Peacocking gangsta shuffle in a Lambo
Drivers often choose to drive the things that reflect who they are and somehow express their core values. Some folks choose rumbly, tall SUVs that fit their stature, others take on Hybrids because they think they can save the world, and there are those who like Vespas because some guys just like the wind on their vagina. Often times when those vehicles just don’t reflect enough personality for certain drivers, they go through some attitude adjusting “upgrades.”
“Lets make it go faster, turn sharper, shine brighter!” we hear ourselves exclaim. But to glow more neon and sparkle like a leopard? That might just be something exuberant that only a boss can get away with. And not just any boss, mind you, but a Yakuza boss.
Somehow, it seems fitting that this culture enshrouded in myth and mystery, all adorned by colorful tattoos on tough guys would be personified by gaudy Lambos. A Yakuza without any of these things would be akin to a tiger without its stripes–who the hell is going to recognize you? These guys aren’t hiding who they are, they’re openly embracing it with a middle finger in the air to the public–which is what Tokyo-based videographer, Luke Huxham, conveys to viewers in this short documentary on one such boss.
As Huxham himself has said via email to Jalopnik:
Every day in Japan you can see questionable looking people driving around in supercars. Where do they get their money? Who do they associate with? All these questions flooded my mind until finally I found myself behind my Canon 1DC surrounded by Bosozoku, brightly coloured flashing Lamborghinis and the Yakuza.
Bosozoku in Japan are bike gangs with no real respect for laws, the general public or the police. They’re obviously frowned upon, often causing problems for the general public. Very often they’re the early makings of Yakuza. It’s like a training ground. Some of them will grow up and become real gangsters.
You can’t really just walk up to these guys and ask them to be in your film. You don’t walk into Kabukichou after midnight and start trying to film people with tattoos all over their bodies unless you want to have your nose broken. You need to know someone that has a good relationship with the people in these underground cultures and ask them to invite you in for as long as you’re allowed to stay which is usually not very long!
This is where we meet Morohoshi-san, a Lamborghini fanatic who’s not shy about telling the world about his passion for Lamborghini. After a couple meetings, he also wasn’t too shy to let us [Huxham and assistant director, K.T. Chan] explore his dark background and some his close friends surrounding his dangerous lifestyle.
I started storyboarding this film months before it finally got to the two-night shoot. I found out very quickly that you can’t really organize these types of people. You try to gather them up in one place and then make it to the next location while directing them, filming them, yelling at them from a chase car as you try to orchestrate these scenes you have envisioned. Your carefully planned, minute-by-minute schedule goes out the door, you’re simply along for the ride with camera in hand.
It’s very stressful but also very surreal at the same time. You don’t take in these moments until the next night when you sit down and start going through all the footage, and find out which parts of your original story are there, and which are missing. When you do these cultural documentary pieces you really have to embrace the run-and-gun style of shooting. It’s horribly stressful but also a very rewarding experience at times. It’s nothing like my commercial shoots where things usually go according to plan, and you’re not still out at 4:30 am filming dolly shots of Lamborghinis.
I would like to welcome to the world of an Underground Hero, a person some of you will love to hate. Remember, style is personal, fun is universal and Morohoshi-san is far too busy having fun to give a s*hit about what you think of his flashing neons.
As for me in America? I’ll stick to peacocking in my pimp hat and iced out pimp cane when behind the wheel of my black on black Lambo, thank you very much.
SOURCE: The Bosozoku Are Japan’s Disappearing Rebels Without A Cause
