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X Japan Band Founder Yoshiki Launches XM Radio Show

YOSHIKI, the leader of the rock band X Japan, announced on Thursday that he will launch YOSHIKI Radio, an hour-long monthly radio show which will be broadcast on Sirius XM Radio. The show's first episode will air on May 27 at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, and subsequent episodes will air on the first Sunday of each month at 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

The show's content will include YOSHIKI's favorite artists from Japan and elsewhere, as well as "elements of Japanese pop culture that already have made their mark on American life, from sushi to Sony to...the bourgeoning western popularity of Anime." In a statement, YOSHIKI expressed excitement at showing that there are "no real boundaries" to music and art.

YOSHIKI, who has been running charity auctions via his YOSHIKI Foundation non-profit organization to benefit victims of the Great Eastern Japan Earthquake disaster (Higashi Nihon Daishinsai), also announced a new batch of auctions in the series on Wednesday:

• MTV Europe Award statue belonging to the Red Hot Chili Peppers' Anthony Kiedis
• Custom Ibenez mandolin belonging to Cuban-American industrial metal band Ministry's Al Jourgensen
• Guitars autographed by Anthrax's Scott Ian and Limp Bizkit's Wes Borland
• T-shirts signed by Robert Pattinson, Reese Witherspoon, and James Franco
• Front-row tickets to a live filming of the television talk show Chelsea Handler Live
• A limited-edition print of Marilyn Manson's album Lest We Forget, signed by Manson
• Two tickets and a backstage meeting with 30 Seconds to Mars, valid at any show on their 2011 tour
• Hello Kitty iPod Touch case signed by original Hello Kitty designer Yuko Yamaguchi

The Mainichi Shimbun paper's Mantan Web site reported on Thursday that YOSHIKI's charity auctions, including the sale of the rocker's own custom "crystal" piano, have raised 100 million yen (about US$1.24 million) in about 50 days. As of Friday, the total has risen to 129,308,654 yen (US$1.603 million). The piano itself raised over 11 million yen (US$140,000). The piano's auction was initially suspended after receiving a US$73 million bid whose bidder did not respond to confirmation attempts, and then relaunched successfully.

Image © The Official X Japan Website