Interview Goes to Tokyo

Usually, I avoid Interview magazine because I feel that it trys too hard to dumb down everything cool. But on the other hand, I really hate it when people complain that something that is "theirs" has become "mainstream" and has therefore been "stolen." (i.e. "oh no! I don't listen to Band X because MTV plays them now"). So, when I saw that this month's issue was all about Tokyo, I decided to give the magazine a second chance!

And I was pleasantly surprised! The issue features some really cool people. From the most well known (Murakami, Nara, and Utada Hikaru) to the lesser known (Takashi Miike, the Polysics, Araki, and Cornelius), the installment features a good balance of the mainstream and "underground."
Although none of the blurbs on any of the artists is longer than 4 short paragraphs (in the usual Interview style), the interviews themselves are cool, and the people they chose to blurb are, for the most part, uber-hip.

On a related note, I was shocked to see what Elton John is listening to (he was interviewed about it in the magazine). LCD Soundsystem, Antony and the Johnsons, the Bravery ... credible/good stuff! What's going on? I can't dislike the man for no reason any more!