A Japanese comedian is the new Air Guitar World Champion. Ochi Yosuke (34), one half of the little-known Yoshimoto manzai duo Dainoji, beat over a dozen other finalists at the event in Finland to become the first Japanese winner. Wearing aviator shades and a lurid tiger print sweatshirt, he gave an inspired performance of “Are You Gonna be My Girl?” by Aussie rock band Jet. Ochi received a custom made Finnish guitar called Flying Finn and an amplifier, designed and donated by the Queen guitarist Brian May. Interviewed by Japanese media, Ochi said he had never played the guitar and practiced for the event for “about two days”. See the video of his performance:
• Japanese fans will be the first to have a chance to grab a copy of the first greatest hits album by British rockers Oasis. “Stop the Clocks” will go on sale here on November 15, five days before its release in the U.K. and Europe. Though guitarist Noel Gallagher has always insisted there would be no greatest hits album unless the band were breaking up, the new release marks only the end of their recording contract with Sony BMG. Gallagher reluctantly got involved, he said, to avoid the label releasing a “shit” album. The jacket is yet another nod to the Beatles, designed as it is by Peter Blake, the man behind the “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” album cover. The album’s 18 tracks were chosen by fans worldwide and include “Supersonic” and “Lyla”, the theme song for the Japanese movie “Sugar & Spice – Fumi Zekka”. The album also includes their latest single, “Acquiesce”, which goes on sale October 25.
• Utada Hikaru (23) finished her first national tour in six years with a show yesterday at Yoyogi National Gymnasium in Tokyo. She encouraged the 12,000 fans to get as loud as the 60,000 watching SMAP across town at the National Stadium. She seemed on top form and showed no signs of the huskiness that affected her performance in Saitama last month. She played to a total of 190,000 fans at 23 dates in 12 cities in support of her latest album “Ultra Blue”.