"The Vapors: First song unrecognizable, then finished with a pretty good rendition of "Turning Japanese", but only after the lead singer explained that everything you've heard about the origin of that song isn't true. This just after I explained to my wife the origin of that song."

I don't know where that started. The first time I ever heard this rumor was mid-90s internet, and I wonder if it was an early phenomenon of the Web. I really liked New Clear Days. I would have remembered if there was ever such talk about Turning Japanese back then and there was none. Fun times back then — Cars, B-52's, Gary Numan, The Vapors, Devo, Madness.