How many times have you heard the oft-said phrase “They’re big in Japan”? We all know about the Mr. Sparkle fiasco, and my own favourite singer, Lisa Loeb, having quite a significant market over there. I am also the first to snigger when I hear about David Hasselhoff having quite the reputation for being big everywhere it doesn’t count (ooooh a double entrendre!).
But never, not for one second, did I think that I, little old T顬 would be big in Japan. Of course, if I went there I would be big, because I am a 5’8 fat white woman, but I never thought that I would have a following.
Let us rewind back to 2001. As you all know I am a pretty decent fan of Lisa Loeb. I think she’s had a hard run, been given a rough time by record companies over the years, and as a result, has been, ironically, relegated to the “big in Japan” group of artists. Over the years I have managed to establish myself as the fan who produces “Educational Purposes Only” tabs for the Lisa Loeb fan community — its a job that I enjoy, and given my moderate amount of musical talent, I manage to pull it off.
So, it should come as no surprise to people that when a project to produce a Tribute CD from fans for Lisa’s birthday came about, I was happy to contribute. I have contributed a couple of covers, mostly done on my crappy computer, shared them, and they have appeared on 3 CDs that we have given to Lisa for her birthday (1999, 2000 & 2001). Most notable is I Wish, even though I have done a heap of others. It’s just a bit of fun that I didn’t even think about.
Until now.
A friend of mine, and fellow Lisa fan, has told me that when you search for “Té¡ Smith” on Japanese peer-to-peer networks, it comes up with 500+ results on 50+ pages. 523 people have my version of “I Wish” in their shared folders. In case you don’t believe me, here is the evidence.
So, there you have it. I was suprised to know that 10 people had heard it, let alone over 500. Maybe its time to start thinking about touring? Or maybe its just proof that anyone can be big in Japan?