EXTREME IN JAPAN: THE NEW LIFE AND TIMES OF PORNOGRAFFITTI

The important thing about Extreme’s breakthrough 1990 smash “More Than Words” is that the deft, deceptively complex ballad for pussies helped propel its album, Pornograffitti, to double-platinum sales. That’s cash money for an act not exactly primed for major financial windfall: Sure, guitarist Nuno Bettencourt (Rihanna) is hotter than half of my gfs, so that’s a start, but Extreme was a poor fit in the reigning hair metal genre. Kinda like Enuff Z’nuff and Saigon Kick, they played sophisticated Beatles metal for songists, not entry-level riff-jamz to pop ludes to. (And how high are chart hopes for an album with porno in the title?)

So already it was a tough life for tweener/crossover bands. Enter “More Than Words,” a number-one hit that represented a serene island in a choppy metal sea for pop types, and a persistant gag impulse for fans of big Extreme crunch a la “Kid Ego.” Overlap notwithstanding, the situation must’ve fucked with Bettencourt and crew: Your concert crowd is now pocked with familiar dudes jamming among the resigned, impatient “Words” lovers; your business partners want more success, so welcome to PressureVille, population you; your fans are sick of your stupid face, and the stupid faces of your new housewife following, so it’s backlash time. Great.

Lol fortunately for Extreme, all was soon to be solved for them by grunge and shit. So “More Than Words” couldn’t have aged them too much, and at any rate they went full-retard with an unwieldy concept album to follow Pornograffitti. And in time, “Words” reverts back to being a footnote to a great entry in rock history; radio listeners are over it, while Pornograffitti draws new fans forever, one at a time — especially those blindsided by “Words” pre-knowledge. (Read me spray all over Pornograffitti‘s second single here.) It’s the type of album that dudes love to respect, like “Look at what longhairs can do. This is our Sgt. Pepper’s.” #truefact

Its endurance is enough to get a promoter in Japan to set up a short run of sold-out Pornograffiti complete shows. Dudes I know were like “Japan is awesome/ridiculous” for hosting these gigs, but mostly because they saw the venue listed as Tokyo Dome and imagined Extreme rocking the 55,000-seat arena; actually these gigs are at a House Of Blues-sized club that’s part of the Tokyo Dome complex. And one wonders if any dumbshits will attend expecting the lulzy J-douche band that took its name from the album. I’d go cuz my jam is “Hole-Hearted” and I wager that for these gigs Nuno will play it as recorded on a 12-string acoustic, and not bend my boner with that saggy live electric version. That’s worth a globe-crossing right?

-ADF

Get Extreme merch and 2008 album Sausages de Rock here.