This Was Supposed to Be the Future

The Camera’s Gone

thomaswy — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 04:51:49 +0000

Lost it, so no more pictures. That’s sad. Sad also is the personal interaction here. We’re like avatars. Holograms. Representations of people pretending to talk to and listen to and nod to and make eyes to other representations, and no one can muster the courage to laugh at the emperor’s exposed penis. Because we’re all scared. Because the only other option is admitting we’re alone. Human beings have a hard time dealing with that idea, and so we all pretend over here. We try to simulate the conversations and the feelings we get from those conversations that we remember from back home, from real friends, from real life, but very few of us will ever see one another again. We all know this, and this knowledge… destroys something. Transforms life into representation. Liquidates substance. Separates us from ourselves. The younger ones don’t know enough to know. I think that’s why the older ones keep to themselves. It’s all so very strange.

Trip to Nasu, Day of Reckoning

thomaswy — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 10:23:54 +0000

Went to a small village in the north called Nasu-Something and I must say, the Japanese countryside give both Alaska and Maui runs for their money as far as natural beauty in concerned. Absolutely worth the drive and the complete opposite of Tokyo. The shoot was for some department store whose name I cannot pronounce, but apparently they’re the best and the pay was good. We shot at an old British church that looked a bit like a castle. Needless to say, gorgeous as well.

The downside to this, however, was that the shoot lasted 14 hours. Yes, that’s not a typo, that’s a 1 followed by a 4. I’d never been so exhausted in my life. Luckily, the client took the whole crew out to dinner afterwards at a relatively nice restaurant, and I had what was called a ‘Hamburger Steak’. Interestingly, it is neither hamburger nor steak, but something that bears semblance to meatloaf, but without onions or oats… Very strange indeed

Pictures below

Today on my way to a job I had to transfer at Shinjuku, the station considered to be the busiest in the world. It truly horrifying. I was so bothered by the experience that I jotted something down about it immediately afterward, but upon current relflection it seems a bit self-indulgent (and by this blog’s standards, thats saying something) so I’ll keep it to myself, but truly my friends, dehumanizing.

Vrubel: Not Dead. Me: Not in Rehab

thomaswy — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 06:43:30 +0000

Wins on both, I believe. Vrubel was released back into… not the ‘wild’… back into the asphalt jungle? As for me, I quite ably succeeded in convincing my managers that the stories they’d been hearing about me were just that. One point Thom

The Gaijin

thomaswy — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 07:04:12 +0000

Had a very interesting conversation with a Dutch photographer at a GQ shoot a couple of days back. I was speaking of my fascination with the role of Gaijin (foreigner) within Japanese culture, how he is simultaneously exalted and despised (this is where I would talk about the role of post-war restructuring if I wanted to be boring) but always a… curiosity. Then yesterday, sitting in MosBurger, watching the people pass on the street as I sipped coffee and listened to the store-soundtracked Miles Davis medley, I began to reflect on how complicated my own feelings toward living here were. Sometimes I feel like Jef Costello; Cool, separated from those around but ultimately an entity unto myself. Other times, however, I feel like a blind hand searching for an arm-hole in a too-small jacket: awkward, desperate and publicly impotent. It’s been on the down for a bit, so here’s to hoping things pick up

I CAUGHT A GECKO

thomaswy — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 15:49:41 +0000

The title really says it all. James and I were walking back from a casting when he suddenly stopped and pointed to the back of a motorcycle, where sat a gecko. So, being the industrious 10 year old that I am, grabbed a plastic bag, and tricked the lil guy into coming with me. Hmmm, the way I said that makes me sound like a pederast. Oh well. His name’s Vrubel. I’m so happy!

To Clarify

thomaswy — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 12:49:20 +0000

Judging from the dozen or so messages and comments the last post received, my recycling commentary was largely misunderstood. I could not pretend to know anywhere near enough about the actualities of waste management in either Japan or the U.S. to venture a meaningful statement on either ground. What I was focused on, specifically, was the idea of recycling itself, the idea that a person, people, or culture would sacrifice their momentary convenience for the sake of a larger, impersonal or abstract end (i.e. a clean environment for their children). Now, where the McCarthy quote came in was to support the point that, whether or not the process of resource management was imperfect (“however primitive their works may seem to us”), the fact that they strive for something greater than themselves (more specifically, greater than what is needed to survive), is the point in and of itself. Because to do what is short-sighted and momentarily convenient (“For whoever makes a shelter of reeds and hides”) is to willingly succumb to death and the insignificance represented therein (“he will subside back into the primal mud with scarcely a cry”). Point being, I was in no way equating recycling to McCarthy or even making a value judgement on the waste processes of either country, merely lauding the IDEA that a culture could be so devoted to an abstract ideal.

Whew. Time to drink. There may be pictures in the morning, here’s to hoping

Small Thought of The Day (Cultural Sustainability)

thomaswy — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 14:11:40 +0000

One of the most striking facets of Japanese culture is its obsession with recycling; when anything is to be disposed of, there is a specific bin for it, whether it be a plastic bottle, a tin can, aluminum foil, food waste, etc. There are no trashes on the street. There is no trash on the street. One is expected to carry with them what they bring. This stands in obvious contrast to life in the states, where city streets consider themselves lucky if a pedestrian with an empty McDonald’s bag finds within themselves the gumption to throw it in a bin rather than drop it sidewalk-ward as he or she strolls. Rather than delve into some self-(righteous… indulgent… absorbed) diatribe on consumerism as the death of western culture or the post-modern fixation on instant gratification, I’ll instead produce a quote that this little moment of reflection brought to mind. So, from recycling methods of Tokyo to Cormac McCarthy’s Blood Meridian (Wow), as the marauders are walking through Anasazi ruins:

“They are rumors and ghosts in this land and they are much revered. The tools, the art, the building- these things stand in judgement on the latter races. Yet there is nothing for them to grapple with.The old ones are gone like phantoms and the savages wander these canyons to the sound of an ancient laughter. In their crude huts they crouch in darkness and listen to the fear seeping out of the rock. All progressions from a higher to a lower order are marked by ruins and mystery and a residue of nameless rage. So. Here are the dead fathers. Their spirit is entombed in the stone. It lies upon the land with the same weight and the same ubiquity. For whoever makes a shelter of reeds and hides has joined his spirit to the common destiny of creatures and he will subside back into the primal mud with scarcely a cry. But who builds in stone seeks to alter the structure of the universe and so it was with these masons however primitive their works may seem to us.”

So THAT’S Why

thomaswy — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 13:27:16 +0000

I appear to be coming down with a cold, and with this recent development it was revealed to me why people don’t go out every night until 6 in the morning: It’s not because it’s not fun, it’s because you get sick. Ahhhhhh… In any case, fixed myself a nice meal tonight of brie, shitty Japanese excuse for a baguette, spaghetti alfredo, and a cabernet.

Last night, however, was a decidedly different story. Luckily I brought my camera, because the last reliable recollection I have is of Passa (my favorite bartender I’ve ever met) pouring himself, me and Nathan B-52′s (No idea what composes them, just that they’re on fire when you drink them and they make you forget long stretches of evening). Nathan just turned 17 and hails from England. Quality kid, and a rare one at that.

Record of the night is as follows:

Nathan and a bent Mild Seven

No idea who took this picture

PASSA! The Japanese bartender who only sleeps with models (Hehehe... Get it? Cos he gets them drunk...)

Girl from LA. Always manages to look annoyed when we run into each other, yet drunken Thom can never resist shouting out, "Hey! You're from LA!" This is why girls hate drunk guys. You're welcome

Don't remember the poolhall, so I'm assuming I lost

Got work tomorrow afternoon, so I’m just having some ramen and green tea. Plan on writing a bit then heading of. Best to nip this before it gets bad

So Far, So Good

thomaswy — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 12:04:21 +0000

6 days in, 6 jobs booked, expenses payed for within first 2 weeks, which though simple deduction leads one to the conclusion that the last 6 weeks of my trip are to be pure profit. 75 percent pure profit IN ADDITION to contractually guaranteed minimum net. This is a very good thing, and in response, I am going to get drunk tonight. The camera is coming along to help me remember what happens. Not too many of the guys are going out tonight, so this promises to be a largely Japanese adventure. Yay.

Two Days...

More Modernism... Expect a post dedicated entirely to this shortly

Casting Card for Puma Campaign- If for some reason I don't have the right to post this, I apologize, please don't sue

Survived, Now Hungry and Tired

thomaswy — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 09:32:43 +0000

Slept for what seemed like ages, now fighting boredom. In the interest of saving money, tried to make some food from scratch. Homemade Egg-Drop Soup was a bad choice. Warning to others: Don’t try to cook any dish with more than one ingredient if you are unable to read the product descriptions on the packaging. I really really hope I don’t get sick.

More pictures up soon

Best,

Thom