Red Hot (Hino) Peppers
Journal Entry - 11/16/17
This isn't a typical journal entry of mine, but it seemed like a fun topic to write about and it's been on my mind lately. Please do not take anything in this entry way too seriously. There is a smile on my face as I write and remember these things. This is not active dislike or slander on any person, musician, or band. In reality, it’s about odd happenings and friendships, which are the very foundation of our existence. What is there to life besides amazing stories and amazing people?
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I want to write about my favorite band of all time, but not really my favorite band at all, but a band I used to hate but now enjoy, the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
When I was young, I heard the RHCP a ton. Why? because it's the RHCP and they are super popular. I couldn't tell you the first year, or what song would have been popular at the time. All I can tell you is that it was a song with such questionable lyrical depth, such as (but was too early for) “Dani California.” What I mean by that, is that the RHCP have some pretty non-sensical lyrics. Sometimes it's just a string of words that get put together in a fashion only to fit into the musical arrangement. Lyrics to me have always been the key to the music I enjoy. I want substance out of what I listen to. Even if I can't relate to the words being spoken, I want to feel the meaning and sincerity behind them. This is also the argument I use when I rip into conventional rap that's played on the radio, like Lil' Wayne (However, even in hating on RHCP, I would've gladly given them more credit than many of the rap abominations out there).
Anyway, for many years I would always (usually) jokingly hate on the RHCP. Even when I found a song catchy, or hum along, I would subconsciously shake my head back and forth, thinking, “what the hell?” Fun fact, I was also in a Battle of the Bands in high school, and in our (amazing, but actually terribly performed) set, on of the songs we played was a RHCP song. I believe that it was “By the Way.” I probably started to come around a little as a result.
Flash forward from 2002 to 2016. In August 2016, I arrived for my first official wrestling tour of Japan, for WRESTLE-1. In February of 2016, I came to Japan for a month “tryout,” which consisted of getting my ass handed to me daily, and essentially isolated and ignored by the whole crew. Thankfully there was one other guy here with me to stay in our basement dungeon. Alex is a totally awesome dude and was a life-saver that month since we could communicate and confide in each other. That month was really difficult to get through. The young guy system in Japan is designed to break you and humble you. Barely anyone acknowledged us through the month, so when I came back six months later, I did not have any friends to look forward to seeing or to help me through the experience.
I hesitantly walked back in Japan to live the dream and had high hopes of making some friends. Truth be told, I did not think that would happen given my prior experience. It seems I graduated from the basement dungeon to an actual dorm room, and started to try to make friends. It would be a task as almost everyone in W-1 speaks zero English (and I, zero Japanese). A few days into the tour, I am resting on my bed in the dorm and the door pops open. Standing there in the doorway is Yuji Hino. Hino is a very large, very intimidating man. He is massively muscled and had a presence that commands respect. Hino looks at me and says, “Go drink?”
If you're reading this, you are probably well aware of the fact that I don't drink alcohol. I never have drank alcohol. I knew this was likely to be an issue in Japan. Drinking is a huge part of the culture and the people are skeptical to trust those who don't drink. I knew I would have to try to show my personality in any way and work hard to overcome both the language barrier and the alcohol barrier. So, naturally I answered Hino, “Yup!”
I jumped out of the bed and wandered into the streets with Hino. I was ready to try to make friends and overcome these obstacles, wondering how and if that would be possible. We stopped at a bar and went in. A moment later Hino asked what I wanted. I answered “kocha,” which I thought meant tea (it does, but a specific type, not what I meant). He looked at me puzzled and said, “Beer!” We had to go back and forth for a minute before I stated I don't drink. Eventually he looked at me even more skeptically, as if he couldn't trust me or understand that I wouldn't drink at all. Luckily our conversation continued, with each of us exhausting the extent of the other's language skills. The awkward tension built. Eventually, Hino asked me what music I listened to. I legitimately have zero idea how I responded, but he looked at me happily and said “Red Hot Chili Peppers?” He definitely thought I said Red Hot Chili Peppers. I did not say Red Hot Chili Peppers. Naturaly, I responded, “Hell yeah! Red Hot Chili Peppers.” He looked thrilled with this response and said, “[my] favorite band!”
That small lie was the start of a great night of male bonding. Hino and I proceeded to go to multiple bars and restaurants and become buddies. Eating became a big way other than drinking for me to bond with the guys in Japan. Since that night, it's safe to say that when I go out with people in Japan, I eat a lot. The whole tour Hino and I hung out a decent amount, even though he lives an hour away from where I do. He became my best friend here in Japan.
After returning home in September 2016, I had a whole different reaction upon hearing Red Hot Chili Peppers come on any station. Every time, all I could do was smile and think, “Hell yeah. RHCP are my favorite band.” If someone was around I would even say it. Usually then I would give a condensed version of my story. It did not take very long for me to actually start enjoying RHCP. They always put me in a good mood and I started giving them a little more of a chance. I also heard a man who is essentially my hero, Henry Rollins, talk at length about Anthony Kiedis and Flea. They sound like really awesome, fun loving guys with a unique outlook on life. I must say that they are out-of-the-box artists, not unlike how I think about myself. The respect developed for their work and genre.
Now to tie this up and into present day context... A few days ago I went out with Hino (now my kickass tag-team partner in W-1, where we also dominated the Tag League) and we met up with some other wrestlers for an 11-hour bar-restaurant adventure post-wrestling show. After the bar adventure, around 5am, we started back towards Hino's place in Chiba. Both Hino and our buddy Ryu were in no condition to drive, so I would do the honors and for the first time drive in Japan. The trip was a nerve-wracking experience to say the least. However, as the drive was almost finished, Hino woke up as a RHCP song came on his radio, and we proceeded to scream it out in unison. Red Hot Chili Peppers are definitely one of my favorite bands...
