Latest Monster Japan Travel Guide Orders Shipped

Above, Yuu Asakura with The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The latest batch of orders for The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan have been shipped. (Thanks, all!)

One of them was from someone I haven't heard from in a while: documentary filmmaker Matthew Buzzell (Jimmy Scott: If You Only Knew).

According to a note with his order, Buzzell said that he is in Augusta, Georgia teaching at GRU (Georgia Regents University) and will be taking his students to Japan next spring. He said, "How could I ever embark on such a journey without your book?"

Well-spoken by a big Godzilla fan!

Matthew, nice to know you're doing well!

Jazz Singer Jimmy Scott Dies At 88

Above, Jimmy Scott.

The Mainichi Shimbun reported that jazz singer Jimmy Scott has died.

They reported:

LAS VEGAS (AP) -- Jimmy Scott, a jazzman with an ethereal man-child voice who found success late in life with the Grammy-nominated album "All the Way," has died. He was 88. 

Scott died in his sleep Thursday at his Las Vegas home, his wife, Jeanie Scott, said. 

He had battled health problems stemming from a genetic hormone deficiency and had been under the care of a home nurse, she said. 

His 1992 comeback album "All the Way" sold only 49,000 copies in the U.S. but earned him cult-like popularity in Europe and Asia, particularly Japan, where he often sold out performances. 

Eventually he performed with the likes of Elton John, Lou Reed, Michael Stipe and Sting. He also appeared in the series finale of "Twin Peaks," singing the song "Sycamore Trees," co-written by the TV show's creator David Lynch.

I first heard of Jimmy Scott about twelve years ago when I was given a DVD copy of a documentary on his life. I also attended a screening of the documentary at the Sony Studios (which was the former MGM Studios) in Culver City. Like Jimi Hendrix, Scott was preyed upon by crooked promoters and record producers early in his career. It wasn't until Scott was in his seventies that he was able to find long-overdue success.

To read more, go here.