THE GEROGERIGEGEGE

File 13

Shout out to Phillip B. Klingler for sharing this. I’ve also included a photo of the front cover from an EBay listing.

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Noise & Filth From The Gerogerigegege

Infamous in some circles for their noise-porn performances in Japan and their equally noisy, uncategorizable performances, the Gerogerigegege are still relatively obscure in this country. But that’s beginning to change. Their latest CD release, Tokyo Anal Dynamite, has sold several thousand copies in Japan and the U.S., and their next releases, Senzuri Power Up and Live Greatest Hits, may well be the necessary catalysts to launch them into the realm of notoriety.

Tokyo Anal Dynamite sports a colorful scatological drawing of a line of folks, um, emitting from both ends, shall we say. Crammed with 75 songs of an approximately equal 30-second length, the CD nearly blasts itself unaided from the stereo. Perhaps slightly akin to the Naked City mini noise bursts, some of the songs are unrecognizable covers of popular tunes like “Boys Don’t Cry” and “Satisfaction.”

Live, the Gerogerigegege present a noise assault coupled with an obscene visual assault. The singer, Gero 30, screams along with the noise entirely nude, performing acts which in this country would probably relegate the group to red light district dumps.

This interview was conducted via airmail, since the Gerogerigegege have yet to make it to the United States in person.

F13: Mason Jones

JY: Juntaro Yamanouchi

F13: First, the basic questions: Who are the people in the Gerogerigegege, and how long have you been together and performing/recording?

JY: Regular members are me and Gero 30, who is 51 years old, and an exposure maniac/exhibitionist. We used to do obscene performances for a show time at the membership S&M club. In order to appear on the stage at live music clubs, we named our group as the Gerogerigegege. It has been six years since we started with this group name, in 1985.

F13: When did you start doing performances together? What made you want to do them?

JY: Either 1983 or 1984. We met at the S&M club. Ever since we were both dishwashers, we have been very good friends to each other. I was the one who suggested to a club manager to introduce the show. In those days, eerything at the club, including the audience, was just drying up. I wanted to do something to change that.

F13: Can you describe some of your early performances at the S&M clubs?

JY: Gero 30 and I have eaten each other’s shit and the audience’s shit. The audience was watching us eat shit seriously, and we were also serious. There was not any music playing while we were eating shit, and we could even hear their breathing. We started performing at live houses after we started composing music and songs under this name.

F13: Did you start Vis A Vis Audio Arts in order to release your own recordings? How did you begin releasing the LP’s by Koji Kita, SBOTHI, Haters, Ramleh, and others?

JY: Vis A Vis started in April 1987 with our first LP, Senzuri Champion. We try to get the idea of as much various music as we can and release the ones that we really love. Vis A Vis had produced CD’s of famous and old talent in Japan.

F13: How often do you perform live? How large are your audiences?

JY: We performed six times in 1987, which turned out to be the most frequent. The attendance varies depending on who we play with. Our largest attendance was 600 people.

F13: Are there a lot of placeas to play in Japan?

JY: If you become famous, you can do it anywhere. We have been performing at many places, some unknown, some large concert halls. Wherever we played, we always did masturbation.

F13: What so your audiences seem to think of your shows? I’ve been told that audiences in Japan don’t react as much as Americans do.

JY: Since we’ve never performed outside Japan, we don’t know about that. But one thing is sure, that the audience who comes to our show gets really hot and high.

F13: Since much of your shows is somewhat obscene, have you ever had any problems with people trying to stop your shows?

JY: No. But when we used a fire at a live house, we got a warning from the police. I want to be caught by the police once. It seems to be cool, like G.G. Allin, doesn’t it?

F13: Do you get a lot of support for your recordings in Japan? Do you sell many CD’s in Japan, or more in Europe or the U.S.?

JY: Rental CD’s and CD stores have become popularized throughout Japan. Since we made a contact with these stores in 1990, Vis A Vis CD’s have been offered to the public. Now, more than 1,300 copies of Tokyo Anal Dynamite are available at rental CD stores everywhere in Japan. We have a great popularity, especially in the underground scene. Many people who are not in the underground scene recognize our name, as well. There are many people looking for our 7“ EP that was released in 1988. Tokyo Anal Dynamite has the best sales and numbers, with the largest amount being produced of our releases. Now we can make a living onlyw ith the profit from these sales.

F13: Do you get a lot of support for your shows?

JY: Our performance varies with each show. It is sometimes a performance, noise music and rock music. Because of the events at each performance, there is also a varied audience each time.

F13: I’m very curious about the independent music scene over there. Some people tell me it’s healthy, while some tell me it’s not.

JY: I think that it is great. Especially the young musical group; it has a very distinguished character. There are many artists who I really love. The Japanese noise/industrial scene is very positive. Null, Hijo Kaidan, Merzbow, Hanatarash, and we have appeared on so many stages. Especially Kazayuki K. Null has many projects (Null, ANP, Zeni Geva, Geva-Geva, YBO²…). However, there are some artists who are autistic and stand isolated in Japan. I personally enjoy having a show very much, and if there is any possibility, I am willing to have more.

F13: Have you performed outside Japan? Do you want to, in the future?

JY: No, we haven’t. I would like to go to the U.S.A. very much since I have kept in touch with some productions and Suckdog. I also would like to see G.G. Allin. I like very much American home rock artists like Psyclones, Blackhouse, Trance, Warworld, Smersh, Unfilm, the artists of N.T.S…

F13: Tell me about your new releases. I see that one of them is live; how different is your live show from your recorded albums?

JY: Ideas come on and on, without limits. If we realize all the ideas we have, we could release enormous extensive numbers of music. Our new release is a collection of takes that we recorded at a studio in 1985/86, and this is noisier than ever. The live sound is something that listeners could enjoy with putting their own value on, although it doesn’t have as much credit as the studio recording sound.

F13: Is there anything else you want to tell people about the Gerogerigegege?

JY: Our first and second LP, and first EP, have been highly appreciated, and they have fetched a high price. I want people to listen to our new sounds that are coming up. We want anyone who is interested in releasing our CD or LP to contact us anytime.

Write to: Vis A Vis Audio Arts, 2-12-3 Hamadayama, Suginama, Tokyo 168, Japan.