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I went to see J-Pop Band Sukima Switch with Reiko’s sister yesterday in their arena tour. It was my first time at a Japanese group’s gig in Japan and I enjoyed it.
The actions of the fans were notable. For the up-tempo songs, every person would clap one particular way for the verses, when it got to the chorus they’d double the speed. When it came back to the verse they’d slow down again. This happened for nearly every song. I was surprised at the rigid formality of the fans.
Still, they were all having a good time. Some fans tried to do double speed whenever they wanted but were quickly forced to adopt by the thousands of others keeping in time with each other.
I was looking through my iPod the other day and was struck by how many songs started with I. It starts with I’d give you anything and ends with I would have left you.
Definitions of self
I am a rock
I am love
I am the Walrus
Only’s
I just don’t know
I just want to have something
I just want to touch her
Likes
I like Chinese
I like dirt
I love George Best
Wants
I wanna be sedated
I wanna be where you are
I wanna be your boy
I wanna rock
I want a little girl
I want an alien for Christmas
I want it all
I want some
I want to break free
I want to hold your hand
I want to tell you
I want you (She’s so heavy)
I want you around
I want you back
I want your girlfriend to be my girlfriend
Past and future
I was a lover
I was made to love you
I will
I would have left you
Did they ever get the chance?
Did they ever do it?
Found a Japanese blog which lives to promote a Japanese bloke`s cassette collection. He`s got literally hundreds of cassettes in his collection which I promise you is more interesting than it sounds.
Having complained about the fact that there are few good games for my PSP outside of RPG games heavily laden with indecipherable kanji, I found out I could emulate SNES and Mega Drive games on it. I never had a Super Nintendo and I am now deeply addicted to Super Mario World and ironically enough Zelda.
Thus news that someone somewhere has recorded an excellent orchestral version of the Super Mario Brothers theme tune pleased me.
This brings to mind a video of a Japanese guy playing the theme tune to Mario on his electric guitar complete with sound effects. Or how about Jean Baudin tapping it on the bass?
We went to Reiko`s cousin`s baby`s birthday party at Hard Rock Cafe which wasn`t so bad although I paid a new record of 950 yen (4.50 pounds/9 dollars) for a draught Guinness which turned out to be a small 350ml can of draught Guinness. They graciously decided to fit the bill which turned out to be a consolation. I ended up eating most of the food anyway with my Western stomach more able to accomodate vast quantities of heavy food than the delicate Japanese version.
Whilst I was at the Hard Rock Cafe, they played the Japanese video for the you-either-love-it-or-hate-it “Dragostea din Tei.” It has some some interesting attempts at translation using English, katakana and kanji to the words of the song. I believe the link below is it. Please have a look.
