Today we celebrate 30 years under the Knife. Yes, it was on Dec. 29, 1981, that three teenage girls — Naoko Yamano, her sister Atsuko and their friend Mitchie Nakatani — entered an Osaka rehearsal studio for the first time. They emerged as Shonen Knife.
Perhaps the world's sunniest band, Shonen Knife has carved out a niche playing poppy punk songs with Japanese and English lyrics about candy, animals and anything else that strikes them as fun. This approach has won them fans as diverse as Nirvana's Kurt Cobain and "The Simpsons" creator Matt Groening — and even Knife's lifelong heroes, The Ramones.
Today, guitarist-vocalist Naoko is the only remaining original member: Nakatani retired from music in 1999 and Atsuko moved from drums to bass; she then quit in 2006 to move to Los Angeles and get married. But new-ish bassist Ritsuko Taneda and drummer Emi Morimoto exude the requisite rainbow essence. Below, Naoko reflects on some key moments in three decades of Shonen Knife. And from this writer: Happy 30th birthday, Knife, and thank you, thank you, thank you.
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