self-introduction,etc.

[David Hopkins]

Hi
     David Hopkins here. I'm an assistant prof at Tenri University in Nara. 
My real specialty is American literature and comparative literature, with a 
special focus on the interwar period or thereabouts. I also teach 
comparative culture and try to include as much film and music as possible. I 
particularly like silent film, from just about anywhere. But I would say I'm 
interested in anything from the modern era (culturally speaking), and 
especially American, Japanese, German, and Soviet popular and literate 
culture. Vague enough?
     My attention was directed to this group by a friend who spotted a 
reference to a Big Black CD on Japan's Sento label, with a question about 
its design. The original US release had a parody of a Marlboro pack, I 
think. Masahiko Ono, designer of Alchemy records releases, etc, put the 
Golden Bat parody over the original art. You might notice that it has 
changed "Sweet and Mild" to "Sweat and Wild." It is one of the rarest Big 
Black items. I know, because Sento is my company, and we didn't sell many 
(Touch and Go in Chicago failed in its attempts to limit exports by US 
distributors and they killed us. CDs are not cheap to make over here.)
     On a more cinematic note, I just finished three weeks as an extra on 
the set of a new Toei release. It's a horrible piece of right-wing 
propaganda slime, called Pride, but could just as well be renamed Springtime 
for Tojo. Virtually a concretization of the school history textbook problem, 
it asserts that Japan was serious in its professed intent to liberate Asia 
from colonialism, that Subhas Chandra Bose was the major figure in Indian 
independence, that the Nanking Massacre was either rumor or a legitimate 
military operation, that the US deserved to be attacked for its 
intransigence in negotiations with the Japanese government, and if you give 
me a few more minutes I can think of some other contentious points. Tojo 
Hideki was not only innocent, he was a nice guy and a good husband.
     The film is financed by Higashi Nihon House. Real estate and 
construction are pretty suspect businesses in Japan, and rumor on the set 
was that it was all about money-laundering.
     The director is Ito Shunya (Sasori, Hanazono Meikyu,etc.). Stars are 
Tsugawa Masahiko and Ishida Ayumi. Technical crew was surpisingly 
unprofessional and unprepared for set-ups and lighting changes. Lots of 
wasted time and labor. I seriously doubt that this film will be seen outside 
of Japan, but if you do see it, I'm the guy behind the witness box flipping 
my middle finger at the camera, again and again. I know it's childish, but I 
happen to care as passionately about this as the producers probably do, 
although with a rather different slant, of course.
     That's all.
David Hopkins
Tenri University