Visual Kei + J-Rock in America

Do you think that Visual Kei and J-Rock will ever get big in America?

  • Yes

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • No

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    0

Haku

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navate wrote:
Why is that a good thing? I'd want to share videos and stuff if I thought people would appreciate it, but never if people only wanted to see for the "laugh/be revolted by weird japanese stuff" value.

I dunno. I guess I don't understand why you'd want to encourage misinterpertation like that. People should want to listen to it because they think it's good, not because it has foreign shock value.

But there are some people who are just intruiged by 'weird stuff'. First, it may start with a weird type of facination, but then realize that it's not that weird at all... and if they listen to the right song, they just might be tuned for life.

It might just awaken the curiousity of 'the other side'. *runs off*
 

navate

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Yes, I know. I've gotten a friend into some Jrock because they like guro type things, so they appreciate stuff like OBSCURE. But there's a big difference between introducing it as a point of interest to a crowd you know might legitimately take a liking to it and marketing it off as yet another weirdass Japanese thing. By doing that you reduce it to a trend, and isn't that what we're trying to avoid? You know, that whole "keep it about the music, not the asians" thing? Or am I the only one still fighting for that mentality? :|
 

Kyuketsuki

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Haku wrote:
navate wrote:
Why is that a good thing? I'd want to share videos and stuff if I thought people would appreciate it, but never if people only wanted to see for the "laugh/be revolted by weird japanese stuff" value.

I dunno. I guess I don't understand why you'd want to encourage misinterpertation like that. People should want to listen to it because they think it's good, not because it has foreign shock value.

But there are some people who are just intruiged by 'weird stuff'. First, it may start with a weird type of facination, but then realize that it's not that weird at all... and if they listen to the right song, they just might be tuned for life.

It might just awaken the curiousity of 'the other side'. *runs off*

Yeah, I don't mean it to scare people off (they do that well enough themselves). A lot of times people will glance at whatever I may be looking at on the net concerning j-rock and get the wrong idea. This then usually involves a conversation explaining what it all is and that they *aren't* gay, yada, yada, yada. If it's different, they'll either be repelled or intrigued, so the least I try to do is give them the right impression when the situation does arise. I was just kidding before. :P Except maybe about the dvd thing, that might be interesting... ;)

~ketsu
 

Haku

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navate wrote:
Yes, I know. I've gotten a friend into some Jrock because they like guro type things, so they appreciate stuff like OBSCURE. But there's a big difference between introducing it as a point of interest to a crowd you know might legitimately take a liking to it and marketing it off as yet another weirdass Japanese thing. By doing that you reduce it to a trend, and isn't that what we're trying to avoid? You know, that whole "keep it about the music, not the asians" thing? Or am I the only one still fighting for that mentality? :|

>_< that's the thing. People can't control what other people think about certain 'stimuli'. All you can do, is introduce certain ideas at the right time and hope they can catch on and realize what you're trying to tell them, all before they take it the wrong way.

When all else fails... well, at least I tried. ::hora::
 

SDjilliaRE

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Kyuketsuki wrote:
:lol: I get that too, except it's more like::

"Are you the weird girl into jrock?"
"Yeah."
"Like...yugio?"
" :| ....no."
someone at the other end of the room "They all look like girls!!! AHAHAAAA!!!"
" :mad: "
"They're GAY??"

:P Those are pretty much the conversations I run into in a nut-shell.

~ketsu
It's more like this for me:

"Oh my God, did you just see that guy?"
"Why do you wear make-up?"
"Are you gay?"
"You f***ing f****t!"
Or
"Peanut Butter f***!" Whatever that means.

It really sucks, but I've gotten used to it. Even today some people were sitting on a bench by me, staring, and started to laugh. :(
 

Haku

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don't worry, SDjilliaRE, they just refuse to open their mind to the posibilities.

Though, it's a little amusing to go around like a raving dix!monster ::dix::
 

SDjilliaRE

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Oh, I enjoy insulting them back... I just didn't today. ^^
 

frenchii

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I voted no. I think jrock bands can make it to America if they're very mainstream. Otherwise, the media wouldn't have a grasp of them because they might hold no interest I guess.
 

Kyuketsuki

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frenchii wrote:
I voted no. I think jrock bands can make it to America if they're very mainstream. Otherwise, the media wouldn't have a grasp of them because they might hold no interest I guess.

But if they moulded to mainstream america, wouldn't that defeat the purpose of them bringing thier music here? They'd have to change themselves to what they thought americans would 'like' and that almost never works. :?

~ketsu
 

Formless

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Kyuketsuki wrote:
frenchii wrote:
I voted no. I think jrock bands can make it to America if they're very mainstream. Otherwise, the media wouldn't have a grasp of them because they might hold no interest I guess.

But if they moulded to mainstream america, wouldn't that defeat the purpose of them bringing thier music here? They'd have to change themselves to what they thought americans would 'like' and that almost never works. :?

~ketsu

Simple fact is.. it pretty much never works for japanese musicians. The only band I can think of that had even a REMOTE success was LOUDNESS, and that was some time ago.
 

patricknthomas

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Loudness = \m/

Rock and roll crazy nights! You are the hero tonight!

Haha, I have a couple of their albums, and I enjoy them very much.

But as far as jrock or VK in America goes... it'll never have more than a cult following, like, you know, among people like us. We get the occasional jrock/VK show here in the states, but how rare is that? In the past year, I've seen DespairsRay and Phantasmagoria...and... well, I'm not really a fan of "The Despair Rays" as a friend of mine calls them, but Phantasmagoria was pretty good and well worth the trip to Houston.

But it's really a shame that things like that don't happen more often. I'd love to see Kagrra, or M10M, or Janne Da Arc, you know? But I doubt it'll happen. Maybe someday, I don't know.

But there are a few American VK/Jrock-ish bands here... Mortelle is pretty interesting, as well as Phantom District. There are a few others, but those two are my favorites. I'm sure they will do good things for stateside VK/Jrock.
 

Elec

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I'm totally with navate on this point. You're all perpetrating these negative stereotypes by showing them things that very few people outside a very small niche could even begin to appreciate in and of itself. Maybe the solution to "their" "closed-mindedness" is for "us" to "shut the fuck up about jrock once in awhile". Did wonders for me; now I don't feel mistakenly oppressed whatsoever!

I don't mean hide it. I mean don't make it the only thing that defines you.
 

Dix Infernal

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Elec wrote:
I don't mean hide it. I mean don't make it the only thing that defines you.

Nice how you assume because I'm in high school that I'm a psychotic fangirl who won't shut up.... How wrong you are, my friend.

I'm not even going to bother arguing about this- it isn't worth it.
 

rizumu

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Dix Infernal wrote:
Elec wrote:
I don't mean hide it. I mean don't make it the only thing that defines you.

Nice how you assume because I'm in high school that I'm a psychotic fangirl who won't shut up.... How wrong you are, my friend.

I'm not even going to bother arguing about this- it isn't worth it.

I think it's really good advice. I've never felt the need to wear the bands I like on my sleeve, and I'm not sure why others do.

We can only go off what you give us. And when the banter started going back and forth with "let's scare people with J-rock!" this thread started to make me sick. I think it's really immature.
 

Haku

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rizumu wrote:
Dix Infernal wrote:
Elec wrote:
I don't mean hide it. I mean don't make it the only thing that defines you.

Nice how you assume because I'm in high school that I'm a psychotic fangirl who won't shut up.... How wrong you are, my friend.

I'm not even going to bother arguing about this- it isn't worth it.

I think it's really good advice. I've never felt the need to wear the bands I like on my sleeve, and I'm not sure why others do.

We can only go off what you give us. And when the banter started going back and forth with "let's scare people with J-rock!" this thread started to make me sick. I think it's really immature.

A lot of things nowadays for me is immature.. -_-

I'm willing to take some good, well-rounded advice; i'll give it a try. ^^
 

Formless

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rizumu wrote:
Dix Infernal wrote:
Elec wrote:
I don't mean hide it. I mean don't make it the only thing that defines you.

Nice how you assume because I'm in high school that I'm a psychotic fangirl who won't shut up.... How wrong you are, my friend.

I'm not even going to bother arguing about this- it isn't worth it.

I think it's really good advice. I've never felt the need to wear the bands I like on my sleeve, and I'm not sure why others do.

We can only go off what you give us. And when the banter started going back and forth with "let's scare people with J-rock!" this thread started to make me sick. I think it's really immature.

Amen to Elec and Rizumu. Music or something you like that other people find weird shouldn't be used in a childish way because you might get a kick out of your personal little revenge on those who thought you were strange. Really, that's all it comes down to being.
 

Elec

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Dix Infernal wrote:
Elec wrote:
I don't mean hide it. I mean don't make it the only thing that defines you.

Nice how you assume because I'm in high school that I'm a psychotic fangirl who won't shut up.... How wrong you are, my friend.

I'm not even going to bother arguing about this- it isn't worth it.

To be perfectly frank, when I read these things I'm not looking at who's writing them or anything, so I'm sorry if it seems like I've attacked you twice.
But it's not just you, and you're far from a bad person, and even from what I've said I'd be way more harsh to the worst of the bunch. Like Riz says, I am not judging you as a person but critiquing an action. Internets are serious business, thought, right?
I think it IS worth...discussing. I wouldn't say arguing. I am honestly just curious at the motivation of the activities of many fans in this little sub-niche of Japanese stuff.

NINJA EDIT: Being in high school? I never even brought it up nor even thought about it. 40% of scapers are in high school, and I hold no preconceived notions about such a thing. Riz and I can attest to the same phenomenon in a 4-year university.
 

Miz

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I think we should just call it "music" instead of "J-rock" and whatnot. I mean, nobody says "S-Metal" for Swedish metal or "N-Metal" for Norwegian. All countries have their own take on music. I don't call it anything anymore. I just say it by band name.

But.. I don't play music for anyone but like, my parents anymore. 'Cause I know it's over people's heads.
 
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