Jamie Grefe's Blog, page 19

Domo ArigaDIE!!! – Day 16 – Video Curation – Merzbow: Live (#DomoArigaDIE!!!)

It all starts with Merzbow. It’s always only about Merzbow, the beast. The animal. Merzbow is the noise creature who lurked through my childhood fevers, made me want to drop things on the ground on the cement in the basement and record the sound of things dropping: pitch shift, delay, distort, reverberate. I tried to […]

Domo ArigaDIE!!! – Day 15 – Video Curation – Derek Bailey & Min Tanaka (#DomoArigaDIE!!!)

Derek Bailey’s guitar cuts straight to the heart. When I first saw this video of Bailey and Tanaka, I was instantly mesmerized by the performance space, the event itself, the music, and of course, the movements. I’ve been into Japanese Butoh dancing since 2003, but have never actually attempted it beyond the exercises for Butoh […]

Audio: My Reading of an Excerpt from “Domo ArigaDIE!!!” for The Next Best Book Blog

I read and recorded an audio excerpt from Domo ArigaDIE!!! for The Next Best Book Blog. Click HERE to listen. The ambient soundtrack was recorded and produced by myself and Hidekazu Wakabayashi. Thanks for listening.

Domo ArigaDIE!!! – Day 14 – Video Curation – Ami Yoshida (#DomoArigaDIE!!!)

I was going to share some Japanese comedy with you for this most special fourteenth day of Domo ArigaDIE!!!-infused content. The video was deleted by our own world’s crushing monolith of entertainment, Youtube. However, thanks to Youtube, I was able to find another video by a performer who has managed to scrape the brains of […]

Domo ArigaDIE!!! – Day 13 – Video Curation – Tamala: A Punk Cat in Space (#DomoArigaDIE!!!)

Today’s video selection for my novella Domo ArigaDIE!!! is the phenomenal film, TAMALA: A PUNK CAT IN SPACE. I don’t watch much anime (note to self: watch more anime), but I’ve watched this one over and over (repeat), each time more mind-boggled and pleased than the last. It never ends. If an animated version of […]

Domo ArigaDIE!!! – Day 12 – Video Curation – Cornelius: Wataridori (#DomoArigaDIE!!!)

Please help support this curated project by purchasing a copy of Domo ArigaDIE!!!, my “Japanese grindhouse in space” novella, published March 2015 by Rooster Republic Press. Thank you! A huge departure from yesterday’s musical choice, but Cornelius is one of the best we’ve got. A couple friends and I drove to Detroit to enjoy Cornelius […]

Domo ArigaDIE!!! – Day 11 – Video Curation – CORRUPTED: Paso Inferior (#DomoArigaDIE!!!)

If there ever becomes a filmed version of Domo ArigaDIE!!! I want it to be at least three hours long. This would allow enough time for about two CORRUPTED songs to be featured, in their massive entirety, on the soundtrack. Melt Banana recommended CORRUPTED to me years and years ago (circa 2001?). I didn’t know […]

Domo ArigaDIE!!! – Day 10 – Video Curation – God of Shamisen: Tower Storm Attack (#DomoArigaDIE!!!)

We made it to DAY 10. Thank you for keeping up with these posts. 20 more to go, so stay tuned. In the meantime, if you want to help support my work, please consider purchasing a copy of Domo ArigaDIE!!! It helps. Today, is an attack, a sword fight. A duel. Today, you will learn […]

Domo ArigaDIE!!! – Day 09 – Video Curation – Michael Hurley: Werewolf (#DomoArigaDIE!!!)

If you like this 30-day curated series, please consider picking up a copy of Domo ArigaDIE!!! Thank you for being here. Today, I present you with the first non-Japanese video in this collection. Why? Because I first came across Hurley’s work shortly after moving to Japan. I can’t remember how I stumbled into his brilliance, […]

Domo ArigaDIE!!! – Day 08 – Video Curation – Karera Musication (Koroshiya Ichi OST) (#DomoArigaDIE!!!)

If you appreciate this curated series, please consider picking up a copy of Domo ArigaDIE!!! The book’s been doing extremely well, and for that, I thank you. If you’re new to my work, this is the perfect book to start with, especially if you’re into “Japanese Grindhouse in Space” books. As always, thank you for […]