I wish I remembered when I was first introduced to Shonen Knife. I think it was sometime in the late 80s. My best friend at the time had a cassette. I only remember in passing having heard it once or twice. It wasn’t until several years later, 1991 or 1992 that I started to actually be more aware of and listen to Shonen Knife.
I picked up whatever CD I could find at the time, which wasn’t much. The band was still relatively underground at the time – even by alt-rock standards.
“Twist Barbie”
It was 1994 when I did see Shonen Knife fore the first time. There was in interview with Kurt Cobain at some point where he mentioned Shonen Knife as his favorite band. This isn’t what got me more interested in the band, but offered up avenues for the band that would otherwise have been closed (including getting signed to a major record label). This meant the visibility of Shonen Knife was greater than it ever had been, and publicity for their tour was significant. This is how I knew the band would be in town and made sure to get tickets.
“Strawberry Cream Puff”
It was a small club show, and ridiculously enjoyable. I was definitely hooked. By the time I saw the band I had already picked up a couple of Shonen Knife CDs so I knew exactly what to expect. The Dentists opened for them, a fact that will come up in a moment. Of course, as I usually am want after the show, I was hoping to get an autograph, having brought along one of my CDs. The band had immediately gone from the stage to their tour bus, so it wasn’t looking too good for me. One of their crew was getting on the bus and I asked if they could take my CD on the bus to get the band to sign it for me. Because this person (I think it was a guy, but I’m not sure) couldn’t guarantee my CD would be returned to me, let alone signed, he didn’t want to take it and asked instead if I had something else for them to sign, just in case. I was able to pull off a set-list from The Dentists monitor in the club and had it to the person. It was about 5 minutes later and was about to give up hope, but the person came back out, asked my name, and went back in. A moment later I was handed this wonderful personalized autograph by the band.
“Deer Biscuits”
After that first show I would be a rabid collector attempting (poorly) to make sure I had every available release. If there was a CD single with a couple of exclusive b-side tracks, then I tried to find it and pick it up.
Even so, I still have many holes in my Shonen Knife collection today. And that is with somebody having gone to Japan and picking up a couple of their recent albums for me.
“Space Christmas”
What is it I like about Shonen Knife? It’s kind of difficult to exactly place my (metaphorical) finger on one specific thing. There is the fact they are a punk rock band, but that’s only the beginning of their sound. Lyrically Shonen Knife have songs about ramen, haircuts, elephants, being lazy and wanting to sleep in, green tea, chocolate bars, and whatever else strikes their fancy. The band is serious about their craft, but they aren’t serious – though don’t mistake them for being a comedic band because that is very much not the case.
“Bad Luck Song”
I guess what I like best about Shonen Knife can best be summed up in the three words “punk rock fun” which you don’t get much of.
Over the years I have managed to catch Shonen Live three times. They came to town a few months ago and I didn’t get to go. I didn’t put in much effort, and I regret that.