Tokyo Wrestlingエディターズの編集後記。
編集にまつわる裏話や、世界をまたぐTokyo Wrestlingフレンズからのお便りを紹介。
Personal notes from our editors. Also discover postcards from TW friends around the world!
Notes personnelles des editrices. Decouvrez aussi les messages des Tokyo Wrestling friends du monde entier.
Yesterday Charlotte Ronson - one of the most watched young designers in New York today - held a fashion show and after party for her 2009 spring collection here in Tokyo...and TW was there for the report!
Ronson's collection was filled with designs as girlish and cute as ever, but craftily spiked with a little extra tang - making this show her coolest yet. One thing is for sure, there's a lot to look forward to this coming spring!
Also, the invitation for the Tokyo show indicated that a "special guest from Hollywood" would make the scene - a considerable hint leading many to guess that the woman of mystery would be none other than actress and close friend to the Ronson family, Lindsay Lohan - also known for her hot connection to Charlotte Ronson's twin sister Samantha. Sure enough, Lohan was there looking absolutely gorgeous. She had just about everyone in the room transfixed from the moment she hit the runway. Lohan was charming and showered the venue with smiles the whole time.
※Designer Charlotte Ronson (left) and Lindsay Lohan walking the stage after the show. The smile radiating across Lohan's face is just adorable. The photo was taken with a cell phone, so the quality is not that great.
Naturally, the music was managed by Samantha Ronson. After the show, there was an after party at the Aoyama club, Le Baron, where - naturally -Samantha also DJ'ed at as well.
※DJ Samantha Ronson showing the room what she's got at Le Baron.
Samantha was hotter in real life than she'd ever seemed in photographs...in fact, she's TOO HOT!!!
★For Tokyo Wrestling's report on Charlotte Ronson's Fashion Show, follow the link here!
Hello, editor Asami here.
As I mentioned yesterday, I wanted to follow up and let you know about goings-on when chief editor Yuki, Miwa Tosaki of Tokyo L Girls Snapshots and I headed to MOTEL#203 the other day.
Every Saturday evening Motel features women DJs of truly international caliber. Last week Peli was scheduled to perform so we ran out en force to cheer her on.
※Peli Dj'ing against the backdrop of Motel's chill interior design.
Peli's music stylings stand apart from most DJ fare, with tastes centering on 80's pop and New Wave. The atmosphere in the bar was comfortable and still fully charged by the zing of queer hits thrown into the mix. Even we couldn't help but get giddy with nostalgia inspired by songs from, you know, "back then..."
Motel is the newest venture by DCK, a leading force in Japan's lesbian scene for many years now. DCK treated us to conversation about things such as the queer scene in Japan. The bar is subdued and easy, perfect for conversation, and has great drinks.
Motel also keeps some lesbian resources out for customers, such as books and magazines introduced in TW's info section and articles, as well as the GISELe with TW's Hot List.
Anyone even just looking to catch up on their Japanese L culture reading ought to check it out!
※Peli, an avid reader of TW, looks ravishing.
Photos by Miwa Tosaki
★To return to Tokyo Wrestling's homepage, follow the link here.
Just the other day, the notorious fashionista shop, CANDY, hosted a party to herald the first exhibition of work by fancyHIM's own resident VJ, RE:RE:RE:mojojo!
※Party for RE:RE:RE:mojojo's 1st exhibition, held at CANDY
RE:RE:RE:mojojo is a young graphic artist now gaining attention from the world over. Just recently she was featured alongside Jeremy Scott, Amie Dicke, and Nobuyoshi Araki in Australia's Nothing Magazine, a web publication renowned for its unmatched eye for art and fashion.
※RE:RE:RE:mojojo's artwork
The exhibition brings to the walls of CANDY both past works and new creations - including a tremendous collage. CANDY will also be selling original t-shirts and other goods for the duration of the exhibition.
※T-shirts are the product of artistic collaboration between RE:RE:RE:mojojo and CANDY.
The party featured fantastic DJ delights, powered by fancyHIM's resident DJs Kaskay and Anita-san...in addition to the latest DJs on the scene, FancyBoy Leo and Shizuku.
※ FancyBoy Leo and Shizuku
※The ever-cute fancyBoy Leo and Shizuku; To the right: RE:RE:RE:mojojo
The exhibition lasts through Thursday, November 27.
After this party, I headed out to Motel #203 with Miwa Tozaki, the photographic artist behind TW's Tokyo L Girls Snap, and chief editor Yuki - now back from Europe.
But I'll get to writing about that tomorrow!
★To return to Tokyo Wrestling's homepage, follow the link here.
In my last post I wrote about Copenhagen in Denmark, but since then I made my way to the Switzerland's French speaking city of Genève, which is also home to a number of different queer establishments such as cafes, bars, and clubs. I'll be giving a more detailed report of what the city has to offer later, but first I'd like to tell you a bit about one event here in the notes section.
First, one must leave the international city of Genève for a 40 minute train ride to the similarly Francophone city of Lausanne. Compared to the somewhat bourgeois feeling that runs through Genève, Lausanne has more of an alternative, artistic vibe running through it and here you can find Le Romandie - a live concert house known well among local rockers.
※A poster from the queer party, Kill Your Idols, held on October 4th. Guests included Mosh Mosh, a Swiss-German unit.
Le Romandie is not specifically itself a queer event space, but for the last several years the sizzling hot queer rock party, Kill Your Idols, has been held there every other month. This event features queer rock and performances, and its remarkably even mix of lesbian, gay, queer and, straight people coming to attend has really set it apart. The types of music often heard are electro, techno, rock, and alternative.
※Kill Your Idols on October 4th; Again, a tremendous success, with the club filled to capacity.
The event is organized by the very cool, and dyke, Les Filles Affranchies (The Liberated Girls), interviewed last year by TW. Unfortunately, the group disbanded this year, but they made the decision to continue with the Kill Your Idols event.
★For the Les Filles Affranchies interview, follow the link here.
I'll be posting photographs from the event later, so be sure to check back!
※America's transcendent rocker, Melissa Etheridge (left)
with her partner, actress Tammy Lynn Michaels.
Recently, in an interview with the TV entertainment magazine "Extra", the principled and vocal musical artist Melissa Etheridge spoke about plans she has with her long time partner, actress Tammy Lynn Michaels, for an official wedding ceremony.
Following the passage of the California Domestic Partner Rights and Responsibilities Act in 2003, the couple already tied the knot in a commitment ceremony but, owing to the sanctioning of same-sex marriage in California in May this year, the couple aims to now have their partnership fully recognized under the law.
Etheridge and Michaels have four children. In 2006, Michaels gave birth to twins conceived by the couple via sperm donor and Etheridge's two children from her previous relationship with Julie Cypher.
The date for the wedding has not been publicly released, but considering the possibility that the legalization of same-sex marriages may once again be overturned in November's election, many speculate that the couple will wed before then.
This announcement follows the recent wedding of comedian Ellen DeGeneres and actress Portia de Rossi, making it likely that Etheridge and Michaels will be the second celebrity lesbian couple to exchange nuptials. All of us at Tokyo Wrestling wish them the best in wedded bliss!
★To read about Melissa Etheridge at the 2007 Oscars, follow the link here.
★To return to Tokyo Wrestling's homepage, follow the link here.
Hello! This is chief editor Yuki again.
I've a little more to report from Europe!
In my last post I mentioned the Out Games to be held next year in Copenhagen. Well, now I'd like to share with you some information on one of Copenhagen's coolest nightspots, a lounge bar & club called Jolene.
Jolene is not an exclusively lesbian venue by any means; it's a mix space where plenty of straight folks also come to hang out. However, seeing as one owner and the booking manager are both queer women, the club itself is extremely queer-friendly and a draw for gay men and women from all around.
The booking manager is DJ Djuna Barnes - Copenhagen's newest rising star - known for her next generation-ly DJ skills and cool the world over. I will go into more detail later with a Copenhagen scene report, but let it suffice to say for now that Denmark has a lot to be proud of in this renowned dyke maestro. DJ Djuna Barnes not only performs at events throughout her own country but she has performed across much of the world, and also has her own column in the Copenhagen newspaper.
I learned about Jolene from three lesbians involved in both Danish and international activism: Minna Grooss- a musician and all-round activist, her girlfriend Katleene, and the communication director for IGLYO (International Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Youth and Student Organization) Nanna Moe.
※From the left: IGLYO communications director Nanna Moe, musician & activist Minna Grooss and her girlfriend Katleene.
Minna Grooss published a book about queer life titled Homo in 2004, which won a literary award for its innovative perspective. She is currently working on a number of projects including a documentary about lesbians - which would be the first ever made in Denmark.
Thanks to the guidance of these three fabulous queer women, I had the most wonderful time in Copenhagen. I'll give you a little bit more to know, later!
The word is out. On September 22nd, Lindsay Lohan gave a public nod to the fact that she is involved with Samantha Ronson.
At the time, Samantha Ronson was talking on the phone with DJ Ted Stryker from an LA radio station about a friend, when the phone changed hands. With Lohan on the line, Ted started to pose questions about "your girl" to the film and TV star, before ending the conversation with, “You and Samantha have been going out for how long now? Two years? One year? Five months? Two months?”
Lohan replied with a shy, “A long...a very long time.”
Stryker rounded out the conversation by affirming, “I hope you guys stay together, you’re a very lovely looking couple.”
Tokyo Wrestling also sends our best wishes to the sweet couple in love.
※Audio of the radio program with Ted Stryker and Lindsay Lohan.
Hello, this is your chief editor, Yuki Keiser, reporting.
I made it safely to Europe and am now in Copenhagen!
The temperature is about 12 degrees, clearly colder than Tokyo,
and already I've been exploring the area with the help of a local lesbian.
Today, I interviewed persons responsible for organizing the Outgames in Copenhagen, scheduled for July of next year.
As many of you may know, the Outgames are basically the LGBT Olympics with a cultural fair thrown in. LGBT athletes from around the world come together once every four years in different cities to compete over the course of 10 days. In addition, a number of conferences, art exhibitions and other events are also scheduled to take place before, during, and after the Outgames, meaning that as a whole, the event is being managed as a grand-scale affair with the sponsorship of the city of Copenhagen itself as well as major corporations such as IBM and Scandinavian Airlines. Plans are in place to get 20,000 people involved in the event next year and turn the town all shades of queer.
For my interview, I spoke with the project manager for the cultural program Jane Rowley, an out lesbian and art curator by profession. She shared insider's background on the Outgames, its cultural events, and the scene in Copenhagen in general too. The article and interview will be posted on TW in the near future, so be on the lookout!
※Cultural events director and art curator Jane Rowley at the Outgames office in Copenhagen.
For more information on the World Outgames, see the official website at: www.copenhagen2009.org/
★To return to Tokyo Wrestling's homepage, follow the link here.
This may come as a surprise, but TW's chief editor has headed off to Europe!
As many of you may have recognized, a substantial portion of Tokyo Wrestling's international coverage has focused on the United States, partly due to the heavy influence of The L Word in particular. Well, right about now, we intend to take advantage of the chief editor's travels to get some more topics in on the dyke scene in Europe.
For the next few weeks, she'll be filing special reports with us here in the TW notes section, so please don't forget to check in when you can for all the latest.
★To return to Tokyo Wrestling's homepage, follow the link here.
As mentioned our Info section previously, Shinjuku Nichome's own popular CoColo Café is hosting a new L Art Exhibition.
Among the many works of L art at the venue, illustrations by TW's own favorite Sachiko Takeuchi, known for her manga artistry in “Honey and Honey” will be displayed. She also joined a talk panel held on August 9th as part of the month's L art events. Don’t miss your one chance to catch rare works Takeuchi made exclusively for this exhibition - inspired by The L Word in her own way.
In the talk panel held last month, she won adoration from the audience for her open-hearted and humorous conversation. In addition to Takeuchi, Yasuki Saito, editor of the extraordinary Japanese gay blog, Campy!, made the show even more exciting by sweetly incorporating the audience and tickling their fancy with his witty remarks.
Though a little late, we have here for you a video report of the event!
Her comics are recognizable by their very attractive and cute illustrative style, along with the candid and amusing messages conveyed through them. Her latest comic contains fresh ad unique sensibility, setting it apart from her previous works, owing in part to its setting - in Thailand. Naturally, like her other comics, this novel is also based on her own experiences. However, it is constructed like a journal - complete with pictures, which makes the reader feel as if they were traveling with the characters. Actually, it puts you in the mood to make a trip of your own to Thailand!
The story in the novel centers on the gruff yet endearing Kai and the more mild Sachiko. The two of them embark on the journey of their lives, inspiring laughter with every read. This book is a must-read.
A special edition of the manga, can be found here at Takeuchi's artist profile on Comic Essay Gekijo. Do check it out!
★For more information on Takeuchi and her manga, see MORE below.
★To return to Tokyo Wrestling's homepage, follow the link here.
