Peter Bjorn and John Feature Yoyogi Dancers
February 17th, 2009 by Claytonian
This video, and official release from Peter Bjorn and John, shows a day in the life of a very interesting guy with very big hair, and his dancing comrades. Whether seen as macho to a humorous fault or just so cool we can’t keep up, the dancers in Yoyogi Park have been at this for years. I’ve seen surprisingly little information on this subculture; everyone has videos and photos, but what makes these guys tick? Do they ever get young people to join? What is their official nomenclature? Will they die out? Do they care? Probers, share your knowledge in the comments.
For more videos of the park’s odd inhabitants, you can check out some recent content at Nihongo Notes.
[hat tip to Watashi to Tokyo]
Contributor Bio: Claytonian studies the nihongoes in Saitama and blogs about Japan, its news, and language at The Hopeless Romantic.
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They are “Rollers” (ローラー) not to be confused with the Takenokozoku who were active at the same time in the late ’70s/early ’80s. On the yankii side of things, but not necessarily straight up bosozoku. Came out of the big Fifties revival at the end of the ’70s. Died off later in the ’80s, but the original guys — pushing 50 in some cases — are still out there once in a while.
Sasuga Marx! The wiki on rockabilly seems to indicate that at the long name is ロックンローラー
echoing kudos. indeed, definitely old school guys. watching the vid reminds me of their self-assured, “It’s no problem” attitude while dancing. a bit like the expressions on the “para para” dancers of the 90s (and now too?)
last time I saw them there was a young boy about 7 or 8 out there dancing with the hairstyle and all but I assumed that he was out there with his father. Has anyone else seen this youngster too?
oh maan they look fearsome!
I think that the greaser lifestyle has been so misunderstood over the years that many of us just don`t care to explain it anymore. It is actually very diverse and complex. There are many different types of greasers; who live many different types of lives. There are a few constants; the tight and tight pompadour, leather jackets, and jack boots are staples of the greaser way of life.
yep, they just embrace the lifestyle. i know a few people in the states that do the same thing with the greased up hair and the greaser/motor club look, but it’s not really a spectacle or a group thing like it seems with the people in the vid. they just live how they want when they want… nothing wrong with that
.
I have been living the lifestyle from time I was a teenager. It all seems natural to me.
It’s a time machine!
Too bad that the video didn’t feature any of the music that they play while dancing. I watched them once in Yoyogi Park and unfortunately the loudspeakers which they had at that time were just awful. It was a nice performance though. I made a short clip and uploaded it to Youtube as well.