– You don’t smoke at all, right?
[That’s right. I never have.]
– Isn’t that rather unusual? For a man. Do you have smokers around you?
[I do. Quite a few. Until recently, ken-chan didn’t smoke either. He took it up about five or six years ago. ken-chan and I grew up together, and we’ve been in the band together for a long time, too. For the longest time we were the only two out of all the members who didn’t smoke. Also, the drummer we had in the past didn’t smoke, and neither does the president of the record company L’Arc is associated with.]
– How unexpected. tetsu-san, does anyone in your family smoke?
[Nobody smoked at our home.]
– I suppose that must have been a large influence, right?
[It might have been, but basically, I hate the smell of it. I don’t even like perfumes. Especially since the scent of tobacco clings to clothes and hair, it really stinks doesn’t it? I hate that.]
– So then tetsu-san, you’d be a bit harsh with a girl who smokes, wouldn’t you?
[I fundamentally hate it. I don’t think it’s cool, and if I had a girlfriend who was a smoker, I’d want her to quit. Otherwise, she’d have to go smoke somewhere else, where I’m not around. Doing that would make it painful to be together. If she didn’t quit, it would mean she likes smoking more than she likes me.]
– But, I’d have thought that by the time you got to middle school, some of your friends would have started experimenting with smoking. Didn’t they ever tell you “Have a smoke?”
[It happened, but even though they said things like that, I just refused. Eventually, they got the message that “This guy don’t smoke” and stopped asking. One thing I hated was how everyone hid their smoking. From their parents and teachers. I never saw anything cool about it, at all. Also, everyone who started smoking always said that it tasted horrible, right? I’d ask “Is it good? How’s it taste?” and they’d say something like “I can’t stand the flavour, but I’ll smoke cause it’s cool.” To me, that was incredibly uncool. They were doing that just to look good. That sort of thing isn’t cool, don’t bother with it. So, I’ve never ever wanted to smoke.]
– I understand completely.
[And then, the school toilets would be full of smokers in hiding. Those guys were like “Hey, you smoke too?” to anyone who came in…]
– Ah, so they were the Nobita-kun(1) type of kids, weren’t they?
[Yeah yeah yeah, actually, that’s insulting for Nobita-kun (laughs). Yeah, and wasn’t it mostly the kids no one wanted anything to do with who tried to be cooler by smoking? And then those kids were happy teacher’s pets. But actually, they were smoking in secret. “The hell? You smoke too?” or something. Seeing that sort of scheme didn’t make me think smoking was cool.]
– There aren’t many kids who see things as objectively as you do, tetsu-san.
[That’s not true~, there might be some who take the simple approach about what’s cool. In some ways, I’ve been warped, and I approach things diagonally. There are things the world considers right that I simply don’t agree with, and there are things considered cool that I simply don’t agree with, either. Whatever it is, I start by questioning it. “Is this really cool?” “It it really fun?” I can only respond to things that make it through my personal filter.]
– You’ve been that way since you were quite young, haven’t you?
[Yeah. I don’t like letting people lead me astray. You could say smoking doesn’t count as leading astray because people say it’s alright, but try asking the non-smokers who have to put up with smoke. How many cigarettes does a non-smoker inhale just by being in the same room as smokers? Having the smell cling to your clothes, bags, and hair is bad enough, isn’t it? And it’s dangerous to walk and smoke. Right now, in Japan, the mentality is that the non-smokers should shoulder the burden, but I think it should be the other way around. Smokers should take non-smokers into consideration when they’re going to smoke.]
– You’d like to see more non-smoking areas in Japan, then.
[That’s right. I think that’s the way developed countries are heading. It used to not even be prohibited in hospitals, right? It’s nothing like that in America. A lot of Japanese think they’re acting like Americans by smoking everywhere, but actually they’re ahead in banning it. Right now in America, it seems not smoking is being promoted, so non-smokers are the cool ones. I think I’d like Japan to learn a lesson from America as far as that goes.]
– Was there always music in your home, growing up? If your parents liked music and constantly had records playing, maybe that had an influence on you.
[It wasn’t like that at all. My parents were the kind of people who never listened to any music. They’re still like that.]
– Did you take any music lessons, like for the organ or piano or something?
[No, I didn’t. We had a piano at home, but I could never play anything beyond ‘Nekohunjatta’(1).]
– I think you would have been in fifth or sixth grade when when music programs like ‘The Best Ten’ were becoming popular.
[That was earlier, actually. When I was starting elementary school, I watched ‘Best Ten’ every week. Rather than say I watched it, it’s more like that’s what was playing on our living room TV. I moved forward with music on my own, when I started listening to radio and buying records around fifth and sixth grade. Before that, I only heard about music shows when they naturally made their way to me.]
– A lot of popular songs were very typical of that era. Of the popular songs you heard back then, are there any that left a lasting impression on you?
[I like Sawada Kenji, Julie, a lot. That was probably around third or fourth grade. After all, his looks were awesome!]
– Was the first record you bought one of Julie’s?
[I don’t think I got as far as buying his records.]
– Did you ever sing one of Julie’s songs in front of an audience?
[In elementary school, during a recess, I got up on stage and did a Julie impression (laughs). I didn’t go alone though. A friend came with me.]
– Did you enjoy your music classes in school?
[I hated music class. Music isn’t something you can appreciate that way.]
– So, around fifth and sixth grade, you began to actively seek out music to listen to. What was the first music you had an opportunity to listen to?
[It was probably YMO. Or Ippudo or something. They were on TV or radio; back then everyone listened to the radio, didn’t they? And YMO and Ippudo were popular then, right? So of course, it was normal that their music would get to me, too. Until then, all the music I heard came from idols who were on TV alot, or from checking the hits on the radio. When I first heard YMO and Ippudo, I felt they were refined, or polished. Even though I was a kid. In terms of fashion, and of the music they made too, they still seem different from anything else out there, don’t they? Then, around the start of middle school I gradually bought more and more records. That time was the New Romantics Boom, so that’s the kind of music that was in. I listened to Duran Duran and stuff, I think.](2)
– Duran Duran certainly were exemplary of that boom. Also, they were the most popular.
[After that, there was a metal boom around the world. Ozzie Osbourne and the like would play regularly on ‘MTV’. We had the L.A. Metal Boom, too(3). With Mötley crüe and Ratt and stuff. That sort of music was getting to be common, and it played on ‘MTV’, which made it more popular. I listened to that kind of music. That’s what got me to listen to hard rock and heavy metal. At first, it was all western music, but then I found out there were Japanese bands like that, too. I got into Japanese metal, like Loudness, Earthshaker, or 44Magnum. Then, I eventually found out about the world of indie music, and started listening to some of that. That must have been around my first or second year of high school. Then I discovered Dead End. Dead End wasn’t one of those popular bands that were on TV.]
– Did you ever encounter any music that had more impact on your life than Dead End?
[Not by a long shot. Knowing them has put me through more emotions than anything else.]
– Do you feel encountering music has caused big changes in your own life?
[It has. Once I encountered music, I started playing some myself, and that led to making my own music. And so, that’s why I do this kind of work now. Of course encountering music changed my life. It’s the one thing in my life I’m passionate about. The one encounter I feel so strongly about …… I’m incredibly glad… that I can say it was music.]
– Even though it was such a powerful encounter, you couldn’t have known if it would ever stop being a hobby, if you would ever turn pro. What do you think it was that made things turn out the way they did?
[A little effort and luck. It’s probably a bit different than in sports. There, you can probably make it on pure skill. But in music, skill alone won’t be enough to make you a pro. Being cool won’t be enough. In the end, it’s a question of balance between many things, especially talent and luck. Even if you’re lucky enough to become a pro, you could get stuck with very controlling, restrictive people. I think that’s where luck is most important.]
– What advice would you give to people who are currently trying to become pro musicians?
[Nothing. It’s not like what you’re dreaming about. How about “Give up”? (bitter laugh). It’s just that if you don’t have the skill, it’ll be harder than getting into Toudai(4). Getting into Toudai, you can pull that off just by studying, studying, and studying, right? But with music, you have to practice and practice, even after you become a studio musician.]
– It’s about as likely as winning the lottery, right? The odds of success, I mean.
[That’s right. That’s why I’m deeply grateful, even for the stormy parts (laughs).]
– Hold on to that sentiment.
[So, you know, I don’t let myself get too wrapped up in ecstasy. It’s the entertainment business. I’m extremely happy that I’ve been able to get this far with music. There are people I want to make music for, and that motivates me. I’m truly happy.]
-Interviewer : Toujou Sachie
Translated by Natalie Arnold.
[That’s right. I never have.]
– Isn’t that rather unusual? For a man. Do you have smokers around you?
[I do. Quite a few. Until recently, ken-chan didn’t smoke either. He took it up about five or six years ago. ken-chan and I grew up together, and we’ve been in the band together for a long time, too. For the longest time we were the only two out of all the members who didn’t smoke. Also, the drummer we had in the past didn’t smoke, and neither does the president of the record company L’Arc is associated with.]
– How unexpected. tetsu-san, does anyone in your family smoke?
[Nobody smoked at our home.]
– I suppose that must have been a large influence, right?
[It might have been, but basically, I hate the smell of it. I don’t even like perfumes. Especially since the scent of tobacco clings to clothes and hair, it really stinks doesn’t it? I hate that.]
– So then tetsu-san, you’d be a bit harsh with a girl who smokes, wouldn’t you?
[I fundamentally hate it. I don’t think it’s cool, and if I had a girlfriend who was a smoker, I’d want her to quit. Otherwise, she’d have to go smoke somewhere else, where I’m not around. Doing that would make it painful to be together. If she didn’t quit, it would mean she likes smoking more than she likes me.]
– But, I’d have thought that by the time you got to middle school, some of your friends would have started experimenting with smoking. Didn’t they ever tell you “Have a smoke?”
[It happened, but even though they said things like that, I just refused. Eventually, they got the message that “This guy don’t smoke” and stopped asking. One thing I hated was how everyone hid their smoking. From their parents and teachers. I never saw anything cool about it, at all. Also, everyone who started smoking always said that it tasted horrible, right? I’d ask “Is it good? How’s it taste?” and they’d say something like “I can’t stand the flavour, but I’ll smoke cause it’s cool.” To me, that was incredibly uncool. They were doing that just to look good. That sort of thing isn’t cool, don’t bother with it. So, I’ve never ever wanted to smoke.]
– I understand completely.
[And then, the school toilets would be full of smokers in hiding. Those guys were like “Hey, you smoke too?” to anyone who came in…]
– Ah, so they were the Nobita-kun(1) type of kids, weren’t they?
[Yeah yeah yeah, actually, that’s insulting for Nobita-kun (laughs). Yeah, and wasn’t it mostly the kids no one wanted anything to do with who tried to be cooler by smoking? And then those kids were happy teacher’s pets. But actually, they were smoking in secret. “The hell? You smoke too?” or something. Seeing that sort of scheme didn’t make me think smoking was cool.]
– There aren’t many kids who see things as objectively as you do, tetsu-san.
[That’s not true~, there might be some who take the simple approach about what’s cool. In some ways, I’ve been warped, and I approach things diagonally. There are things the world considers right that I simply don’t agree with, and there are things considered cool that I simply don’t agree with, either. Whatever it is, I start by questioning it. “Is this really cool?” “It it really fun?” I can only respond to things that make it through my personal filter.]
– You’ve been that way since you were quite young, haven’t you?
[Yeah. I don’t like letting people lead me astray. You could say smoking doesn’t count as leading astray because people say it’s alright, but try asking the non-smokers who have to put up with smoke. How many cigarettes does a non-smoker inhale just by being in the same room as smokers? Having the smell cling to your clothes, bags, and hair is bad enough, isn’t it? And it’s dangerous to walk and smoke. Right now, in Japan, the mentality is that the non-smokers should shoulder the burden, but I think it should be the other way around. Smokers should take non-smokers into consideration when they’re going to smoke.]
– You’d like to see more non-smoking areas in Japan, then.
[That’s right. I think that’s the way developed countries are heading. It used to not even be prohibited in hospitals, right? It’s nothing like that in America. A lot of Japanese think they’re acting like Americans by smoking everywhere, but actually they’re ahead in banning it. Right now in America, it seems not smoking is being promoted, so non-smokers are the cool ones. I think I’d like Japan to learn a lesson from America as far as that goes.]
– Was there always music in your home, growing up? If your parents liked music and constantly had records playing, maybe that had an influence on you.
[It wasn’t like that at all. My parents were the kind of people who never listened to any music. They’re still like that.]
– Did you take any music lessons, like for the organ or piano or something?
[No, I didn’t. We had a piano at home, but I could never play anything beyond ‘Nekohunjatta’(1).]
– I think you would have been in fifth or sixth grade when when music programs like ‘The Best Ten’ were becoming popular.
[That was earlier, actually. When I was starting elementary school, I watched ‘Best Ten’ every week. Rather than say I watched it, it’s more like that’s what was playing on our living room TV. I moved forward with music on my own, when I started listening to radio and buying records around fifth and sixth grade. Before that, I only heard about music shows when they naturally made their way to me.]
– A lot of popular songs were very typical of that era. Of the popular songs you heard back then, are there any that left a lasting impression on you?
[I like Sawada Kenji, Julie, a lot. That was probably around third or fourth grade. After all, his looks were awesome!]
– Was the first record you bought one of Julie’s?
[I don’t think I got as far as buying his records.]
– Did you ever sing one of Julie’s songs in front of an audience?
[In elementary school, during a recess, I got up on stage and did a Julie impression (laughs). I didn’t go alone though. A friend came with me.]
– Did you enjoy your music classes in school?
[I hated music class. Music isn’t something you can appreciate that way.]
– So, around fifth and sixth grade, you began to actively seek out music to listen to. What was the first music you had an opportunity to listen to?
[It was probably YMO. Or Ippudo or something. They were on TV or radio; back then everyone listened to the radio, didn’t they? And YMO and Ippudo were popular then, right? So of course, it was normal that their music would get to me, too. Until then, all the music I heard came from idols who were on TV alot, or from checking the hits on the radio. When I first heard YMO and Ippudo, I felt they were refined, or polished. Even though I was a kid. In terms of fashion, and of the music they made too, they still seem different from anything else out there, don’t they? Then, around the start of middle school I gradually bought more and more records. That time was the New Romantics Boom, so that’s the kind of music that was in. I listened to Duran Duran and stuff, I think.](2)
– Duran Duran certainly were exemplary of that boom. Also, they were the most popular.
[After that, there was a metal boom around the world. Ozzie Osbourne and the like would play regularly on ‘MTV’. We had the L.A. Metal Boom, too(3). With Mötley crüe and Ratt and stuff. That sort of music was getting to be common, and it played on ‘MTV’, which made it more popular. I listened to that kind of music. That’s what got me to listen to hard rock and heavy metal. At first, it was all western music, but then I found out there were Japanese bands like that, too. I got into Japanese metal, like Loudness, Earthshaker, or 44Magnum. Then, I eventually found out about the world of indie music, and started listening to some of that. That must have been around my first or second year of high school. Then I discovered Dead End. Dead End wasn’t one of those popular bands that were on TV.]
– Did you ever encounter any music that had more impact on your life than Dead End?
[Not by a long shot. Knowing them has put me through more emotions than anything else.]
– Do you feel encountering music has caused big changes in your own life?
[It has. Once I encountered music, I started playing some myself, and that led to making my own music. And so, that’s why I do this kind of work now. Of course encountering music changed my life. It’s the one thing in my life I’m passionate about. The one encounter I feel so strongly about …… I’m incredibly glad… that I can say it was music.]
– Even though it was such a powerful encounter, you couldn’t have known if it would ever stop being a hobby, if you would ever turn pro. What do you think it was that made things turn out the way they did?
[A little effort and luck. It’s probably a bit different than in sports. There, you can probably make it on pure skill. But in music, skill alone won’t be enough to make you a pro. Being cool won’t be enough. In the end, it’s a question of balance between many things, especially talent and luck. Even if you’re lucky enough to become a pro, you could get stuck with very controlling, restrictive people. I think that’s where luck is most important.]
– What advice would you give to people who are currently trying to become pro musicians?
[Nothing. It’s not like what you’re dreaming about. How about “Give up”? (bitter laugh). It’s just that if you don’t have the skill, it’ll be harder than getting into Toudai(4). Getting into Toudai, you can pull that off just by studying, studying, and studying, right? But with music, you have to practice and practice, even after you become a studio musician.]
– It’s about as likely as winning the lottery, right? The odds of success, I mean.
[That’s right. That’s why I’m deeply grateful, even for the stormy parts (laughs).]
– Hold on to that sentiment.
[So, you know, I don’t let myself get too wrapped up in ecstasy. It’s the entertainment business. I’m extremely happy that I’ve been able to get this far with music. There are people I want to make music for, and that motivates me. I’m truly happy.]
-Interviewer : Toujou Sachie
Translated by Natalie Arnold.
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