The Pimps of Pop In The Land of The Rising Sun

The Pimps of Pop In The Land of The Rising Sun

At a press conference in Los Angeles recently, a group of businessmen announced plans for Fujiyama Odyssey, the worlds largest pop festival, scheduled to be held at the base of Mt. Fuji in August of this year simultaneously with Japan’s Expo ’70.

SETTING: The gaily painted Aquarius Theater, home of “Hair” in Los Angeles. The house lights are dim, placing emphasis on the stage, which slopes gently down towards the audience. At stage-center, there is a long, low table, tilting nervously into the orchestra pit, it is surrounded by six extra-large cushions.

"Two screens hang overhead; one contains a pop-art rendition of Mt. Fuji and the other is currently blank.

(Note: At no point throughout the proceedings : wilf any pop , music he. heard.)

CAST: (Squatting cross-legged, or as best as possible, on the cushions.)

TETSURO OMEGAKI, Vice-Chairman of the Japan Beauty Congress. He is wearing a dark grey suit and acts as interpreter for the gentleman on his right;

KATSUMI ISHIDA, President of the JBC and -Producer of the Miss International Beauty - Pageant. He is wearing a black and brown kimono. On his right is;

HAL SLOANE, President and' Director of Gandalf, Inc., a corporation which is producing Fujiyama Odyssey in association with JBC. (Gandalf is the magician in Lord of the Rings.) Sloane, who wears a brown suit, is former general manager of Teen-Age Fairs, Inc. To his right;

MICHAEL GREENE, an attorney, Director of Michtel Greene, Inc. and Chairman of the Board of Gandalf, Inc. Greene is swathed in a long white robe with flowing sleeves which is partially obscured by a purple over-garment trimmed in gold braid. The Costume is reminiscent of the figure of Gandalf, as represented in the, corporate logo, the total concept for which “is based on an extension of Tarot Card No. 1, representing wisdom, awareness and understanding.” To his right;

LUIS DE CASTRO, another attorney and Gandalf Vice-President of Financial Affairs. De Castro sports a Pancho Villa mustache and grey suit. Finally, on his right;

WILLIAM M. OWENS, an attorney in Greene’s firms. Formerly an executive with the U.S. Dept." of State and currently Executive Vice-President of Gandalf. Owens’• handsome Anglo-Saxon features and short brown hair are encircled with an Indian headband and he is wearing an intricately beaded and fringed medicine man costume. He sits cross-legged with hands held (palms together) pointing upwards as in a yoga position. When answering a question, both hands move apart slowly towards the left and the right, and are then replaced in their 1 original position after the leather fringe rimming the sleeves has been carefully draped along the outside of both thighs.

Bells tinkle each time this occurs.

(The one principle missing from the cast — he stayed in Japan — is HIROHIDE ISHIDA, chairman of JBC, former Minister of Labor and Welfare for Japan and currently ranking member of the National House of Representatives.),

EXTRAS, approximately 200, people sitting iff the auditorium, most of whom look as though they cannot quite decide whether to cry or hurl tomatoes at the stage. ‘

ACT I, Scene 1; We see a slide show featuring varied scenes from Japan, accompanied by the music from “2001” and some Offenbach.

ACT II, Scene I; Sloane talks for a long time, telling us that the festival site encompasses two square miles; the exact dates have not been determined yet, but s it will take place, “on from seven to 10 days in August”, more than a million people are expected to attend' and the organization has secured the official seal from Expo ’70. He concludes by proclaiming that, “henceforth, the executives of Gandalf, Inc. will no longer observe their corporate titles, but will constitute themselves a Council of Unity ... because we are annoyed by things like chains of command.”

(Owens moves his hands in the prescribed fashion, thus dispelling the titles.)

ACT II,-.Scene II; Ishida speaks briefly in Japanese, welcoming everyone to Japan and explaining the JBC.

ACT II, Scene III; We watch a movie taken of the proposed festival site, once again accompanied by “2001” music.

ACT II, Scene IV; Owens announces that .astrologer Manley P. Hall has said that, “of all the countries in the world, Japan should be visited in 1970.”

ACT III; (Is entirely devoted to questions from the audience; Owens receives all questions, referring half of them to Greene, who meditates for a few seconds before answering, occasionally rearranges his long white sleeves and perpetually gazes at a point about ten feet above the heads of the audience.)

Q: “What’S your budget?”

A: “Three Million dollars.”

Q: “What groups have you actually signed?”

A: “We will invite musical talent from all countries.”

Q: “Will it be filmed?”

A: “Yes”

Q: (From a local Yogi, resplendent in white satin turban and robes.) “You will say you plan to raise the level of consciousness of young people with this, will any of the profits go towards raising the consciousness of the more

aged?”

A: (Long pause for meditation.) “Money will be spent in areas which will do this.” (Owens interjects here, — “It may sound like we’re kidding around but we’re not kidding around. I for one would not be in this venture if it were just a question of money.”) Greene picks up the ball, “There will be large numbers of people coming together — each person leaves with more to give to each other. We want* to build a community of love, a place where people and nature can come together.”

Q: “How much of that three million dollars have you raised so far?”

A: (Hasty muttering ‘onstage) “In excess of $500,000.”

Q: “Why is there no woman on your Council of Unity?”

A: “Perhaps because we didn’t run into You early enough.”

Q: “You say you are concerned with ecology, will you leave buildings behind??’

A: (Another extra-long pause for meditation.) “We plan to teach personal ecology. People will come together for 10 pr 11 days and we will show them how to relate to the earth and the air arid the sky .. ,

And so on, and on and on and on ... Until -4 ,

Norma Whittaker Other Scenes