dude with laptop

That dude is wearing a silly hat (Rejected!…if you don’t know what I’m talking about, just ignore me). And he’s carrying around a huge speaker and a laptop, alongside other Shobo Shobo artists in Japan right now. RIGHTNOW! Why? Um. Because they can? I’d love to do that if I didn’t think it would lead to my back breaking in a most uncomfortable manner (as though there’s a comfortable manner). Momus explains it:

bq. Shobus Diary documents Shobo Shobo artists O.lamm, Domotic, Davide Balula, and Minifer during their “Shoboshobus / Mobium Japan Tour 2005”. (Ishida Daisuke is the Japanese host.) Since these are highly original people, this is a bit different from your average rock or laptop tour. Instead of playing concert halls, the French artists have opted to busk. They’ve built portable speakers which hang from their necks, each one supporting a laptop. They’re playing on the roofs of buildings, at the Tsukiji fish market, in malls and car parks, anywhere.

They’ve got some audio and video on their blog, from which I’ve decided that their music could drive me insane if I were nearby and trying to do anything requiring an iota of concentration. But it could also be fun. It’s better than hearing landscapers in the morning, at least.

Broadcasting semi-random noises in a city reminds me of the “Silent Night” thing last winter when loads of people carried around stereos playing dinkly sounds and walking from Washington Square Park to Tompkins Square Park. Many cab drivers were pissed that night. Mehehe.