DerekVasconi

I daydream at night... so is it still called a "daydream?"

I'm listening to "Cultural Mixing" by Kaqriyo Terror Architect. It's been a long time since I've actually absorbed the brilliance of this album. Every single song is perfect. Not one bad note in the entire album. That's so fucking rare these days. And of course, it figures that this group in their prime were three girls who went onstage and were one of the greatest idol groups in the entire world... maybe in history. Seriously, you can't underestimate what Nona, and Kotetsu and Yamakomaro did...

Massive News Post Update for Idol Underworld AND my Patreons!

Hello all of you! I've been kind of quiet lately, but take a look at Idol Underworld now, and you'll see why...

I JUST ADDED SIX BRAND NEW GROUPS! And if that wasn't enough, I also have merchandise added from other groups as well, and lots of restock items, plus some announcements about what is coming up! So buckle in... this is going to be long, but it will be worth your time, I promise... I will break down what's been going on at Idol Underworld. After this post, I'll be posting a mor...

Shake. Stir. Some Rattling. Lots of rolling. And falling. And falling....

You know, Moneyball, that movie with Brad Bitt, about Major League Baseball... it might be one of the best-looking movies I've ever seen. I've been working on colors for grading the documentary and this money kind of jumped out at me. So, I think I'm going to try for that look... and coincidentally, a long time ago, back when I was studying the GH5 camera and how to even hold it, much less color grade the footage that I wanted to shoot on it, I had found a video on Youtube that really embodie...

Idol Underworld Update -Happy Valentine's Day Everybody!

You know, I decided to use Patreon to give an update for everybody as to what's happening at Idol underworld this past week. It's SO much that to put it all on Facebook might be really difficult to do, given how much there is to actually discuss. So here you go. This post is FREE and open to the public, so there is no need to worry... I'm not going to hit you up for any cash, although while you're here... if you DO see something you like, please by all means, contribute... I still am far from...

Suxxk my dixx, Bixxx!!!!

I'll get to the reason for the title of this post in a moment. Trust me, it's funny!

Anyway, I haven't posted in awhile because I've been beyond busy with doing a million idol related activities. I figured now would be a good time to relate all these activities to you, my fellow supporters, since I want you to know what you are helping to make possible, since contributing to me here allows me a little breathing room in terms of financially trying to make it here in the "land of eating u...

Soft delay pedal tones

Well, I ate that spaghetti by myself. 

It wasn't meant to be anything except another late night tweet, or post, or whatever, from my heart. Just something I felt at the time. Nothing too much to worry about... I wanted to eat spaghetti with somebody because I didn't want to go through all that trouble of making a big pile of pasta and use up all that expensive sauce I have to import here to Japan just for myself to eat and enjoy. Also, spaghetti represents family and Sunday dinners...

Idol Underworld 2020 - Plans and New Beginnings

Hello everybody! Yeah... I got some MAJOR news. So let's just jump into it...

For starters, I have to tell you all a huge THANKS for making 2019 a great year for me. I mean, personally, it was one of the worst years of my life, but professionally and business-wise, it happened to be a year that changed a lot for me. I improved some of my Japanese speaking to the point where I could actually start having some basic conversations on my own, and even that was enough to launch Id...

There is a stop. And then there is a pause. Not sure which I'm in right now...

Hamidasystem's new album, Down, has been playing seriously nonstop for me these days. It's really the soundtrack to me going out of my fucking mind. These late nights are becoming slow exercises in mental stability. Like... I have so much to do, I am so overwhelmed by everything I've lost here, and I often stare off and get paralyzed in thinking about all the good times I had together with the person I deeply loved, and how those times are not there anymore. How I lost the one person in my li...

No Sleep Till.... Tokyo?

That's an old Beastie Boys reference. Not sure why I am thinking of them at the moment, but... yeah. Bonus points for you if you are actually old enough to catch my switch in the song title there.

Anyway, how is everybody doing? Been a minute since I've did one of these posts. Not that I've lost interest or anything; just been super busy with getting work done that needs done, you know? Like, suuuuuper busy. I haven't slept much in the past two weeks. Maybe a total of a few hours each n...

Yoi Otoshi Wo Omukai Kudasai!!!

The fancy title just says, "Happy New Years" in Japanese. Or something like that.

I'm sitting here in my apartment on the last day of 2019 eating a half pound Reese's chocolate peanut butter cup. It was a gift sent to me by a fan of Idol Underworld and also of me, which is humbling to even write out here. I feel like he's not a fan but a friend, since he's really been there for me. We've talked many hours now over the past year, and I feel we'll be good friends until the day we both die...

We have come so far.

My Day Yesterday:

So, yeah, went to immigration in the morning to basically make sure I don't die a lonely death someplace other than Japan, which I'm sure to do here the way my life has gone since coming to this beautiful yet haunting country. But it all went surprisingly well and more easier than expected. Thanks Takao!

After this, found a net cafe to sleep a little, since I had stayed up the night before working on Idol Underworld orders and updating everything going on with th...

A Lack of Faith

When it comes to God, there are two things I believe:

1. There IS a God. 

2. I am not that God.

I used to believe so much more about God, and Jesus, and all things religious. This time in my life every year, as a child, it was so special. Not just because it was Christmas time and all that goes with that holiday when you're a child (Ah... that one Christmas I got the Super Nintendo and Final Fantasy II!). No, I remember going to midnight Mass as a Catholic and just the....

you become a memory yourself.

It's been a minute. December is here, and that means Christmas will be happening soon, though here in Japan, it's really not that big of a deal. It's more like an excuse to line up for a ridiculously over-priced bucket of KFC and yeah... cute lights everywhere put on trees and buildings and everything you can possibly attach a light too. The Japanese never miss a chance to be "Kawaii." 

I'm listening to Capsule right now. I have been feeling nostalgic lately, reminding myself of wh...

End of (these) Days

It's been a minute, hasn't it?

 So the last few weeks were a whirlwind of both happiness and shit all mixed together and slung at my face with the speed of a Nolan Ryan Fastball. 

I was able to secure some more interviews, including a very easy and fun interview with the members of Kiss Hug XOXO (Pictured above). Always lovely to be around the three of them. I didn't originally have them scheduled to be in the documentary as a group, as my focus was on Moe, their leader,...

When The Crashing Comes and You don't know who...

4AM is super dangerous for me. Mentally speaking. 

I spent Saturday basically taking chekis of idols. All fucking day. It was so much fun, despite being tired from only getting about two hours of sleep Friday night after Miyakos seitansai show. Two new groups joining Idol Underworld, one of which whose chekis are above in the image I posted for the header. Guess who they are?

I've loved Kaishin no Ichigeki for a long time. I remember seeing them at the very first Gyunou fest ...

Punk Rock Shopping

Hanako and me were trying to decide what would be best to film that is outside of a live show. She suggested her ritual of buying stickers for her fans and for herself, plus other assorted goods. So we met up and I filmed her while she just did her thing. But true to Hanako's wonderfully engaging self, she couldn't resist but talking to me the whole time and really showed me what she likes and doesn't like as she shopped. We kept going until we got busted by the store clerk for being punk roc...

Please shut your fuxxxing heart!

I'm literally going crazy. 

Like, I've been going nonstop the past week. NON. FUCKING. STOP. 

It's not that I don't have time to myself or time to sleep. I just CAN'T be alone. I CAN't sleep. "My nerves will be the death of me... I know. I knoooooow." So said somebody a long time ago (bonus cheki to you IF you know who I'm quoting. And if you use Google, that's cheating!). 

Somebody said something a long time ago. 

That's how I feel lately. Like, I ...

Floating. Sinking. A little of both

One of the best memories I have of this past year is coming home from shows and HER shoes would be there, in the genkan of my apartment. She had got off work and surprised me and waited for me while I finished up doing the idol thing. It's these kind of things that really will never leave my memory, I think, even when I'm much older in life. Like, if I get to be about 80 years old, I will finally understand why 80 year olds move so slowly... it's because they are too paralyzed by the intensit...

Bare Knuckles and skinned knees

I've been buuuuussy. As usual. Tomorrow, oh man... got two interviews lined up, and I'm working on my biggest interview yet. Ricky's helping me with that one. I'm so grateful he's actually saying he'll find the time to make it happen, since I know he has his hands full. We had our Balzac Two Man live last night and, well... yeah, it was incredible for many reasons, like, you know... FUCKING BALZAAAC!!! They just killed it. Too bad not many people were there to see it or Necroma. I mean... we ...

Joy before the storm. Literally.

Everybody is fucking freaking out here in Japan because of the typhoon coming our way. Everything got cancelled today, which when I say today, I mean like later today, as in 12 hours or so. Necroma was going to serve goat soup to people during our season of the witch promo event to kick off Necroma's annual October festivities. But yep... cancelled. At least Balzac/Necroma two man live isn't cancelled...so far. Seems we'll be okay with that. But the Burst Girl show in the morning on Sunday is...

NEW PATREON TIERS ADDED AND LATELY THINGS ARE...

NOTE: DO NOT SHARE THESE PICTURES OR POST THEM ON SOCIAL MEDIA! They are ultra private and Hanako does not want these shared. Please respect her wishes!

What's up guys!

 So I just sent all of you a message but to reiterate... I have updated my Patreon pledge tiers and now all of you need to rejoin at the level you feel the most comfortable doing. These levels include:

 Access to posts
Two random chekis sent to you monthly
AMA at the end of the month
Specia...

Communications.

Here I am again. 

Had to film Kiss Hug tonight. I totally was not on the right side of the stage to do this... plus I had a ridiculous overhead light in some parts that was so fucking blinding, for me to get anything to focus, I would've had to increase my aperture to some ridiculous number that would've basically turned the picture quality to asshole garbage anyways. So yeah... fucked that up.

I did get some nice parts though filmed beautifully, so at least I can retain the ...

Lilii Kaona. Dance in the Perfect.

Literally woke up after two hours of sleep exactly. I have no idea how the fuck I managed to do that. Usually when I try something like a two hour sleep quickie, I fuck that up so bad that I end up having to cancel whatever I had planned and do a restart.

 I couldn't do that this time. I was scheduled to film Lilii Kaona's one man live, their second one, at Shibuya's Space Odd. I had to be there at noon and was given just about full and total access to film anything and everything ...

Chi-(is my)- hiro

Monday started off like a Monday... you know, every fucking thing going wrong that could go wrong. 

The space I wanted to rent in Ikebukuro to do the interviews pulled some bullshit with me and said they couldn't rent the room that I reserved anymore because it had already been rented. Though it wasn't last night when I reserved it. So they are lying. Or Space Market somehow is broke. Or somebody didn't do their fucking job. So they gave me a shitty, office room with no backgrounds...

Joy in the morning

Fell asleep so late last night after Kunogi's graduation show. Tried working and ended up just zombifying in front of my computer. I literally fell asleep with my head on the keyboard. 

Woke up late and wasn't sure if I was going to make it all the way to Roppongi to film Nanomoral at Varit. I love Varit. The guy who always puts on shows there is so nice to me and we always chat. It's funny because anytime I see him, he already knows I'm going to ask him if he's "Genki," and as soo...

Farewell and Forward, Onward

Last night was Kunogi Kenbishi's final performance as a member of Necronomidol. 

I was upstairs at Shinjuku Marz doing some filming for my documentary. For Necroma, it's tricky for me to film them in Tokyo because of the fact that Kunogi is leaving and also because it's hard to really focus on Himari, Rei, and Kaki, who I want to feature a bit more prominently in the documentary. The girls move around so much on the stage that to capture them all in their strongest moments on the s...

The Real Night's Watch

My GOD, have I been busy! I mean, so busy I have literally slept maybe six hours in the past two days! Just... holy fuck me all to hell!

So, here was my day today....

Woke up an hour before I needed to be at the interview with Mizuho. If you don't know the Mizuho I'm referring to, and if you are blind and can't see her picture above and instantly recognize her, GO LISTEN TO BELLRING SHOUJU GIRL'S HEART RIGHT NOW. Go put on the song, "THE EDGE OF GOODBYE," and then, for good measur...

SHOKO, SHOKO, SHOKO ASAHARA....

Well, that was interesting.

Hanako San invited me to come film her recording today. The brain on this girl. She knows me putting that out there is going to get people excited about her upcoming music that she will be releasing, as well as capture a moment in time that shows who she is and what she's doing in idol. Sooooo hard-working. I love her so much for being this kind of an idol. 

Had some more issues with focusing but I did my best. I was sweating so much in the little ...

Nanomoral No moral no Nano?

The documentary keeps rolling.

 So this time, I filmed Nanomoral's very rare acoustic live set. It was at Shinjuku Dues. I had so much fun at this live, and felt so many great emotions. It's weird because there is kind of an underlying sadness in Nanomoral's songs, I think, yet you can't help but feel like it's at the same time a celebration of life when you hear Miku sing and Kajiwara croon like they do so very well in every song together. And also, Miku's smile is so damn infecti...

End of Days.

First,  all of you who gave me such beautiful words of encouragement in the last Patreon post... THANK YOU. Also, didn't mean to sound like... I guess not understanding... when some of you mentioned I seek professional help. That just blindsided me... because I didn't think I was sounding that far gone. Honestly, I am in an emotional place where I can't get out of the constant feeling of pain I have inside because my circumstances haven't changed and I get caught in mental loops thinking...