[My resume 13] SUPER STARS in TOKYO [Part 1]

This summer, there was a retrospective directed by Jim Jarmusch, and I watched it quite a bit.
Recently, ``Patterson'' has been good, but for fans of the past, ``Stranger Than Paradise'' is a must-see masterpiece.
Among them, the main character, John Lurie, gave off a great atmosphere.
But did you know that he is not an actor at heart, but a musician? He was a saxophone player and led a jazz band called the Lounge Lizards.
The movie was released in Japan in 1986, the year I became Gokusan's assistant, and it was a big hit, and at the same time Lounge Lizards, who were starting to make a fuss about the New Wave scene in New York, also attracted attention.
I wrote earlier that TOOLS is a creative office run by Mito, Kondo, and Scott, and one of them, Scott, has a great network, and through those connections, we were able to connect John Lurie and his band Lounge Lizards. We were talking about coming to Japan and doing a live show.
I'm just an assistant, and I don't really know why we decided to take on such an unusual project ourselves, but since we're doing it anyway, I have to help out, and the venue is on the grounds of Tsukiji Honganji Temple. It was held in an unusual location.

The place was so out of this world (yes, it was a temple), the project was so unrealistic, and to top it all off, I had just become an assistant, so I don't remember much about the time, but I had to exchange money for the entrance fee. All I remember is running to a nearby pachinko parlor.
I'm sure he said the same thing when I talked to my senior photographer, Mr. H, the other day. I also remembered that the opening act was Seiko Ito & The Tiny Punks.

Speaking of Scott's network, I can't help but write about Keith Haring.
It goes without saying that he is a superstar in the pop art world, and Scott was also close friends with him.
I did a little research and discovered that Keith Haring first came to Japan in 1983 and painted a mural at On Sunday's, a shop across from the current Watarium.
It was relocated in 2018 for preservation purposes, but until then I was able to see his work every day.
He frequently visited Japan during his world tour to fill every corner of the world with his art. He also came to visit TOOLS BAR, where I used to go every night as an assistant.
He is very frank and his art can be drawn in an instant (of course I respect his originality to get there), so he easily signed autographs for the staff and customers.
The artwork on the store's door was also done with that light touch, and I felt proud every time I looked at the door. By the way, where on earth did the T-shirt that I had drawn on that day go? It should have become a treasure in the truest sense of the word.

However, I have another treasure.
One of Keith Haring's frequent visits to Japan was to open his shop, ``POP SHOP.''
The second store in the world after New York opened in Omotesando in 1988. This is the bowl I bought there.
I believe he painted it himself, as there is a signature on the top. I also remember being overjoyed when I bought some other items and received them in a very bright shopper.
This bowl is the only thing I have right now, but I feel deeply that there is something left that should remain.

Now, there will be other opportunities to meet superstars, but I will talk about them next time.