Japan Times interviews Dave Spector on Japanese Media

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Hi Blog.  We’ve been talking about the media quite a bit lately.  Now let’s read an interview with someone on the other side, who is, according to the Japanese media polls, one of the, if not the, most trusted and popular commentators in Japanese TV.  Dave Spector.  Yes, Dave Spector, who incidentally has been a very kind supporter of Debito.org.  Excerpt from JT article follows.  Arudou Debito in Osaka

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The Japan Times, Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2009

WHO’S WHO
Spontaneous Japanese TV keeps Dave Spector on his toes

By EDAN CORKILL By Staff writer

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fl20090804ww.html

Michael Jackson’s death meant a lot of different things to a lot of different people. For Japanese television celebrity Dave Spector, it meant being woken on the morning of June 26 at 6 a.m. and spending most of the next two weeks either studying or commenting on the performer for the benefit of Japanese television audiences.

“The extent of the interest has surprised me,” the 55-year-old Chicago-native said late last month. “But, you know, there are so many angles to the story, so many unanswered questions.”

And, as has become the norm whenever major news breaks in the English-speaking world, Spector has been busy appearing on dozens of programs, helping the Japanese viewers make sense of it all.

Article continues at:

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fl20090804ww.html

Dave Spector’s media ranking this year:  (pdf file, click to download)

spectorpoll2009

ENDS

3 comments on “Japan Times interviews Dave Spector on Japanese Media

  • Nice to see one person speaking for the whole of Japan about issues which are not Japanese…i tend to switch off when he is on…myopic and pointless commentary. Hardly erudite and balanced!

    Says a lot….

    Reply
  • I would have to agree, though Spector does have the advantge of a high level of Japanese and a long term presence in the type of work he does. But yes, he does tend to offer some ‘odd’ theories about some things outside of Japan that I often don’t agree with.

    I also think it’s not just many of the dramas that suck here, many of the ‘factual’ shows tend to have a annoying comic side which adds nothing to what the focus of the program is supposed to be about.

    As to his admiration of the many live shows in Japan, if they’re bad live shows, what’s the advantage of that?

    Reply
  • I find it interesting that he used to play the “At first I played the role of the goofball ‘gaijin’ (foreigner),” Spector said, recalling making an ass of himself on programs such as live-to-air daytime variety show “Waratte Iitomo”. To be honest, I am not sure when he has changed that much from what I have seen. I usually spend my time fending off or correcting “Spectorisms” from Japanese friends. I’m not sure who is worse, Mr. James or Mr. Spector.

    Reply

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