http://www.afronautrecords.com/jonniewilks A Waster's Lament Tue, 24 Jun 2008 14:29:43 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en I'm in the fortunate position of being a paid writer. I get a decent wage for writing about stuff I have a genuine interest in, something I'm trying very hard not to take for granted. Trouble is, I can't stop thinking about playing music, and recently I've had a real ... http://www.afronautrecords.com/jonniewilks/?p=65 A good man once told us there are three stages to accepting Engrish into your life. First, there is laughter. You all remember the hours of cheap approval gained from relating vending machine English to the good folks back home. "Pocari Sweat! ... Yeah... Sweat...! That's what I said! ... ... http://www.afronautrecords.com/jonniewilks/?p=71 I took this at the Rainbow Bridges Halloween Party. Possibly the best picture I've ever taken, when taken with the obvious caption... ARE THESE YOURS?!? http://www.afronautrecords.com/jonniewilks/?p=64 Took a break from the latest Japanzine opus last night and went to see my old friends Smooth Line as they bid farewell to the homestead. They'll be heading to Tokyo in January, where a record deal awaits. Masters of J-pop, it's only a matter of time before they're giving ... http://www.afronautrecords.com/jonniewilks/?p=53 Hello there! Sorry there's been nothing on here for a while, but I work full time at Japanzine these days, so all my posts go over there. This month we've got a nice feature on alternative employment in Japan - serendipitous, seeing as how the Nova English language schools just collapsed ... http://www.afronautrecords.com/jonniewilks/?p=48 Hands up if you recall the phrase, 'Big in Japan.' Ten years ago it was a fairly standard way to tar the has-beens (read: Ocean Colour Scene, Menswear, Shampoo) that had ceased to impress their compatriots but still found regular work in fad-mad Japan. Heady times, when spiritless bands could ... http://www.afronautrecords.com/jonniewilks/?p=36 First published in Japanzine. It's 3:30am on a cold March morning, and I'm quietly soiling myself. As always, I've not thought this through properly. Being a "homely" rag, Japanzine isn’t used to dealing with big celebrities, and my rash promises to "land Yoko" were received with the kind of humor usually ... http://www.afronautrecords.com/jonniewilks/?p=33 I had the good fortune to receive some session masters from the Japanese band Roi Schaider's latest E.P. The intention was to give them a good old-fashioned remix, but when I opened the files, I found I couldn't resist pumping them up a bit as they were. I added some ... http://www.afronautrecords.com/jonniewilks/?p=27 I had the opportunity to film my good friends' band recently, and spent today putting this video together. Smooth Line are one of the funkiest, tightest bands in the area, and lovely folk to boot. The live shots were from a gig they did at Decadent Deluxe in Tenjin, Fukuoka, ... http://www.afronautrecords.com/jonniewilks/?p=26 A special shout out to the latest member of our crib! This here is Ottalie Lindqvist Lines, first daughter of my dear friends Rich and Fritha. The mug spoiling the picture is Rich. The mother's quite a looker though, so there is some hope. Welcome to the world, sweet one! http://www.afronautrecords.com/jonniewilks/?p=24