I Was a Teenage Collector's Item!

"Your regrets aren't what you did, but what you didn't do. 
So take every opportunity." - Cameron Diaz

That's me in the red circle. I must have been about 21 or so.

(English follows below) 僕の昔のバンド、「The Rotters」一発屋バンドが解散した後、僕は他のバンド「Wuffy Dogs」を結成した。

かれこれ３4年以上も昔 まだカリフォルニアにいた時のこと。

そのバンドもあまりぱっとせずに１枚のシングルレコードを作って解散した。

それがなんと、夏にシングルレコードが１枚約16.6万円の値段が付く希少盤となっている！ (#8: http://www.discogs.com/lists/Most-expensive-items-sold-in-Discogs-Marketplace-for-August-2015/257975) 4曲のうちの３曲は僕が書きました！ 写真に僕が一番右。芸術家は死んで有名になるが、俺様はまだ生きているぜ!

When I was young, I was the lead singer in a "One-Hit Wonder" Punk Rock Band. The band's name was "The Rotters." We played with the Dead Kennedys, Fear, Black Flag, the Germs, Angry Samoans and a bunch of other 1978~79 Los Angeles Punk Band's whose names I can't remember. I've written about it here: I Was a Teenage Punk Rocker - Why Dedication Beats Fanaticism Anyday! Even for Punk Rock or Success in Any Field! (If link doesn't work, copy & paste this into your browser: https://modernmarketingjapan.blogspot.com/2015/12/i-was-teenage-punk-rocker-why.html)

I'm glad I did that and played in that band. It was a great experience.

(Left to right: Johnny Brewton, Peter MacKenzie, Bob Rogers, me (crouching with rifle). Dead on the ground was our dear friend Arya Sabahi.)

The Rotters played lots of shows with famous bands and we had, actually, more than one song released on 7 inch analogue vinyl single... I once saw the first pressing of our debut single on sale in a record store for $750 (USD). That was about 30 years ago. It sold on Discogs auction for $1240 a few years later.

I have heard that our second single is even more valuable. 

After that band broke up, I floundered in a few other bands, but never really did anything that was as exciting as the Rotters... 

I thought... 

Until a while back... 

I opened up my Facebook and my jaw dropped to my socks! My old friend who was the drummer in another band project we had made in the early 80s had tagged me in a post showing where a record we made back in those days had sold at auction for $1,350! What the hell? (It would later sell for $1680 on Discogs.) The Wuffy Dogs featured the original guitarist for Berlin (Take My Breath Away), the original drummer for M.I.A., and two former Rotters.

I couldn't believe it! "The Wuffy Dogs" makes the Top 10 list for the most expensive items sold on an Internet music auction site!? What? 

The Wuffy Dogs hit #8 for the Top Ten most expensive records sold in August 2015? Wow! Check it: http://www.discogs.com/lists/Most-expensive-items-sold-in-Discogs-Marketplace-for-August-2015/257975

In brief: A few years after the Rotters broke up, my friends and I made this band, called the Wuffy Dogs (Barbara Woodhouse). It was my university room-mate Peter MacKenzie (Who was the original guitarist for the band Berlin "Take My Breath Away" but quit that band because they didn't want to rock n roll... He'll never hear the end of that mistake from me!) and my older brother, Bob (The Rotters) and a really talented young drummer named Johnny Brewton (Later to become the drummer for MIA) and me (The Rotters). We never played live but I was convinced that some of the songs I had written could be radio hits (again) so I conned my friends to get together and record some tracks.

The recordings were done at some local studio (I forget the name) near my home. We recorded 4 songs, I wrote 3 of them and sang (screamed) on those 3 too. Pete wrote the "Radio-friendly" single and sang on that.

When the recordings were done, I tried to get us aired on KROQ in Los Angeles, but there was no fire. Nothing was happening with this record. I was kind of surprised. It seemed so easy with the Rotters.

We pressed about 250 or so of these records and I threw most of them away when I moved to Japan in 1983.

I hear that record collectors today call this particular record one of the "Holy Grail" of 7-inch records from those days. Why? Two former Rotters and the later the original drummer for M.I.A.! Peter MacKenzie was famous for quitting an extremely famous pop band (Berlin - "Take My Beath Away) before they became huge and had a Billboard #1 single!

But, back then, when we made these records, I couldn't give them away! Now, , someone paid over thirteen-hundred dollars for one!? (Actually saw it on another auction at $1,780!) 

WTF?!

I was so happy to see this news! It was the best present I have received in years. Thank you so much for allowing me to brag!

To think that the effort we made over 30 years ago finally gets some recognition today... Unbelievable!

As my dear friend, Ken always says, "Dream as if you will live forever. Live as if you will die tomorrow!"

Thank you, er, destiny or fate, or just plain good luck, and being in the right place at the right time and making the effort.

Folks, live without regrets! - Mike in Tokyo Rogers

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OH MY GOD! Somebody has actually put up on Youtube one of our songs! (I think this is one of the worst best songs I ever wrote - I Must Be Lou Reed was another one) "Things Dogs Do." Anyone who would pay big money for this must be outta their minds!!!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5VbgTxFxSY

* As one of my dear friends pointed out, even after all these years, it's nice to still be wanted.