Nouns and adjectives in Tokion Issue 40 The World Records Issue
eyes are: lonely
emotion is: sweet
desire is: intense, burning
passion is: true
feelings are: fresh, free
stuff is: scary, old country, bitchy
things are: wierd, the coolest, different, interesting, goddamn, visible, non-visible, intangible, various, beautiful
people are: interesting, young, dim, shriveled, bleak, absurd, powerful, unique, retarded
individuals are: vast, creative, fearless, resilient
girls are: mod
ladies are: long, lean, langourous
women are: crazy
wives are: errant
men are: free, pleasant, young
dudes are: sketchy, bearded
kids are: white trash, tiny, muscle-bound, crazy
life is: boring, normal, not easy
cars are: expensive, unbelievable, muscle
designs are: exquisite, hand-made
design is: innovative, high, affordable, radical, hot
designers are: insect-loving
furniture is: Styrofoam
drawings are: delicately disturbing
t-shirts are: cool, dangerous
shoes are: action, classic, basketball, ultimate high performance track and field, gold
sneaker collectors are: avid
characters are: elegant, stuffed, wierd, claymation
insomnia is: terrible
landscapes are: bleak
worlds are: obscure, wide, brightly colored, visible, non-visible, competitive, just, magical
atmospheres are: creative
realms are: rarefied, scientific
environments are: unstable, poor
space is: limited
spaces are: quiet, rotating
places are: important, warm, safe, great, cozy
moments are: memorable, rare
days are: windless, bad, glory
afternoons are: rainy
sludge rockers are: legendary
cult followings are: rabid
thrones are: bloody
skycrapers are: incredible
humor is: incredible
musical skills are: incredible
relationships are: awesome
challenges are: tough, appealing
gladiolas and hearing aids are: suddenly fashionable
torchbearers are: forever lonely, tormented
symbols of self-destruction are: fascinating
forms of human expression are: immediate, powerful
responses are: frothy
magazines are: interesting, powerful, unreadable
books are: very untruthful, iconic
ways are: unpleasant, strange, unique
creativity is: dementedly out-of-control
teeth are: gritted
milk is: breast, real
movies are: long, real
film is: modern, life affirming
scripts are: incredible, unpredicatable, original
endings are: spectacular
reviews are: mixed
spitoons are: constant
death is: so far away
shit is: stupid, hippy
energy is: underlying, beast-like
rockets are: human
bastards are: phony
problems are: personal
living conditions are: strict
sanitary guidelines are: strict
natures are: relaxed, competitive
compliments are: great
jobs are: great
support is: great, tremendous, important
friends are: great
foundations are: great
blowout parties are: stupid
cats are: obese
balls of duct tape are: giant
meats are: delicious
grills are: burning
art is: interactive, functional
artists are: accomplished, local, far-away
toys are: plush, retro
beauty is: primitive
games are: extremely interesting, extremely beautiful, cool
gameplay is: logical
nicknames are: self-given
states are: oxygen-deficient
machines are: special, awsome, terrifying
DNA is: good, special
geniuses are: hapless, unappreciated
gamma rays are: stray
fashion is: poof-shouldered
heroes are: working-class
views are: romantic, nice
periods are: decadent, over-the-top
fascism is: cheap
tops are: sequin
cousins are: wierd
floors are: glass
restaurants are: revolving
hallways are: eerie
fetish destinations are: ultimate
history is: bizarre
debauchery is: reckless
memories are: intoxicated
dealers are: unique
artifacts are: unique
style is: unique
landmarks are: warm, intimate, luxurious
touches are: delicate
bands are: great, overlooked, new
music is: safe, wildly original, alien, important, truly outsider, new
roller-rink days are: unremembered
swagger is: Strokes-esque
brands of linguistic terrorism are: idiot-savant garde
tracks are: beautifully innocent, cut-up, high-quality, digital
sonic meanderings are: flamboyant, unapologetically grandiose
album covers are: misleading
dub outings are: bass-heavy, modern, digital
gloss-house is: Ibiza-friendly, minimal
overtones are: beautifully melodic, escapist
beginnings are: chaotic, art-punk
crushes are: secret
candy bars are: deep-fried
louts are: lager-swigging
bottoms are: saggy
devices are: cheap-ish
manflesh is: feeble, stinking
power is: mighty
planets are: tragic
cheese is: melted
lawyers are: douchey
vibes are: bad
hills are: rolling
porno is: hot
sex is: awkward
youths are: desperate
babes are: blood thirsty
silence is: complete
saxophones are: broken
living is: discordant
fingernails are: long, spiralling
dens are: smokin’
bar tabs are: high
driving is: white knuckle
somethings are: pleasant
3 Comments:
What is this?
This is a list of all the described nouns from Issue 40 or the youth culture magazine Tokion, as in the sentence, “There are very few producers that like to take on daring projects.” Hence, “projects are: daring.”
Is it really all of the described nouns?
No. There were many I didn’t use, for a couple of reasons. Some adjectives have become compound nouns, like “sports psychologist” or “computer graphics”, which I didn’t use because “psychologists are: sports” makes less sense than “sports psychologists are: overspecialized, greedy”, which unfortunately wasn’t to be found anywhere in this issue. Others, like in the phrase, “my favourite movie”, I didn’t use because these are too specific: “movies are: my favourite” conveys a meaning I don’t intend. I also left a bunch off because they weren’t really interesting.
Doesn’t the complete lack of any level of specificity or generality make this list absurd?
You’re absurd.
So what’s the point of all this?
To watch the language, mostly. I think someone reading this list could get a very good sense of the content of the magazine. Reading the list is like describing a world. It's the world in microcosm. I could have done some of the people interviewed separately, and when I tell you that both Morrissey (“Mother I can feel the soil falling over my head”) and Ichi the Killer director Takashi Miike were interviewed, you likely would be able to match which noun and which adjective to which person. For example, “people are: bleak, shriveled, dim” all came from Morrissey. You can get a sense of the scope and temperament of the people who are interviewed in the mag, and thus to a certain extent the readership of the magazine, and from there the culture as a whole. These nouns can be described in a multitude of ways, but in this particular magazine we see only a small subset of all the potential adjectives, a subset that has a different colour than the larger set.
What do you mean by colour?
I don’t know. Use your imagination.
I’m thinking about doing this process for another magazine, one of a different nature, in order to compare the language used. A chosen word and its connotations reveals a lot about the chooser.
Who are the other people who are interviewed in the magazine?
Yao Ming, the guy who started Pokemon, Evil Kneivel, others.
Is this list just compiled from interviews?
No, the whole thing, ads included. The ads were mostly for clothes and sneakers.
Thanks for your time.
Bite me.
Doesn’t the complete lack of any level of specificity or generality make this list absurd?
You’re absurd.
Good answer. I commend your vigour.
Sams are: vigourous
Post a Comment
<< Home