Friday Aug. 6
What a disgrace! Talk about cruelty to animals! Three snarling, spitting wolves chained on a stage outside the La Foret shopping complex in the heart of Harajuku in the intense heat of a summer afternoon. They are surrounded by kids, perversely cheering and jumping around, wallowing in the misery of these poor animals. And then there's the curious passersby who stop, stare, grimace and effectively run away, fearing that these animals might escape their bonds and tear out their throats. But it's clear that everyone is totally fascinated by this bizarre spectacle. The wolves seem to be hooked into speakers via rubber cords so their howls are amplified and echo down Meiji-Dori, terrifying those "not in the know."
This is Guitar Wolf. And they are here, outside HMV, as part of the promotion for new album "Loverock." It's arguably their best album to date in that it's so manic, mental, screwed-up that it makes all these other garage-punk-blues wannabes sound like babies weeping in a crib. Oh, and talking about babies. The aftershow party is centered in a room at a nearby karaoke lounge and when I get there, Billy (the bassist) opts to bounce a baby on his knee rather than indulge in the copious amounts of beer flooding the room; and Seiji -- Mr. Guitar Wolf himself -- isn't drinking so much either.