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Inside the Hakone Open-Air Museum is a Picasso Museum. I once read somewhere that Japanese museums like to collect works of famous artists even if the pieces aren’t the artist’s best work or famous in their own right. That was the impression I received at this Picasso Museum. While everything was done by Picasso, much of it seemed like “junk.”
We saw some really nice Picasso works in Denmark and Paris last summer. Each one seemed better than the best in this dedicated Picasso Museum.
This work of art also doubles as a play structure for kids. Think of a McDonald’s play structure in the states that has been fused with a giant beehive from another futuristic planet. This work is entitled しゃぼん玉のお城 or “The Soap Bubble Castle” in English.
The sign says そとがわにのぼらないでください which, as you might guess, means “please don’t climb on the outside.” The placement of the signs, on the piece itself, is unfortunate. The signs sort of defeat the purpose of the art portion of the structure by breaking up the natural lines and symmetry.
Kids are free to explore the inside, just like at McDonald’s.
Today we’ll wrap up this brief diversion into some old pictures I found while packing for Japan. I don’t remember even having a camera back in 1989, or taking these pictures, but I do remember this evening well.
Sepultura was virtually unknown at the time. This was their first time in the USA, and they had begun their Beneath the Remains Tour in New York less than a month before.
This show took place at the Omni in Oakland, California on November 30, 1989. The members of Sepultura couldn’t speak much English at this point. Members of Metallica were in attendance, although that wasn’t unusual at Bay Area shows in the 80s. I also met Metallica at a Megadeth show in San Francisco at The Stone on Broadway in May of 1987.
Metallica had already done their best work by 1989. Everything from this point on for Metallica is basically crap in my opinion. Not so with Sepultura. While Beneath the Remains is still my favorite, Sepultura’s next two albums (Arise and Chaos A.D.) are far better than anything Metallica ever did without Cliff Burton.
Andreas Kisser is still with the band, 20 years later.
Max Cavalera split from Sepultura in 1997 and formed Soulfly. I haven’t been much of a fan of Soulfly or Sepultura since.
This last picture is a particularly classic and vintage one. When is the last time someone could smoke at an indoor concert venue? Not only that but the smoker is a mulleted security personnel! Personally I enjoy coming home from concerts these days not smelling like an ashtray.
Once again, I must interrupt my Hakone pictures with something discovered upon packing for our move to Japan. I found a box with photos from the 80s and early 90s that I had taken on a crappy little camera. The picture above is of Fates Warning, a band I loved in the 80s. Once John Arch was replaced with Ray Alder (guy on the right) I lost my enthusiasm. However, I had enough interest in the other band playing on this bill to go see them in Salt Lake City back in 1990.
Jim Matheos, second from the left, was the brilliance behind the band. I could never really appreciate Alder’s voice though.
The band I really went to see was the opening act, Sanctuary. Their two CDs were my constant companions in the late 80s and early 90s. I still listen to them once a year or so for some good memories.
I believe the above is Sean Blosl. When Sanctuary turned into Nevermore he didn’t come along (like the bassist Jim Sheppard) and hasn’t been heard from since.
Warrel Dane, on the other hand, is still gone strong on his own and in Nevermore. I like Nevermore and his solo stuff, but the early Sanctuary stuff is still my favorite. He has some of the best pipes in the business.
Dave Budbill is back there on drums somewhere. The club was very small and Fates Warning had all their stuff on the tiny stage too.
Tomorrow I’ll show you another gig from the same time frame.
As the name suggests, many of the works at The Hakone Open-Air Museum are in the “open air” (野外彫刻). This outdoor sculpture by Carl Milles entitled “Man and Pegasus” (カール・ミレス’s「人とペガサス」) really wanted to take flight.
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