There’s been so very many Japanese Concept Cars through the years that have never made it into production. I think they are the coolest designs. Here are a few selcted videos from the fabulous and crazy, Science Fiction universe of Japanese concept cars. Since the 1950s, all Japanese car manufacturers have been testing and designing cars that, if you saw them on the road, you’d think that it was something out of a Hollywood movie! Some of these designs are out of this world and full of imagination!
I’ve searched the internet and found some short videos of a few of my favorites. So if you like Science Fiction, and you like cars! Then this is a short trip for you!
If you want to see more, I’ll try to find more next week and present them for you. If you just want to see still photos (not as fun as some of these videos, I think) then check out: Japanese Concept Cars (www.japanese-concept-cars.com/category/lexus-concept-cars/).
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At Robot55 we make video productions for businesses and services and products, but we also pride ourselves on making videos for art and music. Our starting price is ¥70,000 and we are sure we can work out something that fits your budget. Oh, and we love making band videos too! Contact us! contact@robot55.jp
“I’ve always said, I thought the Sex Pistols was more Music Hall than anything else – because I think that really, more truths are said in humour than any other form.” – John Lydon (lead vocalist of the Sex Pistols)
“The Sex Pistols was a part of my life. Just a small part.” – Steve Jones (guitarist of the Sex Pistols)
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This is a story (mostly my very stretched imagination) about how a band named the Sex Pistols really affected my life, and still does, to this day.
It was mid-1977. I was a college student. I had very long hair. Just like all the other guys did.
The FM radio was filled with lame rock bands like the Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, Foreigner and Journey or disco music. Real rock and roll was long gone; Kiss and Aerosmith started doing ballads. I thought it should be against the law for heavy metal bands to do ballads. It sucked.
In my car, I had a dozen cassette tapes. Ten of them were David Bowie and the other two were T-Rex. I couldn’t really stand listening to anything else. Except a few radio shows I really liked. (I wrote about some of those shows here: The White Stripes Jack White and Me (A True Story) (robot55.jp/blog/jack-white-and-me-a-true-story/)
One day, bored (and stoned) as usual, I came home from college. And turned on the TV. There I saw a news report about a sick new rock and roll craze that was sweeping England; it was the punk rock craze.
It was freaky: kids with short spiky orange colored hair and girls and guys holding dog leashes and collars on their boyfriends and girlfriends – who dressed in similar black leather attire with a tinge of fashionable Nazi regalia.
I thought it was way cool.
As the announcer kept telling the viewers that this was a “sick and twisted trend” in UK music, I watched and thought, “This is great!”
Later I would go to the local record shop and ask for “Punk Rock.” The clerk, with a confused face, scowled and looked at me and said, “What’s that?” I told him it was a new kind of music that was popular in England and he pointed me to the import section. I didn’t know what I was looking for exactly; I only knew these people had short and messy hair. I filed through the imports and then came upon the Damned’s first album (the one where pumpkin pie is smeared all over their faces.) I turned the album over and look at the back and saw some of the guys I had seen on TV: One was dressed as Dracula, another was wearing a waitresses uniform.
This is it! I bought the record and took it home. From the first listen, I was hooked!
On November 1st, 1977, I went to Tower Records on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood and bought the first Sex Pistols album. November 1st is my birthday! What a great birthday present! I liked the Sex Pistols even more than the Damned!
I became a hard core punk rock fan. From then on, that’s all I listened to. I would go on to be a member in a one-hit wonder punk band and that was a turning point in my life.
To make a long story short, Punk Rock had changed my life and it set me up (for good or bad) as a person who wants to have fun doing what I like and to generally reject mass-consumerism and Pop-Music.
Fast forward many years later and, in 1996, the Sex Pistols who had broken up in 1977, had reunited and came to Japan. I had a chance (invitation) to go see them and perhaps interview them, but I didn’t. Just like my band, the punk movement of 1977 ~ 1980 was a great memory. I wanted to keep it that way. I wasn’t interested in seeing my past heroes as middle-aged fat punks.
I guess I should have gone, though.
A few years ago, Glen Matlock, the original bass guitarist for the Sex Pistols would come and tour Japan. He came to my radio station. I did go meet him then. I took my photo with him. See?
Glen Matlock and Mike Rogers in Tokyo. Feb. 4, 2014
I asked Glen Matlock that same day if he would allow us to make a promo video for his song, “Yeah Right.” He said, “OK!” So, with no planning and no pre-shooting planning meeting at the show, we shot this video. It was made taking video at his rehearsal and then shots of the live performance:
It was great fun and I’m glad I got to finally meet one of my heroes, Glen Matlock. Making his video was a dream come true.
Several months after that, famous photographer Sheila Rock came to Japan. Sheila Rock was the wife of famous music photographer, Chris Rock, and Sheila spent her youth taking photos of early UK punk greats like Generation X, the Clash and the Sex Pistols. Even though Johnny Rotten didn’t attend her event, I did, and I sat and talked with her and she even took my photo for me! I wrote about that in Sex Pistols, Clash, Gen X, Sheila Rock and Why We Sometimes Make Videos for Free! (robot55.jp/blog/sex-pistols-clash-gen-x-sheila-rock-and-why-we-sometimes-make-videos-for-free/) I think there’s a photo of me taken by the famous Sheila rock at that link, so please check it out.
Like I said, the Sex Pistols have greatly influenced my life even to this very day!
They taught me that it’s OK to be an individual and to not follow the crowds. They also taught me that in life, sometimes hype is bigger than reality.
I’ve used that idea and concept all my life since then. It has helped me greatly all my life.
Steve Jones said (quote at the top of this page): “The Sex Pistols was a part of my life. Just a small part.”
But, for me, the Sex Pistols were, and still are, a big part of my life.
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Actually, if you want to read a really true story of how I made successful ventures into the music business in Japan, by using ideas – hype and marketing techniques I learned from the Sex Pistols, please refer to: My Very Own Rock & Roll Swindle! How I Scammed the Music Business in Japan! (modernmarketingjapan.blogspot.jp/2012/04/my-very-own-rock-roll-swindle-how-i.html)
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At Robot55 we make video productions for businesses and services and products, but we also pride ourselves on making videos for art and music. Our starting price is ¥70,000 and we are sure we can work out something that fits your budget. Oh, and we love making band videos too! Contact us! contact@robot55.jp
Time once again for this week’s Top 3 New Artist Videos for the week of April 14, 2015. This week I want to show you my fave videos for the week. Of course, I play these artists and these songs on my regular weekly FM radio show, “What the Funday” on InterFM that is broadcast in Tokyo and Nagoya (and all over Japan on the Radiko.jp network. You can listen to that (if you are in Japan) here: http://radiko.jp/).
First up today is a band from Sheffield, England named, “Slow Down Tallahassee.” Slow Down Tallahassee are Nicola Coleman (vocals, harp, keyboards, bass), Claire Hill (vocals, keyboards, guitar, bass) and Richard Butterworth (guitar). They released their debut single in 2007 and it was entitled, “So Much For Love.” In 2008, they this fabulous single entitled, “The Beautiful Light” from the album of the same name.
But there, the trail goes cold. I can’t find any information about this band after 2011 so the trail has gone cold. But today’s track is too delicious to miss!
At #2 this week is Surfer Blood. Surfer Blood is an alternative rock band from West Palm Beach, Florida. Now they are independent, but used to be signed to Warner Bros. Records. The band has 4 members: John Paul Pitts (lead vocals/guitar), Thomas Fekete (guitar/backing vocals), Kevin Williams (bass guitar/backing vocals) and Tyler Schwarz (drums). The band was originally called Jabroni Sandwich.
Surfer Blood announced their 3rd album “1000 Palms” and that it would be released on May 12th, 2015. So we will be playing stuff from that for you for sure. But, until then, enjoy!
Next up, if you are twisted, you are gonna dig this. Baby Strange is a band from Glasgow that combine the classic punk rock of Ramones with Jesus and the Mary Chain and a surf guitar rock drive into killer tunes. They represent the forefront of a wave of great, fuzzed out and totally rocking guitar bands who who storm the charts… That is if the radio dares to play them. Which they won’t.
But we do here and on our radio show. This is awesome! The video is delightfully cheap and crappy! It’s perfect!
At Robot55 we make video productions for businesses and services and products, but we also pride ourselves on making videos for art and music. Our starting price is ¥70,000 and we are sure we can work out something that fits your budget. Oh, and we love making band videos too! Contact us! contact@robot55.jp
Hey! We’re back for this week’s Top 3 Countdown. Welcome!
But first up, some incredibly sad news from local news sources…
The entire nation of Japan was in total and complete shock today when on live national TV last night, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was devoured by a giant carnivorous man-eating plant that somehow wound up in NHK news studios by accident. The plant was originally destined for the Botanical Garden Ueno Zoo, but through a mix up with deliveries, the extremely dangerous massive Amazonian Man-Eating Plant was delivered to the news studio where Abe was scheduled for a speech, while a bouquet of pretty flowers went to the zoo.
While millions of shocked viewers looked on, the plant first criticized the suit Abe was wearing, then grabbed the prime minister and swallowed him whole head first. Staff at the news team tried to save the prime minister by shouting at the plant to eat former prime minister and current finance minister Taro Aso instead. Unfortunately, their efforts were too little, too late.
It is expected that the announcement of funeral proceedings will be announced to a nation in mourning later today. Abe will be sorely missed.
(Thanks to Frazier Smith for the update and inspiration in these difficult times.)
Now! Onto the Top 3!!!! Yippee!
Today at #3 is a band from Manchester, England called “The Watchmakers.”
Backseatmafia says: “The band have been on a steep upward curve, after their self-produced demos ‘Before Questions Became’ and ‘Waves’ garnered the band the attention of press and gained them airplay from John Kennedy at XFM, and via BBC Manchester Introducing. They’ve headlined two sold out Psychedelic Happenings in Manchester and have supported the likes of The Pretty Things, Jacco Gardner, Dark Bells and Exit Calm, and in February played a BBC Showcase at which 6music declared them ‘Ones to Watch’.”
#2) Next up is another new band to look out for; the Mirror Trap.
Noise Cannon wrote this about The Mirror Trap and their recent tour with Placebo: “Vocalist Gary Panther Moore glides from side to side as he produces stern vocals that highlight his talent. The energetic band on stage seem to be strangers to the crowd, however, their dynamic performance pays off as the audience cheer with admiration. Clearly shown live, The Mirror Trap have taken a great influence from Suede, Queens Of The Stone Age, and Placebo themselves. They lure you in with great hooks and concrete rhythms using their Scottish charm – they share a few risque stories, which instantly sets off laughter to a now cheery crowd.”
The Great Cynics are a Uk band that has been called a “big guitar pop punk band.” They have big, bright pop hooks, and the resulting music is tremendously good.
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If you want to be in a music video, and you are in Tokyo, we are shooting a video for a hot new girl’s band on Friday, April 3, 2015 in Shimokitazawa, Tokyo at a live house called “Mosaic.” Here’s information on that: Want to Be in a Star in a Rock Video? You Can! The New Su凸ko D凹koi Video! （robot55.jp/blog/want-to-be-in-a-star-in-a-rock-video-you-can-the-new-su 凸ko-d凹koi-video/） （Su凸ko D凹koi – すっとこどっこいの音楽ビデオもその日に撮影します！「ブス」のpvに出演しましょう！全員集合！
See you back here in a week from now with more cool new music!
At Robot55 we make video productions for businesses and services and products, but we also pride ourselves on making videos for art and music. Our starting price is ¥80,000 and we are sure we can work out something that fits your budget. Oh, and we love making band videos too! Contact us! contact@robot55.jp
