Saturday, October 23, 2004
Keep it real, dog.
After having added moblogging and (for a fleeting time) comments to this blog, I was told not too long ago by someone who was once in grave danger of becoming my friend (a fear that has now thankfully passed) that I should let him make a 'real' blog for me. His words have been stuck in my head since then. A real blog. Folks who know me also know well that I'm given to scrutinizing comments that seem offhanded...precisely because their offhandedness. The truth always seems to come out when we least suspect it, let alone intend it. A real blog. Indeed.
After an inordinate time spend contemplating the matter, I've come to the conclusion that my former near-friend's blog is in fact, both in terms of content and structure, ALL TOO REAL for my tastes. There are lessons that I was taught in my youth that prevent me from enjoying with a clear conscience 'realities' of such an ilk. I wish to say 'fuck the latest gadget' as much as I wish to be fucked by it, and naturally I do. Sure, the terms which that individual are now on renders any final resolutions on this end moot, but still like to proffer my opinon. The long and short of it is that I'm interested not only in blogging as sheer FACT, but also in blogging as ART (even this emaciated art such as I am capable of).
Naturally the objections can be made which refer to the 'ART of blogging as FACT' and so on. Inverse arguments are also valid. This I don't deny, but I will remind that the watchword is 'workmanlike' and leave it at that. For the moment, at least, I'm interested on mixing and blending both of these. On a structural level, this mirrors my current views of Tokyo/Japan, which are really concerned with the TOTALITY of this city/country and its culture. The whole enchilada so to speak. I'm just as interested say...recent fashion trends in and around the triangular region between Shibuya, Nakameguro, and Ebisu as I am about the plight of non-Japanese (therefore non-human) Asian and Third World emigrant communities living in (relative) slums here. (OK, that isn't really true. I care infinitely more about the latter group, but I am prepared to hear the 'stories' of both groups and to look into them myself.)
The catalyst for all of this probaby began its work long ago, somewhere in the deeper recesses of my shallow mind when I was perusing the gossamer-like pennings of a certain, infamous, aesthetic carpetbagger. Perhaps the crystallization finally occured just the other day when I was entertaining an acquaintance of mine who had come here from France to do an event. He confided in me that he had been shown 'the best' of this city by his gracious hosts both times he was in Tokyo (this being his second time), and that frankly, he was kind of tired the same old 'trendy' places.
How can a person (who isn't Japanese) visit Cow Books (to name one of a million hipster places) more than once and still fail to realize that nothing sold there falls within the disposable budget of most of the world's population? I'm sure that the store doesn't even have to sell anything at all to stay in business. It is probably someone's 'pet project' and will grace the banks of the Meguro river (not really a river) for ages. The woman smiled at us in a bovine sort of way.
So what did I do? I took him to the shitamachi. I'm crazy about two or three patches of shitamachi these days. Anyway, he loved it. We had a memorable time - did I mention the cats - and for next to nothing. Anachronistic? Perhaps, but there must be a middle ground between that and 'technocratic cool'. After all, the technocratic cool tries to eat up the anachronistic cool, and I'll not stand for that.
The other day my best friend on earth (he may not be aware of this fact) accused me and my blog of dangerously approching 'art' and I must say I was tickled fluffy pink. I think what happened, without really knowing it, it that I wasn't trying to keep it real enough. Halfway there, a bad case of art broke out. I'm sure I'll be over it sooner than not.
After an inordinate time spend contemplating the matter, I've come to the conclusion that my former near-friend's blog is in fact, both in terms of content and structure, ALL TOO REAL for my tastes. There are lessons that I was taught in my youth that prevent me from enjoying with a clear conscience 'realities' of such an ilk. I wish to say 'fuck the latest gadget' as much as I wish to be fucked by it, and naturally I do. Sure, the terms which that individual are now on renders any final resolutions on this end moot, but still like to proffer my opinon. The long and short of it is that I'm interested not only in blogging as sheer FACT, but also in blogging as ART (even this emaciated art such as I am capable of).
Naturally the objections can be made which refer to the 'ART of blogging as FACT' and so on. Inverse arguments are also valid. This I don't deny, but I will remind that the watchword is 'workmanlike' and leave it at that. For the moment, at least, I'm interested on mixing and blending both of these. On a structural level, this mirrors my current views of Tokyo/Japan, which are really concerned with the TOTALITY of this city/country and its culture. The whole enchilada so to speak. I'm just as interested say...recent fashion trends in and around the triangular region between Shibuya, Nakameguro, and Ebisu as I am about the plight of non-Japanese (therefore non-human) Asian and Third World emigrant communities living in (relative) slums here. (OK, that isn't really true. I care infinitely more about the latter group, but I am prepared to hear the 'stories' of both groups and to look into them myself.)
The catalyst for all of this probaby began its work long ago, somewhere in the deeper recesses of my shallow mind when I was perusing the gossamer-like pennings of a certain, infamous, aesthetic carpetbagger. Perhaps the crystallization finally occured just the other day when I was entertaining an acquaintance of mine who had come here from France to do an event. He confided in me that he had been shown 'the best' of this city by his gracious hosts both times he was in Tokyo (this being his second time), and that frankly, he was kind of tired the same old 'trendy' places.
How can a person (who isn't Japanese) visit Cow Books (to name one of a million hipster places) more than once and still fail to realize that nothing sold there falls within the disposable budget of most of the world's population? I'm sure that the store doesn't even have to sell anything at all to stay in business. It is probably someone's 'pet project' and will grace the banks of the Meguro river (not really a river) for ages. The woman smiled at us in a bovine sort of way.
So what did I do? I took him to the shitamachi. I'm crazy about two or three patches of shitamachi these days. Anyway, he loved it. We had a memorable time - did I mention the cats - and for next to nothing. Anachronistic? Perhaps, but there must be a middle ground between that and 'technocratic cool'. After all, the technocratic cool tries to eat up the anachronistic cool, and I'll not stand for that.
The other day my best friend on earth (he may not be aware of this fact) accused me and my blog of dangerously approching 'art' and I must say I was tickled fluffy pink. I think what happened, without really knowing it, it that I wasn't trying to keep it real enough. Halfway there, a bad case of art broke out. I'm sure I'll be over it sooner than not.
