[quote="Mafu"]Jun: You can't fire me! I don't even work here!

Sawao: Yes... That's what makes this so difficult.[/quote]

Jun: Well...you're not my real dad!

Sawao: No son of mine would bring such dishonor on famiry. Harakiri. Harakiri.

[quote="GoldenRhino"]You just wonder though. Would things be the same if he had been member #4 for all these years? Speculation is pointless now, but I wonder.[/quote]

As you said, speculation is pointless after the fact. However, Tatsuya was a "guest" musician as well, it's not as though the position was invented for Jun. Which isn't to say he wasen't bothered by it, but if he was, he knew the score from the start and decided to join them anyway.

There is something going on here in the background, I don't think this situation and his visa troubles are unrelated. I also don't believe it's a stretch to say that his inability to travel to the states has had an impact on the bands ability to play state-side shows.

Either way I don't think anyone saw this coming.

Well after hearing that Jun has been a problem for awhile, hopefully this is the kind of change that needs to happen.

[quote="Spike"]Either way I don't think anyone saw this coming.[/quote]
Yeah, Sawao said that obviously it's kind of a sudden thing from the fan perspective, but the reaction from industry people at venues and in other bands was apparently a sort of "oh, you finally fired him?"

[quote="Spike"]There is something going on here in the background, I don't think this situation and his visa troubles are unrelated. I also don't believe it's a stretch to say that his inability to travel to the states has had an impact on the bands ability to play state-side shows.

Either way I don't think anyone saw this coming.[/quote]

To put a more selfish spin this situation--if, indeed, Jun's misbehavior and the visa problems are related, and the pillows recruit a new bass player who has 'better conduct' (or whatever) and fewer visa problems, does it mean the pillows will be more likely to return to the US? That would be neat.

Yeah--I certainly didn't see it coming. In fact, last night I was just looking through Jun's blog on his website thinking, [i]Oh, how lovely some of these photos are[/i], then TA DA! this morning he was fired. I didn't quite believe it at first, because it reminded me a lot of that April Fool's Day joke thread from years ago--but then I realized it's not April.

[quote="Marekenshin"][quote="Mafu"]Jun: You can't fire me! I don't even work here!

Sawao: Yes... That's what makes this so difficult.[/quote]

Jun: Well...you're not my real dad!

Sawao: No son of mine would bring such dishonor on famiry. Harakiri. Harakiri.[/quote]

Jun: But the fans love me!

Kashima: I believe you are sadly mistaken Suzuki-san

Sawao: *nods deeply*

Saw plenty of "maybe Kashima will come back?" posts on the Japanese twitter and whatnot about this, actually lol.

I mean, I like Jun's bass quite a lot. And for a lot of people, especially Japanese fans who could see them live frequently, Jun was THE bassist for the pillows for as long as they've known the band, so a lot of people are a bit sad about it, especially with it coming out of left field.

[quote="Marekenshin"]And for a lot of people, especially Japanese fans who could see them live frequently, Jun was THE bassist for the pillows for as long as they've known the band[/quote]
Sho would have been nice if this bassist had played shows with them in the States. :V

That being said, considering some of his kickass bass work on, like, Terminal Heaven's Rock, or even most of Happy Bivouax (dem bass licks on Last Dinosaur ), I can't say that I'm not a little sad to see him let go.

But hey, if it does open the door for Kashima to play more with them, then... I think I'll be okay with it. ;D

[quote="Orochi"]But hey, if it does open the door for Kashima to play more with them, then... I think I'll be okay with it. ;D[/quote]

I feel like this is going to be a pretty widely held opinion, haha. It does make me sad to hear about a side of Jun that I wouldn't have imagined, but I got my fingers crossed mad hard for Kashima to come back for reals.

Oh man, the pillows are finally getting into some rock 'n' roll drama. I wonder if Suzuki was on the meth!? or the H!? or he was knocking out like 20 whores a night!

Man, what a beast...

This is great. What if Suzuki was like Yoko Onno? You know, they had a lot of the golden age shit written (huge assumption) before he joined...then bam, Smile came and the mudslide began...

I bet what happened is here's little Jun, thinking oh shit, he's hot shit, in the pillows now...so someone offers him a syringe and he's like "why not? I'm a pillow" so he takes the hit...and then he's all like whoa man, the pillows? who? Showing up at shows just WASTED, and with an odd aroma, no less! Now Japanese folk, they'll politely ask you not to do H in the dressing room, but to have an odd aroma!? C'mon, Jun, you can't do that. So Jun wakes up one morning and is like...what the hell happened? And Sawao is like, listen up donkey-tits, we don't know what's up but our music just ain't up to snuff. It could be my fault, could be Manabe's, MAYBE even Sato's...but no, it's yours. GET OUT OF HERE, MINIMUM WAGE BASSIST!

Jun is obviously taken aback by this, seeing as how the last few years are a blur and all, so he's slowly getting his bass together while mumbling some shit about how he "doesn't understand" and so on. As he's leaving, the Japanese press hit him hard with intense questions like "What's your favorite color?" and "Do you prefer taxidermy or mummification?" and he's just like what the fuck is going on. So he starts throwing shit around. He smashes Sawao's favorite vase (the one Sawao keeps his blue poppies in) and Sawao just uppercuts him to the face.

Sawao, by the way, having been a heavyweight boxer for the past 10 years is no bitch. Sawao emotionally sentences Jun with these cold words: "Jun, your power-stance may amuse the masses, but I've been bobbing my head around since heads have been able to be bobbed. You're done son." At this point Sawao reaches into his bag of ridiculous English statements and surfaces his mouth with this stunning blow: "It's curtains for you, Jun, curtains!"

Jun is so distraught by these powerful words that he takes to the bottle to calm his nerves. The monkey on his back just fissured. Jun wanders the streets, asking random passer-bys to join their hypothetical bands. He swears to them he CAN actually play the bass. They calmly reply that "I've heard otherwise," presumably hinting at Horn Again, and continue on. Man, how much more can Jun endure?

...What happens next is up to you, Jun. I believe in you.

jeez jun

SteppinLoud: who are you, and have you come to save Instant Music?

Jesus H. Christ that post was more funny than it had any right to be. I like you

10/10, could become 11/10 if you made Sawao say "Curtain call, please, Jun."

[quote="Marekenshin"]10/10, could become 11/10 if you made Sawao say "Curtain call, please, Jun."[/quote]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3_Hn-vKeHw