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Lolita in JRock: What’s Up with That?

If we’re going to have a quick discussion on Lolita and how it pertains to JRock, I suppose we have to talk about what it is first. Historically, the term Lolita can be referenced back to a book. Wikipedia says,  “Lolita is a novel by Vladimir Nabokov, first written in English and published in 1955 in Paris and 1958 in New York, and later translated by the author into Russian. The book is internationally famous for its innovative style and infamous for its controversial subject: the protagonist and unreliable narrator, middle-aged Humbert Humbert, who becomes obsessed and sexually involved with a 12-year-old girl named Dolores Haze.”

Okay, so the first “Lolita” was a fictitious, 12-year-old, sexually active girl who had a thing for much older men. Got it.

Anyone who knows anything about JRock and anime culture knows that “Lolita” is a term for a certain type of fashion – frilly, lacey dresses that are similar to something you’d see in “Gone with the Wind”, but have a decided sexually provocative and sometimes Gothic flare to them and we’ve seen some of our favorite JRockers sporting these dresses on stage. It sprung up amongst the Visual Kei (Visual Style, translated) thing back in the late 1980s, when all rock stars at least wore make-up. Except, the Japanese took this to an extreme.

I’ve personally seen many a woman wearing a Lolita outfit at an anime/yaoi con and I must say I’ve investigated getting one for myself to wear on Halloween, my favorite holiday. A forty-something mother of two wearing a Gothic Lolita outfit for anything but Halloween seems a bit strange, dont’ you think? Not that I’m above that, LOL. There are also many an anime in which boys are forced to wear princess outfits that look suspiciously similar to Lolita outfits. Hmmm…

So how did this 12-year-old-girl named Dolores inspire a fashion culture in Japan that culimnated in cross-dressing Japanese rock musicians? I have no idea. But I do know one thing, it’s both intriguing and just plain silly, at least in my opinion. I have to say, I find these Japanese cross-dressing rock stars courageous. There is no way any respectable American rock musician would have the balls to prance around onstage with his guitar in a Lolita dress. Okay, maybe Marilyn Manson… but do you really want to see that? I think the closest we did get to seeing something like that was Boy George in the 80s, LOL.

My main question here becomes: what’s up with Lolita fashion and male JRockers? Are the Japanese really insane? Are they just doing these things to make us say, “What the fuck?” I’m laughing to myself on that one. I’d love to hear your comments and views on the subject. Do you like it, hate it, want to be it?

Yaoi, M/M Romance Character Interview: Shannon Sullivan

I thought it would be fun to post some “character interviews” from my books and maybe give some further insight to their background and such. First off – Shannon Sullivan, the main character from “A Summer Without Rain.” If you haven’t read the book, here’s a quick blurb and you can access more information here. If you’ve read it, feel free to skip the blurb;)

The picture to the left there is my first character sketch of Shannon. It’s very rough and I used charcoal and paper as the medium, then of course took a photo of it and uploaded it from my camera. The paper this is drawn on is 18×24 inches, so it’s huge! I wanted him to look pensive and a bit shy:) Anyhow, thought anyone reading this might get a kick out of seeing my first impression of him. Maybe I should call this “Behind the Book”, LOL.

Blurb:

In 1920’s Ireland, Shannon understands all too well that the love and hunger he feels for his best friend, Ciaran, is forbidden.  He’s already shunned by his town and emotionally damaged from enduring painful confessions after a male teacher’s molestation at age fourteen.  But when he finds Ciaran in a barn, grieving over the sudden death of his mother, a hasty and desperate embrace shatters an unspoken boundary between them.  Then, Shannon and Ciaran are sent on a journey to Dublin to bring a family heirloom to Ciaran’s aunt.  Along the way, a drunken evening leads to an illicit act in a hotel room, confusing Ciaran and forcing them both down a treacherous path of deceit and desire.  Can love overcome the obstacles of Irish society, the Catholic Church, and political unrest?

So, on with the interview (and yes, we’re back in 1920’s Ireland. Fiction is magic, you know):

Me: I’m sitting here at a small square table in a dark Irish pub called, McFlynne’s Whiskey River, with Shannon Sullivan from “A Summer without Rain”.

Me: *turns to Shannon* Hi, Shannon, it’s great to see you again after what was it, two years now?

Shannon: Almost two years. I’ve been quite busy, you know, in all that time.

Me: Busy doing what?

Shannon: *blushes and looks away* Getting ready for a serious thing with Ciaran.

Me: Serious? What sort of serious thing?

Shannon: *wringing hands* Well, seems we’ve come to a point where just living together in Aunt Iona’s flat isn’t enough. We want our own place, a bloody right place for us. One with thick walls and windows that shut real tight now.

Me: *laughing* So no one hears you having sex?

Shannon: *eyes wide* Christie, I can’t believe you would bloody say that! I thought you were a right decent woman…

Me: I’m the one that wrote all those torrid sex scenes, remember?

Shannon: *blushes again* Right… *he looks up at me with a twinkle in his eye* And I bloody well thank you for that.

Me: Okay, so how are you and Ciaran doing?

Shannon: Ah, he’s all right. I do love the bloody bastard and all, but sometimes he angers me something fierce. *sits forward in his chair* Like the other day, he thought it was a grand idea to write a letter to me ma and da, trying to explain how much their silence over these years pains me. And now they’re coming out from Enfield to see me. Can you bloody believe that? I about shat myself.

Me: *smiling and taking Shannon’s hand* I’m glad they’re finally coming to see you. And you should thank Ciaran for loving you so much that he did that for you. It must have been one hell of a letter to get them to actually come out. It’s got to be  a very tough thing for them to face.

Shannon. Yeah, Aunt Iona and Ciaran’s da say they’ll stand behind me no matter what when they come. But I’m bloody petrified. What if me da tries to have me arrested or sent off to the bloody nuthouse?

Me: Arrested? I don’t think so…

Shannon: But he bloody well could.

Me: I don’t think so.

Shannon: *looks around a moment* I s’pose Aunt Iona and Mr. O’Kelly would put  stop to it.

Me: Don’t worry, Shannon. Ciaran would be the one who’d put a stop to it. You know he’d find a way and I doubt he’d allow your dad to visit knowing that something like that might happen. He loves you and I know he’d do anything for you.

Shannon: *smiles* Yeah, the bloody bastard.

Me: So how’ve you gotten on here in Dublin?

Shannon: Bloody great, actually. I have lots of friends now and even female friends that don’t care so much about me and Ciaran. I guess they’re more like Aunt Iona. See, we all belong to this sort of underground club. One that’s just for people like us, you know, *chuckles* people who like mint ice cream. In fact, that’s what we call it.

Me: Mint ice cream?

Shannon: *sits back and shakes head* No, the Mint Club. Aunt Iona started it before we even came down here the first time. Now it’s all bleedin’ political and stuff.

Me: *smiles* So did you ever learn how to drive a car?

Shannon: *frowns and rubs table surface with fingers* Sort of.

Me: Sort of ? Is that a no? *chuckles*

Shannon: No, that’s a sort of. I bloody hate driving automobiles and I can’t fathom why Ciaran can’t just leave it be.

Me: I got a hint for you, *sits forward* they’re not going away.

Shannon: Ah hell.

And there you have it. Hope you enjoyed it as much as I liked writing it;) Oh, and the picture on the right, there, is the final drawing of Shannon for the book cover. If you click on it, it’ll open up bigger:)

My Top 10 Anime Opening JRock Songs

Okay, so I have updated my site, finally, after enduring much mental anguish because of a crashed hard drive:( That’s a whole blog in itself… and I’m still waiting to get my data back so I can finish my next book >.<

But, I did post on Twitter and Facebook about another blog that listed the “10 Best Anime Songs” and most of these songs were not to my taste, so I thought I would do my own. Granted, this is really hard because I like so many, but I’m giving it a shot. So here goes. Remember, I am no music critic. I like what I like and that’s about it. So please forgive some of my lamer comments, LOL. Let me know what you think!

Honorable Mention: Gundam 00 – Daybreak’s Bell by L’arc en Ciel

 

This song captures Gundum 00 so well, it’s just stunning. But I already have a place for a L’arc en Ciel song… alas…

10. D Gray Man – Innocent Sorrow by Abingdon Boys School

 

I just found this song (because I’m stupid and I just found D Gray Man, LOL) and it’s fast becoming a favorite.

9. Gankutsuou – We Were Lovers by Jean-Jaques Bernel

Okay, so not a JRock song specifically, but a very beautiful song for a really well-done anime. The artwork is fantastic and let’s face it, it’s yaoi:)

8.  Full Metal Alchemist –  Ready Steady Go by L’Arc en Ciel

This was the song that started it all for me. I literally fell in love with JRock after hearing this song for the first time and I’ve never looked back. I even stayed up one night until 4am turning this song into a ring tone for my old Motorola Razr cell phone. Yes, I’m that dedicated;) Thank you, L’arc en Ciel!

7. Bleach – Life is Like a Boat by Rie Fu

If you’ve never heard the full version of this beautiful song, you’re missing out.

6.  Casshern Sins – Aoi Hana by Color Bottle

What can I say? Awesome artwork and a very angst-ridden plot, but a happy sounding song. I have to say I listen to this song pretty much every day right now…

5. Death Note – The World by Nightmare

Ah, a cool song for an anime that has some of the best artwork ever (my opinion). I love the way the music gives you a feel for the story and how the opening follows it.

4. Blood + – Season’s Call by Hyde

Um… Hyde is a vampire, isn’t he?  This was also a ring tone of mine, he he he. I love Hyde’s voice…

3. Blood Trinity – Dress by Buck Tick

This song says vampire all over it. Haunting. Perfect. And love that bass line!

2. Bleach – D-Technolife by Uverworld

Just a plain cool song. The way they pull off the changes in tempo in the full version is awesome. They used this song back before Bleach turned into Inuyasha and had a million episodes that were all the same – just a new character to fight:( Sorry, but I got a bit tired of Bleach…

1. Ergo Proxy – Kiri by Monoral

I will never tire of this song and I must say this is in my top three all time favorite animes. The song fits the anime so well, it’s uncanny. The plot is just like the song – philosophical, dark and brooding and put together so well, every time I play it for my non-JRock friends, they all stop and listen in awe of it’s greatness:)