Thursday, October 20, 2011

It's confirmed, we're all the same!

Recently I attended a corporate event where we had a quite large exhibition in Osaka in one of those trade shows that we regularly participate in. Nothing special about it really and it's something that I've done about a hundred times over the years working here in Japan.

I was there quite late and still on site when they brought in the workers that would dissassemble the booth and do all the heavy lifting, ot only for us but for all of the 50-something companies that had participated. As I looked around, all of a sudden I noticed the very high proportion of Judas Priest and Iron Maiden t-shirts and long hair in the guys that helped out with the dissassembly.

The longer I live here, the more convinced I get that people really are fundamentally the same all across the world. I'm sure that even in Saudia Arabia, North Korea or Iran, workers coming in would also be wearing Judas Priest t-shirts and have long hair. Even in one of those rare tribes in the middle of the rain forest with no contact with outsiders, I'm sure that when a new hut is about to be built, the builders will be wearing Judas Priest t-shirts. I really should get one myself since I've always fancied myself as a wannabe working class kinda guy!

(sorry for the lack of image to this one! My iPad is not really cooperating with me now, I'll add it when I get the change)

9 comments:

F. said...

it's so true! Whatever tradeshow I go, they are there...

Chris said...

Judas Priest and Iron Maiden!!!
WOOOO HOOOO!!!

Throws up devil horns and bangs head like a seizure is coming on!!

80's....Killed big hair.....forever!! ;)

Will said...

And one of them is usually a drummer.

John in Osaka said...

Trade show in Osaka? Was it by any chance at Intex on Sakishima?

Momotaro said...

It's so true, I have met a few tradesmen and so forth here and they remind me of the ones I used to know.

I'm glad I'm not the only person who gets excited when they see JP and Maiden shirts. Warriors of the world, unite! Actually all types of metal are great and I still get in a distinct mood where I have to listen to it.

Is the Salaryman much of a metalhead?

Anonymous said...

Usually they are all a garage band of 30 something guys that are trying to make a living on a side job while they reach for the stars :P

Corinne said...

Yup, soccer announcing job is the same, if they are holding a mic or an amp, they have the tatty t-shirt look going.

Jon Doe said...

I grew up in a working class family so I know for a fact that Priest rules in the minds of all hard working folks.

Mr. Salaryman said...

BiJ - Yeah, can't do anything than respect their courage, a tradeshow wouldn't be the same without them

Chris - I particularly liked how it shook the metal community when Rob Halford came out as gay, a lot of heads stopped banging for a while ;)

Will - For sure, I thought it was so obvious that I wouldn't need to mention it

John - Nope, it wasn't strictly a "tradeshow" but a medical congress with an exhibition that normal humans don't know much about ;)

Momotaro - Oh, I forgot the greatest one, the Motorhead t-shirt! None I saw this time, but that's the highest in the hierarchy of metal t-shirts! But I have to dissapoint you in that I'm not a metal head, I'm more of an electro-head (EBM and industrial). But there are metal related stuff I like; Ministry, Tiamat and a few select death metal acts and a lot of goth metal

Canthushme - They actually mostly looked like they had left their dreams far behind... But I guess they might still have a cover band or something, but difficult since all are likely drummers

Corinne - Always nice to see you commenting! The sound guys are the same breed and might even be more metal when I think about it....

The Ghost - But did they all realize that he's gay?

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