Tired and Shonen Knife

Strangely beat today – not much in the mood for blogging – more in the mood for staring out the window and looking at the clouds and thinking melancholy thoughts. But I’m in windowless cubicle, so I can’t even do that. Curses.

Anyway – quick post on - Shonen Knife – an all girl group (3 members) from Osaka Japan formed in 1981. Looking back I don’t remember why I picked up “Let’s Knife” (I must have heard of them from somewhere) but I’m glad I did – I was entranced by this Jose and the Pussycats meets the ramones sound – with goofy song topics like turning into a cat, Twist Barbie or flying on a space ship. Along with a song about how a bison should bear down even if he’s ugly and some kind of pot clearing powder – it’s punk’s “songs can be about anything at all ethos” in action. And they are just sooo cute in a pop girl group way – they tried one time to make them grunge looking – on the album Rock Animals – but it didn’t work. I suppose it’s the standard American white guy Asian fixation (I’ll talk about that some time – I’ve heard some damn weird conversations) but I find them adorable. You can’t have a steady diet of them for the same reason you’d get sick if you eat cotton candy all day but sometimes - you wanna turn the stereo up to 11 and dance like an blissed out idiot to silly songs (I do this in the privacy of my own home with the blinds drawn – no sense in putting people off their food).

Side note: No I don’t know Shonen Knife means and I don’t care – hell I don’t know if the band members are married or where they live or anything – which in this day and age where you get to hear about how many time Brand and Angelina had sex before she became pregnant and with Britney Spears flashing her privates in people’s faces is a good thing – end of side note.

Trivial Note: My Peace, Love, Shonen Knife sign off comes off the first song on their Happy Hour album – there they say Love Peace and Shonen Knife but it’s close enough.

There is one odd note in their songs a consistent dark thread - a razor blade in the candy if you will – Many of the people in the songs are alone – no boyfriends, no friends they are going about their day totally alone – their only interaction is with the people in the stores. It typically isn’t made the subject of the songs; it hovers in the background like a gray cloud in a brightly colored Hello Kitty world. Knowing that Japanese culture is all about the group it's an odd touch.

That’s all for today – need to get some actually work accomplished today.
Oh, one more thing: Shonen Knife – Arigatou. (that's probbably not right but to hell with it.)