Dave Spector, Gaijin Tarento: Big in Japan, unknown in the US
April 10, 2016 11:44 AM Subscribe
Tarento, a Japanese rendering (gairaigo) of the English word "talent," or actors, though often is used to refer to actors who take part in more comedic panel shows. Gaijin tarento are "foreign talent," non-Japanese actors who speak Japanese and often represent a stereotyped view of their given nationalities. One of the best-known and longest operating gaijin tarento is David Spector, a relative unknown in his native Chicago, but a household name in Japan (NYT, 2014). The strange cult of the Gaijin Tarento (YT, 5:41)
Back in 1989, Dave Spector wanted to return to the US and continue career there, but that hasn't happened, as he's embraced his role as mega-gaijin tarento, from appearing in ads next to a silent Tommy Lee Jones and Japanese model Yuko Ogura to reporting on cutting edge Japanese tech on CNBC, with some humor in a piece on IBM's early wearable PC with a heads-up display.
If you're intrigued, you can learn more from a longer piece on David from Begin Japanology: Japanophiles Dave Spector (YT, 40 minutes).
Back in 1989, Dave Spector wanted to return to the US and continue career there, but that hasn't happened, as he's embraced his role as mega-gaijin tarento, from appearing in ads next to a silent Tommy Lee Jones and Japanese model Yuko Ogura to reporting on cutting edge Japanese tech on CNBC, with some humor in a piece on IBM's early wearable PC with a heads-up display.
If you're intrigued, you can learn more from a longer piece on David from Begin Japanology: Japanophiles Dave Spector (YT, 40 minutes).
wittgenstein, that's where I first heard of Dave, and I had to know more.
posted by filthy light thief at 12:27 PM on April 10, 2016
posted by filthy light thief at 12:27 PM on April 10, 2016
The strange cult of the Gaijin Tarento
I don't know why it's called a "cult." Dave Spector is a very entertaining commentator. I enjoy watching him on the morning "wide" show Toku Da Ne.
Anyway anything taken out of its cultural context can be considered "weird" (Anne Coulter, for example would be difficult to explain to some Americans, let alone a foreign audience).
Broadcasting in Japan is best understood by comparing it to the Smurfs from the 1980's. Every single person who appears on Japanese broadcast television has some uniquely defining characteristic, like a member of the Smurf village.
Dave Spector's quirk happens to be that he is American-born, but his popularity is really due to his stunning proficiency with the language (and not just "for a foreigner").
He has a way with words.
posted by My Dad at 12:32 PM on April 10, 2016 [5 favorites]
I don't know why it's called a "cult." Dave Spector is a very entertaining commentator. I enjoy watching him on the morning "wide" show Toku Da Ne.
Anyway anything taken out of its cultural context can be considered "weird" (Anne Coulter, for example would be difficult to explain to some Americans, let alone a foreign audience).
Broadcasting in Japan is best understood by comparing it to the Smurfs from the 1980's. Every single person who appears on Japanese broadcast television has some uniquely defining characteristic, like a member of the Smurf village.
Dave Spector's quirk happens to be that he is American-born, but his popularity is really due to his stunning proficiency with the language (and not just "for a foreigner").
He has a way with words.
posted by My Dad at 12:32 PM on April 10, 2016 [5 favorites]
When I went to Japan 10 years ago this was a truly fascinating aspect of watching TV there. "What, a white guy learns Japanese well enough and they're a star? I should try that." Of course real industry competition exists only in Hollywood.
posted by rhizome at 12:32 PM on April 10, 2016
posted by rhizome at 12:32 PM on April 10, 2016
I don't know why it's called a "cult."
I agree, I just went with the title given to the video clip.
And thanks for first-hand reviews! I'm definitely an outsider looking in to this cultural phenomenon.
posted by filthy light thief at 12:44 PM on April 10, 2016 [1 favorite]
I agree, I just went with the title given to the video clip.
And thanks for first-hand reviews! I'm definitely an outsider looking in to this cultural phenomenon.
posted by filthy light thief at 12:44 PM on April 10, 2016 [1 favorite]
I remember Dave Spector from the early '90s, when I lived in Osaka & Tokyo. He was popular, but a bit off -- maybe like the Mormon guy you know (assuming you're not a Mormon yourself, and nothing substantial against them, it's just that they're ... a little different from most of the people I associate with).
I still see him on TV when I visit Japan, and he's a fixture on the current TV shows my wife watches via the Internet. His Japanese is very good. But I've seen an increasing number of gaijin making the variety-show rounds who are at least as good. It's no longer enough to be "good at Japanese;" apparently, you must have another quirk, like being black, or from some off-the-beaten-path country, or world-class at some obscure sport.
I don't much care for Japanese variety TV, but they sure produce a lot of it.
posted by spacewrench at 12:50 PM on April 10, 2016 [5 favorites]
I still see him on TV when I visit Japan, and he's a fixture on the current TV shows my wife watches via the Internet. His Japanese is very good. But I've seen an increasing number of gaijin making the variety-show rounds who are at least as good. It's no longer enough to be "good at Japanese;" apparently, you must have another quirk, like being black, or from some off-the-beaten-path country, or world-class at some obscure sport.
I don't much care for Japanese variety TV, but they sure produce a lot of it.
posted by spacewrench at 12:50 PM on April 10, 2016 [5 favorites]
In fairness, the "minor celebrities are comedians rationed one punchline apiece" thing extends to like 95% of Japanese Celebrity Panel Members too. Japan's powers that be seem to believe that the pinnacle of achievement for a comedian is to establish a catch phrase ("安心してください！履いてますよ")
posted by DoctorFedora at 3:30 PM on April 10, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by DoctorFedora at 3:30 PM on April 10, 2016 [1 favorite]
Why, Japanese people?
posted by brappi at 3:44 PM on April 10, 2016 [6 favorites]
posted by brappi at 3:44 PM on April 10, 2016 [6 favorites]
Dave Spector is quite unique in that he's one of the only gaijin tarento with an immense staying power. He's been there for decades and he's still popular.
There's very few gaijin tarento with that kind of career.
posted by SageLeVoid at 3:52 PM on April 10, 2016 [1 favorite]
There's very few gaijin tarento with that kind of career.
posted by SageLeVoid at 3:52 PM on April 10, 2016 [1 favorite]
What about that guy who looks like Teller? Granted, I think he's more of a research linguist than a professional entertainer, but
posted by DoctorFedora at 4:22 PM on April 10, 2016
posted by DoctorFedora at 4:22 PM on April 10, 2016
Fun fact, Tarentino is a diminutive of tarento, the best translation being "semi-talented" or "pseudo-talented".
posted by idiopath at 5:42 PM on April 10, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by idiopath at 5:42 PM on April 10, 2016 [2 favorites]
Kind of like Rich Hall in the UK since the early/mid-nineties, except that he was on SNL and Letterman before he crossed the pond semi-permanently.
posted by JauntyFedora at 5:49 PM on April 10, 2016
posted by JauntyFedora at 5:49 PM on April 10, 2016
Or Reginald D. Hunter!
posted by JauntyFedora at 5:52 PM on April 10, 2016
posted by JauntyFedora at 5:52 PM on April 10, 2016
I've never been a fan of Dave Spector. Something about him grates on me, and while I respect the position he's carved out for himself, I find myself wanting to change the channel every time he's on.
He is, though, one of a very small handful of foreigners on TV that is t required to present himself as a buffoon to get air time. If you ever hear Bobby Ologun speaking Japanese out of character, he sounds like a native speaker, but you wouldn't know it from the cartoonish, vaguely racist way his character talks. Likewise Atsugiri Jason (of "Why, Japanese people?!" fame, literally the lowest common denominator of foreigner humor*), who by all accounts is fluent in Japanese and incredibly bright.
Other than Spector, Pak-kun (Patick something, his last name escapes me) is allowed pretty much to be an equal when appearing on a panel. Unlike Spector, he's not bizarrely grating, and has a pleasant, easy going demeanor, while being a genuinely funny person (he and Atsugiri Jason were paired up in a bit where people copied each other's schtick, and he blew Jason out of the water, doing the Why Japanese People thing in a way that was actually funny. You could sort of see Jason realizing his career could have died on the spot.)
It takes a lot of work to get to the point where you might get noticed. It takes a lot of luck to get noticed, and once you get there, it takes a hell of a lot of work to stay there. I might not like the guy, but I respect the work Spector has put in.
* The "Why, Japanese People?!" thing is essentially Atsugiri Jason writing out a group of simple kanji in a logically connected group (like the characters for numbers) then getting unreasonably upset when the next character in the group breaks from the logical order and is instead a difficult kanji with absolutely no visible connection to the proceeding group. For one thing, it's a "hey, look at the silly angry foreigner" bit, which is funny because they're weird. Second, it's an "our culture and language are unique and impossible for outsiders to understand" bit where Japanese people get to feel superior to lesser people, and finally, it's the same joke that literally anyone who's ever studied Japanese (or Chinese) has made. It's the lowest a fruit can hang without actually falling off the tree, and somehow he's turned it into a successful side career, one that confirms all sorts of unpleasant stereotypes Japanese people have about foreigners in Japan. Not a fan.
posted by Ghidorah at 7:31 PM on April 10, 2016 [7 favorites]
He is, though, one of a very small handful of foreigners on TV that is t required to present himself as a buffoon to get air time. If you ever hear Bobby Ologun speaking Japanese out of character, he sounds like a native speaker, but you wouldn't know it from the cartoonish, vaguely racist way his character talks. Likewise Atsugiri Jason (of "Why, Japanese people?!" fame, literally the lowest common denominator of foreigner humor*), who by all accounts is fluent in Japanese and incredibly bright.
Other than Spector, Pak-kun (Patick something, his last name escapes me) is allowed pretty much to be an equal when appearing on a panel. Unlike Spector, he's not bizarrely grating, and has a pleasant, easy going demeanor, while being a genuinely funny person (he and Atsugiri Jason were paired up in a bit where people copied each other's schtick, and he blew Jason out of the water, doing the Why Japanese People thing in a way that was actually funny. You could sort of see Jason realizing his career could have died on the spot.)
It takes a lot of work to get to the point where you might get noticed. It takes a lot of luck to get noticed, and once you get there, it takes a hell of a lot of work to stay there. I might not like the guy, but I respect the work Spector has put in.
* The "Why, Japanese People?!" thing is essentially Atsugiri Jason writing out a group of simple kanji in a logically connected group (like the characters for numbers) then getting unreasonably upset when the next character in the group breaks from the logical order and is instead a difficult kanji with absolutely no visible connection to the proceeding group. For one thing, it's a "hey, look at the silly angry foreigner" bit, which is funny because they're weird. Second, it's an "our culture and language are unique and impossible for outsiders to understand" bit where Japanese people get to feel superior to lesser people, and finally, it's the same joke that literally anyone who's ever studied Japanese (or Chinese) has made. It's the lowest a fruit can hang without actually falling off the tree, and somehow he's turned it into a successful side career, one that confirms all sorts of unpleasant stereotypes Japanese people have about foreigners in Japan. Not a fan.
posted by Ghidorah at 7:31 PM on April 10, 2016 [7 favorites]
What, a white guy learns Japanese well enough and they're a star?
I once read an article that a similar thing also happens in China. IIRC, a white guy who speaks Mandarin very well has enough novelty value that he can get steady acting work, though I can't remember if that extends to David Spector-level celebrity. I wish I could find the youtube video that went with it. I suppose these sorts or reactions come with a lack of ethnic diversity in a language area.
posted by cosmic.osmo at 7:49 PM on April 10, 2016
I once read an article that a similar thing also happens in China. IIRC, a white guy who speaks Mandarin very well has enough novelty value that he can get steady acting work, though I can't remember if that extends to David Spector-level celebrity. I wish I could find the youtube video that went with it. I suppose these sorts or reactions come with a lack of ethnic diversity in a language area.
posted by cosmic.osmo at 7:49 PM on April 10, 2016
Ghidorah: He is, though, one of a very small handful of foreigners on TV that is t required to present himself as a buffoon to get air time.
From what I've seen and read, he's chosen to play the buffoon because it's stupid lucrative for him. He said that gaijin tarento like him are derogitorily called "pandas," because they're cute and funny and empty entertainment, but because he makes a ton of money, he's happy to be a sloth or a hedgehog.
posted by filthy light thief at 7:57 PM on April 10, 2016
From what I've seen and read, he's chosen to play the buffoon because it's stupid lucrative for him. He said that gaijin tarento like him are derogitorily called "pandas," because they're cute and funny and empty entertainment, but because he makes a ton of money, he's happy to be a sloth or a hedgehog.
posted by filthy light thief at 7:57 PM on April 10, 2016
On the other hand, I've seen clips where he's describing what it's really like to live in America, compared to US sitcoms that are broadcast in Japan, and in those roles he's not being a buffoon, but an emissary from the US who can discuss details in Japanese.
posted by filthy light thief at 7:59 PM on April 10, 2016
posted by filthy light thief at 7:59 PM on April 10, 2016
Japan's powers that be seem to believe that the pinnacle of achievement for a comedian is to establish a catch phrase ("安心してください！履いてますよ")
But that's so hilarious though. I love it.
posted by My Dad at 8:15 PM on April 10, 2016
But that's so hilarious though. I love it.
posted by My Dad at 8:15 PM on April 10, 2016
What, a white guy learns Japanese well enough and they're a star?
>I once read an article that a similar thing also happens in China.
Yes but Dave Spector didn't just "learn Japanese well enough." He's genuinely talented conversationalist in Japanese (you may not like his brand of conversation, but a lot of Japanese people do).
The "similar thing happening in China" you're referring to is another remarkable individual named Dashan.
Dashan's foreignness may be a novelty but he has mastered traditional Chinese crosstalk. It's not just something that any Chinese person can do, and is the reason for his success and popularity in China.
Thirty years ago being foreign in Japan at least opened a lot of doors, even if you had minimal talent. That's all changed. Being foreign is not particularly noteworthy anymore.
posted by My Dad at 8:19 PM on April 10, 2016 [2 favorites]
>I once read an article that a similar thing also happens in China.
Yes but Dave Spector didn't just "learn Japanese well enough." He's genuinely talented conversationalist in Japanese (you may not like his brand of conversation, but a lot of Japanese people do).
The "similar thing happening in China" you're referring to is another remarkable individual named Dashan.
Dashan's foreignness may be a novelty but he has mastered traditional Chinese crosstalk. It's not just something that any Chinese person can do, and is the reason for his success and popularity in China.
Thirty years ago being foreign in Japan at least opened a lot of doors, even if you had minimal talent. That's all changed. Being foreign is not particularly noteworthy anymore.
posted by My Dad at 8:19 PM on April 10, 2016 [2 favorites]
Ghidorah: "Likewise Atsugiri Jason (of "Why, Japanese people?!" fame, literally the lowest common denominator of foreigner humor*), who by all accounts is fluent in Japanese and incredibly bright. "
Bobby Ologun was presented from the start as really being the way he presents on TV, and only after a long time did TV shows start pulling back the veil and admitting that he talked like a normal human being. With Atsugiri Jason, I think literally the third time I saw him on television it was an extensive profile (during prime time) showing how he's a director at an IT company, talking like normal, etc. When he appears on TV (that I've seen) he's presented as what he actually is -- a comedian with a schtick -- as opposed to a Bobby Ologon/Yukorin/Ryucheru-type "This is what I'm actually like in real life" tarento.
Also, I like his shtick. I don't see it remotely as "our culture and language are unique and impossible for outsiders to understand" -- I mean, for pete's sake, it's all kanji! There might be one or two kokutai in there, but it's like 99% "Chinese characters are weird". The going overboard thing "Why Japanese people?!" thing is annoying, I'll give you that, but the actual jokes make me chuckle.
My Dad: "Being foreign is not particularly noteworthy anymore."
Yeah, Dave is still on TV because he can be funny and insightful. There are lots of other foreigners who still live in Japan but have disappeared from the TV, and on the few times when they appear, it's fairly evident that they didn't abandon TV, TV abandoned them. Just speaking Japanese isn't enough anymore (and hasn't been for a while).
posted by Bugbread at 8:31 PM on April 10, 2016
Bobby Ologun was presented from the start as really being the way he presents on TV, and only after a long time did TV shows start pulling back the veil and admitting that he talked like a normal human being. With Atsugiri Jason, I think literally the third time I saw him on television it was an extensive profile (during prime time) showing how he's a director at an IT company, talking like normal, etc. When he appears on TV (that I've seen) he's presented as what he actually is -- a comedian with a schtick -- as opposed to a Bobby Ologon/Yukorin/Ryucheru-type "This is what I'm actually like in real life" tarento.
Also, I like his shtick. I don't see it remotely as "our culture and language are unique and impossible for outsiders to understand" -- I mean, for pete's sake, it's all kanji! There might be one or two kokutai in there, but it's like 99% "Chinese characters are weird". The going overboard thing "Why Japanese people?!" thing is annoying, I'll give you that, but the actual jokes make me chuckle.
My Dad: "Being foreign is not particularly noteworthy anymore."
Yeah, Dave is still on TV because he can be funny and insightful. There are lots of other foreigners who still live in Japan but have disappeared from the TV, and on the few times when they appear, it's fairly evident that they didn't abandon TV, TV abandoned them. Just speaking Japanese isn't enough anymore (and hasn't been for a while).
posted by Bugbread at 8:31 PM on April 10, 2016
IIRC, a white guy who speaks Mandarin very well has enough novelty value that he can get steady acting work
Oh man that would be so awesome to move to China and become a typecast villain character actor. "I must break you."
posted by rhizome at 8:49 PM on April 10, 2016
Oh man that would be so awesome to move to China and become a typecast villain character actor. "I must break you."
posted by rhizome at 8:49 PM on April 10, 2016
I once read an article that a similar thing also happens in China. IIRC, a white guy who speaks Mandarin very well has enough novelty value that he can get steady acting work...
Even without speaking any Mandarin, in China you can get a job impersonating any other Caucasian person!
VICE on HBO: Rent a White GuyExamples include a guy with a recurring role impersonating a doctor at a medical conference and a trade show that hires fake businesspeople pretending to be attendees from a variety of foreign countries while moving among the paying Chinese exhibitors and collecting swag.
posted by XMLicious at 8:51 PM on April 10, 2016
I totally understand the choice Ologun made, and yeah, he's made a ton of money off of it. Atsugiri Jason is pretty well off on his own without it, but yeah, he's making a decent bundle with this while he can. I guess one of the reasons I've always liked Pak-kun more than most of the gaijin tarento is that he doesn't seem to pander quite so much to the stereotypical image of a foreigner. He's just a guy, he's pretty relaxed, and speaks Japanese amazingly well. It's pretty rare to see him playing the fool on a panel show, whereas most foreigners (especially if it's a large format show with a large group) on tv are falling all over themselves to be the most notable one in the room.
posted by Ghidorah at 9:11 PM on April 10, 2016
posted by Ghidorah at 9:11 PM on April 10, 2016
Noticed a week or two ago that Atsugiri Jason appears to have his own children's morning show on NHK Educational now. Perhaps they found a way to use his "WHY" catch phrase for good rather than for annoying
posted by DoctorFedora at 10:52 PM on April 10, 2016
posted by DoctorFedora at 10:52 PM on April 10, 2016
Huh. I literally did not know until like 2 minutes ago that Pakkun was 100% non-Japanese. I'd always assumed he was half.
While we're on the topic of annoying buffoonery, my vote for number one sheer annoyingness is Priska (sp?), the South African representative on 世界番付 (scroll down a ways). Though that show is a good example of why buffoonery exists: of the dozens of people on that page, almost every one I can remember is a buffoon, with the exceptions of Pakkun and maybe one or two others (Amanda from Brazil isn't a buffoon, is she?). The normal folks just slide off the memory without making an impression.
posted by Bugbread at 11:23 PM on April 10, 2016
While we're on the topic of annoying buffoonery, my vote for number one sheer annoyingness is Priska (sp?), the South African representative on 世界番付 (scroll down a ways). Though that show is a good example of why buffoonery exists: of the dozens of people on that page, almost every one I can remember is a buffoon, with the exceptions of Pakkun and maybe one or two others (Amanda from Brazil isn't a buffoon, is she?). The normal folks just slide off the memory without making an impression.
posted by Bugbread at 11:23 PM on April 10, 2016
There's the Egyptian woman. She's always the loudest, most ridiculous tarento in any panel she's in. Even Mrs. Ghidorah changes the channel when she's on. Gah.
As for turning Why into something educational, as a survivor of teaching in junior highs during both the Hard Gay crisis and the hell that was Gu-gu-gu-gu-good! (Thumbs up!), trust me, all that will come of that is great sadness on the part of any teacher who has the misfortune to unknowingly say any part of his catchphrase.
Why, one-note gaijin tarento, why?!
posted by Ghidorah at 11:55 PM on April 10, 2016 [3 favorites]
As for turning Why into something educational, as a survivor of teaching in junior highs during both the Hard Gay crisis and the hell that was Gu-gu-gu-gu-good! (Thumbs up!), trust me, all that will come of that is great sadness on the part of any teacher who has the misfortune to unknowingly say any part of his catchphrase.
Why, one-note gaijin tarento, why?!
posted by Ghidorah at 11:55 PM on April 10, 2016 [3 favorites]
Ugh, do not get me started on the Gaijin Buffoon thing. I'm planning on making a post on MetaFilter about how to avoid the "WHY are YOU in Japan" camera crews at Narita, since they wouldn't leave me alone last time.
posted by Ms. Moonlight at 3:18 AM on April 11, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by Ms. Moonlight at 3:18 AM on April 11, 2016 [2 favorites]
Mrs. Ghidorah absolutely loves that show. Can't get enough of it. Personally I can't stand the fact that they've turned YOU into a general noun ("look at this 'you'!") as if it needed to be more othering than it already was.
As for the camera crews, we've only seen them once, but we were too tired (Mrs. Ghidorah would also love to be on the show...) to even try. On the other hand, I've been interviewed a handful of times for various "hey, check out how foreigners do (fill in traditional Japanese activity)" type segments, but I've never been on TV. Watching the stuff that makes the cut is a testament to Spector, honestly, because the only foreigners that ever get shown on reports about hanami, fireworks festivals, or matsuri are the ones who clearly don't know what to do or where to go, or are in general just doing things wrong. A group of foreigners and Japanese people getting along, with everyone able to speak Japanese, if not fluently, then well enough to surprise the hell out of the interviewers, that isn't something that shows off the ineffable perfection of Japanese culture.
Mind you, I'm actually not in a "argh, Japan" phase. It's just that I've been through the interview that wastes time I could otherwise spend drinking with friends thing, and I know that by being a competent foreigner, I'm never going to be on tv here.
posted by Ghidorah at 4:45 AM on April 11, 2016 [3 favorites]
As for the camera crews, we've only seen them once, but we were too tired (Mrs. Ghidorah would also love to be on the show...) to even try. On the other hand, I've been interviewed a handful of times for various "hey, check out how foreigners do (fill in traditional Japanese activity)" type segments, but I've never been on TV. Watching the stuff that makes the cut is a testament to Spector, honestly, because the only foreigners that ever get shown on reports about hanami, fireworks festivals, or matsuri are the ones who clearly don't know what to do or where to go, or are in general just doing things wrong. A group of foreigners and Japanese people getting along, with everyone able to speak Japanese, if not fluently, then well enough to surprise the hell out of the interviewers, that isn't something that shows off the ineffable perfection of Japanese culture.
Mind you, I'm actually not in a "argh, Japan" phase. It's just that I've been through the interview that wastes time I could otherwise spend drinking with friends thing, and I know that by being a competent foreigner, I'm never going to be on tv here.
posted by Ghidorah at 4:45 AM on April 11, 2016 [3 favorites]
Spector may be showbiz through and through, but you can't help but admire the guy.
Although, if I get a choice, I'd much rather emulate Peter Barakan.
posted by ob1quixote at 5:36 AM on April 13, 2016
Although, if I get a choice, I'd much rather emulate Peter Barakan.
posted by ob1quixote at 5:36 AM on April 13, 2016
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posted by wittgenstein at 12:19 PM on April 10, 2016