William Gibson on Japan

[tokyojoe]

http://www.craphound.com/nonfic/transcript.html

CD: Your work is heavily international in its scope, but while other writers have chosen to focus on Mexico (as Sterling did in Heavy Weather), or Russia (like Womack in Let's Put the Future Behind Us), you've stuck to the west coast and to Japan. What's the fascination with Japan? How is it connected to the west coast?

WG: When did it become necessary to explain what's so cool about Japan? Everyone was quite obsessed with it 15 years ago. Have we gotten used to them? I find them more interesting in their post-Bubble state than I did when they were the centre of the world. I suppose it's the only Asian country that developed an imaginary entree to me. That's why I go back.

I suppose I do the Japanese because I just don't know China. Chinese popular culture has never evoked that instant of, "Whoah! What's that?" that I have with Japanese popular culture.

I'm not the only one: witness Pokemon! They still keep coming up with this stuff that just rivets us in unexpected areas. Was the fact that Pokemon anime gave Japanese schoolchildren epileptic seizures part of the phenomenon? Was it planned?

I've been hearing things about what Tokyo is like. I only go to Japan when there's someone who can afford to bring me there, and consequently I may never go again! It's been a while since they had the discretionary capital. But I have friends who go there frequently on business, and it sounds interesting. I've heard that they have for the first time serious drug problems.

[Evil Gaijin]

Gibson's books are great. I always suspected he hadn't really spent much time here, but the references were cool all the same . . . .

He's way behind on his "Japan stuff". It really is necessary to explain what's so cool about Japan . . . . because it just isn't that cool anymore!

[gomichild]

I still laugh about the scene in Idoru where Keithy the Tasmanian whips out a credit card which turns into an umbrella - then magically folds away when the rain stops...I'd always wondered how umbrellas magically just appear...

[Taro Toporific]

http://www.craphound.com/nonfic/transcript.html

CD:... I've heard that they have for the first time serious drug problems.

Duh. Drug problems? Japan?
Gee, how about 40% of the factory population was addicted to SHABU in the Japanese government sponsored programs to boost production? Sheesh. Post-WWII amphetamine addiction in Japan was pandemic and its use today is far greater than most clueless Japan "experts" can imagine.

As the proto-cyberpunk of the '80s, William Gibson is GOD.
However, on Japan, Gibson is only as good as his informants who must be getting on in years. I hate to say it but... each additional book he writes is worse than the previous <sigh>.

[Taro Toporific]

CD: Your work is heavily international in its scope...

If you wanna hear it from the Source, check out William Gibson's daily blog at:
http://www.williamgibsonbooks.com/blog/blog.asp

[den4]

but from what I have heard second hand, I guess he's a little out of touch with the reality in J-land....

but that seems to be the case for most writers writing about japan anyway....

I guess it takes a few years living in or around New Edo, getting jammed in a morning rush hour train, watching the folks look wretched on a few of the last trains of the night, and rushing from one train to the next, slamming into folks and trying to avoid the old timers that stop in front of you for no apparent reason, chow down some tachigui sobas, and race down some stairs to get to your job site to really be able to write about the mood in the metro areas....along with having to deal with your O-ya san when negotiating the rents when you first move into the apaato or mansion...

just got back from J-land on Wednesday, and I will say that immigration coming back State-side is a real pain...you'd figure that they'd get their act together and have things more streamlined by now.....perhaps Mr Gibson ought to write about that in one of his books....

den4

[Taro Toporific]

but from what I have heard second hand, I guess he's a little out of touch with the reality in J-land....

My favorite Gibson gaff was he decription of a "Shinkansen silently gliding out of Tokyo station." HA! Just think of the 120db bells and the yowling PA announcements of any train leaving Tokyo. Sheesh.

[den4]

silent shinkansen....

I miss those days with them funky train conductors with them funky voices on the Ginza line.....

Eh, tsugi wa Geenzaahh, Geeeeenzaahhh....

those were the classic announcements...

too bad I didn't get a recording of those....sucks they are all automated now....

[Taro Toporific]

silent shinkansen....
I miss those days with them funky train conductors with them funky voices on the Ginza line.....
Eh, tsugi wa Geenzaahh, Geeeeenzaahhh....

those were the classic announcements...

Heh?:confused:
"Classic" is not the first word that comes to my head upon hearing that blithering, blah, blah, blah...

The train is coming, please stand behind the yellow line.
The trains doors are closing, please enter the train. Please do not rush onto the train when the doors are closing.
This is AHO station, please don't forget your umbrella or other crap.
Please do not smoke in the non-smoking area.
Please be considerate of other passengers and refrain from using your cell phone or we will slop you with last night's scraped up vomit.

[Buraku]

Gaming Accessories That Give Strong Cyberpunk Vibes

https://gamerant.com/gaming-accessories ... unk-vibes/

30 Years Ago: Billy Idol’s Ambitious ‘Cyberpunk’ Fails to Connect

https://ultimateclassicrock.com/billy-idol-cyberpunk/

[Coligny]

Gaming Accessories That Give Strong Cyberpunk Vibes

https://gamerant.com/gaming-accessories ... unk-vibes/

30 Years Ago: Billy Idol’s Ambitious ‘Cyberpunk’ Fails to Connect

https://ultimateclassicrock.com/billy-idol-cyberpunk/

Since when do you repost shit-list infomercials ?
Keep walking the path you know best.
Low grade racism and padded room insanity…

Also…

Worst Billy Idol failure…

I mean… back then when hearing this song on the radio I was wondering why his voice sounded so weird in this song…

[Buraku]

Real 'Artificial' government not Fakes like 'ASIMO' Honda

AI robots at UN reckon they could run the world better

https://news.yahoo.com/ai-robots-tell-u ... 34239.html

A panel of AI-enabled humanoid robots told a United Nations summit that they could eventually run the world better than humans.

and entertainment

the guy who wrote the Cyberpunk book some rumors even say he possibly stimulated and tripping on a type of hallucinogen...but maybe eh was just creative.

William Gibson might not have told who was dealing in his fictional book, Shabu a stimulant name for methamphetamine hydrochloride a local Tokyo type of crystal meth and now shabu continues to grow, and addiction to meth remains the most significant drug problem in the Philippines. You had the old natural high, the Magic mushrooms were legal in Japan until 2002, psilocybin now prohibited under almost all circumstances, and often carries severe legal penalties.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/1984498.stm
,
https://web.archive.org/web/20090428130 ... 015-n5.htm

Many will say Blade Runner might be one of the originals, Ghost int he Shell is there or ‘Neuromancer’ Is Still one of the first Mind-Blowing Cyberpunk
the Matrix dudes or women or he her she him it transexuals came along and took the style, added some Black-Goth SS uniforms produced by Hugo Boss and put in the word 'Cyberpunk' claimed it as theirs.
Lanie Laddie Lana Larry no-Johnson Wachowski and another brother Andrew, Landy, Andie, Lilly chop of your penis Wachowski ...they basically took 'Dark City' and William Gibson and made it into 'their original movie' series 'the Matrix'

and then of course with their original product the Matrix coming to an end they copied other comics and books and anime, Speed Racer, the lesser praised bad LSD trip of a live-action adaptation of the Japanese anime series
Wachowski cross dressing transexuals went back to wearing women's clothes

out of ideas along come their own remakes of a remake remade of a remake
another expensive product comes 'The Matrix Resurrections' a massive flop perhaps with too much of the Holly weirdish message