The tried and true (if a bit cliche) theme from clockwork Orange that usually announced mariko taking the stage was gone. In its place is now....Whatever song the Cheshire cat sings in Alice in wonderland. Also gone was what had become the trademark of mariko Kobayashi's stage shows: the bloody school girl persona. Which obviously disappointed many in attendance. In its place was now a brightly dressed mariko, looking more like a bad imitation of that Barbie doll musician than herself...Until the show started.

Mariko performed her two new songs along with selected songs from her past. No "submissive Japanese girl". Don't get your hopes up. But some old Favorites were there, like "no stars" and "cat poster". Soundwise, mariko is still all over the place. One song could be peppy rock,the next grinding industrial, then on to an almost ballad. It is different without seeing mariko backflipping and decapitating mannequins..But it finally reveals the artist mariko truly is.

And for those wondering if she just stands there and sings now....No. the stage is elaborately decorated in what could only be described as an extension of mariko herself. Cutesy little dancing characters and cartoon backdrops.which really is more disturbing than her previous act. It's cute...But something you can't quite put your finger on is off. It's like seeing John Wayne gacey dressed as a clown.

Interview

Music go go: mariko? Mariko Kobayashi? Where have you been?

Mariko: umm... osaka?

Music go go: doing? This will be a very short interview if you only answer I single words.

Mariko: oh! *Laughs* sorry! This is only like my 3rd interview ever. Um.. I've mainly just been traveling with my niece. Seeing the world with her and living like a real person,you know?

Music gogo: you were gone for a long time. Did retirement cross your mind? Well,as much as someone who's career has been relatively minor yet rather well followed could be?

Mariko: cross my mind? Fuck no. I was retired for all intents and purposes. After the whole Vara Gallo thing? I was 100% done with the music industry and the people in it.

Music gogo: how do you mean?

Mariko: I got into music for all the wrong reasons: It was easy due to my connections. And revenge. When I first started,I was fresh out of a totally fucked up marriage. Nobody knew what I went through and I wanted them to see.i wanted them to feel. But not in a constructive way. I wanted to play the victimizer. I used people because I could and there wasn't shit they could do about it. But.....Vara was better at this and took me down a peg or twelve. A fragile ego shatters to the most pieces.

Music gogo: recently Nina Tarantino,of all people,sang the praises of your latest single. Was this a surprise to you?

Mariko: yes and no. Yes because in doing so,Nina addressed the elephant in the room we both avoided for so long. And no because I get the feeling Nina is a professional before she is anything else. She could separate the creation from the creator.

Music gogo: any beef there?

Mariko: not to my knowledge. I think I'd know by now. I think we could still hang out and have fun. I could be wrong,but I've been a bit of an optimist as of late.

Music gogo: does Vara Gallo get the same treatment?

Mariko: um...No. I'm bitter like that. *grins* But I've forgiven her. I don't want to have lunch or something with Vara. But If someone wanted to kill her,I'd tell them not to. I would thank her though. When I first met her,She was EXACTLY what I wanted to be. Even as she was insulting me during the early part of our friendship. later when i realized i had become what i thought i wanted to be...it wasnt all it was cracked up to be.

music gogo: so am i right to assume "teddy bear cast in iron" is about that realization?

Mariko: yes and no. i mean in a small picture sort of way,yeah. i cant speak for anyone else. so i dont know if anyone else ever came to this conclusion. but one day i was sitting there thinking of things i said and did to people...and it disgusted me. no wonder i was sitting in this huge house all alone. i became a bitter and selfish person. and that is NOT who i am. but i felt i had to become that to not be hurt,succeed in life,make people respect me. and i made the decision right there to stop wearing a protective layer of meanness. in a larger sense,its about the disconnect of what we tell kids they should be and when they grow up? all that goes out the window and we're sitting here wondering what the fuck happened?

Music gogo: interesting. and "sputnik"?

mariko:its about sputnik. i dont do symbolism. at least not consciously. if someone reads something into my work and gets something out of it? good for them. even if its something i never intended. if not? thats cool too. i just always thought it was really sad that all that work went into poor little sputnik just to be abandoned in its hour of need. granted there was some dogs that suffered the same fate,but thats too depressing to write songs about. i cant even watch movies where the dog dies. i sure as hell am not going to write songs about it.

Music gogo: so the bloody schoolgirl-

Mariko: i applaud you for taking so long to bring that up! *laughs* it was something i had to do. i just had to. i was talking to someone and joked that i'd be 80 and still dressing up and being covered in blood. i know i have fans who love it and yeah,it is kind of iconic. but only change is constant,right? if people are really good and i mean REALLY good. maybe i'll do it for the encore. unsurprisingly it was hard to be booked when you were going to pour 20,000 gallons of fake blood into a venue.

Music gogo: but your new image also includes blood. look at the picture we're using for this interview.

mariko: old habits are hard to break? *laughs*

Music gogo: even without the bloody school girl,you still seem to be going for a signature look.

Mariko: i dont have all that much confidence in my artistic ability to convey to people what i'm all about. visually? thats far easier. so thats what i do.

music gogo: interesting. so in closing : what does the future hold for mariko kobayashi?

Mariko: hopefully everything! i want to really start dropping these singles left and right. make up for the lost time where i just sort of hung out. i want to have my own success. im tired of being known as either A : that girl from big brother that wasnt erica hess. ugh i hate that name. i dont know why my sister refuses to use her real name. or B: or just that girl who is the sister of erica hess. its time to do this music thing for all the right reasons!