100 Days of Ayum Hamasaki: What Happened?

I'm sure you're dying to know.

You're not?
Well, forget you - I'll tell you anyway!

Firstly, did I succeed in my mission? Yes and no.

When I got to about Rainbow, I hit a crisis and almost cancelled the trip. So once I hit A Ballads, I kinda didn't want to keep listening, because listening to Ayu when I was going to miss out on seeing her live for the millionth time was just frustrating. But after a few weeks, crisis was averted and the trip was back. Which meant I was back to my listening schedule, just with a reduced time frame - each album got 3 days now. So not quite 100 days of listening. So that "yes and no" is quite a Nigel Tufnell "yes and no".

Secondly, why didn't I keep the bLog going?
No idea on that one. I have my draft sitting there for A Song for xx. Maybe I got a bit behind and didn't quite know how to catch up? Maybe I was so focused on trip planning and learning Japanese that I forgot to update the bLog? Maybe I was actually working?

Bahahahaha we all know that wasn't it.

So I apologise to anyone that was looking for my input there. But then also, I like it when I write funny satirical bLogs, and I'm hardly going to do that with Ayu because she is my future wife and it would be rude to mock her livelihood in any way. I'm a respectful and caring young man!

Maybe I'll do something like Kissathon, where I just listen to the albums once and then make quick notes while I'm listening? Maybe? Again, it worked with Kissathon, because for every album that made me cheer there were 2 that made me "WTF?" and then another that made me go "Fuck you, Tommy Thayer!".

Either way, before then I have to do last year's WrestleMania, then this year's Royal Rumble, and then the next WrestleMania. Because I hate myself and want you to hate me even more. And before all that, I am going to finally write up about my trip to Japan. Because it was amazing and you should all be jealous like I am of the people that live in Japan or get to go there. So jealous. Seriously, even watching The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills the other day and Lisa Rinna went to Tokyo with Erika - bah gawd was I jealous. And her fucking kids got to go and hang out with Japanese people and enjoy Japan and oooooh I'm so jealous right now!

Hmmm... maybe I should try and do an Ayu-thon for her 20th Anniversary? It would be the perfect occasion to explore her catalogue and make a totally chronological playlist. But I don't have 100 days between then and now, so I could just do it like Kissathon and try and find ways to make some jokes. Most likely they'll be made at my expense, as I'll enjoy it so much and will get so annoyed when people interrupt me during a great song. But I don't have anything to write about next month - could be a good idea.

Look at this free-flowing thought, growing in front of you. I'm like a fucking tree: long goofy arms and growing up right in front of your eyes, albeit in a boring and slow fashion that you really don't want to stand around and watch. Just pass by every so often on your way to work and enjoy the beautiful leaves. Probably produce some nuts. But if you think your dog is going to pee near me, boy howdy we got a problem!

100 Days of Ayumi Hamasaki

I could have titled this 100,000 days of Ayumi Hamasaki, because in the end that's how long I'll probably listen to her for.

It's kind of already been about 227. 2017 has been the year my love for this woman kicked into overdrive. I watched Power of Music on New Year's Day and haven't really stopped listening since, give or take a few days.

So 100 days of Ayumi Hamasaki?
Well, I'm heading to Japan in 100 days. To see Ayumi Hamasaki live (among other things, but yeah that is a massive priority). But I realised this morning that as much as I love her music, I've really been taking my time with getting to know her entire catalogue. Some might say I've been slack. A terrible fan, even. I was. I still am. I had been somewhat content to just occasionally listen to the same 3 albums over the last 7 years - and even then, I don't think I'd actually listened to them in about about 2 years. But watching Power of Music not only re-ignited my enjoyment of Ayu's music, it completely lit a passion in me for Ayumi Hamasaki and her music. The woman is a consummate professional, an incredible performer and makes inspiring music that crosses genres.

Wow I sound like a pretentious dork.

So that was New Year's Day. I think the next day I realised I needed to branch out a bit on my Ayu experiences and downloaded (like I said, still a terrible fan) the Rainbow and Rock'n Roll Circus albums. I chose those because Rainbow sits chronologically between 2 of my favourite Ayu albums (remember, at this time I only had 3 albums in my iTunes library) I Am... and My Story.

Side bar: My Story is still a masterpiece.

Rock'n Roll Circus kind of interested me as this was the album that had just been released when I first discovered Ayu back in 2010. I'd seen a few live clips here and there and figured it was worth a shot. And I was right. After listening to those 2 albums numerous times, I decided to grab (Miss)understood as well, due to my love of the opening track Bold & Delicious. By this point I was falling further into the rabbit hole and downloading a couple of old concert videos, really driving home for me just how great a performer Ayu is. And just when I thought I could not love her even more, I was led to checking out A One and its absolute brilliance meant my total devotion to Ayumi Hamasaki was now complete.

At this point, I figured I needed to stop downloading her works. Enjoying someone's creative works without actually paying for it is somewhat acceptable in very small doses (or where not possible) but by this point I had numerous albums and concert videos that can be legally purchased but I did not.

Not a good fan.

So I decided that I would not download any more music or videos. I would bite the bullet and pay the stupid premium prices for her CDs and DVDs and blu-rays. Because she is now my favourite artist and I should show my appreciation.

But then a funny thing happened; I booked my trip to Japan to see Ayumi Hamasaki live in concert. A trip like this requires a great deal of money, which means less money to spend on luxury items like CDs and DVDs and blu-rays. But then the next conundrum hit me yesterday: I have only 8 of her albums. Which isn't even half of her studio album output. And then you add in the EPs and such... it means there are a lot of songs out there that I am not familiar with.

Such a bad fan...

I don't want to be at this concert and expose my bad fandom by not knowing half the songs. But I also can't go spending $1,000 on CDs when I'm going to a foreign country in 3 months and need as much money for that as possible. Seriously, my accommodation alone is going to be more than that. So I've had to 'postpone' my rule for a little while longer. But don't worry, Ayu, as I will be definitely on track to make a totally legal music and video collection of your works in 2018. But that's for the future...

What is in store for the now?
Well, to properly get my fan level up to a more respectable position, I am dedicating my listening times over the next 100 days to a somewhat chronological study of Ayumi Hamasaki's music. All 17 studio albums, 4 EPs and a couple of compilations as well for good measure. I'll find some way of working in all the non-album tracks as well, though I'm not sure how to go about that right now. But the plan at this stage is to spend 4 days listening to each album or EP, with the goal being that I will end up with a better knowledge of the songs (and the song titles - it's pretty lame that even now I struggle to remember the names to the songs on A Best and I Am...). I have enjoyed taking my time with each album so far, but it's time to step this up a notch. I don't want to be standing at her concert going 'I think I know this song...' and then six months later I find myself listening to it and wondering if she played that at the concert.

Don't get me wrong - I know it wouldn't impact my enjoyment of the concert. I saw Kiss live in 1997 and barely knew any songs outside of Greatest Kiss and Alive III. But it means that to this day I am reliant on others telling me what songs were played that night, other than Deuce and Rock'n Roll All Nite.

Pretty sure I've made up for it by watching every Kiss concert possible.

So yeah. 100 days.
LET'S DO THIS!!!