If you’re not subscribed to my YouTube channel, please check out Tokyo Record Style! I’ve just been documenting random record musings, including the occasional visit to cool record shops in Tokyo (Link here). Before recording anything in a shop, I like to make sure it’s ok with owners and clerks and set up a situation where I can pitch what I want to do, give them a chance to review it, then come back at a later date to record so nobody feels they are being put on-the-spot.
…So I pass Jet Set Records in Shimokitazawa nearly every day on my way home and I thought I’d pop in to propose a little video about the shop. I can’t recall if Ishikawa san at Jet Set recognized me as a customer or knew about Tokyo Record Style already, but I was explaining about the project to them and I was actually showing them some of the past Jet Set customers that I had photographed before on the streets of Shimo, some of whom they recognized as regular customers.
There was one character I showed them, “This is Saeka who I met one night after she had just visited your shop. She had scored some super interesting records that I really enjoyed when I went back home and listened to them. She told me that somebody here at Jet Set, maybe you recommended them to her, and talked about how much she liked this shop. She was really lovely and with two cute girl friends and they were all dressed to the 10s and just looking smashing. And she asked me about my camera – she had just bought the same model (which was also fairly new to me at the time), and knowing it was a fairly pro model, I asked her about it and it turns out she’s quite a hard-working professional and well-known photographer. I saw her photos in lots of magazines, and she’s always taking really hot, really sexy signature photos. I was kinda taken aback by her. She had a bit of aura about her too, but she didn’t want to show her face, but she still managed to pose for a great photo. Look how great she looks!”
As I was explaining this all to the Ishikawa san, the Jet Set manager, the ONE OTHER CUSTOMER in the shop, who was sorta hidden behind a mask and a bucket hat, who I hadn’t initially paid much attention to, walked up to the counter and and said “Excuse, I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation. Are you by chance talking about me?” after which she pulled down her mask, and there stood lovely Saeka, the same Saeka I photographed and that was doting over for the last 3 or 4 minutes.
MORTIFIED, I quickly rewound in my head what I had just told Ishikawa san about her, trying to recall if I had said anything that would deserve me putting two shoes in my mouth rather than jus one. I was relieved that I had mostly only sung her praises with just a few mildly embarrassing gaffs. Phew. OMG. “SAEKA! Great to see you! I’m so embarrassed!” We all shared a few laughs and Ishikawa san told me to come back to Jet Set anytime to make my video (which I did and you can check out at Tokyo Record Style on YouTube) and suggested I better go out to the street to make Saeka’s photo again for TRS, which I did – we made some great photos actually. I was really pleased with these. And it was mostly certainly helped out by the fact that she had scored one of the most formative records of MY youth, The Grateful Dead’s infamous “Europe ‘72”!
Wow, that was a fun one. Thanks again, Saeka. You’re a gem. Looking forward to bumping into you again. Hopefully I won’t be embarrassing myself talking about you when we do! Enjoy that record and see ya around 😉
More Tokyo Record Style on the way!
The Grateful Dead – Europe ’72
Label: Warner Bros. Records – 3WX 2668
Format: 3 x Vinyl, LP, Album, Santa Maria
Country: US
Released: 1972
Genre: Rock, Blues
Style: Folk Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Blues Rock
https://www.discogs.com/release/9402550-The-Grateful-Dead-Europe-72
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