I STARTED working with KISS in 1973 when they signed with Buddah Records, a company I had worked with regularly. Working with KISS proved to be a different experience from most of the bands I had photographed. It’s not just that they wore makeup; the New York Dolls did that too. It was that their makeup created a different identity, as if they were superheroes. Right from the beginning when Buddah’s president, Neil Bogart, wore makeup and had the contract handcuffed to his wrist for the photo announcing their signing, I knew this was an unusual band.
I first saw John and Yoko at a benefit concert at the Apollo Theater shortly after they arrived in New York City in 1971. I’d taken a photo of them backstage and dropped off some copies to their apartment, which was around the corner from mine in the West Village, but I didn’t make any further connection with them then. A few months later I was asked to take photos of John and Yoko for a story about Elephant’s Memory, their backing band on the new album they were recording. That night I went to their recording studio, took some photos of them all together, and they soon contacted me to use them in the album package.
Go on tour with legendary rock photographer Bob Gruen, who is one of the most well known and respected photographers in Rock and Roll.
WHEN I met John Lennon & Yoko Ono, they were working with the band Elephant’s Memory and I was soon taking a lot of photos of them. When the band chose one of my photos to use for their album cover, I went to their management office where Tony Machine, who worked for them, told me I had to come see another band they worked with–the New York Dolls, who were playing at the Mercer Arts Center. I went there and discovered a wild, exciting and shocking, downtown New York artists’ scene.
I clearly remember when Lisa Robinson called me to tell me to take pictures of a band called The Stilettos. She said the lead singer was very beautiful and was going to be a big star. The minute I saw Debbie Harry I knew Lisa was right! Soon after, Debbie and the lead guitarist Chris Stein formed Blondie.
Interview by Anthony Al-Jamie
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30 million records sold, a 15-country world tour, 18 sold out Tokyo Dome concerts for 1,000,000 screaming fans, and Yoshiki and his band X Japan, are gearing up for another world tour. In his spare time, Yoshiki composed and recorded Eternal Melody, which remains one of Japan’s top-selling classical albums, and his most recent release “Yoshiki Classical” debuted at the top of the iTunes classical charts worldwide. He has collaborated with some of the world’s leading artists and producers including Queen’s Roger Taylor and legendary Beatles Producer Sir George Martin, performed for the Emperor of Japan, and he has created the theme songs for the World Expo and the last two Golden Globes. This classical genius is a hard rocking innovator and creator of the genre “Visual kei” – combining the styles of punk, rock, heavy metal, glam rock and classical music. In 2008, four years before Tupac’s hologram wowed Coachella, Yoshiki and X Japan brought back their deceased guitarist HIDE by hologram to perform in concert. Some may think it requires a super hero to accomplish all of this. Stan Lee, Marvel Comics founder and creator of Spiderman and the Hulk, agreed and created a superhero based on Yoshiki called “Blood Red Dragon.” What can’t Yoshiki do? Let’s find out.
采访者:Anthony Al-Jamie
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横跨十五个国家,十八场合共一百万粉丝的Tokyo Dome世界巡回演唱会的门票,在尖叫声中销售一空。 Yoshiki和他的乐队X Japan正快马加鞭准备下一场世界巡演。在他的闲暇时间,Yoshiki创作并灌录了Eternal Melody这张独霸日本古典乐排行鳌首的专辑, 而他最新发行的“Yoshiki Classical”刚一亮相便占据了全世界iTunes古典音乐榜榜首。他也曾与世界首屈一指的艺术家和制作人,包括Queen乐队的Roger Taylor和传奇乐队披头士的制作人Sir George Martin 合作为日本天皇演奏。他创作了世博会和最新两届金球奖的主题曲。这位古典音乐天才更是硬摇流派的创新者和“视觉系摇滚”的创造者—结合朋克,摇滚,重金属,华丽摇滚和古典音乐的摇滚新形态。2008年,在图派克的全息影像震撼了图切拉音乐节的四年前, Yoshiki和X Japan就通过全息影像将逝去的吉他手HIDE带回了演唱会现场。许多人认为只有一个超级英雄才能完成这些。 Stan Lee, 漫威漫画的创始人,蜘蛛侠,无敌浩克的创作者,同意以Yoshiki为原型创作了名为“赤血飞龙”的超级英雄。Yoshiki是否无所不能?让我们来一探究竟。
Kyung-sook Shin is a celebrated author in her native South Korea. She made her literary debut in 1985, winning the Munye Joongang New Author Prize for her novella Winter Fables. She recently came to international attention as a result of her latest book, “Please Look After Mom,” being translated into many languages and set for distribution in 33 countries. The book is about a mother who disappears and the family’s desperate search to find her. It won the prestigious Man Asian Literary Prize for 2011, the Asian equivalent of the Man Booker Prize. Both the first Korean and the first woman to win the prize, she beat celebrated Asian authors such as Haruki Murakami and Anuradha Roy. TJ’s Hong Kong correspondent David Nunan caught up with Ms. Shin at the recent Hong Kong International Literary Festival where she was a featured speaker.
Interview by Anthony Al-Jamie
Rock star, producer, publisher, actor, reality TV star, family man, professional sports team owner, entrepreneur and all-round marketing genius: what kind of steroids must one take to master so many ventures with dynamic energy and youthful enthusiasm for over 40 years? To find out, I drove to Gene Simmons’ Beverly Hills mansion. Meeting Gene Simmons was an educational experience from the get-go. Parking on the edge of the large circular driveway to this huge mansion - the kind you only see on a reality TV show - I looked up to see the towering KISS star on top of the staircase, yelling pinpoint directions to me about where to park. Before the interview; before I’d even parked the car, I knew this was a man who was in control. I couldn’t help but feel intimidated, but as I entered his palatial estate Simmons greeted me with a kind smile and, knowing that I had lived in Japan for many years, introduced himself in perfect Japanese using all the politest forms of the language. He offered me a cup of coffee and asked me to wait in his office, which doubles as a KISS museum. It includes literally thousands of unique KISS and Gene Simmons branded memorabilia – everything from motor scooters to pachinko machines!
Interview by Anthony Al-Jamie
Kyary Pamyu Pamyu has caused a revolution in the J-pop world with her unique blending of kawaii [cuteness] with creepy chic. In 2012, the mayor of Shibuya named her the “Kawaii Ambassador” of Harajuku, and her success has mushroomed overseas. She’s gone on global tours, her breakthrough song “PONPONPON” was featured on “The Simpsons,” American pop idol Katy Perry has tweeted about Kyary’s music and in July 2014 she released her third studio album “Pika Pika Fantajin.” Tokyo Journal Executive Editor Anthony Al-Jamie interviewed the 21-year-old chart-topping singer about music, fashion and her future.
Interview by Anthony Al-Jamie
きゃりーぱみゅぱみゅは、可愛さと小洒落た不気味さが一体となった個性的キャラクターで、J ポップ界に一大旋風を巻き起こした。2012年に渋谷区公認「原宿カワイイ大使」に就任。その後、ワールドツアーの他、彼女を一躍有名にした「PONPONPON」がアニメ「ザ・シンプソンズ」で取り上げられたり、アメリカのポップアイドル、ケイティ・ペリーが彼女の曲についてツイートするなど、人気は世界へと広がった。今年7月には自身3枚目のアルバム「ピカピカふぁんたじん」をリリース。常にヒットチャートに名を連ねる歌姫である21歳の彼女に、東京ジャー ナルのエグゼクティブエディターアントニー・アルジェイミーが音楽やファッション、将来について聞いた。