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[imomus]

ヤフージャパンニュース見てくれた？ども！モーマスです。
件の志村ケンさんにインスパイアされた曲は 「Corkscrew King」という曲で、無料で
ダウンロードできるので是非試聴して下さい。気に入ってくれたらPayPalで100円募
金をよろしくお願いします！この曲にまつわるエッセイと曲のダウンロードはこちら
から→.

Yahoo News Japan has just run a story about my Ken Shimura-inspired song Corkscrew King.

Momus will play live in Tokyo on 11th September 2004 at Club Que, Shimokitazawa:

MOMUS (U.K.)
MINISKIRT (Germany/Japan)
+ special guest
D.J. Reika Yamashita

September 11, 2004 (Sat) at Club Que
open 18:00, start 18:30,
adv. 3300 yen +drink, door 3500 yen + drink
advance tickets will be for sale from July at Ticket Pia and at all Lawson
convenient stores.
Info Club Que: http://www.ukproject.com/que/
Tel. 03-3412-9979
Momus HP: http://www.imomus.com/
Miniskirt HP: http://members.at.infoseek.co.jp/mini_skirt/mini1.htm
Miniskirt / promoter e-mail: edgarfranz@hotmail.com

Comments

[33mhz.livejournal.com]

That would explain why it's been a real devil to try and load anything off of imomus.com. I'd been wanting to look more into summerisle after developing an intense fondness for that track exactly, as well as The Life of the Fields.

[(Anonymous)]

My goodness, you stand to make a lot of money here. Any chance of telling us how much, when the storm passes?

[imomus.livejournal.com]

I don't think anyone in Japan uses PayPal. So far there is a big cloud in terms of server duress, and no silver lining in terms of donations from Japan. Help!

[imomus.livejournal.com]

Ubu Web (http://www.ubu.com) has just offered to host the song. Hurrah! Love live King Ubu!

i came from Yahoo Japan!

[psychoxlips.livejournal.com]

I love this song.
gamushara sekuhara!
do you know daijobudaa!?
everybody knows ai-----n but
people forgo about daijobudaaa.
it's sad!

Re: i came from Yahoo Japan!

[imomus.livejournal.com]

I don't know about daijobudaa. In fact, I know very little about Japanese TV and comedy and pop culture. I just liked the way Ken Shimura looked when I Googled him. I wrote the song after someone called me Bakatono and I asked 'What is Bakatono?' I mean, I knew what the 'baka' bit meant (idiot), and so I suspected that this was probably not going to be good news. In the end, though, when I heard how Japanese people love Bakatono and forgive him almost anything, I realised it wasn't so much of an insult.

[joopy.livejournal.com]

I wonder why they didn't include the link in the article. Strange.

[imomus.livejournal.com]

There are two mentions of the song on Yahoo, one on the headlines page and one inside:

http://dailynews.yahoo.co.jp/fc/entertainment/owarai/
http://music.yahoo.co.jp/rock/music_news/cdjournal/20040421/cdjent004.html

They link to the song from the headline.

So far I've received a grand total of three euros from people with Japanese names! And one of them is an old friend who lives in San Francisco!

Hey! Just showing some love I`m HonkGongbabe From JP!!

[(Anonymous)]

I jus love your tune!!
Keep up the great works!! but I don`t like the Hen-Na　ojisan stuff... He`s one of traditional JPN comedian but but for us as the latest generation, he`s kinda too old and too boring...
From Nori Bisous <3

NIce to meet you!

[raku-jp.livejournal.com]

I come Yahoo Japan News.
"Corkscrew King" Very good song.
Please let David Beckham surely hear it.
Sorry, I poor English.

Re: NIce to meet you!

[imomus.livejournal.com]

Ha ha ha! David Beckham!

From what I read about him (not that I read those tabloids, of course) his problem is the opposite of impotence.

おじゃましまーす

[(Anonymous)]

ヤフージャパン見て来ました！
志村けんさんにインスパイアされた，ってところがかなり重要なポイントですよね．

[sundaychild.livejournal.com]

On yesterday's Yahoo Japan news:Entertainment section, this was also posted just before the story about Momus and Ken Shimura.
http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20040421-00000003-sph-spo
It says, David Beckham gave an appearance at the party with his hair shaved.
He's going to present Victoria a mountain villa in Alps worth 2billion yen.
Victoria said "Even now, he's the king and I am the queen!"
and so on.
But Yahoo!'s pick for the top page was Momus story.

It's a pity that Paypal is still not accessible enough for Japanese people.
I know a few Japanese people who had already donated via Paypal, but they(and I)'re real internet addicts, I think.

[yinapop.livejournal.com]

any plan to play in San Francisco?

politency

[gorillabiscuit.livejournal.com]

who is the most potent world leader?

bush? saddam? kim jong ILL? etc.

0tomas0

[imomus.livejournal.com]

Here, courtesy of Robert Duckworth in Tokyo (http://glitchslaptko.blogspot.com/), is an accurate human translation of the CD Journal / Yahoo Japan News piece about 'Corkscrew King':

2004.04.21 (Wed.)

Momus releases a song inspired by Shimura Ken! (CD
Journal)

Musicians who are so-called "connoisseurs of Japan" are
legion, but there is probably no one who loves Japan as
much as the Japanophile musician "Momus".

Momus, who's been spending more time in Japan recently, is
even on familiar terms with likes of "Mizudo Suibashi
Hakase" from "Asakusa Kid" [the comedy duo]; This man's
knowledge is enough to make one think that he just might
know Japan better than most Japanese.

I'm not exactly sure what Momus had in his head, but it
looks like he's gone and written a new tune inspired by
"Shimura Ken" [a member of the Drifters], and put it up on
his blog!

The refrain to the song, which is titled "Corkscrew King"
goes like this:

"[He's] the Corkscrew King, a monster, a kooky ol' geezer.
[He's] a hard working, sexually harassing, kooky ol'
geezer."

Momus, singing these lyrics himself in Japanese in the
style of a traditional Japanese festival song, makes for a
very "Momusian", eccentric tune.

By taking the trouble to introduce on the same page the
"Corkscrew King" character as "a Lord who flagrantly
frolics with naked women" and the "kooky ol' geezer" as "a
old perv who knows no shame" it appears that Momus was
somehow really inspired by Shimura Ken's perversion; even
the lyrics to the song have been tied together by
ribaldry.

But that's just where Momus throws us a curveball; by also
offering the explanation that the song, "mixes Shimura
Ken, Frankenstein, and W.B. Yeats" average listeners are
bound to be left scratching their heads.

Anyway, setting that one aside for a second...this is one
that will be interesting for Japanese people, so
definately give a listen; you too should check it out! If
possible, this is something that I also want Shimura Ken
to give a listen to!

[CD Journal 2004.04.21]

[(Anonymous)]

nick,
one final tid-bit about the yahoo! japan review of your
song...
today i was poking around on midori's weblog
http://www009.upp.so-net.ne.jp/midori_web/
and i saw her making the following comment (in japanese):

"[yahoo! says that] average listeners might be left
scratching their heads. i guess that makes me an average
listener, because i didn't get it either!"

but the reason that midori doesn't get it is because the
yahoo! japan folks didn't really get it (i.e. your using
the Frankenstein monster as the classic metaphor for
AMALGAMATION) themselves...a quick look at your original
explanation is in order (from your previous blog entry):

"This song runs together Ken Shimura's Bakatono and Henna
Ojiisan roles and mixes the resulting Frankenstein's
monster with the poet W.B. Yeats, who believed potency and
creativity were closely linked and, in old age, had a
Steinach operation to revitalize his failing virility."

but [according to my translation, in which i let the
mistake of the writer slide, translating it just as he
penned it] the yahoo! folks say the following on their
review of the song:

"But that's just where Momus throws us a curveball; by
also offering the explanation that the song, "mixes
Shimura Ken, Frankenstein, and W.B. Yeats" average
listeners are bound to be left scratching their heads."

so this is a classic case of LOST IN TRANSLATION, and
that's too bad, since you'd figure that the person at
yahoo! japan should be more on the ball.

but anyway, i'm just bothering with these apologetics
because i don't wan't midori to loose any sleep! she's a
bright kid!

good night,

robert (http://glitchslaptko.blogspot.com/)

[bootlickajaspeh.livejournal.com]

is shimura ken still around? he was my childhood hero, one of the potent young guns of the Drifters.

good!

[(Anonymous)]

hi Momus!
It is a little strange! but I like it!
i am looking forward to your live performance at Sep.