Go, Lion

...As in "Maru G."

7:30 PM, Kichijoji's basement live-house "Planet K": An immaculately, appropriately dressed group of glam-metalheads rocks us like a hurricane, circa 1985.

8:30 PM: Hair metal act vacates the stage for Lion Maru G -- er, the Beast Transformed Gigolo Warrior.

8:45 PM: After savagely whacking four guys dressed in baseball outfits and Kiss makeup with a styrofoam sword, he retreats to the bandstand for a standing ovation along with his human alter-ego and a guy dressed like "the Gimp" from Pulp Fiction. Party crackers pop and fill the air with glitter streamers. Keitai phone-cameras flash. Perhaps, even, a pair of panties or two are thrown.

9:00 PM: We return to your regularly scheduled roster of local hair-metal bands.

In other words: your average Friday night in Tokyo.

Comments

[Zer0]

Hi Matt,

this is off-topic, but would you have any idea what's this "Modern Art Musume" thing is about?

http://www.modernartmusume.com/

recently, they just paraded themselves down Chu-o dori.
http://www.akibablog.net/archives/2006/11/post_861.html

[Matt]

I'm sure Patrick Macias could answer this way better than me, but from what I know they've been around for a couple of years. I think they're supposed to be more like performance artists than an idol group. Or something. Gimme Lion Maru G any day.

[Steve Harrison]

I suspect those baseball goons were meant to be a pop culture tribute to the movie 'The Warriors'...

but you knew that :)

[Magengar-Z]

Hey, That's friggin Cool!
Too bad there isn't enough of that
here in the US.
Rock On, and Stay Brutal! :-D