The New Year Talks 2005 - Part 2: Rotten Smell Covering over Japanese Punk

Making a general comment, "DOLL" has nothing but masturbating articles and their point of view is hackneyed. But they would not bother to make a better magazine than such a coterie-type zine by false writers.

Oi-yama: Let's get back to what we were talking about. The sales of the "Burst" as a subculture magazine were going up several years ago because they broke away the taboo under the pretext of showing us those shocking stuffs to make themselves came out victorious in the business world. There was a lot of response to their straightforward point of view. However, that was going too far. "Burst" became like such an erotic and grotesque magazine with pictures of corpse and nude girl and the fans lost interest. These days, "DOLL" is monopolizing the whole Japanese punk market as there's no cut-throat competition in that world. It's displeasing to me and the Japanese punk scene has the misfortune to get involved in such a totalitarianism too much. However, the main point is unclear to me. "DOLL" is not gaining the strong sympathy of many in the fans like what the past "Takara-jima" and the above "Burst" used to be.

Toshi: Oh, that's right. There are many Japanese bands and labels who'll grin to themselves at the "DOLL", but there might not be so many fans who'll become enthusiastic about "DOLL" and feel like "I will go along with 'DOLL'".

Oi-yama: The main problem on the "DOLL" is that they're faceless. They don't have a person who's controlling the magazine, right? They're guilefully escaping from the responsibility. Tsukamoto is now posing as a chief editor but he neither takes responsibility nor waves a flag. Those false writers will insist that they're not escaping from the responsibility but they actually don't have such a person as the captain of a ship for the whole magazine. "DOLL" is not a magazine but a coterie-type zine by those false writers and label owners from outside. I believe a magazine should have a respectable chief editor with his clear policy of thinking on what Punk is, and that will become a center of their activity. And his staff writers will give life to such a policy. That's why the fans will be able to be absorbed in their "ism" and their view of the world, right? I know Tsukamoto will get all the blame and it'll be hard for him to live in such an 'exclusive society' of the Japanese punk scene today if he waves a flag though (Laughter). But making a magazine is like such a team sport or a team play. "DOLL" is strongly influenced by the principle of "peace-at-any-price" in everything because they're the unadventurous geek types of false writers. Making a general comment, "DOLL" has nothing but masturbating articles and their point of view is hackneyed. But they would not bother to make a better magazine than the current coterie-type zine by false writers.

Toshi: Oh, that's what struck you as incongruous. For example, they had such an annoying article. They had a special feature article introducing those Japanese bands and its releases from Bronze Fist Records and Pogo 77 Records, but I think they should not praise themselves to the skies for their own masturbating articles.

Oi-yama: Yeah, you said it on some essay in "Dokyuso Oi The Column" as well.

Toshi: I often saw those label owners playing a part in a masturbating article they wrote themselves. I guess "DOLL" had accepted a bribe from them and they wanted to turn the spotlight on them though. Although those label owners are masturbating in an article they wrote themselves, I cannot understand what they've done for themselves because that made the fans who were just about to buy their CD's lost interest. Those label owners could write anything full of masturbating articles out of a desire to have the fans buy their CD's. In my opinion, I don't wanna listen to such a lame excuse to the fans for selling CD's and it's meaningless that they plant such a preconception without respect in fans hearts. I saw something like such an article on MRR but their knack of writing an article was obviously different. Finally they'll make a candid opinion and it will be shifted to each consumer's judgement. But those masturbating articles they wrote themselves about Bronze Fist and Pogo 77 will be a bore when the fans are about to buy their CD's, right?

Oi-yama: But "DOLL" allows them to write such masturbating articles so those stupid fans brainwashed by "DOLL" have no problem?

Toshi: I think those label owners should spend money out of their own pockets and should listen humbly to a magazine's criticism. The biggest problem is that those false writers who're usually writing nothing but masturbating articles on the "DOLL" flattered Bronze Fist or Pogo 77 and appropriated the "DOLL" for their own personal use. That's qute possible on their own label's masturbating fanzines but it'll be a disgraceful affair if they make it on the one and only Japanese punk magazine called "DOLL". Whose side are "DOLL" and those false writers on? On fans? Or on bands and labels? Readers will have no confidence at all in what "DOLL" and those false writers say if they go along easily with occasional atmosphere and change their views.

Oi-yama: Yeah, the owner of the Bronze Fist Records called Takasaki who wrote those masturbating articles is stationed in the "DOLL" and writing those bullshit live reports and interviews too much for the bands of his own label. So, someone made fun of him on the 2ch because he appropriates the "DOLL" for his own personal use. That will offset DOLL's debt. (Laughter)

Toshi: Well, it's hard to say. I think the fact that you said as "They're faceless. They don't have a person who's controlling the magazine" has harmful effects on the "DOLL". They don't have a common ideology as a magazine. Don't you think so?

Oi-yama: Yeah, they must be the one and only punk magazine in Japan but it is disgraceful for them to be such a PR machine for those bands and labels. As I said before, they can make excellent discographies about minor foreign bands. But I believe they don't have a common ideology on the basis of what let them make a punk zine and of why another famous Japanese zine called "Rockin'on" can't fill their shoes. That's why that excellent discography articles did not stand out in the magazine. I think they should be capable of stirring up the fans. They should sweat very much. Whether it's a cold or a hot sweat, they should be more energetic. Those false writers and label owners each take responsibility for one aspect of the work and that must be a way out of the difficulty on the 'exclusive society' of the Japanese punk scene today. But I would just look on without doing anything while they're playing such cheap tricks if I were a reader of the "DOLL".

(January 2005)