Atsushi Sakurai, ‘Buck-Tick’ Vocalist, Dies at 57
“After falling ill during a Buck-Tick concert, Sakurai died from a brainstem hemorrhage in a Yokohama hospital on October 19, 2023.”
So I started off this blog with direct a quote from Wikipedia, One of the best sources I’ve found.
Writing blog posts is a new found hobby that I’m still experimenting with, so I’m not going to inform the reader of the facts, better than Wikipedia, or the dozens of other professional news sources out there.
This is the legendary musician. and the professional news sources are all over the news of his untimely death, as well they should be.
How devastating, right at the beginning of their plans for a 35th Anniversary tour, and a movie!
https://youtu.be/D2mKDiaJJ7I?si=xTIBD6UZZgS8z0rB
As a new fan of multiple genres of Japanese music, I knew who Buck-Tick was, but I only listened to a handful of their songs.
Songs that are old standbys of an established group, don’t seem to have the attraction of a “shiny new release”.
I haven’t been listening to music from Japan long enough, to become a group specific fan of some of the more established, legendary groups.
When you’re on a solo expedition into new music on youtube, you don’t get the same reverence for groups that you do when a devoted fan introduces you to their favorites.
Like we used to do back in the day with records and cassettes!
That is disappointing.
It’s hard to listen to music and be non biased when it’s posthumously heard.
I’m listening to a live performance of “Speed” from 2007 in the background right now, and I’m naturally compelled to like it, simply because of Atsushi’s untimely demise. A sense of duty, out of respect for those who have passed.
One thing that is certainly unnerving about His Early death, is how similar Atsushi Sakurai And I are.
Not that I’m claiming any musical ability, only that he was one year younger than I am.
And We’re the same height. We graduated high school in the same year!
Unfortunately for me. that’s where the similarity seemed to end, I would love to think I had achieved so much, but we were on opposite sides of an ocean, and In different countries, worlds apart culturaly.
A realization more obvious to me now, as I continue my interest in Asian music.
It makes me wonder what I’ve been doing all this time,
Playing around with too many junk cars, making it to the next payday with a wife and kids, and punching a clock?
Writing this blog post comes with a certain level of guilt, that I don’t know more about Atsushi Sakurai, and Buck-Tick.
That their playlist isn’t more familiar, prior to this tragic event.
My heart goes out to the family, bandmates, friends, and of course the fans.
May your mourning be tempered with the fond memories.
BUCK‐TICK ‐PATI PATI LIVE TOMATO 88'~89'‐
