Posted on the JRock Revolution website:
X Japan is not only the biggest band in Japan rock history, their popularity is spreading overseas, to Asia, to Europe, and about to explode in the US. X Japan has sold over 30 million albums/singles/videos to date. They also pioneered Visual-Kei, which is infecting worldwide Anime fans through the unique style of music and fashion.
The statements made in this press release that are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements." These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties. The Company cautions readers of this press release that a number of important factors could cause X JAPAN¹s actual future results to differ materially from those expressed in any such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, without limitation, product delays, industry competition, rapid changes in technology and industry standards, protection of proprietary rights, maintenance of relationships with key personnel, vendors and third-party developers, international economic and political conditions. The Company may change its intention, belief or expectation, at any time and without notice, based upon any changes in such factors, in the Company's assumptions or otherwise. The Company undertakes no obligation to release publicly any revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.
Don’t you just love disclaimers? Ignoring all the dubious and easily contestable statements intertwined in that little blurb I can’t help but read it and look over the events of the past few days and think to myself that JRock Revolution knows something that we don’t.
Yoshiki himself has been quoted as saying that the Hollywood shoot was a “business card” for which he has paid around $4 million for the privilege of displaying in the entertainment capitol of the world. While perhaps more of publicity stunt than anything else Yoshiki would appear to be no stranger to promoting his own products for the right price. If you can scan your mind back to early 2008 when I.V. was released world-wide via ITunes you may remember that the single was promoted on the front page of the US Store for several days – a premium advertisement slot which it would appear Yoshiki acquired to the lightening of his wallet, or perhaps not even his own (the Japanese Visual Kei label Nexstar has almost driven itself to financial ruin due to it’s commitment to aiding the funding of X Japan’s return). But I’m sidetracking from the point, despite his many inconsistencies Yoshiki certainly has both the contacts and the money to put X Japan in the shop window in America, and given the above JRR blurb and associated disclaimer I can’t help but think he’s planning something big this year.
Back in 2007 JRock Revolution was the brainchild of Yoshiki and Jonathan Platt, and at one time in its earliest incarnation was certainly helmed by the two making it a powerful and well funded outfit. How much or how little authority the current embodiment of the organisation still possesses is a debatable subject, especially given that Yoshiki and Platt appear to have all but severed ties and funding with the organisation, leaving it entirely ran by volunteers with little or no actual previous journalism experience. The few times when Yoshiki has bothered with the company since it’s inauguration have been to promote his own ventures, such as the X Japan re-union shows or his “JShock” record label which he also seems to have also abandoned now (presumably because it wasn’t a very profitable venture).
So bearing in mind that Yoshiki is willing to call on the organisation when it suits him, we now look to the developments which have occurred merely days after the above text appeared on the JRR website. The latest news which has emerged include that X Japan have been offered a chance to appear at the Lollapalooza festival in California and that notable figures such as Myspace’s Chief Operating Officer Mike Jones were present at the Hollywood shooting event. If Yoshiki really intends to take X Japan to America these are looking to be promising signs, having your band take stage at one of the countries largest music festivals and potentially playing sweet for a product tie-in on one of the most used websites in America certainly seem to be big moves. Also when taken into account the fact that the band has been recording videos for older music in their back catalogue in an attempt to give old songs a modern appeal for release upon the world market a bigger picture begins to fall into place, and as such perhaps a big promotional push in America is just around the corner.
And now, with that said – the guessing, or more likely in the case of X Japan, waiting, game begins. Which aces does Yoshiki have up his sleeve? Which business contacts is he going to call upon this time? Yoshiki’s cronyism is neither myth nor fabrication and can be seen at the heart of many of his recent stateside ventures for X Japan. For example, I.V. making its way into the Saw Franchise can be looked at in a very different light given the knowledge that the musical supervisor for the film was none other than Yoshiki’s brother in arms Jonathan Platt. And of the four directors involved in the Hollywood filming events Dean Karr is by far the most notable, having extensive music video directing credits of his own and a former associate of the late Hide (he was actually present on the boat which released half of Hide’s ashes into the water off LA), but even his appointment is not a surprising choice for Yoshiki, given Karr’s apparent friendship with Mandy Jordan, better known to Myspace users as “Punk Skandal” who is known to be a close friend of Yoshiki and the intended bassist for Yoshiki’s Violet UK project.
So, are we about to see X Japan “about to explode in America”? Don’t get me wrong, I wish Yoshiki the best of luck on his ventures – as history tells me I suspect he’s going to need it.
Further details of X Japan’s video shoot:
- Around 8000 fans apparently attended the shoot (I find these figures hard to believe as they are almost certainly fiddled, from my sources in LA there was perhaps 1000 at the most during the night shoot, during the day there was maybe 150 lingering people)
- The overall shoot cost around $4 million
- X Japan’s “new” album is going to be a video collection, with apparently, revised versions of I.V., Weekend, Rusty Nail and Endless Rain
- Another shoot is scheduled for later in the month to film a video for Kurenai
- The video for Jade was mostly filmed indoors, apparently the theme of the video was an “animal masquerade” at which Yoshiki played the wolf. I guess he was just personifying his business-man personality
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