Category Archive for Nightcrawling
ANTOINE DE CAUNES, FRENCH TV HOST OF EUROTRASH & CANAL PLUS DOCUMENTARY. ODAIBA DINNER BOAT CRUISE & KARAOKE, TOKYO BAY.
Mon dieu! C’est Antoine de Caunes, French TV presenter and all-around funny-man. Perhaps you know him from Eurotrash, the sensational British late-night show he co-hosted with Jean-Paul Gaultier.
As you know, I was in Tokyo to co-host a French documentary (for the station Canal Plus) about theme restaurants, subcultures and all that jazz. Antoine de Caunes flew in from Paris, and we kicked off our epic journey with a dinner boat cruise in Odaiba.
The TV crew boarded a quaint boat in Tokyo Bay…
Navy jacket: Alice and the Pirates, from Closet Child Harajuku
Turquoise Lolita dress: Carina e Arlequin, from Closet Child Harajuku
Yellow boots: John Fluevog
Takoyaki-chan plush toy: from an Osaka convenience store
Behold, the traditional Japanese dinner we feasted upon! Sashimi, tempura, edamame, chawanmushi (egg custard). And alcohol. Lots of it. Nama-biru, sake, umeshu (plum wine), shochu… my memory gets fuzzy from this point onward…
Sound director Steve and I show ’em how to pose like an Asian. (Remember my CNNGo dissertation on this serious subject?)
Apparently, the oysters were laced with LSD.
Monsieur de Caunes and I compared our new Canon cameras (I have a Powershot S90).
Once we were plenty juiced, I got the karaoke started. Driver Hiroshi and I did the Bon “shovel dance” together.
The TV crew was hand-picked from all over the globe, and everyone clicked from day one. By the end of the shoot, we had accumulated a Mount Fuji of funny memories.
Antoine didn’t partake in the sing-a-long. When the producer took over the microphone, he pretended to vomit and jump out of the boat!
Have you watched Eurotrash? Any French readers here who know of Antoine de Caunes? He’s as hilarious and nice as you’d expect…
Japanese Word of the Day: Biko = Nostril
Song of the Day: The Devils Blood – Christ Or Cocaine (Suggested by Akie. Satanic psychedelic rock and roll… soundtrack of our past lives.)
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BLACK VEIL OSAKA, DJ TAIKI'S GOTH CLUB NIGHT. KOZI OF MALICE MIZER, FU-KI OF BLOOD, DARK MARCHEN AT GOTHIC INDUSTRIAL EBM PARTY.
I’ve covered Tokyo’s Goth parties, but what’s the Osaka scene like? Four words: DJ Taiki’s Black Veil. A phenomenal deejay, Taiki’s monthly party is known as one of the best Goth/EBM gatherings in Japan, if not the world.
Our trip to Osaka coincided with Black Veil’s 10th anniversary ball, so we plastered on the makeup for a nightcrawl. Who else was there? Kozi (Malice Mizer) and Fuki (ex-BLOOD)… Read on to find out why he’s officially my soulmate!
At the very last minute, I was inspired to do KISS makeup. I used the same zig-zag shape as glam metal guitarist Ace Frehley, but instead of all-black, I mixed in red and blue.
Goth dress: h.NAOTO, from Closet Child
White Rabbit purse: Innocent World, from Marui One Shinjuku
Spider and flower rings: from Closet Child. The purple one reminds me of Jasmine You, sigh.
Red knee high socks: from LA’s 99 cent store! Amazing what you can find in there.
Mary Jane shoes: Yosuke, my favorite brand. Well made and comfortable. From EST, a young women’s department store in Osaka.
Osaka’s Black Veil always takes place at Club Neo in Shinsaibashi (the shopping district with all the Gothic Lolita Cyber Punk stores). Guess who we immediately ran into? Fu-ki, vocalist of now-defunct Vampire Visual band BLOOD. You may recall that when we visited his Bar Midian, I was wearing a Black Sabbath shirt and he was blasting Paranoid. Do you see what he’s wearing now? A KISS tie! (That’s proof that we’re soulmates, right?)
DJ Taiki also runs an occult store, Territory, and had some goods for sale at the party. In general, the fashion at Osaka’s Black Veil is more Goth-fetish-sexy than in Tokyo…
And I was impressed by the level of flamboyance. Theatrical eye makeup, undead aristocrat outfits, elaborate hairstyles.
We saw our ridiculous new buddy from the Ridiculous store (I’ll tell you about that adventure in an upcoming post). He had a subdermal implant in his hand — pretty ridiculous, eh?
DJ Taiki spun one of the best sets I’ve heard in a while. He’s not afraid to mix obscure cyber-rave with Abba, 80s Goth and Mylene Farmer. No matter how much your feet hurt, his music will grab you by the neck and drag you to the dance floor.
*** VIDEO SHOULD BE EMBEDDED HERE but YouTube removed it for violating “community guidelines.” Hold on, I’ll put it back up and discuss censorship in the next post… ***
A pretty boy with a brown emo haircut joined Taiki… who introduced him as Kozi! The ex-Malice Mizer guitarist was adorably shy and ran to the back, but not before I caught him on video. You can watch Taiki and Kozi in the video… that got REMOVED so I will put it in the next post.
(For now, check out footage of Kozi and Mana from the Moi dix Mois concert last summer here.)
If you’re seeking a killer Goth/industrial nightclub in Osaka, there are only four words you need to know: DJ Taiki’s Black Veil. You can find upcoming event dates and RSVP for a discount on the website. I have much more Gothic and Lolita coverage from Osaka around the corner, and don’t forget to check out my Tokyo Cyber Gothic club guide.
Have you been to DJ Taiki’s Territory store or Black Veil ball?
Japanese Word of the Day: Monozukuri = Producing things with skill and precision
Song of the Day: Desireless – Voyage Voyage and Tainted Love from DJ Taiki’s fabulous set.