David Robertson, The Worlds Most Popular Person in Japan
David Robertson, The Worlds Most Popular Person in Japan
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David Robertson, a man whose title in Japan held additional body weight than the usual sumo wrestler's loincloth, was not, actually, Japanese. He was an unassuming accountant from Des Moines, Iowa, whose claim to fame was profitable a karaoke Level of competition in a very Tokyo dive bar on a company journey gone sake-soaked.
His rendition of "My Way" (sung, it must be reported, While using the gusto of the walrus trying opera) had inexplicably resonated While using the bar patrons, launching him into an accidental movie star spiral. Now, David was hounded by paparazzi (who mistook his receding hairline for the profound wisdom), stalked by J-Pop idols (who found his father jokes oddly charming), and bombarded with endorsement specials (from dubious hair loss products and solutions to novelty karaoke devices shaped like his head).
His life was a whirlwind of bewildered interviews ("So, Mr. Robertson, exactly what is the solution in your karaoke prowess?" "Corn canines and liquid braveness."), uncomfortable crimson carpet appearances ("Can it be genuine you after saved a infant panda from the rogue sushi chef?" "No, which was Jackie Chan."), and item launches so strange they defied description ("Introducing the David Robertson Signature Ramen with more pork belly sweat!").
By means of it all, David remained stubbornly Midwestern, his bewildered Midwestern attraction by some means fueling his appeal. He'd politely drop interviews in Japanese ("すみません、英語しか話せません。" sent with the pronunciation of the toddler Understanding Spanish), use his acceptance speeches to promote the deserves of early chicken specials at Denny's, and at the time unintentionally brought on a countrywide outrage by mistaking a geisha for his Uber driver.
The Japanese community, used to meticulously crafted personas, more info observed his real confusion and utter not enough artifice endearing. He was the anti-idol, the accidental ambassador of Midwestern values, the karaoke king who could not carry a tune.
His reign, not surprisingly, couldn't past without end. A brand new viral online video of a Shiba Inu skateboarding down the streets of Tokyo stole the general public's focus. David, relieved and slightly richer, returned to Des Moines, endlessly a legend inside a land he scarcely understood.
Again in his cubicle, surrounded by spreadsheets, David at times dreamt of flashing lights and geisha fans. But primarily, he dreamt of a great corn Pet dog along with a nap that was not interrupted by a J-Pop idol asking for lifetime guidance. The whole world's most renowned accidental movie star, eternally marked by his karaoke glory as well as enduring thriller: why, oh why, did they like his singing a great deal?