Maurice Gibb
of the Bee Gees died on the Ohayocon weekend, a reminder of how rapidly
fame changes in the world of rock and roll. The Bee Gees were the hottest
act in the world in the days of Saturday Night Fever, but that band
had been supplanted by dozens of acts in the years that passed. Much the
same is true in the J-rock world, changes mentioned by Bruce Osborne and
other fans of that Japanese music at an Ohayocon panel. View the recent
history of Japanese rock and you can find the same sort of changes that
have happened in American rock, which has seen styles bounce in and out
of favor. The rap craze that has changed U.S. pop at the start of the new
century is having its influence on Japanese pop, for example.
Osborne noted
the change in Japanese bands by pointing to Oblivion Dust, which was a
hot group that had Western influences. The group's lead singer was half-Japanese,
half-British and wrote most of the band's lyrics in English. Their sound
recalled Smashing Pumpkins, Osborne said, and just like that once-super
group in the U.S., Oblivion Dust broke up, with some of its members forming
a new band. Group breakups aren't new in any form of rock; some J-Rock
fans are still mourning Gackt's departure from Malice Mizer. But Osborne
and the others on the fan panel noted that it looks as if the "visual kei"
cosplay band style may be on the decline.
Maurice Gibb
of the Bee Gees died on the Ohayocon weekend, a reminder of how rapidly
fame changes in the world of rock and roll. The Bee Gees were the hottest
act in the world in the days of Saturday Night Fever, but that band
had been supplanted by dozens of acts in the years that passed. Much the
same is true in the J-rock world, changes mentioned by Bruce Osborne and
other fans of that Japanese music at an Ohayocon panel. View the recent
history of Japanese rock and you can find the same sort of changes that
have happened in American rock, which has seen styles bounce in and out
of favor. The rap craze that has changed U.S. pop at the start of the new
century is having its influence on Japanese pop, for example.
Osborne noted
the change in Japanese bands by pointing to Oblivion Dust, which was a
hot group that had Western influences. The group's lead singer was half-Japanese,
half-British and wrote most of the band's lyrics in English. Their sound
recalled Smashing Pumpkins, Osborne said, and just like that once-super
group in the U.S., Oblivion Dust broke up, with some of its members forming
a new band. Group breakups aren't new in any form of rock; some J-Rock
fans are still mourning Gackt's departure from Malice Mizer. But Osborne
and the others on the fan panel noted that it looks as if the "visual kei"
cosplay band style may be on the decline.
