An Update? Holy pee!
So yeah, it’s apparently been a long time since I’ve updated this and I guess a lot has changed in the past year and a half since I updated last. I’ve since graduated (well, finished my course work and work term, graduation itself isn’t for a few weeks) and am now in the process of looking for work. I’ve got a good lead on a job that they’ve apparently started looking through the resumes for, so hopefully I’ve got something soon. Unemployement is fun for the first few days but then it just gets old really quick. Money issues aside, I just get bored with nothing to do. I keep saying I’m going to get back to working out and getting in shape (like I’ve been saying for 26 years now…) and I’m slowly creeping my way towards that goal. I did gain 25lbs last year in school, thanks to my lack of self control and an overall lack of movement. Time to get that off!
Oh yeah, I’ve also started helping out a friend of mine with his photo studio, taking care of the money and helping out with lights, styling, cleaning, pack mule duties and generally keeping him company. So you should all check out Intervalia Studio One on Facebook, give us a like and come model for us. Especially if you’re an attractive gentleman. We don’t get enough of those.You could check out our website but the Facebook page has WAY more content and lets you give us feedback, which we always appreciate.
My other reason for restarting this blog was I was inspired by someone to start doing the 30 day song challenge, and I found that the limited space on Facebook comments just wasn’t enough for me to properly explain my feelings on the song. That and people tend to skip links on Facebook so I’m assuming if you’re coming here you care enough to see what I’m up to and what I think. I can’t promise an update every day, but every time I do update I’ll try to include the next day of the challenge. Day 2 (least favourite song) should be a hoot!
Day 1 is your favourite song. For me, this was a tough one. As many of you probably know, my taste is music has been described as “varied”, “wacky” and “scary”. When I put my iPod on shuffle, my friends tend to either grit their teeth or make the sign of the cross, worrying themselves into a tizzy if they’re going to get something off the beaten path (Klaus Nomi, I’m looking at you). So with this wide variety of music to choose from, how do I pick just one song? What ONE song do I keep coming back to, regardless of time, feelings, genre, anything? I did a lot of soul searching and finally managed to pick one of my favourite songs (I still can’t call it THE favourite), and then spent even more time on YouTube trying to find my favourite version of the song. I was going to go with the single version, but the video was just a picture of the album art. I decided on this live one because to me it encapsulates everything I love about the song and the band into one great shot. Also, it’s subtitled so in case you don’t speak Japanese (I sure as heck don’t) you’ll get the gist of the Japanese part.
So yeah, my favourite song (according to the list) is Tears by X-Japan. Around junior high and high school, my best friend was getting me into Asian music, starting with Beyond, a great Chinese band and Glay, a Japanese band with a flair for catchy rock tunes and fashion. At the same time, I discovered X-Japan. They were everything I loved about music rolled into one, they were excellent musicians that could go from furious speed metal to heart wrenching ballads (sometimes in the same song!), they had an incredible visual style and theatricality that I loved, their songs had poems interspersed with the music, and even when I couldn’t understand the words to the songs, I could feel the emotions flowing through them.
Tears quickly stood out in my mind as a favourite song of theirs, and my love for it has only grown with time. A few weeks after my first listen I discovered the meaning behind the song (the death of the songwriter’s father), which only made it more poignant. Years later, I found out the version I had loved for years was actually an edit, and that the official song actually went on for a few minutes longer and had a spoken word poem at the end. The poem makes an already emotional song even more intense, with lines like ‘someday I’ll be older than you, I’d never thought about that time’ and ‘I will try to live with love, with dreams, and forever with tears’.
The musicianship in the song is fantastic, especially with the piano in this version. The dual guitar solo is one of my favourite solos as well. I keep saying that one day I’m going to sit down and learn it (I already know the bass part and a very simplified version of the piano part!) but it’s another one of the many things I haven’t quite gotten around to yet. I love the live versions because of the audience singing along in the background, I can only imagine how the band must feel having an entire stadium full of people singing along and sharing the sorrow and hope of the song.
The fella playing the piano in the clip is Yoshiki, who was also the band’s drummer and principal songwriter. He’s had a huge career in and out of Japan, and I encourage everyone to check out more of X-Japan and his other work.
So yeah, try fitting that onto a Facebook wall.
