Japanese Bassists

[socialleper]

Good ol’ fashioned patriarchy, I reckon, but it has been changing.
Back on topic, someone complained earlier about all the shredding, so here’s Boris, with Takeshi…

The thing I don't quiet get about J-Rock and metal bands is how the women dress very normal and conservative, like they would just being out on the street, and the guys dress like they are trying to look like warmed over Aerosmith\Hollywood Vampires 80s rockers or drag queens. The guys are putting twice the time into their hair and makeup.

 

[Michedelic]

The thing I don't quiet get about J-Rock and metal bands is how the women dress very normal and conservative, like they would just being out on the street, and the guys dress like they are trying to look like warmed over Aerosmith\Hollywood Vampires 80s rockers or drag queens. The guys are putting twice the time into their hair and makeup.

You got that right…

 

[socialleper]

You got that right…

I've seen that guy before. He is clearly doing something...um...different?
No matter how much time I spend trying to analyze Japanese culture, I still can wrap my head around it. Especially when you look at their culture 100 years ago, and then 150 years ago or earlier. It's a baffling evolution.

 

[Michedelic]

I've seen that guy before. He is clearly doing something...um...different?
No matter how much time I spend trying to analyze Japanese culture, I still can wrap my head around it. Especially when you look at their culture 100 years ago, and then 150 years ago or earlier. It's a baffling evolution.

He was actually an Australian wrestler who moved to Japan after being in Hong Kong; the cross-dressing was part of his act in the ring. How it got translated to a music project, I have no idea, but it’s not like it hasn’t been done before, real or imagined(Fred Blassie, Handsome Dick Manitoba, Thor, Captain Lou Albano, etc).

 

[Michedelic]

I've seen that guy before. He is clearly doing something...um...different?
No matter how much time I spend trying to analyze Japanese culture, I still can wrap my head around it. Especially when you look at their culture 100 years ago, and then 150 years ago or earlier. It's a baffling evolution.

As for the culture, my take is that they resisted the west for so long, but as they eventually got overwhelmed by it(as well as destroyed), a “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em” attitude took hold, and in certain respects, they beat Western culture itself, or at least held up a(funhouse)mirror to it.

 

[socialleper]

As for the culture, my take is that they resisted the west for so long, but as they eventually got overwhelmed by it(as well as destroyed), a “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em” attitude took hold, and in certain respects, they beat Western culture itself, or at least held up a(funhouse)mirror to it.

Maximum the Hormone did a pretty good job of lampooning American culture.

 

[pdbass]

 

[tim gueguen]

The thing I don't quiet get about J-Rock and metal bands is how the women dress very normal and conservative, like they would just being out on the street, and the guys dress like they are trying to look like warmed over Aerosmith\Hollywood Vampires 80s rockers or drag queens. The guys are putting twice the time into their hair and makeup.

As always it depends on the band you're listening to and what genre/scene they're part of. The visual kei world is mainly all male bands who go for an androgynous look combined with outrageous costumes. On the other hand Exist Trace, an all female band, is often considered to have come out of visual kei. Although at this point their bassist Naoto is the one who's stuck closest to a VK look.


Or veteran all female metal band Aldious, who've always gone for a glamour look. Especially guitarist Toki and her "prom queen" look.


Or this recent Unlucky Morpheus video, where bassist Hiroyuki Ogawa looks like he could have gone to sit in with a local country band after they finished filming.

 

[Killing Floor]

The OG was Masayoshi Kobe.
Lots of western prog rockers followed his style.

 

[OnTheOneBaby]

Juna and Rina together.