Author: Ali Watson

A brief introduction to Pretendians

Published by Ali Watson

When using the term ‘Pretendian’, a mashup of ‘pretend’ and ‘Indian’, many Indigenous peoples will recognize it while some non-Natives may be left wondering. There are at least two different avenues leading to a Pretendian. We’ll be looking at the two most common. One will be familiar enough immediately. The second, not so much so despite her constant inflammatory pro-Trump rhetoric. Some of us have dubbed her ‘Pretendian of the year 2018’ though the year isn’t over, this one will be a hard Pretendian to top.   Senator Elizabeth Warren and the saga of family lore Ever since I was a kid, people have often told me, ‘my great great grandmother was Cherokee’. As a kid, it was just a weird thing to hear and something that seemed weird enough years later that it always seemed to be a grandmother and she was always Cherokee. Or more often than not, a Cherokee princess. It wasn’t until speaking with other Natives about it that I discovered that this seemed to be a thing with non-Natives, most …

Tattoos, artists and ink

Published by Ali Watson

For all the times that I’ve seen offensive tattoos with Native-esque symbols or items, there has always been one thing clear — there are at least two people at fault for the offense. The person getting the disrespectful image, and the tattoo artist who inked it on them. Some time ago, I took the time to approach artist after artist to ask why they would opt to do that instead of maybe informing the client that ‘this design may be offensive to Indigenous peoples’. By and large, the response was, ‘if the client wants that design, it’s not on me to police it’. Yet when asked if they’d do racist or Nazi designs, many would argue that it’s not the same thing. The difference is – one design offends everyone. One offends Indigenous people. Why the dismissal when it’s us who are offended? At the root of it, artists told me that as an artist, they should not be limited as to what they can do. In ideal, that may seem true enough. Limiting artistry …

ONE OK ROCK August 2017

Published by Ali Watson

Special personal note on this show: This was the first concert that I shot after needing a wheelchair. These photos are the most shared of any show that I’ve shot. ONE OK ROCK, while not considered by many Jrock fans as “Jrock”, are one of the most prolific bands from Japan outside Japan, which is an incredible accomplishment.

MORRIE Solitude 2018

Published by Ali Watson

(First appeared on JRockRevolution.com) On January 31st, MORRIE held an intimate performance at the 99-seat capacity Kraine Theater. This was the second of his Solitude performances in the New York City that stripped away flair down to a man, his guitar, his music and his words. Fans might be more familiar with his bands DEAD END and creature creature in addition to his solo work. MORRIE has been considered one of the original fathers of modern Jrock and Visual Kei. Indeed, his style remains visual, an expression of the man as much as his music. That’s not to say that his music is dark and foreboding. During the interlude between songs, MORRIE delighted the audience with little stories that spoke of philosophy, of what it means to be human, punctuated by soft humor and a sharp wit. While the songs were the focus for the evening, MORRIE made the entirety a performance. One could genuinely feel the appreciation he had for his audience and likewise, the near silence from the audience during the performance of …