“Survivor’s stories, though each very different, generally begin with haunting similarity — “I saw a bright flash” or “I was knocked unconscious,” and always include the obligatory, “I was X kilometers from the hypocenter,” a figure describing the speaker’s physical proximity to the middle of hell on earth.”
“Ironically, the subject of the atomic bombing has always existed within the Hiroshima punk scene the same way an irradiated elephant might occupy the slam pit at a bar show — awkwardly, and with a high likelihood of making you spill your drink.”
“In 1957, as atomic bomb survivors continued to die mysteriously of unknown causes — and fierce debate raged about whether or not to preserve the artifacts of the bombing (including the Atomic Bomb Dome itself) — Austrian author Robert Jungk, aided by Ogura, set out to discover the true stories of the A-bomb victims.”
“In the shadow of Hiroshima’s Atomic Bomb Dome, where dimly-lit music venues sit atop the ashes of a former atomic wasteland, the spirit of punk clings like stale smoke after a bar show.”
“Japan is a place both modern and ancient, and one need only visit a shrine or hear the tolling of a temple bell from a bustling city street to fall in love with its poetic beauty.”
“We watched in silence, our hands held tightly together. Drifting between dream, and dream…”