Gimme Gimme Octopus (videos)
(UPDATE: This post originally gave the erroneous impression that Gimme Gimme Octopus condones drug use, but thanks to our attentive readers this has now been corrected. I must have smoked too much insect repellent.)
If you are like me, you have by now pledged $350 (or more) to WFMU, put it in a prize account, listen to the station continually, and throw in $10 whenever another great premium item is up for grabs. You get tons of stuff, get to play the WFMU slot machine, and you will be thanked on the air all the time. It is too late to sign up for the prize account now, but you should still pledge and hunt for swag until March 12, so I will keep this post short and sweet.
If you recently read this blog or listened to WFMU, you might have heard about Kure Kure Takora, aka Gimme Gimme Octopus, an insane 60s Japanese TV show for kids, starring an octopus and a peanut who are in love with the same walrus. However, love stories are notoriously boring, so the creators of this series made the wise decision to drop copious amounts of acid, and to infuse the series with lots of crime, gratuitous violence, and drug use insect repellent. The music is already great, but the episodes themselves are unbelievable. Here are two of them, teaching the kids about private property, violence, and use of mind enhancing substances: Stealing The Dragon's Dope Mosquito Repellent Which Is Not At All Psychoactive and Fighting With The Dragon to Steal His Book (both approximately 11 meg MP4 files).
More (and even more outrageous) episodes next week, but only if the fundraising goal of $850k is met. And if you don't pledge, we will send out our dragon to break your kneecaps, like in the video. Yes, we have finally realized that blackmailing is a good thing. By the way, you can order a DVD with a "Best of Kure Kure Takora" compilation at 5 Minutes to Live, or you can get the complete series on 4 DVDs at Brutallo.com. And you can get more "information" on Kure Kure Takora on this Japanese website translated by Google.
This is my favorite TV show EVER! One of my most prized possessions is the actual 4DVD box set (not the burned copies), it took months to find! I actually made a copy of the soundtrack CD for FMU years ago, dunno if they still have it around...
Hi Lukas, I'm Mrrranda & Alexandra's friend Howard -- I really like your posts!
Posted by: Listener Howard | March 05, 2006 at 01:48 PM
I hate to spill your bong water, but that ain't dope. It's FLIT.
http://orpheus.ucsd.edu/speccoll/dsads/flit/index.shtml
FLIT bug repellent. You light the coil and the smoke keeps the mesquitos away...
Posted by: danno! | March 05, 2006 at 10:28 PM
All the Dr. Seuss commercials for FLIT on that page feature a sprayer, not a smoking coil. It could well be mosquito repellant, but the Japanese variant seems to be psychoactive. Kind of like snorting detergent or shooting up bug powder, or whatever else people were doing in those good old times.
Posted by: Lukas | March 05, 2006 at 11:09 PM
The Japanese name is "katori senko" and its no more psychoactive than a bad-smelling incense. Its used sometimes in the summer months to ward off mosquitos in particular, however the actually effect on mosquitos is actually dubious. Its a little tough to tell perhaps with the cheapo mask but the dragon was waking from sleep and not a drug-induced stupor.
Apparently katori senko is derived from pyretheum which is used as a common natural insect repellent. Other than a reference to the main characters in Burroughs' "Naked Lunch" being addicted to a pyretheum roach repellent, I can't find any sources on the net which suggest any specific psychoactive effects.
Posted by: Ben List | March 06, 2006 at 07:28 AM
I posted a favorite Kure Kure clip here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RY1npfO9E4I
Posted by: Strange Findings | March 06, 2006 at 10:53 AM
How about this:
http://kimoto.cc/ykk/mosquitocoil.jpg
Posted by: danno! | March 06, 2006 at 05:27 PM
How does one find the original 4 DVD box set (the unburned version)? I have done some searches but seems everything is burned copies.
The samurai one was good, can only assume the dragon was killed by the octopus, which is just as well since the book was all about turning the octopus into sashimi!
Posted by: Shammy | March 09, 2006 at 02:36 AM
You get the original 4 DVD box set at Amazon Japan:
http://tinyurl.com/rmtz8
Cheaper then a dope coil.
-d!
Posted by: danno! | March 10, 2006 at 06:18 PM
Thanks for the link.....although I am having trouble getting the site to work in English.
Will this DVD set play on stateside-US DVD players?
Posted by: Shammy | March 10, 2006 at 08:28 PM
The Amazon Japan link posted above is for used copies of the box set, starting at ¥31,800 ($268), although I do think it says the used copies are 'new' or 'like new' condition... The DVDs are NTSC, so they will play on North American TVs, but they are also region 2 so you must have an all-region player...
Posted by: Listener Howard | March 10, 2006 at 11:14 PM
Thanks for the info...268 bucks sounds like a lot of scratch,though... those DVD-R's at brutallo.com are sounding a bit more appealing (and viable) right now..
Posted by: Shammy | March 11, 2006 at 04:58 PM
Shammy, have you pledged to the station during this marathon?
Posted by: Listener Howard | March 11, 2006 at 06:11 PM
No, can't say that I have made a pledge....I am on the west coast & stumbled onto this site while googling for Captain Beefheart...
Posted by: Shammy | March 11, 2006 at 10:46 PM
nicest videso i ever seen. Thanks!
Posted by: Strafverteidiger München | April 20, 2007 at 01:47 PM
It is a good thing these sorts of programmes are not on the cable television, other wise I surely would cease all other activities and become a devoted slave to it. dju!
Posted by: suramawapimamashamawandapuwapiamabandanathi | April 27, 2007 at 12:19 AM