{"id":594,"date":"2011-10-27T19:30:11","date_gmt":"2011-10-27T19:30:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.kendonagasaki.org\/?p=594"},"modified":"2011-10-28T18:15:48","modified_gmt":"2011-10-28T18:15:48","slug":"luke-haines-tributes-to-kendo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blog.kendonagasaki.org\/?p=594","title":{"rendered":"Luke Haines’ Tributes to Kendo!"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Singer-songwriter Luke Haines has written an album celebrating the glory days of British wrestling, which features a Kendo Plasticine caricature on the front cover, and 3 humorous songs dedicated to Kendo and George!<\/p>\n

The album is snappily entitled \u201c9 1\/2 Psychedelic Meditations on British Wrestling of the 1970s and Early \u201880s\u201d, a name which sets the tone for the material on it (which is characteristically tongue-in-cheek), but despite this humorous take on some of the clich\u00e9s of those times, it\u2019s evident that Luke is a genuine fan of Kendo.<\/p>\n

In a Radio 2 interview in October 2011, Haines spoke at length about his inspiration for the album, referring at length to Kendo. He says that Kendo was his favourite wrestler \u2013 and still is \u2013 due in no small part to the mystique surrounding him.<\/p>\n

Many of these details are gently parodied in the song called \u201cRock Opera\u201d, where there are some golden phrases in the lyrics, including \u201c\u2026Japanese eyes\u2026\u201d, \u201c\u2026esoteric practitioner\u2026\u201d, \u201c\u2026occult discipline\u2026\u201d, and \u201c\u2026psychic journey\u2026\u201d!<\/p>\n

Gorgeous George is also mentioned, and in fact has a complete song dedicated to him, celebrating his flamboyance. References are made to things arguably not untypical of George , such as a feather boa and velvet gown, and he\u2019s also referred to as the \u201cMincing Buddha of the Mecca\u201d, which is nothing short of surreal.<\/p>\n

The third song dedicated to Kendo is the one which is the \u201chalf\u201d in the album title \u2013 it\u2019s a spoken-word re-imagining of a comedic episode, where a plumber called to Kendo\u2019s bungalow suddenly realises whose house he\u2019s in, and rushes off to be indiscreet with what he\u2019s seen!<\/p>\n

In the song \u201cRock Opera\u201d, Haines self-effacingly concedes that he\u2019s no Leonard Cohen, but he has put together a collection of songs which pays a gently mocking tribute to a time and events which remain fond memories for many people, and it\u2019s clear that he does admire his subjects, particularly Kendo and George.<\/p>\n

With a Kendo caricature on the album cover, the album will instantly grab the public\u2019s attention, and whilst Kendo cannot endorse it, he\u2019s unlikely to make Haines \u201cpound the floor in dumb submission\u201d either! We wish him – and his unique tribute album – all the best.<\/p>\n

Alantis.<\/p>\n

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PS: Thank you to the anonymous fan who sent us the link to this player!<\/p>\n

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