bettie page blog

Ah, the land of the rising sun, they who do America better than Americans. Yes, some would point to the auto industry and electronics, while I would point to more significant areas of cartoons 'bout giant fightin' robots and Rockabilly! I've done nearly as many posts about Japanese Rockabilly as from anywhere else on our spinnin' marble! The problem is, getting to Japan is hard, staying is damn expensive (have you checked out the exchange rate?) and the language is exceptionally difficult to learn for someone who failed Spanish twice (true. oh so sad but true).

I have a feeling that Italian born-NYC based photographer Alessandro Zuek Simonetti (who probably knows more languages than me, safe bet), must identify with my plight. Simonetti admits to a "deep interest in young niche cultures", and this reflects on his work, which you may have seen in Rolling Stone, GQ, Warp Magazine Japan, Tema Celeste, Vice and Theme. Brands such as Carhartt, Zoo York, 55dsl, Lee, Bijules, Still Life NYC, Redbull, Evisu, Sartoria comunication and Slam Jam have also benefited from his talents.

But what drove him to unearth a little slice of Japanese rockabilly right in the Big Apple and document it through his lens?

Well, I'll let him tell it:

ABC Rebel Night is a monthly party organized by a Japanese rockabilly group based in NYC. I went one night in this bizarre tiki bar on 14th street. I was astounded by a japenese rock'n'roll/female synchro ballet contest and intrigued by everyone's 50's style... they were so perfect!

His photos have been collected into a limited-edition portfolio. Learn how to BUY IT here.

Stray thought?... Why can't Afghanistan look like Japan in a few decades? How do you fight the Taliban? Afghani Rockabilly... I'm just sayin'.