Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Well, it was at least a revelation to me

I had one of those revelations today. Not an important one; rather, I finally made a connection that should have been clear from the beginning.
I have been listening to one of the L.A. punk scene's absolutely classic albums: "A MINUTE TO PRAY, A SECOND TO DIE" by THE FLESH EATERS.
The Flesh Eaters were a veritable punk "super group."
On this 1981 release, singer CHRIS D. (he went by an initial for his last name) was aided by guitarist Dave Alvin and drummer Bill Bateman of THE BLASTERS, drummer D.J. Bonebrake and bassist John Doe of X, and sax player Steve Berlin (future member of LOS LOBOS and producer of numerous acts, including Los Super Seven and R.E.M.).

I knew all that before.
What I had not realized until today is that the Chris D. who snarls his way through this punk album is the CHRIS DESJARDINS who has since become one of the preeminent JAPANESE FILM SCHOLARS in the United States.
At lunch, I checked the dedication page of Desjardins' "OUTLAW MASTERS OF JAPANESE FILM. Desjardins thanks his parents for "not turning their back on me during my hell-raising period."
I always thought that dedication seemed a bit strange, appearing as it did in a history of Japanese cinema.
Now, it all makes sense.

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home