The last time I thought of Sean Lennon, I was doing research for someone else's article on Lennon's work for a film adaptation of Coin Locker Babies. This was after proofreading someone else's article on the Boredoms, and thinking, no way, people really wrote about Japanese noise bands and Sean Lennon for a living? Not quite, but point taken, I'd never been cooler than at age 20, star gazing from the cement ground of my first summer in New York City.
At age 25, and what is to be my fourth New York summer forthcoming, I'm probably not as cool (ie: fled a free Drums concert yesterday when the kids got too rowdy), but at least I can put up the $25 for a benefit concert for Japan with Sean Lennon, his mama, Cibo Matto, and Sonic Youth.
The last time I saw Sonic Youth, I didn't pay a whopping 400 yuan because I knew who the hell they were, I went for a more practical reason -- to cement a friendship.
Mao, Rong and I met a week before the concert, and I knew I wanted to keep them. I stood all the way in the back and breathed in other people's cigarette smoke. I decided "Incinerate" was all right. At the end of the concert, I said to Mao and Rong, "you all should come to my place for some hotpot and we can play Chinese jumprope too."
They were the type of people who'd be into Chinese jumprope at age 19 and 23.
I remember Mao replying, "all right, proactive, that's way to do it."
Who knew we'd end up falling asleep to Japanese horror flicks at their place. Who knew we'd hitchhike a ride to the great wall and play Chinese jumprope on top of Simatai. Who knew we'd go to Mongolia together and stay in a yurt under the stars. Who knew I'd love them this much. Who knew I'd leave. Who knew they'd break up.
All I know is, I'd never been cooler than at age 21.
So Sean and Sonic, help me remember all that is Lennon and youth, and help Japan, because between the horror flicks and music, so much of our youth was Japan.
Thank you Japan, for L'arc-en-Ciel, Art-School, Buck-Tick, Shiina Ringo, LOVE PSYCHEDELICO, 元ちとせ, Utada,加藤登紀子, AKG, スキマスイッチ, 安藤裕子, Bonnie Pink, fra-foa, レミオロメン, 五輪真弓, フジファブリック, 山口百惠 and all 1/3 of my iTunes playlist.
Thank you Japan, for Kenzaburo Oe, Kawabata Yasunari, Murakami Haruki, Yoshimoto Banana, Murakami Ryu, Kanehara Hitomi, Edogawa Rampo, Mishima, Soseki and the respect for great writing.
Thank you Japan, for Cowboy Bebop, Doraemon, Sailormoon, Kodomo no Omocha, Flame of Recca, Gundam Wing, and for giving kids these beautiful worlds to dream about.
Thank you Japan, for All About Lily-Chou-Chou, Studio Gibli, Battle Royale, Onizuka, April Story, Kitano, Love Story, and the much too many disturbing/heartwarming cinema that informed the psyche of sixteen-year-olds.
We're not the same without you. Ganbare.