“Dirty Old Man” is the title of the latest single from Southern All Stars, and it’s sure to be yet another hit for Kuwata Keisuke and his veteran band. But a good publicity stunt never did hurt the sales figures. Yesterday, Tokyo’s Shibuya district saw the arrival of a group of 10 guys wearing the same mysterious outfits as on the single’s jacket cover – watermelon heads, skin-colored body suits, and straw hats covering their crotches. The fruit is one of the familiar symbols of summer here in Japan and plays a part in a popular beach game known as suika wari, or “split the watermelon”. SAS are due to take part in a summer special on Fuji TV on August 20 and will appear at a two-day outdoor festival at Hamanako Garden Park in Shizuoka Prefecture on August 26-27.
• Pop duo Tackey and Tsubasa made an unannounced appearance at Jingu Stadium yesterday. They performed their new single “Ho! Summer” before the start of the Yakult Swallows-Yomiuri Giants baseball game. They also took part in the ceremonial opening pitch, with Imai Tsubasa (24) pitching to Takizawa Hideaki (24). Veteran player/manager Furuta Atsuya (41) was behind the plate and called the count for a strike. The Giants went on to beat the Swallows 8-4 for their first string of three consecutive victories in two months.