Visual Kei - The Inconvenient Truth

[hadron]

Originally Posted by TheCrimson

In a nutshell - this whole VK business is cold and callous. They've (the "big" dudes) created an illusion in order to leech money. It's never about the music.

don't be worried about it, like if you try to google for top 100 american songs you may get something like this Top 100 Songs

you got there ppl like Lady Gaga, JayZ, Rihanna, Eminem, Shakira, you know especially those who repeat frequently from top to bottom of the list

so i hope you do not consider these ppl to be artists , and that their music has any better value than VK, they probably earn a bit more than VK cause they cover bigger market but they are equal crapsty inside

[kawaiicandie]

Originally Posted by Columbine

Let's face it, if VK was all about the music and writing music and selling an image solely based on the music it'd be called Auditory Kei. Fact is, the lead singer's hair do and duds are probably just as important as the track. Sure a Jpop star has the same concern, but he can whack on the same shiny suit and floppy hair as everyone else in the business and pull it off; VK relies on some sort of original signature.

I think the main issue is that VK is supposed to be the trendy free-spirit alternative to mainstream and people get peeved that they've been suckered in on the exact same premise they were trying to avoid; they find out that their cool dark idols are just Girls Aloud gone goffick.

this. i know, in western countries, people who like visual kei like it for the music (which is why only a handful of bands are actually popular), but if you have ever been to a vk show in japan, 99% of the audience are girls of ages 15-25. they like the band cuz they think they are hot. when you leave a show, they ply you with flyers of bands you have never heard about, in the hopes that if god-forbid you would think one of them is hot, you would look them up and maybe come to a live.

as a foreigner at vk shows in japan, i have often been asked at shows why i liked vk and received puzzled looks when i said i liked the music, which would usually followed by "ok, but which member is the coolest?"... so it definitely is ALL about the image. it's almost like the bands who do have talent kinda accidentally stumbled into it...

i read that article a while ago and although it is kinda depressing, it's not that surprising. i have no shame admitting that vk is just a cooler alternative to boybands, and i like their music and that's that i do have a lot more respect for them than boybands though, because most of them really do like music.

[edelweiss]

Originally Posted by TheCrimson

"what's this?" you ask.

My fiance pointed me out to this interesting interview this morning - a link he found on Scape forums.
It's an interview someone did with a VK producer (name withheld for obvious reasons you'll see after reading the interview)

I didn't realize there was a thread about this article here already, I almost started a thread for it a few weeks back.

It was originally posted on the Tokyo Damage Report website. It has been the most culturally informative website about Tokyo I've yet to find, certainly not mainstream but exactly the kind of stuff that peaks my interest. I was looking for reviews of off-the-beaten-path bands and found a whole lot more. I love his "writer's voice".

The Damage article about J-Punk Vs Western Punk is an interesting read too.

Sorry if this is too OT!

[YoshimiTheEthereal]

Who cares? If you like the band, then enjoy it.

[Teruko]

Well, here's an entry from someone that proved that that Tokyo Damage Report article was incorrect and contradictory.

Flyingfoxbat - Lies, Damned Lies, and Tokyo Damage Report

I don't know about you, but it made me feel quite relieved.