Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Hisao Shinagawa and his Atomic Music


Blessed are the filmmakers who find tell us important stories of those on the margins of our world and culture. I Want to Destroy America: The Atomic Music of Hisao Shinagawa is not only cool because it has a two part with a colon title, but because it is one of the most intimate and interesting documentaries I have seen in a long time. Peter I. Chang's film is no Werner Herzog styled documentary featuring filmmaker and crew, nor is it puckered with critics doing sound bytes.

This film is and is about Shinagawa. He tells his life story. Born in Hiroshima shortly before the bomb was dropped. His family moved to Tokyo when he was young. Was there as a teenager when Rock 'n Roll hit, but it was the folk music of the late fifties and early sixties that caught his complete consciousness. The film shows how Shinagawa had many musical adventures crossing genre, but he is mostly noted, it seems as being called a Japanese Bob Dylan.

He came to the US as still another stumblebum musician lover of folk stumblebum going Greyhound and hitching to many US points, including, obviously Nashville. In Nashville he lived out of Jack Clement Studios and he recounts some great stories of encounters with Townes Van Zandt, Jerry Jeff Walker, and Johnny Cash. Met up with Jackson Browne and the CSN bunch at one point but more notably David Byrne sometime later.

Byrne totally gets Shinawaga. He turns him on to new wave pop and world music. The latter eventually lead to Shinawaga becoming the world beat DJ at Club Lingerie. I kind of vaguely, vaguely remember Shinagawa's MTV Basement Tape winning video Happy Weirdo, a strange bright colored blue screen extravaganza with the everpresent 1980s oversymphed electornic keyboards.

Peter Ivers was a fringe New Wave Punk supporter who had a late night television show and got murdered by a claw hammer. There is an absolutely incendiary rant against Reagan consumerism and conservatism that feels a little bit like probable cause for some psychotic. Hisao was part of the Ivers' posse for a time before his death.

After Ivers, Shimagawa did a couple of spikey New Wave albums for big labels, two of them, including More Money, More War. Then apparently he gave up music except DJing for flower arranging and then decided to be true to himself and return as a street musician playing much at the Pasadena and Hollywood Farmer's Market, with a lifestyle that has freedom, but as he says in the film, it was a freedom that cost him.

There is this really raw naked emotional section (maybe sake fueled?) in the film that still shows that Hisao in full sweaty rant.

My Dream is bigger than life. I gotta destroy America, the US system, they put the bomb...son of rising son GodZilla Son of nuclear waste I am son of Hiroshima bomb.


This film encaptures a very unique and interesting personality. Others have noticed him as well.
  • And here is the trailer, nearly as entertaining as the feature.
    posted by well-executed buffet at 8:01 PM
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