Ringo News 2015

I'm surprised she's actually out and said what a few of us have thought for a long time. Just churning them out on demand for whatever corporate sponsor is in line. She could have lied and spoke about having a fun breezy song that she thought fitted the Coke ideal or something, but she just comes out with the truth that's it's written on demand.

It's a sad day to actually read these things and for me marks the end of the road. I now know that nothing with any actual feeling or interest on her part is on the horizon and she herself doesn't come across as either still being hungry for the craft or caring any more.

R.I.P. Shiina Ringo, 1998-2015

[zeroryouko]

Maybe she's undergoing a midlife crisis. Maybe she's burnt out about dealing with corporate BS. Maybe all she ever really wanted was to bum around playing with a band. Maybe scaling it back a bit and reconnecting with her roots will rejuvenate her spirit. Maybe this upcoming tour will be what she needs.

[Scribble R]

YIKES. That second bolded quote just says everything.

I'm reminded of the promotional image on her anniversary where she's sitting at a table covered with stacks of paper.

Originally Posted by harry4567

Q: 台北演唱會，在選歌、造型、舞台視覺上，我們會看到什麼樣子的椎名林檎？有沒有特別嘉賓可以透露一下嗎？
A:啊，我腦海裡現在只有台灣的美食。演唱會的事情現在開始好好想一想。
Q: Which Ringo would we see in the Taipei concert? Is there any special guests?
A: Oops, I'm only thinking about the food in Taiwan. I didn't think of the concert at all!

I'm reading too much into it, as always, but do you think she's annoyed at the results of the fan vote and having to perform mostly early solo music? Then again she must have known that it would happen.

[The Most Curious Thing]

jesus Shiina, this is quite the midlife crisis, isn't it? go on hiatus or something, maybe start a gourmand blog

also on that note, lol at the idea of her coming to the US now

[zeroryouko]

Forget coming to the US, I'll be happy if she continues performing at all...

ETA: I'm pretty sure the food thing is a not-so-subtle attempt to curry favor with her Taiwanese audience. Those guys are really serious about their food and it's a big point of pride there, or so says a Taiwanese friend of mine.

[zeroryouko]

Sorry to double post, but also - I wonder what's being said among Japanese fans now about this? Does anyone know? Google is not getting me very far.

[Scribble R]

I don't think we should get too carried away with this, though. Everything has been a mixed bag and we shouldn't ignore that there's been good stuff as much as there's been 'meh.'

[zeroryouko]

Quite true, there has been some good stuff, even lately. Even if she does spend the rest of her career writing songs to spec, there's no reason that they can't be good songs. I have always maintained that one of Ringo's special skills is her versatility - she can write just about any kind of song from any viewpoint. Reimport is a good example.

That said, the more I think about it, the more I can kind of sympathize with her. I went through a very similar period in my own career last year. But I take solace in the fact that if she's bitter, it means that she knows there's something to be bitter about.

I've been listening to Atarashii Bunmei Kaika a lot recently (a song which, IMHO, does not get nearly enough attention). At first I interpreted it as an allegory for Japan's relationship to America, specifically as it applies to Japan's cultural identity. Now I wonder if it wasn't really just as much about *her* facing the continuing onslaught of mindless pop music, like AKB48 and their ilk.

[deadgrandma]

Well, at least I won't get too bothered by her 'meh' stuff from now on I suppose.

And my wallet will be slightly heavier, won't have to buy any more singles cause they'll no doubt end up on compilations disguised as new albums from now on. So there's that positive.

Seems she's been too busy with being involved with the Tokyo 2020 Review Commitee lately to give a rats ass about what any of her fans think anyway. Expect her to play NIPPON 2020. She'll be damned if AKB gets the spotlight from her!



There's the look of a woman scheming.

Perhaps her grand finale before her retirement in 2020? Seems feasible right?

"5 more years and I'm outta this bitch" -Ringo Shiina, 2015.

[mrnarse]

Here's a short news report about it: