BLANKEY JET CITY

Overview

BLANKEY JET CITY (often abbreviated BJC) was a Japanese three-piece rock band featuring Kenichi Asai (nickname "Benji") on vocals and guitar, Toshiyuki Terui on bass, and Tatsuya Nakamura on drums. They rose to fame in 1990 by becoming the sixth Grand King on the TV show Miyake Yuji no Ikasu Band Tengoku ("Ikaten"), made their major debut in 1991 with the album Red Guitar And The Truth, and disbanded in 2000. They were hugely influential on the 1990s Japanese rock scene and remain highly regarded.

Career

Formation and debut (1980s–1991)

In the 1980s Asai and Terui played in Nagoya in a band called Scats. Asai then moved to Tokyo and worked with his friend Nakamura; when Asai was hired as a driver for the tour of Nakamura's band F.O.A.D, he met Terui again in Nagoya, prompting Terui to move to Tokyo too. In February 1990 the trio formed as "THE BLANKEY JET CITY" (Nakamura, initially the band's manager, became the drummer after a promising session). Some accounts date the formation to 1987 in Aichi Prefecture. On August 4, 1990, at Nakamura's suggestion, they appeared on Ikaten, playing "CAT WAS DEAD," "MOTHER," "Furyo Shonen no Uta," "Boku no Kokoro o Torimodosu Tame ni" and "Kurutta Asahi" to win five weeks in a row and become the sixth Grand Ikaten King, then signed with Toshiba EMI. Before their debut they also modeled in Yohji Yamamoto's Paris collection and appeared in a Walkman commercial. Their debut album Red Guitar And The Truth, recorded in London, came out in April 1991 and entered the Oricon chart at No. 8. It dealt with juvenile delinquency, broken families and the pain of neglected children, and Yamamoto used it to promote his 1991 Paris collection. Disagreements with producer Jeremy Green left the band unsatisfied with the result. In June they appeared at the "Tokyo Collection" at Jingu Pool, sharing a stage with Dennis Hopper.

1992–1995

Their second album Bang! (January 1992), the first produced by Masami Tsuchiya, included staples such as "RAIN DOG," "SOON CRAZY" and "Disneyland e," debuted at No. 7 and won numerous album-of-the-year awards from music publications. In February they made their first Music Station appearance, performing "Fuyu no Sweater." The live album Live!!! (September 1992) captured their May 4 show at Shibuya Public Hall, and in November "Warui Hitotachi" was released through their own office, Tokyo Pistol, because the lyric mentioned drugs. C.B.Jim followed in February 1993, acclaimed because every song concerned the same fictitious person, and the mini-album Metal Moon in December. Their fourth album arrived in May 1994, more jazz-oriented than before; around then the "THE" was dropped from the name. They played their first Nippon Budokan show in December, and their first overseas shows in London on October 26 and 29, 1994. The compilation The Six appeared in March 1995. After the June London tour the band considered splitting up after finishing their fifth album, but a free show at Yoyogi Park in August, "Are You Happy?", drew 13,000 people and went so well that the plan was dropped. Skunk was released in November 1995 and was the last album produced by Tsuchiya.

Solo projects and the final years (1996–2000)

In 1996 the members began solo projects: Asai with Sherbets and his indie label Sexy Stone Records, Terui as Joe Brown, and Nakamura with Losalios. In 1997 the band moved to Polydor and released its first self-produced, surf-rock-flavored album, Love Flash Fever. In 1998 they issued the compilation Kokkyosenjo no Ari (January), Romeo no Shinzo (June, selling over 300,000 copies in its first week) and the singles "Akai Tambourine," "Chiisana Koi no Melody," "Dandelion" and "Sweet Days." "Pepin" followed in 1999 amid another solo period. In 2000 they recorded in Okinawa and London and released "Sea Side Jet City" in April. On May 10, 2000, the day Harlem Jets was released, they announced their breakup in an Asahi Shimbun ad: "We made the best album, so we are disbanding." The album hit No. 2 on Oricon, their highest. The final single "Saturday Night" came out on July 5, and the farewell concerts "LAST DANCE" took place at Yokohama Arena on July 8 and 9. On July 28 they headlined the Green Stage at Fuji Rock Festival '00, the first Japanese act to do so, in effect their last show. The live release Last Dance followed in September and the best-of albums covering 1991–1995 and 1997–2000 in October.

After the breakup

In 2003 HMV ranked them No. 73 among its Top 100 Japanese pops artists. In 2008 their back catalog was reissued in SHM-CD paper-sleeve editions and an album of unreleased material was announced; RARE TRACKS and MONKEY STRIP ACT2 (Live) appeared in January 2009. The film VANISHING POINT, re-edited from footage of the final tour, was announced in 2012 and screened from January 26, 2013, with the DVD/Blu-ray released January 30. On March 27, 2013 the complete singles set COMPLETE SINGLE COLLECTION 『SINGLES』 was released alongside a "BJC Campaign" of reissues. On July 2, 2024 the band's official YouTube channel and X account were launched.

Musical style

Blankey Jet City fused rockabilly, punk rock and garage rock into a raw, emotional trio sound, paired with a literary worldview depicting urban loneliness and the world of outlaws. Asai wrote the lyrics and music for nearly all songs. The clash of three strong personalities defined their music, and they explored different colors across albums, from the jazzier 1994 release to the surf-rock-tinged Love Flash Fever.

Influence

Musicians such as Jiro of GLAY, Sheena Ringo, Ami Onuki of PUFFY and Daiki Tsuneta of King Gnu, along with poet Tahi Saihate, artist Yoshitomo Nara, Tamori and Kazunari Ninomiya, have cited the band's influence. Tamori once named them on Waratte Iitomo! as a band he wanted to see reunite.

Members

• Kenichi Asai (born December 29, 1964, Aichi): vocals, guitar; also active in Sherbets, Ajico and Jude
• Toshiyuki Terui (born February 28, 1964, Aichi): bass; also Joe Brown, Rosso, Raven
• Tatsuya Nakamura (born January 4, 1965, Toyama): drums; also Losalios, Friction, Twin Tail