The Genius of Neil Hamburger

My recent brush with British stand-up's had some kind of knock on effect whereby I went and hunted out a bunch of American stand-up. Not quite sure how that works, but still: Paul F. Tompkins' live CD is awesome (there's nothing to match in on youtube though, sadly), and it also helped me remember America's Funnyman - Neil Hamburger:

That I sat through a whole hour of a comedian being deliberately unfunny, is a sign of some sort of twisted genius. Also:

Ah, jokes.

Look who's on Japanese TV!

Why it's your friend and mine: Michael Moore!


I was just reading about Mike on Debito's site earlier on, and how he had challenged the new fingerprinting system at the airport when he had entered the country. His comments are here, in a transcript that Debito posted (not sure where he got it from) and of course I recently left and entered the country and had to be fingerprinted in that way for the first time. My attitude was sadly pragmatic - I don't want to be fingerprinted, and it is indicative of Japan's frankly immature attitude to foreigners, but really it's not going to make any difference to my life. And to be honest, the fingerprinting aside I got a lot more hassle going through British customs than I did going through Japanese customs.

Anyway Mike came across pretty well in the short variety appearance I saw him on. He talked about his new movie, about how Japan learned some of these financial lessons already, and he even cracked a joke about Hatoyama's mother's money - better informed than any other Western celebrity I've seen on Japanese TV. He did seem a little hesitant though, as the show was very light entertainment.


There was an unnecessarily confusing moment towards then end, when a comedian cracked a joke, which was intended sarcastically but translated literally, Mike took it literally and made a comment, but then everyone rushed to explain that it was just a joke. Mike was like, oh, I see, then made a tongue in cheek comment of his own, which the Japanese guests didn't really get, and then they thought maybe he thought the real politicians were comedians too so... uh, it was a little stupid.

Plus I just started re-reading Dogs and Demons, which I'll write about when I've finished, but suffice to say there's nothing good about Japanese bureaucracy in there. So Mike's positive comments about Japan, while cautiously worded enough to not leave him looking like a fool, kind of left a weird taste in my mouth.

Anyway, Michael Moore has a new movie out! Didn't know that.

Japanese TV Commercial Break - Tarantino Style

So I tune in to watch Music Station, but Music Station is on "holiday" because of the stupid figure skating. Instead however, I caught this:

Now that, is pretty awesome. I mean, I didn't know this was going to happen and I just googled it to find that - shock! - most Western commentators are hung up on the 'shilling' aspect, and mention Brad Pitt shilling for the same company, since the two are easily connected through Inglorious Basterds. That's how journalism works, by the way. Just for the record Cameron Diaz also shills for Softbank, Tommy Lee Jones shows no signs of stopping the BOSS coffee ads, and Robert DeNiro is doing car ads now.

But screw that noise, let 'em shill if they want to. What's awesome is that the Softbank CMs with the White Family are actually really funny. I'm pretty sure that I've blogged about them before, but you can find some of them subtitled on youtube, and they get some really nice jokes out of the fact that the brother is a black guy, the father is a dog and the mother and the sister are Japanese (my favourite being when the daughter's new boyfriend mistakes a regular dog for the father and pisses her dad off). This one is actually less funny, mostly relying on the fact that Tarantino is a goof and his wife shouts at him for it's yuks, but you can't have everything, y'know. In fact, why would you even ask? I just don't get you sometimes. I'm pretty sure Tarantino made up most of what he's doing, but it does look like he put all his famous hyperactivity into it, and it made me smile.

I already got my new phone though, so I don't think I can get hold of that big Otousan speaker thing now.

TV Times? The Venture Bros.

So on the internets the peoples keep talking about the Venture Bros. (another one of those Adult Swim shows) and so, what with the world and all, I decided to check it out.

Turns out it's really bloody good. Starts off pretty (very) shaky, but it picks up steam pretty sharpish and is bafflingly inspired by the end of the first season. I recommend! It!

I found more great music for you.

Chris told me to get the new Gallows albumcoz it was awesome. I remained sceptical because I did hear the first album and I don't think I was all that impressed. In fact, I'm pretty sure I wasn't. Still this:

Is incredible. There ain't no dystopia like a British dystopia, and Gallows have embraced this kind of concept-sound whole heartedly. They're laying on the suits, the boots and a kind of British punk sound that makes their new record sound like more than the sum of its parts. I'm a sucker for that mass-male-chanting shit too, and it's a shame that they cut the swearing from that video, because some of the expletive asides are my favourite bits. I mean, seriously, I want to hammer this home, because people have been flogging the dead horse of semi-mod wannabe-laahhhndan-gangster bad boy bullshit for years. But this new Gallows image (and yeah, despite their dislike of "hairstyles" this is as much an image as anything) is the first time I've actually found it in the slightest bit exciting. I'm sure it's been done before, but fuck it, they do it well.

The second St. Vincent album, from earlier in the year, is stranger and less catchy and better than her first, and this video:

...specifically the bit where the drums and synths kick in for the first time, is mesmerising. I mean, seriously, it starts off and I'm like: oh yeah, this is what St. Vincent sound like... ho hum... HOLY SHIT! Fuck yeah Annie Clark!

Isn't this the most awesome thing ever?

Tomoyasu Murata is an animator that my dad (I swear, some how my sister now knows more than I do about Japanese pop, and my dad knows more than I do about Japanese art, they're lapping me here) introduced me to, and this is awesome:

His website is here, and his youtube channel is worth keeping an eye on here. He's one of those people who, one day, I want to make a music video for me (though I think he already got pretty famous by making a music video for Mister Children).

Sapporo Citizenry Resource - Sapporo Source

I meant to post about this a long, long time ago. It fits nicely with my blogs sensationally narrow remit of covering Sapporo, junk food, pop music, movies, comics, strangely named apartment buildings and the occasional psychic projection from my sister.

Sapporo Source, Sapporo's first and finest free English language magazine launched about six months ago, and - in a shocking turn of events - it's not half bad.


To be honest I'm a fan of schadenfreude, and I often find that free-press publications like this one (c.f. the nightmarish Niseko based one I picked up there last year and every University newspaper ever) can induce some pretty sweet paroxysms of embarrasment. Sapporo source, for the most part has managed to hit a pretty professional tone, thank God, and the quality of writing is nothing to be ashamed of.

Of course it's mainly focussed on the sponsors and the restaurants which the staff often frequent, but you've got to start somewhere, and I don't think I've massively disagreed with anything they've written so far, even if I don't necessarily rate or patronize the same places they do.

There's also a column from Arudo Debito, who I admire greatly for his work making life fairer for foreigners living in Japan, but who's column I'm really enjoying kind of ruefully shaking my head over. Here he's putting aside the politics and trying his hand at a lighter op-ed style, and the results... vary. There was a lovely column about how no-one makes "album" albums anymore - properly sequenced albums that is - which would be a wonderful point, were it actually true. At all. In the slightest. Just coz you stop listening to new music, doesn't mean people stop making it! And I just remembered that one time he equated the word Gaijin with Nigger and just... (sigh)... idiot. Still, thanks for your hard work trying to stop Japan turning into a police state for foreign residents man.

(edit: Just to say I spent a while just now browsing Debito's website and it is a pretty important place for foreign residents in Japan, regardless what you think of his opinions. I've stuck it in my sidebar too)

The first issue was fun too, featuring as it did messages for foreign residents of Hokkaido from the governments of Australia, America, Canada and New Zealand. The UK was asked to contribute, but replied that since they had no Sapporo consulate it was hardly worth it. Which is, y'know... I'm not sure what they're job is, but I'm pretty sure it's not to insult their citizens who happen to be living on a different island. Nice work there British Consulate staff!

Ah crap, they're going to cancel my passport now aren't they? I was joking!

Ok, I'm gonna wrap up this little backhanded-insult fest with crossed fingers and an extra link. Because the last awesome thing about Sapporo Source is that it's entirely available to browse online through a pretty handy piece of software. So if you're living here and haven't picked it up, it's worth a look.