Japanese Spouses of the Rich and Famous

[Choan]

Another one for the list of long-forgotten indie/punk bands - Jeffrey Lee Pierce of The Gun Club was married to his bassist, Romi Mori. Jeffrey is long dead, but his autobiography has lots of good stuff about getting it on with J chix...

[Mulboyne]

That's a good one. The web has a little bit of colour on those two.

From here:

...The high point for Jeffery Lee Pierce was an introduction by Kim Salmon to a Japanese girl from the audience. This was Romi Mori who had just taken the photos for inside the gatefold sleeve of the Smiths' compilation LP Hatful of Hollow. She was to be the love of Jeffery Lee's short life and later bassist in the second main period of the band...As they toured the US, the record label was giving Jeffrey a lot of hassle over the disbelievability of a Japanese girl as a musician. The band were also getting a lot of racism from their audiences...
...Nick Sanderson had returned to the Gun Club rhythm section at the time of the recording of the 1993 LP...Sanderson was growing closer and closer to Romi Mori while Pierce was chasing her friend band photographer Kayo Hosaka. Mori and Sanderson embarked on an affair, eventually eloping in 1994. This left the band without a rhythm section and Pierce with a broken heart. The heartbreak is supposedly the contributing factor to him switching back to self-destruct mode...

And also here:

he also considered creating a new musical form, 'Rapanese' (which would have combined rap with the Japanese language)

[Captain Japan]

Their PR stint with the Sunday Times didn't work out very well.

That was hilarious! I don't know if I would want to bet on that marriage lasting too long.

[Mulboyne]

French pianist Patrick Zygmanowski married Tamayo Ikeda and they now perform concerts as a duo. Not sure about the body language in that picture.

A large number of relationships in this thread seem to involve musicians.

[sillygirl]

A large number of relationships in this thread seem to involve musicians.

Obscure ones at that...

[Mulboyne]

Bloke from Weezer married his Japanese girlfriend

MTV: Rivers Cuomo Says Weezer Are 'Done' For Now —]

At the moment, Rivers Cuomo could not be further removed from the other members of Weezer. He's sitting in his in-laws' house in southern Japan, fiddling with his wife's guitar ("She never learned how to play it," he laughed) and leafing through his composition book...But Cuomo hasn't stopped working — not even on his honeymoon. "Actually our honeymoon has been one of the best times to write," he said. "At 1 p.m., I get on my crazy Japanese bike and ride for 10 minutes down to the mega-mall, and on the third floor they have all these studios you can rent for five bucks an hour, with drums and a soundboard and everything. So I go in there and work, and when I'm done, I exit into the midst of a Japanese mega-mall."

That picture of Kyoko Ito earlier in the thread is her. She works for [url=http://www.pingmag.jp/images/title/dog_kyoko1.jpg]ping magazine in Tokyo.

[Taro Toporific]

[floatr][/floatr]At 6:45pm on NHK BS2 tonight, there was an interview with heavy metal guitar guru, Paul Gilbert, formerly of Mr Big. On the show, in English, Paul describes that his Japanese wifewife, Emi, provides the only way for him to play written music since he can't read music.

In this FG thread, Mulboyne provides this about Paul Gilbert.

"Koto Girl" by Paul Gilbert, formerly of Mr Big, from the album "Alligator Farm" (2000)

30 second MP3 clip here.

Also video here
Paul Gilbert Live at The Hard Rock Cafe Tokyo

Mari blog:The ex guitarist of Mr.Big Paul Gilbert is learning Japanese. Look at this his [study] notes. Cute!

[Mulboyne]

At 6:45pm on NHK BS2 tonight, there was an interview with heavy metal guitar guru, Paul Gilbert, formerly of Mr Big. On the show, in English, Paul describes that his Japanese wife, Emi, provides the only way for him to play written music since he can't read music.

Nice one. Photographic evidence here:

[Mulboyne]

Not as famous as Jean Alesi, who appears at the start of this thread, former F1 driver Mika Salo of Finland is also married to a Japanese girl. It looks like she was some kind of glamour model (NSFW) and "grid girl".



Salo didn't win any races but he made it to the podium twice and completed the Monaco Grand Prix in 1997 in a damaged car without stopping for refuelling which apparently is a rare feat. He is still racing and part-owns a cafe, nite club, sushi bar and restaurant complex in Helsinki while living in Monaco with Noriko and their two children, Max and Mai.

[Jack]

If those pictures are real, this Noriko is one sluty babe.

Alesi's wife, on the other hand, looks hot as it can be.

[Greji]

If those pictures are real, this Noriko is one sluty babe.

Alesi's wife, on the other hand, looks hot as it can be.

Glad to know Norko is beneath your class Jack. I guess I'll just have to take her instead!

[Catoneinutica]

Glad to know Norko is beneath your class Jack. I guess I'll just have to take her instead!

You can have her, Monsieur Booth. Would I kick her out of bed for making crumbs? Yeah, I probably would. Look at that first pic Mulboyne posted, the one with the haafu kid. She's got that leathery Eurotrash look that a lot of J-chix based in the the Latin countries tend to acquire after a while. She doubtless smokes like a Euro-chimney and has those nastly little wrinkles around her butt-suckin' lips. Once-fresh (c. 1997) maguro left out in the smoggy sun for too long.

Plus, check out that lantern jaw!

[Catoneinutica]

Meet " Pioneering design duo Mark Eley and Wakako Kishimoto."

Couldn't be arsed to find out whether this "Anglo-Japanese designer-duo phenomenon" is spouse-d, but this pic was just too good to pass up:



The guy looks like David Brent in that video he made after he was sacked from "The Office" (Brit version).

-catone
-must...stop...snickering...

[Mulboyne]

Couldn't be arsed to find out whether this "Anglo-Japanese designer-duo phenomenon" is spouse-d

Yup, married (and back on page 9). Good photo, though, a worthy contribution.

[Catoneinutica]

Yup, married (and back on page 9). Good photo, though, a worthy contribution.

D'oh! And the original was only two pages back, too.

One apparent design motif of theirs as suggested by the two pix:

Mark's desire to show off his cleavage > Wakako's desire to show off hers.

[Mulboyne]

[Jack]

Glad to know Norko is beneath your class Jack. I guess I'll just have to take her instead!

I never said I would not salute her. But marrying her would be problematic with those kinds of pictures...

[GuyJean]

Bill Walton..

He's a weed-smoking Trailblazer.. But one of the most annoying commentators.. Fuck, he was terrible to listen to..

GJ

[Captain Japan]

Walton has two problems as color man: he speaks down to the audience, sort of like a bully; and he has that 8-year-old-kid nasally voice.

[Behan]

I heard Walton say something like he had the great career that never was, meaning he was supposed to be a really talented player with a really bright future ahead of him. But he developed some kind of leg trouble (ankles maybe) and never really played a lot. I think he did well in college but never did a whole lot in the pros. He would have been a great player if he had been healthy, a lot of people think anyway.

[Greji]

He would have been a great player if he had been healthy, a lot of people think anyway.

He had bad knees. But leg problems are not uncommon among seven footers even though he was just a mere 6'10". I think the reason Walton never got as much of a pro-fan fare as others, is that he was a Bill Russell type player (definately not as good) that played all parts of the game well, but did not overly excell in a particular area. As such he did not score the big figures that the fans like to see out of the pro-players.

But I would have to question your comment about his pro-career. This is from just a cursory look on google:

"....Walton's professional career began when he was the number one over all pick in the 1974 NBA Draft by the Portland Trailblazers. He was a member of their championship team in 1977. Nine years later he earned another championship title, this time with the Boston Celtics in 1986. He played with the Trailblazers 1974-1979, the San Diego Clippers 1979-1984, the relocated Los Angeles Clippers in 1985, and The Boston Celtics 1985-1988.

Bill Walton was the NBA's Most Valuable Player, 1978; all-NBA First Team, 1978; NBA All-Star Team, 1977 and 1978; NBA Playoff's MVP, 1977; all-NBA second team, 1977; winner of the NBA Sixth Man Award, 1986. Walton is also the second of only four players in the history of the NBA to lead the league in both blocked shots and rebounding in the same season...."

Keep in mind that all of that followed two national championships and three years as an All American at UCLA.

[American Oyaji]

So I guess the previous comments about his career were full of bugsquat?

[Greji]

So I guess the previous comments about his career were full of bugsquat?

The comment about "....never did a whole lot in the pros...." is what I was responding about. He played for about 14 years and and the highlights of his career included "....Bill Walton was the NBA's Most Valuable Player, 1978; all-NBA First Team, 1978; NBA All-Star Team, 1977 and 1978; NBA Playoff's MVP, 1977; all-NBA second team, 1977; winner of the NBA Sixth Man Award, 1986. Walton is also the second of only four players in the history of the NBA to lead the league in both blocked shots and rebounding in the same season....".

If that is not a "whole lot" or bugsquat, I guess so. But as previously posted, he sucks on the microphone!

[Behan]

[color="black"][/color]I stand corrected. He did a lot when he was healthy, like being MVP as you said.

But I checked on the internet, too, and http://www.nba.com said this (please excuse bad editing and I underlined a couple of places):

Though remembered by many for a career plagued by injuries and a personal life spiced by controversy, Bill Walton won high praise from players and coaches alike during his checkered career. During his prime as a member of the Portland Trail Blazers in the mid-1970s -- a prime that lasted a mere three years -- Walton drew comparisons to such players as Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar ...


After achieving superstardom playing for John Wooden's powerhouse UCLA Bruins in the early '70s and winning three straight College Player of the Year Awards, Walton was destined to become an NBA legend. When he was healthy, Walton had few peers. ...

He won the NBA Most Valuable Player award while playing for the defending NBA champion Trail Blazers in 1977-78. At the top of his form, Walton scored, passed, intimidated, hustled, and played the role of leader with the best centers of his day. He was a perfectionist whose range of skills and dedication never ceased to impress those who saw him play. ....

But dozens of injuries, most infamously a chronically broken bone in his left foot, robbed Walton of the storybook career that seemed sure to be his. During his 13 years in the league, he played in only 44 percent of regular-season contests and left the game with a modest 13.3 scoring

[Mulboyne]

Baltimore musician Maurice Fulton and his wife Mutsumi Kanamori together form the band Mu. The profile on Nippop says this:

Fulton grew up in Baltimore, and was DJing there by the age of 13...Starting in 1990 he began playing in clubs all over the world, and collaborated with artists from various countries...He is most noted for producing the worldwide dance club smash by Crystal Waters “Gypsy Woman”. He is especially well known in the UK, and Jockey Slut magazine dubbed him "Yankee King of Weird House”. Mu, originally from Toyohashi, Japan, is a charismatic performer, a singer who is often boisterous, sarcastic, antagonistic, profane and just plain bizarre. She also punctuates her performance with accomplished, unusual dancing.

Video of the song "Paris Hilton":

[yt]i_5mhO3PeA0[/yt]

[American Oyaji]

The comment about "....never did a whole lot in the pros...." is what I was responding about.

Me too.

[Catoneinutica]

Harry Knowles, the Ain't-It-Cool guy, recently got married to a J-chick named Yoko. Lucky her. Can't find any pix of her, alas, but Harry is big enough for two:



Unless she's a really, really BIG gal, one can't help but be reminded of the speculations about the sex life of Fred and Wilma Flintstone.

[Mulboyne]

Harry Knowles, the Ain't-It-Cool guy, recently got married to a J-chick named Yoko.

This might be her:



Found here.

[Catoneinutica]

This might be her:



Found here.

Mulboyne: finder-of-images extraordinaire! Judging from the pic, she may be sizeable enough able to handle the Big Man, though I imagine that he's generally computer-desk-chair bound most of the time, so it's probably a moot point.

Alas, couples like this, including Sam Sloane and his J-chick, reinforce the stereotype that J-chix will marry any hakujin that moves - or doesn't move, in the case of Harry, who resembles nothing so much as some pale, amorphous invertebrate rooted to the ocean floor, filter-feeding whatever plankton and junk food that floats by.

[Mulboyne]

Andy Miller, bass player with jam band The Big Wu at his wedding reception in Japan. The band was on tour a few weeks ago and Miller has written up his experiences here. It's worth a read.

That night in between shows in Tokyo, I asked Taro what’s a suitable Japanese phrase for “make some noise.” I was starting to get hit with jetlag and wanted to feed of the crowd’s energy. “No problem” he said. He wrote down on a scrap of paper “Motto tenna shin de.” After a couple songs I cleverly scanned my crib sheet before enthusiastically shouting: “Motto shin de!” The place went dead silent. The crickets paused to see what would happen next. Sincerely confused, we started the next song. By the end of it, I was still wondering what the hell everybody’s problem was. I rescanned the cheat sheet, and saw that I left out a word… “Motto TENNA shin de!” I howled again. This time the crowd exploded with cheers. After the show, Taro informed me that I had told the crowd not to “make noise” but go and “make death”. Basically, I told a room full of strangers that paid money to see me to go fuck off and die.

The band had some visa issues. Not as serious as these guys but enough to warrant some official interviews.

The next day we went to the immigration office in Yokohama. She [their visa consultant] advised us that if we plead ignorance and look sorry enough, they might take it easy on us. Personally, I was hoping to just keep my mouth shut and let her do the talking, but there was no telling which one of us they would want to talk to. Thankfully, they never called for us, Taro included. Which is a good thing, as Taro was wearing one of the Big Wu tour shirts he printed up. Not that Wu shirts are basis for deportation, but the shirts he printed sported a rather large image of a pot plant. If that wasn’t bad enough, bordering the photograph of the weed was all of our tour dates in full detail. Basically, all of the incriminating evidence they could ever ask for was boldly displayed on the promoter’s chest. So much for pleading ignorance. Can we file for too dumb to be held responsible?