日本からの挨拶

Some of you may know that my band, The Click Five, has been on tour
for awhile now in Asia.  This tour may be the most insane trip I have
ever experienced in my life.  I am sleeping little, eating
adventerously, and rocking as hard as possible.  I will try to make
sense of a few highlights... here we go:

Manila, Phillipines

The median of the road had merely become a guidepoint as our van
hurled down the road.  The traffic was maddening, and two police
escorts on motercycles whizzed in and out of the other cars like
little fish in a school of sharks.  I figured that if we made if past
this death-defying drive, we could try to relax before shaking out
every ounce of jet-lag and lack of sleep out of our bodies before
showtime.

I was wrong.  Relax???

Then it came like a storm.  Five bodyguards, twice or three times as
many security surrounded us as fans engulfed the band like a
hurricane.

HOW ON EARTH DID THIS HAPPEN???  How does this work?  Everyone in a
country I've never been to is singing our single (which appearantly
didn't translate in the United States) at the top of their lungs!!
How does something that you write in your room make it to the other
side of the world?  I haven't the slightest clue... but I have no
complaints, and am ready for the adventure.  Jet lag can wait for
later....

Bangkok, Thaliand

This place is beautiful.  I knew it was going to be good the moment I
got on the plane.  Not to mention, Thai is one of the finest and most
explosive foods in the world.  Your tongue is a canvas for colorful
taste splashes, and spices...

In the novel "As I Lay Dying", William Faulkner wrote a one sentence
chapter.  It said:

"My mother is a fish."

Today... I felt as if I were a fish inside of a giant fishbowl.... let
me explain:  We did almost 12 hours of press, photos, ect... in this
glass studio right in the middle of a shopping center. (...wait, that
was the second time I've referenced fish in a blog, and I haven't even
gotten to the sushi in Japan yet...)  This allowed fans to peer into
the glass for as long as possible.  They saw us carry on a 12 hour
day, and we did everything shy of using the restroom in front of
everyone.

I don't think I could do a reality television show.

I ran into an elephant on the streets, went to the Peas party (they
now how to throw a GOOD one) and ended up staying out on a rooftop
until 5 in the morning... exhausted, but more than alive.

Jakarta, Indonesia

We arrived at the hotel.  It was guarded by bomb mirrors, a guard with
an automatic machine gun, and a wall to prevent anyone driving into
the hotel with a bomb, which happened a few years back.  Though the
circumstances may have frightened some, we were greeted by some of the
most enthusiastic fans we've seen yet... and had the finest Javanese
cuisine I've ever tasted.  My favorite was this dessert drink with
coconut milk, jack fruit, sweet potatoes, and bananas.

Right when I thought I would just take it easy and lay low, as
suggested by our security, I ended up seeing the sun come up... this
place is a trip.

Singapore

I really am finding a lot of comfort on this tour.  Sometimes, a
foreign place will jolt you into a state of uber-awareness, or you'll
just be plain jetlagged, but I'm really finding myself relaxed and
feeling at ease.  It is particularly nice to return to Singapore,
where I have seen friends for the first time in over a year.  I'm also
sleeping an average of three hours a night, but it's all worth it
right now.  The shows have been incredible, and the re-aquainting
plentiful.

Taichung and Taipei, Taiwan

We rocked Taichung stadium for this crazy MTV gala.  Lot's of fun.
Lots of people.  I'm starting to get a little rest now.  This place is
new and foreign... very polite.  We had our first day off on the
entire tour.  Went into the hills and sat in a hot springs mineral
bath at INSANE temperatures.  The bath itself was almost
uncomfortable, as I was restless, my heart was beating on overdrive,
and I almost became ill, but I was determined to conquer the mineral
bath.  I ended up taking breaks to listen to the iPod, then hopping
back in for the challenge.  The results were a three hour period of
bliss and relaxation where I felt almost no restlessness or ADD
whatsoever... and that NEVER happens.  Haha.  We later on visited a
temple, had yet another amazing dinner, and saw a snake get skinned...
yikes.

Tokyo

I'm pretty sure the guys and I crashed a champagne party at a mansion
where every piece of meat and chocolate was covered in gold leaf.
Yikes.  Kyle and Ethan (in my band) made a competition out of seeing
who could appear in the most Japanese papparazzi pictures.  HILARIOUS.
 Oh, and the champagne was fantastic.

Last night's show consisted of our favorite audience we've ever had.
They were there for the right reasons, the music.  They listened, sang
along, applauded politely... THIS IS OUR PLACE!  People have wonderful
tastes in many things here.

I went hiking today in the hills, and once again, I'm quite exhausted.

I'm in my hotel room surrounded by the neon of Shibuya.  I want to
write more.  I really want to give more details, but then I would have
to blog each and every hour... there are so many fun stories and
memories. More poetry, but I must rest before these words turn into
mush.

THANK YOU SO MUCH TO THE ASIAN FANS THAT MADE THIS AMAZING EXPERIENCE
POSSIBLE!!!

Hope this finds you all well and happy.