Just as I was about to turn the last corner out of Shimokitazawa, right at the end of Ichibangai, I saw Hideaki rounding the corner carrying a Disk Union bag and I flipped on the Tokyo Record Style switch again.
“Hi there! (Huge smile/non-threatenings stance) Are those records?”
“Ummm, yeah?…” (slight suspicion)
“Niiice, I collect records too! I’m also a cameraman” (point to camera bag) ”I do this project called Tokyo Record Style” (bust out on-the-ready phone) “where I make photos of people with their recently scored records” (scroll past a couple dozen portraits) “and your record bag caught my eye, and you look cool, I’d love make your photo! What d’ya say?”
“Hmmm. I see. Huh, Ok Ok. That’s actually pretty cool. Yeah, I dig it. Ok, sure, why not!”
“Niiice, My name is Brian. What’s yours?”
“I’m Hideaki.”
“Nice to meet you Hideaki! What records did you score today?”
“Oh… Today I found something really interesting (…or cool, or weird, or special, or something-I’ve-been-looking-for-for-ages, or a guilty pleasure, or a grail.)”
…and that’s pretty much how it starts every time, just as it did this time with Hideaki. After a 5 or 10 min exchange, while I’m jotting down a few notes and burning as much as I can to memory, I learned that Hideaki loves all genres of music, grew up on the Clash and Ramones, and loves the band Television, about which we both commiserated of the recent death of frontman Tom Verlaine, he played in a punk band, has some killer hi-fi, including a Luxman amp, has great fashion sense, and is willing to take some risks on records he doesn’t know, which really says a lot about a person if you ask me. Then we make a photo, which IMHO has to match the pace of the impromptu conversation, as we’re quickly approaching the point where it’s all too indulgent, and the goal is to only get 90% of the way there and to spare a little for the gods of photos and goddesses of music so that they might smile upon you again, and so they Hideaki can not be late to wherever he’s going, and on his way, he can think to himself, “Well, that was actually quite a fun little interlude” which is exactly what I am already thinking as I sail on.
Thanks, Hideaki. Hope you enjoyed those records and hope to meet you again! More Tokyo Record Style on the way!
Orquesta Del Sol – Harajūku-Live
Label: Discomate – DSF 3003
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: Japan
Released: 1982
Genre: Latin
Style: Salsa
https://www.discogs.com/release/9040346-Orquesta-Del-Sol-Haraj%C5%ABku-Live-
Yoshiyuki Ohsawa [大沢誉志幸] – In・Fin・Ity = Beyond Infinity
Label: Epic – 28・3H-160
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: Japan
Released: May 2, 1985
Genre: Rock, Pop
Style: New Wave, Pop Rock
https://www.discogs.com/release/6427911-Yoshiyuki-Ohsawa-%E5%A4%A7%E6%B2%A2%E8%AA%89%E5%BF%97%E5%B9%B8-InFinIty-Beyond-Infinity/image/SW1hZ2U6MjMzOTAzNTI=
Duke Ellington – The Duke Ellington Story, Vol.1
Label: RCA – RA-36~44 (JPM9-8264)
Series: A Treasury Of Historical Jazz On RCA – Vol. 8
Format: 9 x Vinyl, LP, Compilation, Mono, Box Set
Country: Japan
Released: 1975
Genre: Jazz, Blues
Style: Big Band, Swing
https://www.discogs.com/release/11708091-Duke-Ellington-The-Duke-Ellington-Story-Vol2
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