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30 Jul
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Posted by Musashi
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Sakyo Komatsu, the science-fiction author responsible for the 1973 novel Japan Sinks (and inadvertently responsible for the resulting parody film The World Sinks Except Japan - which our very own AnaKhouri reviewed here…) has died at 80, from pneumonia. Komatsu also wrote the novel which served as the basis for the 1980 post-apocalyptic film Virus. Komatsu was also an accomplished screenwriter, with a number of television and film credits under his belt.
Komatsu has been referred to as the ‘King of Japanese Science Fiction.
| Category: News | Tag: everywhere sinks except japan, japan, literature, obituary, sad, Science Fiction |
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1 Mar
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Posted by AnaKhouri
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Nicholas Courtney, best known as the brusque, lovable Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart has passed away.
In affectionate tribute, here is my favorite extra from the Doctor Who DVDs:
| Category: off-topic | Tag: brigadier lethbridge-stewart, doctor who, nicholas courtney, obituary |
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1 Jan
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Posted by Musashi
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Holidays always fuck up my ability to get anything done, especially post at the site – various demands constantly pull me in all directions and unfortunately something’s always gotta give. Frankly I was going to stay away until after the weekend, but I just have to post this. It won’t stay bottled up two more days.
My good friend Shone Davis is dead.
Shone was more than a friend, really – if one can be said to have a brother in spirit, that was Shone Davis. My mom always said that most people will offer you kind words when life throws you a curveball, but true friends are there to put up with your shit.
That was Shone Davis.
Shone was the guy that would have your back even when you were wrong, who loved having a good time and being there when you weren’t. When I look back at my youth, it seems that most of my recollections somehow involve Shone.
Rampaging around a slamdance pit at a Circle Jerks show at Bogart’s.
Attending a Nether Eye show in some seedy basement, watching Shone dance his ass off wearing a Chuck-E-Cheese mascot head in 100-degree heat.
Driving to Cleveland for the first Lollapalooza tour in 1991.
Watching Mark Waid take a piss in the bathroom at the 1996 Chicago Comicon.
Punk shows, sitting around the basement playing Nintendo, watching John Woo flicks in his brother’s apartment in San Francisco, hanging out with my family in Los Angeles in ’97.
It’s the absolute fucking zenith of geek cliche, but I can’t help but quote Roy Batty from the end of Blade Runner: “All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in the rain.”
I have a black Captain Harlock shirt in my closet, you know the one – the skull and crossbones. Shone gave that to me on my birthday fifteen years ago. It’s a little ratty now; the screenprint ink is cracked and and like my hair it’s starting to look a bit more light gray than black. It’s probably more than a little stretched out, too – time has a funny way of doing that to you.
I haven’t corresponded with Shone as much as I’d have liked the last few years. He relocated to the U.K. a while back, and though we chatted now and then via e-mail and Facebook time and distance took it’s inevitable toll.
I miss you, man. God damn, I miss you.
| Category: off-topic | Tag: obituary, sad, shone davis |
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25 Nov
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Posted by Musashi
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I’m running late getting ready for Thanksgiving dinner, so I don’t have time to say a lot – but I did want to note the untimely passing of musician Peter Christopherson, founding member of industrial pioneers Throbbing Gristle and techno-occult experimentalists Coil. I’m particularly saddened by the latter, as Coil is now and truly gone…partner/collaborator John Balance preceded Christopherson to the grave in 2004.
Rest in peace, Sleazy, and thanks for some of the most beautiful atonality I’ve ever heard.
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8 Nov
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Posted by Musashi
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Famed anime producer Yoshinobu Nishizaki, whose most well known effort was Space Battleship Yamato and it’s various spin-offs, drowned yesterday afternoon while taking a cruise on his research vessel Yamato. Anime News Network has full coverage of the incident here.
For whatever reason, I’ve taken quite an interest in Yamato these past few weeks. Like many anime fans that grew up in the 70′s, my first contact with the franchise was its’ U.S. run, the re-dubbed Star Blazers which I watched religiously every morning before heading off to grade-school. Even today when discussing Yamato I struggle to not identify characters by their Americanized names – but after having seen the original series I was pleased to see that the show’s essential themes – struggles against impossible odds, fighting for one’s home and loved-ones, and the power of the human spirit – were not lost in the translation.
The show’s animation seems crude by today’s standards but it stands the test of time in large part due to it’s spirit and purity of purpose. Even now, over thirty years later, watching the noble crew of the Yamato fling themselves headlong into to the cosmos to bring back alien technology to save Earth brings a tear to my eye.
And was there ever a better theme song than that which preceded each episode of Yamato? Compare this to the usual gibberish J-Pop that passes for theme songs these days.
Farewell Earth, the ship we leave in is
Space Battleship Yamato
Through space we travel toward far-off Iscandar
Fate upon our shoulders, we now begin our journey
“Surely we will return here”
We respond, smiling to the waving crowd
Leaving the galaxy, heading toward Iscandar
We face a great distance
Space Battleship Yamato
Farewell Earth, and the people we love
Space Battleship Yamato
We are charged with a mission to save the Earth
Fighting men, burning romance
Someone must undertake this
We are expected to do so
Leaving the galaxy, heading toward Iscandar
We face a great distance
Space Battleship Yamato
Rest in peace, Nishizaki-san, and thanks for a lifetime of wonderful memories.
| Category: News | Tag: Anime, japan, obituary, sad, space battleship yamato, yoshinobu nishizaki |
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29 Oct
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Posted by Musashi
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Man – say what you want about Pokemon, I have to respect a cat who could churn out multiple seasons of that stuff…and three feature films to boot. Pokemon scribe Takeshi Shudo died yesterday at the age of 61 of a subarachnoid hemmorhage. Shudo also created Fairy Princess Minky Momo and contributed to GoShogun (known in the U.S. as the composite series Macron 1) and did a stint at Studio Ghibli.
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13 Oct
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Posted by Musashi
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I just learned that actor Ryo Ikebe died last week at the age of 92. Pale Flower is by far my favorite yakuza film, largely because of Ikebe’s portrayal of the nihilistic gangster Muraki. Ikebe left behind an impressive body of work that includes pivotal roles in a handful of sci-fi films (The War in Space and Gorath being the two most well-known) and Yasujiro Ozu’s Early Spring.
Pale Flower is available on Netflix Instant Watch – if you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend it…and Ikebe’s passing seems to be a fit excuse to check it out.
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24 Aug
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Posted by Musashi
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I don’t have time to properly eulogize him, but I was shocked to learn via Twitter that anime director Satoshi Kon (Paranoia Agent, Tokyo Godfathers, Paprika) died today at age 47.
Rest in peace, sir…
(Update: You can hear our sendoff to Satoshi Kon in Episode 8 of the Yellow Menace Podcast.)
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15 Jul
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Posted by Musashi
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Actually it was voice actor Peter Fernandez, who portrayed Greg ‘Speed’ Racer, in the American version of the seminal anime. Hernandez also voiced Mark Venture in the U.S. version of Space Battleship Yamato, aka Star Blazers.
Farewell, Peter – enjoy your final lap.
| Category: Anime | Tag: Anime, japan, obituary, sad, speed racer, star blazers |
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12 Jul
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Posted by Musashi
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| Category: News | Tag: cleveland, comic books, harvey pekar, obituary, sad |
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17 Jun
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Posted by Musashi
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English artist Sebastian Horsley, who gained infamy a decade ago by taking part in a Filipino crucifixion ceremony, died yesterday of a heroin overdose.
To the Filipinos inflicting pain upon yourself is both an act of faith and a test of faith. Protection from pain is interpreted by participants as evidence not only of divine contact, but also of religious conviction and sincerity. To suffer pain is spiritually humiliating, and a form of punishment. I learnt that when the Japanese actor was crucified in 1996, he screamed in agony on the cross. At the time, prior to discovering he was making a porn film, the Filipinos commented on his spiritual immaturity, a judgement subsequently proved accurate. When I heard this I was glad that for whatever reason I didn’t scream.
Anything could have gone wrong. If you don’t risk anything you risk everything. I wanted to raise my game as a painter. I wanted to get to the point where I was metaphorically painting in my own blood and if that makes me an incurable Romantic then that is what I am … deeply romantic. People who don’t know me may think this was an extreme thing to do. But for me it would have been far more extreme if I had taken up knitting.
After the crucifixion I was in despair. I was utterly desolate. I felt that it had been a dreadful mistake. Rather than attaching myself to life, I had hurled myself against it. And I had lost. I had been humiliated. I had been punished by a God whom I didn’t believe in; he had thrown me off the cross for impersonating his son, for being an atheist, and for being a disaster. I felt I had made a complete fool of myself- that it had all gone wrong and that it was my fault because I had engaged in a wanton act of self-destruction.
The Filipinos thought that I had been thrown off the cross because if I had stayed up there I would have died, but that God had spared my hands because I was a painter. I just thought I was a stupid cunt.
| Category: News, Uncategorized | Tag: art, crucifixion, easter, obituary, Philippines, sad, stupid cunts |
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16 May
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Posted by AnaKhouri
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Dio died. Yeah, it’s #3 in the recent series of famous people deaths: Frank Frazetta, Lena Horne, Dio. If you don’t know who Dio was, you suck. He was the second singer in Black Sabbath after Ozzy bailed (and guess what- he was better than Ozzy. Yeah, I said it) and the frontman for Rainbow. And also Elf, but Rainbow was better. And he was the dude Jack Black prayed to in Tenacious D: Pick of Destiny. He was old as fuck but could still rock, at least he could a couple years ago when I saw ads for Heaven and Hell concerts.
Rock on in Heaven, Dio.
| Category: Site News, Uncategorized | Tag: black sabbath, dio, obituary, sad |
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10 May
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Posted by Musashi
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19 Apr
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Posted by AnaKhouri
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The famous and controversial anime producer Carl Macek died Saturday of a heart attack. He’s best known of course for introducing Americans to Macross, in the form of Robotech, thus creating an entire generation of anime fans. He also helped to get a shitload of other stuff released here.
Macek was a big deal back in the day; everyone loved Robotech. There was a backlash when people discovered he’d actually redubbed and cut together three separate anime series to create Robotech (Shapiro Keats heard he even received death threats…seriously? Over a TV show?).
At any rate, love him or hate him, Macek was a huge influence in the introduction of anime to America.
Appreciations:
(Ed Note: I couldn’t resist adding this: a recent interview with the late Mr. Macek and Tommy Yune marking the 25th anniversary of Robotech. – Musashi)
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17 Mar
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Posted by Musashi
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Goddamn it – I just found out that Alex Chilton died. It’s probably more appropriate to post a video of Chilton’s own work, but for some reason it seems proper to send the guy out courtesy of The Replacements. Our younger readers will probably only be familiar with Chilton from the song ‘Through The Street’ which was the theme song for That 70′s Show (although the tune was performed by Cheap Trick in every season but the first).
We’ll miss you, man…
Here’s an NPR story on Chilton and Big Star.
| Category: News | Tag: alex chilton, obituary, off-topic, rock, sad, the replacements |
