlds (iTunes) (Amazon)
DMBQ - She Walks (iTunes) (Amazon)
Marie Laforêt - Es Si Je T'aime (iTunes)
Lambert, Hendricks, & Ross - Twisted (iTunes) (Amazon)
Paranmaum - Aoi Kokoro
Sugar Plant - Behind The Door (iTunes)
Kenneth Patchen - The Murder Of Two Men By A Young Kid Wearing Lemon Colored Gloves (iTunes)

Download the podcast
right here!

A video from the great band Cub, who sadly aren't around anymore...

And here's DMBQ in action!

Thanks, and enjoy the show!

Shonen Knife at the Rock n' Roll Hotel, Washington, DC 2010

2010-09-28T12:35:00.003-04:00

Okay look, I know it was a Sunday night and it was raining, but if you didn't make it out to Shonen Knife's September 26th show at the Rock n' Roll Hotel in Washington DC, you really missed out on something special. Shonen Knife demonstrated once again that they love doing what they do best, and they never do it half-way.

The ladies from Osaka got up on stage around 11pm and got to work right away
with their set, blazing through classics like "Twist Barbie" and "Banana Chips" that sounded as fresh now as they did when they were first recorded. Songs from their two most recent albums, "Supergroup" and "Free Time" , like the already classic "BBQ Party" and the ode to the giant cuddly rodent called a "Capybara" were just as endearing and fun to hear, The crowd was oddly a bit shy at the beginning of the show, but it wasn't long at all before everyone started getting into the spirit of this epic rock n' roll moment, and before long the entire room was screaming and cheering as they danced to the Knife's infectious tunes with abandon.

Shonen Knife founder Naoko was in great form, and clearly was enjoying herself as she played to the crowd and led the band through early material and new anthems as well. She displayed her well-known rapport with the crowd that made the show feel like a gathering of friends more so than just a superstar rock concert. Her good spirits were magnified by bass player Ritsuko, who lit up the room with an enthusiastic energy and pure joy that made everyone forget the rainy night outside. I just adore Ritsuko for what she brings to the band, and it's always great to see her.

And then there's new Shonen Knife member Emi on drums, and I have to say she is absolutely amazing. Emi-chan went from being a new face into a cherished member of the band in virtually no time at all. Her boundless positive energy and sparkling personality is irresistible within seconds, and simply can't fail to win you over. See them live and you'll know exactly what I mean!

The show went by quickly, but it never felt rushed or forced. The pacing of the songs was perfect, and the three of them played tightly without feeling overly slick, It was quite simply a perfect night of rock n' roll. As the lights went up, the smiles on the faces of the audience beamed around the room. We walked over to the merch table, which is run by their fantastic tour manager and fellow artist, DJ Sashimi, who's every bit as kind and likable as the band members, to check out the goodies and get autographs from the members of Shonen Knife….

What else can be said? Shonen Knife was fantastic, and continues to be more awesome everyday. There's still a few stops on this tour, and you owe it to yourself to go see them. As for me, I can't wait to see them again. Next time they tour my way, I'm going again for sure. In the meantime, my memories of last Sunday evening will keep me smiling…

Shonen Knife North American Tour 2010!!!

2010-09-14T23:40:00.007-04:00

Rock n Roll supergroup Shonen Knife are on a North American tour right now, traveling across America & parts of Canada, leaving thousands of glowing, happy fans everywhere!

If the Knife is coming to your town (or at least close enough to travel), you owe it to yourself to enjoy a night of legendary music with some very cool and sincerely nice ladies. It's easily one of the most fun bands I've ever had the pleasure to see live, and it'll leave you feeling great when the night is over.

One of the great things about the internet is that plenty of videos and images from the gigs will show up as the tour continues, plus you can use Twitter and Facebook to keep up with the band's journey to your town...

Here's a video from the tour's very first night in Seattle. As you might expect from the first stop on a tour, the band struggles with a few sound problems, but despite the issue, Shonen Knife's positive attitude handles it so well that it actually makes the show more enjoyable. Also, a fabulous introduction to new drummer Emi Morimoto. She's appears to be full of personality and lots of fun!

And make sure you check out Good Charamel's website and their blog , where you'll see complete tour dates and links to other places on the web to keep up with the tour.

Also check out these Twitter accounts:

Naoko @ShonenKnife

Ritsuko @SK_Ritsuko

Good Charamel @goodcharamel

And their super-cool tour manager & fellow recording artist, DJ Sashimi @dj_sashimi

You can also follow my "Tomato Heads" twitter list.

Naturally we can expect more great videos, photos and fun tweets as the tour progresses, so keep an eye for more awesome Shonen Knife stuff!

As for me, I'll be rockin' with the band in Washington DC, on the 26th. See you there!

Supreme Nothing's 1/2 Hour of Power: Episode SEVEN!

2010-08-18T22:44:00.003-04:00

There's no stopping it, this podcasty thing has taken hold of me, and I must unleash this sweet and wonderful music to waiting ears everywhere! It's time for episode seven!

Something just clicked in my brain somewhere, and this episode came to me quickly and flowed with little effort. I'm not taking this podcast business too seriously, and the result is already one of my favorite installments. I really love this episode, and you will too.....

Here's the song list....

Morning Musume - Ai No Tane (Japan) (Buy CD) (or iTunes)
Messieurs Richard De Bordeaux & Daniel Beretta - Phychose (France) (on iTunes)
The Three Suns - Fever (USA) (on iTunes)
Thee Girlfriends - Rock & Roll (Spain) (MySpace)
Betsy & Chris - Shiroi Iro Wa Koibito No Iro (USA/Japan)
Parvati Khan - Jimmy Jimmy Ajaa (India)
Shonen Knife - Tower Of The Sun (Japan) (Amazon) (SK on iTunes)
Triste Janero - You Didn't Have To Be So Nice (USA) (Buy it)

You can download the goodness

right HERE!

Here's some sneak previews...

The Hawaiian duo Betsy & Chris, who became popular folk singers in Japan...

Jimmy Jimmy Ajaa, from the awesome cult Bollywood film "Disco Dancer"...

Thanks and enjoy the show!

Note: The purpose of Supreme Nothing's 1/2 Hour Of Power is to share music that deserves to be heard. We encourage you to support the artists behind the music you love. There is no profit to be made from this podcast, and no commissions are being received by the links provided to purchase music.

DEVOlution Live!

2010-08-03T23:32:00.001-04:00

Friday night, July 30th, 2010 was the night that DEVO brought their comeback tour to The National in Richmond, Virginia for a night of eye-opening music and an audio/visual lesson in devolution. DEVO's been a band I've always wanted to see live, and I knew I couldn't miss it. The night was absolutely amazing!

With a huge digital display behind them, the show was every bit as visual an experience as it was a rock concert. The screen flashed stunning animated sequences, classic DEVO footage, and entrancing abstract images that assaulted your eyes and brain with images of a world gone mad....

Song wise, the audience got a great mix of songs consisting of new material (Fresh & What We Do) and classic, (Jocko Homo, Uncontrollable Urge, and my favorite DEVO song, Gates Of Steel) all delivered with DEVO's well known sarcastic wit and commentary....

There's a ton of amateur video from the show, but YouTube user gungabee has some especially good footage....

For the encore, Mark Mothersbaugh decided to grab a ladder along with his microphone during Freedom Of Choice ...

And closing the night, the mysterious man-child Booji Boy joined the band for an amazing rendition of Beautiful World....

"It's a Beautiful World we live in, a sweet romantic place..."

It was a great show that left everyone more than satisfied, After the concert, a crowd hung out outside, talking and laughing about the great night they had. Meanwhile, around the corner, the band crew loaded up the equipment into a rented semi heading for the next town to spread the important message of Devolution....

Supreme Nothing's 1/2 Hour of Power: Episode SIX!

2010-07-18T22:27:00.004-04:00

The Half Hour has returned, taking you back to the days when exploring the radio was an adventure with strange wonders to be discovered as you scrolled across the dial late at night! We've got a little something for everybody cooked up this time...

Kick back and enjoy some groovy Shibuya-kei, a little space-age bachelor pad music, old-school reggae, wild garage rock, j-pop, Singaporean rock n' roll, Japanese doo-wop, and other assorted goodies....

Here's the set-list:

Pizzicato 5 - Nata Di Marzo (Buy It!)
Henri Rene & His Orchestra - Whispering
The 50 Kaitenz - Tabako No Uta (At CD Japan)
Dave Dee, Dozy Beaky, Mick & Tich - Frustration (Buy It!)
Dennis Brown - Things In Life (On iTunes!)
Tony Christie - I Did What I Did For Maria (Buy It!)
Mei Fing with Tony & The Polar Bear Five - I Secretly Love You (Buy it!)
The 5.6.7.8's - Roadrunner (Buy It!)
PUFFY - Sunrise (On iTunes!)
The Kingtones - Good Night Baby

Download the goodness right HERE!

Note: The purpose of Supreme Nothing's 1/2 Hour Of Power is to share music that deserves to be heard. We encourage you to support the artists behind the music you love. There is no profit to be made from this podcast, and no commissions are being received by the links provided to purchase music.

Supreme Nothing's 1/2 Hour of Power: Number FIVE!

2010-06-24T20:30:00.009-04:00

It's here to make your life better and more fulfilling! Episode five of my soul-searching experiment in audio transmitting awaits those with brave ears and open minds waiting to be blown!

It's got Japanese Psyche, 60's girl pop from America and France, surf rock, Rn'B, and lovely indie rock waiting to be heard. This is your happening and it's freaking you out!

Here's the setlist for you...

Flower Travellin' Band - Satori Part 1 (Japan) You can buy this!

Diane Renay - Navy Blue (USA) Available On iTunes

The Cramps - Bikini Girls With Machine Guns (USA) Cramps Are On iTunes!

Cliff Jackson & Jellean Delk with the Naturals - Frank, This Is It (USA) You can buy this too!

Takeshi Terauchi & The Bunnies - Kanjincho (Japan)

Mike Sammes & The Mike Sammes Singers - Fairy Snow Jingle (USA) Buy It!

Carmen Maki - Tokiniha Haha No Nai Ko No You Ni (Japan)

France Gall - Nous Ne Sommes Pas Des Anges (France) You can buy this!

Supercar - Lucky (Japan) At CD Japan

Download this audio treat right HERE!

Enjoy the show!

Carmen Maki...

And Supercar...

Linda Linda Linda Is My Favorite Film...

2010-06-03T00:38:00.006-04:00

With each viewing of Nobuhiro Yamashita's brilliant 2005 film, Linda Linda Linda, the more I have to conclude that it's gradually become my absolute favorite film...

The movie is a breezy slice-of-life story about a hastedly assembled student rock band that finds itself only three days to perfect their set of music for their schools annual cultural festival. The camera follows around these four young ladies as they practice, deal with school, practice, experience awkward relationships, practice, overcome their shyness, and practice some more. It really is that simple a film, and the results are delightful.

The musical crux of the film is the legendary Japanese punk band The Blue Hearts. Their signature song, Linda Linda, is considered a classic and something of a karaoke staple in Japan. In the film, the band has decided to cover three songs by The Blue Hearts, but don't have a singer....

...until they meet Son. Son's a painfully shy exchange student from Korea with a limited Japanese vocabulary, but she loves the music of The Blue Hearts so much that she can't turn down the offer to sing in the band.

Son is played by Korean actress Bae Doona (Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, The Host, & Air Doll to name a few films) and she wins you over instantly. She has several great scenes in this movie where she barely even speaks, relying solely on facial expressions and body language that make Son a very real person.

As Son becomes more comfortable in her unexpected role as a singer in a punk band, she makes a subtle transition from an introverted wallflower to a young woman who's finally found where she wants to be. It's powerful and inspiring to hear her belt out rock n' roll anthems while holding on to the microphone for dear life.

Much like real life, this film moves along at it's own quiet and deliberate pace. The characters are all wonderfully likable people. You really want the best for the band as they struggle to achieve perfection in the form of a three minute punk rock song. Their journey becomes yours, and the payoff is as thunderous as it is uplifting.

As I mentioned earlier, I've watched this movie more than once. It's become a movie that I return to again and again. Sometimes I start to watch a favorite scene, and wind up watching the whole thing again anyway. I guess you could call it cinematic comfort food. With this in mind, I must declare Linda Linda Linda as my favorite movie.

An interesting aside: for the making of Linda Linda Linda, the cast learned the music themselves (Bass player Shiori Sekine is a real-life member of the terrific band Baseball Bear) and played live shows as a bonafide rock band! Here's a video for their cover of the classic Blue Hearts song...

Supreme Nothing's 1/2 Hour of Power: Episode Four!

2010-05-27T22:11:00.017-04:00

Yes indeed! At last the fourth edition of this amazing audio journey is here to tickle your eardrums!

This time we've got awesome garage rock, blaxploitation grooves, Hawaiian hula music, Thai rockabilly, lonely & moody lounge music, epic Japanese neo-classical opera, Roky Erickson, Marianne Faithfull, & the delightful power-pop of SCANDAL, all mixed in with assorted audio oddities to keep you up at night dancing around the room while nobody's looking!

Here's the track list....

Thee Headcoatees - Teenage Kicks (UK) Available @ iTunes!

The Four Tops - Are You Man Enough? (USA)

Genoa Keawe & Her Hula Maids - Nani Waialeale (USA)

Vichan Maneechot - Dance Dance Dance (Thailand)

Russ Garcia - Sweet and Lovely (USA/New Zealand)

Kokusyoku Sumire - Eikyuu Ni Uruwashiku Sumire No Hana Yo (Japan) @iTunes!

Roky Erickson - Don't Shake Me Lucifer (USA) Buy It Here!

Marianne Faithfull - Ne Me Quitte Pas (UK)

SCANDAL - S. L. Magic (Japan) Buy It Here!

Download the goodness right HERE!
Back-up link HERE!

Enjoy the show! Here's Kokusyoku Sumire in action...

Supreme Nothing's 1/2 Hour of Power: Episode Three!

2010-04-16T00:39:00.017-04:00

(EDIT: The download link is fixed!)

Here's the third episode of my podcasty thing, submitted to satisfy your audio longings...

This time we've got lovely multinational indie-pop, more Japanese garage-rock goodness, Italian sexploitation soundtracks, yodeling cowboy music, bubblegum music from Singapore, the strangest anti-drug spoken piece you've ever heard, and more found sounds and odd chatter waiting for you to enjoy...

You can download the podcast right HERE!

Here's the track list...

:25 Stereolab - Lo Boob Oscillator (Buy it here!)

6:56 Slim Whitman - Chimebells (Buy it here!)

9:16 STINKY RAT - C.A.N.D.Y. (Available via iTunes!)

13:44 Manford Hubler & Siegfried Schwab - Shindai Lovers

18:00 Phil Phillips - The Evil Dope

21:25 Rita Chao - Yummy Yummy Yummy

23:47 Samantha Jones - Do I Still Figure In Your Life

26:45 Guitar Wolf - Namida No Time Machine

Enjoy the show!

Let's Have a Shonen Knife Party...

2010-04-09T00:29:00.026-04:00

Because I never need an excuse to post videos from my favorite band in the whole world.....

Lately I've been listening to Shonen Knife's wonderful album Brand New Knife like crazy again. Explosion!, Tower Of The Sun, Budda's Face, & Wind Your Spring are a few of my favorite tracks. Here's another classic gem, E.S.P.!

Next up we have some footage from Shonen Knife's recent trip to the The Philippines! Here they rocking an enthusiastic crowd as they scorch through Riding On The Rocket with the original Japanese lyrics!

Here's something from Rock Animals era knife! Check out the two fans bopping from side to side around (around 2:20) - That's exactly how Shonen Knife make me feel!

Amateur video of Shonen Knife at the FUN FUN FUN Fest in Austin! I would have loved to have seen this awesome outdoor show... (And Melt Banana was there too!)

Oh wow, classic Knife! From 1991! At CBGB's! So awesome I might cry...

Enjoy these videos and let Shonen Knife make your day a little better! I know it works for me!

iPhoneography

2010-03-29T23:34:00.007-04:00

Lately I've been having a lot of fun exploring the possibilities of my iPhone camera.

I enjoy the convenience of having having a camera embedded into an everyday object, and I like challenge of working with a something limited in it's photographic ability. Two apps have become especially indispensable to me, Camerabag and Hipstamatic. Here's a few shots I've taken recently...

I've got some more photos over at my Flickr account.

Also, check out iphoneography, a great blog dedicated to the art of iPhone pics!

Supreme Nothing's 1/2 Hour of Power: Episode Dos!

2010-03-06T00:33:00.041-05:00

Yes, it's here, and it's more supreme than ever! The second episode of my podcast-type thingy awaits you....

This time you get Brit-pop, all-girl Ramones tribute bands, blaxploitation jams, Brazilian psychedelica, Leonard Nimoy, and some amazing shoe-gazing post-rock from Japan that's so beautiful I want to cry. All of this and more is interlaced with random bits of noise and a little beat poetry here and there. It's like a crock-pot of awesome!

Download the goodness Right Here!

Here's the song list....

1:00 Cindy Williams - They Talk About Us (Great Britain)
3:45 Romanes - Teenage Lobotomy (Japan)
6:07 Mayuzumi Jun 黛ジュン - Tenshi No Yuuwaku (Japan)
9:09 John Barry - Goldfinger Instrumental (USA) (Buy it)
11:16 Joe Simon & J.J. Johnson - Theme From Cleopatra Jones (USA)
16:09 Os Mutantes - Ando Meio Desligado (I Feel A Little Spaced Out) (Brazil) (Buy it)
19:57 Leonard Nimoy - If I Had A Hammer (USA) (Buy it)
23:13 Mass Of The Fermenting Dregs - Skabetty (Japan) (Buy it from iTunes!)

Additional Thanks:

freesound.org user xserra for the Shinkansen Announcement recording.
archive.org for the North Korean Radio recording.

Note: The purpose of Supreme Nothing's 1/2 Hour Of Power is to share music that deserves to be heard. We encourage you to support the artists behind the music you love. There is no profit to be made from this podcast, and no commissions are being received by the links provided to purchase music.

This is made out of love, and nothing more. :)

.

Enjoy the show!

Shonen Knife Offers You Perfect Freedom!

2010-02-24T00:35:00.012-05:00

The supergroup from Osaka refuses to slow down! You either get with it or get out of the way!

Their new album "Free Time" came out in Japan earlier this year, and a domestic version will be out this summer thanks to the groovy people at Good Charamel Records!

We're also getting a concert video, and quite possibly a North American tour this summer too! Yep, Christmas is early this year!

In the meantime, keep superdrummer Etsuko in your thoughts, she'll be on a temporary leave from the band. Hope we see her again soon....

Poly Poly Poly Polysics @ The Rock & Roll Hotel: Feb. 16, 2010!

2010-02-21T00:20:00.086-05:00

When the tour dates for POLYSICS' North American tour were announced, I instantly fell into a transfixed state of excitement over making a mini-pilgrimage up to DC to see one of my favorite bands.

But the anticipation took a somewhat bittersweet turn when a major announcement was made on their official website. Keyboardist and vocalist Kayo had decided it was time to pursue a normal life and follow her own dreams outside of Polysics. After this tour and their upcoming sold-out show at Budokan, she would no longer be in the band. With this news, it became clear that going to this show was no longer a whim, but a priority. Plans were made and tickets were bought, and earlier this week, the day finally came…

Okay, first of all, The Rock & Roll Hotel is not a hotel, they just thought it was a cool name for a club. It's a small place, with the show capacity listed as only 400 people. It's fascinating to think that back in Japan, Polysics packs huge halls and plays to giant crowds, but over here, their shows are smaller and more intimate affairs. On one hand, I wish the USA would get with it and embrace this band on a bigger level, but on the other, more selfish hand, I got to enjoy the band with only a few other dedicated fans.

After the opening band finished, the members of Polysics started rolling out their own equipment. They had a couple of helpers, including their tour manager, but this was not an entourage you'd associate with a band that's headlining Budokan in a few days. They had their famous straight-bar glasses off, and were all business as they set up. As frontman Hiroyuki Hayashi set up his microphone, he was singing along with A-Ha's hit "Take On Me" playing on the sound system. Then they left the stage and got themselves mentally ready to rock. The tour manager stepped up to Kayo's mic, introduced the band, and the four of them sprang back up on stage in full POLYSICS mode! The show was on!

If you're familiar with Polysics' legendary stage show, then you have some idea of how it went. The songs came at the audience fast, loud, and full of impossible to resist energy. It wasn't long at all before Kayo pulled out her famous golden pom-poms and was jumping on one foot to "Peach Pie On The Beach". And before anyone knew what hit them, Hiro was practically right up in the audience with with guitar, and at one point stuck his butt out and shook it in the crowd and encouraged us all to give it a spank. Who can pass up that offer? I managed to give his skinny ass a firm pat before he darted over to the other side of the stage…

The band ripped through a virtual greatest hits collection of songs that the crowd around me seemed to love as much as I did. The set also scattered around much of the newer stuff from "We Ate The Machine" and the most recent album "Absolute Polysics". (Here's the awesome setlist) Audience participation was pretty much required, be it spinning around for "I Me Mine" or jumping jacks for "Baby Bias", and everyone did their best to keep up. The band was both tight with musical precision and yet completely all over the place at the same time.

Fumi rocked the bass and kept the timing with master-drummer Yano flawless and pounding. Hiro was the maniac we all love. I can't figure out how he manages to handle his guitar while jumping up and down like he does. He even took a few moments to make amazing swipes at a theremin nearby! And then there was Kayo, adding wonderful layers of synth to the whole thing, and delivering her trademark vocals with robotic flair. One thing I realized during the show, when Kayo has those glasses on and looks out at the audience, you feel like she's staring right through you!

After the show was over, we went upstairs because we heard that they would most likely join us later. A small group of us hung out and made new acquaintances. There was a fellow named Mark, with a perfect homemade Polysics uniform and his gang of friendly folks. He had flown all the way from England to see them in Akron, Ohio as well as the DC show. He's blogging about his experience over here!

There was also a crew of people who flew over from Japan for this show! These were the truest Polysics fans you could hope for. They drew Polysics logos in the condensation on the windows as we waited for the band to come out, and at last, they did!

When I got home, I realized that I didn't get a decent photo of Yano on my card! #$@#!, sorry Yano!

The members of Polysics are just some of the nicest people you could be lucky enough to meet. All of them signed autographs, posed for photos and took time to talk a moment to everyone there. One special moment I got to observe was when the Japanese fans greeted Kayo. There was this wonderful quiet moment when they bowed to each other, and you could really see the pure joy in the fan's faces when they were taking photos with her. I enjoyed that as much as I enjoyed the show. It really made the trip worthwhile.

As for myself, I wanted to create something to give to Kayo since she's leaving the band, and made a little 4.5" square drawing of her. After I made that, I thought, "why not make one for the whole band?" and there you have it. I threw these together at the last second, and with no time to scan them, I shot this quick photo.

I gave each member their own mini-portrait in a sealed envelope and encouraged them to open it later. I'd like to imagine that perhaps they forgot about them for a second, and maybe came across the envelope when they got home and opened it…

Anyway, it was a great night. I'm just completely honored that I got to see one of their last shows with Kayo. The other members of Polysics intend to stay together and continue as a three-piece, and I look forward to hearing what they'll do next. I also hope that maybe we'll get an occasional glimpse into what Kayo's up to.

So to the band and all the great fans I met, TOISU!

Introducing: Supreme Nothing's 1/2 Hour of Power!

2010-01-28T23:23:00.028-05:00

At long last I'm finally launching a project I've wanted to do for a long time. I'm very excited to introduce you to Supreme Nothing's 1/2 Hour Of Power, a bite-sized audio trip through musical oddities and adventures in sound for human beings everywhere!

Imagine if you will, tuning your radio dial across the AM band late one night and picking up random strange things with little rhyme or reason. Well, that's what Supreme Nothing's 1/2 Of Power is all about! Oddball bits of music from all over the world mixed in with sound textures and occasional dialogue to entertain all...

I'd love to be able transmit this broadcast to pocket-sized transistor radios around the world, but in this modern era, the internet will have to do. (The kids call these things a podcast from what I understand.)

Anyway, here's the first episode of my show. You can download it HERE!

Alternate download link in case the first one craps out...

Song Track list: (along with various random bits in-between)

:40 - POLYSICS / Each Life Each End [Japan] (You can buy this!])

4:46 - Stelvio Cipriani with Canta Olympia / Femina Ridens [Italy]

8:12 - Pan Ron / Chills To My Spine [Cambodia]

12:52 - The Lime Spiders / Slave Girl [Australia] (You can buy this!])

15:35 - Johnny Cash / Big River (live from the Louisiana Hayride) [USA]

18:10 - Ennio Morricone / Theme from The Bird With The Crystal Plumage [Italy]

20:16 - Jim James & the Vagabonds / I Gotta Dance To Keep From Crying [Jamaica]

23:22 - The Pearl Sisters / I'll Wait [South Korea]

27:22 - Strawberry Mud Pie! / Surfin' Johnny [Japan] (myspace)

Also, special Thanks for the following audio bits shared via Creative commons:

Paper Jam for radio tuning noise

schulle4u for the broadcasting check

Marec for the Tsukiji Market crowd recording

And NoiseCollector for the record player noise

Thanks for listening, and enjoy the show! More episodes to come very soon!

HOLY F**K I ♥ GUITAR WOLF!

2010-01-18T00:55:00.102-05:00

It's a firm belief of mine that music can change your life and make you a better person, especially if the music is rock n' roll. I can remember the exact moment of my life when I first heard Elvis, Link Wray, The Stooges, The Ramones, and I can tell you where I was when Guitar Wolf nearly destroyed my stereo speakers. It was a life-changing musical moment up there with the best of them.

Guitar Wolf is the insane bastard step-child of all the names mentioned above, a band who's trademark is loud and quick bursts of "jet rock n' roll" distilled into it's most powerful package. The band's first recording line-up consisted of Toru (Drum Wolf, although there was an earlier drummer named Narita), Billy (Bass Wolf) and a bringing it all together, the ear-ringingly awesome axe-master, Seiji, a man we simply call Guitar Wolf.

Before the days of widely accessible internet, (It was around, but you usually had to go to school and deal with dial-up) we had to rely on self-published amateur zines to find out about music happenings in far away places. At the time, Guitar Wolf was this god-like rock n' roll mystery man, unattainable and fascinating. In Matt Kaufman's seminal Japanese noise/punk/garage zine, Exile Osaka, he reported the following….

"Singer Seiji special R&R ritual revealed… He has a big glass case in his apartment in which he keeps his guitar and leather jacket. The night before a performance, he enters the glass case and gets charged with Rock & Roll energy.

Also, Seiji never takes off his sunglasses. When King Joe crashed at his house, he saw him sleeping in his sunglasses. He even took a shower with his sunglasses! Believe it or not…"

And so the legend of Guitar Wolf grew. The band eventually graduated from homemade basement demos and got signed. They appeared on television, and before long, film. They played "Men in Black" in the little-seen flick The Sore Losers, and zombie fighting defenders of Earth in the drive-in classic Wild Zero, which as I've said before, just might be the the greatest film you will ever lay your eyes upon...

Here's Seiji's Oscar clip while we're at it. In a perfect world, he would've been chosen as best actor of 2000...

Guitar Wolf's rise to new rock n' roll heights continued. Seiji and his Joan Jett autographed jacket made a cameo in Puffy's Teen Titans theme-song video (he shows up at 2:07), and landed a much-deserved signature guitar from Epiphone. And oh yeah, don't forget the designer jeans...

But tragedy struck in 2005 when Billy "Bass" Wolf passed away shortly after returning from a US tour. The band went through a spell of soul-searching before choosing "U-G" as their new bassist. Shortly later, Seiji's intensely physical stage presence took it's toll when he seriously injured his hip jumping from a 6-meter high stack of amps.

Guitar Wolf would be silent for a year and a half, far too long for this world to be without them. On April 4th of 2009 they triumphantly played their comeback show, and all was right with the world again. It feels good to know that Guitar Wolf is truly here to stay.

Seiji, aka "Guitar Wolf", I salute you. Thank you for spreading the message of rock n' roll, and here's to the rock to come….

This post is also my entry in the January 2010 Japan Blog Matsuri, “Famous Japanese People”....

Big-Eyed Art!

2010-01-07T22:48:00.011-05:00

I just love the classic "Big Eyed Art" of the 60's and 70's, a genre originated by the wonderful artist Margaret Keane.

Below is a piece by one of her numerous imitators. I found this particular print at a local flea market, a bargain at only one dollar!

Honestly, my infatuation with this type of art spawned from my love of kitsch, but over the years I've really come to love these "doe-eyed waifs" and treasure them among my favorite pieces of art. I truly love the sad-but-pretty images these artists mass-produced during this fad, and proudly hang them on the walls of the compound.

I've got several more similar prints, and I'll share some of those a little later.

If you want to know more about big-eyed art, the best place to start is over at Besmirched....

2010 is a Good Thing

2010-01-01T14:48:00.007-05:00

I hope all of you make the most out of this new year. Stay positive and be good to your fellow man. That's a good thing!

Five Days of Shonen Knife: Day Five - Live Knife!

2009-11-28T14:38:00.113-05:00

November 13th, 2009 was the day that Shonen Knife, one of my favorite bands of all time, came to my town and delivered a night of blistering rock n' roll that left me an even bigger fan than I already was. What an awesome night!

Answering the call to rawk....

As you can see, the little point & shoot camera I brought along wasn't really up to the task of taking pics of the action. Oh well, I guess you could argue that my blurry photography fit the spirit of the moment anyway...

Naoko may always be a humble music fan in her heart, but years of touring and recording have made her a true rock star. She really engages the crowd and clearly loves to play music. She was terrific to watch.

Bass player Ritsko and drummer Etskuo really do carry the Shonen Knife torch proudly. They absolutely fit into the band perfectly and really captivated the crowd with an infectious enthusiasm! Plus, they're top-notch musicians.

For us old-school fans, there was a very special treat. Atsuko, Naoko's sister, and Shonen Knife's original drummer (later bassist) was there! She joined the band on the last leg of the tour, and came up on stage for the encore!

The show went by so fast! It was a great night of good vibes, positive energy, and rock n' roll!

My friend Chip had the foresight to take a photo of the set-list. Thanks Chip!

It was a good feeling to see the band signing the posters I made! The posters were a big hit it seems. I had several people approach me and tell me they liked them, and that was very gratifying. Just before the show, Shonen Knife's super-cool tour manager, (and a multi-media whiz in her own right), invited me behind the scenes and the band thanked me too!

I gave the band members some candy, including Jujuy Fruits, Whoppers & Swedish Fish, and then proceeded to forget everything I intended to say to them. I mostly just smiled and nodded. :)

The band, Atsuko, and their tour manger were wonderfully nice and friendly people. Truly the most sincerely kind rock stars I've ever met.

My loot from the night, including a broken drumstick and an official Shonen Knife workout towel! (Everybody needs one) I also brought along the CD insert from one of Shonen Knife's early USA releases specifically for Atsuko to sign.

All in all, an amazing night that I'll never forget. I spent the evening with some true icons, and it was a gloriously satisfying experience I have to say. I don't know when they'll tour North America again, but I can tell you that I will definitely go wherever they play next time around.

Thank you Shonen Knife, for renewing my faith in rock n' roll.

Five Days of Shonen Knife: Day Four - Why Do We Love Shonen Knife?

2009-11-12T22:41:00.055-05:00

Shonen Knife was a pet project imagined by two office ladies that originally met in college. They started out with a quickly recorded cassette tape and highly rudimentary musicianship. They didn't even quit their day jobs until the mid-nineties. So how did Shonen Knife become a beloved phenomenon that's lasted for 27 years?

It's simple, really.

Shonen Knife is still loved today because they tapped into something the world needs badly. A wonderfully positive vision that never turned a cynical eye onto the world. To see a band that sings about jellybeans, cookies, and the joy of bicycling without a hint of sarcasm and irony makes them a true breath of fresh air. Shonen Knife frequently experiments with new styles and sounds, but they never changed the vision. They're the Ramones on a sunny day.

Shonen Knife is still loved today because of the bond they've formed with their fans. Everything I've heard is that all of them have always been very approachable, friendly, and kind to their fans. It makes sense when you think about it, after all this is a band made by fans of music themselves. Shonen Knife exists purely out of a love for music, and it shows.

Shonen Knife is still loved today because they understand exactly what rock n' roll is supposed to be. Their music is simple, but wonderfully catchy. They've recorded songs that are up there with the best pop-nugget classics.

One day listening to their music, I realized that I knew all the words without ever trying to memorize them. Their music gently became embedded in my head, and now I find myself humming their songs all the time. I don't mind it one bit. :)

So you see, it's easy to love Shonen Knife, and it's no mystery how they've managed to continuing rocking after 27 years. They have one of the best formulas for musical longevity I've ever seen, and I hope they're around for another 27 years.

If you're fellow fan, I'd love to hear your thoughts. Why do you love these ladies from Osaka so much?

Five Days of Shonen Knife: Day Three - Knife Collector Link-O-Rama...

2009-11-11T21:06:00.145-05:00

So in this installment of Five Days of Shonen Knife, I thought I'd make an attempt at gathering a bunch of links and resources for all you Shonen Knife freaks.

By no means can I say that this is an exhaustive list. If you know of something online that's too good to not be included here, then feel free to share it in the comments!

I pretty much have to start with the THE SHONEN KNIFE NEXUS! This easily to most through place on the web for all your Shonen Knife needs. Here you'll find band history, an overview of their recordings, new and old tour info, and reports from fans all over the world. I love this site!

There's also of course their official web site! A fine place to get a glimpse into the SK universe. There's mostly Japanese content here though, so your mileage may vary.

This well-written FAQ was last updated in '97, but is still is quite helpful, and it also explains what happened to the Knife Collectors Fan Club...

Yeah, I know MySpace is kind of gaudy and spammy, but when you visit Shonen Knife's MySpace Page, it's a lot more bearable. There's always the music samples!

Unfortunately, a busy band like Shonen Knife just doesn't get enough time to maintain their Twitter account, but thankfully their new American record label Good Charamel is helping out. Their Twitter is full of mostly daily tour updates and fun tidbits. I'd follow both for good measure. :) UPDATE: SInce this was written, Naoko has been tweeting much more frequently, and often shares tour info, as well as tennis updates! Follow her!

Speaking of Good Charamel, Shonen Knife's western label has done a heck of a job promoting the new album and offering tour support. Their Shonen Knife webpage will be handy for following up on future releases.

Panache Booking is the band's booking agency here. You can download some nice resolution promo photos, and their stage plot diagram. (Hey, why not?) I sort of doubt you can just call and book SK for your birthday party, though...

If you're an LJ user, here's a community for you!
The Journal for Shonen Knife Fans

I know I just dissed MySpace for being crass and tacky, but once it's redeemed by 712 Boneyards excellent blog, The Naoko Zone! Pete makes no secret of his Shonen Knife devotion, and it shows in every post. The man is a true Knife Collector. Tons of fresh YouTube links too!

Alright, so how about music n' interviews...

Jenny Woolworth's Women In Punk Blog is full of neat stuff, and you'll going to especially love this. She's got MP3s of "Minna Tanoshiku", Shonen Knife's first cassette tape! Only 70 total copies of this ever existed, so unless you've got some dough, you're not getting this rarity any other way! It's available right here!

Youpidou's terrific blog Gle-Gle has got five, count em' FIVE fan recordings of Shonen Knife shows ranging from 1992 to 2005, and they all rock! Get em' here!

A 1997 interview with the band here!

A phone interview with Naoko and Michie, also from 1997, right here!

An interview with most recent incarnation of the band is available at J-Pop World. Now you can find out their blood-types!

And Style Invasion has a very recent interview with Shonen Knife, focusing on their fashion sense!

Photos And Other Stuff...

J-Blogger Mallocup has some nice photos from a Tokyo show back in March over at I Rub Your Brog.

A cool and very recent set of pics from Flickr user letsmakeart...

Also a rockin' set from the current tour by photographer Erik Hess...

A nice group portrait from Steve Hopson. What a charming trio!

Flickr user Ventolin sums it up well: "Shonen Knife, Period!"

Flickr user jcbehm serves up some freaky psychedelic images from a show at the The Entry.

And hellokitty2399 has some groovy shots from a recent show at a club called Mangos.

Whew! After all that, what do we do next for Day Four & Five? I'll figure it out tomorrow!

Five Days of Shonen Knife: Day Two - The Redd Kross Connection...

2009-11-10T23:09:00.032-05:00

One more reason to love punk rock/power pop legends Redd Kross is that they were instrumental in helping Shonen Knife reach across the pond and find a larger audience.

少年ナイフ had already been together for a few years when Jeff and Steve McDonald of Redd Kross, (along with Thurston Moore) helped them them get a series of gigs in the USA, thus spreading word of the cult-band to new heights. Jeff McDonald and drummer Victor Indrizzo also lent a hand on Shonen Knife's first official full-length album in America, the must-have classic 712.

On 712, the ladies from Osaka decided to record a tribute to Redd Kross. The song is an awesome little gold nugget on an album of wonderful gems...

The mutual admiration didn't end there. Redd Kross returned the favor on their underrated album Third Eye with a song appropriately titled "Shonen Knife"...

"Come right in now, enjoy a choco bar
With the Shonen Knife
Yes, the rock and roll stars
Then wash your face at the public bath
Just around the corner, down the bamboo path, uh-huh"

Alright, more Shonen Knife goodness tomorrow. See ya later!

Five Days of Shonen Knife: Day One....

2009-11-09T23:31:00.016-05:00

As I've said before, I'm very eagerly anticipating the the Shonen Knife show coming to my town this November 13th!

I'm finally going to see one of my favorite bands of all time, a band I've loved since I first got to hear their recordings in the 90s!

In celebration of the big event, I'm going to share Shonen Knife goodness for the next five days!

Let's kick it off with some terrific early Knife footage, courtesy of YouTube user rolltammy! This clip is just the encore, but if you click through, you'll see that the entire concert has been uploaded!

Tomorrow, I'll post some more video, and some cool links as well, see ya then!

Shonen Knife North American Tour 2009!

2009-10-05T11:32:00.015-04:00

When I heard that Shonen Knife, one of my favorite bands in the whole world, is going to stop by my town next month, I just knew that I had to create a poster for them. I have to say I'm pleased....

The super group from Osaka kick off their North American tour this month! You can see the tour dates here. Go out and support em'!

Shonen Knife visits Richmond, Va. on November 13th at the fabulous Plaza Bowl, brought to you by the good folks from Community Chest! See you there!

How Do I Choose The Films That I Watch?

2009-09-27T22:21:00.054-04:00

So awhile back a movie-loving friend of mine was making small talk and asked me "So have you seen those Bourne Movies, what did you think of them?"

I just shrugged and replied "Naw, I've never seen any of em', actually."

"Really?" he said with sincere surprise, "I figured you would have seen those by now, they're pretty good"

And so I explained the way watching films works in my world...

"Look man, it's like this, I can only see but so many movies in my lifetime. I have to make choices, and if I have to choose between Matt Damon jumping around rooftops and a 1970's Japanese nunspoiltation pinky-violence flick, the movie with the crazy nuns is going to win."

With only a limited amount of time in my life, it's become clear that I have no time to waste on movies that don't mean anything to me. I have to be picky and seek out films that will deliver what I want. So what movies do I want to see?

I want to see films that challenge me and the way the world looks to me. I want to see films that take me to places far away, from small towns in America, to small towns in China. I enjoy movies that take me back into a time before I was born and give me a peek into a context I've never understood, and I enjoy movies that are happening right now in the moment.

I look for movies that are overlooked and neglected, that barely saw the inside of a theater and wound up being passed around on badly dubbed videotapes.

I want to see movies that are funny, sometimes laughing at the subtleties of life, and sometimes finding humor in low-brow places. I want to see movies that were made by the seat of the pants, and movies that were works of self-indulgent love.

I want to see films that are heralded as classics. Some of these classics are wonderful examples of what the medium can do, but some are classics because they do everything wrong. I love films that are beautiful and uplifting, and yet feel drawn to pathos and sadness.

Seeing a film is somewhat like going on a trip, seeing things you've always wanted to see, and discovering things that never occurred to you. Often this takes you to far away places, and sometimes right next door. All that matters to is that I go somewhere.

As I said, I have to get a little picky about what movies I watch, I have so many to see and so little time to see them. This doesn't mean that somebody else's choices are below mine, if Transformers does that for you, that's okay. We all need to decide what's right for us.

So what you look for in a film, and what do you want it to do for you?

Sunrise Over Fuji-san...

2009-08-17T23:37:00.006-04:00

A short and beautiful video via this Flickr stream of a lovely sunrise on Mount Fuji. I can't wait to see this for real someday...

I posted another gorgeous Fuji-san sunrise video here...

Greetings From Asheville, North Carolina!

2009-08-03T22:03:00.013-04:00

Asheville and I go back a long ways. I've got family there who I used to visit almost every year growing up. I'd spend the summer eating my Great-Grandma's fried chicken with biscuits and greens from her garden, and then I'd sit on the front porch reading comic books and listen to the sounds of the racetrack just over the hills.

Even as a kid, it seemed like the mountains of North Carolina were the most beautiful place on Earth....

I haven't been down there in quite awhile but I hear about it every so often. Apparently the hippies and hipsters have learned what I know about Asheville, and are moving there in droves. The music scene is hopping, festivals are flourishing, and people are calling the town the new Austin.

I wonder if the old southern charm from my youth remains there? I'll have to get back down soon, I bet it's just as beautiful as I remember...

Mono No Aware: A Sensitivity To Things

2009-07-23T23:36:00.056-04:00

A strong reoccurring theme that frequently appears in Japanese film, music, and art is sadness that's wrapped in beauty. Recently as I was watching a Japanese film about a group of men following out a suicide pact, I realized that every single one of the previous Japanese films that I watched earlier in the week had ended in loss, tragedy, or an ambiguous sense of melancholy.

But yet, not a single one of these films left me depressed and cold. The thing is, despite the longing and sadness on the screen, these films were absolutely beautiful, and the beauty of those films is what resonated strongest within me, and so I fell for the strange power of Japan's most personal examples of film making.

From the early arts of the Edo-Period, and through the difficult post-war years, the Japanese mastered expressing what they call "mono no aware", a transcendental understanding of our lives being impermanent and the world ever-changing.

This zen-like acceptance greets tragic events with a bittersweet awareness that they cannot altered, much like the lazy flow of a river that occasionally floods over violently. I find this cultural philosophy fascinating and inspiring.

With this understanding, Japanese films which deal with heavy-hearted emotions often contain a positive undercurrent that helps the viewer see the ending in a affirmative way. I've found over the years that I simply adore a good sad Japanese film, and likewise I savior sitting in the dark listening to a wistful enka song.

To some people, the Japanese passion for the melancholy must seem somewhat odd. But you see, the yearning and the despair never bring me down, rather they help me embrace life and this gorgeous world we're born to, and as weird as that may seem, that makes me very happy.

And with that, I leave you with a lovely enka song performed by Fuyumi Sakamoto. Enjoy!

This post is also my entry in the July 2009 Japan Blog Matsuri....

About the films in the images above...

Tokyo. Sora is a fascinating study of loneliness in modern Toyko by minimalist filmmaker Hiroshi Ishikawa. Trailer here.

Yasujiro Ozu’s Tokyo Story is considered by many to be his masterpiece, an amazing film about generational differences in post-war Japan.

Ikiru is Akira Kurosawa's highly personal film about a man reflecting on his own mortality.

5 Centimeters Per Second is a gorgeously animated film made up of 3 short stories. A beautifully sad small-scale epic with a glimmer of hope within. Music video for the film's theme song here.

If you have your favorite films that explore these themes, please share in the comments, I'd appreciate your suggestions!

Rob Ullman Gets Lurid In An Atom-Bomb Bikini....

2009-07-20T20:37:00.033-04:00

So I'm counting myself among the incredibly fortunate people to get their mitts on an early copy of illustrator Robert Ullman's first hardback collection of pin-up art, Atom-Bomb Bikini!

Rob does the sexy pin-up thing in a style all it's own, and cooks up some delicious cheesecake that's bound to get any red-blooded male's (or girl, it's all cool with us) temperature up. You're pretty much guaranteed a eye-popping, sweaty good time as you lust over the pages of good and bad-girl hotness!

Rob's got a cool style that's his own, but gives a nod of respect to other masters of the craft. My favorite images in here are a couple of terrific Jack Kirby tributes with a babealicious twist. Oh, and Rob's a big hockey fan, so if that's your bag, you're gonna love this book. My other personal faves in here are the rough sketches he shares with us, giving you a window into his creative process. The whole package is a groovy 64 page tome of babe-worshiping art in lurid full color!

So what do you have to do to get a copy of this book? Well, the most immediate thing you can do is hop on over to Rob's blog and you'll see the details there. Another option is to get your ass to San Diego's ComiCon and meet the artist in person! (Table P-10, in the small press section where the cool people hang out). And if you live in Richmond, Va., drop by his book signing on August 1st!

Atom-Bomb Bikini Blog

Robert Ullman's Twitter

Girls Meet Jazz in SWING GIRLS!

2009-07-12T23:17:00.136-04:00

Shinobu Yaguchi's terrific 2004 film スウィングガールズ, aka Swing Girls (That's the Korean poster above) instantly became one of my favorite movies before I was even quarter way through watching it. It's a simple little film that wins you over with it's upbeat tone, physical comedy, and the absolutely charming cast headed up by the delightful actress Juri Ueno.

Swing Girls is the story about a high school student named Tomoko and her summer school classmates. Tomoko lacks direction and the motivation to complete anything she begins. Her friends are pretty much the same, with minds set on materialism and karaoke.

None of them want to spend their summer trapped in math class, and through chance, (and largely due their slack efforts) the girls happen into being pressed to form a band by fellow male student Takuo. Takuo is tired of being in a marching band, and wants to play some swingin' jazz...

Along the way an epiphany comes to Tomoko and the girls. They realize they love jazz music, and when their services are no longer required, the void left behind becomes something to motivate them. And so the Swing Girls are born...

From here on it's pretty familiar movie territory. Our underdog girls struggle to polish their craft and hone their group into a tight jazz unit. An unlikely mentor tenatively approaches them, and helps instill the heart and soul that the band needs to finally break through to their potential. Naturally the girls set their eyes on a major concert event, and work hard to get on the bill...

I'm not exactly giving away anything revelatory here. Yaguchi's film doesn't have any interest in breaking new ground and you can pretty much guess how this story plays out. What you do have is a movie that is so wonderfully endearing and good-hearted that you can't help but be taken in and captivated. The cast is completely likable and has you cheering them on to succeed and come out on top.

The film is beautifully shot and the details on the screen are rich and colorful. The other thing that makes this film work so well is the comedy, mostly physical and often visually hilarious. Swing Girls is a winner all around, and it's a nice break from much of the considerably darker material that's out there in Japanese cinema.

Of course if you're going to have a movie with a band, you need music, and that's where the film really gets impressive. Director Shinobu Yaguchi is well-known for his commitment to realism and accuracy in his films. All of his movies are preceded with through research and training where needed.

Every single girl in this film actually learned to play the instruments they used in the film, and by time the movie was finished, they were a true swing band in every sense of the word. When the Swing Girls perform in this film, every note you hear came from them.

This film was a such a huge hit in Japan, that the Swing Girls (and boy) were brought together to perform a few live concerts, which they delivered with the same joy and enthusiasm you see it the film. C'mon, how cool it that?

Trailer for Swing Girls here.
A news story about the film here.
More concert footage here!

A Trip Around The World....

2009-06-22T23:44:00.014-04:00

Ayumu Takahashi gave up his successful business to travel around the world with his wife. In two years they visited over thirty countries and witnessed some truly amazing things.

He's written a book about his journey that comes out in September.

Here's a short film that offers a modest sample of what they experienced. This is the most inspiring video you'll watch today....

For more info:

One Peace Books Website

One Peace Books Twitter

Greetings From Bellingrath Gardens In Beautiful Mobile, Alabama!

2009-06-13T16:31:00.021-04:00

Another scan from my postcard collection. Here we see lovely Bellingrath Gardens in Mobile, Alabama. I love that old technicolor look!

I especially enjoy the southern flavored art on the card's border...

There's more postcards from Mobile, Alabama right here, some of which were also published by Deep South Specialties, Incorporated. I dig their snappy logo!

I'll Miss David Carradine

2009-06-05T00:28:00.041-04:00

David Carradine was a true legend, and man of zen and collected calm who elevated any film or tv show he was in. He could even make a Yellow Pages commercial cool with his presence. Even if the movie wasn't that good, if Carradine was in it, I was watching.

David Carradine will be remembered best as Cain in the early-seveties television series Kung-Fu, a show that will always have a certain amount of controversy. Did the network steal Bruce Lee's concept? Did Hollywood racism lead to a caucasion actor taking a "yellowface" role? I'll leave that debate to others. When you watch Carradine practice his craft, it's clear that he portrayed martial arts and asian culture with a heartfelt respect to it's Eastern roots. Whatever the circumstances, he helped usher something new and exciting into Western entertainment.

He cemented his image as a master of zen in the terrific film Circle of Iron, (based on a story by Bruce Lee) where he took on four separate roles that were more about philosophy than kicking butt. It's an amazing, inspiring movie that will make you want to take a long walk in the mountains and think about life...

As much as I love his martial arts flicks, my personal favorite David Carradine movie is the 1976 Roger Corman classic Death Race 2000. Carradine plays a cynical anti-hero trained for the sole purpose of unleashing mayhem for our entertainment. (I get giddy just thinking about it!) It's a very different character from Kung Fu's Cain, but the cool factor is still there. It's exactly the right mix of twisted satire and black comedy....

During the eighties, He took on some villainous parts and showed that he did the bad-guy gig quite well. He clashed with Chuck Norris in Lone Wolf McQuade, which also happens to be my favorite Chuck Norris movie. The final fight scene is a classic moment of cable TV action-movie greatness.

Through the nineties he kept quite busy, offering his voice to animated films, and even reprising his role as Cain in a revival Kung-Fu series. And then into the new millennium you have Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill films, where Carradine delivers some of his most amazing and powerful acting.....

The man leaves behind an incredible body of work to be proud of. IMDB credits him with over 200 movies. He may not be with us anymore, but there's still plenty David Carradine has to offer. I look forward to the films I have yet to see.

Take care, Grasshopper. May you find zen.

Cüneyt Arkın, The Greatest Turkish Action Star Of All Time!

2009-05-28T23:46:00.066-04:00

There are legendary action movie actors, and then there's Fahrettin Cüreklibatur, better known as Cüneyt Arkın, a man who transcends a mere word like "legend".

In his home country of Turkey, Dr. (that's right, doctor) Cüneyt Arkın is an institution of epic proportions, a revered figure known to all. There's a reason for that, and once you've witnessed this expert in several forms of martial arts in action, you'll understand why.

Let's take a look at En Buyuk Yumruk (The Biggest Fist)...

Oh man, did you see those moves?!?

Don't try and tell me that's just some made-up karate, what you've seen is Cüneyt-Fu, a deadly art that only this one Turk has mastered.

In every film I've had the pleasure to see Dr. Arkın in, he cuts a super-human swath through his opponents without even breaking a sweat. The bad guys barely even get in a punch before being pummeled by one of his deadly blows. Why I've even see him chop his foes in half!

Which brings me to what is probably Cüneyt Arkın's most infamous role, his absolutely mind-blowing turn as the heroic Murat in the film Dünyayı Kurtaran Adam (The Man Who Saves the World), or perhaps, as you may know better, Turkish Star Wars...

Yeah, I know it's confusing. Hell, I'm not sure what in the world just happened either. (As a matter of fact, Dr. Arkin wrote the screenplay!) Turkish Star Wars deserves it's rep as one the strangest films ever made.

It's a bizarre mishmash of ultra low budget craziness mixed with a healthy dose of stolen footage from the real Star Wars mixed to snippets of music from other films. But you know, it's certainly got more entertainment value than Lucas' prequel trilogy. It's the Citizen Kane of grade Z films.

Not content with saving other planets, Dr. Arkin has taken stabs at ancient history as well. In Lionman, he plays a man raised by... well, lions. He rises up to battle evil christians who dare impose their will on his fellow Turks with a badass pre-Wolverine set of claws that he utilizes into his rather unique fighting style. (At least I think that's what's happening, my copy isn't dubbed) I think the fight scenes in this movie are even more absurdist than the more famous Star Wars rip-off....

Now here's my personal favorite Cüneyt Arkın classic. He tackled sci-fi and crime movies, and now finally we have a proper ninja flick, directed by the man himself! Nothing is more over the top and completely insane as Olum Savascisi, aka Death Warrior!

Alright, I wouldn't usually do this, but here's the ending of this incredible movie. It's not like I'm giving that much away anyhow. Here we see the Doctor fight off waves of evil henchmen with his trampoline-assisted acrobatic fighting technique, until only the boss remains, and the villain is VERY unwilling to die.

Warning: This is going to warp you for life.....

Dr. Arkın is still around these days, he even made a sequel to Turkish Star Wars. (with CGI effects, apparently) He's quite well-loved in Turkey, and I have to say I love the guy too.

It would easy to dismiss Cüneyt Arkın as a maker of cheaply made kitsch, a hack with movies that are unintentionally hilarious, but you know what? I think he's a real inspiration. A man who puts his heart into his films and is clearly having a lot of fun. Cüneyt Arkın has never been in a boring movie, and you can't say that about many people.

Here's to you, Dr. Arkın!

SCANDAL returns with "Shojo S" and...umm.... Flashy Dance Moves?

2009-05-24T00:25:00.032-04:00

It's always a great day at the Supreme Nothing compound when a new single by SCANDAL hits the scene. I think they're a great band, and they've brought a lot of freshness and excitement with them as they've raced up the charts.

I have to admit that this time, however, my giddy excitement has turned into mixed feelings and a bit of confusion...

I'll get to that in a minute. Just go ahead and watch the PV, I'll be right here....

So we've got another solid rocker from the ladies, and those harmonies that they do so well are delivered upon once again. But I honestly wish I had heard this song with my ears before seeing the video, because I'm sitting here watching this and I just can't get past the band's choreographed dance moves.

I mean, really, who thought the band needed to dance along to the song? This is SCANDAL we're talking about, not ZONE! (I love ZONE, by the way, I think they recorded some classic Jpop)

I'm probably just over-analyzing all this. I need to keep in mind that this is the theme song for an anime series. Perhaps the dancing in this video is just playful fun and not indicative of where this band is headed.

SCANDAL is, at it's heart, a really terrific rock band, and I hope that doesn't get lost as their success grows...

Meanwhile, over at YODT, there's another difficult conundrum going on....

UPDATE: Alright, I've listened and re-watched this about 97 times, and the song (and the dancing) has definitely grown on me. Looks like another hit for SCANDAL!

My Favorite Place in Japan, or "Why Does Fuji-san Keep Talking To Me?"

2009-05-20T00:14:00.118-04:00

No doubt the initial image of Japan for most people is the glowing lights of Tokyo, the busy crosswalk in Shibuya, or even the otaku paradise of Akihabara, but for me, there's something bigger and yet quieter than those things. When I imagine Japan I see mighty Mount Fuji before me. It's my favorite image of Japan, and my favorite place in the world to dream of.

Photo by swamysk

At 3776 meters, Fuji-san is the highest point in Japan, a glorious symbol of nearly symmetrical perfection that was revered as holy in Japan's past. It's a gorgeous, majestic volcano that hasn't erupted in over a century, but still holds an intimidating presence standing high on the landscape.

Photo by palindrome6996

I've seen many images and interpretations of Fuji-san over the years, usually in the opening credits of Japanese films, on packs of green tea, and in those lovely woodblock prints, but most recently the amazing photos gathered on Flickr have become burned in my thoughts. I could almost say that I feel like the mountain is talking to me sometimes.

Every year thousands of people from all over the world climb Mount Fuji and stand on the peak as the sun rises in the sky. Climbing Fuji-san doesn't need to be a fantasy or a pipe-dream, it's a feasible goal that a determined person can achieve, and lately I'm feeling pretty determined.

Photo by frcsyk

With this in mind a personal epiphany recently came to me. I've decided I'm going there, and I'm going to march up that mountain like a man on pilgrimage, and instead of thinking about doing it later, I'm going to do it very soon.

This post is my statement of intent, and writing this in my blog is the first step that confirms that now I can' t turn back. I will stand on top of Mount Fuji, like millions of other people who set that very personal goal, and watch that sun come up, and know how alive I really am.

I've got a lot of work to do, physically, mentally, and a bit financially. But the most important realization is that I can do this if I want it bad enough, and right now I really want it. I have a serious feeling Fuji-san will be teaching me humble lessons and demanding my respect, (probably before I even set foot in Japan) but I'm going to do my absolute damndest to face it.

Photo by emrank

See you soon, Fuji-san.

A note about this post: The images linked are shared via Flickr through the Creative Commons license. These images were available for use thanks to the generosity of the photographers, and all credit for these brilliant pictures goes to them. Thanks!

This post is also my entry in the May 2009 Japan Blog Matsuri....

Night Lights On The Fabulous Strip In Las Vegas, Nevada

2009-05-18T11:53:00.019-04:00

Another one from my postcard collection, a nice night-shot of Las Vegas featuring the famous Flamingo Hotel, the classic Caesars Palace, and off in the background, the absolutely legendary Sands Hotel.

I've got an even cooler Sands postcard right here...

Scott Walker sings "Loss of Love"

2009-05-16T12:44:00.004-04:00

The incredibly awesome reclusive genius Scott Walker, making a rather rare TV appearance...

Crying Out Love, In the Center Of The World

2009-05-11T23:36:00.067-04:00

Sekai no chûshin de, ai o sakebu ( Crying Out Love, In The Center Of The World ) is the Japanese film adaptation of Kyoichi Katayama's sleeper smash-hit novel Socrates In Love, a story that slowly swept across Japan to became a multi-media phenomenon spanning manga, a tv series, and this film.

"Crying Out Love" is a story of love, loss, and eventual closure. It's a seemingly simple tale of romance and tragedy that succeeds in being bigger that the usual Lifetime Channel fare you'd expect. Yeah, this movie is an absolute tearjerker that will set you back a box of tissues, but somehow it never manages to feel like cheap manipulation and overwrought melodrama. This is the type of film that I wouldn't normally seek out, but I was indeed moved, and a week later I still can't stop thinking about what I watched.

In the film, we meet Saku (portrayed by Takao Osawa), a 30ish man with an oppressive air of sadness to him as he slogs through life in his with a heavy heart. An unexpected return to his hometown stirs up a painful past. With an old walkman, he tours the cold, gray town as he goes through a pocketful of cassette tapes, listening to the youthful voice of a beautiful girl named Aki. (Masami Nagasawa) The tapes were an audio diary of sorts, and through Aki's voice and Saku's vivid flashbacks we learn what happened to his first love.

As the story of the past unfolds, a new plot line surfaces as Saku soul-searches for closure to his grief, as well as coming to terms with his fiance, Ritsuko (Kou Shibasaki), who's also listening to one of the tapes herself, and is piecing together the story from other sources. The result is powerful, lovely film that's impossible to forget.

Crying Out Love, In the Center Of The World is beautifully shot and directed by Isao Yukisada. The color palette changes with the mood of the story, at times wonderfully sunny or sadly subdued as needed. The centerpiece of this film is the terrific acting of the two youthful leads, Mirai Moriyama and Masami Nagasawa. Their portrayal of two young people in love is critical to the movie working, and they succeed wonderfully, carrying the film to it's full potential. The soundtrack completes the film, including a gorgeous piano solo performed by Masami's character.

The only drawback you may find is that there's no domestic DVD available over here, at least not right now, so a little extra hunting might be needed. I'd say it's very worth it.

You can see the trailer Here

Her Room Is Her Castle...

2009-05-06T23:23:00.009-04:00

Yet another found photo from that mysterious shoebox. There's just so much grooviness in this photo, from that kids boots, the cat trying to get away, that loud floral pattern, and best of all, those awesome examples of big-eyed art on the wall!

I'll Miss Dom DeLuise

2009-05-05T21:24:00.005-04:00

Mr. DeLuise always made laugh. He was terrific in Blazing Saddles, but it was his role in The Cannonball Run as Victor "Captain Chaos" Prinzim that will remain my childhood memory. Dom DeLusie always seemed like a an incredibly warm person who loved life, and we loved him.

Rest well, Captain.

Another Hot Date

2009-04-29T23:51:00.006-04:00

Another found photo, apparently snapped on the same enchanted evening. Gotta love that hair!

Spring Cleaning...

2009-04-25T00:17:00.008-04:00

I'm giving the blog an overhaul as you'll be able see in the next day or so. I'm mostly just cleaning up dead links and adding new ones. There's also a Twitter feed where you'll find quick bite-size links to neat stuff I feel compelled to share. I'm also toying with the notion of changing the template but that just depends on my whims.

Another thing I intend to do is re-up some of my mix-cds and various sharities that have expired. I know it's frustrating to click a Rapidshare link and find nothing. Sorry about that!

What the heck is a Poken?

2009-04-23T22:31:00.044-04:00

When you're out playing the field, or just simply networking, it's easy to lose a detail when collecting contact information while on the move. You can always exchange business cards, but it won't do you much good if you accidently wash it with your laundry...

With that in mind, meet your new friend, the handy and adorably cute Poken...

This tiny gizmo travels with you everywhere you go. On it's little flash drive you can upload your contact info, links to your blog and Twitter account, photos, and other networking information. When you meet someone you want to contact later, they get out their Poken and the two of you touch the little hand-shaped sensors together for a couple seconds and bam, instant exchange of details!

Apparently these little guys are taking off in the East and are showing up around Europe, with plans to conquer America very soon.

If you want be among the first to have one of these little guys, the good folks over at JapanSoc are running a nifty little contest that just might score you a genuine Poken of your very own! Get the details here! Good luck!

Official Poken Site (Japan)

JapanSoc!

(Since this contest went down, I'm happy to report that I actually won one of these little guys! It's sitting proudly in front of me right now...)

Country Musume ni Konno to Fujimoto - Shining Itoshiki Anata

2009-04-22T22:52:00.001-04:00

Did I ever tell you how much I LOVE this song?

I love that song.

Acid Mothers Temple & The Cosmic Inferno

2009-04-08T23:37:00.009-04:00

Acid Mothers Temple is a legendary band of insane psychedelic-avant-jazz-folk-rock that will blow your mind and leave you in a daze for the next two weeks. If you like the Boredoms, you'll totally dig these cats.

Here's 20 minutes of complete sonic awesomeness captured on film!

Random Objects From Childhood...

2009-03-26T21:16:00.018-04:00

A few photos of some of my acquisitions. I've actually had most of this stuff since I was a kid.

Fisher-Price Adventure People, trapped in a love triangle?

From back in the days when Tonka made heavy-duty, impossible to destroy toys!

Mattel's Rodan toy was loosely tied into their Shogun Warriors line. Sadly, his head is all I have left! (I couldn't bring myself to throw it away.) Evidently this would be worth quite a bit of money if I hadn't broken it.

And of course, vintage Star Wars figures! Like a lot of people my age, old-school Star Wars fully dominated my formative years. Of all the things from my early years, these are the things I will never be able to part with.

And while certainly not vintage, I love this totally cool Mars Attacks robot more than the movie that inspired it, and it sits proudly with my older objects.

More to come later!

MORE Mass of the Fermenting Dregs

2009-03-16T23:19:00.008-04:00

Holy cow, I'm in near disbelief over how freakin' awesome this band is!

(YouTube pulled the clip I originally linked, but this is still some pretty terrific footage!)

Perfume and their Super Jet Shoes!

2009-03-12T00:16:00.007-04:00

On my last mix CD, Perfume's spirited cover of Peachy's pop hit "Super Jet Shoes" was the song that everybody seemed to especially love. So here's a translated version of this incredibly uplifting, massively empowering, future classic live!

Supreme Twitter?

2009-03-07T00:36:00.012-05:00

A while back a friend of mine sent me a Twitter invite. I signed up although I couldn't see what the point was to "micro-blogging" and pretty much forgot about it. But recently it's occurred to me that Twitter offers a nifty way to track neat stuff I love on the web.

So if you wish check out Supreme Twitter sometime. This will be a bank of cool things like images and videos that I wanted to quickly share with other people without committing to full blog entries here.

Check it out and find some neat stuff! Follow it and find more later!

Mass of the Fermenting Dregs

2009-03-02T12:12:00.013-05:00

Mass of the Fermenting Dregs just might be my new favorite band. They're freakin' awesome!

Official (English) website HERE.

More background on them HERE.

Come Relax at Laurel Lake Inn!

2009-02-24T21:02:00.014-05:00

Get away from it all at Laurel Lake Inn located in lovely Henderson, North Carolina! A relaxing moment scanned from my postcard collection.

I found this card in a box from my parents old house. Most likely they got it while visiting our extended family down there...

A quick web search brought up several other places to stay in Henderson, but no Laurel Lake Inn. Perhaps it just changed names, or perhaps it's just simply faded away...

SCANDAL's New Single "Sakura Goodbye"!

2009-02-23T23:00:00.018-05:00

Looks like SCANDAL's new single is upon us!

It's a great song, especially with Tomomi's super tight bass line, but I have to admit, the slick production values dilute the energy just a bit. I like the live workout of this tune better...

Then again, I'd love to see this awesome band become superstars, and radio-friendly gloss is how you do it. So more power to em'!

I'm a Geek But That's Okay...

2009-02-16T21:30:00.006-05:00

And so the debate between collector geeks rages on.

Are you a well-balanced, socially functional geek, or are you the geek that takes it too far, doomed to live a lonely life in your parents basement?

Hot Date

2009-02-09T23:08:00.009-05:00

Another neat photo from the same shoebox that yielded other great treasures. Now that's how you pile up hair!

And dig that huge three-way ashtray from the days when smoking was fully acceptable social habit!

Hmm, looks like the story continues...

I'll Miss Lux Interior

2009-02-08T12:36:00.016-05:00

In all sincerity I really do think Cramps singer Lux Interior was hands down one on the greastest musical frontmen of all time. The skin-tight clothes, the spastic movements, and his howling vocals helped keep the garage-punk spirit alive in a world of dull and sanitized middle of the road music.

But as much as I loved the Cramps' music, it was their love of pop-culture nuttiness that really inspired me. Lux and Poison Ivy were avid collectors of strange thrift-store records, found video tapes, and all around forgotten weirdness who went out their way to share with like-minded maniacs. Lux turned me on to so much crazy stuff, I'd never possibly be able to thank him properly.

Thanks for everything, Lux Interior, I'll miss you.

The Sands Hotel: A Place In The Sun...

2009-01-27T11:33:00.016-05:00

Ah, the legendary Sands Hotel, in that city of fortune and hedonism we call Las Vegas! This is the old Vegas of course, before the water parks and shopping malls. I bought this postcard at a flea market as a memento of a time we'll never see again..

It's the A & W Drive-In!

2009-01-26T15:48:00.011-05:00

Another scan from my boxes of postcards. Mmmmm, I could totally dig a root-beer float right now...

James Brolin versus.... The Car!

2009-01-24T22:10:00.040-05:00

One of my personal favorite Jaws inspired movies didn't take place anywhere near the water. Instead James Brolin fought to protect a small town from a seemingly indestructible demonic motor vehicle in a film simply called "The Car"...

The Car was designed by none other than the legendary "King of the Kustomizers" George Barris utilizing a highly modified 1971 Lincoln Continental Mark III.

Get Your Shirley Maclaine & Richard Beymer Trading Cards...

2009-01-20T15:31:00.005-05:00

I was going through some old stuff and found this inside a wallet that belonged to my mother...

A Shirley Maclaine (Circa The Apartment) and Richard Beymer trading cards? Where do I get the rest of the set?

I'll Miss Ricardo Montalban

2009-01-14T21:48:00.013-05:00

Have you ever seen the early pilot attempt at a Wonder Woman TV series starring Cathy Lee Crosby? It's pretty terrible. But you know what's good about it? Ricardo Monteban is the main villain, and for the brief moments he's on screen, it's pretty damn awesome.

A little Monteban made a lot of things that should've been awful into great things. And when he was in something good, like when he played Khan in the Star Trek series, it was just about as good as it gets.

Ricardo Monteban, a true gentleman that's far too rare in this world. I'm going to miss him.

Lost On A Tokyo Sushi Conveyor Belt

2009-01-13T21:49:00.004-05:00

What happens when you set a camera on a sushi conveyor belt? Something wonderful....

lost in a moment from dennis wheatley on Vimeo.

Merry Xmas!

2008-12-26T11:09:00.011-05:00

In the spirit of the season, here's a clip that features J-Pop megastars Morning Musume traveling back to 1964 to appear in the greatest Christmas TV special ever!

Hope the holidays find you well!

Morning Musume - 60's Girls Pop Medley Happy Xmas Show

Links Updated!

2008-11-09T23:20:00.009-05:00

When you've got a free moment make sure you dive into the recently updated links in the side bar!

I cleaned up the blogs that weren't getting updated and added some nice fresh goodness in their place. I've also added a new section of my favorite Japanese-Asian culture links, so check out all the cool stuff that our friends to the East are up to as well!

SCANDAL's Major Label Single, Doll

2008-10-27T22:31:00.010-04:00

So my favorite band of 2008 got signed to a major (Japan) label over the summer, and the first single is here!

I know a lot people get concerned when their beloved band gets famous, but not me. I want SCANDAL to be huge! I want SCANDAL lunchboxes, SCANDAL action figures, SCANDAL colorforms and a SCANDAL sitcom, right now!

Meet Fanboy

2008-10-22T21:20:00.004-04:00

The first time I ever watched this video, I laughed and thought to myself that if I had never gotten married this is how I would have ended up...

So the other day I showed this vid to my friend who laughed and exclaimed, "If you had never gotten married, that's what you would've turned into!"

By the way, that short was directed by Jeff Krulik, most famous for the awesome classic Heavy Metal Parking Lot.

Akira Kurosawa's The Hidden Fortress

2008-10-11T23:57:00.016-04:00

A few screenshots from the Akira Kurosawa classic that requires little introduction, Kakushi-toride no san-akunin, aka The Hidden Fortress....

Sunrise on Mt. Fuji

2008-10-02T22:59:00.002-04:00

Here's the most beautiful video you'll see today, a sunrise as seen from the summit of Mount Fuji....

Burger Chef Commercial, 1970

2008-09-25T21:44:00.002-04:00

Best commercial jingle ever? I really do think so!

Stop By Rhoades Soft Ice Cream & Amish Gift Shop!

2008-09-15T15:55:00.003-04:00

Rocket Science

2008-09-10T21:37:00.006-04:00

Another scan from the collection...

"Hand me a plate, Jimmy!"

2008-09-08T14:32:00.006-04:00

Here's a neat photo I found in a shoebox in an abandoned recording studio. What do you suppose the fella's reaching for?

Another image from the mysterious shoebox here...