The New Year Talks 2005 - Part 1: Death Cry of The Griffin

There are many gifted bands in Japan. To our regret, most of them are not running as fast as they can.

Toshi: Well, the announcement of The Griffin's broken up was the last year's big event. Ignoring "the Dokyuso Oi company (aka Pogo 77 Records)", they have been pursuing the British youth cult deeply and also have been writing straightforward lyrics on their original songs. However, there wasn't enough fans for such a band to do a fine business in Japan. It means that the Japanese scene is desperately hopeless. Whether such a band as The Griffin can be sold or not, we should know there's a sign of what it is.

Oi-yama: Umm... To tell the truth, I don't appreciate The Griffin so much. Actually, the Japanese scene is now on the decline and there's no foundation such a deeper band can be sold on. However, what they have done is not radical enough, right? Their musical style is generally the Mixture Rock in a few years ago, which sounds like Back Drop Bomb with a bit of maniac Brit youth cult things. Basically, they sound like a hard rock as if it were the thin AC/DC with water three times, like a band from a major record company, and also kept up appearances for general music fans. One of their technical skills on the "Know the Score" CD was an old-school rap and this time it became a bit evolved Rap-core. These were really decent or ordinary things. They say they're making a selling point of the Brit youth cult things of its lyrics and it's very interesting though, so they should sell their CD's in England (Laughter).

Toshi: No matter what happens, they won't be able to be sold in England (Laughter). I don't like the fact that The Griffin's work is always nothing but a rehash of someone else's but people who'll buy those CD's of Japanese bands are very few in England.

Oi-yama: But an excessive "ism" will not gain the sympathy of many buyers in the market until they do reckless things to open the way for themselves like that. In a sense, they are unexpectedly the band of greed (Laughter). 'Cause they shifted toward the mainstream music like AC/DC, rap or rap-core. And the first thing we have to know something about them is that the core of The Griffin is invisible to us. That's annoying. If they've got an aim inside the strategy for success in those musical styles like AC/DC, rap or rap-core, they wouldn't have to pose as a minor band. They should have sat back proudly in a chair like "The Griffin rules!" and should have blown away those fake sing-a-long-a "Oi-punk (?)" like SA, Cobra and Laughin' Nose all at once. Don't you think so?

Toshi: Yeah, that's a sound arguement. But you're not charged with a risk 'Cause you're outside the scene (Laughter).

Oi-yama: I didn't want to be charged with a risk, so I was ready for being a fan. But you persuaded me to be on this "New Year Talk 2005" (Laughter)! Joking aside, what you appreciate on The Griffin is not their sound but those perfectly rhymed English lyrics, right? I love their lyrics itself as well. "The Age of Innocence" and "Poseur Blunder" are really interesting and the frontman, Inobe Atsushi (one of those greatest Inobe Footy Bros), has a good sense of writing lyrics in English. Those lyrics about social problems occured in Japan are excellent. But they're such a loner band. I thought they should have done more and more suggestive things with a bunch of their aggressive mates such as his own brother (Inobe Hiroki of LRF), Bill Leckie (Allegiance) and Yamashita of Sandiest.

Toshi: Well, I'm afraid that is rather risky to sell a band like that. Right?

Oi-yama: But there is not much demand for their CD's in Japan in such an ordinary way of selling a band. CD's of Japanese street punk bands were selling well when The Discocks played an active part in the Japanese scene. How do you feel about the present embarrassing situation?

Toshi: Umm... Japanese major record companies said that people may have those CD's free each other through the internet so the new products are selling poorly. But they're obviously shifting the responsibility onto someone else. Without making any interesting products, what the hell are they talking about? There were a great many numbers of dubbed tapes when the rental record stores were on the mainstream a long time ago. But they never said that the new products were selling poorly at that time. Dubbed tapes were nothing but dubbed tapes, and records were nothing but records. I think the problem is on their way of making a product of little substance which is good enough to download free thru the internet.

Oi-yama: That's why you said "We the fans are not a cattle just silently eating a feed given by bands and labels" on this site (Laughter). Actually, it is true that the bands are losing support among fans and there's no opinion leader in the Japanese punk scene as well.

Toshi: It's dangerous as there's no wholesome media of punk in Japan and Japanese fans are accepting whatever "DOLL" says without question. There's no "construction" but only "consumption".

Oi-yama: While you're making such a substantial website, aren't you? You're writing those reviews and criticisms full of substance and this time you're devoted to translate some of your articles from Japanese into English. In a sense, you embody such an "ism" as "You don't have to read the 'DOLL'" on your site. But the most important "DOLL" won't accept your challenge as they still have the principle of "peace-at-any-price" in everything.

Toshi: If they accept all of my criticisms, they will suffer a total defeat (Laughter). It's too bad that the Japanese punk scene don't have such a last resort to deny "DOLL" even if they want to do it. I don't know whether such an atmosphere affects it or not, but almost all the Japanese bands and labels are relying on the "DOLL" commonly these days.

Oi-yama: Japanese bands and labels themselves still have such a stereotyped phrase like "Have you seen the current issue of the 'DOLL' magazine yet?". Well, um, you the anti-DOLL are running against a head wind (Laughter). But such a media like "DOLL" influenced by only connections and personal considerations is approaching the final hurdle. Japanese punk is getting like a profitable business somehow or other and the "DOLL" is desperate to keep their interests on there. So, these days, only those medias on the internet or on the paper with a policy to stir up the fans will be able to survive the scene.

(Continues to Part 2)