Maggot Brain

Just before I left England, Adam bought me a cd of Funkadelic Live at Meadwbrook, Rochester, Michigan 1971. It turns out that it has possibly the greatest display of guitar playing ever committed to tape, which is a bloody good companion to have when you are travelling halfway round the world to go and live in a place where you don't understand anyone, and they don't understand you. The first 2 tracks on this cd have helped to make this difficult transition slightly more pleasant. In fact, they are pretty much all I listened to exclusively for about 3 - 4 weeks, and I suggest if you have any interest in music whatsoever that they are essential listening.

The first track is something that never fully appeared on any Funkadelic record but was a regular part of their live set. The second track is a rendition of 'Maggot Brain', the power of which can not be conveyed by mere words.

Download here: "Hey kid, you like music? Well you're gonna love this."


Something I did not long after arriving involved this sign:


More on that to follow.

Warm Night

The climate here has become somewhat bearable since my mid September arrival. At first though, it was either too sweaty too move, or a monsoon. On a particularly hot day a few weeks ago I saw this:


I especially enjoyed the fact that everyone was either completely unfazed by it, or were greeting the dog in a non-excited fashion, as if it were a work colleague or casual acquaintance.

"Konnichiwa inu chan."

That is definitely one thing I love about it here. Everyone greets each other in what appears to be a genuinely friendly manner. Every morning, several people will throw an "ohayou" (why, good morning!) in my direction for no particular reason. Be it an old lady, a policeman, or a happy mother with child, it's always welcome as far as I am concerned.

Super Good

Hello. I am in Japan. Kyoto, Japan. I have been for the last six weeks, but due to a distinct lack of internet in my home, I have been unable to get my blog on. However, as of today, there's gonna be some changes around here.

I will probably keep remembering things from the first six weeks as time goes by but for now, here is a picture of about the most Graeme related, most Japanese thing i could possibly have hoped for.



About a week after I arrived, I found out utterly by chance that HALCALI were playing Kyoto, in a club about half the size of the magnet no less. I was the only Gaijin (outsider, foreigner, alien) there. There was dancing, singing and high-fiving. They wanted to meet me after the show, and we took this picture. There was one before this but they forced me to delete it because I wasn't doing a "peace sign".

Seriously.