— by Jon Wiederhorn, with reporting by Jason Gallagher
The members of Japanese garage-metal band Electric Eel Shock love the West. They live for American rock, love Hollywood films and enjoy U.S. pop culture.
Maybe that's why they tour the States as often as possible and why they called their latest full-length album Go America!
"We are not famous in Japan. Nobody knows [us]," bassist Kazuto Maekawa said.
Electric Eel Shock provide shock treatment American style. They've mastered the 'tude of Detroit band the Stooges, the onstage energy of Columbus, Ohio's New Bomb Turks, the punk aggression of Seattle's Mudhoney, and the strategic placement of socks on naked bodies, as taught by Los Angeles' Red Hot Chili Peppers. But one thing Electric Eel Shock aren't close to mastering is the English language, which makes communication difficult.
When asked to explain their raison d' être, vocalist and guitarist Akihto Morimoto exclaimed, "We are young guys," Maekawa blurted, "We are so happy," and Morimoto added, "We have so many passions."
The group formed in Tokyo in 1997 and wasted no time writing songs for their first disc, Maybe, I Think We Can Beat Nirvana, which came out the same year. They supported the album with a batch of frenzied shows documented on the 1998 record Live Punctured. Then Electric Eel Shock's dreams started to come true. In April 1999 they toured America. Another record, Slayer's Bay Blues, followed in short order, which gave the Shock an excuse to return to the States, where they've toured no less than five times in the last four years. Last month Electric Eel Shock played at the Roskilde festival in Denmark with Iron Maiden and Metallica, and on September 16 they'll fly to the States to begin a six-week tour.
Hitting the road so often and having to record albums in between has forced the members of Electric Eel Shock to quit their day jobs to focus on rock and roll. Still, Morimoto takes pride in his former occupation.
"I'm a professional fisherman," he said, pointing to a patch on his jacket. "Bass Fishing Association — 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. fishing, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. practice for rock and roll. I retire for rock and roll."
Like most aspiring rock stars, Electric Eel Shock have lofty goals. "I want to be in front cover of Rolling Stone magazine and Bassmaster magazine same time," Morimoto said.
"To Sharon: We want to play Ozzfest," Maekawa added. Both artists laughed, and Morimoto added, "We love Ozzy Osbourne. Maybe I love him more than you."
 Check out the MTV You Hear It First Tour.
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