Had a good voice lesson earlier, and attempted a lot of new songs today. It’s almost the end of the month so it’s about time to update the streamer song list.
Here are some songs that stood out to me today:
New Songs Attempted
These Things – She Wants Revenge
Caribou – Pixies
I’m Coming Out – Diana Ross
You Can’t Always Get What You Want – Rolling Stones
Works in Progress
Accept Yourself – The Smiths
Broken Wings – Mr. Mister
The Next Episode – Dr. Dre
Learned Songs Revisited
It’s Tricky – Run DMC
YMCA – Village People
Freakin Out – Dexter and the Moonrocks
Song of the Day: Semi-Charmed Kind of Life – Third Eye Blind
I think I’m going to do this one along with Save Tonight for the UU Open mic next week. It’s just a great song. I guess I’m going for a 90s alt rock vibe this time.
Today was a bit of an odd day, I mostly played a bunch of songs that I liked. A viewer wanted “gay” songs so we started down a path of playing anthems, which led to the Smiths and me picking up a bunch of their songs that were just sitting in my memory bank.
Then the thought crossed my mind that I could probably do a full day of obscure songs that no one could recognize, so I pulled out a bunch of my old favorites. Songs I like to sing when no one is listening. Who is listening anyway?
Here are some songs that stood out to me today:
New Songs Attempted
Accept Yourself – The Smiths
Speakers Push The Air – Pretty Girls Make Graves
Hurt – Nine Inch Nails
Works in Progress
I Will Survive – Gloria Gaynor
Touched – Vast
Man Next Door – Massive Attack
Learned Songs Revisited
I want the one I can’t have – The Smiths
Wandering Star – Portishead
Rapture – Pedro the Lion
Song of the Day: Coming in From The Cold – The Delgados
This is a song from the same album that a track was used for the opening theme of Gunslinger Girl, one of the first “cute girls with big guns” anime’s that I’m aware of – from before the genre became all nationalism and fanservice. I guess they were big in Scotland or something? Whatever the case, I liked the album and I liked this song, and its a fun one to sing.
Song of the Day: Under The Sea from The Little Mermaid
For some reason I know this song well, and I was pretty happy with how the performance of it went. Got a donation and hey asked for a song about “fish” and well, all my other fish songs were about how delicious they are. Fun stuff.
StreamerSongList, the app that I (and a lot of other streamers) use for our song lists and requests pushed a pretty big update, which broke a couple things for me and required some computer time to fix, so I took care of that this morning and hopefully got it all sorted out. Still getting used to the new interface, but its a super cool service they provide free of charge, so I have only gratitude for them.
It feels weird to already be on Wednesday after only playing once since I cancelled Monday, but it is what it is. Keeping track of the days is tough for a hikki-neet. There was a lull for a while and I had a techno beat stuck in my head, so I spent a good half hour noodling around a groove, which was fun. I actually have a sort of improv-electro set I’ve been working on, that I might debut on the next electric uke Monday. We’ll see.
Here are some songs that stood out to me today:
New Songs Attempted
Don’t Look Back in Anger – Oasis
Everyday Struggle – Notorious BIG
Rock this Town – Stray Cats
Works in Progress
Welcome Home – Coheed and Cambria
Broken Wings – Mr. Mister
Glory Box – Portishead
Learned Songs Revisited
Let’s Dance – David Bowie
Time Bomb – Iration
Weight of the World – Nier Automata
Song of the Day: Rude – Magic
This song is too damn catchy, and its pretty hilarious. I remember thinking it was dumb when I first heard it on the radio way back then, but now I think its dumb on purpose, and that’s part of what makes it catchy. And its fun to play, so, it gets my pick today.
Well, I forgot to do my post-show review because I was so tired after the stream, but a lot happened. It was a long weekend – we got hit by Tropical Storm Lala and it knocked out the power and internet for several days. It wasn’t back in time for Monday’s show, so that was cancelled, but that was ok because I was pretty tired already. I’ve been tired, for what seems like weeks now. I did get to play a LOT of ukulele while the power was out, which is one of the best parts of playing an acoustic instruments.
I was so tired on Saturday that I rested all day and then the power went out and I was all awake for the night. Over slow cell data I watched Kaya-chan Isn’t Scary, which was pretty fun to watch in the dead of night with no power. The Japanese ghosts and horror was pretty fun, especially through the lens of a haunted preschool. It started off as a monster of the week kind of thing, but I actually really liked it once it got into the broader storyline. I’ll leave it at that as to not spoil anything, but it got me looking back to see what else I missed in the Winter 2026 season.
Anyway, todays stream started with a pretty fun chat about anime and isekai before getting into the music. Even with only singing for part of the time, I was still exhausted by the end. I keep thinking I’ll get used to the energy expenditure, but maybe I’m wrong. Idk. Will just keep trying for now I suppose.
I’m still out of it and kind of low energy, so my song of the day is that affirmation that it just takes some time. You’re in the middle of the ride. Everything will be just fine. Everything will be all right, alright.
Had a chill little 00’s electro-indie throwback set today. Was good fun!
Here are some songs that stood out to me today:
New Songs Attempted
Forgot about Dre – Dr Dre
Clocks – Coldplay
Sober – Tool
Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride – Moana
Works in Progress
I Lava U – Moana
Blue Skies – Irving Berlin
Obstacle 1 – Interpol
96 Quite Bitter Beings – CKY
Learned Songs Revisited
Once in a Lifetime – Talking Heads
Such Great Heights – The Postal Service
New Slang – The Shins
Pumped up Kicks – Foster The People
Song of the Day: Snow Patrol – Chasing Cars
Chasing Cars is pretty straightforward to play on ukulele, and its got some great lyrics that are pretty fun to sing. You can pluck it, you can strum it (I do both in different sections!), and its also about laying here, which is all I can do (being stuck in bed an all). Bonus!
The more I think about it, the more I feel like Kaijima: Why Sing When You Can Warble? is actually a horror show, not just a cute slice of life propaganda piece. The show revolves around a large mysterious bird-monster that the main character encounters and proceeds to bring home. It speaks Russian and Japanese, and quickly integrates itself into the home – eating their food and meddling in their affairs. His “unfiltered” observations and behaviors from a foreign perspective brings the family back together and they all live happily ever after. Or so it seems.
Upon closer inspection, it seems like the show both highlights the hypocrisy and alienation inherent in the “traditional-modern” Japanese nuclear family, from the parents never being around because they are both working to the older brother becoming a recluse after failing his college exams, which is apparently his only prospect for a bearable future. And the only way the parent know how to support this endavor is by allowing him to “study” in his room every minute of every day and not get in his way.
Enter Kaijima, the monster who doesn’t get it, who breaks all the rules, makes noise, and disturbs the entire household with his ignorance of local norms and bestial instincts. But its exactly this disturbance that sets the family back on track. Kind of. He sort of acts as another sibling who brings parents interest back on to the household, but doesn’t really do much to help the older brother pass his exams. Mostly he seems to keep the main character company, even to the extent of avoiding is actually human classmates / friends. It’s all wrapped in a cute veneer, celebrating Japanese foods and customs.
But from a slightly different perspective, its about a family secretly harboring an alien creature that leeches affection and food by being cute and acting innocent. Kaijima doesn’t actually resolve any of the family’s problems, but rather just inserts itself into their lives and demands to be cared for. And the family is so starved for connection that they willingly embrace it. It’s actually a story about a family harboring a dark secret, and this secret is what ultimately holds them together.
The more I think about it, the more I think it demonstrates the irrationality of the expectations of Japanese society. The scary part though is that the production team seems entirely unaware of this, and actively created this media to perpetuate the values that are the root of the problem in the first place. Kaijima’s faux pas are corrected and explained away, and never consequential enough to actually move the plot forward.
Kaijima is basically a story of “if only all of our problems could be solved by a benevolent magical creature.” But the picture it paints of the family’s problems are, to me, indictive of a society that is rotten at its core. Instead of advocating for change, facing your problems, and overcoming the harshness of reality, they chose to show relief from system only by miraculous intervention. It’s rather horrifying.
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think American culture is superior at all. But as a media product, this anime is kind of amazing. On the surface its pretty average. The story, animation, comedic beats, its all fairly mediocre. The crazy part is its subversive without even realizing that its subversive. They set out to make a “whoo lets love japanese culture” propaganda piece and instead highlighted everything wrong with the worldview they’re selling.