What a Rush

I don't own a pocket protector.  Nor am I a fan of science fiction.  I've never been to a Star Trek convention and I don't collect manga comics.

Yet I am a huge fan of the rock group Rush.  If that makes me a geek, so be it.  Because I think Rush is not just Canada's greatest band but the country's greatest musical export.

With apologies to Neil Young, Bryan Adams, Arcade Fire, Avril Levine, Celine Dion, Alanis Morissette, Leonard Cohen, Glenn Gould et al, no other Canuck group or solo artist has had more impact on the world of music than Alex, Geddy and Neil.

Just ask nearly anyone who has picked up a guitar, bass or drum sticks over the past 30 years.  Rush's mastery of their instruments, their originality and their never-ending creativity set them apart from their peers.  Rush incorporates everything from hard rock to blues to fusion to reggae into its music, yet sounds like no one else.

Hard rock heavyweights from Dave Grohl to Billy Corgan to Metallica all cite Rush as an influence.  And I would argue that the boys have graced more "musician" magazine covers than anyone short of the Beatles or Jimi Hendrix:

Lifeson rocks guitar magazine covers

Sure, Rush isn't perfect.  I would call the band an acquired taste.  Their music is loud and complex. But that's the beauty of it.  Don't get me wrong, I'm a fan of fast and furious three-chord rockers like the Sex Pistols and AC/DC.  But I also appreciate the amazing talent that it takes to play YYZ on guitar and bass, or Tom Sawyer on drums.  You try it!  I've been trying to learn YYZ for 30 years.

Neil Peart's lyrics are challenging and require thought to appreciate. Geddy Lee's voice is unique and original.  And Alex Lifeson's guitar playing?  Simply sublime.  I would call Lifeson the greatest underrated guitarist in rock history.

The beauty of Rush is that even if you don't like them, you have to admire their creativity and overwhelming talent.  That's why I'm so happy that the band is being recognised by rock's hallowed hall...


Rush to be welcomed by R&R HOF, April 18

Congrats guys.  You deserve it!  Here's to many more years of great music.

Rush's latest album and tour

Complete Sacrifice

Imagine if your bosses ordered you never date or get married, or leave your workplace without their permission?

These requests might seem out-of-line... unless you're in Japan.  Two recent incidents demonstrate the extraordinary demands made by employers in this country and the extent to which some employees sacrifice freedom and individuality in order to please their bosses.

The first incident made international headlines.  Minami Minegishi, a member of Japan's fabulously successful pop idol group AKB48, shaved her head and issued a tearful YouTube apology for... wait for it... being caught leaving her boyfriend's apartment:

Japanese pop idol shaves head and apologizes for having boyfriend/

AKB48 is a pop phenomenon in Japan and the group's nearly 100 members must adhere to a strict code of conduct which includes no boyfriends or dating.  The edict is supposedly to project a clean, wholesome image but critics say it's really intended to project a notion of the "availability" of the band members, extending the fantasy of desirability to the group's enormous fan base.

More on pop idol's "disgrace" at having a boyfriend

Minegishi is 20 years old and should be beyond this idol mythology.  Seeing her apologize for her “thoughtless and irresponsible behavior” was shocking.  Many Westerners might have rather seen her show some backbone and tell the AKB48 producers to "Sod off!   

That would have made her a hero, rather than a pathetic, sobbing loser.

However, in Japanese culture, her apology works.  In Japan, women are expected to be soft-spoken, ultra-feminine, non-confrontational and, more than anything, young and seemingly available to men.

Strong, adult women are not rarely seen in Japan which, in my opinion, speaks to a regressive view of sexuality in Japanese culture.  One almos never sees expressions of strong, grown-up women in Japanese media or advertising.  Women her simply aren't allowed to be confident in their own sexuality.

I call it the "cult of the Japanese schoolgirl."  And it's kind of sad. 

The second incident that speaks to the complete control of workers in Japan involved a young baseball player named Shohei Otani, the latest phenom to hit the pro leagues here.  Otani is the teenaged fireballer who was persuaded to stay in Japan rather than explore his desire to sign with a major league team:  

Japanese phenom stays home

Otani, who is 18 years old, was informed by his manager that he was not allowed to leave the team's training camp without permission.  The team maintains it's for his own protection but many think management is merely worried about Otani getting into trouble and embarrassing the team.   Former Fighters' star Yu Darvish was once suspended after being caught smoking under-age.

In Japan, sacrifice is noble and valued especially in the workplace, where individuality and the right to a private life take second place to the goals of the organization.

An Ode to Sumo

The two things I like best about Japan are baseball and sumo wrestling.

Yes, sumo wrestling.  It is fascinating and tremendously exciting.

Westerners might ask how one can get excited about watching some 300 pound behemoths go head-to-head dressed in diapers.  But actually, that's the appeal of sumo - the size not the diapers (mawashi in Japanese). The athletic ability of these massive men - their speed and agility - is truly amazing.

Yes, speed and agility.  That's what the best sumo champions display. In spite of being built like highrise buildings, sumo wrestlers display an amazing amount of finesse and athleticism, dancing around like ballerinas, trying to gain a grip on their opponents and avoid being thrown out of the ring.

It is an amazing to watch these incredible athletes.  Their strength is awe-inspiring.  And their toughness, unparalleled.

Sumo warriors begin their matches by banging heads like NFL lineman, only without the helmets. Losers are often thrown from the ring onto their backs or sides, no doubt damaging ribs, spines and internal organs.

Yet never once have I seen a sumo san fail to get up after a loss.

And it's not normally the biggest and baddest wrestlers that become sumo champions.  In fact, the latest star is a Mongolian by the name of Haramafuji, who is small by sumo standards.  He uses quickness, technique to gain advantage over much bigger guys, often knocking them off balance and out of the ring.

Haramafuji went a perfect 15-0 at the most recent sumo championships, taking home his fifth Emperor's Cup:

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2013/01/27/sumo/harumafuji-captures-emperors-cup-with-day-to-spare/#.UQXQI0petJE

Haramafuji and his Mongolian compatriot Hakuho have combined for 28 of the last 33 sumo titles.  In fact, a Japanese wrestler has not won the championship of Japan's ancient support in seven years.

That may be part of the reason why sumo is waning in popularity among younger Japanese.  Most that I meet don't watch sumo, calling it the sport of their grandparents.

That's too bad, because I find sumo unique and exciting.  Sumo wrestlers also display a wonderful grace and humility in the face of battle, something one does not see in other combat sports such as boxing or ultimate fighting.

Yes, sumo is fun to watch.  I recommend it to anyone because, when Haramafuji and Hakuho bang heads with the Emperor's Cup on the line, there may not be a more exciting 60 seconds in all of sport.

Down From the Inside

This building in Tokyo's Akasaka district is interesting not only because of its cool design, but because it's coming down... from the inside.   

As this article explains, demolition experts are using a new technique to raze the building from the top down - working from the building's interior.   The building is literally shrinking before our eyes:

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/01/08/news/razing-skyscrapers-from-the-inside/#at_pco=cfd-1.0

Owners of this old hotel - and its hyper-pricey plot of land - plan to construct a new hotel on the same site.  

Stuck in Transit

No matter how long I live here, I will never get used to the trains at rush hour.  The mornings are worse, with hundreds of passengers bent in all manner of directions to fit into crowded cars.  But afternoons can be exhausting as well.

One wonders what are the limits for passenger load here and how often do the train operators exceed them?

Yesterday was particularly bad.  There was some kind of "incident" involving the line that I normally use ("incident" being a code word for suicide), so the trains were packed more than normal.

This photo explains everything.  The expressions of exasperation and resignation are startling...

Fortunately, I took the next train and didn't have to jam into this one...

Japan and Corporal Punishment

I read a couple of disturbing stories in the Japanese media recently, both involving cases of abuse against school kids.

The first, from a week ago, was particularly tragic.  It told the story of a high school basketball player in Osaka who killed himself after enduring repeated beatings from his coach.  Apparently, the boy was the star of the team and his coach was trying to "send a message" to the other players by singling him out:

http://www.japantoday.com/category/opinions/view/japans-ambivalence-toward-corporal-punishment

The second report was simply bizarre.  A middle school teacher in Aichi (north of Tokyo) forced some students to drink acid after they failed to complete an experiment:

http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/students-forced-to-drink-diluted-acid-as-punishment-at-aichi-school

It's difficult to imagine that this type of physical abuse goes on today and Japan is certainly not the only place where coaches and teachers use violence and/or intimidation to make a point.  But my sense is it's more widespread in Japan than anywhere else.

There remains a cultural notion in this country that one must experience pain to find success.  It's the old samurai mentality.  Pro athletes are driven to the bring of exhaustion and it's common for baseball player to put in full day workouts before playing games later in the evening.   Pitchers are expected to throw hard between starts unlike pros in North America who rest their arms.

I have witnessed baseball coaches here abusing players myself.  I saw one coach, a large man, kneel down on the legs of a kid who was not taking stretching exercises seriously.  The coach got off the boy's legs only after the kid howled in pain.

My son plays Little League and I once saw a coach shove a bat into a player's midsection during a workout and later kicked another kid on the backside - albeit lightly.  (My son left that team shortly afterwards).

Fortunately, authorities in Japan appear to be cracking down on this type of abuse.  Various baseball coaches are suspended each year for violence against players or for not cracking down on incidents between teammates.

But really, it's up to the coaches themselves to get a grip and stop believing that violence and intimidation are the only ways to motivate players.  How many young people have to be lost before the message hits home?

Is the CBC Really Liberal?

Conservatives complain about the supposedly liberal nature of the CBC, Canada's national broadcaster.  However, as someone who worked at CBC and CTV (Canada's largest private broadcaster), I think that these complaints miss the mark. They also demonstrate a lack of understanding of the nature of news and journalism in North America.

Most of what comes across as left-wing bias on the CBC is really fair and balanced reporting, compared to what is produced by Canada's private broadcasters. Private broadcasters looking to maximize ratings (and profits) produce news that generally avoids challenging the status quo, promotes hegemonic thinking and favours elites and authority figures.  For this reason, it is news that slants overwhelmingly to the right.

Let me present an example: the lead up to the war in Iraq.

I was working at CTV during the run up to George W. Bush's misguided folly.  During my time at Canada's largest private broadcaster, I recall that we continuously bombarded viewers with clips from news conferences and other interviews featuring Bush and/or his henchmen (Donald Rumsfeld, Dick Cheney and Coin Powell).  These clips were often run with minimal or no editing, taken verbatim from news conferences without even allowing viewers to hear the questions being asked by reporters.  Of course, the clips from the Washington war-mongers maintained without a shred of evidence that Saddam Hussein was a danger to the world and possessed WMDs, etc.  Later, we all learned the real story.

At the time, I remember complaining to CTV producers that we needed to balance off these comments with people on the other side - war opponents, academics or other experts who might challenge Bush's hegemonic views.  I was repeatedly told "no," that anti-war campaigners, academics and others were just "rabble rousers," the usual suspects called upon to "complain about everything."

On the other hand, the CBC's reporting at the time, in particular that of excellent Washington correspondent Neil MacDonald, balanced the Washington line and offered news stories that presented both sides - the case for going to war and the case against.  (Fortunately, Canada's PM chose not to join Bush's adventures).

So where was the left-wing bias in that case?

Conservatives might think that what CBC did was biased, but most rational people would say that interviewing both sides on a story as important as a run up to war would be reasonable and the correct thing to do.  So looking back, which broadcaster did its job in providing viewers with the big picture and which broadcaster was interested only in ratings and bottom line?

I think the answer to that question is easy to see.  Unless you only see a liberal bogeyman in every room.