There is one particularly most-beautifully human expression that I feel blessed to be able to experience frequently throughout this project. I feel like it could be one of the deepest ways to study the nature of humanity. It’s the exact moment when the language of the face changes from suspicion to trust, from anxiety to ease, from fear to not only relief but even delight. It’s like watching a child back up as far as he can on a swingset, then letting go, and then flying past the “maxima” i.e. point of mechanically expected return, breaking the laws of physics, and souring through the Willy Wonka glass ceiling to an elated emotional stratosphere, at just the very thought of sharing music with a genuinely interested person. It’s so fucking beautiful.
For me it’s like the suspense of watching a rocket take off, leaving a launch pad, the trepidation of whether it will safely make it to the edge of the sky without disaster, then a message to ground control that all systems are, indeed, “Go”, followed by the joyous, sometimes tearful celebration, and the satisfaction that your hard work (thinks to self: “Is it really that hard? It’s certainly not rocket science.”) has paid off.
I don’t want to embarrass Muraguchi san pictured here, looking absolutely smashingly cool, subtly accessorized to the hilt, but juuuuust enough for you not to notice (where therein lies the prowess of a true fashionista – did you catch the Rolex by the way?), not to mention his physique – well done(!!!) 40-something-year-old Muraguchi san, who mentioning owning “a couple 1000 records” must mean he’s still be dating – surely a record-collecting punk dad couldn’t keep that boyish figure (…but I’m digressing again), but talk about transformation – he initially gave me as twisted a punk rock scowl of disgust that Sid Vicious or Johnny Rotten would have proud to give the Queen of England, but when I finally won him over, convincing him of my genuine interest, he softened up to a gooey sublt-smiley-sweetheart, which you ought to know if you don’t already, is true for all punks. Under the crusty exterior shells are always the sweetest, most gentle people. I just love it…
Muraguchi san proceeded to pull out the debut album of Primal Scream, a band whose I’ve known by name for decades but whose music has seemed to evade my whole life. With Primal Scream, I honestly didn’t have much of a point of reference to connect meaningfully with Muraguchi san, except with “I see that red record everywhere and I keep meaning to give it a listen” (referring to their huge 1991 release, “Screamadelica”), but even though I wasn’t steeped in Primal Scream, we connected in my knowing and mentioning of the best Punk Record shops in Tokyo, be them BASE Records in Koenji or NAT Records in Shinjuku, or connecting over our mutual acquaintance “Mr. Death” of Club Heavy Sick in Hatagaya, or the fact we both have British-made KEF LS50 speakers. So there was common ground for sure (we also got chatting about his Sparks Tote and his T-shirt of the short-lived Cambridge punk, “The Users”… But now, BUT NOW after listening in absolute amazement to most of Primal Scream’s Discography, I’m a believer! Where you guys been all my life? So many bands I have grown up loving all must be hugely influenced by this band and I never knew the source, Fat Boy Slim, Radiohead, Oasis, Gomez, and so much other Brit Pop I probably still need to learn about. So great to meet you Muraguchi san – Looking forward to our next encounter at the record store!
Primal Scream – Sonic Flower Groove
Label: Elevation – 242 182-1
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Stereo
Country: UK & Europe
Released: Oct 5, 1987
Genre: Rock, Pop
Style: Psychedelic Rock, Indie Rock, Indie Pop
https://www.discogs.com/release/908231-Primal-Scream-Sonic-Flower-Groove
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