“Just another sad old man, all alone and dying of cancer.”

Sit back down you! If you are drinking my beer, you are going to have to listen to my “old man” music. Forget that “hippy-hoppy” crap for a few minutes, and learn some music history.

This is “Dogs” by Pink Floyd, from their great 1977 LP “Animals”. The record was a concept album (slight sarcastic inflection in Denny’s voice). Each song title describes a different domestic animal. The central theme is that people often are like the animals. Each describes some of the worst aspects of humanity. People might be greedy pigs, are often docile sheep, and may live in a dog-eat-dog world.

You are going to need the lyric sheet. I am posting the full lyrics at the end of this post, if you want to view them while you listen to this SEVENTEEN-MINUTE PROGRESSIVE ROCK SONG.

Oh, right you use your phone for everything. Try to follow along.  The song is about how people act like aggressive dogs. The song is directed at businessmen in particular. My favorite lyrical part captures very clearly how I view the cutthroat world of business.

After a while, you can work on points for style.
Like the club tie, and the firm handshake,
A certain look in the eye and an easy smile.

You have to be trusted by the people that you lie to,
So that when they turn their backs on you,
You’ll get the chance to put the knife in.

The song then describes one unlucky company man who dedicates his life to pursuing money, but in the end has accumulated nothing of true value.  Near the end he faces disillusionment with the corporate world, and how one must act in order to survive in it. The ruthless businessman must face death, realizing that he is unloved, and has wasted his life in the pursuit of financial gain. Someday you will understand the meaning of the line: “it’s too late to lose the weight you used to need to throw around.”

I can remember seeing Pink Floyd performing this live on their 1977 tour. During this song, the band had inflated blimps which hovered over the stage. The blimps were of such as objects as a car, a TV set, refrigerator, etc. All of these are objects which the protagonist sacrificed his life for.

Oh, you want to hear more of my “war stories” from rock life in the 1970s do you? Let me tell you a little more about the Pink Floyd 1977 tour. The band would only play five cities in North America. I saw them in Cleveland, Ohio.

It was a hot and humid summer day. Fortunately it was partly cloudy, thus I avoided a lot of sunburn …

“General Admission” – meaning you have to fight drug addicts for a place on the baseball field close to the stage.

80,000 potheads filled the old Cleveland Municipal Stadium. I may have been the ONLY CLEAR-HEADED person in the entire stadium.

I hate marijuana. It never made me “high” — just stupid.  It was tough growing up in the 1970s when so many of my peers were using weed to attain euphoria. Everyone else would mellow out and feel great. Marijuana turns me into a paranoid psychopath. Lucky you if you can use it as a euphoric … er … I mean, to treat your glaucoma.   Luckily I attended this drug fest accompanied only by my stoner friends and a gallon jug of green Gatorade. (My anti-drug stance will have to wait for another post. I know, I’m a hypocrite because I drink like a tree). I don’t like drug culture, but I love the “altered state” which Pink Floyd transported me too. Hypnotic, perhaps ethereal, but with a small sense of underlying dread.

Denny is NOT making this up: To this day I can remember how the show opened. The crowd was waiting for the show, when all of a sudden a 747 jet airliner flies DIRECTLY OVER THE STADIUM. I mean it flew just above the top of the structure. No one had ever seen anything like it. In my minds eye, I can still remember … at least I think I do … maybe I embellish it now … seeing people inside the plane WAVING OUT THE WINDOW. That is HOW CLOSE the band plane flew to the top of the stadium. It was very quick, and as far as I know, there is no photographic evidence of the flight.Today (post- 9/11) of course, you could never get an airplane that close to that big of a crowd. I would find out later that Pink Floyd was cited for the FAA infraction.

The stoned crowd was of course freaked out. While we sat there all agog, no one noticed that the band had already taken the stage and was already playing “Sheep”. This was a great practical joke on a crowd that was already hallucinating. I guess we really were all easily manipulated sheep … good one guys!

Find the young Denny.

Oh, back to “Dogs” … there is that one part right after the “dragged down by the stone” lyric where the word “stone” is repeated, then phased-synthesized so that the word slowly becomes a sound instead of a word. It is a good example of the dreamlike steam-of-consciousness aspect of Pink Floyd music. Also, if you are listening to this — your dog may come running into the room, as the song also has some real dog-barking, and synthesized dog sounds. Legend has it — there are also sounds which only a dog can hear are included. Test it out for yourself.

What do you mean it is depressing? Of course it is dark … it is ART! A lot of Pink Floyd is kind of depressing … and kind of scary. Like a bad dream.

It was a great show. The band played the full “Animals” and “Wish-You-Were-Here” albums. The WYWH set had a big-screen animated movie to accompany it. I once saw a song from it on VH1, but I have been looking forever for the full movie. Like a lot of PF, it will put you into a trance.

Unfortunately, people CAN be animals. I saw a lot of bad behavior. Plenty of mean dogs, sloppy pigs and clueless sheep. One of my friends had his pockets picked and lost his ticket, There was a lot of fighting between the druggies of course. The police were harassing a lot of the stoners, but there is no way that they could arrest all 80,000, so they had to let a lot of drug use slide.

I was very saddened to see that inebriated fuckwads kept trying to take down the animal balloons as they flew over the crowd. Jerks were grabbing the tethers. At one point, the show had to stop so that an announcement could be made to stop pulling down the pig.

REFERENCES:

See this radio station blog for further description, but it looks like they got it mostly right.

http://wncx.cbslocal.com/2014/06/19/pink-floyd-makes-history-at-world-series-of-rock-77/

Other blogger’s hazy memories can also be read here.

http://www.pinkfloydonline.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=12468

Facebook (ugh) has a page dedicated to the 1977 tour. Some Clevo photos may be seen there.

https://www.facebook.com/PinkFloydAnimalsTour1977

Some historic PF photos are also observable here.

http://concertstagedesign.blogspot.com/2011/01/pink-floyd-in-flesh-tour-1977.html

Don’t pull down the Pig!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEB2P13T3tM

DOGS (Written by David Gilmour and Roger Waters)

You gotta be crazy, you gotta have a real need.
You gotta sleep on your toes, and when you’re on the street,
You gotta be able to pick out the easy meat with your eyes closed.
And then moving in silently, down wind and out of sight,
You gotta strike when the moment is right without thinking.

And after a while, you can work on points for style.
Like the club tie, and the firm handshake,
A certain look in the eye and an easy smile.
You have to be trusted by the people that you lie to,
So that when they turn their backs on you,
You’ll get the chance to put the knife in.

You gotta keep one eye looking over your shoulder.
You know it’s going to get harder, and harder, and harder as you
get older.
And in the end you’ll pack up and fly down south,
Hide your head in the sand,
Just another sad old man,
All alone and dying of cancer.

And when you loose control, you’ll reap the harvest you have sown.
And as the fear grows, the bad blood slows and turns to stone.
And it’s too late to lose the weight you used to need to throw
around.
So have a good drown, as you go down, all alone,
Dragged down by the stone… (stone … stone …)
[instrumental]
I gotta admit that I’m a little bit confused.
Sometimes it seems to me as if I’m just being used.
Gotta stay awake, gotta try and shake off this creeping malaise.
If I don’t stand my own ground, how can I find my way out of this
maze?

Deaf, dumb, and blind, you just keep on pretending
That everyone’s expendable and no-one has a real friend.
And it seems to you the thing to do would be to isolate the winner
And everything’s done under the sun,
And you believe at heart, everyone’s a killer.

Who was born in a house full of pain.
Who was trained not to spit in the fan.
Who was told what to do by the man.
Who was broken by trained personnel.
Who was fitted with collar and chain.
Who was given a pat on the back.
Who was breaking away from the pack.
Who was only a stranger at home.
Who was ground down in the end.
Who was found dead on the phone.
Who was dragged down by the stone.

——————–

Regarding the “Animals” album: I wondered why there were not more songs about more animals. If people behave like Sheep, Pigs and Dogs, then why not “Monkeys”? People basically are like monkeys, so why not another animal song. Yes, humanity is often ape-like. We are basically “monkeys” … just a bunch of wild monkeys. Just a bunch of masturbating, feces-throwing, infant cannibalizing  monkeys.

Starlight: … 1977? (Denny slaps forehead).

KIMONOS ON MONDAY: More Sakura-tan, her HKT48 friends (…and a “shout out” to all sentient beings who dwell in the Oort Cloud!)

BOTH ears visible !!! … (faints)

… continuing from last week’s post.  Is it even possible to get enough of Sakura Miyawaki?

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Excuse me — would you like a free sample of Sakura-tan today?

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Samples? Now I need an entire Hawks Town meal. Please enjoy Sakura-tan and her HKT friends here in colorful yukata!

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Starlight: If you read last weeks post, where in the universe will the images I shared be seen? … how far have they traveled?

Well, light travels at 299,792,458 meters per second (or about 670,616,629 mph American). Since last week’s post, Sakura in Orange Yukata, the images from my blog traveled about 112.66 billion miles. Or to express it another way 1,212 AU (the average distance from the Earth to the Sun is defined as one AU – or astronomical units). 

Thus, my images of Sakura are now reaching the Oort Cloud which surrounds the outer part of our solar system. (By way of comparison, Pluto is only 40 AU from the Sun.)  I hope my readers in this theoretical boundary of our solar system are enjoying the post!

 

Is it too early for candy corn?

Image

Even before the camera moved up, I knew that it was Yukirin front-center here

I know that it is too early for Halloween, but I have been enjoying AKB48’s 41^st single “Halloween Night” released a couple of weeks ago. I think that it is a very good disco song. Yes disco. The group did a very good job at capturing what I hear as a 1970s-style sound.

That is a big accomplishment, because in the 1970s, I was one of those “heavy metal kids” with the “DISCO SUCKS” t-shirt. Most of you are too young to know about this: The 1970s hard-rock, FM rock community I was a part of back then, did not like the Disco trend which was taking over the nation in the late 1970s. We loved Led Zeppelin, The Who, Todd Rundgren, Jethro Tull, Emerson Lake & Palmer, etc. , but would not tolerate any disco music. Looking back, I should not have been such a music bigot. I was young, and had a long musical journey ahead of me. I listen to all kinds of music today, and there are few genres that I do not like at least a little bit.

But .. EEE-gads, if the long-haired, leather clad 18-year old Denny would have known that someday the (something-something)-year old Denny would be loving a disco song by a “manufactured” Japanese girl dancers pop group, he would have thrown up his 12-pack of Colt 45.

… or maybe I would have liked this kind of disco music. I might admit, that there were some disco songs I thought were OK. In fact, The Rolling Stones – who were worshiped by the hard rock crowd – were actually kind of “disco” when I think back on it.  There was no getting away from disco in the 70s, no matter how hard you rocked. Furthermore, most 1970s “chicks” were OK with the Disco. Even if they liked hard rock too, most of the ladies I knew liked to disco dance! The girls had it right. They might rock out at an Aerosmith concert, but they also knew that disco dancing was fun too. I guess I was too “anal” (which is the nice way to say what we heavy metal fans were). 

“Look, if you are going to talk to this chick, you are going to have to go out on the disco dance floor”. 

… and I’m wearing a “Black Sabbath” T-shirt.

Awkward.

Oh, getting back to the new AKB48 single. It is pretty cool. Sashi does a good job centering this single. (All is forgiven. You deserve to be center, Rino-chan.) The integration of occasional English words is pretty cute, and lends itself to that 1970s feel. That “Boogie Night” phrase kills me. “Ready? …”  So cute.

The official music video features the ladies in great (but freaky) Halloween costumes. However, I think that I prefer these shiny-silver dance outfits used in this promo performance video. I think these silver mini-skirts are cuter and sexier than the scary stuff. Overall, I am liking performance videos better than the official music videos these days. I think the TV appearances and other performance videos (PVs) allow for a better look at all the Idols. The official music videos (MVs) are usually cut pretty fast, and are often about something else than the song.

I like to watch the PVs and identify the members who I know. I don’t know ALL the members, particularly with all the recent graduations, and the creation of so many sister groups and sub-units.  I can only identify about 30 current members by name, but may remember the name when reminded in a subbed video — “Oh, yeah … her.” The funny thing is, that I can ID which one is Yuki Kashiwagi, just from looking at her legs. (See top photo above.)  As the camera pans over the dance floor, you just see the girls legs, but then before it panned up, I thought “oh, there is Yuki”. Ha. I am so much of a fan, I can now identify her just by her legs. Hoo boy … I should really get going to work today.

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Here is what some of the “Halloween” costumes look like …

… which you can see more of in the commercial — I mean — the “short version” of the official MV approved by the company..

Sakura is a great choice to be a jester. Mayuyu is adorable as a goth-lolita, and Jurina is a perfect black widow.

If you can get Jpopsuki to load, you can view the entire HN video here. You may have to “boogie” something while it loads, but it is worth the wait.

http://www.jpopsuki.tv/video/AKB48—Halloween-Night/d3e3617a69eda9fe181b4c95b7a5e55a

How do they get away with it?

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The music video has a lot of lighted-floor disco dancing — straight out of Saturday Night Fever. There are a lot of dancing dudes too.  “There are girls who look like guys, dancing with guys who look like girls.” I think that I actually owned some of those polyester shirts shown. The great thing about those polyester leisure suits those guys are wearing is that they did not need any ironing or special care. You could “boogie” all night in it, wash your car with it the next day, then hang it up and it would look fine.

We also get to see disco dancing styles from not just the 70s — but some 80s “break” dancing, those 1990s dances, and the more modern “whatever-the-devil-you-young-people-call-dancing-these-days.” It is a very fun concept video, but  I will probably stick with the performance video instead.

OH! If you want to learn how to dance AKB’s “Halloween Night” dance, instructions are linked here. I can only do the “bat” move.

STARLIGHT: Don’t point the telescope at all my embarrassing 1970s Heavy Metal T-shirts!!! … too scary …

DENNY’S RE-BLOGS: AKB48「総選挙!水着サプライズ発表 2015」

“‘ELIZABETH I’M COMING TO JOIN YOU!!!”

Can’t speak … wheezing too much … must … find … medicine … (THUD)

モーニングBerryz48...the morning after..... "Always wear protection before reading…(^q^)."

Just a few days hot off the presses it’s AKB48’s annual “General Election Swimsuit Surprise Announcement” mook! And to the top 80 vote go-getters comes the spoils of wearing Umm much less clothing…(^q^)!

All joking aside, this part magazine~part~book all bikini hybrid of a publication presented by Weekly Playboy serves as a most sexy commemoration pictorial filled with not only the girls all readily in summertime wear but also includes each girl’s annual general election rankings/vote totals, interviews/commentary, a comprehensive recap of the big election night’s festivities along with speeches from the top 16 (Senbatsu), manager comments from each team with results breakdown data, personal messages from every girl outside of the top 80, off-shots and a large A1 sized two-sided poster featuring this year’s Senbatsu & Under Girls…..and it must also be noted just how fan~friendly priced these annual mooks are as they’re very high quality productions each for…

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KIMONOS ON MONDAY: “Sakura is the new Orange … or something” — Sakura Miyawaki in orange yukata

I know what you are thinking: Finally, someone looks good in an orange outfit!

Sakura Miyawaki (宮脇 咲良 Miyawaki Sakura) is a rising star in the AKB48 Family. The lovable young idol is a member of HKT48, and is a fan favorite. She ranked SEVENTH in the last AKB Senbatsu Election, surpassing many of AKB’s longtime stars. This former child actress is a natural showman (girl).  Of course she is super cute in all of her idol outfits, but I especially love this photo card set of her wearing my favorite color!

Fans often comment on her “big ears” — although unfortunately, only one can be seen in this series. She lists her “special skills” as drawing, and being able to sleep anywhere. That is good because I see this teen idol working a lot more for the group. She will be in-demand for more and bigger roles.  See Stage48 website linked here for more Sakura-tan trivia!

Sakura may also be the hope for all humanity, but that is getting a little off topic …

Sakura-tan, Could you please “orange” another great kimono shoot?

I am a BIG FAN … get it?

For more Sakura photo cards see my Sakura Miyawaki board on Pinterest linked here.

Starlight: We can now see the light from Star GJ 3379  on the month Sakura was born in Kagoshima Prefecture. GJ 3379 is a red dwarf star in the Orion constellation.  GJ 3379 is the closest star to Earth of all those stars located within Orion. It is a “flare star” which is appropriate for this young idol!

Favorite members of the AKB48 Family – “Dog Days” edition.

I could have just said “August” edition. The phrase “dog days” often refers to the end of summer. The star Sirius (the dog star) — is visible in late summer. This time is often the hottest time of year in many climates. Hot. Serious.

Right …  let us get right to cute photos of my favorite members! This time I will present my list in descending order, just to make it that much more suspenseful. Plus, there have been a few “shake-ups” since my last list.

My 16 member “dream team” would be …

16. Kei Jonishi

You are correct Kei …  “It is always darkest … just before they turn on the lights!“

15. Yui Yokoyama

No, Yuihan — Rick, Carl and Dale had already left the prison LAST year.

14. Minami Minegishi

I said “make that EXTRA VIRGIN”, Miichan. If you are going to cook authentic Italian, make sure that the olive oil is extra virgin …

13. Haruka Shimazaki

Don’t look so sad Paruru, no one was more disappointed than I was when we found out you were turned down to be the new symbol for “Wendy’s”.

12. Minami Takahashi

Every kid knows that a bath is not any fun unless you have something to play with!

11. Haruka Nakagawa

Whew. I am also very happy your bicycle seat was returned Haruka. Who on Earth could have taken it? Just glad it’s back!

10. Jurina Matsui

Ok, so when the Witch comes out of the little German house, that means it will be CLEAR … but when Jurina comes out, that means that it will RAIN? I’m OK with that.

9. Miyuki Watanabe

(Denny wispering and imitating David Attenborough) We are in luck. Few biologists have been fortunate enough to catch a wild Milky during her “molting” phase.

8. Haruna Kojima

Make up your mind Kojima san … are you in the “bloods” or the “crips”?

7. Sayaka Yamamoto

Guess where Sayanee hid the key to the iron gate she is waiting behind.

6. Sakura Miyawaki

How can I join the “Big Dango Family” Sakura-tan?

5. Aika Ota

Can I park my scooter at your playhouse Love-tan?

4. Mayu Watanabe

This happens every time Mayuyu gets an idea!

3. Haruka Kodama

Ah, Haruka Kodama, brought to you by the letter “N” … or is that a “W” … what letter are you trying to make again Haruppi?

2. Yuki Kashiwagi

“Wimpy Kid?” … not if it is the diary of Yukirin!

Now for my #1, my oshi … the champion from Chiba … the kami in kimono … the empress of enka …

1. Iwasa Misaki

Oddly, Wasamin’s ERA is lower than the entire staff of the Seattle Mariners!

Sing for me Misaki-san.

I (heart) you Wasamin, and all the girls! Thanks for a great summer of music videos!

Starlight: Only 8.6 light years to Sirius, but Fanboy love travels faster than the speed of light.

Deli Wisdom Item #27: Why the AKB48 “No Dating” rule is maybe not such a bad thing.

There is always a line isn’t there? That is OK, let me tell you about some of my thoughts on this while we wait for our sandwiches. Been thinking about this one for a long time …

I am a fan of the Japanese Idol genre in general, and specifically I love AKB48 and their sister groups. My waiting-in-line rant today is NOT about “Why I like the Japanese Idol genre” … that will have to be the touchy subject of another lunch.

No, I am trying to think “outside the box” here, Yukirin!

When I scan Internet blogs, including the WordPress tags under Jpop and the like, I have found that most of the time when AKB48 is referenced it is because the blogger has a negative opinion. Usually a poorly researched opinion to boot. (The “Big Butts” as I have said before.) One item almost always criticized is the “No Dating” rule common to many Japanese idol groups.

I am also NOT going to re-hash the various “SCANDALS” regarding those members who broke the rules. Those have already been discussed on other fan sites.

Many (American) foreigners do not understand or like the rule.  Furthermore, it is usually non-fans of the genre who most disagree with the rule. True, some dedicated AKB48 fans support the idea that girls should be free to pursue romantic relationships while under contract, but I want to make the case here that this rule – is not such a bad thing, and in fact may help the girls creatively.

The point must be made that Japanese Idol culture is a different culture from anything in America. People should be allowed to have a different way of doing things in their own country. I will admit that you could never have an organization with such a rule in the USA. It would never work in America, and maybe couldn’t.

I might take some of the spinach knish home.

The most common explanation of the policy is that it fuels male fans fantasies about the members.  The femi-nazis will say that it appeases insecure, delusional, misogynistic fantasies … but they are just jealous because they are not cute. (cough) … Ahem … For example, if I were a Japanese high school or college student I might fantasize that I will someday meet and marry Yuki Kashiwagi (or Haruka Kodama, Sayaka Yamamoto, etc.) Ahem … you see …

… Denny going into a young man’s reverie: …  yes, when I earn my degree, I will land that big job, get that big promotion, sell that new game design, make that critically acclaimed film, write that big hit song, etc.

It is important that Yuki does not date a series of goofy looking Japanese rock-star jerk guys while she is a member of AKB48. She’s a “good girl” anyway.

What if Yuki were a typical American actress/singer? By her mid-twenties she would be too skanky with the stink of a series of celebrity boyfriends. Hey you Jerkwads — hands off Yuki!!! … Yuki’s karma is pure. In fact, her name means “snow”!

She is so incredibly sweet, I love her face and her personality. We will meet someday … Yuki will still be a virgin … we will meet …  and since she would have recently graduated AKB, (I’m not sure what year this fantasy is) she will now be free to pursue romance – with me.  And the best thing? She has never had a boyfriend before.  

Still a virgin, at her age, with that BODY she has,– that is just built for lovin’ … Jesus H. Christ … er … I mean, Siddhartha B. Gautama! … I will be her one and only. Mine, all mine …

There is something special about that.

Me, the young, newly famous inventor/singer/film actor/director will marry Yukirin … and we will be happy ever after!

(reverie ends)

OF COURSE IT IS STUPID!!! What mashugana goyim thinks that way?

So whats the harm with a little fantasy?

Fueling this unspoken fantasy is good for marketing however.  Male fans might care less, and thus spend less — if Idols were just regular singers with regular lives.  Those would be some foolish fantasies for a guy to have.

But ask yourself: Aren’t your own unspoken, everyday fleeting fantasies also just a little bit foolish? Ask around.

I’m NOT a delusional putz, …What, a fellow can’t dream?

Still, this is NOT my argument in favor of the rule however. I will get to my reasons later.

I think that you can also read  the male fantasy factor as a male fan jealousy factor. A lot of guys would be disappointed if their favorite idol started dating the Japanese version of Justin Bieber. Also, since the girls cannot date, they only have each other to turn to. (cough) You know what I mean. This fuels the OTHER male fantasy. Look, I did not make the world, but it is just the way it is. Guys like the yuri idea.

A good number of the “No Dating” critics are American, most often lady writers coming from the “sophomore political science major” school of thought. Nothing against them, I have known many in college, but they are not exactly the open-minded type.  They are “liberal” but only if you agree with them. I may have fallen asleep in my beer a few times. To them, the “No Dating” rule is another example of the “patriarchal society” that Japan has, and “the women are being exploited by this”, wanka, wanka, wanka, etc.

Alright already.

Actually, these writers should wake up to the fact that in this case it is the young Idols who are in the power position. The late American comic Richard Pryor used to tell a story of growing up in his old neighborhood where the girls had the attitude (Pryor using his sing-songy voice):  “I’ve got the pussy, and you can’t have any …”.  Similarly, the Idol has the upper hand in this fan hierarchy. The no-dating rule puts the Idol in control, not the fan. Odd that so many cannot see that.

My central argument however is that the “No Dating” rule helps the girls by making them focus on career development. Remember your Star Wars studies: Jedi Knights were not allowed to get married. Well, one did … and look what happened to him! As Yoda said, “A Jedi must have the deepest commitment.”  Idols to need commit completely for a few short years.

It is not like they are taking a vow that will last forever. It is at best for a few years in the teen and early twenties at most. Keeping busy might not allow for a lot of time to pursue relationships. They will have fewer worries, they can focus on developing their talents.

There are time constraints. The girls are kept pretty busy. Look at the large volume of media AKB produce. The girls are always performing, modeling, recording, acting, etc. They only get one day off a week anyway.  A guy trying to date one of them would always be in the position of “I never get to see you”.  There would also be a lot of jealous guys. “Listen you, take your hands from her hair!”

The AKB family is large and difficult enough to manage as it is. Now throw in boyfriends and their problems. If the girls had boyfriends there would be all this infighting and jealousy. The young women may end up stealing each other’s boyfriends, or changing boyfriends.  There would be a lot of hurt feelings. Likely, they would be competing for the same Japanese actor/rock star boyfriends.

One of the things that grinds-my-gears is that there all these Japanese actors/singers who STILL ask the AKB girls out on dates, even though they know damn well they can’t do it. Their big egos must think that they will be the exception.

Boyfriends might wreck the group! Even AKB48 leader Minami Takahashi has stated that (quotes) “the world would stop spinning” if the rule were abandoned. The haters know that boyfriends could destroy the group, so they make some stupid arguement, like “it is slavery!” I do believe that the rule will indeed be rescinded or modified sometime, due to pressure from AKB fans who support the change. However, I think that it will mark “the beginning of the end”, and interest in Idol groups as we know them may slowly fade.  All trends have their peak, and I predict this is how the Idol genre will end.

Very importantly, the girls AGREE to abstain when they sign on. No one drafted them into an Idol army. They volunteer knowing full well they will have to give up dating for a few years. The young women know what they are getting into. If they do not want to commit themselves to be part of the organization, then they should not audition to become part of the system. The policy clearly violates Japanese labor laws, thus all active members must be in agreement in order for the rule to exist.

Let me give you another example how giving up dating for a few years might help creatively and force them to focus.  Did you ever see that episode of Seinfeld where the George character found out that his Girlfriend had infectious mono, and so he would not be able to be intimate with her for several days.

He found that when sex was taken off the table, a large part of his brain function that was formerly only obsessed about sex – actually began to be used. He got smarter and smarter everyday. By being celibate, he was able to think and concentrate, eventually developing his intellect in physics.

Well, the AKB girls can do that to. Don’t worry about it. Develop your skills instead.

(Denny is not making this up): Allow me to digress a little here regarding something in my own experience. When I was a single, mid-twenties aged graduate student I had an opportunity.  I was informed that I could do research at the American research station at the South Pole.  Yes, Antarctica. I did not apply for it, but it would have meant living for about a year at the South Pole. Now let me ask you this: Had I taken that isolated research position researching oxygen isotopes in Antarctica … would I have been able to date?

OK, you made your little joke, now answer seriously. I would know that I would not be able to date for about a year. I would have to forget about it (you know) completely, bear down, and focus on research. The idea being I would be enriched from the scientific experience.  I would also have burned an estimated 8,000 calories a day — which is actually a pretty good selling point for a tour of duty at the South Pole.

There are many people worldwide who — because of circumstance — are not able to date for a time. Idols should not have to worry so much. Sometimes people have to make a sacrifice. There is sometimes a need to let go of something to be able to progress into a better future. True, when you are young, five years seems like a long time.

Some Deli Wisdom: Ladies, take it from me … and your father too … focus on your career, the right one will come along when you graduate. Also, your father and I have agreed that if a guy wants you to break your vows, he is not the one for you. If he really likes you, he will wait : )

Better those girls should not be schlepping around until they are married.

I do believe that the rule will indeed be rescinded sometime, due to pressure from AKB fans who do not care or support the change. The funny thing is, when an Idol has a dating scandal, support for that Idol evaporates. Even from fans who will proclaim that they really don’t care.

That some fans would be in favor of lifting the rule is also not hard to understand. Take Haruna Kojima for example. She is one of the world’s sexiest women. She is now in her late twenties. Just look at her. It almost seems A SHAME that the best years of her life are going by without a boyfriend. Yes, you could say “what a waste of fertile volcanic soil.”  The only lover she has had has been Yuko Oshima (gulp). Now, I am NOT spreading rumors here. (cough) It is all fairly well documented on YouTube and elsewhere that Yuko-chan was all over KojiHaru.

At least there was no chance of a pregnancy scandal.

Yes, we all know that Yuko Oshima will indeed marry a man someday … some rich dude or actor, I guess.  It is just that when she had to follow the AKB rules, she maintained this loving relationship with Kojima-san. Um, … I forget ..I’m not sure if I arguing in favor or against the rule right now …

Even though many disagree with management maintaining control of a employee’s private life, I think that in the case of the “love ban” it works to stabilize or “ground” the young idols in reality. Think of all the young artists who rocketed to fame in a short period of time, and then could not handle it. Too many singers, actors, etc burned themselves out quickly, or turned to alcohol, drugs and a series of bad relationships. Idols have to be part of a team, live by the rules, and stay humble. The rule keeps the cocaine and the bad boyfriends off of an idols nose.

Likely, enough fans will eventually not care about the rule, and it will be dropped. However, I think that juncture will also mark “the beginning of the end”. Interest in Idol groups will slowly fade, and the public will not be able to put a finger on why exactly. All trends have their peak, and eventually end.  It will not happen all of a sudden. When enough of the fantasy disappears, the intensity of the interest will slowly but surely drop off. I predict that is how the Idol genre will end. Idol music will be just a quaint curiosity. I mean even more than now.

Starlight: Look, it is another culture.  I’m just having a corned beef sandwich. You?

DENNY’s RE-BLOGS: “Performances from Tokyo Idol Festival 2015”

Sashi with the “widdlest” idol

Please watch these performances before RIW takes them down!

My favorite is the HKT48 performance. They are so full of enthusiasm that it diffuses to the audience. You should see me in the first row … (but you can’t because I was not there unfortunately). Those guys are jumping out of their socks!

Thank you to WordPress blogger Yuna on AllThingsJpop. Also, if you are following my blog for the musical opinions, PLEASE FOLLOW LUNA, because she is the best at this!

(Denny politely bows to Yuna)

AllThingsJpop

Hailed as the world’s biggest idol festival, the “Tokyo Idol Festival 2015” took place in Odaiba, Tokyo from 1st-2nd August, with 154 idol groups and 51,000 fans in attendance.

There are heaps of performances but i’ll just post perfs from whom i think are popular at the moment…

SKE48
1. Escape
2. 1!2!3!4! Yoroshiku!
3. SKE48
4. Hanabi wa Owaranai
5. Gomen ne Summer
6. Mae no Meri
7. Pareo wa Emerald
8. Oki Doki
9. Aishiterabu!
SKE48 performances are always so full of enthusiasm and energy, things that are lacking in AKB48 performances nowadays. I hope this group remains strong when Rena is gone =(

HKT48 
1. Sakura, minna de tabeta
2. Otona ressha
3. Ibiza Girl
4. Rock da yo, Jinsei wa
5. Only you
6. Melon Juice
HKT48’s performances are just duh…….the cover of NMB48’s Ibiza Girl was so lacking!

Super Girls
1. “Max! Otomegokoro / Happy Go Lucky! Hapi…

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