Showing posts with label robot55. Show all posts
Showing posts with label robot55. Show all posts

Saturday, April 15, 2017

Monday, April 4, 2016

Cool and Strange Music Countdown – April 4, 2015 – Coldcut and Hexstatic, Tom Lehrer, Sweden Heaven and Hell!


We’re back to Cool & Strange Music for April 4, 2016! This is THEE Cool and Strange Music chart! 

The only one that matters (probably the only one that exists, actually...) Here is this week’s chart of the most out of this world musical bizarreness!

On last week's Cool and Strange Music Countdown I got thousands and thousands of emails from folks who just went crazy over the Hexstatic version of Nancy Sinatra's "These Boots Are Made For Walking." People wrote that they want to see more! (Okay, well, maybe "thousands" is a bit of a stretch! This is Coldcut and Hexstatic. Awesome!

#3) Coldcut and Hexstatic - Timber https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8-QDCKdVO4




It's Springtime in Japan! And what song always reminds me of Spring? It's Tom Lehrer! Thomas Lehrer is an American singer-songwriter, satirist, pianist, and mathematician. He has lectured on mathematics and musical theater. He is best known for the pithy, humorous songs he recorded in the 1950s and '60s.

This song is hilarious! Check out the lyrics of Tom Lehrer's "Poisoning Pigeons in the Park":

Spring is here, spring is here,
Life is skittles and life is beer,
I think the loveliest time of the year
Is the spring, I do, don't you? Course you do

But there's one thing that makes spring complete for me
And makes every Sunday a treat for me


All the world seems in tune on a spring afternoon
When we're poisoning pigeons in the park
Every Sunday you'll see my sweetheart and me
As we poison the pigeons in the park


When they see us coming
The birdies all try and hide
But they still go for peanuts
When coated with cyanide

The sun's shining bright
Everything seems all right
When we're poisoning pigeons in the park


We've gained notoriety
And caused much anxiety
In the Audobon Society
With our games


They call it impiety
And lack of propriety
And quite a variety of unpleasant names

But it's not against any religion
To want to dispose of a pigeon


So if Sunday you're free
Why don't you come with me
And we'll poison the pigeons in the park
And maybe we'll do in a squirrel or two
While we're poisoning pigeons in the park


We'll murder them amid laughter and merriment
Except for the few we take home to experiment
My pulse will be quickenin'
With each drop of strychnine
We feed to a pigeon
It just takes a smidgin
To poison a pigeon in the park


#2) Tom Lehrer - Poisoning Pigeons In The Park https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhuMLpdnOjY


 At #1 is something that is very Cool and Strange. It's Sweden Heaven and Hell, 
Here's what Wikipedia says: "Sweden: Heaven and Hell (Italian: Svezia, inferno e paradiso) is an Italian mondo film from 1968 directed by Luigi Scattini. The film which is made up of nine segments that focus on different aspects of sexuality in Sweden such as lesbian nightclubs, porn films, swinging lifestyle of married couples and sex education of teenagers." ("...lesbian nightclubs, porn films, swinging lifestyle of married couples and sex education of teenagers"!? I'm in!- Mike). The film also examines drug addiction, alcoholism and suicides in Sweden (Been there. Done that. - Mike) The film also featured the debut of the song "Mah Nà Mah Nà" by Piero Umiliani.

#1) Sweden Heaven And Hell (Svezia Inferno E Paradiso) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tj_jaAsTpHg






Well that’s it for Cool & Strange Music for this week. As Mr. Spock would say, "Live well and prosper!" Have a great week! – Mike in Tokyo Rogers


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Past issues of:
Cool and Strange Music Countdown – Mar. 21, 2015 – Mr. Diagonal, Hexstatic, Messer Chups, Messer Fur Frau Muller! robot55.jp/blog/cool-and-strange-music-countdown-feb-21-2015-mr-diagonal-hexstatic-messer-chups-messer-fur-frau-muller/

Cool and Strange Music Countdown – Feb. 13, 2015 – Star Wars Mah Na Mah Na, Dj Trotsky, Messer Chups! robot55.jp/blog/cool-and-strange-music-countdown-feb-13-2015-star-wars-mah-na-mah-na-dj-trotsky-messer-chups/

Cool and Strange Music Countdown – Feb. 13, 2015 – Mojo Nixon & Skid Roper, Hexstatic, Great David Bowie & John Lennon Imitator! robot55.jp/blog/cool-and-strange-music-countdown-feb-13-2015-mojo-nixon-skid-roper-hexstatic-great-david-bowie-john-lennon-imitator/

Cool and Strange Music Countdown – Jan. 29, 2015 – Oleg Kostrow, Jimmy Bo Horne & Kim Jung Un, Milky Edwards & the Chamberlings robot55.jp/blog/cool-and-strange-music-countdown-jan-29-2015-oleg-kostrow-jimmy-bo-horne-kim-jung-un-milky-edwards-the-chamberlings/

Cool and Strange Music Countdown – Jan. 14, 2015 – David Bowie Tribute! robot55.jp/blog/cool-and-strange-music-countdown-jan-14-2015-david-bowie-tribute/

Cool and Strange Music Countdown – Dec. 29, 2015 – Eddie Murphy, Messer Chups, Vladimir Putin! robot55.jp/blog/cool-and-strange-music-countdown-dec-29-2015-eddie-murphy-messer-chups-vladimir-putin/


Cool and Strange Music Countdown – Dec. 21, 2015 – Bennie Melwin, Cambodian Space Project, The Rebel Scumbagsrobot55.jp/blog/cool-and-strange-music-countdown-dec-21-2015-bennie-melwin-cambodian-space-project-the-rebel-scumbags/

Cool and Strange Music Countdown – Dec. 15, 2015 – Hexstatic, Stan Freberg, Mary Schneider, The Fancs Brothers!robot55.jp/blog/cool-and-strange-music-countdown-dec-15-2015-hexstatic-stan-freberg-mary-schneider-the-fanc-brothers/

Cool and Strange Music Countdown – Dec. 8, 2015 robot55.jp/blog/cool-and-strange-music-countdown-dec-8-2015/ (Messer Fur Frau Muller, Eliert Pilarm, Zlad)

Cool and Strange Music Countdown – Dec. 1, 2015 robot55.jp/blog/cool-strange-music-dec-1-2015/ (Mrs. Miller, Ray Stevens, Barnes & Barnes)


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Sunday, December 13, 2015

Love Shibuya in Tokyo? New Parody Folk Video of 1970s Japan!


The latest music video from the F@NC Brothers. Production by Robot55 (Ken Nishikawa & Mike Rogers - Ken edited, I mostly slept on the sofa). 

This is a funny parody of 1970s Japanese Folk Music!

ファンコミュニケーションズの柳澤さん&松本さん(ザ ファンクブラザーズ)の新しいミュージックビデオです!制作はROBOT55のKenとMike(ほとんどKenが働きMikeはソファで昼寝してたけど)ヒット間違いなしの良い曲です!是非みてください。

ようこそ、渋谷一丁目一番地 〜Welcome to Shibuya, the street number one dash one〜 (If the video doesn't play, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjdrHWGUoR8)


Wednesday, December 9, 2015

Cool and Strange Music Countdown – Vol. 2: Dec. 8, 2015


It’s Dec. 8, 2015! In Japan, and in the USA (it’s Dec. 7 in America), that means today is “Pearl Harbor Day.” The anniversary of the day the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor! So that also means it’s time for me to “drop some real ‘bombs,’ hits and misses,” with the “Cool & Strange Music Countdown.”
Cool and Strange music isn’t just turds on the turntable! Sometimes the Cool & Strange music does include some cool tunes. For example, Dave Brubeck just passed away yesterday (R.I.P.) and his music can definitely be considered “Cool” – Dave Brubeck will be on the countdown someday, I promise! So don’t judge a book by its cover…. So, let’s get into our first song today; and this song is waaaaay cool.
At #3 is Messer Fur Frau Muller. Messer Fur Frau Muller is a duo from St. Petersburg, Russia. The band was founded by well-known guitarist and multi-talented composer and musician, Oleg Gitarkin with Oleg Kostrow. Messer Fur Frau Muller translates into “A knife for Mrs. Miller.” Today they perform as trio known as Messer Chups and they will most certainly be on the Cool and Strange Music Countdown in days and months to come. Go and “Like” the Messer Chups Facebook page. You can thank me later. (https://www.facebook.com/messerchups/)
#3) Best Girl from USSR https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7ImFwXARf0
At #2 is an Elvis Presley impersonator from Sweden known as Eilert Pilarm. Pilarm is off-key and off-tempo, but could arguably be the most famous Elvis presley impersonator in the world. He released several records imaginatively titled Elvis I, II and III before signing to a label, which issued Greatest Hits in 1996. The world-famous DJ, John Peel, played Eilert Pilarm often and it was something of a Peel favourite. Eilert Pilarm has sold over 1 million records. Listen to this version of Jailhouse Rock. Hilarious… And, after many listens, it begins to sound, “right”… You’ll see.
#2) Eilert Pilarm – Jailhouse Rock https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MiJTxlEdtQ
This week’s #1 is Zlad. Zlad is the brain-child of Santo Cilauro who is an Australian television and feature film producer, screenwriter, actor, author, comedian and cameraman; he is also an author and former radio presenter on the Triple M Network, and achieved worldwide fame with the viral video Elektronik Supersonik. This is pure genius. Check out the tortured English including new lexicon such as”offblast”, “downsplash” and “bestest.” Today, this is the even bestest video of today you will have seen today!
#1) Zlad – Electronic/Supersonic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNyG-xu-7SQ
Well, that’s it for today! Hope you have a great rest of the week and hope you stay Cool and Strange!
See last week's Cool and Strange Top 3 here: COOL AND STRANGE MUSIC COUNTDOWN – DEC. 1, 2015 (robot55.jp/blog/cool-strange-music-dec-1-2015/)

Monday, May 25, 2015

The Ventures, The 60s Surf Band, Still Big in Japan!



(That's me holding the poster for the "Ventures Final Show in Japan." I did drink with Don Wilson - the guy who is second from right - the one that looks like Rock N Roll Santa Claus. How could I forget that face? Nice guy.)

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This is a short post about some guys who really inspire me. You know them as "The Ventures." They were huge in the sixties all over the western world.
They are still big in Japan...

Here's what Wikipedia says about the Ventures

"The Ventures are an American instrumental rock band formed in 1958 in Tacoma, Washington. Founded by Don Wilson and Bob Bogle, the group in its various incarnations has had an enduring impact on the development of music worldwide. With over 100 million records sold, the group is the best-selling instrumental band of all time. In 2008, the Ventures were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Their instrumental virtuosity, experimentation with guitar effects, and unique sound laid the groundwork for innumerable groups, earning them the moniker "The Band that Launched a Thousand Bands".

While their popularity in the United States waned in the 1970s, the group remains revered in Japan, where they tour regularly to this day. "

It's true. The Ventures are still big in Japan.

May I brag? I have drank with Don Wilson at a rip-off bar in Roppongi before...  I think that must have been in about 1988 or 1989. I have a photo around here someplace... If I can find it, I'll put it into this blogpost. Don was a nice guy and the boss of the bar was kissing his ass the entire time I was there and Don put me on the guest list for the show... (So, how could I forget, no matter how drunk I was? And I mean, how many people look like Burl Ives or a a Surfer Santa Claus?)

And don't really remember too much from that night excepting that Don was a nice guy, soft spoken, and I drank too much.

We drank Dom Perignon and it was outrageously expensive (I remember that). And I didn't have to pay anything, they paid. I was blown away that they would pay for some shitty DJ in Japan's drinks....

I vaguely remember the bar's name (I think it was "Chalace" or "Chantay" or something like that) and I have been by there in the last few years but it is now gone.

Good riddance.

I think it was like ¥90,000 (almost a thousand US dollars) for a few bottles of Dom Perignon and some snacks. What a rip off! Thank God my girlfriend and I didn't have to pay!





Anyway, like it says, the Ventures are still big (sort of) in Japan to this day. So big that they are actually having a "Final Show." Well, what the hell? I guess so, I thought all the original members were dead?

Anyway, a Final Live, they have!

It's kind of like my Punk Band when I was a youngster: every show we played was our "Final Show" (or "Last Final" or "Totally Final" or "Really, We're Not Joking This Time, Final" or "Seriously, the Final Final.")

But this just goes to show that if you have a brand and a name and an image, you gotta stick with it and live the dream.

The Ventures are playing Japan (again!) and the tickets are ¥6000 each! Holy Holy! That's $50 (USD) a pop! And the venue they are playing at The Mozart Hall at Katsushika Symphony Hills Mozart Hall and that place holds about 1300 people! You do the math: $50 x 1300 = $65,000 to go to Japan and play one night? Why not?

And that's not to mention what they get selling merchandise and a bunch of money from sponsors.

Is that cool or what?

So, well, the point is that:

1) Ventures are still big in Japan.

2) The Ventures can still come here and get paid to play and have fun.

3) They must all be in their late 60s or early 70s yet they can still tour the world and be treated like Rock Gods in Japan.

4) They probably still get to go out drinking in Japan and spend $1000 a night yet some rich Japanese person picks up the tab.

Scoff all you want... But you won't find me disrespecting these people.

They rock! They have lived the true "Rock and Roll Dream."

I wish I can do the same when I'm 80 years old! Don't you?

NOTE: Holy Shit! I just found out that Don Wilson was born in Feb. 1933! That makes him 82 years old as of the writing of this article! Wow! What a wonderful life! And he is on his final tour of Japan! You rock Don!!!! You are a hero!

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This article reprinted from Robot55 ロボット・ゴー・ゴー (http://robot55.jp/blog/the-60s-surf-band-the-ventures-still-big-in-japan/)

Sunday, April 12, 2015

‪Su凸ko D凹koi 「ブス」PV‬ - Japan's Hottest New Girl's Band!



We just made the new video for Japan’s Hottest New Girl’s Group! Su Ko D Koi! These girl’s are fantastic! Su凸ko D凹koi 「すっとこどっこい」. The song is called, “Busu” which means “Ugly.” It's amazing that these three girls can make such a powerful sound. Check it!



Su Ko D Koi - Busu (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SE0s_D8G5hc)


Here's the lyrics: 

(Chorus)
Ugly, ugly, ugly, ugly
I wonder if I am ugly
Ugly, ugly, ugly, ugly
I know that I am

I've been living with the face for 20 years
I've come to realize that I'll never be a princess
I am not the only one who thinks so
I could never work as a hostess at a bar

(Chorus)

But I got a boyfriend one day
I think he also thinks I am ugly
That's what I think, but I'm not sure
But for the first time, I thought, "Oh I'm glad to be alive." 

For the first time in my life
I thought from the bottom of my heart, 
I am happy to be alive
I was really happy

(Chorus)

After dating for about six months
He suddenly hit me
I didn't do anything to deserve it
When I woke up in the hospital
with a transfusion in my arm

He had his head in his hands
Then he was gone
But I wasn't angry at him
Because it was the first time he really made me feel like a woman

I was happy!

(Chorus 2x)

Thank you!"

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It’s kind of like the old 1950s song, “He Hit Me, and It Felt Like a Kiss” by the Crystals but with a 2015 twist!

Cool! 

If you like this, please go "Like" their Facebook page: http://on.fb.me/19e1HCn

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This video was made by me and Ken Nishikawa at Robot55!

Monday, March 16, 2015

Beautiful and Sexy Japanese Girls in Bikinis on My TV Show!!! Yikes!


Well, folks. I've died and gone to heaven! I can go anytime as a happy man!

I'm working on the new "Ninja Slayer" show that is starting on Niconico on April 16th, 2015 at 11:00 pm. I am proud to announce that I am are working with the fine folks at Ninja Slayer, Road and Sky Company, King Records and Kadokawa as a team and bringing that exciting new animation to the world! Read about that here: Ninja Slayer Animation Begins April 16th at 11pm on Niconico (http://robot55.jp/blog/ninja-slayer-animation-begins-april-16th-at-11-pm-on-niconico/)
Ken photo mina
Mina Shirakawa poses in a bathing suit for cameraman Ken Nishikawa
I am also making a special program just for the fans of Ninja Slayer and that show premieres on that new "Ninja Slayer" show! It's a special program in a program. I t's still Top Secret, but I can share some tidbits. Yesterday, we had a shoot and did some video production and several beautiful Japanese girls came to the studio and dropped our jaws with their Ninja antics as well as their swim suit photo session!
Rico san also posed for the show!
Rico san also posed for the show!
That's right! You read it here first: Beautiful and Sexy Japanese Ninja Girls and their bikini pin up scenes.... and you can see it all on Niconico on April 16th, 2015 at 11:00 pm

I'm expecting that it will be a smash hit. Of course! What more could a guy want to watch?

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All the girls who will appear on our show, Matsuo Yuki (松尾由紀) , Minami Rin (みなみ鈴 ), Rico (りこ)and Mina Shirakawa (白川未奈) appear courtesy of Presence LLC  (URL: http://www.pre13-office.com/)

If you want to see some more photos of the girls (and one with me with two outstanding sexy Japanese girls in bikinis click here:
(Or copy and paste this address into your browser: http://robot55.jp/blog/sexy-japanese-bikini-girls-a-video-producers-dream-come-true/)

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Scribbling on Money? Great Marketing Idea?


I mentioned a few posts back that I have been blogging religious everyday at a website run by a new company that I founded with some friends. The site is called ROBOT55 (Robot Go-Go). The site is bilingual so please check it out.

Today, I posted an article over there that I do want to share with the regular readers of this blog. The post is entitled: Guerrilla Marketing! Mr. Spock and the Greek Artist That Hijacked the Euro! (robot55.jp/blog/guerilla-marketing-greek-artist-hijacks-the-euro-and-mr-spock/)

The article talks about two really wild (and funny) things going on. 

One is an artist who has made a name for himself by drawing public hangings, police thugs, skateboarders, riots, etc. on Euro Bank Notes. 


The other is about how Canadians are drawing Mr. Spock on $5 dollar notes so much so that the Canadian government has asked them to stop.


Here's a snippet from the article:

The government of the EU and Canada are destroying the value of their respective currencies by money printing and deficit spending, but they don’t want you scribbling doodles on the money. 

Yeah, I guess no one in government is smart enough to see the irony in all this: The government can wreck the currency, but they don't like it if you or me do the same. I wonder which is worse? Devaluing the currency or drawing doodles? Morons!

It's hilarious and I have lots more photos over at the post: Guerrilla Marketing! Mr. Spock and the Greek Artist That Hijacked the Euro! robot55.jp/blog/guerilla-marketing-greek-artist-hijacks-the-euro-and-mr-spock/

Monday, February 23, 2015

Robot55 Discount Video Production in Tokyo


Even though I haven't been blogging on this blog (my own blog) these past few days, I have been blogging religiously everyday over at a new video production business we started in Tokyo. That company is called Robot55. 


Robot55 Top Page image

That's not Robot "Fifty- Five," it is "Robot Go-Go." "55" in Japanese can be pronounced as "Go-Go."

Robot55 is a discount professional video production service in Tokyo. We specialize in 30 second and 60 second internet-use videos to promote businesses, organizations, products, restaurants, bars and services.

The reason all our commercial videos are 30 seconds or 60 seconds? Well, data gathered by research agencies show that there are two very important numbers to remember when making a video to promote your business, product or service. They are "10 Seconds" and "15 Seconds."

“10 seconds.” That’s how long you have to grab the attention of viewers in a video marketing clip. According to research by Visible Measures, 20% of your viewers will click away from a video in 10 seconds or fewer. And it doesn’t get a lot better than that. You’ll lose about 1/3 of your viewers by 30 seconds, 45% of them by 1 minute and almost 60% by 2 minutes. And those numbers remain the same no matter how long the video is. 

 “15 seconds.” According to research conducted by Jun Group (2011), videos that are 15 seconds or shorter are shared 37 percent more often than those that last between 30 seconds and 1 minute. If you make your video longer, that stat goes down. Those shorties are only shared 18% more often than videos of longer than 1 minute.

So why would anyone in their right mind make a video for advertisement purposes that is longer than 60 seconds at most? 

(Of course, the data tells us 15 seconds is optimum. And it is, if you are selling a nationally recognized brand, like, say a dishwashing liquid that can be bought at any store in town. But if you are small business, then you need to get your address, hours, etc. all into the video. Pretty tough to do in 15 seconds. But! We're working on it and are coming up with some great ideas!)

(For more data and details, please read: 90% of All People Say a Video Helps To Decide a Purchase! (www.robot55.jp/blog/90-of-all-people-say-a-video-helps-to-decide-a-purchase/) 

Here's a 60-Second video we just completed for a very happy customer:


This is perfect because, in English or Japanese, you know within the first 5 seconds what this place is all about. 

Like I said, all our videos at Robot55, that are for advertising purposes are under 60 seconds. In this way, we can uniform and streamline the entire production process and bring our clients professionally crafted videos at 1/3 or 1/4 what the competition charges. I like to think that we are pioneers in this much like Charles Schwab or Earl Scheib.

"Discount" is not a dirty word; it is smart business.

And we are planning to hire the physically disabled so that they can do office work and video editing at home and earn a decent wage.

Over at the Robot55 blog, I've been blogging about interesting things "Japan" as well as tips on how to take better photos and make better videos.

We even have a series started there entitled: Video Tips! Make Your Own Video For Your Business For Free! (www.robot55.jp/blog/video-tips-make-your-own-video-for-your-business-for-free-part-2/) Where we give professional advice to small business owners - and anyone else - on how to make a better video to promote their business for absolutely free!

I hope, if you have been missing me here, you'll just jump over the the Robot55 blog. At the Robot55 blog,  there's great advice for making better videos and taking better pictures as well as great retro videos about Japan.

Hope to see you there!

Robot55 Blog: http://robot55.jp/blog-center/

Robot55 URL: http://robot55.jp/


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https://www.facebook.com/robot55video?ref=hl

Thursday, February 5, 2015

New Post Over at Robot55 About Toshikazu Endo Art Exhibit


Hi folks. I have anew post over at Robot55 (Robot-Go-Go). It is about a very chilling art exhibit I saw yesterday. Sorry for the link below but today I have a tons of stuff to get to, but I wanted you to check this out. This is some very weird stuff....

Here is an excerpt from: Endo Toshikatsu Exhibition at the Akiyama Gallery www.robot55.jp/endo-toshikatsu-exhibition-at-the-akiyama-gallery/

"As I stood there trying to take it all in and digest what I was seeing, it hit me, “This is scary,” I said. And I meant it.

This work of art made me feel a sense of fear. Of fear of what? I do not know. Death, perhaps? But I definitely felt fear. Perhaps it was the kind of fear that the saber toothed tigers of the Ice Age felt when they were trapped in the tar pits of La Brea; struggling to get out. But the more they struggle, the deeper they sink… 

Or perhaps it was a fear that I had stumbled into another world; a world of the gods where I was not wanted nor welcomed. It was a place where those much greater than I had dwelt; and they were all dead. 

What does that mean for me if the immortal ones have long since died and their lives burned away? Was the a picture of our collective future?"

You have to check this out. Here's a photo:



Top 3 New Video Countdown for May 6, 2023! Floppy Pinkies, Jett Sett, Tetsuko!

   Top 3 New Video Countdown for May 6, 2023!!  Please Follow me at:  https://www.facebook.com/MikeRogersShow Check out my Youtube Channel: ...