june rokugatsujuly shichigatsuaugust hachigatsuseptember kugatsuoctober jugatsunovember juichigatsudecember junigatsujanuary ichigatsufebruary niigatsumarch sangatsuapril yongatsumay gogatsu
Die, Tochi, Shinya -- Vogue!
They're wearing different clothes, must be a new single coming out. (Jessica, this time, in four days.) Personally, I'm not too crazy about the direction Die and the Toch'-meister are moving in, especially the Afghanistani Hip-Hop thing Die's workin' here. Although Toshiya's Parisian Whatchamaslut thing ain't too rock and roll either... but then, what the hell, they've done well enough career-wise without -my- advice up til now, ne?

Bend Over!
Ugh, that was a disturbing outburst!
Anywayz, dig Kaoru -- he continues to get more respecta-cool everyday, whereas everyone else seems to be descending into parody. Did you see Kyo's fucking dreadlocked swamp-thing look last month? Fuck! He's not doing much better this month, with his "Oy? Wot, guv'nor, nevermoind the bollocks!" look, but at least he's not making me wretch up tonight's oyakodon dinner.

 

Peace!
Morning Musume put out a killer little tune called "The Peace" that has such a happy chorus that you can't help but wanna sing along... and after a few listens, you realize that one or two notes in the scale are actually not happy but really sad and lilting, and the whole chorus takes on a more bittersweet patina, and it's all the cooler for it. Pictured above is the cover to the CD single.

 

"Will That Be Cash, Check, or Charge?"
Charge for now, until Glay start printing their own money, which is only a couple of years away at the rate they're going!

 

SMG -- The Flagbearers of Japanese Metal?!
I realize they're a wacky kind of band, but damn, did Noisy -have- to tie his shirt-tails in a knot and expose his belly? Plus that Photoshop effect on their faces! And this isn't even the -worst- photo of the bunch!

November 10
Saturday

Woohoo, I Finally "Spoke" To Min's Sister, The Hot Model / MTV VJ, Last Night! But Enough About That... <g>

now playing: Pierrot's Finale (1999)

1) Kayo (not a model but still hot) nabbed the Morning Musume single The Peace while out shopping (for Y380) for me, as a gift. Have i ever mentioned my insane way of thinking that if you buy me something new, you hate me, and if you buy me something used, you love me? Because it takes time to find something used, whereas it's easy to buy something new? Isn't -that- fucked up?

(It only applies to rich, famous artists though -- brand new is fine for indies bands, barely-published authors, newly-exhibited painters, yada yada yada, because if they're good (and why would you buy their stuff if they weren't?) we want to support them as much as we can, ne?! Ne! Still fucked, though, damn! But I can't change now, I'm old. (I mention Def Leppard later on in today's entry, for God's sake!)

2) I saw a big billboard in Shimo Kitazawa two weeks ago advertising the imminent release of X Japan's Clips II DVD, which includes most of the videos found on their Dahlia-era VHS releases Dahlia: Visual Shock Vol. 5 Part 1 and Dahlia: Visual Shock Vol. 5 Part 2 (which I own, but they're in a trunk in my parent's house... protected, of course, but still, miles and miles and miles away!) The track listing: Amethyst, Rusty Nail, Scars, Week End, Forever Love, Crucify My Love, Dahlia, White Poem, Drain, Kurenai, Tears, Forever Love (live).

Aye, 'tis 12 videos for Y5000 or so after tax. I'll definitely pick one up sometime in the next two years... if only for Drain, which is easily the coolest concept video the band has ever done (and not appeared in, not coincidentally). And speaking of X Japan concept videos, have you checked out Celebration yet? Good lord, it's like, just, good lord! All Your Base Are Belong To Us!

3) Glay has a Mastercard! (glaycard.com) There's TV ads up the wazoo, too, coinciding with their 2001/2001 Dome Tour... three entire nights at the Tokyo Dome, jeez, can you imagine how wealthy they must be? And just a random thought: they kind of remind me of Def Leppard... not musically, but in an "Oh, Def Leppard was the first metal band I ever liked... now I listen to Opeth, but back in '88, Def Lep was the shit!" Likewise, lots of visual kei fans got their first taste of the genre through Glay, i imagine -- an accessible band just different enough to be interesting, but not too different. And basically, after a few years, everyone kinda moves on. Or am i just talking out of my ass again?

4) Aion and VellaDonna are playing the TINY Rock Maykan next weekend, 11/17... I think I'll check that shit out! (VellaDonna especially is like, L.A. metal, only gooder... and with the guitar tone of Dimebag Darrell.)

5) Luna Sea is doing a handful of anniversary gigs this December. Only, they're not REAL gigs, they're "film gigs", where everyone gathers at a stadium and watches a TV screen for two hours. X Japan are doing the same thing, but at least they have the excuse that Hide's unavailable... even so, I'm disgusted by the concept. Although, I've never been to one, so I dunno, maybe that fragile magic that exists during a live show is bottle-able... but one doubts it highly, doesn't one?

6) The new Sex Machine Guns album, Burning Hammer, is out! Seems like just yesterday that Bar-B-Q Michael was released, don't it? Hmmm, but wait, the track listing on the new disc is... what the hell? Is this supposed to be a "best of" album or something? I -have- all these tracks already! Whatta whatta fucka?!

But in more positive news, Kayo was flipping through the channels late last night and came across an SMG concert being aired, notable for only two things: Circuit J. Panther's presence (in tight red vinyl, avec black straps... VERY visual kei, I approve) and Anchang's double chin... he's gained a couple pounds. (Like, literally, two or three... no biggie, but visible. No doubt he's been hanging about his mansion too much, drinking bourbon and smoking cigars... soon he'll be wearing a monocle, twirling a gold pocketwatch, growing a Teddy Roosevelt-esque handlebar mustache and announcing to his man-servants, "women and machinery do not mix!"

 

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