Small change to the blog

Starting this month, I'm going to have my top ten lists part of the sidebar on the right. No big deal, I just thought it would be more logical to put it there. I'll probably add some more stuff to the sidebar later...

HANA"MUTHAFUCKIN"TARASH!!!

the BOREDOMS and their various members, especially frontman, Yamatsuka EYE, have released a ton of recordings over the last 20 years or so, most of which are out of print now and probably will never be repressed.

Let's start with the various works, bands and side projects of Yamatsuka EYE (otherwise known as Yamantaka EYE), mostly known as the lead screamer and king of fuckery for the BOREDOMS. For a more complete version of the BOREDOMS side projects, you have to check out the SORE DIAMONDS page. It's pretty impressive indeed. I've talked to many people in Osaka, including Yamazaki Maso (Masonna) and EYE just flat out refuses to re-issue most of his back catalogue for some reason. Especially the classic HANATARASH 1, 2, 3, and 4, DESTROY 2, UFO or DIE, Puzzle Punks, DJ Carhouse & MC Hellshit, etc. I notice some of the BOREDOMS CD's are back in print, like Super Roots 3, 5 and 6, but quite a few remain OOP.

It's a shame, because I've seen various bootleg incarnations of the Hanatarash CD's floating around on Yahoo Auction and they are fetching quite a high price for a CD-ROM bootleg. A few years ago someone put out a 5 CD-ROM compilation of the early Hanatarash cassettes out titled "We Are Hardcore!! early tapes of the Hanatarashi" under no label. Not much info is known and I think it was very limited. I'd like to get ahold of it though. I do have a few of the Hanatarash cassettes and they're some of the best of EYE's discography.

There was talk years ago about a 100-CD set of John Zorn and Yamatsuka EYE, The Complete Hong Kong and China recordings, but the label that was supposed to put it out went tits up. It's unknown as if it will ever see the light of day.

It would be nice to see the HANATARASH catalogue get the proper boxset treatment. Same with the BOREDOMS, or UFO or DIE. But it seems EYE wants to leave the past buried. I guess it makes owning the originals that much more precious. It's a shame, because EYE used to release shit all the time, but nowadays we're lucky if we see anything at all.

Most of the other stuff by other members is still in print. I think everything from Yoshimi's popular OOIOO project is still in print. Most of Seichi Yamamoto's stuff is in print. On the other hand, almost everything by Hira's band, HANADENSHA is out of print.

I have a pretty hefty BOREDOMS collection which I'm pretty happy with, but there's still lots of holes in it and it probably pales in comparison to some people in Japan. Actually, I acquired most of it BEFORE I came to Japan. So when I came to Japan, it wasn't long before I filled in the essential holes.

Anyway, below are some links of interest if you want dive into BOREDOMS madness a little further:
BOREDOMS EYE EAR NOSE THROAT PAGE
BOREDOMS TEMPLE OF WORSHIP
UNSOUND
HANATA "MUTHAFUCKA" RASH PAGE

Layers Magazine

Just some news that my work is going to appear in the July/August issue of LAYERS magazine, the "how-to magazine for everything Adobe". This is the same company that publishes PHOTOSHOP USER magazine. This'll be the 5th time my work has been published in a magazine, but the first time to be in a U.S. Magazine. Anyway, please look for it when it comes out. For those of you who live in Japan, I guess it may be hard to find. They're sending me copies, so that's the only way I can see it. By the way, the cover pictured here is not the cover for the July/August issue, it's only used for a reference point. Cheers...

Neil Young: Time Fades Away

I was thinking about this album today, like I do every so often, and think, fuck, why hasn't this classic live performance of Neil Young been properly re-issued on CD? This is widely considered by many people to be not only his best live album, but best album, period, the "holy grail" of his catalogue. I'd have to agree i think. This was recorded right after Harvest I believe, maybe I'm wrong.

I also wonder if this is a full performance or just parts. My guess is that it isn't the full show, it'd be nice to see a "complete" version of it come out.

In an effort to get this gem of essential Neil Young released, fans have started a petition at THIS SITE requesting that the album be officially released. MUCH MORE information about this album can be read at this site. Those interested in obtaining a legit copy of Time Fades Away are encouraged to sign the frikkin petition. Whether it will make a difference or not, who knows, but if you really love this album, it can't hurt to take the 30 seconds to sign it.

Until it gets a proper release, you can download mp3's of it from this site, they're just burned from the LP. Go to the March Archives, scroll down the page and you'll find the post:
http://www.buddyhead.com/mp3blog/

Long live Neil Young!!!!!!!!!!

The Genius of Andrei Tarkovsky

Only recently I have been turned on to the amazing cinema of the famous Russian director, Andrei Tarkovsky. Better late than never I guess.

I had only seen 1 film of his a long time ago, SOLARIS, which is widely regarded as one of his most accessible films and has very well known recently because of the remake a few years that came out, with George Clooney, which was totally unnecessary. Needless to say, it didn't even come close to the original, but it wasn't a total disaster either, like I thought it would be. Anyways, I have to admit that when I saw Tarkovsky's original, I didn't really like it. That was at a time when my taste in films weren't very wide-ranging. It was just too slow for me. I was still conditioned by the Hollywood sensibilities. But re-approaching it after 10 years or more, the film blew me away. Some critics refer to it as Russia's answer to 2001, but I think that's a weak comparison. This movie stands alone as one of the most memorable and beautiful sci-fi movies ever made. The story follows a scientist and space explorer on a strange journey to a planet where memories can take physical form. Sounds like a very simple story, right? But the further into it you travel, the more fucked up everything seems. Sometimes the meaning is hard to grasp and the pace is very slow, then suddenly after 2 1/2 hours of space headfuck trip, it moves into a twisted, unsettling vision of memory and home. Check it out.

I've haven't seen all of his films yet, but I would say a perfect starting point for the beginner is Зеркало (Mirror) from 1974, which is probably his most personal film where he's at the peak of his powers. This is an autobiographical work in which Tarkovsky mixes flashbacks, dreams, historical footage and original poetry to illustrate the reminiscences of a dying man about his childhood during World War II, adolescence, and a painful divorce in his family. The story interweaves reflections about Russian history and society. The film opens up with a stuttering boy cured by a hypnotist and announcing that he will now speak clear and strong. It's a very strong opening to a film. Tarkovsky really represents dreams in a way that I've never seen in cinema before. The images and sounds are just simply beautiful. One of the most haunting and surreal scenes is the rainstorm inside the house. Don't try to make any sense of the movie, just sit back and allow the images and sounds to wash over you. It's a truly wonderful experience for those who appreciate such beauty. I know that sounds fruity, but it really IS something else.

Another notable epic is Andrei Rublev, a collection of metaphorically related scenes that loosely follow the life of Russia's great medieval artist, Andrei Rublev, about nothing less than the struggle between mankind's spiritual nature and carnal temptation. It's one of the few "Christian" films that neither belittles the faithful nor holds religon as more important than the "unfaithful" ones. This is a pretty dense story, so don't expect a family blockbuster kind of epic like "TROY" or even "LORD OF THE RINGS". There are some pretty brutal scenes of violence and nudity, there's one scene where it shows a guy carving out another man's eyes. Lots of realistic battle scenes in the second half of the film. If you're an animal activist, you may be shocked, there's a few animals that die in this movie. I don't think it was faked. Whether you're Christian or not, you'll still enjoy this film. The best version of it is on Criterion, it's the only version which has the full cut.

The other film I'm going to mention is his first 43-minute short film "The Steamroller and the Violin" which is just a simple film with the central characters being a young boy, Sasha, and a steamroller-operator, Sergei. Sasha has studied the violin for two years but his musical genius far surpasses other kids his age. One day Sasha is bullied by a bunch of snot-nosed ruffians when Sergei steps in and scares them off. From here, the relationship between them begins. The interesting thing about them is that they are one and the same person, just at two different levels of artistic experience. Sasha has imagination and ability and Sergei has more practical discipline and so he serves as the male mentor for Sasha. The only thing that really divides them is age, social purpose, personal abilities, etc; yet, these two very different people become good friends. Igor Fomchenko plays Sasha, the young boy, and he's brilliant. Very vivid colors and memorable throughout. My only complaint is that i wish it was longer.

I haven't seen STALKER yet, but I am going to order it next week. I'll probably post my comments about it after I watch it a few times. Anyway, if I've sparked your interest at all about Tarkovsky's films, and you would like to know more, a good place to go would be the NOSTALGHIA website. Great site devoted to the man and his art, has very thorough DVD reviews and comparisons between different versions of his films on DVD.

Go and Sign the Petition: Let the public gain control the way information is broadcasted, not the corporations

Hats off to organisations like Adbusters who give a shit about what's happening to our world, trying to make people aware of over-consumption and the effect it is having on our natural resources and general well-being. It's very unfortunate that Japan, Canada and many other countries are becoming like the USA, run by huge corporations and WE ARE LETTING IT HAPPEN! They try to dictate our way of living and thinking and they are very much succeeding. If just a few million people started making conscious choices by not supporting corporations so much, things would radcially change and the ppower would eventually fall back into OUR hands, not the corporation.

With your efforts, we can gain equal access to the airwaves.

The following text is taken from the Adbusters website. Please read it, follow the link and take the measly 2 minutes to sign the petition:

"Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers."

— Universal Declaration of Human Rights Article 19


For years, the Adbusters Media Foundation struggled to buy television airtime for its no-holds-barred series of anti-consumption, pro-restraint campaign spots. When the network reps were feeling generous, they would impatiently explain that they don’t run any advocacy ads (not true), or that our spots are inimical to their business model (unbridled consumption). More often than not, they would decline to give us any reason whatsoever (the big business equivalent of “because I said so”). And the rejections kept rolling in.

Finally, in 2004, we decided that we’d had enough – enough of media conglomerates arbitrarily deciding what ideas can be broadcast over the public airwaves, enough of unfettered commercial access to those same airwaves, and enough of the government’s inaction allowing it all to continue. We hired an expert lawyer and filed a lawsuit against a few of Canada’s biggest media barons.

Things did not initially go as planned. (Read the rest of the article HERE

BAD BOY BUBBY

Well, what we have here is a brilliantly mad and touching story of "Bubby" played wonderfully by Nicholas Hope and directed by Rolf de Heer. Bubby's been shut within his crazy mom's dark, dingy apartment for his entire life (35 years). His mother constantly tells him the air outside is poisonous so he's not allowed out. Every day he does various activities to keep himself busy, like wrapping a cat up in plastic (to see if it breathes), catching bugs and playing with them, fucking his mom, sitting in a chair looking catatonically into space, etc etc.

Things change when suddenly one day Bubby's dad shows up after 35 years, not knowing he has a son. Wanting to patch things up with his wife and son, he moves in, but quickly realizes his son is a fucking weirdo. "Christ kid, your a weirdo!" as he puts it.

Bubby only seems to be able to communicate by mimicking what others say and do and there's a really funny sequence where he imitates his dad by putting on his dad's uniform and cutting off about half an inch of hair from his head, then pasting it on his face to make a beard just like daddy's. It's a truly funny and warped scene.

When Bubby's parents go out drinking one night, he completely trashes the place and seizes an opportunity to escape, and starts on a twisted journey into the outside world of sex, booze, crime and pizza.

There are so many memorable scenes in the film. Actually I can't think of one bad scene, everything is weaved together perfectly, despite the film having various cameramen. The thing that really holds the film together is the strength of Bubby's character.

I gotta say that there have been many actors who've portrayed "mad bastards" like Dustin Hoffman in "Rainman", Jack Nicholson in "The Shining" and "One Flew over the cuckoo's nest", Billy Bob Thornton in "Sling Blade", etc etc etc., but Nicholas Hope's portrayal of Bubby is one of the best and most convincing performances I've seen to date, I shit you not. It's flawless.

At times the movie is really dark, at times sad, at times funny. I know it's cheesy to say this, but this film will really change you. This film will leave you thinking for weeks, months, years maybe.

One reviewer on Amazon had a good description of the film. "It's a social commentary that goes 'outside the box', and delivers a thought provoking, if not exaggerated portrayal of the world around us, and how humans function, or not, within it."

Best film I've seen in a long time. Hollywood could've never made this movie.

Brokeback Mountain

The only reason I watched this film in the first place is because my wife kept bugging me to download it because she wanted to see it. All she told me was that it was a "gay cowboy drama movie" based on true events back in the 60's somewhere in bumfuck USA. So my first reaction was a little mixed.

I did some research to find out that Ang Lee was the director. I'd only seen 2 other movies of his, HULK, which was OK, and the somewhat over-hyped CROUCHING TIGER HIDDEN DRAGON. So I thought it might not be so bad.

First of all, let me just say that I'm not gay, but I have nothing against people who are. I'm also not a homophobe or a gay basher or anything like that. In my opinion, love is love, and if a man happens to love another man, well, that's his choice and it should be respected. Doesn't have to be understood, just respected. So if you're going to watch this movie you obviously have to have an open mind. In other words, rednecks and racists need not apply.

I was very pleasantly surprised at how good this film is. Everything works on a grand scale. Great acting, great cinematography, good script and an awesome soundtrack of existing tunes plus beautiful sparse compositions written especially for the film by Gustavo Santaolalla, who also did music for the recent film MOTORCYCLE DIARIES.

What surprises me is that nothing is contrived, and Hollywood is not deceiving us with any tricks here or false emotions. It's a very simple story told with brutal truth and sincerity. It's the story of 2 men's lives and that's it. It doesn't matter what orientation you are, gay or straight, this movie will move you. I think it will definitely make many people think differently about same-sex relationships, life and love after watching this film.

Anyway, check it out for yourself. You can read tons more reviews on amazon or imdb, so draw your own opinions...