Talk Talk were an English pop and post-rock band formed in 1981, led by Mark Hollis, Lee Harris (drums), and Paul Webb (bass). The group achieved early chart success with the synth-pop singles "Talk Talk" (1982), "It's My Life", and "Such a Shame" before moving towards more experimental music in the mid-1980s, pioneering what became known as post-rock. Talk Talk achieved widespread critical success in Europe and the UK with the singles "Life's What You Make It" (1985), and "Living in Another World" (1986), and in 1988 they released their fourth album Spirit of Eden, which was critically acclaimed yet commercially less successful.
Manzai (漫才) is a traditional style of stand-up comedy in Japanese culture.
Kunrei-shiki rōmaji (訓令式ローマ字) is a Cabinet-ordered romanization system to transcribe the Japanese language into the Latin alphabet. It is abbreviated as Kunrei-shiki. Its name is rendered Kunreisiki using Kunrei-shiki itself.
Haruki Murakami is a Japanese writer. His books and stories have been bestsellers in Japan as well as internationally, with his work being translated into 50 languages and selling millions of copies outside his native country. His work has received numerous awards, including the World Fantasy Award, the Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award, the Franz Kafka Prize, and the Jerusalem Prize.
The ninjatō (忍者刀), ninjaken (忍者剣), or shinobigatana (忍刀), are allegedly the preferred weapon that the shinobi of feudal Japan carried. It is portrayed by modern ninjutsu practitioners as the weapon of the ninja, and is prominently featured in popular culture. Replicas of this sword have also been prominently on display at the Ninja Museum of Igaryu located in Iga, Mie Prefecture, Japan, since it was established in the mid 1960s. The honorary director of the Iga-ryu Ninja Museum is Jinichi Kawakami. The swords are also prominently on display at the Koka Ninja Village Museum in Kōka, Shiga and at the Gifu Castle Archives Museum in Gifu, Gifu Prefecture, Japan
Memories is a 1995 Japanese animated science fiction anthology film with Katsuhiro Otomo as executive producer, and based on three of his manga short stories. The film is composed of three shorts: Magnetic Rose, directed by Studio 4°C co-founder Kōji Morimoto and written by Satoshi Kon; Stink Bomb, directed by Tensai Okamura of Darker than Black fame and written by Otomo, and Cannon Fodder, written and directed by Otomo himself.
The chokutō is a straight, one-edged Japanese sword that was produced prior to the 9th century. Its basic style is likely derived from similar swords of ancient China. Chokutō were used on foot for stabbing or slashing and were worn hung from the waist. Until the Heian period such swords were called tachi (大刀), which should not be confused with tachi written as 太刀 referring to curved swords.
Avatar: The Last Airbender is an American animated television series that aired for three seasons on Nickelodeon. The series began in February 2005 and concluded in July 2008 with a two-hour episode titled Sozin's Comet. Avatar: The Last Airbender is set in an Asiatic-like world in which some people can manipulate the classical elements with psychokinetic variants of the Chinese martial arts known as "bending". The series is presented in a style that combines anime with American cartoons and relies on the imagery of East/South Asian, Inuit, and New World societies. It follows the protagonist, 12-year-old Aang and his friends, who must bring peace and unity to the world by ending the Fire Lord's war with three nations.
Slapp Happy was a German/English avant-pop group, formed in Germany in 1972. Their lineup consisted of Anthony Moore (keyboards), Peter Blegvad (guitar) and Dagmar Krause (vocals). The band members moved to England in 1974 where they merged with Henry Cow, but the merger ended soon afterwards and Slapp Happy split up. Slapp Happy's sound was characterised by Dagmar Krause's unique vocal style. From 1982 there have been brief reunions to work on an opera, record a CD and tour Japan.
"Girl Talk/The Speed Star" is a double a-side by Japanese recording artist Namie Amuro from her seventh studio album Queen of Hip-Pop (2005). The a-side, which consists of the tracks "Girl Talk" and "The Speed Star", was released as the album's third single on October 14, 2004. "Girl Talk" was written and produced by T.Kura and Michico while "The Speed Star" was written and produced by Akira and Monk. The songs are R&B-dance tracks, which features instrumentation from synthesizers, violins, keyboards and bass guitars. Both "Girl Talk" and "The Speed Star" were used as the commercial songs for cosmetic company Lucido-L.
A Wild Sheep Chase is the third novel by Japanese author Haruki Murakami. First published in Japan in 1982, it was translated into English in 1989. It is an independent sequel to Pinball, 1973, and the third book in the so-called "Trilogy of the Rat". It won the 1982 Noma Literary Newcomer's Prize.
Feeling the Space is Yoko Ono's fourth solo album, her last one on Apple Records.
In Praise of Love is a 2001 French film written and directed by Jean-Luc Godard. The black-and-white and color drama was shot by Julien Hirsch and Christophe Pollock. Godard has famously stated that "a film should have a beginning, a middle and an end, but not necessarily in that order." This aphorism is illustrated by In Praise of Love, which reverses the order of past and present.
Straight Talk is the soundtrack to the 1992 film of the same name starring Dolly Parton and James Woods. Composed of ten original Parton compositions, the album reached #22 on the US country albums charts. Two singles were released: the title track and "Light of a Clear Blue Morning". The music video for "Straight Talk" was directed by Dominic Orlando at the SIR Stage in Hollywood, CA. The video's guest musicians included Russ Kunkel, C. J. Vanston, Kenny Gradney, Steve Farris, and Greg Ladanyi.
Pamela Wallace is an American screenwriter and author. She won an Academy Award for co-writing the screenplay for the movie Witness. Wallace has also written 25 romance novels, under her own name and the pseudonyms Pamela Simpson and Dianne King.
How Music Works is a non-fiction book by David Byrne, a musician, writer, and public figure best known for his work with the group Talking Heads. He discusses the form and influence of music in a non-linear narrative fashion, using a variety of experiences from his career to create something part autobiography and part music theory. The book was published through McSweeney's on September 12, 2012, and was named as one of Amazon.com's "Best Books of the Month" in that same month. It has received mainly positive reviews.
Rozen Maiden is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Peach-Pit. It was serialized in Monthly Comic Birz between the September 2002 and July 2007 issues. The individual chapters were collected and released into eight tankōbon volumes by Gentosha. The eight volumes were localized to North America by Tokyopop between March 2003 and June 2007. The story follows Jun Sakurada, a middle school student who withdrew from society after suffering persecutions from his classmates. Following his withdrawal, he is chosen to become the master to a Rozen Maiden named Shinku. Rozen Maidens are seven sentient bisque dolls who compete against each other to become a perfect doll dubbed as Alice.
"A Gallon of Gas" is the ninth track from The Kinks' album, Low Budget. It was written by Ray Davies.
Straight Life: The Story of Art Pepper is the (auto)biography of jazz musician Art Pepper, co-written by the saxophonist and his wife, Laurie Pepper. It was first published in 1979, by Schirmer Books.
