Guitar Wolf’s index: CDs; Film; Live shows; Interview; Tribute
--Perhaps the rockin’est band on the planet, Guitar Wolf’s live shows are wonderfully chaotic--
GUITAR WOLF
Seiji “Guitar Wolf”--guitar & vocal
Toru “Drum Wolf”--drums
Ug “Bass Wolf”--bass
Billy “Bass Wolf”--bass & vocal (sadly, died March 30, 2005)
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Run Wolf Run -- (36:00) -- (1994) -- Less Than TV -- ch-5 --
(released in US)
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| This, their first CD, may very well be their best recording to date. It kicks ass. They don’t just rock. They pull out all the stops, all the time. Grounded only by their roots, the touchstones of rock ‘n’ roll through the ages, they pick rock up by the scruff of its neck and bounce it around the room a few times. Here they cover songs by Link Wray and THE MC5, and reference both Joan Jett and Johnny Thunders. There’s no subtlety here. This group is on a crusade to put the rock back in rock ‘n’ roll. Every song is distorted and rocking, full on, out of control. It’s an unbelievable sound. | |
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Missile Me! -- (28:05) -- (1996) -- Matador -- OLE-219 -- (U.S.
release)
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| Here they are on their second CD and their tactics haven’t changed. This one doesn’t seem to have quite the same punch that Run Wolf Run has, though. Perhaps, having gone through the recording process once, the spark wasn’t quite as hot this time out, but they haven’t changed their approach. The bass seems up higher in the mix and the rumble takes some of the fire out of the guitar. There are no covers on this one, but the material seems just as strong. Every song rocks as fast and as loud as they can get it to go | |
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Planet Of The Wolves -- (37:04) -- (1997) -- Matador -- OLE 248-2 -- (U.S. release) |
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| This is an impressive release. No, they haven’t changed their all-out, no-holds-barred attack on rock as we know it, but they are throwing a few curve balls into the mix. There’s more riffing going on here. Their arrangements have more definition, and the sound has filled out to make room for it all. The title song even has wind sound-effects. They’ve added THE ROLLING STONES as a touchstone, and decided to have a crack at Link Wray’s ‘Rumble’. The expanded arsenal of tricks hasn’t added any real subtlety, thankfully, but it has brought out their growing song-writing skills. | ||
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Kaminari One (Thunder/Lightning One) (45) -- (6:28) -- (1098) -- Less Than TV -- CH-53
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| ‘Kaminari One’ was redone for Jet Generation, though the changes are small enough to have possibly taken place in a remix. ‘Captain Guitar’ is cleaned up substantially from its appearance on Run Wolf Run. There it sounds like an overpowering sonic blast. Here it’s a classic sounding, rough and tumble, rock ‘n’ roll song. Which brings us, fittingly enough, to the only appearance of Carl Perkins’ ‘Slow Down’ on a GUITAR WOLF record. Billy often sang the covers, and he sings this one. The actual lyrics are muddled a bit, but he nails the rockin’ spirit. Rest in peace Billy! We’ll miss you! | |
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Jet Generation -- (36:17) -- (1999) -- Matador Records -- OLE 331-2 -- (U.S. release) |
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| This is not the loudest CD ever. If you destroy your stereo, it’s your own damn fault. It does, however, sound like the most expensive recording equipment GUITAR WOLF has ever overpowered. The fact is, most of it sounds fine, with only a track or two per cut in the red to give it that raw feel. There is an incredible amount of energy here and it only sounds like it’s bursting your speakers to get out! It’s impressive how close this actually comes to sounding like their live shows. It’s also got a great looking booklet, and the new material kicks ass, when you can hear it over the noise. | ||
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Rock ‘n’ Roll Etiquette -- (34:32) -- (2000) -- Ki/oon Records -- KSC2 328 | |
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| OK, the production here still sucks. It’s compressed this time, meaning we no longer have totally distorted sounds hurtling out of the mix at us. We’re back to a rock band, raving like caged animals. The cage is moving though, and it seems to be gaining speed. The rock’s full-on. It barely matters that some of these songs are not the best they’ve written. If you turn ‘em up loud enough, they rock! A few, ‘Kinsei Drive’ and ‘Highway Baby’ among them, are right up there with their best, and there’s enough malevolent guitar attack, feedback, and howling to satisfy the youngest and bravest. | ||
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Live!! -- (66:55) -- (2000) -- Ki/oon Records -- KSC2 347-8 | |
| Disc One 1. Okami Wakusei (Wolf Planet) 2. Jet Generation 3. All Night Buttobase!! (Roaring All Night!!) 4. Ryusei Noise (Shooting Star Noise) 5. Reizouko Zero (Refrigerator Zero) 6. Jack The Ripper 7. Wild Zero 8. Rock ‘n’ Roll Etiquette 9. Missile Me 10. Kawasaki ZII 750 Rock ‘n’ Roll 11. Summertime Blues |
1. Jet Virus (Digital Hardcore Remix) |
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| What is that horrible noise? It’s over an hour of GUITAR WOLF live, and they’re out to destroy your eardrums, and that’s just to start with! This is assembled from four different gigs, but half of it’s from their last show at CBGBs. It wasn’t their best show, and it doesn’t matter, ‘cause this band rocks! It’s recorded like you’re on the stage with ‘em. Duck! Seiji’s gonna do another lead! New songs and classics are all battered to within an inch of their lives! This is the way GUITAR WOLF was meant to be documented. You’re not gonna believe it! Oh, and the mini-disc remixes an Elvis interview into a live track. | ||
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UFO Romantics -- (40:13) -- (2002) --Ki/oon Records -- KDCS 80024 (released in U.S.) |
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| Just over half of this is a straight-up rock production. You can hear the entire band, and they sound good. It’s Billy and Toru’s dependable chops that have freed Seiji to cut loose with his untamed sonic blasts, and it’s good to hear the band the way they’d sound without the signature redlining. As if they couldn’t help themselves, though, the second half of this disc, starting with the title cut, reverts to the familiar GUITAR WOLF sound. Still, it’s a good production even when they veer out of control, and it’s reflected in the versatility of approaches they use to rock your little house down. | |||
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Love Rock -- (48:29) -- (2004) -- Narnack Records -- NCK 7020 (U.S. release) | |
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| There are a few added effects, like the motorcycles in ‘Black Rock ‘N’ Roll’. The vocals are a bit more distorted than usual. A couple songs seem like complete, well thought out ideas, and most notably, some of the guitar leads seem to start out with a clear idea of where they’re heading, before veering off, and ricocheting around the walls, floor, and ceiling, shooting sparks the remaining length of the hallway. Most importantly the riffs are here, and now and then, one will pop your little head like a cherry. Yep, it’s GUITAR WOLF, and the love mentioned in the title is the love of rock! | ||
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Golden Black -- (74:38) -- (2005) -- Narnack Records -- NCK 7035 (U.S. release) | ||
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| In tribute to Billy’s passing what’s more fitting than a collection of the band’s adventures to date? A summation of their achievements before they move on with UG to further explorations of the rockin’ cosmos. Here are twenty-six roaring fireballs that sound like they were spit out of a primal volcano, and captured in their primitive magnificence, allowing the magnitude of these sounds to burn forever on shiny discs, that we might all be allowed to experience raw rock ‘n’ roll passion. Golden-sparkle paint drips over wild photos of the band in a booklet which includes all the lyrics in English. | |||
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Dead Rock -- (56:14) -- (2007) -- Ki/oon Records -- KSCL 1090 | |
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| GUITAR WOLF are as wild and unruly as ever, and this is one of their best records ever! Explanations? They had more time? They had more to prove? Who knows? What’s obvious is that these songs are better written. The riffs are thought out, and the hooks work, differentiating one song from the next. There are actual dynamics, with instruments dropping in and out, along with the usual GUITAR WOLF balls out approach to crashing through the wall. Dead Rock is recorded better, too, straining the boundaries, but not damaging anything in the process. Welcome UG! Welcome back GUITAR WOLF! | ||
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Mars Twist -- (43:01) -- (2007) -- Ki/oon Records -- KSCL 1170-1 | ||
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DVD (region 2)
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| This is a strange mix of new songs, old GUITAR WOLF classics redone, short sound effects/theatre, and a cover of ‘Born To Be Wild’. It’s damn good! I like the sound pieces interspersed between the driving rock of GUITAR WOLF, and I guess they figured they had to teach Ug all these old classics, anyway, for the live show. It’s unlike any GUITAR WOLF CD you’ve heard, and its got this cool DVD, which they call “Guitar Wolf Live Archives”. It’s a video look at GUITAR WOLF through the years. The new songs rock! The old songs rock! Hell, the sound snippets rock! There’s even a 20th anniversary photo booklet! | |||
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Wild Zero--Directed by Takeuchi Tetsuro (1999) |
| This movie’s stupid and fun. There’s lots of cool music, too. Flames shoot out of microphones, motorcycles and cars. Is it a rock ‘n’ roll movie? A horror movie? A teen movie? A comedy? It takes what it wants from whatever genre and cooks it up. Aliens have landed, and they look and act amazingly like “living dead”. Using a variety of weapons, GUITAR WOLF saves the world for teenagers, and dispenses wisdom: “There are no boundaries in Rock ‘n’ Roll.” There's a positive gay subtext: “Love has no borders, nationalities or genders,” proclaims our super-hero. “Believe in Rock ‘n’ Roll.” | |
Guitar Wolf/John Felice & The Devotions--CBGBs-11/22/96
GUITAR WOLF did not seem the
novices they seemed the first time I saw them. Seiji also seemed to have curbed
his exuberance. There was no jumping into the crowd and it seemed more like
just another gig. Possible explanations were that they had played at CBGBs
once before and this time there was a big crowd. Again, they played early
in the night. Apart from those things, GUITAR WOLF put on another good raucous
show. This time they pulled up a woman to play the guitar in ‘Kick Out
The Jams’. Having seen them twice before, the show seemed a bit tamer
and more planned out than it had before. Hence, it didn’t seem to be
as loud and out of control. Dan seemed to enjoy it more than I did, but I
enjoyed it.
Guitar Wolf/Bad Popes--Continental--3/3/97
I'm hopped up like I haven’t
been in quite a spell. I just got back and wanted to get my impressions down
while my ears are still ringing. It seems like it’s been quite a while
since it was actually worthwhile going out to a rock show alone.
I had a feeling that GUITAR
WOLF was gonna kick ass there, ‘cause the place is a quintessential sleazy
rock dive. Their music/act was perfect for the dump and they’re still
not well known enough to fill the place yet. They rocked! And unlike last
time it didn’t seem as staged this time. Seiji conformed to all the same
schtick as before, but it felt authentic again, like the first time. It was
beautiful. He didn’t tune up once the entire set and it didn’t matter.
His guitar could have been louder. It seemed like they cut off everything
but the vocals in the P.A. once they figured out what was going on, (Probably
the board was run by a guitar snob) but it didn’t matter. The band just
kept rocking. The drummer and bassist were on top of their game and Seiji
just keeps rocking up as much noise as he can grab ahold of. I was glad I
saw ‘em again.
I didn't even mind the drizzle
on the way home.
Guitar Wolf/The Plungers--Under Acme--7/19/98
The guitarist of THE PLUNGERS
impressed me by pushing her way through the crowd to get a view at the foot
of the stage for GUITAR WOLF’s set.
GUITAR WOLF seemed a bit more
disorganized this time out. It may have been seeing them with earplugs for
the first time (me, not them), but there were quite a few points during the
show where they didn’t seem to be sure whether they were ending the song
or starting the next one. They played with wild, unstructured abandon and
it was beautiful to see. They rocked past the point where it made any sense,
and then they rocked some more. Billy, the bass guitarist, has lost some weight
and is looking mighty good. He took a larger role in the vocals, singing about
four songs, including ‘Slow Down’, a new addition to their set.
So, Carl Perkins has joined their rock and roll touchstones. Billy also has
moved upstage, whereas before he tended to stay back in front of his amp more
and let Seiji rule the roost. By the end of their often frantic set, everybody
in the place had sweat covering their bodies. There was a large contingent
of Japanese fans there, and when Seiji pulled a guy out of the audience to
play guitar for ‘Kick Out The Jams’, which he announced as, “Get
A Job, Motherfucker!” they went wild, hopping up onto the stage, stage-diving
and slam dancing. Then when Seiji jumped out into the audience, they kept
him aloft and passed him around above their heads for a bit before plopping
him back down on the stage. It was truly a rock and roll moment. They really
are a great rock band, and I believe their sound is growing and expanding,
adding ever larger doses of chaos. They are forging a path of honest rock
and roll in our modern age.
Guitar Wolf/The Woggles/The Blacks--CBGBs--10/31/99
It was Halloween, so GUITAR
WOLF came out in gorilla masks eating bananas. Seiji’s gorilla was even
wearing sunglasses! That didn’t last long. The masks came off and the
rocking began. It was the most enthusiastic crowd I’ve seen them play
to. The mosh pit started immediately and kept up a pretty active level of
pushing, shoving, stage-diving, jumping and gyrating throughout the show.
The band seemed a bit tired at first, but were soon covered in sweat and rocking
up a storm. Dan noticed that Seiji fairly quickly broke three strings on his
guitar and never bothered replacing them. I guess as long as it still makes
noise, that’s all that’s really necessary for a GUITAR WOLF show.
Unfortunately, the sound man had Billy’s bass mixed very low, but the
rockin’ continued non-stop just the same. For ‘Kick Out The Jams’
Seiji pulled up one of THE BLACKS’ guitarists and actually let him play,
while he jumped out into the audience. ‘Rumble’ started with Seiji
jumping onto the stage from a large platform photographers often use. It didn’t
help his tuning any, but no one was complaining. Surprisingly, GUITAR WOLF
did not come out for an encore, but the spoiled crowd must have been worn-out,
‘cause for the most part they didn’t bother to call for one. In
which case, they certainly didn’t deserve any more. GUITAR WOLF had done
their job.
Guitar Wolf/Andy G. & The Roller Kings/The Shemps/The Plungers--CBGBs--11/26/01
Finally GUITAR WOLF’s
bassist, Billy, and drummer, Toru, took the stage, and with the P.A. still
cranking out music, they began making a good amount of rumbling racket. The
P.A. music didn’t come off, but when Seiji took the stage it changed
to a swanky ‘50s soundtrack type tune, and while Billy and Toru styled
their pompadours, Seiji chugged a beer to start the set. Then the rocking
began. The place had filled up quite a bit, and for a Monday night it was
a good crowd. Having seen a lot of GUITAR WOLF shows, there weren’t that
many surprises. They were playing a bunch of new material early in the set,
and Seiji seemed to be concentrating on his guitar playing more than putting
on a good show. Just the same, it was a good show. They seemed to take it
up a notch with ‘Satisfaction’. Unfortunately, by the time they
got to ‘Kick Out The Jams’ Seiji’s microphone was out. He was
unable to direct the guest guitarist, and it didn’t come off as well
as usual. They pulled it all together with a fine version of ‘Rumble’,
with Seiji diving onto the stage from an elevated platform, and by the end
of it the microphone was back on. At one point, Seiji stopped the rocking
to request some Jack Daniels. Unfortunately, no one seemed to understand him,
and I don’t think he ever got any. Crowd surfers included a guy with
his arm in a sling. Later, Seiji crowd-surfed while still playing his guitar.
Overall, it was a good show, but uneven, and they really didn’t get enough
applause to call for an encore. The P.A. tunes came on again, and most of
the crowd headed straight for the door. No doubt, many of them had already
gotten a bigger dose of rock than they knew how to handle. My friend, Paul,
for instance, seeing them for the first time, couldn’t believe it. “That's
the wildest thing I’ve ever seen, and the sound was like sticking your
head next to a giant lawnmower!” The forty or so faithfull who hung around,
though, got a nice surprise. GUITAR WOLF came out for an encore anyway. CBGBs
had already turned off the P.A., but there they were. They plugged in and
began rocking with no vocals. The faithfull went wild, dancing all over the
place, and when CBGBs did get it together to turn the P.A. back on, the sound
just seemed colossal. They played two more songs, and rocked just as hard,
maybe even harder than they had all night. It was a wonderful and joyous celebration,
and the faithfull obviously appreciated it. That time they got a call for
an encore more deserving of response, but even it had died down when once
again they came out for a second encore, and played two more enthusiastic
rockers. Why they did those encores I’m not sure, but they turned an
OK show into a great show, and proved what a bunch of cool dudes they are.
They’re a great band that are rockin’ for the love of it, and don’t
much care whether you want more or not. It’s good to see they’re
still going strong. On the way out the door, Paul said if they were playing
again tomorrow, he’d go see ‘em again.
Guitar Wolf--Knitting Factory--2/20/03
To be on the safe side, I
arrived at 9PM. It was lucky that I did, as X27 had already played, and GUITAR
WOLF’s equipment was being set-up. I knew they were serious when they
brought out Billy’s beer. It wasn’t long before Billy and Toru came
out and began a kind of warm-up jam, and soon Seiji was chugging a beer to
begin the show. I was surprised that the volume was subdued compared to my
memories of GUITAR WOLF shows. Apparently, Knitting Factory, which seems to
be in the process of some renovation of its stage, had limited GUITAR WOLF’s
volume. It was puzzling, but the band didn’t seem to think twice about
it. They did their show with their usual gusto, and the room, packed full
of all types, was quite appreciative. An active mosh pit danced, jostled,
pushed, and shoved each other about in front of the stage throughout the show,
and most of the audience seemed to be enjoying themselves even more than the
band, who were obviously happy to be back rocking New York City one more time.
They played through a good selection of their tunes, and when they got to
‘Kick Out The Jams’ Seiji latched on to a young man who had been
sent crowd-surfing style up to the front of the stage. Even with help, Seiji
couldn’t hold on to this guy, who just could not be persuaded to take
over the guitar duties. He frantically squirmed, struggled, and eventually
managed to escape back into the crowd. Thankfully, it was not difficult to
find a replacement, and the show was able to continue. At one point Seiji
climbed up to the top of a stack of P.A. cabinets, which towered a good ten-feet
above the stage, and dramatically jumped back onto the stage. At another,
Seiji caustiously stepped out onto the crowd’s upraised hands, still
playing his guitar. It might have seemed a more triumphant stunt if a stage-handler,
apparently fearing that Seiji would be carried off by the crowd, hadn’t
grabbed hold of his belt and refused to let go until he had him safely back
on the stage. The reduced volume negated GUITAR WOLF’s overpowering sonic
attack, but the catchiness of some of the songs, and the energy of the band
kept the crowd hopping. Knitting Factory had already turned up the lights,
and some of the crowd had begun to disperse when GUITAR WOLF came out for
their second encore. They began rocking, and soon the people were crowded
back up in front of the stage and the lights dimmed one last time.
Guitar Wolf--North Six--11/5/03
I arrived early because I wasn’t
sure what was going on. There were no surprise opening bands. Only GUITAR
WOLF were going to play, and in the meantime, their newly released (in the
U.S.) DVD, Red Idol, was shown on one of the walls of the club.
It was the first time I’d seen it, and its highlights are easily the
videos and live clips. It was shown about one and a half times, so I was able
to see the entire thing, but was not disappointed when they shut it off, and
RAMONES tunes warmed up the New York crowd for some rock ‘n’ roll.
Billy and Toru emerged to cheers, and started up what I imagine was an improv
just to get the juices flowing. Seiji finally came out to even more cheers,
and the rocking soon began with a Link Wray number. Seiji was sporting an
old Punk magazine T-shirt under his leather jacket, and a big ol’
Joan Jett autograph on his guitar, which I hadn’t seen before, but you
know he’s proud of it, and that made me feel good for him. It was a good
solid GUITAR WOLF show. Billy roamed his side of the stage, sometimes menacingly,
sometimes with a big smile on his face. Occasionally Seiji would raise his
guitar above his head and hold it like a flag, still playing it, or he’d
whip it around behind his head and keep playing it. Toru just kept rocking
throughout the show. Now and then a song like ‘Jet Generation’ would
inspire some vigorous moshing. Seiji found a game audience member to play
guitar this time, but there seemed to be a bit of a communication problem.
At one point Seiji climbed up on the guy’s back to force him into submission,
but it didn’t seem to improve the dialogue much. Toward the end of the
show Seiji cleared a path in the audience and jumped out into the crowd for
a guitar solo. The show finally ended and the band received a well deserved
encore. Again, Billy and Toru came out and did a simple rockin’ improv,
before Seiji came out and the band rocked through another number, in which
Seiji found some fans to hold him aloft by his feet while he swayed and played
guitar. They left the stage, the music came on, the lights came on and people
began heading for the door. Only about half the people were still there when
GUITAR WOLF came out for their second encore. It was kind of a, “Hey,
you can leave if you want to, but we’re not done rockin’”,
and the lights and music went back down and they played a very rocking ‘Shimane
Slim’. Somehow, by this time, Billy had lost a lens out of his shades--a
little rock and roll, wear and tear--It looked just fine. “I think that
was the end.” I overheard someone say after they left the stage for the
third time, but it wasn’t. A couple of minutes later, with only about
forty people remaining in the club, Seiji came out alone, plugged in, and
played us ‘I Love You, OK’ which we had seen him do on the DVD.
It was totally unnecessary, but gave the impression that he wanted to give
his all to the New York fans, especially the ones who were still there, and
I’ll bet it was
Guitar Wolf/Peelander-Z/The Spunks/ Goggle-A/The Young Ones/Rocket
Jack Vaders/Volume Out--Japunks Jamboree #6 @ CBGB--11/18/03
That was a wonderful night, a kind
of miraculous night, and with GUITAR WOLF on the bill, the size of the crowd
grew very fast, and the palefaces may have actually outnumbered the Japanese!
One of the nicest touches were the women who came out at the beginning of
each set and held up signs with the “Round” number for each set
on one side, and the name of the band on the other side. There were seven
rounds in all, and, yes, it was a knock out. Thanks Japunks!
Round seven was GUITAR WOLF. The
place was packed by now, and most of them were there to see GUITAR WOLF. The
moshing started immediately, and crowd surfing started shortly after that.
GUITAR WOLF started with their traditional opening. Toru and Billy came out
and started up the show. Seiji joined them quickly and drank his beer with
a flourish as they combed their hair back. They were rocking up a storm in
no time at all, and it was obviously going to be another good GUITAR WOLF
show. Seiji was in good spirits, enjoying the raucous crowd, and regularly
smiling. The stage diving soon began, which, of course, led to even more crowd
surfing. Frankly, it was hard to take pictures with all the jostling and people’s
feet getting in the way, but that’s rock ‘n’ roll. The band
was cranking away, and their rocking onslaught was joyful. Billy, again, was
playing to his side of the stage, and sneered like a man who knew he was doing
a job he enjoyed, but didn’t feel any compulsion to act like he was enjoying
it. At one point later in the show I noticed a Japanese man frantically signalling
to the soundman to turn Billy’s bass down, but it was sounding just fine
to me, and maybe it was even making Seiji’s guitar fight a little harder
to get through. The stage divers quickly became obnoxious, raising their hands
above their heads to announce their presence on GUITAR WOLF’s stage,
before diving back onto the crowd for some more surfing. The band totally
ignored them, even the ones who grabbed the mic away from Seiji to take over
the vocals. Please guys, stage-diving’s fun, and after all, it’s
a rock show, but when you’re on that stage you’re a guest. Be respectful
of your hosts! As the show continued, the rocking roared into a chaotic attack
on the senses, and between moments of fighting for my balance and avoiding
getting kicked in the head, there were blissful moments when Seiji’s
guitar playing cut through the roar and expressed a serenity inherent in the
chaos. Those moments made this one of the best GUITAR WOLF shows I’ve
seen. Even the guest guitarist tonight was good, and it was one of the few
times that Seiji seemed to have no troubles with him at all. It was a great
show, and I was well satisfied, even before they finished the set. Just the
same, they came back for two encores. Interestingly, by the second encore,
all the moshers, stage divers, and crowd surfers had departed, grown too weary,
or lacked enough support for their antics. There were still lots of fans enjoying
the band, though. By the time Seiji came out for his solo expression of love,
things had calmed down even more. Throughout the show he had expressed his
love for his New York fans, and his smiles had said even more. His solo performance
was more than we needed, but certainly appreciated. It had been a truly great
GUITAR WOLF performance, and a perfect way to close a wonderful night.
Guitar Wolf/The Shop Fronts--Maxwell’s--2/27/05
I picked a spot near where
I wanted to be for the GUITAR WOLF set, sat down, and waited for a while,
until I heard the crowd’s cheers as Billy and Toru entered the room and
made their way toward the stage. Toru sat down behind his drums and made a
few adjustments, as Billy began running off bass riffs up and down his guitar
neck. The riffs didn’t seem terribly connected, and often they’d
verge into random noise. Billy paced his side of the stage, and as Toru started
up a beat, Billy settled into a more repetitious riff, and soon the cheers
from the crowd announced that Seiji was heading up to the stage. Seiji slung
on his guitar, and he and Billy leaned forward, with their hands raised in
the two-fingered rock ‘n’ roll salute, and led the crowd in a chant
of, “Hoy! Hoy! Hoy! Hoy...” The crowd at GUITAR WOLF shows just
seems to get wilder every time I see them. There was a rowdy mosh-pit going
on during most of the set, and regular crowd-surfers, though the first five
times it was the same jerk over and over again. After Seiji drank his beer,
and the trio posed a bit, GUITAR WOLF played one of the longer sets I’ve
heard them play. Toru pounded away on the drums, keeping the beat steady and
lean. Billy paced his side of the stage, alternately smilling and sneering,
and I could feel his constant bass barrage pounding against my chest. Meanwhile,
Seiji’s guitar powered the band, and seemed to shread itself into numerous
pieces as it bounced off the walls of the small club, and spurred the excited
moshers into madness. It was difficult to pay attention to the band’s
antics whilst regularly being knocked over by fellow audience members. Seiji
would pose for a while, and then lean over and concentrate on his playing.
At one point he headed out into the crowd, and made his way back to the bar,
which he got up on and played the rest of the song from their. It was an exhilerating
experience to see this powerful band rocking away, never slowing the beat,
and salting their tunes with memorable hooks. When they did finally call it
a night, Seiji left his guitar leaning up against his Marshall amp, and Billy
used his strap to hang his bass around the corner of his amp, so it was draped
in front of the speaker cabinet. The feedback roared above the crowd’s
screams for an encore, which gave the band a chance to rest, till somebody
turned off the amps and they were called back for two encores, the first of
which started up with ‘Jet Generation’. After a long set, the encores
were only a few songs each, but the band had rocked us well. It was a wonderful
night, and I look forward to seeing them again tomorrow.
Guitar Wolf--CBGB--2/28/05
Yasuyo and I dawdled over
dinner, and didn’t expect GUITAR WOLF to start their show on time. CBGB
is notorious for running behind schedule, but when we arrived, GUITAR WOLF
seemed to already be about halfway through their set, though I was told later
that we may have only missed a few songs. Either way, their sets are so generous
these days, we got a healthy serving of the rock. The first song they started
up after we arrived was THE ROLLING STONES’ ‘(I Can’t Get No)
Satisfaction’. They hadn’t done it last night, and I appreciated
that they were varying their set. For ‘Kick Out The Jams’ Seiji
pulled a large woman up onto the stage and handed her his guitar, even giving
her more than the usual instructions on how to play it. GUITAR WOLF were in
good shape tonight. Billy played to his side of the stage, where hands reached
up to touch him every time he moved over close enough, which he often did.
Seiji played to the entire house, banging out chords with the guitar above
his head, behind his head, down at his knees, and everywhere else he could
think of, and sending fractured leads careening around the room. Tonight the
audience didn’t even begin much moshing until the encore, when, again,
GUITAR WOLF launched into ‘Jet Generation’, and the mosh-pit started
up in good style, and kept going most of the rest of the show. Again, the
patient members of the crowd got two encores, though whether or not we cheered
enough to deserve them was debatable. There were certainly enough people who
stuck around to enjoy them, though. During one of the encore numbers, as he
had last night, Seiji stepped out into the crowd and was supported aloft by
them for a while, as he continued to play guitar. As they had last night,
they closed with a triumphant arrangement of ‘Black Hawk’, which
brought things to a roaring finale. There was one more surprise remaining,
though. As more people headed for the door, and back out into the blizzard,
Seiji emerged onto the stage alone, plugged in his guitar and showed his respect
for CBGB and his New York fans by singing and playing what I believe is called
‘I Love You, OK’.
--Interview--
September 23, 1999
Seiji was relaxed and friendly when he met Hitoshi and I at the front desk of the hotel. We were able to find an empty lounge and talked for half an hour. There was mutual laughter, and I believe we all enjoyed the brief chat.
Paul: I heard that you have a shrine to Joan Jett.
Seiji: Oh, ha, maybe just toilet. Just poster, Joan Jett poster, in toilet.
No shrine. Just I love Joan Jett.
P: Oh, it's in the john?
S: Yes, somebody think...mistake.
| P: You moved to Tokyo, right? S: Yes. P: You are from...? S: Nagasaki. P: Why did you move to Tokyo? S: Ah, easy to rock. P: So you moved to Tokyo to play rock music? S: Yes. P: I moved to New York to play rock music. S: Oh really? From where? P: St. Louis. S: Ah, Chuck Berry! P: Yes. You are playing St. Louis this time. S: Yes, one time. P: Just once? This time is the first time? S: Second time, maybe. We play St. Louis this time? P: The Side Door, I think. S: Oh really? First time is with The Cramps. P: Mmm, great show! S: Yeah |
 |
P: How did you meet Toru and Billy?
S: Then we were working in Harajuku. Billy was working in punk rock shop.
I was working in used clothes shop, in front of his shop. So just, I and Billy
are friends. So, let’s do it. Yeah! Play rock and roll. Cool band!
P: How did you find Toru?
S: The first drummer is Narita. He was working with me. He suddenly quit
the band, because he said suddenly, “I wanna be fortune teller.”
P: Hmm, omoshiroi...
S: Then I asked Jackie & The Cedrics, do you know? I asked Enocky.
He looked for Toru.
P: You like motorcycles?
S: Yes.
P: How long have you ridden motorcycles?
S: Seventeen years. Seventeen--eighteen...
P: So were you in a teenage motorcycle gang?
S: Ahhh, no. Ahh, a little bit.
P: That’s more motor-skooter, right?
S: No, no. Big ones.
P: Were you in any kind of motorcycle group?
S: Mmm, just one, name of Cobra, but not now. Long time ago.
 |
P: Are there some Guitar Wolf records that are not released
here in the States? S: Yeah, everything. Every record was released here except singles. P: And the video is not here yet. S: You know? Hero Wolf! P: Yes, I have seen it, and I also saw the movie Guitar Wolf was in. S: Yeah, Wild Zero! New movie. Why do you know? P: Wait, it’s new? This was a couple of years ago. S: Sore Losers, from Memphis? P: Yes. S: I have new movie from Japan, Wild Zero. P: You’re the star? S: Ah yes. Just rock and roll. Very stupid, cool movie, and zombie UFO. Last scene I cut the UFO by guitar-sword. P: Alright! It sounds very close to Sore Losers: UFO, rock and roll... S: Yes, but more rock and roll! Hitoshi: Just yourself, or the three of you together? S: Three of us together. Now...(Japanese)... H: (translating): It’s in the theaters now. P: Ah, in Japan? S: Yes. Maybe U.S., too. P: Oh, I hope so! That’d be fun! So, you enjoyed it? S: Yeah. Well, first time when director said to me, “Please, be in the movie.” First time, I don’t wanna do it, because I’m not actor. But, if I’m not necessary to act, and as Guitar Wolf we can do. Now I’m very happy, because very cool movie. Cool and stupid. H: Sounds good! P: Yeah, I’ll look forward to it. |
| P: Your records, they have different sounds, I think. What
would you attribute the differences to? Does the producer... S: No, the producer is me. P: Always? S: Yeah, always, but first album, second album, third album are just four-track or walkman. Some songs are only walkman, because just cool. Fourth and fifth album is from Sony studio. P: So, more tracks and... S: Yeah, maybe sixteen. P: So, do you do the mixing, as well? S: No, engineer. The first time it was a little bit hard for me to explain our sound to engineer. I said, “Engineer, don’t move needle. Just red zone.” But a professional engineer can not do at first, but after that’s no problem. P: So after awhile they say, “OK, just red!” S: Yeah, just red! P: Your sound, live and in the studio, seems to be getting noisier. S: Ah, yeah, recording is like live show. Not separate. Same. Same time vocals, guitar, bass, drums, yeah, and with drink alcohol. P: Even the live show seems to be getting noisier. Like maybe there is a longer period in between songs... S: Oh really? But maybe from long time ago. I always, I like, I need noise. Because we are no skill. Our skill is no good. No technique. We need...Basic rock and roll is: Number one is looks; Number two is guts, tension; Number three is action; Maybe four, five nothing; Six is skill, technique. |
 |
P: When you’re on tour do you go sight-seeing?
S: No. Never. Just eating, sleeping. But twelve times. Twelve times in
U.S.! We seldom have sight-seeing.
P: Seldom, but have you seen anything that you remember, that was really
cool?
S: Ahh...oh, yeah! Devil’s Tower. Michi tono souguu te nante iu no?
P: David’s Tower?
H: Ahh, in the film, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, by Spielberg,
there is a...
S: Tee-tee (sound effect) UFO.
H: Yeah, there is a mesa named Devil’s Tower.
P: Oh right, Devil’s Tower.
S: ...and Mount Rushmore.
 |
P: You mentioned eating. What is your favorite road food?
S: Waffle House! Yeah. Don’t you know? Waffle House. P: Maybe not. S: A little bit diner, but they’re small. Very famous! Waffle House. P: OK. Other people will know it, I’m sure. I have been in New York too long. S: But sometimes I have to eat Japanese foods. H: Of course. P: Well, in New York you can do that. S: Oh yeah, easy! Easy to eat in New York, and cheap. P: Hmm, cheaper than in Japan maybe... S: Ahh, same. P: but not as good. S: Same. P: Same? What are your favorite cities to play here? S: In U.S.? Memphis, New Orleans, Seattle, San Francisco, Austin, and New York. Yeah. P: Where else have you toured in the world? S: Now we’ve played North America, Australia, Europe, and Asia. I hope, near in the future, I wanna go to Brazil and Egypt. South America and Africa we’ve not played. So... P: You want to conquer the world... S: Yeah. P: What do you do on your days off? S: Ah, nothing, just eating, sleeping, on tour. P: But when you are not on tour, not recording, how do you enjoy and relax? S: We don’t have a lot of time. Always recording and always have tour. Japan tour, Europe, Australia, U.S. So, maa demo...just relax. |
P: Are you a collector?
S: Ah, no. Not collector. Nukemichi sagashi, kana?
H: Oh, he likes to look for shortcuts, like a small alley or backstreet.
S: ...to my house, and motorcycle maybe.
P: How many motorcycles do you have?
S: Oh, just one. Kawasaki.
P: What would you say is your favorite thing in the world?
S: Favorite thing? Mmmm, nanika? Leather, sunglasses, motorcycle maybe.
P: OK, three. What is your favorite English word?
S: Jet!
P: How about your favorite record?
S: Ah, L.A.M.F. Heartbreakers.
P: Yeah, good one! What is your favorite animal?
S: Animal? Wolf!
P: Well, that makes sense.
| P: In Tokyo, in Japan now, in the scene, are there any bands
that we should look for that are coming up? S: Ah, Firestarter from Teengenerate. Do you know Teengenerate? P: Yeah, they broke up. S: Yes, the next band is Firestarter; Mad 3;... P: They're great. S: 5,6,7,8’s; Jackie and the Cedrics; Chelsea, from Kyoto; King Brothers; and Accel 4, my brother’s band. P: I have seen them. S: Similar. P: Yeah. Is he, your brother, the guitar player? S: Yes. P: He lights his arm on fire. Yeah, they put on quite a show, a big show, like you guys! S: Thank you. |
 |
P: OK, I think that’s all I need, thanks.
S: Ja, thank you.
P: It was great. It’s nice to meet you.
S: Yeah, me too. See you in CBGBs.
P: Will you wear costumes for CBGBs?
S: Maybe.
P: It is Halloween...
S: Yeah, I know. I have to.
P: Alright! It’ll be good.
S: Yeah. Thank you.
P: Thank you.
H: Domo arigatou.
All interview photos by Hitoshi Toyoda
--Tribute--
| Various Artists | ||
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I Love Guitar Wolf...Very Much -- (41:42) -- (2005) -- Narnack Records -- NCK7028 | |
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| A tribute to GUITAR WOLF, and most of the artists truly seem to have GUITAR WOLF’s rockin’ spirit in mind as they lay down their versions of this collection of GUITAR WOLF classics. The exceptions are TOTAL DORK whose noise on noise approach self-combusts, and PUFFY AMIYUMI and J. MASCIS + THE FOG, who both prettify things, thereby artfully expanding the range into some new realms. Hey, it’s not GUITAR WOLF, but it succeeds in fermenting some of the spirit. So, yay! | ||
