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November 22, 2024
 

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Steve McClure

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Steve McClure
Steve McClure has lived in Tokyo since 1985. Formerly Billboard magazine’s Asia Bureau Chief, he now publishes the online music-industry newsletter McClureMusic.com.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / J-POPSICLE
Apr 3, 2002
Still chasing their dream
And then there were two . . . Dreams Come True keyboard player Takahiro Nishikawa's announcement on March 24 that he had left the pop trio wasn't all that surprising. For a long time Nishikawa had been very much the odd man out in the DCT lineup, especially after his involvement in a car accident a few...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / J-POPSICLE
Mar 27, 2002
Groove is in the House
Ambitious is the word that comes to mind when looking at the publicity material for the inaugural New York-Tokyo Music Festival. Scheduled to take place in the Big Apple May 23-26, the event will feature live performances by a variety of Japanese artists, including Towa Tei, Ken Ishii and Mondo Grosso....
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / J-POPSICLE
Mar 20, 2002
Come back, come back wherever you were . . .
As part of its continuing effort to promote J-pop overseas, Sony last week released an album in the United States titled "Japan for Sale 2," which is a great all-around introduction to Japanese music.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / J-POPSICLE
Mar 13, 2002
I take it back, gladly
When writing recently about Seiji Ozawa's very successful "New Year's Concert 2002" album, I made a passing reference to his "nasally voiced" nephew, Kenji Ozawa.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / J-POPSICLE
Mar 6, 2002
Be true to your old school
Suddenly, it's hip to be trad. Japanese traditional music is now in vogue, as artists such as Chitose Hajime, Hiromitsu Agatsuma, the Yoshida brothers and Shinichi Kinoshita strike a chord with music fans looking for something more rootsy and down-home to listen to than run-of-the-mill J-pop.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / J-POPSICLE
Feb 27, 2002
Signs of the times
Is the world ready for Hikki?
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / J-POPSICLE
Feb 20, 2002
And that really burns me up
If, like me, you do a lot of your work at home, I imagine you may like to listen to music as you labor through a translation, write a story or put together a PowerPoint presentation. And you probably find it convenient to listen to CDs on your computer.
CULTURE / Music / J-POPSICLE
Feb 13, 2002
Nimaime wa so-so, baby
I hate to say it, but Love Psychedelico has succumbed to the dreaded "second-album syndrome" with "Love Psychedelico Orchestra," which was released Jan. 9. It's not a bad album -- in fact it has some great songs, like the opening track, "Standing Bird," which features a wonderfully infectious keyboard...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / J-POPSICLE
Feb 6, 2002
We've got high expectations
A while back, I was whingeing about how Japan needs a music awards show that has more popular input. Well, the good folks at MTV Japan have done something to help remedy that problem. On May 24, it will host the first-ever MTV Video Music Awards Japan.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / J-POPSICLE
Jan 30, 2002
Going Ga Ga Ga for Ozawa
Ozawa is doing well on the charts these days. Not Kenji Ozawa, the nasally singer whose popularity I cannot fathom, but his uncle, classical conductor Seiji Ozawa. The elder Ozawa's "New Year's Concert 2002" album entered the music-industry trade paper Oricon's Jan. 28 album chart at No. 9, marking the...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / J-POPSICLE
Jan 23, 2002
Forgiven but not forgotten
A standard and horribly cliched J-pop ritual is the public confession of guilt by performers who have done various naughty things -- much like politicians who temporarily drop out of sight after being found on the take or caught rigging elections. The most recent example is SMAP member Goro Inagaki,...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / J-POPSICLE
Jan 16, 2002
If at first you don't succeed
Teen idol Ami Suzuki is apparently on the verge of making a comeback after disappearing from the J-pop radar more than a year ago.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / J-POPSICLE
Jan 9, 2002
Two looks back and three worth looking forward to
Akemashite, etc. . . . Before I do anything else, I'd like to thank NHK for providing me with my yearly dose of enka on the 2001 edition of "Kohaku Utagassen (Red and White Song Contest)."
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / J-POPSICLE
Dec 26, 2001
Tower's pop fire flickers?
A lot of people in the music biz -- not to mention regular music fans -- were shocked by reports that surfaced last week to the effect that all or part of Tower Records' Japanese operations will be sold.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / J-POPSICLE
Dec 19, 2001
Shed a tear, pass the hat
What a Drag Dept.: Two well-known music mags, FM Fan and Indies Magazine, are calling it quits after their December issues. Falling advertising revenues are why their publishers, Kyodo News and Rittor Music, respectively, have decided to shut them down.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / J-POPSICLE
Dec 12, 2001
You go, girls
Cute girls. Snarling guitar. Strong hooks. A pounding beat. What more do you need?
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / J-POPSICLE
Dec 5, 2001
The man with the plan
Jack Matsumura is a man with a mission: to turn Nippon Columbia, Japan's oldest label, into a profitable, hit-making record company once again.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / J-POPSICLE
Nov 28, 2001
Catching up with Yoko
Question: Who is the most famous Japanese personality in the world?
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / J-POPSICLE
Nov 14, 2001
Like Sheena, only happier
Like many people, when I first heard Hitomi Yaida's music, I immediately thought: Aha, Ringo Sheena Lite. With her high-pitched, keening voice and energetic, guitar-based pop-rock style, Yaida certainly has a lot in common with Sheena, that twisted pixie.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / J-POPSICLE
Nov 7, 2001
Here, there and everywhere
Even though you may not recognize the name Tamio Okuda, you've probably heard his music. Okuda is the Svengali behind the extraordinarily successful female duo Puffy, and his love for and deep knowledge of '60s and '70s rock comes through loud and clear with every Beatles riff and classic chord pattern...
Two of America’s biggest debt holders are dumping Treasurys
The U.S. Treasury building in Washington. Investors in Japan and China sold a pile of U.S. debt in the last quarter, just before the U.S. presidential election.
Ishiba aggravates his own political failures with diplomatic faux pas
Prime Minster Shigeru Ishiba is greeted at the APEC summit in Lima by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday. The Japanese leader was criticized for remaining seated while meeting several world leaders at the event.
Japan's 3.31 million visitors in October set monthly record
Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto in December 2023. Famous autumn leaf colors contributed to increased tourism demand last month from many markets across Asia, Europe and North America, the Japan National Tourism Organization has said.
Japan ranks last in romance satisfaction for second straight year
In a survey of 31 countries, Japan ranked last in terms of those who felt loved, with just 51% of respondents saying so.
Ruling coalition and DPP strike last-minute deal over economic policy
DPP policy chief Makoto Mahaguchi speaks at the party's policy gathering in Tokyo on Wednesday.
Japan, U.K. and Italy discuss inviting more countries to joint fighter project
A new concept model of a next-generation fighter jet to be jointly developed by Japan, Britain and Italy is on display in Farnborough, Hampshire, in July.
Haruki Murakami's 'The City and Its Uncertain Walls' gives deep deja vu
For “The City and Its Uncertain Walls,” translated into English by Philip Gabriel, Haruki Murakami confronts the ghosts who won't leave him alone.
Japanese expats in Asia find community through rugby
The Taiwan Fivewoods celebrate their victory at the 2023 Asian Japanese Rugby Cup in December of last year.
In Fukushima, a weekend of prose, poetry and translation
Aomori-based writer JJ Carter presented on tabletop gaming as creative inspiration for building characters and narratives.
For Dr. Nakamats, aging is just experience in action
Though he didn't win the recent gubernatorial election in Tokyo, the 96-year-old Dr. Nakamats' run was seen as inspirational in Japan's aging society.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
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Longform

Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
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By Kathryn Wortley

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