Guest Post: Les Rallizes Dénudés
It's called rock n' roll.
Since the moment I began Immaculate Taste, I was determined to rope all of my cool, social media-averse friends into this project—the kind of people who would never make their own Substack, but who absolutely should.
So today, for the first time since the inception of IT, I present a guest post by my friend ***. Yes, they have asked to go by ***. Not that Googling their real name would help—the only social media account they’ve ever had is a now-defunct Tumblr. They currently work in the culture sphere but prior to that, they were a pro skater and n’er-do-well in New York nightlife. I gave *** blanket permission to do whatever they like with this blog post. Herewith, their essay.
The Music
Les Rallizes Dénudés is undeniably the coolest band of all time (if you disagree, take it up with Remy. She loves throwing hands with haters, but plz like and subscribe1). The group never released a studio album and they have a nearly mythological status in the annals of music. It is truly insane for a band to garner such intrigue and have a resurgence without ever properly recording a song. Some say that the group is the Japanese equivalent of the Velvet Underground. In my opinion, they surpass Lou Reed’s iconic ensemble in the scale of coolness (blasphemous, I know). This Japanese band captures ennui in such a mesmerizing way no one else can. Their psychedelic and haunting tunes linger in the atmosphere like a fog decomposing everything underneath its haze.
I first heard Les Rallizes Dénudés’ music in a foul-smelling warehouse filled with geekers2 in tracksuits where the DJ played the song White Awakening as the final melody of the night. I took the train home after the party and as the morning sun pierced my eyes, I listened to the tune over and over again on my headphones in a trance-like state. I couldn’t stop—I was under the spell of the droning guitars, uncanny reverb and hypnotic chants of Takashi Mizutani, the lead singer. I was on the verge of tears, strung out in an ocean of emptiness.
Other people have experienced a similar feeling of devastating bliss while listening to White Awakening. Here are my favorite comments I’ve seen on YouTube:
“I work in a cemetery, digging graves while listening to this song is one of the strangest and most beautiful scenes I've been to” - @ANIMARIA.
“dropped acid and listened to this song alone. i smoked some cigarettes and danced in my room until the sun went down. laid on the floor. this song truly is my forever song” - @slugcereal8647
“This song sounds like nostalgia, nostalgia for memories that are blurry and faded but you know that it was a good time even if you can't remember much about it. A long gone summer breeze from years ago, you feel its touch on your shoulder once again” - @dejiko
The mysterious and surreal band never completed a studio album and exclusively played live shows. The group played so loudly that they would blow out speakers and attendees could be seen with their hands covering their ears, running desperately toward the exits because of the disturbingly intense vibrations3. They were often thrown out of concert halls for playing punishingly loud music.
Mizutani’s songs can only be heard only through low quality bootlegs that fans pirated during their concerts. He apparently hated the idea of people taping his music at shows but fortunately for us, there’s a plethora of bootlegs you can comb through on Youtube. The recordings have a raw quality, and you can hear the chattering and shuffling of the audience between the songs. These noises only amplify the dream-like quality of the music. Whenever I listen to these bootlegs, I feel like I’m transported to some ghastly ballroom in Kyoto.
The Politics
Mizutani was notoriously reclusive and avoided giving interviews. He acquired an enigmatic reputation and there are many rumors regarding his past. Allegedly, Mizutani was asked to participate in the hijacking of Japan Airlines Flight 351— orchestrated by the Japanese Red Army Faction, a militant communist organization. Les Rallizes Dénudés’ original bassist, Moriaki Wakabayashi, was one of the hijackers who stormed the cockpit of Flight 351 with katanas in their hands and a pipe bomb. He is currently still exiled in North Korea.
The Style
The way the members of the band dress and look reflect the abrasive and eerily beautiful music they play. They had lanky figures, long flowing hair and big sunglasses. The group has such a distinctive and influential style.
Their black, androgynous outfits are predecessors to the karasu-zoku (crow tribe) movement in Japan popularized by Yohji Yamamoto and Rei Kawakubo in the 80s.
The band’s style can be described as a fusion between the paisley filled fashion of Carnaby Street in 1960s London, and the black uniforms of the Velvet Underground.
The Cultural Impact
Lad Musicians (a Japanese clothing brand) released a collection in 2013 inspired by Les Rallizes Dénudés. The models pictured below are wearing the iconic oversized sunglasses and wigs that resemble the band’s hairstyles. The clothing itself doesn't really bear any semblance to the effortlessly cool sartorial styling of Les Rallizes Dénudés, but the collection reveals the impact this mystifying band still has on contemporary culture and fashion.
Bless the bootleggers who had the foresight to tape Les Rallizes Dénudés live shows. I listen to the lo-fi bootlegs almost everyday, and the demonic feedback in their songs still elicits a sublime response in me. I put on their tunes when I’m stuck in agonizing traffic and drift into another world, a world filled with long haired men who have impeccable drip. They are the greatest of the great, both in music and style.
And evidently, Lady Gaga is also a fan.
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And now, some links
Hi, this is Remy again. Thank you to *** for that lovely piece. I for one will be watching all of those videos.
I hate to revert to such quotidian matters as shopping after that, but because I fear some of these pieces may go quickly, I have caved and included a handful of links. So as a parting thought for this ‘Stack, here are some delicious things from my recent trawls of the Internet.
First up, I’ve recently found some pieces on TheRealReal that restore my faith in humanity—and many of them are on sale.
I would especially like to point out the Leiber pillbox; I’ve talked before on TikTok about how I believe these would make great presents, and you very rarely find them so reasonably priced.
These are some additional second hand finds from the farthest flung corners of the web.
I clicked on this Bellville Sassoon top moments after it dropped; I’ve been trying to find something from them ever since Sabrina Carpenter stunned in a vintage Sassoon bustier. Sadly, it’s not my size. I also can’t believe that a pair of Fidan Novruzova boots that I’ve been watching on Ssense for months is available on Poshmark for so relatively cheap. What a deal! Finally, check out this Dirk van Saene skirt on Ebay. Van Saene was a member of the Antwerp 6—and one whose archives have not yet been ruthlessly plundered.
Thanks for reading, Tasties. I’ll be back next week with a solo post on the beauty of having things…customized.
That’s all, folks!
RS—I do not condone this message but I swore to *** that I would not touch a word of this essay. Sigh.
RS—I had to ask what this meant. Apparently, it’s just slang for a drug user/club kid/etc.
RS—I have been told that some of this is fact and some of it is legend. But isn’t most of rock n’ roll?
WHAT A COOL POST - v sick