Cool and Strange Music - Just Who is Jack Trombey?

The reaction to the last Cool and Strange music (Cool & Strange Music - East Meets West Jan. 27, 2013) was quite satisfying to say the least. Thank you. 

Actually it was almost all about a music genre that most people haven't heard of but they hear it everyday; it's called "Library Music." It's the kind of music that's used for background music on movies, TV shows and TV commercials. It's everywhere and some of the best music being made today - or at anytime in the days of film and mass media - has been made by "Library" musicians and composers.

That's what the last Cool and Strange was about and that's what today's Cool and Strange is all about: Library Music. 

What really surprised me about the last Cool and Strange post, was that I have several inquiries concerning the Morphine Mambo Jazz Club... The majority of which were the questions, "Who are these people?" and "Where can I get their music?"

Well first off, if we can believe the liner notes in the CD (which I think we can't) it claims that the Morphine Mambo Jazz Club was a London Club in the sixties that inspired Julian Temple, the film maker, to make the movie entitled "Absolute Beginners" and David Bowie to sing the song with the same title...

Both were, well, pablum.... They pale in comparison to the real thing. And the compilation, Morphine Mambo Jazz Club is the real thing!

Folks, this album is an extremely rare highly sought after collectors item. Like I said, I have one (brag, brag, snort, snort!), but last I heard was that they were selling for a few hundred dollars each and you couldn't find them anywhere. I checked on Amazon too and I found it is unavailable.

Unavailable, but as you can see, all 5 star reviews! Oh, wait a minute! That's probably the review I wrote, never mind!

If you commence a Google search for Morphine Mambo Jazz Club probably the best you can find is that this artist has something to do with a guy named Jack Trombley... So like the music and this post, if you are to search for answers to clues, you'll also find that, as far as Jack Trombley is concerned, he may or may not actually exist. Besides Jack, there's a few other "shady" characters, but I think Jack is the most intriguing of the bunch... Even though he probably doesn't exist...

Mobster Scene

Confusing? Yep. I'm not convinced, but many of us record-collection geeks think Jack Trombley is a pseudonym; a stage name.

Jack Trombey is also sometimes credited as T. Trombey and he is a British composer. Since I am not sure if he really exists (I mean, in that name). I am not sure he is still alive. Here's why: Jack Trombley composed pieces for Dewolfe Music, a production music library. Many Jack Trombley compositions were used in film and television productions such as Monty Python, Doctor Who, Van der Valk and Dawn of the Dead; so we're talking about stuff from the late 60s and early 70s....  Some suspect, and perhaps I do too, that Trombey is actually a pseudonym used by Ron Goodwin to compose for DeWolfe Music.

Slow Moody Blues

Here's what Wikipedia says about Ron Goodwin:

Ronald Alfred Goodwin (17 February 1925 – 8 January 2003) was a British composer and conductor known for his film music. He scored over 70 films in a career lasting over fifty years. His most famous works included Where Eagles Dare, Battle of Britain, 633 Squadron and Operation Crossbow.

But wait! We're not sure that Jack Trombey is Ron Goodwin so let's go back to the facts we already have that we know are definitely true.

World of Strategy No. 4

Jack Trombey composed for DeWolfe Music. At DeWolfe, we know that Jack Trombey composed for many British TV shows including Monty Python.

Here's what few clues and information I could get from Wikipedia about DeWolfe and Jack Trombey:

De Wolfe Music is the originator of what has become known as production music as it was established in 1909 and began its recorded library in 1927 with the advent of 'Talkies'. The library consists of over 80,000 tracks, all pre-cleared for licensing and synchronisation. They have been used in thousands of productions including Monty Python, Emmanuelle, Dawn of the Dead, American Gangster and Doctor Who. Well known theme tunes include Van der Valk and Roobarb.... 

...Music was also provided for classic episodes of Dr. Who, while in the 1970s De Wolfe scored The Sweeney, Monty Python's Flying Circus and cartoon theme tunes for Roobarb & Custard and Henry's Cat. Eye Level, the theme music for the television detective series Van Der Valk, became a million-selling number one single in 1973. To composer Jack Trombey’s surprise, Eye Level topped the charts for six weeks and saw Simon Park conducting his Orchestra week after week on Top Of The Pops alongside glam superstars Wizzard and The Sweet. It was the first TV theme ever to hit Number One, and proved so popular the Simon Park Orchestra actually outsold The Beatles in the UK for a whole week. (Emphasis mine) Much of De Wolfe’s music from that era has since become cult among record collectors and music enthusiasts all over the world.

What?! A Jack Trombey composition outsold the Beatles for one week in the prime of the lads from Liverpool? Astounding!

Jumbo Waltz

And, unfortunately folks, the trail on Jack Trombey grows cold there. I have been searching (along with my record collecting geek friends in the UK and Germany) for the answer to "Just who is Jack Trombey?" for over a decade with no luck... For now, all we have is this great music.

Jack Trombey! If you are still out there, give us a call... I know some folks who'd like for you to come down to the precinct office to answer a few questions about your whereabouts and the disappearance of a certain music composer....

And, with that, I'd like to leave you with this wonderful memory from the gang at Monty Python... What would they have done without Jack Trombey?....

Besides Jack, the album is filled with like-minded folks with great tracks. There's R. Tisley, Peter Reno, Keith Papworth, Frank Rothman, J. Hawksworth and W. Hill... Morphine Mambo Jazz Club... Find and grab it if you can!

Cool & Strange Music - East Meets West Jan. 27, 2013

Recently I've been getting into Cool and Strange music (like I used to) because I find that very few Pop music artists of today really make me feel a sense of fascination.... There are some. I like the Jigsaw Seen, Eux Autres... And, now that I think about it, those two acts have songs that could qualify as Cool & Strange! So, let's let them in on the act!

Here are some Cool and Strange artists I have discovered just recently (even though these songs and artists are from long ago). Enjoy East Meets West Cool and Strange Music!

Arakawa Yasuo - Locoweed

Arakawa Yasuo - Shiji Shiroo - Baby

Arakawa Yasuo has been a "sort of" famous Jazz musician in Japan since the early seventies. Yasuo Arakawa graduated from the Berklee College of Music. While living in the USA, he appeared in Jazz clubs and also performed in the orchestra pit of a Broadway show. Some of the famous musicians he's played for include, Charlie Mariano, Roy Haynes, Chick Corea, Joe Williams, and Sam Rivers.  Currently he teaches Jazz at Osaka University and in 1994 he went to New York to perform as a member of the "Japan Just Jazz All Stars".  He has also performed on stage at Carnegie Hall and the Apollo Theater. 

Sorry folks, I cannot find out anything about Shinji Shiroo as I cannot find information in English or Japanese about him (I don't know how his name is written in Chinese alphabet so he's a tough one for me to track down. Help!)

Morphine Mambo Jazz Club - Assignment London

Jack Tisley - Jumbo Waltz

Morphine Mambo Jazz Club. I don't know anything about this band excepting that Jack Tisley has something to do with it... (Next question? "Who is Jack Tisley?" Heck if I know!) 

The other thing I know (or don't) is that the CD (record) is impossible to find (I have one though!) This is a compilation of, as the liner notes say, "thrilling sexy '60s Spectre Jazz Noir Club" library music from De Wolfe recording studios in the United Kingdom. 

I love this kind of music and I'd say that, for me, this is the definitive type of sound that I like so much that makes this sort of music "Cool and Strange"; it's like sixties movie music and does it ever have a beat!  

Afrodesia - Oom Gowa

The is some very cool heavy percussion driven world Jazz that has an extra shake or two of funk and exotica to add to the soup. This one is also extremely rare. Originally this group is from Texas but made a small name for itself in LA as the Afro Latin Blues Quintet +1 and a bit later as Afro Latin Soultet.

In this work they play a more world Jazz style that also include Latin percussions, Latin soul and rhythms... Yet just when you think you have them figured out, they hit you with African rhythms with a heavy dose of Jazz and... instrumental rock... 

Afrodesia! This is out of this world! 

Omar Khorshid - Pop Corn

Never heard of Omar Khorshid? Well, you should have. Actually, in India the guy is a superstar. Wikipedia says, 

"Omar Khorshid is a movie star and famed guitarist of the Middle east, he composed the music for thirteen films. In 1971 won the Premier Prix at the Film Festival of Tachkand for his music for the film Ebnati El Aziza."

Well, those are the newest ones that I really liked... But wait! I didn't forget... I promised you the new artists that I like... Here's the Jigsaw Seen (doing the East Meets West thingy)

The Jigsaw Seen "Baby Elephant Walk"

From the Jigsaw Seen official web page: 

"Formed in 1988 by Dennis Davison (ex United States Of Existence, whose influential debut album “Introducing” was released by Bam Caruso in 1986) and Jonathan Lea, The Jigsaw Seen recorded their debut single “Jim Is The Devil,” which was released by Get Hip Records in 1989. The Los Angeles band then signed to New Jersey based Skyclad Records, releasing another single in 1989, "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen” and unleashing their debut album “Shortcut Through Clown Alley” in 1990.   The Los Angeles Reader pronounced: “The Jigsaw Seen’s witty commentaries capture both general life and more personal emotions with equal depth of feeling, and the music always shines.”   The band toured in support of the record, playing shows with Smashing Pumpkins, Afghan Whigs, the Cynics and the Sneetches, among others."

Eux Autres - "Right Again"

From the Eux Autres web page: 

Eux Autres write smart, infectious garage-pop that makes you feel as if you’re simultaneously cartwheeling down a beach, singing by the fire in a mountain cabin, blowing out the candles on a cake, and eavesdropping on the elusive neighbors. If the Field Mice met Black Flag in a dark alley and teleported them to a Francoise Hardy show, the songs they’d be humming together on the drive home might sound something like Eux Autres.  Eux Autres originally consisted of brother and sister Heather and Nicholas Larimer. Heather played drums, Nicholas played guitar, and they both sang. In 2008, Eux Autres added drummer Yoshi Nakamoto (The Aislers Set, Still Flyin’) in order to expand their sound and referee their fights.

Hey! They have a guy named Yoshi in the band? Cool! He's Japanese. Keeps with the East Meets West theme of this episode. 

Hope you enjoyed it!

This Cool & Strange is dedicated to my friend, Scott Clifton

Now You Can Kill Just Like the President Does! Hilarious! Toy Drones on Sale on Amazon!

There's a hilarious new toy on sale on Amazon that has got to be making president Obama grimace. It's a toy Predator drone and it's just like the real thing! That's right! Now you can be the Decider and you can act out your own fantasies assassinating bad guys and American citizens just like the president does! Wow! What fun for the whole family! 

You know, this drone is a mini replica of the kind of drone the leader of the Free World, the president of the USA, uses to "Take out the trash!" (execute "terrahists," civilians - old men and women, pregnant ladies and small children too!) in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen and who knows where else? Your imagination is the limits!

Well, actually, I don't think it is really on sale. Someone has spoofed the system and put the item on sale, but it is listed as "Currently unavailable" (sold out!).

Product Features Includes: 

*US Air Force Medium Altitude, Long Endurance, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) RQ-1 Predator with Display Stand (Dimension: 6" x 3-1/2" x 1") 

*Detailed authentic replicas with display stand Die cast metal and plastic 1:97 Scale (Dimension: 6" x 3-1/2" x 1") 

*For age 3 and up

This is brilliant satire. What's even funnier are the customer reviews!

Here's just a few of my favorites:

1,127 of 1,165 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars It's like i'm sitting right there in the White House! January 4, 2013

By Raini Pachak

Durability: 5.0 out of 5 stars    Educational: 5.0 out of 5 stars    Fun: 5.0 out of 5 stars   

This is the best toy ever. Finally, I can pretend that I'm a winner of the Nobel Peace Prize!
It's like I'm sitting right there in the White House with my very own kill list!

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1,922 of 1,998 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Helped me teach my son about the Imperial forces December 17, 2012

By Rambone

Durability: 5.0 out of 5 stars    Educational: 4.0 out of 5 stars    Fun: 5.0 out of 5 stars   

My son is very interested in joining the Imperial forces when he grows up. He says he's not sure if he wants to help police the homeland or if he wants to invade foreign countries. So I thought a new Predator drone toy would be a nice gift for him. These drones are used both domestically and internationally, to spy on people and assassinate them at the Emperor's discretion. He just loves flying his drone around our house, dropping Hellfire missiles on Scruffy, our dog. He kept saying that Scruffy was a terror suspect and needed to be taken out. I asked him if Scruffy should get a trial first, and he quoted Lindsay Graham, Imperial Senator: "Shut up Scruffy, you don't get a trial!" I was so proud. I think I'll buy him some video games that promote martial law for Christmas.

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252 of 266 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Educational and fun!
I really wanted to show my toddler that it's okay to murder people and still come out a "hero" as long as you're in an air conditioned trailer remotely operating a Predator Drone 10,000 miles away in Pakistan.

I mean, if the government sanctions murder, it must be ok, right?

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Wow, my dream come true!, January 25, 2013

By 

mcdopper "mcdopper" (Upstate South Carolina) - See all my reviews

= Durability:3.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Maisto Fresh Metal Tailwinds 1:97 Scale Die Cast United States Military Aircraft - US Air Force Medium Altitude, Long Endurance, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) RQ-1 Predator with Display Stand (Dimension: 6" x 3-1/2" x 1") (Toy)

Like all good Americans (and to a lesser extent, Canadians, Brits, Aussies, Kiwis, and others) I have been waiting for a way to show my patriotism with a wonderfully detailed flying death machine, and here it is. Now, it's not like a regular military aircraft toy, oh no, this wonderful drone is multifunctional, it kills taliban and people we think might be taliban but we're not really sure but they had on weird hats so let's get em), but it has the added bonus of being able to fly and spy on those horrible other "americans" who, you know, pay for things with cash, or have a little extra food in a pantry, or have listened to talk radio. Why, my neighbor the other day, a retired navy fellow, said something unpleasant about the TSA, so I called the tip line, and, well problem solved.

Oh, my only problem with the toy is that the domestic spy package costs extra, but, so worth it.

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect for Weddings, January 25, 2013

By 

Jeff - See all my reviews

= Durability:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Maisto Fresh Metal Tailwinds 1:97 Scale Die Cast United States Military Aircraft - US Air Force Medium Altitude, Long Endurance, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) RQ-1 Predator with Display Stand (Dimension: 6" x 3-1/2" x 1") (Toy)

Loads of fun! Set up a pretend wedding with your other toys, and then bomb the joyous occasion into ruin! Next, set up a pretend funeral for the imaginary victims and bomb the funeral too! Collect a Nobel Peace Prize after the body parts have finished raining down from the sky and show your friends!

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242 of 247 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars I have two words for you, 'predator drones.' You will never see it coming. January 11, 2013

By Maurice Cobbs

Durability: 3.0 out of 5 stars    Educational: 5.0 out of 5 stars    Fun: 5.0 out of 5 stars   

You've had a busy play day - You've wiretapped Mom's cell phone and e-mail without a warrant, you've indefinitely detained your little brother Timmy in the linen closet without trial, and you've confiscated all the Super-Soakers from the neighborhood children (after all, why does any kid - besides you, of course - even NEED a Super-Soaker for self-defense? A regular water pistol should be enough). What do you do for an encore?

That's where the US Air Force Medium Altitude, Long Endurance, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) RQ-1 Predator from Maisto comes in. Let's say that Dad has been labeled a terrorist in secret through your disposition matrix. Rather than just arrest him and go through the hassle of trying and convicting him in a court of law, and having to fool with all those terrorist-loving Constitutional protections, you can just use one of these flying death robots to assassinate him! Remember, due process and oversight are for sissies. Plus, you get the added bonus of taking out potential terrorists before they've even done anything - estimates have determined that you can kill up to 49 potential future terrorists of any age for every confirmed terrorist you kill, and with the innovative 'double-tap' option, you can even kill a few terrorist first responders, preventing them from committing terrorist acts like helping the wounded and rescuing survivors trapped in the rubble. Don't let Dad get away with anti-American activities! Show him who's boss, whether he's at a wedding, a funeral, or just having his morning coffee. Sow fear and carnage in your wake! Win a Nobel Peace Prize and be declared Time Magazine's Person of the Year - Twice!

This goes well with the Maisto Extraordinary Rendition playset, by the way - which gives you all the tools you need to kidnap the family pet and take him for interrogation at a neighbor's house, where the rules of the Geneva Convention may not apply. Loads of fun!

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And finally, my favorite review:

By USS LIBERTY

My Ritalin®-fueled first grade son thought it would be so much fun to play "Drop the Hellfire missiles". But when he brought it to school, the taxpayer-funded armed guard overheard him say the word "Hellfire" during recess. The principal immediately assigned him to indefinite detention. Then she called the media, and shamed him at the national level. Now he's depressed and taking Zoloft®. Where did we go wrong? Oh well, at least my new husband and I can finally take that 7 million dollar vacation to Hawai'i! Talk about change... "Yes we did!"

Read more reviews here.

Japanese Exports Worldwide are Crashing

There's a bunch of confused people who think, because the yen is going down and the Nikkei is going up, the Japanese economy is on the mend.

They are completely wrong.

Japanese exports to China and to the entire world are crashing.

In November they were down 14.5%; in December, 15.8% to ¥906 billion. Worst hit were cars, trucks, and parts (-47.5%), machinery (-22.2%), and electrical machinery, which includes tech products like semiconductors (-16.8%). Imports from China edged down by 2.1% to ¥1.24 trillion. And the trade deficit jumped by 76.8%.

This debacle is unrelated to the strength of the yen. It’s caused by the deteriorating relationship between two of the world’s largest trading partners. 

And, folks, that's not all good about the yen decline. In fact, it couldn't be worse.

Knocking the yen off its lofty perch—it’s down 11% against the dollar and 15% against the euro since November—won’t have much impact. In that respect, Abe’s cure won’t work.

Then there’s Europe. In December, exports skidded by 12.3% to ¥561 billion, after having plunged 20% in November. To Germany, which now may be in a recession, they declined by 9.2%, to the UK by 10.2%, to France by 16.8%, to Spain by 26.2%, and to Italy by 28.2%.

Read more at Zerohedge.

A Picture Speaks a Thousand Words...

Why US policy is a failure in the Middle East... 

Why Central Bank policy is a failure all over the world...

(That's me - or at least how I feel when I'm at work most of the time....)
Actually, though, this photo went along with an article about how Central Bank intervention and currency manipulation won't work....

Also for your reading pleasure (sorry folks, been super busy and haven't had the time to write! Will later today.... Maybe...)... Try reading these on for size... I'm extremely bearish on everything except precious metals... The yen? Get out while you can!

Japan Unveils Extensively Priced In "Open-Yended" Monetization News

In the most anticipated (and likely most strawman/leaked) policy actions, the BoJ and the Japanese government (still independent entities theoretically) have unveiled the new monetary policy to complement the $116bn fiscal stimulus plan to boost growth:

• *BOJ TO ADOPT 2% INFLATION TARGET
• *BOJ WILL INTRODUCE OPEN-ENDED PURCHASING FROM JAN 2014
• *BOJ TO BUY 2T YEN OF JGBS MONTHLY FROM JAN 2014
• *BOJ TO BUY ABOUT 10T YEN OF T-BILLS MONTHLY FROM JAN 2014

With epic amounts of JPY shorts and NKY longs, JPY was notably bid versus the USD (from Friday's close) going in, 30Y JGBs bid relative to 10s, and the NKY and TOPIX were leaking lower. Now is the time to see just how effective this efficient market is at pricing in the stabilization-to-retaliation phase of the current actions. Though of course, there is no intent to cough-'weaken'-cough the JPY:

• *AMARI TO SAY AT DAVOS NO POLITICAL INTENTION TO MANIPULATE YEN

So, as expected, the BoJ joins the Fed and ECB on the unlimited "open-yended"^(TM) printfest bandwagon. So far JPY is not totally impressed.

Germany Vs Japan Currency War Heats Up

Germany and Japan have a long tradition of cooperating, at least when it comes to various iterations of world war, generically in the conventional sense (and where they tend to end up on the less than winning side). Which is why it may come as a surprise to some that earlier today German politician Michael Meister launched what is now the third shot across Japan's bow in what is rapidly escalating as the most dramatic case of global currency warfare between the world's net exporters (at least legacy net exporters: thanks to Japan's recent political snafus, it has now become a net importer as it is rapidly losing the Chinese market which accounts for some 20% of its exports) which started as long ago as 2010 when it was quite clear that currency warfare is what the insolvent world can expect, before it devolves into outright protectionism, and finally regular war as Kyle Bass explained recently. To wit: “What can Japan’s competitors do?” Meister said today in a telephone interview. “Either we’re all smart and do nothing, or we follow suit and create a spiral that hurts us all.”

Got precious metals? Silver Bars Being Secured By HSBC – Buys $876 Million Worth From Poland

Julie Live! Valentines Day 2013! In Shibuya!

Julie 

Valentine's Day Live!

Feb. 14, 2013 at Shibuya Last Waltz

Japan's Sultry Jazz Newcomer Julie to Appear Live in Feb. 14, 2013 at Shibuya Last Waltz. 

I wrote about Julie and her team. Please refer to Female Japanese Jazz Musician Breaking into Italy and the West:

"...the other day, I saw something that really made my heart sing and think, for the first time in a long time, "Wow! Here's some Japanese people who are really going for it and trying to sell their product, not only in Japan but around the world!" I went to a live jazz performance of a new artist named Julie.

It was a refreshing evening. It made my heart sing to hear REALLY top quality world-class performers doing music with style....

...Meet Jazz singer Julie. Her latest EP (now on sale on Amazon) is a refreshing break from the typical pop music scene. Julie does Jazz and in the traditional mode. The EP has been released in Italy and was produced, directed, recorded, engineered, mastered by an Italian film director. The video was also shot on location in Italy.  And one can tell immediately that this is not a Japanese production.

This is world class quality. Watch it for yourself and see:"

19:30 ~ (DOORS OPEN AT 18:30) 
VENUE: LAST WALTZ (http://lastwaltz.info/access/) 
TICKETS: ADVANCE ¥2,500 / DOOR ¥3,000 (tax incl./drink excluded) 
TICKET RESERVATION: lastwaltz@shiosai.com or info@irc2.co.jp

Julieライブ決定！

日時：2月14日（木）開場１８：３０　開演１９：３０
場所：Last Waltz
http://lastwaltz.info/access/
全席自由　ご予約\2,500　当日\3,000（税込み ドリンク別）
メールでの予約はこちらまで、lastwaltz@shiosai.com or info@irc2.co.jp


http://lastwaltz.info/2013/02/post-8437/


【出演】Julie

開場18:30　開演19:30
全席自由　ご予約 ¥2,500　当日 ¥3,000（税込み ドリンク別）

メールでの予約はこちらまで、lastwaltz@shiosai.comもしくはinfo@irc2.co.jp
1．ご希望公演日時　2．お名前＆フリガナ　3．人数　４．お電話番号
を送信下さい。折り返しこちらから確認のメールを送信致します。

＊Julie　プロフィール；
１９８４年アメリカ、カリフォルニア生まれ。
グラムロックに憧れ、小学生の頃から「rocky horror picture show」などのロックミュージカルを見て育った。「All That Jazz」を歌ったデモテープが関係者の目にとまりデビューが決定。2012年「BLACK SUIT & WHITE TIE」でアルバムデビュー。同年の夏に、日本人プロデューサーとイタリア人のクリエイターの共同プロジェクトのもと、イタリアで新しいEPのレコーディ ングとミュージックビデオの撮影を行い、新たにスタートする。新EPアルバム「J」を、2012年12月11日にリリース 。

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Julie on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/likejforjulie

Bobby's Bar - Cool Japanese Psychobilly Rock Band from Tokyo!

I just made the debut video for a Japanese Rock-a-Billy, er, I mean, Psychobilly band from Tokyo named Bobby's Bar. These folks are tight as hell and have an awesome look.

Bobby's Bar

I've mentioned before that I make promotion videos for free for bands to help them (they don't have any money) and I want to pay back to music for the great life it has given me.

Bobby's Bar is a trio with Naoya on guitar, Sharky of stand-up bass and Mira Kuru on drums....

On, and by the way, there is a burlesque dancer in the video too. Her name is Miwa Rock. When we saw her perform we were blown away. It reminded me of the throwback to strip or burlesque dancing from the 1940 or 50s. She says that there is a burlesque boom going on with the young people in Tokyo and it is, in part, due to to the film "Burlesque" featuring Dita Von Teese. Miwa Rock isn't just your average everyday sexy Japanese girl stripper... Er, maybe that didn't come out right... Anyway, Miwa Rock is cool!

Miwa asked Ken and I to make her demo video and we probably will. We might feature Miwa Rock along with making a documentary about youth culture in Japan - we also met an awesome bluegrass banjo player the night of the video shoot too! It's fascinating what the Japanese youth are into these days!)

Here's Bobby's Bar and "Weirdo Jungle".... Enjoy!

The United States Committed at Least Two Acts of War Against Japan Before Pearl Harbor

I can hear everyone say, "NO! Japan attacked the USA first!"

If you mean that the Japanese bombed the military base of Pearl Harbor, before the US ever bombed the Japanese, then that is not exactly true. 

If you mean that Japan committed acts of war against the United States first, before Pearl Harbor, then the answer is a definitive, "No!" 

The United States committed at least two acts of war under international law against Japan before December 7, 1941. They were:

1. US military pilots — 40 from the Army Air Corps and 60 from the US Navy and Marine Corps — in a clandestine operation organized by and funded by the Whitehouse — flying bombing missions against Japanese forces in the famed Flying Tigers as early as 1937.* These people did “volunteer” to fly for the Flying Tigers but they were paid employees of the US government. US pilots flying bombing missions for the Chinese was an act of war under international law by America against Japan. Even with the weak argument that these professional military men were “volunteers” (when they were actually sent & paid by the US government), under international law, a nation is responsible for the actions of its nationals. To claim otherwise is hypocritical and completely irresponsible.
   
   
2. US initiated oil embargo against Japan. This is an act of war under international law. The US was also totally hypocritical on this point as they forced the British and the Dutch to uphold the embargo, yet secretly allowed Japan oil from the United States as a way to spy on Japanese shipping. See: Day of Deceit by Robert Stinnett.

Counting the above two, then President Roosevelt had a total of eight plans to incite hostilities with the Japanese. The rest, as they say "is history." There are a great many excellent books and articles on what really happened in World War II. The serious student (and professor) would do themselves and their country good to seek out the truth. Things are not as black and white as US public schooling and US history books would lead us to believe. The true causes of the Pacific War were the clash of the US empire in Asia and the Japanese empire.

* See: Wikipedia, "Claire Lee Chennault": Chennault retired in 1937, went to work as an aviation trainer and adviser in China, and commanded the "Flying Tigers" during World War II

Japan's Debt Explosion Coming Up

UPDATE BELOW

"Japan is spending 25% of its total government tax revenue on interest on debt. It spends 50% on servicing that debt…" - Kyle Bass

Some guy wrote and said that he thinks the Japanese economy is going to be going great within a year. And he thinks I am insane to think otherwise. Well, it's impossible to pick an exact date, but I think it is pretty sure that I am going to be the last one standing here.

I predict that the debt to GDP level in Japan is going to surpass over 250% this year and with it, a crash of the economy coming soon (not to mention overwhelming inflation)... I have been warning that this debt problem cannot continue. In Japan is Collapsing, I wrote

I am angry at the stupid Japanese government for taking our tax money and bailing out these zombie banks and keeping the status quo intact at the expense of the people and our children's future. I am furious that the situation has gone on for so long. I am angry that it is not only us who is feeling the pain but everyone else I know... I get angry when I read the news and see that 15.7% of all Japanese are under the poverty level. I get pissed off when I see that our debt to GDP is over 237%....

And I really get angry when I read that these idiots in government want to raise our taxes and keep with the failed policies of these last twenty plus years.

And it really really astounds me that the people who got us into this mess can get reelected again. What a farce.

Yep. And they GOT REELECTED and are running the government now.

Er, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and yet expecting a different result...

Who is the insane one here? The people who elect these folks in government, the government or people like me who warn people to buy precious metals and get out of debt?

I also warned one year ago that the government was going to intentionally devalue the currency. Please refer to: Yen Devaluation Now Imminent? Being Called by Major Financials! Get out of debt - Get your financial house in order now!

No one seemed to believe it at the time, excepting a select few..

Kyle Bass seems to agree with me. This from Zero Hedge "Detonating the Japanese Debt Time Bomb":

The hyper-correlation of Japanese stocks (Bass - The people that buying Japanese stocks, are picking up a dime in front of a bulldozer) and the JPY have led many to believe that Abe's miracle promise will be just the ticket to bring the nation's two-decade slump to an end - a 2% inflation target is all you need.
However, in a brief CNBC interview, Kyle Bass explains that not only are 99.9% of people wrong about the crisis (explaining the critical aspect of the abrupt turn of twenty years of the 'procylicality of thought' - that deflation is the norm), but Abe's actions have actually brought forward the date of the "detonation of Japan's Debt Time Bomb. 

Bass goes on to discuss the US Housing stabilization, European stress, and China's economic opacity (and tensions with Japan), but leaves us with the clear and present danger in Japan that the clock has started on the qualitative shift in participants' minds that the situation is untenable (signs are already among the elite with recent JPY-extricating M&A deals) and "All of the components for this [bomb] to go off 'all of a sudden' are in place." Must watch.

Read more at ZeroHedge

UPDATE: Read: Japan's Chain Of Events: Stagnation -> Monetization -> Devaluation -> Stabilization -> Retaliation -> Hyperinflation

As the world's equity markets prepare to rally on the back of yet more central bank printing as Japan's Shinzo Abe takes the helm with a 2% inflation target and a central bank entirely in his pocket, The Telegraph's Ambrose Evans-Pritchard suggests arather concerning analog for the last time a Japanese prime-minister attempted to salvage his deflation/depression strewn nation.

The 1930s 'brilliant rescue' by Korekiyo Takahashi, who removed Japan from the Gold Standard, ran huge 'Keynesian' budget deficits intentionally, and compelled the Bank of Japan to monetize his debt until the economy was back on its feet managed to devalue the JPY by 60% (40% on a trade-weighted basis). Initially this led to exports rising dramatically and brief optical stability, but the repercussion is the unintended consequence (retaliation) that the world missed then and is missing now. Though the economy appeared to stabilize, the responses of other major exporting nations, implicitly losing in the game of world trade, caused Japan's policies to backfire, slowed growth and left a nation needing to chase its currency still lower - eventually leading to hyperinflation in Japan (and Takahashi's assassination). 

With no Martians to export to, why should we expect any difference this time? and how much easier (and quicker) are trade flows altered in the current world?

More: Japan's Chain Of Events: Stagnation -> Monetization -> Devaluation -> Stabilization -> Retaliation -> Hyperinflation