– When did you have your first encounter with the bass?
[It must have been my first or second year of middle school. I had been playing guitar before that, though. I used to play a lot at one senpai’s (1) house, nearby. I played guitar there. I didn’t especially plan it. It just happened. ken-chan, who also came to that senpai’s house, said to me “tetsu, how about you try the bass?” so I asked “What’s a bass?” and found out it’s like a guitar with four strings instead of six. I thought with four strings, it must be easier, so I bought one. I got it through a catalogue, but when it came I was shocked by how big it was! It’s huge! (laughs)]
– You can’t see that from a catalogue, right?
[Right. I had no idea. So, even back then, ken-chan was taller than me. I was the little one. I remember thinking “How come I get stuck with the gigantic instrument?” (laughs) But really, instead of both of us playing guitar, I was better off with the bass.]
– How was it when you actually started playing?
[I didn’t normally play by myself. That’s no fun! (laughs) Really, guitar was more interesting. I felt like they’d tricked me into it. I started playing the bass more and more when we got together at that senpai’s house. Since around the time I bought that first bass, I’ve been playing it. I say that now but, even though I thought “why don’t you guys play this thing instead?” a lot, it really grew into a part of me. Even though it was boring at first (laughs). Normally, when I get something new, I end up getting bored. But, the other senpai, whose house we were at, he played the drums. I played with him and ken-chan. They started out as a drum and guitar duo, and then I came along. We had lots of fun together, it was great. That’s how it all started. Back in second or third year of middle school.]
– What did you play back then?
[Covers, of Scorpions’ “Big City Nights” or of Michael Schenker’s stuff. (2) I remember, that drummer senpai was really very good. I don’t think he reached that level just by goofing around with us. That’s also the time when being in a band started to appeal to me. I wanted to start up a band of my own, so I started looking for members. More than just playing the bass, I wanted to play in a band. If my senpai had pushed me toward playing drums, I’d have been happy with that. If I’d stayed with guitar, I’d have been happy with that too. I just wanted to be in a band. If skateboards had been popular, I’d have bought one, gotten everyone together, and had us all skateboard together. I almost ended up being a skateboarder. It was another one of my hobbies. At that time, I really wasn’t thinking about going pro with any of it, though.]
– But as you played, the bass became more interesting, didn’t it? [Well, I didn’t really practice that much. I’ve almost never spent much time practicing, over my life.]
– To be able to play the way you do without practicing much, that must be proof of your talent, right?
[I guess my fingers just move right. But even now, I’m still a bassist. It’s really a quite recent thing for me to really feel an appreciation for the bass. Since around the recording of SMILE (laughs). Until then, I just kept on doing it without really thinking too deeply about it. That’s why now, I think the older stuff I’ve done is terrible. I didn’t know anything. I wasn’t looking at it properly, so now it sounds like a car wreck to me.]
– But you didn’t get where you are now without accidents, did you?
[They might have been what carried me along. So, sometimes some aspect of the music I make will turn out badly. It’s only lately that I’ve started seeing that as a way to move forward (laughs). Recently, I’ve wanted to set myself apart as a bassit. I want to be an awesome bassist.]
– Set yourself apart? So, what kind of bassist would be an ideal example?
[There haven’t ever been any bassists I particularly liked. I don’t know very many by name. I’ve never said “I want to be a bassist just like this guy” or anything. Lately, I finally found a bassist I liked. I don’t know his name, but he’s the new bass player for Jane’s Addiction. (3) He’s messy, but it’s in a cool way. I don’t like Jane’s Addiction’s music that much, but I’ll listen to it just for the bass. There are a lot of talented people out there, but raw skill has never been what I’m aiming for. But, that guy from Jane’s addiction does something like what I want to do. To put in words, it’s a splattery sort of playing.]
– Personally, I think your bass work is quite lyrical, but what are you particular about when you’re performing?
[I guess I can’t help but be picky, but I don’t really know what’s particular about my own preformance.]
– But I’ve heard that your preformances can’t be reproduced.
[Even I can’t perfectly reproduce them (laughs).]
– Could you say a little about the instruments themselves, as in maker, shape, or colour?
[I’ve got quite a collection of them. I have a lot, but one favourite is my rare Fender Jazz Bass. It’s got some value as an antique, and I like vintage stuff like that. I used to have a preference for more hyper, ultra-fine ones though.]
– How many do you own now?
[Over 100. Most are in storage. There are some that I’ve never played after I bought them. I like rare things, so it’s fun for me to have this collection. Over the years, I’ve hesitated less over buying new ones, especially when I might not get a second chance. I do use them for recording once in a while. I like my instruments, so when I do record with them, I make sure it ends up on a CD. I think they’re happier being bought by me than by some layman (laughs). It’s like a rescue, but for instruments.]
– How many do you keep ready?
[Less than 10, usually. The rest go into storage, unless I go pick them up for a recording.]
– What exactly is a bass to you, tetsu-san? How do you feel about that instrument?
[Nothing that special. There are some people who keep on playing an instrument until it’s down to the last string, right? Personally, I’d rather replace it. That might just be because I have so many. If there’s a day for a four-seater, there’s also a day for a sports type. (4) I don’t squeeze that much out of a single one. I’m not the type who gets that fixated on a single one. There might be some merit in using the same one down to the last string, you’d get used to the neck, for example, but I can’t bring myself to go that far. I have a more “try a bit of everything” type of personality. Or maybe try a bit of a few things (laughs).]
-Interviewer : Hasegawa Makoto
Translated by Natalie Arnold.
[It must have been my first or second year of middle school. I had been playing guitar before that, though. I used to play a lot at one senpai’s (1) house, nearby. I played guitar there. I didn’t especially plan it. It just happened. ken-chan, who also came to that senpai’s house, said to me “tetsu, how about you try the bass?” so I asked “What’s a bass?” and found out it’s like a guitar with four strings instead of six. I thought with four strings, it must be easier, so I bought one. I got it through a catalogue, but when it came I was shocked by how big it was! It’s huge! (laughs)]
– You can’t see that from a catalogue, right?
[Right. I had no idea. So, even back then, ken-chan was taller than me. I was the little one. I remember thinking “How come I get stuck with the gigantic instrument?” (laughs) But really, instead of both of us playing guitar, I was better off with the bass.]
– How was it when you actually started playing?
[I didn’t normally play by myself. That’s no fun! (laughs) Really, guitar was more interesting. I felt like they’d tricked me into it. I started playing the bass more and more when we got together at that senpai’s house. Since around the time I bought that first bass, I’ve been playing it. I say that now but, even though I thought “why don’t you guys play this thing instead?” a lot, it really grew into a part of me. Even though it was boring at first (laughs). Normally, when I get something new, I end up getting bored. But, the other senpai, whose house we were at, he played the drums. I played with him and ken-chan. They started out as a drum and guitar duo, and then I came along. We had lots of fun together, it was great. That’s how it all started. Back in second or third year of middle school.]
– What did you play back then?
[Covers, of Scorpions’ “Big City Nights” or of Michael Schenker’s stuff. (2) I remember, that drummer senpai was really very good. I don’t think he reached that level just by goofing around with us. That’s also the time when being in a band started to appeal to me. I wanted to start up a band of my own, so I started looking for members. More than just playing the bass, I wanted to play in a band. If my senpai had pushed me toward playing drums, I’d have been happy with that. If I’d stayed with guitar, I’d have been happy with that too. I just wanted to be in a band. If skateboards had been popular, I’d have bought one, gotten everyone together, and had us all skateboard together. I almost ended up being a skateboarder. It was another one of my hobbies. At that time, I really wasn’t thinking about going pro with any of it, though.]
– But as you played, the bass became more interesting, didn’t it? [Well, I didn’t really practice that much. I’ve almost never spent much time practicing, over my life.]
– To be able to play the way you do without practicing much, that must be proof of your talent, right?
[I guess my fingers just move right. But even now, I’m still a bassist. It’s really a quite recent thing for me to really feel an appreciation for the bass. Since around the recording of SMILE (laughs). Until then, I just kept on doing it without really thinking too deeply about it. That’s why now, I think the older stuff I’ve done is terrible. I didn’t know anything. I wasn’t looking at it properly, so now it sounds like a car wreck to me.]
– But you didn’t get where you are now without accidents, did you?
[They might have been what carried me along. So, sometimes some aspect of the music I make will turn out badly. It’s only lately that I’ve started seeing that as a way to move forward (laughs). Recently, I’ve wanted to set myself apart as a bassit. I want to be an awesome bassist.]
– Set yourself apart? So, what kind of bassist would be an ideal example?
[There haven’t ever been any bassists I particularly liked. I don’t know very many by name. I’ve never said “I want to be a bassist just like this guy” or anything. Lately, I finally found a bassist I liked. I don’t know his name, but he’s the new bass player for Jane’s Addiction. (3) He’s messy, but it’s in a cool way. I don’t like Jane’s Addiction’s music that much, but I’ll listen to it just for the bass. There are a lot of talented people out there, but raw skill has never been what I’m aiming for. But, that guy from Jane’s addiction does something like what I want to do. To put in words, it’s a splattery sort of playing.]
– Personally, I think your bass work is quite lyrical, but what are you particular about when you’re performing?
[I guess I can’t help but be picky, but I don’t really know what’s particular about my own preformance.]
– But I’ve heard that your preformances can’t be reproduced.
[Even I can’t perfectly reproduce them (laughs).]
– Could you say a little about the instruments themselves, as in maker, shape, or colour?
[I’ve got quite a collection of them. I have a lot, but one favourite is my rare Fender Jazz Bass. It’s got some value as an antique, and I like vintage stuff like that. I used to have a preference for more hyper, ultra-fine ones though.]
– How many do you own now?
[Over 100. Most are in storage. There are some that I’ve never played after I bought them. I like rare things, so it’s fun for me to have this collection. Over the years, I’ve hesitated less over buying new ones, especially when I might not get a second chance. I do use them for recording once in a while. I like my instruments, so when I do record with them, I make sure it ends up on a CD. I think they’re happier being bought by me than by some layman (laughs). It’s like a rescue, but for instruments.]
– How many do you keep ready?
[Less than 10, usually. The rest go into storage, unless I go pick them up for a recording.]
– What exactly is a bass to you, tetsu-san? How do you feel about that instrument?
[Nothing that special. There are some people who keep on playing an instrument until it’s down to the last string, right? Personally, I’d rather replace it. That might just be because I have so many. If there’s a day for a four-seater, there’s also a day for a sports type. (4) I don’t squeeze that much out of a single one. I’m not the type who gets that fixated on a single one. There might be some merit in using the same one down to the last string, you’d get used to the neck, for example, but I can’t bring myself to go that far. I have a more “try a bit of everything” type of personality. Or maybe try a bit of a few things (laughs).]
-Interviewer : Hasegawa Makoto
Translated by Natalie Arnold.
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