Back in 1996 I went to Cambridge, MA for a protest to save central square from gentrification, Starbucks, and all that stuff. Back then the Lucy Parson Center Bookstore and an Ethiopian restaurant claimed the square as a home. Today, it's just another example of stucco'd suburban hell creeping into the urban landscape.
I thought that the whole protest was actually kind of silly because of the inevitability of development in that area..right on the peripherie of Harvard University campus. So, to celebrate the silliness, my friend Phil and i dressed to the nines in outlandish outfits, and annoyed both protesters and developers. I wore a giant fake fur coat with a tall box on my head that said "Sir Jackass, knight of shoplifting". Phil wore a kimono and an afro wig. At this protest I would also meet my future bandmate and friend, Morgan.
Anyhow... The big highlight of the protest was the presence of KAIJU BIG BATTEL, an awesome project organized by a bunch of Mass Art students. They created a pantheon of Japanese style live action monsters with amazing hilarity. Check out their website for a rogues gallery of some of the characters. At the protest, Dr. Cube, Midori No Kaiju and a few others came to knock down some cardboard buildings. It was totally brilliant! over the years I would come to include kaiju Big Battel videos in the Lost Film Fest, and introduced them to my friend Derek who would become their publicist inevitably.
Kaiju has come a super long way since these humble beginnings. Here's a new video for BLOC PARTY featuring some of the Kaiju characters. Enjoy!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment