InterFM in Tokyo is now 897 on the FM Dial! Tune in!

Hey everyone! Great news! The broadcast frequency of the new Inter-FM is now 89.7MHz on your FM dial!

With even better sound, clearer signal and better vibes, InterFM is the only FM station in Tkyo worth listening to!

Twitter users! Please, when you listen to InterFM in 89.7, please to send out a Twitter to the world showing that you have joined the club! Tag your Tweet with: # 897 received


インターFMの周波数 が新しく89.7MHzになりました！
音がいい！聴きやすくなった！
８９．７でInterFM を受信したら
“#897 受信”をつけて ツイートしてください！
みんなで新しいインターFMを盛り上げよう！

I Was a Teenage Converse All-Star!

It's not everyday one can be at the center of a massive national advertising campaign for one of the coolest shoe makers in the world, but I was. Hence the title of this post: I was a Teenage Converse All-Star! (Okay, that part about being a teenager? That's a lie. I'm 57. But the rest is true. So please allow me to brag. I usually don't get that chance in my mealy existence!) 

So, thank you God! Thank you Punk Rock! Thank you InterFM! Thank you Converse! Read more below!

創立100周年を超えるコンバース！毎週日曜日「What The Funday!」10:15からの「CONVERSE - THE SOUND OF CALIFORNIA」

毎週カリフォルニアのアーティストを1組ピックアップしてご紹介！

さらに、 タロヲの「カリフォルニア小話」も放送中。

実はこの小話、コンバースオフィシャルサイト内の特設ページで、いつでも聞けるんだよね！URLは　http://www.converse.co.jp/the-endless-summer/fm/index.html

僕らがCONVERSEのモデルとして登場しているとっておきの画像もみれるよ！

InterFMからもアクセス出来ます。「CONVERSE - THE SOUND OF CALIFORINIA」

チェックしてね。

Currently, the other two guys on my radio show, (WTF? What the Funday, InterFM, every Sunday morning 8 am ~ 11 am) George Williams and Taro Furukawa and I, am at the center of a massive Converse Shoes campaign for all of Japan. It's called "Converse - The Endless Summer" campaign and they are sponsoring our radio show as well as putting our faces on advertisements that show up somewhere that I am not quite sure about. But, you can see our photos here (https://www.interfm.co.jp/the-endless-summer/) or at the link at the very bottom of the page, so there! That's another reason for this blog; I wanna make sure I keep these photos forever! My mom is so proud of me!

Every Sunday morning at 10:15 ~ 10:25, Converse sponsors our show and we have a special that features a few songs from artists from California, insider information about said artist and also we GIVE AWAY CONVERSE SHOES FOR FREE TO LISTENERS!!!!! 

What!? Free Converse shoes??? Yes, just listen in every Sunday morning from 10:15 ~ 10:25 or so and you can win! (Actually, listen from 9:00 because we often give away hints on how to win earlier in the show!

The show is entitled, "Converse - Sound of California" and it's great.

Also, there's a massively popular joke corner where we tell jokes that are quite risque (and that's unheard of in Japan!) you can practice your Japanese, see the script, and hear a recording of the actual broadcasted joke here. Check it out, it is massively popular amongst the Japanese (and people studying REAL Japanese language): Taro's California Ko-Banashi (Joke) (If that link doesn't work, copy and paste this: http://www.converse.co.jp/the-endless-summer/fm/index.html) 

Click here to listen to the joke. 

http://www.converse.co.jp/the-endless-summer/fm/index.html

Actually, it's a secret, but this Sunday, there will be some folks from Converse at the show and they are bringing a bunch of presents so definitely check it out.

If you do not have an FM radio, you can listen on Radiko. Just download Radiko and click the button at the top that says "InterFM" and you can win some cool free Converse shoes. Radiko! Listen online: http://radiko.jp/

Converse - The Sound of California! And I was a teenage Converse All-Star, really! Just I wasn't in their advertising campaigns until I became over 55! So, I guess that's cool. I reckon there aren't very many olde pharttes like me who get to model sports shoes for youth culture at my age! Yikes!

---------------------------

* Check out the funny jokes online: http://www.converse.co.jp/the-endless-summer/fm/index.html

* WTF? What the Funday URL: https://www.interfm.co.jp/wtf/index.php?mode=sun&id=32

* Converse - Sound of California Homepage URL: 
http://www.converse.co.jp/the-endless-summer/

* Listen online: http://radiko.jp/

The New Year's Party and the Japanese Rock & Roll Ghost Story

"If you can imagine it, you can achieve it. If you can dream it, you can become it." - William Arthur Ward 

The "Shinenkai" (New Year's Party) for "What the Funday" on InterFM, was held on Monday was a smash success. I thank everyone involved so very much from the bottom of my heart. The event and everything else involved with the event came out better than I ever dreamed of.

The bands were great. The crowd was fantastic. In fact, the manager of the venue told me afterward that it was the record for attendance at his club since it was established 5 years ago.  

Poster for Shinnenkai. I designed this poster modeled after the old 

Motown posters I so loved.

Not only was the New Year's Party a party, but it was also a movie shoot: we used the party to shoot parts of the trailer for a movie we are making. The movie is called, "A Japanese Rock & Roll Ghost Story." (ロックンロール亡霊?) Well, I think that's what we are going to call it. Fact of the matter is that this is the working title and we've been trying for over three months to find a better title but haven't been able too.I think a movie title should be a good description of the movie (well, duh!) and, while it is a little long as titles go, "A Japanese Rock & Roll Ghost Story" is exactly what this movie is about.

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It is a story about a struggling Japanese "Sixties Retro-Music" musician who finds the spirit of a long dead Blues musician living in his studio and he and that spirit make fantastic music together, unlike the rock musicians band in real life. The problem is that no one else can hear that music nor can they see the spirit. Only our protagonist can see and talk with the ghost.

Over time, our hero becomes only happy when he plays music with the spirit. He stops working, stops practicing with his band and spends all his time locked up in the studio with a ghost no one else can see or hear. 

His band members and his family begin to think he is having a nervous breakdown or is going insane.

Finally, the musician gives up everything to go and be with the ghost all the time and making heavenly music.

Has he completely gone insane? Or has he really died and gone to heaven?

(Left) Loren Fykes (ghost) & Mr. Pan (rocker)

--------------

I have assembled an excellent team to tackle this film project. For the director of the movie, I asked Enrico Ciccu who has written and directed for some very fine cult movie productions in Italy. Enrico can be a difficult person to work with; but that’s the way I like it. Great artists are never easy people to deal with. Enrico wrote the screenplay and had a large hand in the making for this short film which was accepted at the Sapporo Film Festival: “Julie – Johnny Guitar.” Enrico also recently directed this: The Erotik Monkey.

Scene from "Erotik Monkey"

Proper and mood lighting is so critically important to the look and feel of any movie. For Lighting Director, I asked my old friend Yuji Wada. Yuji is a famous Hollywood lighting director. And, amongst other works, Yuji does the lighting for all of Sofia Cappola's movies including the smash hit "Lost in Translation." 

Scene from "Lost in Translation"

For camera, I recruited Ken Nishikawa. Ken Nishikawa is a former BBC (speaks beautiful Queen's English) director as well as having donw films and TV productions for every major TV broadcasting company in Tokyo. Ken and I have made MANY TV productions and music videos (Shonen Knife, Glen Matlock (Sex Pistols original bassist) and many other famous Japanese bands). Here the trailer for one of our next productions that I expect to start in spring 2015: Matsuchiyo - Life of a Geisha

Of course, all good films need good acting. I also need people who can act AND play some mean music. I found them. The actors in our film are from several famous Japanese bands and they are all eager to perform. 

The main actor will be Mr. Pan (Lead vocalist of Neatbeats - sitting on the right on the sofa in the photo below). Mr. Pan will be main actor in movie. He can act and has been on TV and radio many times and has also acted in one small part in a movie before. Plus he is the epitome of a cool Japanese Rock and Roll band. The Neatbeats, by the way, just returned from a tour of Europe!

Other bands who have agreed to appear: The Privates and The 50 Kaitenz. 

Here are some videos from these great bands:

50 Kaitenz: Killer (This is hilarious. You don't need to understand Japanese to get this!)

The Neatbeats (Campy sixties style Rock and Roll with a hot sexy girl, of course!) 

The Privates (Excellent Rock and Roll!)   

So far we have had two shooting sessions for the film. The first was on Jan. 23, 2015. It went fantastic and everything was perfect. Here is a still from that shoot:

(Left to Right): Me, Mike Rogers - Producer (bottom left), Enrico Ciccu - Director (standing left), Ken Nishikawa - Cinematographer (Kneeling middle), Mr. Pan - Protagonist (sitting on sofa). 

I hope you can see merely by the lighting of this photo that we are going for a style and quality that is a compliment to my inspiration for this particular film, Quentin Tarantino.

Finally, we come full circle. The second shooting session for the film was at our New Year's party. I needed to shoot scenes at a nightclub of our hero's band doing well and doing terribly. We got both. Here is a still from that photo shoot:

On stage are the killer Japanese rock band, "The Privates." Sitting in front with red cap is famous Japanese radio dee-jay and comedian, Furukawa Taro. The beautiful woman at the same table is Tomomi Hiraiwa. Behind them both, the guy sleeping (or acting dead?) is me, Mike Rogers (I must say, I do a mighty fabulous job of acting dead). On camera is director Enrico Ciccu.


Everything, as I wrote, was just perfect for both shoots. The editing starts next week and we expect the trailer to be ready by end of Feb. 

Shooting this film is one of my dreams come true and I have decided that if we are going to do this, then we are going to do it right and we are going to make something that is world-class quality.

I think that is a good goal for everyone, all of us, even dear reader, for our lives and our goals for 2015: "If you can imagine it, you can achieve it. If you can dream it, you can become it." 

I am going to make my dreams come true this year. I am cheering for you all to do the same. 

Let's make all our dreams come true, together in 2015!

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Read more about the Japanese Rock & Roll Ghost Story here: http://robot55.jp/rock-roll-ghost-story/

WTF? New Year's (Shin Nen Kai) Party! 新年会パーティー

What the Funday on InterFM is having a New Year's Party! （新年会！）

Inter FMの人気番組WTF(What the Funday?)が2015年1月26日月曜日に開催する新年会パーティーのプロ­モビデオ！

What the Funday? Every Sunday morning 8 am ~ 11 am InterFM. Listen on Radiko live here: www.radiko.jp

What the Funday? on InterFM webpage:  http://www.interfm.co.jp/wtf/

What the Funday on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WhattheFunday76.1

WTF? "What the Funday" Shinenkai - Free New Year's Party!

Hey! WTF? (What the Funday?) is having another concert! But this one is so special, and it is at the beginning of the year, that we're not calling it a concert. We're calling it a "Shinenkai" (New Year's Party!) And it is free (of course) but you need to have an invitation to get in!

Definition of Shinenkai on Wikipedia:

"A shinnenkai (Japanese 新年会, literally "new year gathering") is the Japanese tradition of welcoming the arrival of the New Year, usually by the drinking of alcohol. A shinnenkai is generally held among co-workers or friends in January. Like the many festivals (matsuri) and celebrations that the Japanese are known for, a shinnenkai is their way of getting together to celebrate a new year and to make promises to each other to do their best for this year while wishing each other good luck and fortune..."

WTF? Party of the Year!

This is the first Premium Event of 2015 

and only 250 people will be invited! 

This year's WTF? "What the Funday" on InterFM Shinenkai party features and awesome lineup of Japan's best Punk and Retro bands:

The Neatbeats! The 50 Kaitenz! The Privates!

You definitely want to be at this show. This lineup is awesome and we could have made this a regular concert, selling tickets for $50 each and filled a 1000 capacity venue! But no! This is a Premium Event and only 250 people will be invited! 

Imagine that, some of Japan's best bands and you can basically be standing on their toes as they perform! 

The WTF? Shinenkai party and it's free (if you have aforementioned invitation!) How do you get an invitation? Send and email to: "WTF? Shinenkai! New Year's Party!" wtf@interfm.jp and you might win! 

(Oh, and come "Like" our Facebook page too! https://www.facebook.com/WhattheFunday76.1?)

Just to let you check out how awesome this line up is, here's some videos:

The Privates - Drive All Night (Come "Like" their FB account!)

The 50 Kaitenz - Hey! They Were on TV! (Come "Like" their FB account!)

                The Neatbeats - Snakey Baby  (Come "Like" their FB account!)

Besides these great bands, the drinks will be a dirt cheap ¥500 each (about $5) not to mention the house special which is about $3 cocktails (it is, after all, a New Year's party, Japan style!) And with free entrance with an invitation, it will be the party of the year! Also, Furukawa Taro and me, Mike Rogers, will be hosting the ceremonies.... Who knows? Perhaps rock star and famous person extraordinaire George Williams just might show up!

So, don't miss the coolest show of 2015!!!! The InterFM WTF? "What the Funday" Shinenkai 2015!

Be there!