Well, I finally got my copy of Yasuo Tanaka's（田中康夫）prize-winning and perhaps somewhat controversial 1980 novel "Nantonaku, Crystal"（なんとなく、クリスタル...Somehow, Crystal） from Indigo Books the other day. Tanaka ended up becoming the governor of Nagano Prefecture between 2000 and 2006, but back in 1980, he wrote his first novel about a young woman nonchalantly enjoying her carefree and brand-filled and American AOR-filled life at college. It's so far struck me as being literally a slice-of-life book since there doesn't seem to be a plot pushing her or her circumstances forward which probably had a lot of critics scratching their heads over why this actually won the Bungei Prize. I was forewarned in advance so I haven't been surprised as I turn the pages but it's been interesting reading for all of the footnotes thrown out as if they were a mysterious ghost character and the fact that it seems to be rather prescient about what the Bubble Era would bring about a half-decade later.
Then it's rather fortuitous that I found this song by singer-songwriter Chika Ueda（上田知華）titled "Madogiwa no High Heel" (High Heels by the Window) from her 1984 album, "Classiest". I've already written about one other track from the album, "Hurricane"（ハリケーン）, and as with that one, Ueda came up with the music and this time I could confirm from the MySound site that Yasushi Akimoto（秋元康）wrote the lyrics.
I couldn't keep up with the heard words but from the title and the arrangement, I can imagine that "Madogiwa no High Heel" could reflect those "Nantonaku, Crystal" feelings of the time. I first knew about Ueda much later in 1991 when she came up with the romantic contemporary pop song "I Will" and then realized that she was the one behind the Fashion Music/baroque pop "Purple Monsoon" (パープル・モンスーン) back in 1980 when she was with her group Karyobin since I actually had the song taped on one of my old Canadian Tire audiotapes through "Sounds of Japan".
But returning to this particular song, it looks like Ueda really wanted to get some of that City Pop/AOR goodness out of her system through "Classiest". I was initially going to say that "Madogiwa no High Heel" was a ticket to enter her into the Steely Dan club for Japanese singers, but I think this might actually have hints of Donald Fagen's classic 1982 album "The Nightfly" instead. The instruments and their chords are certainly delicious to hear and I have to compliment Ueda on getting that SD vibe down pat. Once again in terms of vocals, like "Hurricane", Ueda seems to be channeling her inner EPO, and frankly since I don't have the album in my possession, I can only guess that EPO could even be backing her up on vocals.
Talking about novelists turned politicians, I'd like to point out Rupert Allason, writer of spy novels and later Tory MP. I'm not sure he's won any prizes relating to literary qualities, but he's won a prize recognising him as an expert on his chosen subject. And probably more prestigiously, he's lectured on espionage at the HQs of both the CIA and the KGB. For a writer of spy novels, I don't think there can be a bigger compliment than that.
ReplyDeleteHello, Jim.
DeleteI certainly hope that Allason got more respect than Tanaka did when he was voted in as governor. Apparently, he was so hated by certain politicians that one such person took Tanaka's business card and folded it in half right in front of Tanaka...absolutely a taboo thing to do.
I don't remember Allason much as a politician, but the end of his political career involved some lolzies. He apparently failed to tip a pub waitress shortly before election day, resulting in 14 waiters who were intending to vote for him voting instead for Liberal Democrats. On election day, he lost by 12 votes (out of 53,322).
ReplyDeleteHe's more respected as an espionage expert and historian. As I mentioned, he's been invited to lecture on the subject by both the US and Russia. And as a historian, he uncovered the legendary spy Garbo, whose WWII spy network of 20+ agents based in Britain gave Germany the bulk of their information from Britain, for which he received the Iron Cross. Except that every one of these agents was fictional, concocted by Garbo and the British intelligence agency, for which Garbo received the MBE (yup, he was decorated by both Germany and Britain for his spy services). After the war, Garbo disappeared, reputed to have died in 1948, until Allason found him in Venezuela in 1984, just in time to bring him to Normandy for the 40th anniversary of D-Day.
Garbo's story. Allason is reported as Nigel West, his pen name.
https://expressdigest.com/juan-pugol-garcia-wwii-double-agent-garbo-that-fooled-hitler-and-ensured-the-success-of-d-day/
Important safety tip: TIP!
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