So good to finally see new, beautiful videoart-
PAUL JAMES
THIS ARTICLE WAS PUBLISHED ON SHIFT, READ IT HERE AND IN JAPANESE
VANITY has been the ideal party to the artists, models, and hipsters of Tokyo since 2004 and with a guest list filled with internationally renowned bands and fashion designers, it has become the place to be. This interview is with the man behind VANITY, Paul James. Paul is originally from Canada and with DJing in Paris, London, and L.A. under his belt; he brings creativity and gratification to the Tokyo electro nightlife.
Tell us a bit about yourself.
I have an alter ego, I party and I work in fashion but I’m also a very private person. I spend a lot of my time at home reading and listening to acoustic music. There are two sides of me.
How did VANITY start?
I was doing creative parties in Vancouver before I came to Tokyo. I visited Japan for a holiday and I decided that I was going to live here. So, I came back for a year not knowing any Japanese and not having any friends. It took me a long time to get stuff going but in 2003 Vanity started.
How did you start getting all these exclusive people like Steve Aoki, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Franz Ferdinand, etc to attend VANITY?
One of the first parties we did with big guests was Peaches. During that time, Jeremy Scott came because he was friends with her. So, I met him, and Bloc Party was there as well. Basically you start meeting people through socializing and they start contacting you.
Out of all the parties you’ve thrown which has been your favorite? Is there one that beats them all?
I think the best one was in summer of 2007, when the Klaxons and The Horrors came. That party was special because CSS and Steve Aoki were DJing. It was a GOOD party. Jamie from the Klaxons had a broken leg and went up the DJ ladder. It was amazing.
What is your favorite type of music to play?
It’s a mix. I don’t like it when DJs play the same exact sound for an hour, it gets boring. I really like it when people mix stuff up and throw something crazy that you wouldn’t expect. It’s harder to say what my favorite type of music is now because there are so many bands. I think about 4-5 years ago there was a certain wave of music but now there’s SO much that tracks are just downloaded off the internet.
Vanity draws in a lot of the fashionable people of Tokyo. What’s your opinion on style?
I don’t like it when some people copy the magazines. It’s good to be influenced but in Japan they sometimes go a little too far. People should just be confident, know what looks good on them and what doesn’t.
What’s in the future for Vanity? Are you planning on expanding to other cities?
No, I never really thought about expanding outside of Tokyo.
WORDS: MONIKA MOGI
THEE VICARS
Shouting, kicking, thrashing, sex drugs and GARAGE.
Drink beer and start a band, simple as that. A short
interview with THEE VICARS.
Who are Thee Vicars? Where are you guys from?
Thee Vicars are four young lads ages between 17-19 from a small town in Suffolk called Bury St. Edmunds.
How and when did the band start?
The band started in April 2007. We were terribly drunk at the time, at a gig in our town. We were appauled at the bands, not just that night, but every gig in the town. We’d already played together in other bands (though not playing outside of sleepy Suffolk) and we rambled on about starting a band that would actually be exciting and fun. Surprisingly we remembered the conversation and followed up on it the next day! From then we discovered that not all live bands are bad, just most of them.
What bands have influenced your sound the most?
Mostly 60’s bands such as The Chocolate Watchband, The Kinks, The Stones, The Standells, The Remains, The Sevens. And obviously there’s Billy Childish who has an amazing sound.
What can an audience expect from a Thee Vicars gig?
Loud, LOUD raw sounds, dancing, rambling…all kinds of mischief.
Are there any crazy stories or gigs that you would like to share?
Our guitarist threw up on himself outside Patronaat in Haarlem recently after too much beer mixed with magic mushrooms and our manager drew a swastika on his bell-end in Berlin and flashed it around…
So, you have an upcoming tour with the Black Lips. That’s amazing. How did that happen, are you guys excited?
King Khan told them about us and they came to see us play at Bloomsbury Bowling Lanes in London before they flew home. Jared begged us to play some gigs with them, we said yes. Hell yeah we’re excited!!
no man’s land
SHIFT Magazine asked me to report on the ‘No Man’s Land’ exhibition which took place at the French Embassy in Tokyo.
Click below to read the full article.
or read it in Japanese here
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