Y'know - interviews with the famous

Mutsue Hayakusa (早草睦惠), architect

2026-06-09T21:09:27.938+01:00

In 2009, I was writing a feature on "up-and-coming" architects. One of the "young architects" I contacted was Mutsue Hayakusa (she was around 40 at the time, which is young or an architect). She agreed to do an interview by email.

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Liddell: As a "young architect," how has the environment changed for you since the Bubble?

Hayakusa: The amount of architectural building projects has been reduced by budget cost-cutting. Also the advent of internet and computer graphics technology has allowed us to have more opportunities to easily view various existing designs. As a consequence, we have less opportunity to view fresh ‘new feel’ architecture.

Liddell: The period before the Bubble seemed to create a lot of showy architecture. Even Kenzo Tange’s buildings – like the National Gymnasium in Yoyogi – seemed designed to gain attention for the architect rather than serve their purpose. How do young Japanese architects now feel about the generation of architects of the post-war Bubble period - Tange, Kurokawa, Isozaki, Ando, etc.?

Hayakusa: The works by Tange, Kurokawa, and Isozaki, which were built during the rapid growth of the Japanese economy, between the mid-1950s and 1970s are representative of the excellent buildings of the period, which have timeless appeal rather than the buildings made after the Bubble. Ando started to design just before the Bubble, but he tried to keep his works apart from the features of this period, even in mid-Bubble. His attitude to his works contributed to his current world status. The historical post-war period up to the Bubble is meaningful since it allowed architects to establish clear design features and create excellent architectural buildings.

Liddell: Who do you regard as the leading architects of the post-Bubble period? Why are they important?

Hayakusa: I regard Kuma Kengo and Ban Shigeru as the leading architects of the post-Bubble period because their methods of designing their concepts, through editing and control of information, conditions and restrictions are extremely flexible, which gives them strong power. Also they are precision architects, suitable for the modern situation.

Nasunogahara Harmony Hall (1994)

Liddell: Like many architects today, your designs seem to deal with architectural problems of space, location, function, and blending in. There is no attempt to make something that is just eye-catching. Do clients now realize that ‘eye-catching’ design is ugly design because it becomes dated quickly?

Hayakusa: My clients expect me to build appropriate designs for the life of their buildings and this tendency has gradually increased. Also, the high awareness of environmental issues has removed the value from design that is just eye-catching.

Liddell: By focusing on the essentials of architecture – space, location, function, and blending in – do you think you are creating a more classic and timeless architecture?

Hayakusa: I do not mean sustainable design is just classical and standard design. Sustainable design over an extended period should meet various architectural requirements such as enduring quality over a long period and allowance for future changes.

Liddell: What things inspire you? What influenced your approach to architecture?

Hayakusa: I am inspired from elements of nature, ecology of plants and nature’s formative beauty. Also I am influenced from the whole of Japanese culture, which has developed with respect of nature at its core.

House of Trees, Karuizawa (2010)

Liddell: Can your architecture be described as Japanese? Or does it have Japanese elements?

Hayakusa: Yes. My architecture can be described as Japanese. The Japanese cultural specific features start from respect of nature. The Japanese spiritual background is based on the "floating world" outlook, which always changes and keeps moving. The western cultural value is based upon the whole design and the unification of the geometrical features; the Japanese traditional culture gives priority to the idea that things are identified in accordance with the time order. Therefore, my architectural features often contain movement inherent in the design, where floating space based on human movement are considered and are based on the above-mentioned Japanese spiritual background.

Liddell: The trend in architecture in Japan seems to be towards quiet, elegant buildings that fulfil their function and harmonize with their neighbours. Do you agree?

Hayakusa: Yes, I agree. Japanese buildings are more remarkable in that tendency than other countries.

Liddell: Your designs seem to recognize human needs and moods. Could your architecture be described as “emotional architecture”?

Hayakusa: Yes, very definitely.

Liddell: With Villa Kaleidoscope (above) you seem to integrate the exterior environment with the interior by using angled mirror-clad walls to bring the exterior scenery into the house. In a sense, it feels like the house is part of the forest. Why did you decide on this design?

Hayakusa: I decided on this design, because I respect the beautiful nature in Karuizawa, where Villa kaleidoscope is located. I wanted to make space, where residents can harmonize with nature even inside rooms and not be standing face to face.

Liddell: How different is it working in the city and the country? What are the different challenges? How do you meet them?

Hayakusa: The feeling for distance from nature is different in the city and in the country. My designs built in the country aim to harmonize the building with nature, while my designs built in the city aim to create new nature around the buildings.

Rieko Kokatsu (小勝禮子) , feminist

2026-01-20T15:26:00.005+00:00

In 2013, due to my habit of going outside my comfort zone, I found myself in the odd position of having to review an exhibition of "feminist" art in Utsunomiya, a bit of a journey from Tokyo. Although I finally ended up going to see the exhibition, I initially decided to review it from the catalogue and by asking the curator, Rieko Kokatsu, a few questions by email. Instead of just answering my questions in good faith, however, Kokatsu turned out to be a feminist much more than a curator, and just blurted out a lot of hair-splitting gibberish that I decided not to refer to in my review, which you can read here.

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Liddell: Would you say that any exhibition of women artists is inherently political and that avoiding the politics of gender issues is unavoidable? Why is this so?

Kokatsu: [no comment]

Liddell: When an exhibition or artwork is political is there not a danger of the political dimension eclipsing the artistic side and the art work becoming burdened with an all-too-obvious message?

Kokatsu: [no comment]

Liddell: In the selection of artists and artworks have you tried to get a balance between art and politics? If, yes, how and in what way?

Kokatsu: These three questions seem to assume that “political” and “art” are opposing concepts. Like asking whether something is art or a political statement. Are you suggesting that works with strong political messages are not art, or have low artistic value? First, I must say it’s very unfortunate that Colin-san is critiquing this exhibition and the works in it after reading only the catalogue, without having seen the actual pieces, due to lack of time. Because art cannot be fully understood from printed materials alone. Why not visit the exhibition? It runs until the 24th, so please come see it before writing your article. Or, if you can’t visit, isn’t one option simply not to write the article? The works of Asian women artists (and often men as well) are frequently born out of the everyday social conditions or historical backgrounds around them. Rather than separating art from daily life in the Western art-view sense of “art for art’s sake” or art supremacism, this exhibition gathers works by artists who express thoughts rising up from within everyday life in the form of art. It is not trying to categorize and divide them into “this is political” and “this is artistic.” Regarding the Takamine Tadasu exhibition at Art Tower Mito, which your colleague at The Japan Times also introduced, are his works, which take post-Fukushima nuclear accident Japan as their theme, “political”? Not all the works in this exhibition are “political” in the way you describe. Artists like Kim Soo-ja, Chiharu Shiota, and Kumi Machida are not political at all in that sense. They universalize their own or other women’s daily lives through art. Lin Tianmiao, Lee Bul (likely referring to Lee Bul or similar; name as 이승경/Lee Seung-kyung?), Yoon Suk-nam, and Song Hyun-sook are also not political. They are simply expressing the difficulties or discomforts they face in living, taking the form of art. Could we please stop lumping all of these together as “gender issues” and viewing them as accusations against men in positions of superiority?

Liddell: The art in the exhibition seems to mainly critique the position of women, which is a kind of social critique that exonerates women from guilt or responsibility for social evils. A simple example is Mao Ishikawa's photography, which can be read as a critique of the social evil of prostitution. But what about art that critiques women themselves? I feel that not just society (implicitly male) needs to be critiqued but also women themselves. Prostitution is a social evil but the prostitutes are also women who choose to fulfil this degrading role. Why is there not more art that blames women for what they are or how they are? Or would you disagree with this statement. Why?

Kokatsu: Fundamentally, your misunderstanding is that Mao Ishikawa is not portraying the Filipina women working in American bars as examples of "prostitution," or what you call "social vice." Mao Ishikawa herself worked in American bars, but she was not a prostitute—she worked as a bar woman. Isn't equating "bar women = prostitution" extremely simplistic and reductive? Many of these women have American boyfriends, and some even marry them, but aren't those personal relationships? In the latter part of your text, it sounded to me as though you were saying that the women themselves should bear responsibility for this social vice of prostitution—but is that just my poor understanding of English? If that's what I read correctly, then I'm afraid your interpretation of this exhibition and of Mao Ishikawa's work is completely off the mark. Mao Ishikawa is not denouncing the society that produces prostitution around military bases. She is expressing, with human empathy, the lives of women living around U.S. military bases in Okinawa, as well as the lives of those same women in their villages in the Philippines. Asian women have fought hard to win the right to express themselves amid various social constraints. As one of the curators, my wish is that people appreciate the diversity of these women's expressions, rather than reducing them to a single category of "political." There are incredibly diverse forms of expression in art by women. Please come and see them for yourself.

John Mancuso & Kazuhiro Imamura (今村和宏), conspiracy theorists

2026-01-08T09:56:00.005+00:00

Mancuso

This double interview was published in the February 2006 edition of Tokyo Journal under the title "Conspiracy - Yes, Theory - No"

Suspicions about the events of September 11 are often dismissed as ‘conspiracy theories,’ a term that conveniently tags them as absurd notions unworthy of serious consideration. Likewise, those who campaign against the accepted story of that momentous day are routinely derided as ‘conspiracy theorists,’ which has almost become a synonym for eccentrics with overactive imaginations.

But if the mainstream media and the establishment it serves thinks that it can so easily dismiss debate on an issue of such vital importance, then they are reckoning without the rational and dedicated intelligences of people like Kazuhiro Imamura and John Mancuso, two Tokyo-based academics, who play an active and prominent role in the growing Truth and Peace Movement, both within Japan and internationally, that is seeking to find out what really happened on that day of infamy when over 2,000 innocent people died and the New York skyline changed forever.

“It’s not a theory,” Mancuso, a frank, outspoken New Yorker, who teaches at Tokyo’s Hitotsubashi University, insists. “What we have here is a real conspiracy. September 11 was the opening salvo against normal citizens. Right after it the US government enacted draconian laws in order to stifle freedom of speech and to arrest people going about their normal everyday business.”

The laws Mancuso refers to are those embodied in the so-called Patriot Act, passed on the tide of paranoia and emotion that swept the country in the aftermath of 9-11.

“The Patriot Act essentially destroys the American constitution and the Bill of Rights,” Mancuso contends. “It allows government officials and police authorities to actually enter your house without a warrant, without telling you anything. They can tap your phones without letting you know. They can go into your house when you are not there, confiscate things and not even tell you about it.”

Imamura, a social sciences professor at the same university, strongly agrees. He also shares Mancuso’s conviction that the events of 9-11 were the result of a very real conspiracy perpetuated by the US government or elements within the US establishment, designed to not only limit political freedom, but also create support for the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, in order to maintain the astronomically high military spending that benefits the military-industrial complex.

The main barrier activists like Imamura and Mancuso face is the magnitude of the crime that they claim has been committed by those in authority. The allegations are so shocking that it is impossible for most people to accept them all at once.

“If we give the conclusions that we have reached to people who don’t know anything about this, it is very difficult,” Imamura admits. “It sounds like we are talking about a conspiracy theory, instead of a real conspiracy. So, all we can do is to raise questions – why, why, why! Why is it possible? This is the reason we like the documentary ‘In Plane Site.’ This video doesn’t say anything about the conclusions, but simply raises many many questions. That’s good.”

Imamura

9-11 AND JAPAN

Some might wonder what an event like 9-11 has to do with Japan. After all, isn’t the Patriot Act and the occupation of Iraq mainly an American problem? Not if recent events in Japan are anything to go by. In addition to Japanese troops being sent overseas for the first time since 1945 to provide a token presence in Iraq, Imamura also points out that Japan recently passed its own version of the Patriot Act, and the government is also proposing new laws that will make it more difficult to plan political demonstrations.

“A series of emergency laws were passed in 2004,” he says. “The nature of these laws is to impose marshal law and work closely with the US military, not only in the case of a real emergency but also in case that the United States goes to war – not just in Asia – but also in Iran or in the Middle East or other parts of the World.”

Although members of several Truth and Peace groups, like Global Peace Campaign, Imamura and Mancuso’s work is mainly project-based, focusing on specific issues and events like the passing of these laws.

“For example, when this series of emergency laws were being passed in 2004, we worked against this very intensively for 6 months,” Imamura recalls.

Although unable to stop the new laws, Imamura believes that the campaign was nevertheless extremely successful because it raised awareness, not least among the members of the Japanese parliament who actually passed it. While the Truth and Peace movement in other countries often plays an antagonistic role to politics and the media, in Japan it takes on duties that the media and politicians neglect.

“Actually many members of the parliament were simply not aware that these laws could be so dangerous,” Imamura says. “We worked very intensely in the parliament, talking with the members and also with their secretaries. For this series of emergency laws there were 800 pages of laws and nobody had read that. Every member maybe read 20 pages of a digest version, but we actually read everything and pointed out the problems and we lectured. It’s ridiculous that we should have to do this.”

NORTH KOREA

The rationale behind the laws is the same one that led the Japanese parliament to recently agree to finance an extremely expensive missile defense program – namely fear of North Korea.

“We’re talking about something that will cost in excess of 1.2 billion dollars,” Mancuso complains. “Why don’t they just give 1.2 billion dollars to North Korea? Let them use it to build schools and infrastructure and create some kind of prosperity there instead of constantly knocking them down.”

Imamura sees the constant harping on the threat from North Korea as pure myth.

“North Korea is a fiction,” he insists. “North Korea exists, but the danger of North Korea is a fiction. North Korea can be dangerous in the future, in 10 or 20 years if the economy goes well, but the economy is so bad now the power of North Korea is nothing. From the point of view of military equipment, the North Korean government can’t do anything.”

“But like Al Qaeda and Iran, that’s what the American government wants,” Mancuso agrees. “The American government wants us to be afraid – like, ‘Here’s the bogeyman!’ We’ve got these myths and our leaders are telling us to fear these people, hate these people. I don’t hate them. I don’t fear them. But why am told to fear them all the time? Because someone down the line is going to be making lots of money from it.”

TRUE PATRIOT

Coming to these views from the perspective presented by the mainstream media, Imamura and Mancuso may seem like typical Leftist troublemakers or cynics, preprogrammed to automatically disagree with everything patriotic, nationalist, or capitalist. Like the term ‘conspiracy theorist,’ this perception is constantly reinforced by the media and used to dismiss such valid dissent. Mancuso and Imamura, however, assert that they and others like them are the true patriots and economic realists.

“We recently invited Scott Ritter to the Japanese parliament for a series of interviews with the media,” Imamura mentions the former US military intelligence officer and chief UN arms inspector who is now one of the most vocal critics of the Bush administration. “He is an ex-marine, and he is very patriotic and right wing. He said he was totally against the Bush policy because he was patriotic. Being against American government policy doesn’t mean being against America or the American people.”

Mancuso also gives the example of his own father, a former Bush loyalist and right wing Republican who now believes that the US government planned and carried out the 9-11 attacks.

As for accusations of being against American business, Imamura qualifies this.

“We are against one part of American industry,” he says. “That which is connected with the American government. Actually, a great part of American industry suffers from this American policy, for example tourism.”

The Truth and Peace Movement is clearly more than just a gang of left-wing intellectuals and malcontents. Increasing public cynicism about the way the political class and special interest groups are bypassing the wishes of voters, makes such anti-establishment groups – be they from the left or the right – increasingly powerful. The Internet also gives them the perfect medium to bypass the thought control of the mainstream media and develop their political consciousness.

“From the beginning of time, governments have manufactured chaos, from Nero’s burning of Rome onwards,” Mancuso asserts. “Governments manufacture problems in order to help themselves It’s the classic ‘problem – solution’ model. They create the ‘problem,’ then they offer the ‘solution.”

In the age of the Internet, however, this method of controlling the political agenda may prove to be fatally flawed, meaning that the ‘solution’ to the ‘problem’ of 9-11 may not be the one the government wants.

“It really is a house of cards,” Mancuso point out. “The whole damn thing is now falling apart because people are analyzing the video tapes. We have groups in America, and groups in Japan that are really looking at this, and really asking the hard questions, and the Bush administration just wants to avoid it.”

So what is the next step? Mancuso believes in spreading the word.

“Tell all of your friends,” he advocates. “Tell your friends to tell your friends to tell your friends! Walk around the street. Make photocopies of this article. Hand it out. Get a lot of people involved, the more the better.”

Imamura adds that a particularly effective way is to target the feedback apparatus of the mainstream media.

“Say something to the media,” he says. “If they neglect to report the truth, call, fax, or email. When they get positive feedback they don’t do anything, but if just one person calls with a negative message, this will be transmitted to the top.”

The establishment may continue to mock, ignore, or dismiss the claims of the Truth and Peace Movement, but, at the same time, have no doubt, they are paying very close attention to it as well.

Carl Barat, musician

2025-07-03T23:21:00.021+01:00

In 2010, Carl Barat of Libertines fame came to Tokyo to promote his eponymous solo album, which was rather good. I interviewed him at the offices of the company promoting him in Japan.

Even though he was extremely jet-lagged and a bit dishevelled, he allowed me to video the interview. Here is the interview itself and the tape-script. The article that this produced can be read here or here, while a couple of quotes from it made it into his Wikipedia entry.

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Liddell: OK, right, let's get down to brass tacks. New album, I listened to it, I liked it a lot, I thought it was very interesting. And I was wondering why you chose, well, you or the record company, why you chose "Run With The Boys" for the first single?

Barat: I guess that, well, I mean, presumably the record company thought it was catchiest, I guess. I don't know. We're not really doing a massive sort of single-led campaign. You know, the single and album come out on the same day, suicide for singles market thing, but it's more about the album as a whole. But, I mean, that...That song is kind of the one that refers to the bands I've been in and the lifestyle I've led for...

Liddell: That's what I figured, yeah. It's a kind of ironic comment in a way, isn't it?

Barat: Yeah, it kind of celebrates it at the same time as questioning it.

Liddell: And sort of draws a line under it?

Barat: I guess so, yeah. My personal conclusion would be that you can definitely strike a balance and, you know, embrace both. As long as you're growing and still on the journey.

Liddell: But now basically you're solo and maybe sometimes you'll do, you'll pick and choose projects to do with other people occasionally, maybe get some of the old bands back together just for a short time like you did this summer.

Barat: Yeah, that would be a nice way to go.

Liddell: In a way, I guess the new albums are a lot more mature, you know, you're sort of like you're really doing things your own way and you know there's a lot of variety in there and it's quite a sophisticated album and would you say that maybe being in bands has kind of held you back in certain ways?

Barat: It came to a point when being in a band became something of a comfort zone I think I didn't really realise it at the time but I felt kind of trapped in a prison of my own design really like obviously like something of a dwindling audience and trying to write hits, you know, that's where I never wanted it to be, I don't know how I ended up there, and so, I had to stop doing that and have a clean break, and that's how I ended up here, writing a really selfish album, you know, which helped me deal with the past, which, you know, really, objective number one, in terms of getting me to write, was that, remember, it doesn't have to sell anything, it just has to be the honest.

Liddell: With a band, there's always that pressure, you've got to...

Barat: Especially if you're signed and everything already. I had the luxury of being free from deals and I wasn't tied to anything. I just managed to get dropped by a wait to write new stuff until I was dropped by my last label.

Liddell: Yeah, so it's like with bands you've had different kinds of problems, like maybe in a way the Libertines are too successful and that causes all sorts of problems and with the Dirty Pretty Things it kind of fizzled out a bit, didn't it?

Barat: Yeah, I guess so. Yeah, we kind of got a second album syndrome in a way, I think. Just the pressure of the first album and, you know, there's alleged different factors really.

Liddell: Yeah, whatever you do, something seems to go wrong.

Barat: Yeah, yeah. That does happen a lot, yeah.

Liddell: Anyway, you're on your own now, so you've got complete creative control. And you chose to write most of this on piano instead of guitar. What's going on there? Because basically people think of you as a guitarist.

Barat: Yeah, well, it's just you fall into habits, so I do, as a writer. And as soon as I pick up a guitar, my hands naturally form the same sort of shapes. But the piano is a whole different...landscape really. If you don't play piano, which I don't, apart from a sort of classical six finger guitarist, vamping. Yeah, you just find yourself going in the directions you wouldn't normally.

Liddell: So it's just another way into originality and freshness? Yeah, I think so. So the next album will be written on a saxophone, is that right?

Barat: A French horn. A Fugle horn, isn't it?

Liddell: Yeah, so you just go through the whole orchestra and come up with new ideas all the time.

Barat: Yeah, well, I was going to do a covers album on a conch.

Liddell: On a conch, yeah. I can imagine that, yeah. What does Pete think of this album? Has he actually given you any feedback?

Barat: He... I still didn't send him it, actually. But I played him a couple of the songs and he was... Yeah, he related well to them.

Liddell: What did he say about them?

Barat: Well, he liked them.

Liddell: So how close are you guys now because you obviously you go back together for the summer and I mean maybe because it's it's more limited it's easier you know in away?

Barat: Maybe. We're both very different people but the people we are with each other hasn't really changed in all these years

Liddell: So it's a bit like going back to the guitar, your hands take on certain shapes, when you meet certain people again, your personality takes on certain shapes.

Barat: Yeah, I guess you could say that.

Liddell: Right now, I heard you're married, you have a kid now, you're living in the country.

Barat: None of those are true.

Liddell: Really?

Barat: No, no, I'm not married. I'm going to have a baby in December, and then I've been in North London. I can't drive, so the country would be rubbish.

Liddell: Which part of North London?

Barat: Muswell Hill.

Liddell: That's near my brother. About the album, can you tell me a little bit about how the songs got written? What did you start from? What was the starting line for this album?

Barat: I think this is the first album I've done that's kind of introspective, rather than escapist, I guess, the way it was written. Yeah, I realised I had a lot of things to work with. That's how it's all come about so quickly. It was all written and recorded this year. But, yeah, just doing the personal things. We were taking out the guitars and things, and looking at the more... Taking out, stepping away from big loud guitars, it stops you hiding behind that.

Liddell: So hiding behind guitars, what would you be hiding from? The audience or life itself?

Barat: Yeah, both of those really. I mean, it wasn't always like that, but it kind of ended up like that. It just felt like a loud guitar was expected, leather jackets and whiskey and cigarette.

Liddell: You said guitar rock band is a bit of an immature thing, it's a way of prolonging adolescence.

Barat: It did feel a bit like that for me, I wouldn't say that was true in everybody's case. I was definitely stuck in a bit of a rut, which is why I had to end that kind of way of life, I had to run with the boys.

Liddell: Which song did you do first, write first? Well I started writing "So Long My Lover" and I wrote a basic version of that last year, basically because I was playing a gig in Scotland and I had to have something new, otherwise I might be a lambasted. That was a great gig. But yeah, so I had to have something new to play, so I pretty much started that on the bus, but then I put it away. And then that came out. And another song called... What's it called? "Run with the Boys." I started those two last year. But then I didn't do anything until April this year. And then I wrote everything.

Liddell: Yeah, "So Long My Lover" is quite, it's a little bit downbeat, isn't it? And then "Run With The Boys" is very upbeat. Yeah. So you're sort of experimenting with shade and light there in different directions.

Barat: Well, I guess so. I wanted it to be an album rather than two singles and a bunch of fillers. It does take on the same conceptual shape about frivolity, finding love, enduring love, you know, loss and then finding love again. I mean there is a sort of loose narrative there. And yeah, seven was... it's just like a sort of a pivotal ballad really ["So Long My Lover"]. I'm always interested in what track number seven is on an album. I thought that was a good number seven.

Liddell: Is that your lucky number there?

Barat: Not really, I've always noticed it in my favourite albums, that always seems to be the number of the track which is kind of stand out, pivotal.

Liddell: Yeah, they don't want to put it too early otherwise people might miss it. So you regard that as a standout track on this album?

Barat: For me it's certainly, in terms of where it was written from. That was the part which allows me to move on and closure and...

Liddell: Yeah, well it sounds a little...I mean obviously the title, "So Long My Lover," is a goodbye song to somebody. And is that literally what it is?

Barat: Yeah, yeah. There have been quite a few people involved in it.

Liddell: But that can refer to a number of people.

Barat: That's the idea. It's kind of universal. I don't want to write names and things in there.

Liddell: No, no, of course not.

Barat: It's slightly unfair to people. Also, it doesn't really make for good songs.

Liddell: Can I just ask you a little bit about what you're doing in Japan this time? I mean, you've got a tour in November, right?

Barat: Yeah, well, I mean... We might have one date here in November, and that's a bit still on the table.

Liddell: One possible date.

Barat: Yeah, I think on the 28th, I think it's something to do with supporting the Manic Street Preachers.

Liddell: Oh yeah, they're coming over, yeah.

Barat: Yeah, so if you do it, it'll be that. If I do it, it's not me anymore.

Liddell: And this time, you're just here for a couple of days.

Barat: Yeah, this year, just doing press.

Liddell: Yeah. I heard you were going to do one short live set somewhere.

Barat: I'm sort of busking later for some fans at Tower Records.

Liddell: Tower Records.

Barat: It's not like a production gig. But yeah, I'm going to belt out a few tunes later on the acoustic. It's been four years.

Liddell: Is that today?

Barat: Yeah. Tonight. Yeah, about seven.

Liddell: Ah, I see.

Barat: It's been a while since. It's been four years since I played there.

Liddell: Tower Records, that would be the one in Shibuya then? Yeah. Okay. So let's just go to some of the other songs. "Ode to a Girl." I quite like that one. That's the one that stuck first of all when I listened to the album. Can you tell me a bit about that? How did that get started and what's it about?

Barat: That's the... That the kind of sorry excuse me... Fatigue. How long does it take to get over jet lag generally?

Liddell: Oh, jet lag? Usually, if you're going to Britain, it's easier.

Barat: Oh, is it?

Liddell: Because the day just stretches. But If you're coming to Japan, then you can miss a day and it doesn't add up. The hours don't add up anymore so...

Barat: If I'm on day three, I'm going back tomorrow.

Liddell: Yeah. If you just come here for a short trip, if you just stay on British time, then when you go back, you'll be fine.

Barat: A lot of people have said that they don't see it as optimistic, but it really is.

Liddell: It's got both, hasn't it?

Barat: Yeah, it shows the recovery. If you can sing an ode to a girl, and obviously it's a new girl, then you're moving on. And it kind of explains the past, and excuses it, and it's also the baby in mind.

Liddell: So it's sort of covering similar territory to "So Long My Lover," but maybe a little bit further on?

Barat: No, no, I mean, it's the whole, you know, "So Long My Lover" is like goodbye that way, and "Ode to a Girl" is hello that way.

Liddell: Yeah, so it's sort of like, it's the same narrative in a way.

Barat: Yeah, yeah, no, definitely, but I mean, yeah, there's a bit more of the story in between this, but yeah. It's, what was I going to say? Yeah, so we started round Andrew Wyatt... Sorry for a little... It's really great on the video. He had just a musical phrase and we built it up there and I wrote the words. It just fell into place.

Liddell: Who's been working with you on this album? Is it self-produced?

Barat: No, that's a long way off before I can do that kind of thing. There's Leo Abrahams who's the producer. He's worked with Brett Anderson before. He used to be the guitarist for Ed Harcourt.

Liddell: What about the musicians?

Barat: A lot of it's just in-house. Seriously, I just suddenly got an attack. I think it comes in waves. All the strings were provided by my missus and her sisters.

Liddell: What sort of musical background do they have?

Barat: They're all classical, they used to have a band called Dirty Pretty Strings, ironically coincidental, but they're in a band called the Langley Sisters actually, which is worth looking at. Yeah, but they do strings professionally.

Liddell: There's all these kind of strange things in the mix. There's a bit of like, sounds like a gypsy tango sometimes, a bit of a polka, and there's all these little interesting musical ingredients.

Barat: I do love all those rhythms, I always have done.

Liddell: I was just wondering if, well, originally you're of European extraction, aren't you? Your roots go back and you don't know.

Barat: I find that a different thing every year.

Liddell: The name Barat, where does that hail from?

Barat: Well, I think it's predominantly French, but I couldn't tell you how far back.

Liddell: But there's no sort of, there's nothing feeding in from your roots into the music.

Barat: Sorry, that's going to be boring answers.

Liddell: No, no, I just want to nail these things down, yes or no, basically. Just see if there's anything there, you know. Probing's our job.

Barat: Yeah, I do have some foreign roots. I guess just by looking in the mirror, generally. But I'm not quite entirely sure where.

Liddell [to promoter staff]: Five more minutes. Oh, okay, yes, thank you.

Barat: It's my fault for waffling about the countryside and things, sorry.

Liddell: That's fine, I don't have a problem here. Okay, also, what other music are you interested in at the moment? What sort of things are influencing you? What are you listening to?

Barat: Well, just before I started making this record, I was kind of inspired, like, away from, I've always said the classics, like 60s, 70s, but since then I've been listening to Bonnie Prince Billy, "I See a Darkness," Tom Waits "Rain Dogs," Lenny Cohen, "Greatest Hits," embarrassingly enough, but still they're great, and a tiny bit of Jeff Buckley actually, not too much, but a couple of play throughs, if I'm in the right mood that can be quite poignant.

Liddell: Well, it's all sort of like grist for the singer-songwriter Mill, isn't it?

Barat: Yeah, I'd say so, yeah.

Liddell: It seems like you're really going to define yourself as a solo artist.

Barat: Well, I mean, at the moment, yeah, that's right.

Liddell: I mean, going by your intake and everything.

Barat: Yeah, yeah. My intake has changed over the last few years.

Liddell: But the thing that people always latch onto is that you were in the Libertines. Did that ever become like an albatross around your neck?

Barat: Not really. I really choose to see it as a progressive thing. It's kind of gone full circle since we did the gigs at Reading and Leeds. Obviously, Libertines aren't dead, so it's not like I'm suffering under the weight of it all, which I was for a while, I thought. But yeah, I feel much better and lighter now we've done that, and now we've got the option for the future, which is obviously yet unwritten.

Liddell: So you're talking about writing together again?

Barat: Maybe next year. Everyone's expressed a wish to do.

Liddell: Isn't that a problem for you as trying to carve out a solo career? Because if you keep dipping in and out of the Libertines again, that's where the focus is going to be. And your solo career is going to get left in the shade a little bit, you know what I mean?

Barat: I don't know if that's strictly true, to be honest.

Liddell: Do you think they have a symbiotic relationship, the Libertine thing helps your solo career and vice versa?

Barat: Possibly, I don't know, it's confusing for people. Obviously, the last thing I'll do is compete with myself.

Liddell: Well, it's not confusing because it's just the way the media operates and the way publicity operates and the way record business operates. It always follows the publicity, the story, the image.

Barat: I've not really thought it through that far. I just want to do what feels right at the time, really. And if it transpires that I can't feed myself or my unborn child, then my maybe I will have to start playing the game a bit more. Right now I just want to play this record, write this record, play this record, tour this record, and then see where the scene stands after that, I might want to do another one.

Liddell: So have you been playing these songs anywhere already?

Barat: A couple of times.

Liddell: Yeah, back in the UK?

Barat: Yeah.

Liddell: Just some dates?

Barat: Yeah, just like, just that tiny little stage, really. But, yeah, it seems to be a good reaction. Actually, Glastonbury was good, actually.

Liddell: So, erm...Which songs... Does it come over exactly as you hear it on the record?

Barat: Well that's what I'm trying to do at the moment. It's quite difficult because I'm kind of limited, especially funds-wise as well. I can only afford a five piece at the moment, so I can't get all the strings and bells and dancing girls. But yeah, on a six piece. But yeah, I'm just playing some old songs, some new songs, and yeah, just keeping it.

Liddell: I'll ask my final question because they'll be in the door any minute. Why do you think Libertines were such a big success and why do you think Dirty Pretty Things were not a big success?

Barat: I'm guessing, my most objective answer would be I think people were attracted to the fact that Libertines was every man's band really and everyone was part of the story, there was no real privacy, and it was quite eventful, but also the audience felt like they were part of the band, which I think that was a great thing. I think Dirty Pretty Things took that on, but without the story. So I guess people like the Libertines story. So if you give them the music without the story, then the interest is going to dwindle. That's today's answer to that question.

Liddell: So with that story, that sounds a bit like without Pete Doherty, though. Because he, in a real sense, as far as the media is concerned, he's a bit of a story, isn't he? He's always getting into trouble, and there's always something going on.

Barat: Yeah, but then you could argue, then, why didn't Pete's Baby Shambles project, you know, carry on with the same momentum that the Libertines had. If people lost the story, then that would make sense with it.

Liddell: Yeah, so Baby Shambles, all of the same trajectories, as the Dirty Pretty Things.

Barat: Yeah, I think the story would be, that's what I'm talking about, when people felt involved with the band, probably our relationship.

Liddell: So the borderless attitude to the fans, so just sort of being up close with the fans, that just sort of spread itself.

Barat: It has been maintained, but I mean the fans grew with the band, you know, I mean, quite a tiny band, but very significant to quite a few, and then that has kind of snowballed since, well, shit went down, and it stopped being that, and it stopped functioning as a band. And then that's why it was so good at Reading and Leeds, to come back and play for all these people who were never aware of it and it still means much, and I'm not disappointed. That was quite a big thing. But yeah, that's what the story is.

Liddell: So to sum up you'd say the reason is because it was a story and the story was the relationship with the fans. It was fresh, it was real, it was immediate and later on that became difficult or impossible.

Barat: Well, obviously we had our internal struggles in the band. But then, yeah, there's breaking up and then we're getting back together. There's a [garbled] in a way. I don't know. I try not to think about it too much. Every time I do my opinion changes.

Liddell: Yeah, yeah, it's just timing and luck and chance, all these elements which really can't be theorised about too much really come into play. Yeah, you've just got to do what you're doing. If you're lucky, you're lucky. If you aren't, you aren't.

Barat: Basically, yeah. As long as what you mean comes from a place of love, as Russell Brand says you'll be bulletproof.

Liddell: Wise words to end the interview on. Okay, we'll finish there then.

Barat: Cool, I hope you've got something to work with.

Liddell: Plenty to work with. Don't worry. I've had much worse?

Barat: Thanks. Nice to meet you.

Tadanori Yokoo (横尾忠則), artist

2025-07-03T18:39:00.015+01:00

Back in 2008 I had been hoping to interview the artist Tadanori Yokoo face-to-face with the help of an interpreter, but that didn't work out, so, instead I submitted questions in Japanese by email. Unfortunately, Mr. Yokoo's answers reached me too late to be translated into English and used in my article. Here is the interview in both English and Japanese!

Liddell: Many of your recent works (depicting boys gazing at something) seem to carry themes of innocence and a sense of adventure. Why are these themes important to you now? Does it have anything to do with your age?

Yokoo: The boys in my paintings are inspired by those in the adventure and detective novels I read in my teens. The various experiences of my teenage years, which shaped my personality, also greatly influenced them. Most of the inspiration for my creative work stems from the experiences, thoughts, and memories of my teenage years. This has only grown stronger as I’ve aged. My feelings toward my teenage years are akin to a longing for my hometown. The fears, anxieties, hopes, dreams, and other ambiguous elements (pre-modern, indigenous things) I experienced in my teens have settled into my unconscious, but through the act of creation, I bring them out one by one. This process has been my way of overcoming modernity itself. That’s why I return to it again and again.

Liddell: What does adventure mean to you? From works like "Reminiscence of Love," I feel that adventure is equated with losing innocence or sexual knowledge.

Reminiscence of Love

Yokoo: Adventure is the act of encountering another world through the body. It’s a way to recognize another reality separate from this one—an expansion of reality, and also an expansion of one’s own domain. The existence of “I” is full of mysteries. It’s the question of “Who am I?” posed to myself. This needs to be viewed not only from the perspective of life but also from the perspective of death. Adventure is always accompanied by danger. By stepping into dangerous places, rather than staying in safe ones, we encounter the true “self” (which you might call the soul). You say that adventure leads to the loss of innocence or sexual knowledge, but I see it the other way around. Within adventure lies the infantilism of children. This boyish (or infantile) quality is both a taboo and, at the same time, possesses cruelty. This infantilism is the core of an artist’s creative drive. I feel a liberated or suppressed sexual emotion within the innocence of boys.

Liddell: I can’t help but think of Freud when looking at your paintings—for example, the combination of water, danger, and sexual desire. The fight between Tarzan and the crocodile [in one of your works] seems to express an attempt to suppress sexual desire. To what extent is such a Freudian interpretation valid?

Yokoo: The fight between Tarzan and the crocodile signifies liberation rather than suppression of sexual desire. Or perhaps it’s a battle with the ego within oneself. The ego may liberate a person and grant freedom, but I want to unleash that ego even further, ultimately dissolving it. For me, creation may start with the ego, but it also ends with the ego.

Liddell: Why do you often repeatedly reference the same material? For example, “yodare" (drool) appears later in works like "Hong Kong 1997" or "Elsa’s Scream." Mishima Yukio is also frequently referenced. What is the purpose of this?

Yokoo: My repetition represents time. I used to think time was static. But in modern times, time began to flow. My repetition is a theory of time: yesterday’s time repeats in today, and it repeats again in tomorrow.

Liddell: Why did you choose to parody Rousseau in this exhibition?

Yokoo: For me, Rousseau represents the unconscious. However, people generally see his works as naïve, dreamlike, or joyful. I don’t see them that way at all. I wanted to draw out the anger, fear, cruelty, anxiety, and laughter hidden deep within the unconscious—things Rousseau didn’t depict but which are concealed in his work. I wanted to drag out the mystery lurking behind his seemingly naïve, dreamlike paintings. By doing so, I aimed to critique Rousseau’s art. It’s an attempt at a critique of painting through painting.

Theatre of Memories (2007)

Liddell: 最近の作品の多く（少年達が何かを見つめている姿が描かれている作品）は無邪気さと冒険心のテーマをもっているように思います。なぜこのようなテーマが今、貴方にとって重要ですか。貴方の歳と関りがありますか。

Yokoo: ぼくの絵画に登場する少年達は十代に読んだ冒険小説や探偵小説に登場する少年達である。ぼくの人格を形成した十代の様々の出来事に彼等も大きい影響を与えました。そしてぼくの創造のインスピレーションの源泉の大半は十代の経験や思索や記憶が忠心になっています。それは年齢を加えるに従って大きくなっています。十代に対する想いは郷里に対する想いでもあります。十代に経験した恐れ、不安、希望、夢、または他の不透明なもの（前近代的、土着的なもの）が無意識の中に沈澱していますが、それらを創造行為によってひとつづつ吐き出すことがぼく自身の近代の超克でもあったのです。だから何度も何度も反復するのです。

Liddell: 冒険とはどのような事を意味するのですか。「愛の回想」のように多くの作品から、私は冒険とは無邪気さや性的知識を失う事と同じだと感じます。

Yokoo: 冒険は肉体を通して異界と接触する行為です。そのことによってこの現実と分離したもうひとつの現実を認識するためでもあります。つまり現実の拡張です。また自分自身の領域の拡張でもあります。「私」という存在は謎に満ちています。「私は一体誰なのか？」というぼく自身への疑問でもあります。それを生の側から見るだけではなく死の側から見ることも必要です。冒険は常に危険と隣り合わせです。安全な場所からではなく危険な場所に足を踏み入れることによって本来の「私自身」（それを魂と呼んでもいいかも知れません。）と遭遇するためです。あなたは冒険によって無邪気さや性的知識を失うとおっしゃっていますが、それは逆です。冒険の中には子供の持つインファンテリズムがあります。この少年性（幼児性）はひとつのテレビであると同時に一方では残酷性も所有しています。このインファンテリズムこそ芸術家の創造の核になっています。ぼくは少年の無邪気さの中に解放された、または閉鎖された性的な感情を感じます。

Liddell: 私は貴方の絵画を拝見しながらフロイドを思わずにいられません。例えば、水、危険、そして性的欲望の結合です。また、ターザンとワニの闘いは性的欲求の抑制の試みを表現しているように見えます。そのようなフロイド派の解釈はどの程度、正当でしょうか。

Yokoo: ターザンのワニの闘いは性的欲求の抑制というより解放を意味します。または自分の中に存在する自我との闘いかも知れません。自我が人間を解放し、自由を獲得するかも知れませんが、ぼくはその自我をもっと解き放って、最終的に自我を解消させることを望んでいます。ぼくにとって創造は自我が入口かも知れませんが、また自我が出口でもあります。

Liddell: なぜ、しばしば同じ素材を繰り返し引用するのか教えてください。例えば、「よだれ」は「香港１９９７」や「エルザの叫び」などで後に使われています。また、三島由紀夫も多く使われています。それはどのような目的がありますか。

Yokoo: ぼくの反復は時間を表わしています。かつて時間は静止していると考えていました。しかし近代になって時間は流れ始めました。ぼくの反復は、昨日の時間は今日の時間に反復し、それがまた明日に反復するという時間論でもあります。

Liddell: なぜ今回の展覧会に於いて、ルソーをパロディー化する事になったのですか。

Yokoo: ルソーはぼくにとって無意識の表象でもありました。しかし一般的にはルソーの作品は素朴であるとか、夢であるとか、楽しいという風にとらえています。ぼくは決してそのように見えません。ぼくはルソーの絵画に隠蔽された（ルソーが描かなかった）無意識のさらに奥にひそむ怒り、恐怖、残酷、不安、笑いを引き出したかったのです。実はルソーのあの素朴な夢のような絵の背後に隠されている謎を引きずり出してみたかったのです。こうすることによってルソー芸術を批評したかったのです。絵画による絵画批評の試みです。

Hiroshi Kawano, business excutive

2025-03-10T15:22:00.005+00:00

Kawano with the Sony PlayStation Vita console

Back in 2011, a few months after the massive Earthquake that devastated much of Japan, I ran into Hiroshi Kawano, the President of Sony Computer Entertainment Japan at Tokyo Game Show and managed to buttonhole him with a few questions.

Liddell: Tokyo Game Show seems very busy today. It’s almost as if the earthquake had no effect. How did the earthquake impact your company’s development and launch schedule?

Kawano: It affected us because a lot of the companies supplying our components are located in the area that was hit by the earthquake. It also affected us psychologically because in the springtime, in March or April, we thought can we advertise? Can we promote these types of game? We had to stop some titles and new software. Launch dates were postponed. But from a lot of aspects, we also thought we really have to push on with our work, because it’s really important to help the Japanese economy recover from the disaster. The Tohoku region suffered a lot of damage, so we thought maybe our sales there would be down. But we heard a lot of voices from people in trouble, and they really wanted our products, so saw great sales in that area as well.

Liddell: With so much information on new games now on-line, what is the point of having a big games expo like Tokyo Game Show?

Kawano: It’s so that fans and consumers can have hands-on experience of games that have not been released yet. All these products will be launched in December, so they’re not available yet. These titles are only available here and a lot of fans really look forward to coming here and doing this. Tokyo Game Show has a long history and all game fans are very much waiting for this kind of festival.

Liddell: The fans are very excited, so what kind of feedback having you been getting, especially regarding the new PlayStation Vita handheld game console?

Kawano: We get a lot of feedback through our community site after the show, but already we have heard that the fans are really excited to have a lot of gaming choices. We are launching our new platform PlayStaion Vita with 26 new titles. In the past when new platforms were launched only two or three titles were available, but here, this year, this coming December, there will be 26 titles. It’s a more integrated approach, and also satisfying a lot of different needs.

Liddell: Are the 26 new games designed specifically for the Vita and to make use of its new features?

Kawano: Mostly yes. For example the back touch panel, the front touch panel, and the gyro sensor – those are the unique features that only Vita has, so a lot of game publishers have utilized these type of new feature to update existing games and to make new games. About half the titles are entirely new, but in the case of existing games they have created totally different experiences by utilizing the new features, so from our point of view it’s a totally different game. Anyway, the customer will decide whether this is exciting or not, and this is something they are checking now.

Liddell: It sounds like the development of the console hardware is driving the development of the gaming software.

Kawano: I think it works both ways. Sometimes it is technology driven, sometimes it is contents driven. We maybe wouldn’t have developed some of the new technology but we had strong demand for it from the contents side.

Liddell: Some game makers have decided that developing 3-D is the way forward. How about Sony?

Kawano: We are not Nintendo! But if you check our picture quality, you feel some three-dimensional effect because of the depth and the very beautiful and detailed pictures. 3-D is sometimes artificial. From the customer’s point of view it is very difficult because if they move, 3-D doesn’t work. We don’t call our picture 3-D but it is amazing.

Liddell: There are three major game shows in the world. Unlike E3 in North America and Gamescom in Europe, Tokyo Game Show seems less truly international. How much is TGS a game show for all of Asia and how much is it essentially a game show just for Japan?

Kawano: As you see here most of the visitors are Japanese and this show is for Japan. For example, if we had this type of exhibition in Hong Kong, do you think a lot of Japanese consumers would go to Hong Kong? No, I don’t think so. Even though we have this here in Tokyo, we also get a lot of requests from people who live outside Tokyo, in Northern or Southern Japan, saying that they cannot come and asking us to come to them. So, after TGS, we are going to have a caravan show to bring the Vita to five different cities.

Mikael Akerfeldt [Opeth]

2025-02-16T23:43:00.076+00:00

In late 2009, I conducted a telephone interview with Mikael Akerfeldt, the leader of OPETH. He was in Italy and I was in Saitama. The entire interview lasted about twenty-five minutes, during which we talked about the Watershed album, previous trips to Japan (including Osaka's notorious Rock Rock Bar), being surrounded by musical autistes, the lack of improvisation, being 'unrock' to rock, the appeal of Nick Drake, the Swedish crab-bucket mentality of Jantelagen, and how false vocal cords make you sound like Satan.

Akerfeldt: Yes.

Liddell: Hello.

Akerfeldt: Hello.

Liddell: Is that Mikael Akerfeldt?

Akerfeldt: Yes.

Liddell: Hello. This is Colin Liddell.

Akerfeldt: OK.

Liddell: I’m phoning from Japan.

Akerfeldt: Yes.

Liddell: From the International Herald Tribune Asahi Shimbun.

Akerfeldt: I know, but weren’t you supposed to call 12:30?

Liddell: Well, yeh, but there was a problem, eh, with giving me your number. I didn’t get your number until about an hour ago then since then I’ve been phoning a few times and there’s been no answer, so there’s been a bit of a mix up somewhere.

Akerfeldt: Yeh.

Liddell: Is it OK to speak now?

Akerfeldt: How long is it going to take, d’you think?

Liddell: Probably about fifteen twenty minutes.

Akerfeldt: OK, that’s cool. Hold on a second. Thank you.

[pause]

Akerfeldt: OK, I’m sorry. I was sleeping. We had a rough night.

Liddell: I see, so, eh, right now are you going around touring?

Akerfeldt: Yeh, we’re out on a tour called "Progressive Nation" with Dream Theater.

Liddell: Yeh.

Akerfeldt: Big Elf and a band called Unexpect, which is basically an initiative from Mike Portnoy, the drummer from Dream Theater put this together. So we’re just basically winding down. We only have another – let’s see – three shows before we’re finished.

Liddell: Right, where are you at the moment?

Akerfeldt: Right now we’re in Bologna in Italy.

Liddell: Aha, so… where did you just play?

Akerfeldt: Ah, we played Rome last night.

Liddell: So, how was that? Did anything interesting happen?

Akerfeldt: Ah, we’ve been to Italy many times and it’s always been pretty good for us here, and especially Rome, eh, which for some reason we’ve neglected – many times we come to Italy we haven’t had shows there for some reason, but it’s always great. And yesterday’s show, I think, was one of the best of the tour for me personally.

Liddell: So, what went right?

Akerfeldt: Ah, it’s just y’know I think it’s more in your head to be honest, y’know, like the way you play. We’re so picky these days that if there’s one mistake that I hear the show is more or less ruined, y’know what I mean?

Liddell: Yeh.

Akerfeldt: Which is horrible, but it’s also, yeh, the interaction with the crowd when everything just clicks and you feel like. y’know. it’s like a... I don’t know... some, y’know, magic. It’s always good and it’s always good fun to play the shows but sometimes it’s not as fun as other times, y’know.

Liddell: The article I’m doing about you is to prepare for your coming to Japan.

Akerfeldt: Yeh.

Liddell: And I’m wondering, em, how often you’ve been to Japan and what are your impressions so far?

Akerfeldt: We haven’t been that many times. We’ve only been twice. We played the Loud Park festival in 2006 and went to 3 or 4 shows last year and it was amazing, y’know. I’ve been hearing so much about playing in Japan and just being there as a tourist y’know I've always been wanting to go there myself and when we finally made it over it was fantastic, y’know. So well arranged, everything so professional and they take really good care of you once you’re there y’know, and the fans are really nice and respectful, the food is awesome, and y’know, it's y’know, I think Tokyo and Osaka are y’know, it felt a bit like it’s on a different planet if y’know what I mean. It’s so different from Stockholm but I loved it, y’know, I loved it.

Liddell: Yeh, any problems coming to Japan cos I mean, eh, a lot of the... You've got tattoos and a lot of the band members have got tattoos and in certain establishments people with tattoos can scare or freak people out?

Akerfeldt: Ah we didn’t see anything of that, y’know, I’m sure, y’know, like most metal and rock bands today get tattoos, I think. I don’t think that represents that much of a problem and we certainly didn’t hear anything about that. They took great care of us to be honest and obviously some nights we got really drunk and obnoxious but and it was, y’know, they didn’t seem to be that irritated with us, y’know.

Liddell: Do you remember what sort of places you were going to for drinking?

Akerfeldt: Well, we went to a couple of different restaurants and also in, ah, we went to – what’s it called? – the Rock Rock, the Rock Rock Bar in, ah, is it Osaka, Nagoya? I can’t remember, but I was just there I had a few beers, y’know, and it’s just one of those places that apparently you’re supposed to go to, but otherwise we sat in the cafe in the hotel and had a couple of beers.

Liddell: Right. Now you you’ve obviously got quite a long career and, y’know, in that time there’s been quite a lot of line up changes and is this sort of something that, eh, gets associated with, eh a lot of hard rock or heavy metal bands – these continuous line up changes – em, so could you maybe tell me a little bit about that? What’s been going on with all the line up changes and, eh, how about the line up now? Ha, have you finally settled on a, y’know, very solid line up?

Akerfeldt: Well, I like to think we have, y’know, but since we’ve had many line up changes I don’t take anything for granted, but as for the five guys who are in the band now, we’re, y’know, get along great, we play great. It sounds better than ever. And it just no denying, y’know, it’s just so much better sounding when we play live to be honest. And in the past, y’know, I think most of the line-up changes have, y’know, been happening because people change, y’know. People don’t want to do this anymore because they get new ideas. They, y’know, it’s a risky type of business, I mean, y’know, for many years we didn’t make a penny, which obviously presents a problem if you’ve got bills to pay and rent and shit like that and food of course, y’know. Um, so, I think some of the group members who have been in the band simply didn’t have it in them to be musicians on this level...

Liddell: Yeh, um, I was looking at the DVD that’s, eh, connected to the Watershed LP, and I got the impression that you, you’re a relatively kind of normal creative guy and you’ve surrounded yourself with these very kind of intensely focused musicians now, like, you’ve got a very good drummer, the keyboardist is very good at what he does – everybody’s sort of very technically proficient and very, very focused and almost autisticly so, and you’re in the middle of all that.

Akerfeldt: Yeh, I know but that’s, y’know, that’s… It’s basically what I’ve been looking for. I felt that me, both as a player and a songwriter, have developed during the years and some of the guys have been in the band but they didn’t develop, if you know what I mean. They didn’t push themselves to the next level.

Liddell: You mean they didn’t develop as musicians or creatively?

Akerfeldt: Both. Well, mostly as musicians, y’know, because I want all the guys in the band – even though I write most of the songs, y’know, almost everything – I want the guys to take their positions, to take charge of their positions and do it, y’know, as if, y’know, it’s a position, if you know what I mean. I don’t interfere, y’know, It’s what they know much better than me. That’s always what I’ve been looking for. I just want to present the songs and obviously some of the songs are quite advanced to play I guess but, y’know, em, I think I’ve always wanted to surround myself with great musicians, but people that are better than me if you know what I mean.

Liddell: Yeh, in terms of technical proficiency.

Akerfeldt: Yeh, so I can just relax and concentrate on the thing, y’know, more or less. And it just feels so safe playing with a drummer like Axe and with [Martin] Méndez, and Fredrik [Åkesson] and Per [Wiberg]. It’s just never... I can always kind of just lean back and enjoy the ride if you know what I mean, when we play live; when in the past, there’s always been ups and downs. You’re not sure where the one is and, y’know, everything’s a bit more chaotic, y’know, and now it’s just, y’know, everybody’s in charge of their own position in the band I think.

Liddell: Yeh. This is, this is something that a lot of people who don’t really know about heavy metal are actually quite surprised at that, y’know, you have to be very, very precise about what you’re doing and there’s very little room for mistakes or... And there’s almost... Like when you’re performing there’s very... there’s almost no improvisation, yeh?

Akerfeldt: No, we don’t improvise much, and if we are improvising, it's specific that we have made like "OK this minute or two in this song, we improvise a little bit, y’know, in the key of whatever." But, generally, we try to play the songs as close to the album versions, if you know what I mean, and we’ve become very, very picky, as I’ve said. We record all the performances and listen back to them after the show and the difference between what we think is a good show and a bad show is so small that you can barely hear it, you know what I mean?

Liddell: Yeh. Yeh...

Akerfeldt: Which is strange, I guess.

Liddell: Yeh, maybe, you notice it a lot more than the audiences, I guess.

Akerfeldt: Yeh, we all have like – especially on this tour – we all have some like the in-ear monitors if you know what that is. Basically we have a little, like a thing in your ear, and that’s your monitor. That’s what you hear and everything’s so close and dry, and if somebody plays a bum note it really, y’know, shines through if you know what I mean.

Liddell: Yeh.

Akerfeldt: Eh, right now we’re extremely picky. It’s just a... if you want to play a more or less flawless show.

Liddell: Yeh, but isn’t that kind of... doesn’t that work against the basic ethos of rock, which is supposed to be this kind of rebellious, eh, wild experience for a lot of people, and you’re completely the opposite of that because you’re so focused, so precise – mistakes are just not allowed, y’know what I mean? It’s just a... There’s a paradox there, isn’t there?

Akerfeldt: There is, and we’re completely ‘unrock’ in that sense, but it’s not like mistakes are not allowed. It’s just that they really, y’know, affect you in a negative way when you hear them so clearly.

Liddell: Mmh…

Akerfeldt: If you know what I mean. And it affects your self-confidence, like if I sing a bum note, and ‘oh my god, the next vocal line I’ll have to concentrate more’ and you become like more nervous and less relaxed if you know what I mean.

Liddell: Yeh. So it affects the whole feeling that you generate and emit?

Akerfeldt: I think if you were to put an ear monitor on a band like – I don’t know – to make an extreme example like the Sex Pistols. They would go fucking hell, we have to shape up, y’know.

Liddell: Yaha! So it’s a lack of awareness?

Akerfeldt: Yeh, I think it is because we thought we were good before and we were just talking about this the other night, eh, me and my bass player [Méndez]. We’re like why don’t we ever like – so rarely these days – why don’t we ever go offstage and like... The band would absolutely kill us. And I said, "Well it’s because every night is killer and in the past we were so shit in comparison to what we are now." But if we made a halfway decent gig, it sounds so awful if you know what I mean, but now the level of our performance is so high that it’s… I don’t know... It’s been evened out into… I don’t know, something that doesn’t, y’know, you never feel like you did really perfect a perfect show.

Liddell: Yes, this… So, you’ll never be perfect?

Akerfeldt: Yeh.

Liddell: Yeh, now I noticed that, eh, one of the songs on Watershed, the song "Burden," eh, I think near the end you kinda like detune the guitars, and so you’re kinda like purposely introducing a kinda element of bad playing in a sense, aren’t you?

Akerfeldt: Yeh, but that was like just a little production feature, a fun idea I had, y'know, and we're not like, even though I’m telling you that we’re perfectionists on stage – and that’s probably the case – but that’s not something we want to. We really kinda lose people. I’m not like... I don’t yell at anyone if they play bad or anything, and I still think, y’know, we still have it in us, y’know. It’s not like we are a slick band in that sense. Y’know, I still love the ugly when it comes to music, and the chaotic, I still love it, if you know what I mean, but it has its place. I don’t want it like going on all the time. I want to mix it up, if you know what I mean, and that’s just an example of that, that we have this beautiful slick sentimental ballad and basically I just felt like we should destroy it a little bit by doing that detuning of the guitar at the end.

Liddell: Yeh, so it’s sort of controlled chaos?

Akerfeldt: Yeh, Yeh exactly.

Liddell: Yes, cos this is, ah, something I get a sense of from your music is, y’know... You do have.. The music has a lot of amplitude, y’know. You do have very quiet acoustic and melodic bits, and you have this, the kinda growly, singing and the kind of, y'know, really heavy thrash style juxtaposed with each other, and that kind of creates a feeling of chaos in the audience, but from your side it’s very controlled isn’t it?

Akerfeldt: It is, y’know, and that’s basically I think for, for a person who’s never heard us before, never heard… I don’t know if I can really mention any bands… Like if you see us for the first time – you never heard the band, I’m sure it could be a pretty odd experience, y’know, and you’re like, ‘What the fuck is this? What’s going on?’ But that’s just the result of our influences and we’re… We started out being a metal band and during the years we just picked up all these different influences from other styles of music, and today basically the metal that we write is generated by inspiration that we got from non-metal music.

Liddell: So, who’s been a big influence on you in sort of changing your course in that way?

Akerfeldt: Well personally I… Obviously all those metal bands that I grew up with got me to play the guitar and all that stuff but when I write I rarely listen to metal. It’s mostly… I listen to…um, um, I’m really much into psychedelic music like Sixties.

Liddell: So, so, what’re you listening to recently, or the last few days?

Akerfeldt: Well the last few days, well, I don’t know, I’ve been listening to all sorts of things like, like, now, what’s playing before I fell asleep was a girl called Sheila McDonald, from… I think she was Irish, like a singer-songwriter from Ireland.

Liddell: Or Scottish, yeh.

Akerfeldt: Yeh, might be Scottish. I listen a lot to Miles. I listen a lot to the Zombies, they’re one of my favourite bands.

Liddell: Sorry?

Akerfeldt: The Zombies.

Liddell: Oh yeh.

Akerfeldt: And, y’know, like the progressive rock from the 70s as well, and, y’know, everything, like Nick Drake and Leonard Cohen, and Tim Buckley’s an idol of mine, Joni Mitchell, and just very much into…

Liddell: It’s just sort of shocking to hear these names, really, y’know, really…

Akerfeldt: Oh yeh!

Liddell: Like Nick Drake and so on, yeh, and the, y’know, obviously, you start the last album Watershed with a very kind of low-key, gentle number as well, and then, y’know, people probably think they’ve bought the wrong album. Y’know, what I mean?

Akerfeldt: Yes, but, y’know, that’s what I like about it. We’ve been going for 20 years now and I don’t want people to feel like they know where they have us, if you know what I mean. They can never have us in their pocket like…they buy an album and it’s a hundred percent safe that they’re gonna love it, if you know what I mean. I wanna, I want it to be unpredictable, not unreliable when it comes to the quality of the music, but unpredictable if you know what I mean.

Liddell: Yeh.

Akerfeldt: And I think we have a good chance of being a band like that because of the fact that we have so much of that rare influence.

Liddell: Yeh, but also there is a lot of aggression and energy and anger in heavy metal, and I’m sure that when you were a lot younger you probably felt like that. How about now? Do you still have that kind of, that kind of rage feeling inside?

Akerfeldt: No I don’t and maybe it’s, y’know, maybe the music is my outlet that I’m not so very, y’know, like a poetic pretentious person who would say that’s certainly the case but, em, I don’t get like fits or anything, or like… I’m a very calm person, and it might be because I have the music as an out for all the negative emotions, but, y’know, I put positive emotions into the music too, y’know, and, um, I wouldn’t say like I was … if it wasn’t for the music that I’d be killing people, y’know…

Liddell: Yeh, but there’s this kinda, y’know, often people think that Swedish people are quite gentle, nice people, but obviously there is also a kind of dark side as well isn’t there?

Akerfeldt: Yeh, I guess so. We have high suicide rates and that kind of stuff, but I really wouldn’t know. Sweden for me has always been a regular, like the most normal country on the planet if you know what I mean. There’s nothing really abnormal about Sweden as a whole. It’s just, y’know, everything’s working, everybody’s minding their own business, y’know, and that kind of stuff but…

Liddell: It sounds boring.

Akerfeldt: Yeh, a little bit.

Liddell: That can irritate people too, can’t it?

Akerfeldt: Probably, y’know, and that’s the thing that a lot of people who move abroad… It’s something we call the “Jantelagen,” which basically means that you shouldn’t be happy with your job.

Liddell: So, what’s that expression again?

Akerfeldt: “Jantelagen.”

Liddell: “Yank de large?”

Akerfeldt: “Jantelagen” is what we say. I don’t really know where it comes from, but basically you shouldn’t think your something if you know what I mean.

Liddell: Yeh, so you shouldn’t think you’re something. You shouldn’t be too full of yourself, like that?

Akerfeldt: Exactly. They hate that. Swedish people hate that, y’know, It really – how do you say – sticks like it burns, like for people to see… For Swedish people to see, like, a Swedish person going abroad and making a great success with music or something you love to do it, it’s lots of jealousy. You’re supposed to be working your ass off in the factory and you’re gonna be grumpy and you’re gonna be drunk on the weekend, y’know, but...

Liddell: Very similar to my native Scotland I have to say, yeh.

Akerfeldt: Well, I would guess, y’know. But that can be irritating. But one good thing about Sweden is that we had a long tradition of music, and it's always been lots of bands coming out of Sweden and lots of international acts going to Sweden on a very early stage, like the Beatles started playing there in the very, very early 60s. Everybody's come through, you know, and it generates a great interest for music.

Liddell: Yeah, yeah. Earlier I was talking about the kind of dark side and I was sort of thinking a little bit about the way you sing. There's a kind of 'Jekyll and Hyde' thing because you have these very growly bits and then you have these very gentle bits and you seem to have like two sides there and you can switch effortlessly between them. How does that feel when you do that?

Akerfeldt: I don't feel it at all. It's just I sing, the regular vocals, I sing more from like using my stomach muscles and my, the scream vocals. I use more of my throat. Someone said, like there was a vocal coach who told me that I use the false vocal cords, whatever that is, I don't know what it means.

Liddell: Sorry, what's that?

Akerfeldt: The false vocal cords, I don't know what it is.

Liddell: The fourth?

Akerfeldt: False. False F-A-L-S-E.

Liddell: Oh yeah, F-A-L-S-E, yeah?

Akerfeldt: Yeah. So, basically what it does to me, you know, like the screaming vocals, on the contrary to what you might think, is much lower in volume than the singing vocals. And it really doesn't damage my throat that much, you know, doing those screams.

Liddell: Yeah. So how do you get the volume? Just nearer to the microphone or...?

Akerfeldt: Well, I don't know. It's a pretty good voice for them. Somehow the microphone seems to pick it up.

And it sounds like I'm a beast, if you know what I mean.

Liddell: Yeah, yeah.Like Satan or something. Yeh. And obviously that's just another colour in your palette, isn't it?

Akerfeldt: Yeah, exactly. That's how I started to sing with my first band because I didn't think I could sing regularly, so to speak. And I was into like the death metal style anyway so that's how I started singing and obviously with time I got more interested in normal, regular singing, and started to combine the two pretty early on in our career, and now it's part of our sound, I guess.

Liddell: Okay, well that's plenty of material for my article, so I'm looking forward to seeing you when you get to Japan, so good luck until then.

Akerfeldt: Cheers, man. Thank you so much.

Liddell: Okay. Take care. Bye.

Akerfeldt: Take care. You too. Bye-bye.

Tadasu Takamine, conceptual artist

2024-12-09T15:28:00.015+00:00

In January 2011, I met and interviewed Tadasu Takamine at the Yokohama Museum of Art. Not really my cup of tea, but sometimes when you go outside your comfort zone you learn something interesting (sadly, not this time). Due to a technical glitch or my own carelessness, our conversation was not recorded. I therefore emailed him some additional questions. Although his English ability is rather good, he emailed me back with answers in Japanese, which I then translated into English.

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Liddell: Do you have mixed feelings about exhibiting at the Yokohama Art Museum considering the history? I am of course referring to what happened with your video work Kimura-san some years ago. [Note: this was, I recall, a work that documented Takamine helping a disabled man jerk off. It was not shown due to an understandable public outcry.]

Takamine: Concerning the exhibition of Kimura-san in 2004, wasn't there rather a degree of courage from the Yokohama Museum of Art in trying to display the work? Compared with other art museums not even accepting the original offer, this was very good. Concerning not being able to display, yes there was a feeling of "after all it was useless," but rather than bad feelings remaining, more important than that, there was a good feeling with regard to the Yokohama Museum of Art.

Image from Kimura-san

Liddell: By my definition, your art is concept art. It is not concerned with aesthetics, but with ideas and concepts and making people think. The ideas generated are paramount. But the problem with conceptual art is that unless the ideas are great and the revelations revolutionary, people are likely to be disappointed. At the same time conceptual artists feel reluctant to make their concepts too clear. Do you generally try to work on the audience's mind indirectly or just make them a little confused in the hope that something good will come out of it?

Takamine: This is the first time my art had been called conceptual art, so it is not a bad feeling, but I don't think a conceptual artist would call a work like Baby Insa-dong conceptual art. Kimura-san and works like these, I think, are rather closer to literature than fine arts.

Liddell: God Bless America is said by some to be a criticism of America. But I am not convinced. Any song could be used without changing the nature of the work. What do you think?

Takamine: If we imagine there is a tune other than God Bless America, it is the Japanese national anthem. I think God Bless America is suitable simply because the number of people who sing the Japanese national anthem with tears flowing are few.

Liddell: Freud gave every human action a sexual connotation. With A Big Blow Job you seem to be trying to give a sexual action a non-sexual connotation. You said you had some problems with this piece when I saw it, but as you explained at the time, the basic idea is to desexualize the act of the blow job and to turn it into an analogy of our relationship with the Earth. Isn't this just stretching an analogy to the point where it becomes meaningless? What use is such an idea? Won't people just say, "Oh, I see," then shrug their shoulders and forget about it?

Takamine: When you say A Big Blow Job here, I think you mean Too Far to See. Blow jobs are included in sex, but the piece concerns something different from our usual way of thinking about it. Furthermore, concerning the possibility of connotation, the object of the work is to explore the possibility of images. The Japanese kanji title of Too Far to See means "exhibits in the room for after a meeting."

Liddell: If an art work contains a strongly sexual element – from the point of view of ordinary people – then the sexual element tends to drown out any other element. From Kimura-san people will remember its sexual nature more than its charitable nature. From God Bless America people remember the sex between you and your partner rather than any other concepts, and from Too Far to See people are likely to remember it in a sexual way, too. For this very reason, shouldn't a conceptual artist avoid sex like the plague?

Takamine: Concerning what you call "people"... For example, those looking at God Bless America, if the general reaction is that they only remember the sex action and if that's the way people are, I think it's very stupid. Concerning Kimura-san it is the same. But as I have a lot of experience showing these two works to university classes, I think a further polite explanation is not necessary.

Liddell: I have been reading the exhibition catalogue. I got the impression from the short essays On Not Becoming a Leader, A Hands Off Approach, and Towards Human Existence that you are very self-disparaging. But I also got the impression for some reason that this self-disparaging nature was actually hiding ambition. I got the feeling that you are very ambitious but that you think ambition is a dirty word. What was your motive for writing these pieces?

Takamine: I'm not certain if it's an error of the bilingual text or a difference of culture, but I think there are many cases of affirming while denying and in addition denying while affirming.

Solmaz Unaydın, Ambassador

2024-11-24T13:44:00.010+00:00

OK, I had minimal input into this 2004 interview, but I had some because I did the copyediting, so I decided to include it with my other interviews.

Not sure who came up with the questions or did the actual interviewing, but it was definitely a non-native English speaker which is why I was paid to give my once over. Some of the questions are pure ass-kissing questions also. Anyway, this is the cleaned-up version of the interview which appeared in Club Life magazine, a kind of in-house magazine for a group of clubs for wealthy "gaijins" and their Japanese friends in Tokyo.

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Club Life: The exhibition 'Three Great Civilizations in Turkey' (The Hittite, the Byzantine, and Ottoman Empires) was very popular, and that visitors waitied up to an hour to enter the museum, and then another hour to get to see the fabulous emerald-encrusted Topkapi dagger, which is one of the most famous artifacts from the Topkapi Palace. Congratulations on the great success of the exhibition.

Unaydin: Thank you very much. The Turkish embassy and Turkish government authorities have made large contributions to the exhibition, however the cooperation of NHK was even greater. NHK aired many programs featuring our country, and, I gratefully acknowledge, even highlighted me along with Turkish culture. I greatly appreciate the extensive cooperation of His Imperial Highness Prince Tomohito, who chaired the executive committee for the Year of Turkey. I am glad that many Japanese people are interested in our country, and very grateful to them.

Club Life: The Topkapi dagger is considered a masterpiece of craftsmanship. Only one side can be seen when it is on display in the Topkapi Palace, but the exhibition in Japan was innovative because visitors had the good fortune to see both sides of the fabulous dagger.

Unaydin: I think of it as a Japanese miracle. The dagger first left our country in 2000 to celebrate the 700th anniversary of the Ottoman Empire in an exhibition in the U.S. ('The Palace of Gold & Light' exhibition at the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington D.C., the San Diego Museum of Art, and the Art Museum of Florida), but it wasn't exhibited in a manner in which both sides could be seen, so I was very impressed with the exhibition in Japan.

Club Life: Turkey is a jewel box of a country, with evidence of civilizations ranging from the Neolithic age to modern times apparent everywhere. How do people in Turkey feel about protecting historical buildings and excavating remains for preservation?

Unaydin: Turkey has an 8,000-year history dating back to 6,000 B.C. The Anatolian region was the birthplace of three great civilizations, and it is believed that there have been 23 other civilizations in the country. As it is difficult to excavate using Turkish people alone, volunteers from around the world pitch in on a daily basis. We have a mission to preserve artifacts as soon as they are excavated, and we hope to have more opportunities to let the world know about the latest historical findings. As part of this, we encorage people from around the world to visit Turkey.

Club Life: Last year was a year for Japanese people to get to know Turkey and to learn about the country. Many of those people are looking forward to maintaining this interest on various occasions this year as well.

Unaydin: Thank you. I have to make further efforts to encourage people to develop an interest in Turkey and to urge more people to visit the country. Today, about 90,000 Japanese tourists visit Turkey every year. The total number of Japanese traveling overseas each year is 17 million, so the figure of 90,000 can easily be doubled. I will try harder to attract more Japanese people and make them feel comfortable visiting my country.

Club Life: Your career as a woman is admirable. Looking at Turkish history, it was one of the first countries in Europe in which women were permitted to vote and run in national elections, starting in 1934. Japanese women only gained suffrage in 1945, and French women in 1944, so Turkey was relatively advanced. It is also said that the percentage of women who are lawyers, doctors and in other professions in Turkey is higher than the U.S. and other industrialized nations. The position of women in Turkey therefore seems to be very advanced.

Unaydin: Republicanism has been established for 80 years in Turkey, since the founder of the modern nation, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, released an announcement banning the black "chador" robe that women had to wear. Politics was separated from religion, and men and women were given equal opportunities for education. As a result, the number of women becoming scholars, lawyers, pharmacists, and architects has increased to the same level as men. However, the diplomatic corps has the lowest percentage of women. About half of all women work, with a third of this amount engaged in clerical work and secretarial work, and two-thirds as career workers.

Club Life: Are there other Turkish female ambassadors like yourself who work on the international stage?

Unaydin: I was the second Turkish female ambassador. I became ambassador to Sweden in 1992, followed by ambassador to Poland; I was then international trade policy bureau chief at the Foreign Ministry, and I am now ambassador to Japan. It takes only two years for men to be eligible to become ambassadors, but I had to wait for eight years because I am a woman. Currently there are 14 female Turkish ambassadors, and two more will join soon for a total of 16. I personally know Japanese female ambassadors who are very active, and I am sure that the number of female ambassadors will grow in Japan as well. There are 22 female lawmakers in Turkey today, and I think the number of female politicians is increasing in both Turkey and Japan.

Club Life: Your husband is also an ambassador, isn't he?

Unaydin: There are several couples in which both husband and wife are diplomats, but it's rare that both are ambassadors. My husband was a diplomat senior to me when I joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. When we were in New York, he was consul general and I was counselor. When he became ambassador to Malaysia I went there with him, but when he was ambassador to Serbia in Belgrade I became ambassador to Sweden, so we lived separately. When I came to Japan as ambassador my husband had already retired, so now he goes back and forth between Japan and Turkey. Since we share the same profession, we have a great understanding of each other's work.

Club Life: Would you tell our readers about the secret of your beauty and your attractive character? You have a distinctive aura, and everyone who has met you says you look like the famous French actress Catherine Deneuve.

Unaydin: It is true that many people say so (laughs). In addition to paying attention to clothing and skincare on a daily basis, I try to remain very disciplined. I have never forgotten that people look at me as a representative of Turkey. Even if one is competent at work but lacks an attractive appearance, such a person doesn't leave a pleasant impression with others and may give a negative image of one's country. I consider myself to be a role model, so I always try to wear clothing and a hairstyle appropriate to each occasion.

(Just before the start of this interview the ambassador was on the phone with the Foreign Minister of Turkey. Club Life deeply appreciates her taking this precious time out of her obviously busy schedule to share her thoughts with our readers.)

Hiroko Yokomizo (横溝廣子), academic

2024-04-30T11:10:00.007+01:00

In 2011 I did an article on an exhibition at the Geidai Museum for the Japan Times. I had absolutely no idea about the contents of the exhibition, which were artworks connected to Japan's ancient perfume culture, so I had to dig up one of the curators, an academic lady, and shoot her some questions that reveal my ignorance of the subject and her erudition. The image is an AI-generated image of a serious Japanese lady academic, not an actual image of Yokomizo herself, whom I suspect is not so hot.

________________________

Liddell: How many fragrance boxes are in the exhibition? I counted two. What are the fragrances in them? Are these fragrances different at different times or the same fragrances throughout the exhibition.

Yokomizo: If you are referring to the boxes that you can open the lid, and smell the fragrance, there are three boxes. The fragrance changed from ume plum to orchid this Monday, but the "Kyara" and "Takimono" are the same throughout the exhibition.

Liddell: When we think of perfume we think of "hiding bad smells." This is certainly the case with France, a country that was once notorious for poor bathing habits. Although the origins of Japan's fragrance culture are in Buddhism, it was developed by the Heian nobility. Is it true that they seldom bathed, and that they used perfume in the same way as the old French nobility to "hide bad smells"?

Yokomizo: Yes, it is considered so in Japan also.

Liddell: In Japanese culture you talk about "hearing" aroma. By contrast, this exhibition invites us to "see" the aromas. The connection between smelling and hearing seems natural as aromas are a little unclear and abstract like music, but seeing is precise and definite, so it may seem an unusual idea. How would you compare and contrast "hearing" an aroma with "seeing" an aroma?

Yokomizo: "Hearing" aroma is the term used in Kodo, because the person heartfully "listens" to what the fragrant wood is expressing, as if the wood was a person. "Seeing" aroma is rather an attempt to see what the painter is expressing, in the case of the paintings in this exhibition, the painters have the aroma as a part of the theme in painting.

Liddell: The English philosopher John Locke made a distinction between Primary qualities of sensation (solidity, extension, motion, number and figure) and Secondary qualities of sensation (colour, taste, smell, and sound). The former were regarded as more objective, while the latter were regarded as more subjective. This distinction was a foundation of the mechanistic outlook common in Western culture. Is there a similar distinction in Japanese culture? If not, why not?

Yokomizo: I am not quite sure about this, and will send this question to Mr. Ryo Furuta, the main curator of this exhitibion. I hope he will respond quickly.

Liddell: Japanese fragrance culture is unique and highly developed and an important part of general Japanese culture. What is the foundation of this? Why did Japan develop this strong fragrance culture, while in other cultures, even in France, smell and aroma have traditionally been regarded as mere aspects of other cultural areas, such as cuisine, wine, flowers, and fashion?

Yokomizo: Considering how widely tea is enjoyed in Japan, there is much [in] common with fragrance appreciation, and incense was used in various scenes in the Japanese daily lives. Incense is most the essential item when we pray for the souls of those who have past away, even today. It is essential in all scenes in Buddhist rituals, as offerings to Buddha and other subjects of rituals, widely carried out throughout Japan from ancient times to the present . Since the Heian period, it was considered an etiquette, to create unique incense fragrances. Fragrance was enjoyed with literature, expressed often in poems, and is probably part of the spirit in Japan to enjoy the various different elements of the four seasons, such as the many plants and flowers. It was also used to both rise and calm spirits, and Kodo developed along with Sado, and widely carried out, first throughout the nobles, and later to the common people.

Angelo Visigalli, Restaurateur

2024-04-26T13:50:00.014+01:00

Back in 2010, I was putting together a feature article for Metropolis magazine on art in restaurants. As part of this I ran a few questions past the owner of BICE, one of the restaurants featured. The interview was carried about by email to save on transcription time. Some slight corrections have been made in Visigelli's English as it is not his first language apparently.

Liddell: When did BICE start exhibiting art and why?

Visigalli: Art it is always being a passion of mine, therefore when we were planning the restaurant layout, I made sure that it would be equipped for exposition. We did the first art exposition a week after the opening. Usually we do a different exposition every 2-3 month.

Liddell: What attracted you to Aeravi’s art? [The artist currently on display] How do you normally choose your artists?

Visigalli: I liked the graphics of her design that I find very metaphysical but very expressive at the same time.

Liddell: Do you have any restrictions on the kind of art that can be shown? If so, what are they? What are the reasons for these limits?

Visigalli: Usually I do not have any limitation whatsoever, because art as food, is a matter of taste, you can love it, or dislike it. At the same time, I expose art in my restaurant to entertain, and therefore, in order to respect the first and most important core of my business, serve food with good service in a cozy environment, sometimes I find myself turning down offers from artists that are too explicit. This is to avoid an 80-year-old lady, finding herself in front of a man's nude, which can be acceptable in a museum.

Liddell: How can artists approach you?

Visigalli: 90% of the time I go searching for artists in expositions, internet, or during visits to gallery, but as we have been doing this for many years now, we receive lots of portfolios, and than we take it from there.

Liddell: How are the paintings marketed to the customers? For example, how do they know that they are not just decoration but are also for sale?

Visigalli: Usually our staff informs the costumers regarding the exposition, and if the costumer asks for more details, we always inform them that unlike the art galleries, we do not take part in the sales, therefore we suggest to contact the artist/gallery that represent it directly.

Liddell: What do you think of the traditional gallery system – rental galleries, dealer galleries, etc.? What are the drawbacks? What are the advantages? Do you think this system can survive?

Visigalli: I believe that the systems works fine. Unfortunately, for the artists, some galleries are very greedy, and therefore leave the artist too little to live on. At the same time, it is a necessary process to eliminate unnecessary art, or inconstant artists. The market is very much saturated with so many different kinds of artists and art, and this highly competitive system, will ensure the survival of the very true, artist with a message, not the one that only have a fantastic concept that needs the instruction book as an appliance to be understood.

Liddell: What are the advantages for the artists of exhibiting in a restaurant setting as opposed to a traditional gallery? What are the disadvantages, if any?

Visigalli: The advantage is that usually there is a lot of people going through this kind of activity than an average gallery. Disadvantage can be that we are not a gallery first of all, therefore the people that visit us do not come to see art, even if I would like to underline that, after 8 years, lots of our guests are always looking forward to the next exhibition.

Liddell: What are the advantages for the restaurants? Are there any problems?

Visigalli: The basic advantage is to ensure a different atmosphere according to the artist's message. Problems none, except the set up. That is time consuming, in an already busy environment with daily operations, but I would not call this a problem.

Liddell: Tell me about some of the artists who have exhibited with you and how it has impacted on their career?

Visigalli: Well, we did lots of solo artist exhibitions, from top Italians, like Mario Arlati a living artist that is considered one of the top 5 (all after Clemente of course), or Massimo Catalani (www.massimocatalani.com) another already famous painter from Italy, Tetsuro Shimizu, a teacher at Brera art school in Milano for over 20 years, Kentaro Baba, Saito Kaoru, Mr. Dang, and many many more. Of course, the famous did not have any gain from exposing in BiCE except for the revenue on their sales, the younger ones, have a chance to showcase their art to a window on the city of Tokyo, and you never know, one thing can led to another.

Liddell: BICE is on the 47th floor and has incredible views. Other restaurants I have visited are in basements with no windows. Restaurants with no windows obviously need the kind of visual charm that art provides, but why does BICE need art when you have such great views already?

Visigalli: As mentioned before, art is a passion of mine, and I'm always hoping to expose some of the artists that I like, not for commercial gain, nor to fill my pockets with the sales, as I am not a professional in the field, but just an amateur, by exposing new and young artists I hope to make more people interested in art, as much as entertain them.

Kunio Kobayashi (小林國雄), bonsai master

2024-03-10T17:20:00.007+00:00

Photo by Colin Liddell

This was an interview I did in 2004 for an article in Tokyo Journal. I had some help from Kobayashi's English apprentice, 26-year-old Peter Warren. Kobayashi was not able or unwilling to answer some questions, which are not included here.

Liddell: What is the main appeal of Bonsai for those who do it?

Kobayashi: One of the main appeals of Bonsai is communication with nature. Modern life has lost touch with the natural world and Bonsai is a link back to it. Tokyo is full of concrete and buildings, which are ugly, but if you do Bonsai you can have some green in a pot.

Liddell: How did you first become attracted to doing Bonsai

Kobayashi: Life. Bonsai have a long life, longer than me and you. They have been alive in a small pot for hundreds of years and will be alive after I die. They also have their own personality, each tree is an individual with it's own characteristics and beauty. There are no two bonsai that are exactly alike. This makes it different from gardening.

Liddell: Many people think that Bonsai is cruel to trees because the tree is not allowed to grow freely. I have even heard it called 'foot binding' for trees. What do you say to such people?

Kobayashi: A person who does bonsai must love their trees more than anything. You have to look after it everyday, give it food and water, keep it healthy, but most importantly you must love it. How many trees out in nature receive such love and care? How many 1000 year old trees are there still alive and as healthy as the 1000 year old Bonsai? If you do Bonsai with love then the trees do not suffer any more than they do in nature. Nature itself is cruel, that is where Bonsai comes from, trees up in the mountains subjected to the cruelty of nature, strong winds, snow, rockfalls. Those trees are not allowed to grow freely but they still grow. They battle against nature and sometimes they win to become beautiful trees, sometimes they die. That is natural.

Liddell: Bonsai is often seen as an old man's hobby. Does it have something to offer the younger generation?

Kobayashi: Bonsai can teach you many things about life. Everything I have learnt is from Bonsai! It has taught me about the importance of life and to respect nature and other people. You also need a lot of time and patience to do Bonsai, starting young is the best because you have a lot more time to do it and can grow your own Bonsai from the start, but only if you are very dedicated.

Liddell: What kinds of trees do you like to work with? Why?

Kobayashi: Black pine and plum trees. Black pines are very strong trees and I understand them, they are like strong men, majestic and powerful. My favourite tree is The plum tree because it represents the true heart of Bonsai. It embodies many of the ideas and concepts of Bonsai and Japanese culture. It has wabi-sabi. The trees have very interesting shapes, they are twisted and hollow, the bark is gnarled and rough. They are also very dark. When they flower, the brilliant white flowers make a beautiful contrast against the cruel shape of the tree. Even though this tree is old and twisted and to many people it might look ugly, it is still very beautiful, but the flowers will soon pass and fall off. This is important in Bonsai. It has character.

Liddell: What trees do you dislike?

Kobayashi: Needle Junipers. They are painful to wire, that's why I have apprentices! Each tree has it's own good points and bad points, it is up to the Bonsai artist to see these and have the talent and the vision to bring them out and make it look beautiful. Each artist is an individual and can understand some trees better than others, I understand black pines whereas another person understands maple trees. To be the best Bonsai artist in the world you must try and understand and work with every type of tree.

Liddell: What is the hardest thing to teach in Bonsai?

Kobayashi: Love. You either love Bonsai or don't. That cannot be taught. Artistic sense. You either have it or you haven't, a teacher can only help you to bring it out, he cannot teach it.

Liddell: You travel a lot to promote Bonsai in other countries. Could you tell us a little about how Bonsai is received overseas?

Kobayashi: They love it. At the moment there is a big bonsai boom in Europe. It is really taking off. There are some very good Bonsai artists in Europe at the moment and they love bonsai. They have good material and are making some very good trees. They are also very young and enthusiastic. This is good.

Liddell: What is the main difference between Japanese and foreign Bonsai styles?

Kobayashi: Each country has it's own style, because each country has it's own native trees. Most countries are still finding their own style. Non-Japanese bonsai has also been influenced by a few successful Japanese Bonsai artists who have become popular over there so that style is popular. It is changing as more and more people do it and do it for longer.

Liddell: What are the current trends in Bonsai?

Kobayashi: Maple trees are not popular because there are too many on the market, it is too easy to make them now.

Liddell: How do you see Bonsai developing in the future?

Kobayashi: International. It is becoming world Bonsai now. Taiwanese Bonsai is at a very high standard and some European Bonsai, particularly Italian Bonsai is close behind. In terms of technique, everybody is at the same level, buti n terms of understanding and the artistic side, Japan still has a longer history. Japanese Bonsai thinking hasn't changed much at all and is only very slowly opening up to the world. This has to change or Japan will lose to the rest of the world

Liddell: How important are the pots to you? How do you choose the right pot for the right plant?

Kobayashi: The pot is very important to the Bonsai. It is 50% of "Bonsai" in Kanji! Having the wrong pot can destroy the tree's beauty, it will take everything away [from] the tree. There must be a good balance and harmony between the pot. It must also help to create an image, for example a shallow pot for deciduous trees like maple, looks like a field. A tall deep strong pot for a cascade style tree looks like the side of a mountain, which is where the tree would be growing. The age of a pot is also very important. Young pots have no character, they are like clones, one of a hundred. Old pots might be chipped or discoloured by weathering or chemicals or just the type of clay used. These have character, they are not perfect but that is better. Perfect is boring. An old tree should go in an old pot, a young tree in a young pot. this way you have good balance and harmony between the tree and pot. Colour, age, shape and character. These are all important. I have lots and lots of pots to chose from because I love pots, this way I can always get the right pot.

David Sutton, editor

2023-12-25T00:33:00.005+00:00

I interviewed David Sutton, the editor of "The Fortean Times," by email in March and April, 2008, for an article I was working on about Japan's paranormal. Mr. Sutton was extremely helpful and informative, but, unfortunately, because the interview wasn't 'live,' much of the psychological data that is normally revealed by people's speaking patterns is missing. On the plus side I was spared the burdensome task of transcribing.

Liddell: Many people won't understand the concept of Forteana and will mix it up with folklore, urban myths, crank journalism, pseudo-science, and, indeed, even real science. What is your working definition of Fortean phenomena and how do you differentiate Forteana from the other categories I've just mentioned?

Sutton: Well, strictly speaking, forteana would only refer to the kinds of anomalies and strange phenomena recorded by Charles Fort in his four published books – most notably falls of objects from the sky, mysterious lights, appearances and disappearances of people and objects, poltergeist phenomena, weird weather and so on. Obviously, Fort died some three-quarters of a century ago, so the categories of what we would now consider as ‘fortean phenomena’ have broadened quite a bit: creatures unknown to science, like Bigfoot and the many other ‘man-beasts’ reported from around the world; UFOs and alien abductions; millennial beliefs and cults; out-of-place animals, like the big cats sighted on an almost daily basis here in the UK, and many others that Fort might not have recognised or viewed in quite the same way.

I’d be loath, though, to say that there’s necessarily an absolute difference between what we’d regard as forteana and the other categories you mention. After all, the phenomena we study shade in and out of folklore and urban legend with some regularity. Many people, for instance, would argue that most of the strange creatures encountered around the world are precisely folkloric – or born out of folklore’s modern equivalent, the urban legend. And, indeed, they often are – but that doesn’t mean they aren’t also out there in the woods, where people run into them in flesh and blood. Which is where the conflicts between ‘real science’ and so-called ‘pseudo-science’ begin. Is cryptozoology – the search for unknown creatures such as lake monsters and manimals – a ‘real’ science or something practised solely by misguided amateurs and cranks? The answer will depend on your position vis a vis the scientific establishment and method.

In the end, I think forteana has more to do with an attitude that distinguishes it both from mainstream science and from the other kinds of belief that surround, say, UFOs or Atlantis: we simply remain curious – and encourage others to do so – bringing open minds to such evidence as there is, looking for more, and avoiding the exclusionism and rejection of the anomalous that often, unfortunately, characterizes mainstream science.

Liddell: How important is culture and social history in influencing perceptions of Fortean phenomena? For example, people in a country, say, with certain folkloric archetypes or political traditions might be susceptible to having their perceptions shaped by that. One Japanese example I can think of is the Aum Shinrikyo cult that recycled some of the anti-freemasonry/ anti-Semitic theories popular in Japan in the 1930s and 1940s.

Sutton: Our experience would suggest that they are vital. I’d go so far as to say that no phenomena lie wholly outside of the fabric of cultural and social practice and belief – which is not to say that they’re not real, only conditioned by our inability to step outside our cultures and histories. In the past, most anomalies were either interpreted in explicitly religious terms – as signs and portents of God’s pleasure or displeasure – or in those of folkloric belief systems. Since the modern era, of course, the tendency is rather to attempt to explain them – or explain them away – in terms of scientific knowledge; which is itself, as we know, subject to change over time. And with specific types of phenomena, we can see how interpretation takes place in the light of contemporary social and cultural beliefs. Encounters with the ‘little people’ in Europe were traditionally interpreted as meetings with fairies; in the industrialised culture of the post-war world, with its fears around invasion and nuclear weapons, and its emergent pop-culture of flying saucers and little green men, the same types of stories mutated into close encounters and later alien abductions.

Liddell: Different countries produce different types of Fortean phenomenon. I would imagine that the USA is big on UFOs. The UK seems to have a lot of big cat sightings and crop circles, etc. From the material you encounter in your job as editor, what sort of Fortean profile does Japan have? What sort of phenomenon tend to be reported a lot in Japan?

Sutton: Ha – not enough! In fact, I wonder whether the kinds of stories that do get reported in the West actually tell us more about certain preconceptions held here concerning Japanese culture. I’m thinking of the amount of coverage (including much by us) given in particular to cults – like Aum Shinrikyo or Panawave – the Internet suicide pacts of recent years, or the Pokemon panic in which kids supposedly had epileptic seizures as a result of watching a cartoon on TV. These are all, in a way, stories about a highly pressurised, highly technological society in which individualism is felt to be somehow under threat from corporate cultures, militant belief systems or technology itself. This strikes me as something of a Western image of modern Japan and I wonder if this is why such stories We hear much less about, say, Japanese ghosts, mystery creatures or UFO sightings, although we do cover them when we get wind of such things. If any of your readers would like to help, by alerting us to local stories that we may be unaware of, we’d encourage them to do so, either by sending us newspaper clippings (preferably with translations!) or emailing us stories. They can get details from our website: www.forteantimes.com

Liddell: Is there a characteristic Japanese Fortean phenomenon?

Sutton: The particular Fortean phenomenon reported in a place may reveal (a) an actual real thing or (b) something about the culture, mindset, preoccupations, etc. of the people living in that area. I've always thought that the UK's crop circles were tied in, in some way, with British people apparent love of circular forms - ranging from stone circles to modern day roundabouts. Assuming that Japan's reported Fortean phenomena are not actual, what do you think they reveal about the country? I would say they reveal, on one level, the same thing that reports of strange phenomena reveal the world over: that despite everything that science, and indeed common sense, tells us about the nature of our existence, extraordinary things are constantly happening to ordinary people and forcing them to re-examine their basic assumptions. Whether we’re talking about seeing a UFO, encountering a mysterious entity or witnessing fish falling from the sky, these encounters with the unknown can change peoples’ relationship with the world – both positively and negatively.

In the case of Japan – as with many other countries – they probably also reveal tensions between traditional belief systems and customs and the rapid industrial and technological expansion of the post-war years, as well as perhaps the country’s relationship with the West, particularly America. Kitsune and UFOs are both found in Japan, but the latter are to some extent an American global export, while the latter are an indigenous form of a possibly universal set of mythic archetypes. I do wonder whether one generation of Japanese would favour one over the other… these are the sorts of questions that would be interesting to explore from a Japanese perspective.

Liddell: Regarding Japanese cryptids, how would you rank the following in terms of probability of existing: The Lake Ikeda Monster - "Issie," the Hibagon, the Tsuchinoko, Kappa, fox-women, giant squid?

Sutton: Taking them in order: Issie, like most lake monsters, seems to be problematic in terms of thinking of it as a real creature. My understanding of Lake Ikeda is that it has no rivers flowing into it, so the question of how a sizeable beast got there in the first place is a little tough to answer. The natural ‘explanations’ – such as eels in the lake – are as debateable as in any other lake monster case, but shouldn’t be dismissed. In its way, Issie has probably become as clouded by rumour, commerce and peoples’ fondness for such stories as has Nessie here in the UK, with tourist boards offering rewards and such like. I guess we’ll wait for a truly convincing photo that can’t be explained away. The Hibagon – have there been further reports since the original 70s sightings? Although the region around Mt Hiba was described back then as remote, I don’t know how far man has since encroached on any potential habitat. It’s hard to believe that a large unknown man-beast in a country as heavily populated as Japan – although they have been reported from all over the world, not just areas of large wilderness in, say, North America or the Himalayas. The sheer ubiquity of such tales suggests that we are either dealing with genuine creatures or a mythic idea so powerful that it is really a form of archetype that cuts across quite disparate cultures and has a good deal of meaning for people with very different backgrounds and belief systems. The Tsuchinoko – although rather odd-sounding, could indeed be a real creature, perhaps as our own Dr Karl Shuker once suggested, some kind of mutant pit viper. It’s also possible, of course, that the Tsuchinoko is merely the product of a persistent body of stories coupled with misidentifications of other creatures, whether snakes after a meal or larger lizards. Kappa – I’d love to see one! They are like some unholy hybrid of what we in the West would recognise as fairy lore – whether aiding or hindering humans they have a lot in common with the little people – and the terrifying water-folk of HP Lovecraft’s The Shadow Over Innsmouth! They are scary as hell, so I’m quite glad that I feel I can safely banish them to the realm of the folkloric – despite the occasional sightings that have been reported over the years. Fox Women – Again, the kitsune are a venerable element of Japanese folklore and art rather than ‘real’ creatures. But they are also an example of the power of myth – the reality of the mythic, if you like – in the sense that stories of ‘possession’ by fox spirits have also been the basis for genuine experiences, although these would of course be described as instances of mental illness. The question is, though, does the illness simply make use of available cultural materials to express itself – in this case the idea of fox spirits – or does the kitsune myth express something that has been known about ‘human nature’ for a long, long time. Is it an archetype, with a life of its own? And can it, then – as Jung would have argued – indeed ‘possess’ us? Giant Squid – Well, the giant squid – despite having its own legends and sailors’ tales attached to it – is undeniably real. It’s nice for us to see a creature that was often dismissed as a myth finally being accepted as a genuine creature – and largely due to the efforts of Japanese scientists and researchers who have brought us the incredible pictures and video of the living squid in its natural environment. We still have an awful lot to learn about these amazing creatures, and that is something we greatly look forward to; as well as seeing what other mysteries the oceans will yield up to us in the future. So, in descending order of probable flesh-and-blood reality (although some forteans would claim that such a term can’t do justice to the kinds of weird critters reported from around the world…): Giant Squid, The Tsuchinoko, The Hibagon, Issie, Fox-women, Kappa.

Liddell: One of the most interesting Fortean phenomenon that Japan may be connected to is the connection between the WWII 'Fugu' balloon bombs and early UFO sightings in the Pacific NW. Is it possible to say that Japan kicked off the UFO mania of the 40s and 50s?

Sutton: Well, we’ve seen phantom airship panics dating back to the late 19th century, the Swedish ghost rockets of 1946 and the whole Flying Saucer mythos growing out of Cold War fears of Communist invasion, so it shouldn’t surprise if there was a connection between wartime US fears of Japanese invasion and weird things being seen in the sky. And, of course, we’ve seen plenty of supposed UFOs explained as weather balloons and so on. Having said that, the Fugo balloon bombs do predate what we’d normally identify as the dawn of the ‘UFO age’ with Kenneth Arnold’s 1947 sighting, so their influence on subsequent developments of UFO lore might be marginal. What seems most likely to me is that the secrecy the US military attached to the bombs may have meant that some people who encountered them at the time – with no knowledge of what they were dealing with – may then have remembered them at a later date and interpreted them as Ufos in the light of the emergence of that particular mythos as it emerged in the late-40s and through the 1950s.

Liddell: One of the problems that Fortean world faces is that legitimate areas of investigation are closed off because those institutions capable of financing and supporting research are afraid of gaining a reputation for pseudo-science that might harm their other activities. A good example is the Sony ESP lab. Although the research was interesting, it nevertheless created an image that could have damaged Sony's share price. Does this kind of perception create a false barrier between things that big companies and universities are prepared to research and those they aren't, simply because it's bad for their image.

Sutton: Yes, it’s increasingly a problem. The golden age of psychical research – when eminent scientists and philosophers took an active interest in what we’d now call the paranormal seem a long way off, and institutions – even, for instance, the Koestler Unit in Edinburgh, set up specifically to study parapsychological phenomena – seem increasingly under pressure to reach sceptical conclusions and avoid making claims that might rock the funding boat or attract derision from the scientific community. There would be some truth in the argument that, often, the results obtained don’t justify sustained funding, but many so-called ‘mavericks’ – Dr Rupert Sheldrake or Dr Michael Persinger – would strongly disagree and produce strong evidence to back their research claims. But these are just the kinds of researchers who struggle to find funding and end up on the receiving end of sometimes quite vindictive attacks from the scientific establishment or evangelical sceptics like the ghastly Richard Dawkins.

Liddell: How can this be overcome?

Sutton: I wish I knew. I suspect the only way that it would happen is for someone to come up with some truly repeatable and incontrovertible experimental evidence for psi or whatever. Trouble is, with the lack of current finding and hostility to such research, that’s unlikely to happen anytime soon. It’s a rather vicious circle, isn’t it?

Liddell: Lastly, what is the most interesting Fortean phenomena from Japan that you have encountered? Why?

Sutton: I’m particularly fond of the story that the village of Shingo, in Aomori Prefecture, was where Jesus decided to spend the remainder of his days after pulling a last-minute crucifixion-swap and escaping to Japan. Apparently, he lived to 103, enjoying a quiet life, and is buried in the village.

Ethan Scheiner, political scientist

2023-12-17T23:30:00.005+00:00

In 2008, in the wake of the economic crisis, I was working on an article on Japanese politics with a focus on the prospects of the Japanese Communist Party and decided to pull in some quotes from an "academic expert."

After a bit of searching, I came up with the name of Ethan Sheiner, a Professor of Political Science at the University of California, Davis. The interview was by e-mail.

__________________________

Liddell: There's a widespread belief that a "competitive" two-party system is the way towards greater representation, and Japan's electoral reforms of the 1990s were designed to facilitate this. But, unless reflecting class or race groups, doesn't a two-party system merely lead to the two parties becoming increasingly identical as they compete for uncommitted centrist voters in a few marginal areas?

Scheiner: I know that this is not what you mean, but we should be careful about what "greater representation" means. In many ways, the center is the most "representative." A majority made up of the left would prefer the center to anything to the right of the center. And a majority made up of the right would prefer the center to anything to the left of the center. That said, there is nothing about 2 party competition that says that it need lead to 2 parties that are identical and at the center. Few would say that the 2 parties in the US have been the same in recent years. And the long history of the 2 leading parties in the UK would certainly not suggest that they are the same. Much of the issue in Japan is that elections are not fundamentally about "issues," but rather are at least as much about things like pork barrel and especially local concerns. Japanese elections are usually less nationalized and more focused on each local election.

Liddell: Isn't a 2-party centrist stalemate actually less representative than a 1-party dominated system, like the old LDP, because at least a single dominant party can change the direction of legislation in the interests of the people?

Scheiner: I'm not sure why the 2 party system you suggest here is less representative than a 1 party system. But, and I think this is more important, the "stalemate" you are talking in Japan about is not a problem of a 2-party system. It is a problem of having 2 branches of the legislature, each with roughly equal power and each controlled by a different party.

Liddell: As Japan faces increasing economic stress and restructuring, what is the likelihood of social divisions developing and expressing themselves in political affiliation? I am thinking in particular about those within the full-time employment system and those on temporary contacts, as well as the growing gap between rich and poor.

Scheiner: LDP typically has had the support of many of the weaker groups - for example, rural areas that are so vulnerable to the global economy, small & medium sized businesses - for a long time. And it is such groups that are among the most hard hit by the changes in Japan today. The LDP continues to try to help them, but is limited by budget constraints. To answer your question more directly, there are important divisions especially within the LDP about whether to help the more modern parts of the economy and whether to support the rural areas, etc. that are so hard hit. The DPJ used to focus on supporting the former, but in recent years has been appealing more to the latter. It is possible that there could be a real split, leading to parties to break apart and reform along those lines. (Because of the nature of the splits I just noted, I don't see it being about the types - fulltime or contract - of employment.) I don't see either party appealing more to one of these groups than the other.

Liddell: Because of the similarities between the DPJ and the LDP, there is a possibility that they might merge later. Is this likely? And, in such a case, would the JCP benefit from occupying the position of largest de facto opposition (especially as the Komeito is likely to be within any ruling coalition)?

Scheiner: Most likely, if they merge, it won't be the entire DPJ with the entire LDP. Most likely, the groups would have more in common - for example, politicians with more of an urban, modern focus from each party coming together. I find it pretty unlikely that there would be just one giant DPJ+LDP party. Think of it this way: If the DPJ & LDP merge, that means that in many, many districts the new party will have 2 candidates that want to contest elections. They won't be satisfied staying in the same party. The 2-candidate competition in most districts will force 2 large-ish parties to continue to exist at the national level. So, I don't see the JCP occupying a role as the major opposition.

Liddell: The Japanese government seems to finance Japan's own exports to the USA by buying up dollars and doing all it can to keep the yen low despite the enormous trade deficit. Isn't this effectively a state of economic vassalage with Japan as producer and America as consumer (although it may even be in the best interests of such an overcrowded island)? Isn't this economic system supported politically in campaign donations from the big exporting corporations to the main parties who then support continuing this economic relationship?

Scheiner: At least as important as the support of big business to the LDP is the support of small & medium size business, agriculture, construction and the like - all things that are not internationally competitive. I don't see the LDP or Japanese government as simply working on behalf of big competitive business.

Junko Hama (浜順子), hotel public relations

2023-12-12T00:03:00.006+00:00

Back in 2012 I was working on a story about hotels and architecture or something. One of the buildings I wanted to focus on was the iconic Tokyo Station hotel so I got in contact, hoping to speak to the General Manager only to get fobbed off with teh PR lady, a Ms Junko Hama (浜順子). After a flurry of emails, I sent her a few questions that I hoped with generate a few useable quotes. Here they are. Enjoy! (Note I haven't corrected her English).

Liddell: Why was it necessary to close the hotel for so long?

Hama: The Tokyo Station hotel is in the Tokyo Station Marunouchi Building. Due to preservation and restoration of Tokyo Station Marunouchi Building, our hotel was temporary closed since 2006.

Liddell: What is the biggest change made to the hotel?

Hama: Our hotel will be fully remodeled and reopen for business on October 3, 2012. Before hotel closed, hotel’s total area space are was 5,600 square meters, and will be 20,400 square meters since Oct 3. The hotel offers 150 rooms (before closing, 58 rooms) and 10 variety venue, fitness & spa, banquet rooms and others.

Liddell: What kind of market will the hotel be focusing on? Why?

Hama: We welcome serve not only Japan but also overseas. Tokyo Station Marunouchi building was opened in 1914. Over the century, Tokyo Station was designated by the Important Cultural property of Japan in 2006 and fully reservation and restoration since Oct 1. We aim that Tokyo Station Marunouchi Building will be very important sightseeing spot in Japan.

Liddell: The Hotel is very much part of the original "Iccho London" area. What is the appeal of British style and atmosphere for Japanese people? Why is it so popular?

Hama: Our hotel is not part of the original “Iccho London.” We aimed our hotel décor blends sophisticated elements of Tokyo Station Marunouchi Building. Interior design by the respected British firm Richmond International Ltd., hailed for numerous successful renovations of historic properties, honors the history of the station building while incorporating the functionality and facilities demanded of a modern hotel.

Liddell: How does the Hotel fit into the Otemachi-Marunouchi-Yurakucho Area Management Plan? Is it the centerpiece? What do you think of this area plan?

Hama: We will have a good relationship Marunouchi developer with our owner company, JR east railway company. The Tokyo Station Hotel is part of the hotel of Nippon Hotel corporation. Nippon Hotel corporation is associated company of JR east railway company.

Liddell: What makes this part of Tokyo special?

Hama: We aim our hotel and Tokyo Station Marunouchi Building will be important part of sightseeing spot and symbol of central city, Tokyo.

Mitch Ikeda, photographer

2023-08-30T21:18:00.003+01:00

In January 2003, I interviewed the Japanese photographer Mitch Ikeda, famous for taking pictures of the Manic Street Preachers and Oasis. The interview consists of questions emailed, translated into Japanese, then with answers returned in Japanese. Despite 'hanging out' with British rock bands, it seems that Mitch's English is pretty non-existent, while his Japanese answers suggested some of the surly insouciance of the rock stars he snaps had rubbed off on him.

Liddell: I saw your exhibition at Proud, Camden, in London. Are you going to have a similar exhibition in Japan?

Ikeda: Thank you for coming. In Japan they won't have the same exhibition. It'll be one third the size and only for one night.

Liddell: I saw the book, Forever Delayed in the U.K. Has this book been released in Japan? Will it?

Ikeda: They are not going to sell it in Japan, so people will have to get it as an import.

Liddell: Do you have any activities planned to coincide with the Manics' tour of Japan this month?

Ikeda: I haven't thought of it yet?

Liddell: How did you get to become the Manics' official photographer?

Ikeda: It was destiny.

Liddell: What is your approach to photographing the Manics? What do you look for or focus on?

Ikeda: I've never thought of it. Always natural.

Liddell: What are the problems photographing a rock band?

Ikeda: None.

Liddell: You have been photographing them for a long time. How has the band changed in that time?

Ikeda: They've got older.

Liddell: How aware were you of Richey cracking up? How did his disappearance affect the other three?

Ikeda: Laugh. Please ask the 'other three' about Richey.

Liddell: There are a lot of Japanese touches in the pictures, e.g.: James Dean Bradfield's Mishima crucifixion pose; Nicky with a kanji ring, wearing 'Super Lovers' clothes, and posing with a noren; Sean wearing 'Final Home' clothes, etc. How much of this is due to you?

Ikeda: There's no influence from myself.

Liddell: Do you think Sony tried to make the band appeal to Japanese audiences by appointing a Japanese as the official photographer?

Ikeda: I've never thought of that. This is very stupid question.

Liddell: The Manics often come to Japan. How do they react to Japanese culture and society?

Ikeda: Laugh. I don't think they come that frequently. I think it might be the opposite. Incidentally, doesn't Paul Weller come many times? Maybe both don't come enough. Are they reacting to Japanese culture and society? I don't really know.

Liddell: Which is your favourite picture?

Ikeda: I love them all because they are mine.

Liddell: I particularly liked number 165, the picture of Richey jumping with a guitar. It's a truly iconic image of him, suggesting crucifixion and suicide. How did this shot happen?

Ikeda: I took this photo at a photo shoot.

Liddell: What did you think of this picture later? Did you feel there was a kind of prophecy of his self-destruction in this image?

Ikeda: No!

Liddell: Do you think the camera is capable of sometimes catching mysterious aspects of a person, things that we can't normally see, like their ghost, spirit, or a prophecy of their future?

Ikeda: No!

Liddell: Which photographers have influenced you the most?

Ikeda: Ken Domon, Eiko Hosoe, Kishin Shinoyama, Daido Moriyama, Penny Smith.

Liddell: How much time do you normally spend with the Manics every year? What do you do when you are not with them?

Ikeda: Every year it's decreasing. Though I used to live in London, now I've got children. It's decreasing more and more because of children.

Liddell: How was the trip to Cuba? What was your impression of Fidel Castro?

Ikeda: It was the best. He's a totally wonderful person.

Liddell: What did Nicky and Castro talk about?

Ikeda: After the concert, they met Castro. Nicky asked Castro, was it loud? Castro replied, the sound of battle is louder.

Liddell: When my brother interviewed James Dean Bradfield earlier this year, he told him that he was hoping to cut back on his smoking and climb Mt. Fuji with you. Did he?

Ikeda: Laugh. No, he hasn't said that yet. I would definitely do it. Perhaps he's the kind of guy who can see the god.

Jiro Kondo, Egyptologist

2023-08-06T22:26:00.007+01:00

Back in 2012, I had to crank out an article for the Japan Times on an exhibition of ancient Egyptian artefacts that was touring the nation. This brought me into contact with Professor Jiro Kondo, a director of the Institute of Egyptology at Waseda University who was curating the exhibition. An exchange of emails followed creating the following interview. The point was to get a rather pedantic and "dry" academic to say something interesting for the article, after which he could be suitably quoted out of context.

Liddell: Why is this exhibition being held now? Does it follow on from the exhibition held at the British Museum in Autumn 2011?

Kondo: This exhibition is following on from the special exhibition titled “Ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead” held at the British Museum, from 4 November, 2010 to 6 March 2011. This exhibition will tour to Fukuoka.

Liddell: What changes have been made for the exhibition in Japan? Why?

Kondo: The collection is exclusively from the British Museum. The papyrus of Ani and other eminent papyrus collections are not coming for the consideration of the conservation. On the other hand we are including other items such as jewellery and mummies and so on.

Liddell: Does the exhibition present the results of new research?

Kondo: No.

Liddell: Egypt is an extremely remote civilization for modern people, but it remains one of the most popular. How do you explain this popularity with modern audiences?

Kondo: Death is a permanent theme that human beings face. It seems that images and ideas related to the afterlife of the Egyptian people attract modern audiences with their uniqueness, beauty, and details; the modern audience can also find ideas and features familiar to them in the funerary philosophy of this remote civilization.

Liddell: Why did death feature so prominently in their culture? Was there an element of morbidness?

Kondo: It is far from being morbid. On the surface, the Egyptian Civilization is a culture of death, but if we look into their thought deeply, it reflects their strong desire for life, and it is full of energy.

Liddell: Some theories state that the ancient Egyptian attitude to Death was influenced by the sharp contrasts between the desert and the fertile river, and also the regularity of the rise and fall of the Nile, with its symbolism of a cycle of life and death. How important was the environment in influencing ancient Egyptian culture and customs?

Kondo: The fact that our culture is influenced by our environment is universal, and it is not limited to Egypt.

Liddell: The other key point about the customs connected to The Book of the Dead and the rituals dealing with death is that they are very elaborate. Such elaborate rituals, it seems to me, are much more likely to develop in a society that is isolated and which develops slowly. Once Egypt became connected to the wider world through the Ptolemies and the Roman Empire, these customs faded and disappeared. How important was Egypt’s relative isolation and conservatism is creating these very elaborate customs?

Kondo: In the long history of Egypt, Egyptian civilization had always been influenced by outer cultures such as Mesopotamia, Syria, Anatolia and so on.

Liddell: How does this exhibition compare with previous exhibitions on ancient Egypt in Japan?

Kondo: This is the first time the Book of the Dead is the main theme of exhibition. Also, this is the first time that the theme is very much focused on one single book.

Liddell: The exhibition is notable for featuring the 37-meter-long Greenfield Papyrus. What light does this item throw on our understanding of ancient Egypt?

Kondo: The Greenfield Papyrus is one complete papyrus that illustrates the funerary beliefs of the Egyptian; it also shows the scale of the Book of the Dead. It includes various scenes of the underworld through which a deceased has to go in order to attain eternal life.

Liddell: The exhibition also includes many amulets. Ancient Egyptians seemed to believe greatly in the importance of amulets. What do these tell us about the mindset of the average people in those days?

Kondo: The idea of amulet also universal. It is natural for Japanese people to get amulets when we visit temples or shrines. Amulets were daily items for the Egyptians.

Liddell: What is the significance of ancient Egypt? What does their civilization teach modern people?

Kondo: Its eternity. No modern buildings have exceeded the strength and duration of the pyramids which have stood in the land of Egypt for 5000 years.

Liddell: In your view, what differences and similarities are there between the ancient Egyptians and the modern Egyptians? Has there been any significant continuation from the period of the pharaohs and the periodof the Arab Spring

Kondo: Except for the religious concept, I do not see great differences. Modern Egyptians have the same roots as ancient Egyptians. They were farmers in the fertile lands by　the Nile, and, though they may have had difficulties, their life may have been richer materially and spiritually than it is now.

Fumio Nanjo, curator

2023-07-27T22:17:00.005+01:00

On the 20th of February, 2011, I interviewed Fumio Nanjo by telephone. He is a well-known curator and the Director of the Mori Art Museum. I talked to him for about 25 minutes about Roppongi Art Night, which was scheduled to take place on the night of the 26th to 27th of March. This was for Metropolis Magazine. The event and my article were both cancelled when the Great Tohoku Earthquake struck Japan on the 11th of March. The interview, properly edited, was eventually published as an on-line "sidebar" article in September to accompany my article "Decontructing Tokyo".

Nanjo: Hai?

Liddell: Hello.

Nanjo: Yes?

Liddell: Is that Mr Nanjo?

Nanjo: Yes.

Liddell: This is Colin Liddell from Metropolis magazine.

Nanjo: Oh, I see.

Liddell: And, well, basically I want to get a much fuller picture of what people can expect at this year's Roppongi Art Night.

Nanjo: Yeh, yeh, OK.

Liddell: OK, so first of all, can I ask you how will this year's Roppongi Art Night differ from last year's Roppongi Art Night? What similarities and what differences will there be?

Nanjo: Since last time we try to expand art in the town and we spread many small works in the town of Roppongi between Midtown and Roppongi Hills but this time we cannot spread so many...

Liddell: Why not?

Nanjo: ...so we make a rather bigger scale works. I mean, y'know, that's a little bit difference but, how can I describe? Um, similarity and what difference? Mmm, main artist is different of course.

Liddell: Yes.

Nanjo: And also, em, what can I say? Artists are all different y'know.

Liddell: Well, the interesting point is that you can't spread the artworks around anymore. Why did that change?

Nanjo: Well, we do, we do it, but not [coughs] Sorry! – not so many in many spots in the town. We focus on certain [coughs] …sorry…

Liddell: You have a cold I think?

Nanjo: This is cedar something, y'know.

Liddell: Hayfever maybe.

Nanjo: Yeh.

Liddell: Yeh.

Nanjo: Uh, because the small works in the town were not so effective for many people, last time, so we focus on a fewer spot and bring bigger work.

Liddell: So, it's becoming more like a show than it was before.

Nanjo: What do you mean by show?

Liddell: Like a performance, like in a theatre that kind of style.

Nanjo: Uh, I don’t understand.

Liddell: Well, I mean, well, ur, um, Roppongi Art Night, it's concentrated in terms of time – it happens over one weekend – and now it's becoming more concentrated in terms of space, so if you concentrate something in space and time it becomes like a performance.

Nanjo: But it's only for one night. It's same thing.

Liddell: Yeh.

Nanjo: Even if it's fewer spots with a little big bigger works, still it's same thing I think.

Liddell: Moving on to the artists this time, how do you think, eh, the artists this year will differ from last year? What, what kind of themes or, eh, insights will they bring compared to the previous year's artists?

Nanjo: The main artist is Yayoi Kusama and she made a… She's going to make a huge, um, image of, ur, little girl, which is actually her, herself of the childhood.

Liddell: Umhu.

Nanjo: So…And with some dogs.

Liddell: Yes.

Nanjo: So, the idea is that she goes back to her childhood and walking around in Roppongi with her dog, her pet dog, so this is like, uh, walking in Roppongi with Yayoi Kusama.

Liddell: So it's a kind of nostalgic note?

Nanjo: Uhhh, her strong message is, uh, how can I say it in English, the, um, "Tomorrow is Mine," something like that, so she's really looking forward to tomorrow, I mean the future, a very positive message she brings, so she's not looking back her past. She's trying to capture the moment of children who are always, y'know, expecting the, uh, positive future soon.

Liddell: Uhuh.

Nanjo: So she, she said tomorrow is important…

Liddell: Isn't that very ironic because y'know she's obviously very old now? [NOTE: Yayoi Kusama was born in 1929.]

Nanjo: Ah, you think so?

Liddell: I mean physically.

Nanjo: I think that's why she wants to bring… Still she wants to say that still there's the future for her and also for many Japanese who always listen to… who always are talking about, uhrr, the kind of recession and going down, sinking Japan.

Liddell: Yeh.

Nanjo: But she wants to say, "no but you have to think positively."

Liddell: So it's a kind of symbol of rebirth through a kind of return to nostalgic innocence?

Nanjo: Return? But you have to think about the children, a lot of children now, it's not only her past. She's talking about children, y'know children have a future and tomorrow... They are looking for... at tomorrow, so people should look at tomorrow as a positive image. Y'know, It's not only her own matter, She wants to extend it to many people.

Liddell: Yeh. So she want's to kind of live on in the, em, future generations, through her art... The reason I mention this, em, kind of, em, return to innocence and almost naivety is also because of the other, one of the other important artists, Antenna, strikes quite a similar note with his, I think it's called Jappy, caricature.

Nanjo: That's also talking about a kind of utopia, you mean?

Liddell: Yes.

Nanjo: Mmm.

Liddell: So that's, that's a similar thing. I mean a lot of people will see, ehh, Kusama's art as, nhnn, having a mood of childish innocence and also Antenna's art would have a similar kind of, em, almost manga-esque quality.

Nanjo: Mmm, I don't know if it's nostalgia but both of them are talking about trying to create something positive, I think. Um, last year and the year before, two characters, main characters were somehow monsters, y'know. It’s like a boy's toys.

Liddell: Yeh.

Nanjo: One was a robot and the other one was like a huge em how can I say inflated, inflatable balloon, as how do you say [unclear], so this [unclear] boylike image we shifted to a little bit more soft feminine image as well.

Liddell: Uhu.

Nanjo: [unclear]...look so much images children and soft and pink and y'know more human and, urh, how can I say, more, as you said, nostalgic maybe but more human.

Liddell: More feelings?

Nanjo: Yeh, feelings maybe, and another one is a, mem, of course the story of the character is like that but actually it is very how you say it's kind of mikoshi. Mikoshi dakara sono... How can you say? This kind of chai… This kind of shrine they go round.

Liddell: Oh yes. The omikoshi, yes?

Nanjo: Omikoshi dessho, so it's it's really try to make society genki.

Liddell: Yeh, the omikoshi's carried round to kind of purify spiritually the area involved isn't it?

Nanjo: Originally yes, but people don't think that it's purifying. I think people just uh… It's like a festivity. People enjoy and participate.

Liddell: Yeh.

Nanjo: So we try to design the things for people to participate.

Liddell: Yeh, now in Japan, uh, the, the audience that goes to exhibitions tends to be usually a bit older, middle aged people...

Nanjo: Exhibition, I mean, uh…

Liddell: Yes, yeh, I'm talking about the, the major exhibitions in Japan because Japan often ranks very high in the biggest exhibitions per, eh, y'know, visitor every year, and so the main audience tends to be a much older audience, but I notice with Roppongi Art Night, because it's set late – or it's a all might event, it basically excludes older people and it, it draws in younger people.

Nanjo: It does not exlude. They just go back. [laughs]

Liddell: Uhm?

Nanjo: They just go back because if it's late they want to sleep

Liddell: Yes.

Nanjo: Y'know, it's their choice.

Liddell: Yeh, it's their choice but of course…

Nanjo: If it's chosen, it's not discrimination or whatever.

Liddell: I'm not saying you're trying to exclude them but the result of the timing…

Nanjo: If we choose young people then it's discrimination but we are open to anybody.

Liddell: Yeh, I'm just wondering…

Nanjo: It's their choice, y'know.

Liddell: Yeh, I know, but I'm just wondering about how young people think because a lot of young people don't want to, heh, go to exhibitions because maybe they see it as a kinda older people's culture.

Nanjo: Oh, but are you talking about… What kind of exhibition y'know. Did you go to the media art exhibition in National Art Center? S'full of young people.

Liddell: Mmhh.

Nanjo: It all depends on the contents.

Liddell: Yeh, yeh, that's the point I'm making. There are a lot of, em, exhibitions that draw a specific audience so that sometimes, y'know, I feel like a… Also with um, a lot of museums now have very late…

Nanjo: What kind of exhibition you talking about? If it's traditional Japanese art, of course there are many old people.

Liddell: Yeh.

Nanjo: If it's Impressionism mainly ladies.

Liddell: Yeh.

Nanjo: It's all different.

Liddell: Well, look, just for example, now at NACT there's a Surrealism. Now surrealism has got appeal across the board – a lot of older people like it, a lot of younger people like it.

Nanjo: Still, those who have a dream on European art, right?

Liddell: Yeh.

Nanjo: So there are maybe that's the majority of the audience but, I don't think we cannot generalize. It all depends on the contents.

Liddell: But…

Nanjo: If we design the contents for young people, young people will come

Liddell: But, yeh, there are some, em… There is art which is, uh, across the board and y'know, something like Yayoi Kusama could, could be seen in those terms, as something which has a lot of appeal for different generations because she's a very old artist herself but she also has an appeal to young people.

Nanjo: Uh.

Liddell: But, but, y'know the exhibition of Surrealism, ewh, the older people tend to go earlier in the day and then a lot of museums have late Fridays now and that tends to be... I think that's an attempt to try to bring younger people into the exhibitions and, y'know, sometimes Roppongi Art Night seems like an extension of "Late Fridays."

Nanjo: Oh, of course.

Liddell: Which means, "young people, come here and there won't be any older people around." That is the kind of note I feel that is being sounded.

Nanjo: I don't know if it's only for young people because if older people want to stay they can stay, but usually they want to sleep.

Liddell: Yeh.

Nanjo: But we're not designed for, for that purpose. We're trying to be open as much as possible.

Liddell: Yeh.

Nanjo: Right. And also there are many restaurants and bars are going to open until late, so if they want to stay they can stay. If... The Mori stay until five o’clock last time.

Liddell: That leads me to another question. How conscious are you of the Roppongi Art Night competing with the existing nightlife in Roppongi, because Roppongi's already got a very high profile entertainment nightlife of its own.

Nanjo: Yeh.

Liddell: How does that effect the Art Night?

Nanjo: But the contents is different isn't it? So we brought art into the night life of Roppongi. Before there was nothing like that, so your… It is actually, how can I say, Roppongi Art Night core time is from the sunset to the next morning, sunrise, but actually other event, which is good for children or old people or whatever, is also going on in the daytime.

Liddell: Yeh.

Nanjo: So it’s actually 24-hour event, not only 12 hours.

Liddell: Yeh.

Nanjo: So, urrr, if they want to enjoy those things, like workshops with children, they can join. Old people can maybe go for some shopping or whatever.

Liddell: Yeh.

Nanjo: We can, we can, em, they can do that, so the point is, I think, urh, Rop… We are trying to open the museum very late at 10 in the evening all day usually.

Liddell: Yeh.

Nanjo: But together with other museums, the... Y'know [unclear] were open till the next morning, but the others are just till ten or 11 o'clock, but we open the museum then, ahh, also we ask many shops and restaurants to open it until late.

Liddell: Yeh.

Nanjo: So they follow. So, it's only one night. We should get together and enjoy the night life of Roppongi. Uh, it just the beginning of spring time

Liddell: Yeh.

Nanjo: ...just the cherry blossom is blooming, so they have, they have been inside, inside the house for long time in the winter...

Liddell: Yeh.

Nanjo: ...but now the message, now you can go out, y'know, you come out and stay outside. Enjoy cherry blossom, enjoy art. If you want you can go to some bar to drink with your friends, chat, and stay very late.

Liddell: Umh.

Nanjo: So that's a message, y'know.

Liddell: So...

Nanjo: If you want to join it, you can join it.

Liddell: So, umh, can I ask you personally what are you looking forward to the most and also what are you most worried about?

Nanjo: Worried about?

Liddell: Yeh, positives and negatives, so what are you looking forward to the most and what are you also most worried about?

Nanjo: Looking forward is that kind of to view the image of Roppongi not only for drinking place but a place for enjoying art and culture, right? So it's not just drunk people at night. There are young people old people enjoying art, chatting, talking, walking together, even family can walk around.

Liddell: So, kind of area rebranding?

Nanjo: I think so.

Liddell: So, do you think Kabukicho could use an art night in that case?

Nanjo: Kabukicho should have a different strategy.

Liddell: Any suggestions?

Nanjo: The worry of... I think... I guess the people in Roppongi used to live here was worrying about Roppongi becoming Kabukicho.

Liddell: Mmh.

Nanjo: But now we have a different business, y'know, office, uh, café, uh, shops and even museums, galleries now, y'know four galleries just opened last week.

Liddell: Uhuh.

Nanjo: In the Piramide Building and one gallery in our museum shop opened so five galleries.

Liddell: Are those galleries moving from Ginza or somewhere?

Nanjo: Different places. Ginza and also from Shinjuku. They open a new gallery here so now we have business of daytime, y'know, uh, very light café and then dinner spot and then drinking place, bar, but also we have those different things so Roppongi became not only a town for night but also for day – people enjoy – so 24-hours city, so the Roppongi Art Night symbolizes Roppongi changed and you can enjoy daytime to night time and also with the family with your friends, y'know, not, you don’t kick the drunk guys and make a conflict as made before y'know. It used to be only that image but now we have to change.

Liddell: Yeh. Yes, so it's moving from a kind of monoculture to a more kind of multiculture?

Nanjo: Multiculture, yeh.

Liddell: And of course that can sometimes cause problems because you might have drunk people, eh, fighting with artists for example.

Nanjo: Yeh, yeh. If those people come up to the museum it's a big problem.

Liddell: Umhu.

Nanjo: Y'know then we have to shut them out.

Liddell: Yeh, sounds like something you have to worry about.

Nanjo: Yeh, we have to, we have to be aware of [unclear] to protect artworks too.

Liddell: So, what, what are you most worried about because you've obviously had a lot to think about and to arrange and to organize.

Nanjo: Uh, the logistics, I mean the management of the people like, y'know, if too many people come to one spot it's dangerous so I'm hoping that all the events become, make the things even, the time and the place, y'know, I hope people spread in a wide area and an even way.

Liddell: Yeh.

Nanjo: Otherwise dangerous, y’know.

Liddell: But, em, the centrepiece will be Kusama's, eh, sculpture. That's going to be very very large.

Nanjo: Yeh.

Liddell: How about, well, well, how is it being constructed, what sort materials are being...

Nanjo: It's inflatable.

Liddell: Mmh?

Nanjo: Inflatable.

Liddell: Inflatable?

Nanjo: So easy to carry but it becomes big.

Liddell: Yeh, uhu, well that makes sense. Very easy to do, No problems there, unless of course it has a puncture.

Nanjo: Well, some people might do it, but I hope it doesn't happen.

Liddell: Yeh.

Nanjo: Yeh.

Liddell: Well, that's a lot of information so I'll thank you for that.

Nanjo: Yeh.

Liddell: And, ah, well, we'll send you a copy of the article when it appears. Thank you very much.

Nanjo: OK, thank you.

Liddell: Bye bye!

Nanjo: Bye.

Angus Young & Brian Johnson [AC/DC]

2023-05-05T12:16:00.013+01:00

Angus Young & Brian Johnson

In February 2010, I "interviewed" the biggest rock band on the planet AC/DC by proxy. The way this works is quite simple. Rather than scheduling slots for individual journalists, the promoters collect questions from a pool of hacks then send a proxy interviewer to present these to the interviewees in one sitting. This saves the musicians lots of time, but leads to a lot of disjointed questioning, dropped points, and bland answers, as questions are not pressed and follow-up questions are lacking or lame. Four of the six questions I submitted were used: numbers 2, 3, 4, and 5. The interview took place at the Park Hyatt in Sydney on the 7th of February, 2010. Later had a great time at the gig when the band reached Japan.

QUESTION ONE: The current music scene has CD sales falling and more and more people downloading rather than going to stores. AC/DC is not following that trend. What kind of reasons do you have for emphasizing physical releases in this current day and age?

ANGUS: For us it’s probably a different market. On the digital side they kind of concentrate more on the pop music, and pop music - it’s very fast. They kind of have a single every month or something, but, from our background, we were always a band that tried to make a good album. We concentrated on that. So, for us, it’s been two different things. But it’s been that way from the beginning. Where other bands made pop music or changed their direction, we always stuck to what we do best, which is rock music.

QUESTION TWO (my question): What distinguishes Black Ice from all the other albums you’ve done over the last four decades?

ANGUS: I wouldn’t say you reinvent the wheel when you do something. You just try to get better song craft. You just to put a bit more craft in what you do, and hopefully you come up with something a little bit different than the album you did before.

BRIAN: I think it’s just a natural progression. It happens naturally with the band and the boys, and it’s just a different time and a different feeling.

ANGUS: And we’re lucky - over the years we’ve managed to get a lot of new fans to plug into us.

QUESTION THREE (my question): In one interview you did the title of Black Ice was explained as a reference to a Scottish weather forecast. While AC/DC is typically seen as an Australian band, how important are those British and Scottish roots?

ANGUS: Well, black ice was always a term you heard a lot in that part of the world, Australia is always warm but other parts of the world, like Scotland, you get the four seasons, spring summer, autumn winter, and snow. So, when you got snow, for me it was always unusual. When you get out there in Britain, and they talk about Black Ice for me it was a whole new term.

BRIAN: It’s dangerous, y’know. On the radio if they announced “tonight there’s going to be black ice on the road,” you know it’s just lethal stuff, and Scotland and the North of England that’s where’s it’s prevalent. It was just a dangerous word, black ice. You know you took your life in your hands when you went out on the motor bike!

QUESTION FOUR (my question): From your millionaire mansions, what do you think of impoverished music press hacks who consistently slag off every AC/DC album as being “unoriginal re-treading of the same old rawk-and-roll cliches”?

ANGUS: Well, we’ve outlived a lot of them haven’t we!

BRIAN: Put a few in the ground too, didn’t we?

ANGUS: We outlived a few record deals as well… You’re not supposed to do that.

QUESTION FIVE (my question): AC/DC’s international appeal has consistently grown over four decades. What do you think is the REAL reason so many people in so many places love this band?

ANGUS: I think it’s because we stick to what we do best, and probably every few years, there’s a change where people say “oh we like rap” or “we like indie”, but for us we always stick to what we do best, and it probably goes back to our roots. At the time, music was very soft and we wanted something that was more popular, y’know. When you’re in the bar, the music people liked most and would get up and dance and have a good time to was loud rock music. I always thought, there’s something going on here, because when they put on a love song people sat out, but when you put on a rock track people get off their feet. I think that our music was both the kind of stuff that we wanted to be playing, and also something that the people were looking for. I’m not a psychologist, but I think there’s something of a primal beat that sits inside us all, and the public seems to like music when it has more energy.

BRIAN: It just makes you want to move, basically.

QUESTION SIX: You were just nominated for the Grammy for “Best Hard Rock Performance.” Congratulations! What was your reaction when you first heard the news?

ANGUS: As you can see it was overnight for us! It was only for how long? Can’t even think, maybe 30 years?

BRIAN: A couple of ciggies and a cup of coffee!

PROXY INTERVIEWER [follow-up question]: So the public support is what you pay attention to more?

ANGUS: Yeah, we get our reward every time we go on stage.

BRIAN: The punters know best.

ANGUS: And we were never a band looking for that stamp of approval.

QUESTION SEVEN: Standing on the stage looking at an audience is a perspective and feeling that few people in this world know, what particular sight or sound from the stage can you remember from the shows on this tour?

BRIAN: Going deaf is what I remember most! No, but I think that this show is so good, and what the boys have put together in the production of the show, seeing the reaction to that each night is great. There’re certain shows of course, to give an example, the Stade de France or Wembley, where you get on the stage and it still takes your breath away. It’s always exciting though. Just the other night in New Zealand, there was a stadium where there was a hill in the back just covered with people, and it was surrounded by trees. Nothing’s the same and each night is an adventure, and that’s what keeps you going.

ANGUS: And when the lights go out, all you see is a sea of devil horns.

BRIAN: That’s right. Those devil horns, never seen anything like it. It’s just amazing some nights.

QUESTION EIGHT: What kind of daily things do you do to ensure that you can give 100% every time you take the stage?

ANGUS: I lift a lot of cigarettes. That’s my weight lifting program.

BRIAN: Well, if you’re on tour, I just stay in me room, and try not to talk! Angus is always fiddling on his guitar. I guess you just get yourself ready for the next gig. You could be traveling, but try to go to the gym to stay fit, but basically you just have to get ready. The gig bit is fine. It’s just the bits in between that takes years!

QUESTION NINE: We are now about one month away from your Japan tour. What are your thoughts and feeling s heading back to Japan?

ANGUS: It’ll be real good to be back to play in Japan. It’s always good, if you’ve not been in a while, to go back.

QUESTION TEN: What kind of places in Japan have stayed in your memory? Where would you like to go this time?

BRIAN: Yeah, well what I remember the first time I went to Japan, somebody said to us, “the Japanese audience will be very polite”, y’know. What a load of twaddle! It was fantastic. And I remember the shabu-shabu, that meat stuff. That was good. But it was just fun, a fun time. A very exuberant audience. It’s not that way for every band, so that really says something about what kind of band AC/DC is.

ANGUS: Yeah, savage! Here they come!

QUESTION ELEVEN: You have played at arenas and domes around the world, including the Budokan and Yokohama Arena in Japan. Now you will be playing at the Saitama Super Arena and Osaka Dome for the first time. Is there any kind of particular excitement or anxiety playing at a venue for the first time?

BRIAN: You try to channel.

ANGUS: I suppose over the years you try to bring that everywhere. You know for us it was even if you went from a small place to a big stage, you always tried to keep the same. I never felt the difference depending on where we were.

BRIAN: Everywhere we go we try to make it feel like a club.

ANGUS: If you can make everyone in the place feel one, tapping their feet in time.

PROXY INTERVIEWER [follow-up question 1]: And are there any venues around the world that particularly stand out in your memories?

ANGUS: There’s lots of great venues.

BRIAN: That’s a hard one, that.

ANGUS: Usually the first show in a place you haven’t been for a while. Like Brian says we came on the other night in New Zealand and for us and the people there it’s almost as if you’ve jumped time. They’re right there in front of you and, it’s like the feeling that you were all there yesterday.

PROXY INTERVIEWER [follow-up question 2]: So, this is obvious, but for you it seems like the people in the venue are the key.

ANGUS: They’re the sixth member of the band.

QUESTION TWELVE: When big acts come to Japan, one universal concern for the fans is whether the show will be full scale, same as the USA or Europe, which they often cannot do because of transportation issues and the like. So, is AC/DC coming with the whole set up? Hearing it from you will be very exciting for the fans.

ANGUS: Everything’s with us. We’ve got the whole production.

BRIAN: Otherwise what’s the point?

ANGUS: They’ve got the whole production, they’ve got us, and we don’t come cheap!

QUESTION THIRTEEN: Your last Japan tour was 2001, and before that seems like ages ago. This leads many to speculate that this could be your final Japan tour. Is that something you have given thought to yourselves?

BRIAN: I’ve never thought about that.

ANGUS: I think it’s the same as when we started. People always ask us “did you realize you would be a big band when you started?” and you don’t. You just play and you go along and take each day as it comes along. And as I said before, we are after all just an overnight sensation! You too can be someone after 40 years!

QUESTION FOURTEEN: What are your upcoming plans?

ANGUS: Probably try and get in and start to get new tracks, get another good studio album. It never really stops, y’know. You get off the road and then you’re back doing what you do, writing tracks, so that never stops.

QUESTION FIFTEEN: You had to cancel some shows during the USA tour last year, and you have rescheduled them for this year. Is everything ok now?

BRIAN: Yeah that was me. I’ll put me hand up. I just had this cancer scare in my esophagus and had to have lots of tests and CAT scans and stuff like that. And the doctor wouldn’t really let us go until we were sure I didn’t have any of the nasty stuff. Thank god I didn’t, but a few sleepless nights, let’s just say that!

ANGUS: I thought my diagnosis was the best. “Lack of nicotine” I thought!

BRIAN: Yeah, they stopped me fags!

QUESTION SIXTEEN: Who is a person you particularly respect and why?

ANGUS: There’s a lot of people. One in particular I think of is Chuck Berry. He basically wrote the book on Rock N Roll. He was a great guitarist and a great entertainer, and I think everyone borrowed from his book. If you look at the Beatles , the Stones, even Elvis Presley, they all borrowed and took a leaf from Chuck Berry. Of rock n roll, he’s probably the Shakespeare.

BRIAN: For me I always liked, I still do, Eddie Cochrane. And then Jerry Lee Lewis, I used to get all excited and girly watching him because he was just…

ANGUS: The killer!

BRIAN: Crazy. With big shock of hair, y’know. He was real. He wasn’t kidding!

QUESTION SEVENTEEN: What would you say to your Japanese fans who have supported you for years who have been eagerly waiting for your return ?

ANGUS: Yeah, we’ll get along there when we come, and we’ll certainly show them that if you liked us last time you’ll love it again this time.

BRIAN: Tell them that we’ll be ready, so come on in.

QUESTION EIGHTEEN: What would you say to your new Japanese fans who are going to be seeing you for the first time?

ANGUS: Just be ready to rock.

BRIAN: We can’t give all our secrets away, y’know!

Kazuo Oga, Animator

2022-11-30T01:10:00.006+00:00

Back in June 2007 I was working on a piece about an exhibition of artwork by the Studio Ghibli animator Kazuo Oga. Sure, I could have gone in and chatted with this giant of the anime world, but with my crazy schedule, the easiest way to get things done was to email some questions. Here is the result of the interview with everything translated into English.

Liddell: How did you become a background artist?

Oga: After I graduated from design school, by chance I saw an ad that said, "a person who likes painting". I saw that ad and that was for animation.

Liddell: What do you think about the Ghibli animation firm?

Oga: Each director has his or her own background, which makes it very rewarding. The finished movie is just a hard work to draw, so it's a blessing for people who do background paintings.

Liddell: What is the most memorable scene in your work for Ghibli?

Oga: In "My Neighbor Totoro," the picture of the bus stop in the rain with lights on in the dark, and a picture of rain falling in the bright hours, bending sideways to the right of the camphor and cedar trees. Two paintings with roads. As for an animated film, I would say "Heisei-era Raccoon Dog War Ponpoko."

Liddell: Why do you like "Ponpoko" the most?

Oga: Because I took a walk around the Tama Hills Park, which is my living area, and drew it with a sense of gratitude to my cherished place. Not only was I able to draw the four seasons, but I was also able to draw the transitional process of each season, which is not normally depicted in other animation works."

Liddell: What do you value or struggle with when drawing background images?

Oga: Since it is necessary to draw a large number of background images, it is necessary to draw them in as little time as possible. To that end, it is necessary to make the points and characteristics stand out simply by omitting and emphasizing in a good way. It's good when you know what you're drawing, but if you don't know what you're drawing and you don't have a clear image of what you're going to draw, you'll end up with too much detail, and you'll have a hard time, drawing too densely. In such a case, try walking on your own feet to see the actual scenery.

Liddell: Finally, where did your passion for background art come from?

Oga: I have always liked walking and looking at scenery, so I couldn’t be happier than drawing pictures like this became my job. I am grateful that animation has its own terrain, if you don't recognize that and do your best, you'll end up getting hurt, so I draw with that kind of feeling.

Angela Gossow [Arch Enemy]

2022-11-16T09:50:00.001+00:00

In March 2012, I interviewed Angela Gossow the singer of the Anarchist Death Metal band Arch Enemy. After a planned phoner fell through, I was asked to send some questions by email. Interviewing by phone and by email require quite diffent approaches. With the phone you get instant feedback, but with email it's more important to create the kind of questions that can 'live on their own.' This means that they should not be the sort of questions that can be easily answered with a simple yes or no. They should also be mildly provocative so as to get more than the basic press release kind of answer. This might also require a spot of humour. This particular interview is a masterclass in the art of the email interview, as Angela delivered plenty of good copy.

Liddell: Your voice is astonishing. Do you remember the first time you sang or spoke in that kind of "death growl"? What were the circumstances? I imagine it was when you suddenly got angry with someone and then you produced that deep, scary voice and then you maybe thought, "Wow, I can do that" and the rest is history. Was it like that or how was it?

Gossow: I discovered Death Metal when I was 16. I was simply singing along to my fave vocalists – Chuck Schuldiner, John Tardy, David Vincent. I did my best to emulate that sound they produced – and one day I succeeded. Thus said I was naturally angry every minute of the day, being a teenager and all, ha ha. That def fuelled my love for this extreme vocal style as well.

Liddell: Do you ever use 'The Voice' in anger, like when someone cuts in line or bumps into you or something in daily life? Also, that kind of voice must be pretty scary or a turn off for your boyfriend. Is that ever a problem?

Gossow: No, I don't growl at people. I usually stay calm with a firm voice. Shouting in daily life makes you look like you've lost control. If you want to be in charge and on top, you better stay calm.

Liddell: In your performance, you seem angry and enraged. How genuine is the rage we see on stage and what makes the rage? Is it just tight trousers?

Gossow: I feel empowered and wild. I guess it comes across like angry and enraged. But a roaring lioness is not always angry either – It's just being interpreted that way. My performance is very genuine, I feel very strong and dominant on stage and my voice transports these notions.

Liddell: How do you keep your vocal chords intact? Got any special secrets or does it just involve going straight to bed after each concert while the guys in the band party?

Gossow: That is such a cliche – you really think the guys still party after every show, twelve years into touring, having played thousands of gigs? That gets old and boring so very fast. We usually have a rather chilled evening after the show, enjoy some nice food, a glass of wine, listen to music and hitting the shower and bed early enough to get a good night's sleep. If you have pride in being a good performer you have to preserve your energies. We all do this, not just me. As for my voice – I do a quick but effective warm up before the show and a warm-down after the show. I make sure I keep fit and healthy and try to get enough sleep.

Liddell: You recently lost a member in Christopher. How did that happen and did you try to stop him leaving?

Gossow: Chris just wasn't happy for quite some time, he doesn't want to play extreme Metal. We could tell that he wasn't really feeling it. You can't stop a traveller – and Chris simply needed to move on. We are cool with his decision and very confident about Nick and the future of Arch Enemy.

Liddell: How and why did you choose the new guy Nick? Is he on board for good or just filling in temporarily?

Gossow: Nick can pull off Chris parts with utmost ease. He's young, driven, talented, positive and hungry. He is just as passionate as we are. We don't know yet if he will be a permanent member – the upcoming tours will show if we'll get along in extreme situations. The stress test is about to commence ;-)

Liddell: When you visit Japan, will you be mainly playing 'Khaos Legions'? What about other material?

Gossow: We will cover the entire back catalogue. Japan loves Arch Enemy since the release of the first album in 1996. We will honour that of course.

Liddell: The themes of the latest album seem to reflect your atheist ('We Are A Godless Entity') and anarchist ('Under Black Flags We March') views. I take it you wrote all the lyrics? Do the rest of the band share your values or are they too scared to disagree with you?

Gossow: Why would they be scared of me? They are not weak little boys. We are all atheists and we live like anarchists. An autonomous cell. We do all our own business, we are self-managed, we own our music, our merch and our publishing. Nobody can tell us what to do.

Liddell: BTW, calling oneself an atheist has always struck me as strange. For example, I don't believe in pixies, but I don't call myself an 'apixieist'. If you don't believe in something why even mention it let alone make it part of your identity?

Gossow: Religion is such an overpowering force in this world that I feel I need to tell people about an alternative way of thinking. Atheism means believing in science and reason. It is a very new idea for many people out there – not everybody grows up in a free society like you and me do. I have to think more global as our audience is global. And I have to make a very clear stand for some of our fans as otherwise they are mislead, believing we are Satanists or support some kind of religion in one way or the other. I dont want to leave any doubt about my beliefs. or rather, non-beliefs. So I call myself an atheist.

Liddell: Typical modern Western civilizational values are freedom, choice, democracy, and tolerance. In a sense these are all negative values in that they are open, empty, and undefined until each individual defines them, as opposed to positive values that just tell people what to do or be like (e.g. beards are good, wear a hijab, etc., etc.) Although your lyrics have an added element of violence and aggression, Arch Enemy's values seem a perfect fit with mainstream Western values: "Be as free as you can be..." Are you in effect just a cultural wing of the Western global superstate?

Gossow: Be as free as you can be - the line is taken from the song Cult Of Chaos which describes how the universe was created from chaos, the beginning of this world, a chaos that has given birth to so many different life-forms and creatures. I interpret this line in a more artistic and philosophical way, not in a social or political way like you do. Freedom Of Expression. You can always be absolutely free inside your mind – there are truly no limits. Your interpretation of the line is already limiting, trying to put it's meaning into a 'box', so I reject it.

Liddell: You recently made a post on your Facebook page about the persecution of EMO kids in Iraq. You said "If they target EMO kids they will most likely target Metal fans..." Your comment echoed the famous quote by Martin Niemöller (first they came for the communists...). This sounded a little bit like you are equating Islamic conservatism of the Iraqis with Hitler. Is it really that bad?

Gossow: You are putting words into my mouth. I simply stated that I'd be a target too in Iraq – just like these emo kids – if I'd be living there, being a female Metal fan. The Iraqi police is waging a deadly war against 'Satanism' – how do you think wearing a Slayer, Morbid Angel or Death t-shirt will look to them?

My culture, appearance, as a teenager, would have put me right in the crosshairs of this particular outrage. I feel empathy and revulsion. with the story printed worldwide, the Iraqis will know that they are being watched. That it's not being ignored. That's all we can hope for. It might save one kid's life. That's what I am trying to do. Not having some fancy discussion about Islamic conservatism and Hitler.

And yes, it is that bad. Child murder is THAT FUCKING BAD. It is the most horrible, awful, disgusting crime one can commit.

Liddell: Despite cultural differences, Metal in its various forms continues to spread to new cultural zones. This tour sees you visit India and Israel for the first time. Even Japan, which is familiar territory, has a very different culture. How aware are you of the cultural differences as you tour the world? Does this effect the way you play to different audiences, or does everyone get the same show?

Gossow: We are very aware of the cultural differences, but we have also found that the passion for this extreme form of music unites people and overcomes those differences in a very powerful way. Every audience gets our maximum output of energy and passion. I don't change my message either, no matter if we play in a Muslim country, in Israel, China or Turkey. I am not afraid of Governments or religious extremists. Whatever happens, happens. We practise what we preach. Fuck the system. Be as free as you can be!

OPD 12/04/20

Kazuhiro Uno, painter

2022-11-15T23:33:00.005+00:00

Sometimes interviewing can be very precise and specific, but other times you just throw out questions and hope for a good response. In February 2012 I interviewed three Realist artists for an article I was writing about the Hoki Museum. As they were all good painters of nudes, I sent them three identical sets of questions. This is the response from Kazuhiro Uno.

Liddell: Tell our readers why you have become a Realist painter?

Uno: Because realist painting is the most natural way for me. Once I tried to express myself through abstract representation as a study, but it was not for me. I went back to realist painting.

Liddell: How is the situation of Realist painting in Japanese art? Is it still marginalized?

Uno: I don’t think realist painting is the mainstream in Japanese art. In my university days, only a few students studied realist painting. In the art market, I think realist painters are not so many. I don’t think that realist painting will go mainstream, probably. Because the way of expression is not very original, it won’t represent a cutting edge of the culture while pursuing new things. But realist painting is always there, from ancient times to the present, like a big tree in the forest. I think realist painting is going to be forever there in the future. I think that the originality of realist painting is the origin of people that they always want to come back to. I think most people have an interest in realist painting. It is in demand and it is supplied.

Liddell: Last week I went to three exhibitions at major public museums of Japanese contemporary artists. Of course, none of them were Realists. What do you think about the dominance of non-Realist art in public museums? Do you sometimes get angry about the apparent bias?

Uno: I think, unless social consciousness changes, public museums will not exhibit realist paintings

Liddell: Who are the artists who have influenced and inspired you the most?

Uno: I was affected very much by the American artist Andrew Wyeth.

Liddell: You are best known for your paintings of the female form and nudes. What is the attraction of the female form to you, apart from the attraction it has for any healthy heterosexual male?

Uno: Because of the flexibility which only women have. This suits my painting when I express the nature and soul. I am a man, so, I think, it is natural to paint pictures of women.

Liddell: Realist oil painting is considered a very European style of art. The tonal qualities in particular are very different from anything in indigenous Japanese art. This has led some scholars to speculate that there may even be some differences between the way in which the European and East Asian eye perceives light. Light in Western Europe is more diffuse because of the clouds, mist, and the angle of the sun (it is much further North), while Japanese light is characteristically bright and intense, so that bright colours are more important than tones. What do you as a Japanese painter working in a tonally-rich Western Realist style think about these points?

Uno: As European art has been influenced by Japanese art, such as Ukiyoe, and developed, Japanese art has been also influenced by the Western culture and developed. In these days we can take any information across the sea, it is slightly difficult to talk about only the influence of environment of the region. But I am influenced by the environment of my childhood days, especially for the sense of beauty. I think beauty is to adjust. While I paint Western realist painting, the experience of light in my childhood days influences me. I think Japanese realist paintings have the essence of Asia.

Liddell: How important is it for Realist art to have someone like Mr. Hoki who collects realist art and creates a museum like the Hoki Museum?

Uno: Yes, thanks to Mr. Hoki, realist painters can go to another stage and achieve public fame.

Liddell: How do you feel about showing your art, which is very traditional, in such a futuristic building as the Hoki? What do you like about the building? What are its good points?

Uno: The building of the Hoki Museum gets a lot of attention in the area. I think it is OK for people coming to see the beauty of the building. The building of Hoki museum is futuristic, but it was especially built for the traditional realist paintings. I don't feel this is unusual. I like the Hoki Museum. The light is good for viewing paintings. The interior design is simple, so that we can concentrate on paintings.

Liddell: At the exhibition you are showing a painting called “Forest Seen in a Dream.” Could you tell our readers a little bit about the story of that painting, such as its origins and meaning?

Uno: “Forest Seen in a Dream.” is inspired by the artworks of Andrew Wyeth. I think that it seems slightly surrealist. I always draw a picture by my sense, not always as it is. Sometimes a woman floats in the air, sometimes she is caught in sunlight, even at night. I may imagine 'as if I am walking on the clouds' when I am excited and feel high, and when I want to cry, I may feel 'as if cold rain is falling.' I always draw a picture as such a free image. I always take a walk at night. When I take a walk on a wooded path, I feel something mysterious. Once I dreamed of a black forest at night. I went through the forest as if I were swimming and walking. I felt that I was living and spending time, just like the air, trees, leaves, moon, and stars are doing. I kept painting “Forest Seen in a Dream” to feel the silent breath of the air in the forest.

Liddell: How do you work with your models? Do they pose for long periods, or do you use photography? How about when you paint nudes? Does that create any special difficulties? I am thinking the models must feel very self-conscious. How do you deal with that?

Uno: Sometimes, I do the drawing while the model is posing for a long time. Drawing is the process to clarify the image, but I use photos to paint. For me, I do not reproduce the reality, I reproduce the image, so I try to reject the relation of reality between the model and myself. When I paint nudes, I take photos. It is a problem that only a few models undertake this job. It is difficult to find a good model. I always make an effort to find a good model. Her self-consciousness can have a negative impact on the painting. I try to achieve her understanding of my intent in my painting and get her to cooperate. Sometimes I try to make good mood, for example we have a cup of coffee and talk and make her relax.

Liddell: Have you used foreign models?

Uno: I have not asked foreign models. I do not have a friend among them, so I can’t form an image of a foreign model. If I have a foreign friend, I ‘d like to paint a picture of her. If I have a chance to do so, I would like to try.

Jean-Claude Wouters, Artist

2022-08-15T16:44:00.010+01:00

Belgian artist Jean-Claude Wouters explains his mysterious and often difficult-to-see art. Interview from around 2010.

Liddell: So the first thing that you notice, of course. is how faint the images are. Now, a lot of people would would find that a difficult thing, y'know, because it's maybe too low-key for a lot of people. Why did you "turn the contrast down" so much?

Wouters: It has nothing to do with "turning the contrast down" or whatever. It's a long process. I take photography then I re-photography re-photography and when I re-photography, because it's kind of macro photography, I use lenses, I do it close to a window, and I have a reflection of the sky and the lenses, and this is what in a way erase the appearance of the images.

Liddell: So the most important thing is the process not the end product?

Wouters: For me the process is important because it's my life. It takes like nearly two months to make it. Of course in two months, I can make 10 pieces or 15 pieces, but the processing itself is quite long. Also because when I have what I think a good negative I go to my... I don't print them myself, and everything is organic. There is no computer whatever and this is really black and white paper like 19th century with... They are selenium tones also which is the best quality for preservation of all what exists in the world for photography.

Liddell: How long will that last then?

Wouters: But the oldest one we have treated with selenium are still 100% the same, so this this is the best...

Liddell: Because if it faded anymore it would be a problem, yeah?

Wouters: Not for me, no. No because there always would remain a trace, and what interests me is the trace, the ideal, but basically it's up... Maybe you should see what there is in the other room because it starts...

This is really a [___] work. This is a portrait, and the work on the Buddha, this is something different that Mr Hoshi from the Marunouchi Gallery asked me to do, but normally this is the most relevant thing I do, when I do portraits on commission, and so, again, it's not a question of fading or not fading, it's just what I wanted to do is to give to the people an image that provoke a kind of human warmness when you discover the image, and a feeling of spirituality on one hand, second hand I want it to be very discreet because when you have a flashy painting on the wall, after two days your subconscious erase it and you don't see it anymore, so this is like the wall, and if you want... I mean, I don't know if you don't feel well or whatever but you just sit in front of your portrait, and it's like a long corridor, tunnel. You go inside of yourself. It's something like that, and third, as I said before, I wanted it to be low technology and very simple, so that's all, and in a way it's the opposite to what is photography now because, as the Japanese say, they say "shashin," which is copy of reality. In English or French we say "photography," which means to design with light or to draw with light. What I do is drawing with light, but most of the people what they do is they copy, they try to copy the reality.

Liddell: So you see this as, in a way, more real than...

Wouters: Closer to the reality. Also because, like, for example, no it's okay because you film me. If you take just a picture it will be one piece of one 60th of a second of me, and I will be like that or like that, and there is no reality in there. I did the portrait of that young woman, I think, two years ago. If I make a portrait in five years it will look quite the same, in a way, and on the other hand it works also like, if you think of someone you know... We always visualize in our brain and... But, for example, you will remember me, like, tomorrow or in one week, you will mix maybe five or ten impressions of image you had of me here in the gallery. If you think about your mother, you mix instantly maybe one hundred thousand times you met her, and even it will be all mixed, even when you are three or five years old, and which also...

Liddell: It's atemporal.

Wouters: It's an impression that, for you, your mother will always look younger than for for me that would discover her today, you know what I mean. In a way...

Liddell: The older you get, the more you become yourself in other people's minds too because there's an accumulation of different things seen at different times, and the person in the moment is not the total person.

Wouters: Yeah, of course.

Liddell: So you're going for a more the essence of the person. This style of photography gets at the essence of the person more than a more direct form of photography, yeah?

Wouters: Yeah.

Liddell: Now, yeah, it's kind of there but not there as well, and in a way that makes it more real to the mind, because you're sort of constantly switching between seeing it and not seeing it, and this process of constantly switching makes it feel more there. Y'know, once you see a picture very clearly, you tend to, like, put it in a box and...

Wouters: Exactly.

Liddell: Y'know, so that's why I thought this would be a very interesting exhibition. But, of course, a lot of people will see this, and they'll think, "What the hell is this?" and, y'know, "This is a painting I can hardly see," and "Why would people buy this?" and this kind of thing, so there's going to be, of course, a kind of reaction against it.

Wouters: Yeah. It's not easy to sell, but the people when they have it at home, they send me emails that really, even after two or three years, they still enjoy it because it's like, what I give is a slight trace and you, having the piece at home, it's the image built in your head, and day after day or week after weeks, and so it's still alive. It's like here you have only 30% of the image and 70% is in your head in reality.

Liddell: Yeah.

Wouters: You do the work, I don't. I just propose...

Liddell: It's a collaboration between the viewer and the artist and the subject, and... It's sort of like the picture exists in a sort of middle point between the artist, the subject, and the viewer, whoever that viewer may be. Now you're asked to apply this very interesting technique to Buddhist sculptures and statues and... So, can you tell me a little bit more about that? Whose idea was that originally?

Wouters: Of Mr Hoshi because in reality... Well, I have another part of my work, is I work on old images from book[s] that I scratch and repaint and re-photography. And, at the time, I was living in Brussels and working with a lot of black... And I had found a Italian book of Chinese antiques... And in there there were some Buddhas, and so I did work on those. Also, the thing is, since I'm twelve, I've been always very interested by Zen. It's something quite natural for me. It's not exotic in itself, and...

Liddell: How would you define Zen, though? Because...

Wouters: I won't do it.I have an easy answer. I would not... But I live with this kind of philosophy, let's say, and Shinto also...

Liddell: Some people would say that Zen is a kind of lack of focusing, not to focus on things too much, to keep a kind of open-ended attitude to everything at the same time.

Wouters: Yeah I think there are many ways to describe Zen, and this is very...

Liddell: I mentioned that particular [____] because... yeh, obviously, because you're going for a very soft, fuzzy...

Wouters: People talk about "wabi sabi" when they see my work, which is quite true, yes, it's quite "wabi" and "sabi." So, about the Buddha you mentioned, so I was doing those Buddhas that are bit, a mix between photography and the painting, and when Mr Hoshi saw that, well he was not interested to exhibit it, but he said "I would like, if you accept, to go to Nara and Kyoto with you, for you to photography the real pieces, real Buddhas, and to apply the technique you use for your portraits. In the beginning I was quite reluctant, because what [I do] is not just a trick that I will photography everything with, but... And, well, it's just pieces of wood. For me the real name of those Buddhas it's "Burnt Buddha Floating in the Water," and it refers to a Zen story, but maybe I will tell that later, and so, in a way, it works well because those Buddhas are from the 9th or 10th centuries. Some that have pieces missing... But there is a head, if you go... If you come here you can see it. Or from here you can see even better.

Liddell: Just from the side the head starts to appear. Yeah. That also suggests... That also suggests a kind of light around the head, a kind of halo effect, so that maybe works to the advantage...

Wouters: So, the ideal of, well, of course the Buddha is not this piece of wood, is not any kind of subject. It's not like flowers or a chair, and for ten centuries people did pray in front of it, or something like that, and you can imagine that, with this kind of image, you feel all that spirit, you know what I mean. They are charged, that, if you see a old Buddha like that, and in a shrine, and you go, and maybe there is something special about it. I don't know. I'm not a believer. But, in a way, it reveals that being treated that way.

Liddell: So, the way that people have touched it emotionally, is that what you mean?

Wouters: Yeah, it's like people praying in front of an object, then this object is 'charged' with something from all those people.

Liddell: It's like old religious statues, people touch them for good luck...

Wouters: Yeah, this kind of thing...

Liddell: And that, kind of, creates a patina, so, in a way, you're trying to photograph the patina of devotion?

Wouters: What you say is really too precise. Maybe it has to do with it, but it's too precise. I would not put things in words like that.

Liddell: That's the job of art journalists to do that. Yes, to exaggerate and clarify and simplify. Yeah, they're very interesting works, and they do have a kind of strange atmosphere that normal paintings don't have, and I guess that's because it's forcing the brain to maybe work more than it's used to.

Wouters: I would say, no, it's the opposite. It's forced you to to relax. If you want to see, you really have to let go and relax. If you have to concentrate. In fact, sometimes because... I'm referring to the portraits or the things in general, and I... Well.... Also, I mean... It's not a question to see or not to see. It's just I know that I have... What do you call that? I know with a print, the less readable it can be and the more readable it can be. For example, this is the more, this is the less, and in that range, for me, it's all fine, and I don't control it, because, as I said, I work close to the window, so, in the winter time, in the summertime, if it's sunny, rainy, all that changes, and I don't control at 100%, and that's of course what I like, and I think that's what makes the work better, because I think if you control everything, the result would be quite poor, because life and nature is so much stronger than we are. Just... You know what I mean?

Now with a computer, where you can control everything, and then you end up with quite a poor image, because you did not take advantage of accidents and what people would call fate or God, whatever... Like, so, when you work with a[n] advertising company, and then, you know, before they make a layout of what they want, the client has his idea, the agency has the idea, and especially now, with the digital, they see directly the results, and for sure they are losing a lot, because when they see what they have in mind, that's it; and all what will not look like that, they will say "No, we don't want." But before, when we were working with the traditional photography, the photographer was shooting, shooting, shooting, and then like one week later or three days later we were going to the agency, and the agency choose the photography that looks like what they had in mind, and then they see another: "Oh but this is interesting too! Maybe we can propose that to the client also." And all this doesn't exist anymore. And it's like scientists. They say, they complain that before... If you are going, I don't know, to the place where all those scientists were working, you had [a] couch, and they were taking a nap quite often, and they say now, because of the computer, it's impossible. You spend all your time in front of your computer. And they say during the nap they often had the right ideas.

Liddell: Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's when the brain does a lot of its work and that's no longer available, but just to clarify, you say you work next to the window a lot, so that means you're developing the film not in a dark room, but with...

Wouters: No, no, no, I said when I re-photography, and because I don't want... Again, I don't want to use artificial light because I want to take them, to take advantage the most of the existing light, which is the light of the sky. It's like when I do the portrait, the first image I do, like, I place the person in front of the window and me I'm back [behind] the window, so you don't have too much shadows and it's always daylight.

Liddell: So how does the picture become, well, in a way, brighter and also less contrasted?

Wouters: Because, as I said, when I re-photography I use... so that I have my image like that, and I use lenses and the reflection of the sky. You have the reflection of the sky...

Liddell: On the glass?

Wouters: On the glass, and so, in a way, the kind of light grey you see, it's like a super[im]position of the image of the face and the sky, but I do it two or three times.

Liddell: I see, so that evens it out. You don't get clouds or other things from the sky?

Wouters: Yeah.

Liddell: By doing it many times it evens out the background texture...

Wouters: And also because I'm kind [of] in the macro photography, you know, so it's so far it's out of focus.

Liddell: Okay, yeah, yeah. And so you're allowing the natural light to do the work, and you're not interfering too directly. I'm just curious about maybe how your dancing background informs your visual art, because maybe we can make an analogy between how a dancer responds to gravity and how you are allowing the light to work, not going against the light.

Wouters: Oh, maybe, yes yes, yes, also it's a bit like to be in a river, and to follow the flow of the river, of course, I mean, yes, of course.

Liddell: What can we say about your dancing background? How does that... Does that have any influence on how you work as an artist?

Wouters: It gives me some humility, I would say, and, because you work with your body, it's painful. And then you interpret. Someone gives you a choreography and you play the choreography like a piano player will play a piece of Bach, and some will take more freedom and some less. Yeah, yeah, as you said, to take... Not to think that you can control everything. In a way the opposite to be a film director, to be an interpreter, a dancer, or a classical viol[inist], or a musician. It's just you have to take... To do the most with what you have, to be realistic. A film director is the opposite. He say[s], "Oh I have a vision" and next thing, everything['s] in green, and then, especially in the commercial, in advertising, and all that, and the customers, they like it, and then he says "Oh no, and then I want it orange now," and the people say, "Oh, he's a genius," you know, and it's just fake and all that.

Liddell: So, it's the opposite of being a control freak?

Wouters: Yeah.

Liddell: Yeah, okay, right, I think that should provide plenty of material. That's probably more than enough, thank you very much.

Masaru Igarashi, Curator

2022-04-17T18:18:00.012+01:00

In 2004 I was working on an article about two Picasso exhibitions happening in Tokyo at the same time. I decided to email a few questions to Masaru Igarashi, the chief curator of one of the museums involved, Sompo Japan. Mr Igarashi kindly responded, although possibly a little late, as I did not use any quotes from him in my article. Publishing his comments here, 18 years after the event, thus presents me with a chance to right this historic wrong.

Liddell: What are the similarities and differences between the exhibition at Sompo and the one at the Museum of Contemporary Art?

Igarashi: As you know, the Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo covers only Picasso works between 1925 and 1937, i.e. Surrealist time. All works are from the Picasso Museum, Paris and most of them came to Japan before. Our works cover from early time to the late time. Ours are new to Japanese audiences. Almost all works are first showing in Japan.

Liddell: What is the concept or main themes of the exhibition at the Sompo?

Igarashi: Works in Jacqueline collection are hidden for long time and nobody knew the contents of that so far. This time is the first to show works to the general public. Jacqueline had received 35% of works when Picasso died. This is the epoch-making chance.

Liddell: The title of the exhibition, "La Metamorphose de la Forme," refers to Picasso's constant changing of forms. What do you think drove Picasso to constantly change forms?

Igarashi: He is very obsessed with the idea of pioneer in the 20th century art. He believed in his leadership, superiority to Matisse, Chagall and other artists. Therefore he had to change the artistic style constantly to be the leader.

Liddell: Nowadays, for normal people, Picasso's name has become a symbol of the 'crazy artist' who paints ridiculous, distorted forms for no apparent reason. Isn't Picasso too famous, so that people just laugh at such pictures and say "Picasso" without really looking at his paintings properly? In other words, he has become a cliché.

Igarashi: No comment on this. I believe he is a genius. People can't follow him, because he is too big to digest and understand.

Liddell: Picasso always liked to paint subjects he was close to emotionally and sexually. How do you think this effected the perspective (and the form) he used in his paintings?

Igarashi: As you point out, he was influenced by women and those women were influenced by Picasso as well. Without the women he loved many works would never have been born.

Liddell: Some of the Picasso sketches are rudimentary and basic, for example [Catalogue numbers] #108 to #111, don't show any great talent. Are these pictures included simply because they are drawn by Picasso, or is there some less obvious artistic merit?

Igarashi: I don't think as the way you look. As an art historian, I think all works by Picasso are the subject to research meaning worthy ones.

Liddell: Picasso was an extremely prolific painter so that there are a great many works by him, some of them brilliant and some mediocre. Also a great many sketches, studies, fragments, and unfinished works are presented as valid artworks. With so many mediocre works in existence in galleries and exhibitions, doesn't this devalue his great works

Igarashi: All original works by Picasso are worthy ones to research, but some estamps or commercially made prints are not worthy. Specially the framed prints made out of a book with Picasso illustration are too easy to get money for galleries.

Liddell: Which works at this exhibition do you think are particularly good or interesting? Why?

Igarashi: I wrote the essay for the catalogue titled "The relationship between Picasso and Women: from the view point of gender." Looking at Picasso works, it is very interesting to think that how Picasso thought about women he loved and painted.

Katsuo Suzuki, Curator

2022-03-31T09:59:00.003+01:00

Suzuki received his MA in art history from the University of Tokyo and has worked at MOMAT since 1998, specialising in modern and contemporary art of Japan and the West. I interviewed him by email in 2002 for an article about a Kandinsky exhibition that I was writing for the Asahi Shimbun International Herald Tribune. The sourcing of all the paintings from Russia could be seen as part of Putin's early attempt at cultural power projection.

Liddell: It must have been possible to have got some Kandinskys from Japan or the West. Why are all the paintings from Russian museums?

Suzuki: This exhibition was organized with active support from the Tretyakov Gallery, as well as Prof. Dmitry Sarabianov, to introduce Japanese audiences to the rich collections of Kandinsky’s work in the Russian museums, especially featuring “Composition VI,” “Composition VII,” and the artist’s Russian period. Besides, this project has also an aspect of promoting the cultural exchanges between two countries. That is why all the works in this exhibition are borrowed from Russia.

Liddell: In his earlier work, how much was Kandinsky's abstract tendency strengthened by his desire to express colour in the manner of the Fauvists? Was this the origin of his non-representational art?

Suzuki: It was important for Kandinsky to find the strength of colour itself released from local colour in order to step forward to painting consisting of independent pictorial means. Colour and form. The question “What is the origin?” is sometimes difficult to answer. It is true that Fauvism had some effect on Kandinsky’s painting and might be a stimulus for his abstract painting. But I can’t say it is the origin of his non-representational art.

Liddell: Was Kandinsky trying to achieve total freedom of form or total freedom from form?

Suzuki: I can’t fully understand what you mean by the words "total freedom of/from form"” with regard to his paintings. Kandinsky was trying to conceal the form of the objects to enhance their "inner sound." But he didn’t do it completely, and left some remnants in his most paintings at this stage. In any case, it is without saying that he was very much concerned about the effect of the form within his painting.

Liddell: Although he escaped from conventional forms, Kandinsky had to substitute new abstract forms -- clusters, groupings, nodes, crisscrossing lines, etc.

Suzuki: Yes. He continued to create a new painterly vocabulary.

Composition VII (1913)

Liddell: From the titles it is clear that some pictures are intended to work like music. To what extent was he successful in this?

Suzuki: “Some pictures are intended to work like music” is your subjective impression. So, “To what extent was he successful in this?” should be answered by yourself.

Liddell: Was Kandinsky trying to create pictures that caused an initial sensation of disharmony, followed by a subsequent sense of harmony? That is, at first, the viewer is overwhelmed and perhaps confused, but with continued viewing, a deeper harmony arises. Which pictures best exemplify this phenomenon?

Suzuki: He said that "opposites and contradictions - this is our harmony." According to this remark, seeming "disharmony" of his paintings is what he called "harmony." I think ”Composition VII” is one of the best.

Liddell: Abstract art is widely considered confusing and ‘difficult.’ How do you recommend the common viewer approach it?

Suzuki: Feel and experience it with activating all senses instead of understanding it by notion.

Liddell: People inevitably seek order and patterns. A good example of this is cloud gazing where we see distinct forms in the changing clouds. Is this a good way to view K.’s works, looking at his colours and shapes and use them to build our own patterns?

Suzuki: Yes. As I told you, Kandinsky left the remnants of the objects in his seemingly abstract paintings, which function as a clue to incite viewer’s association.

Liddell: Doesn’t this mean that we can never really share the artist’s true vision?

Suzuki: It depends what this “true” means. I think that we can communicate with Kandinsky and share his "inner sound" to some extent through his painting. We don’t have to worry too much about if we can really understand his vision. The value of art work exists beyond the artist’s control, which means that it is we, the viewer, that give a new meaning to it. But it goes without saying that we should make an effort to approach the works of Kandinsky with modesty.

PS: Not a single quote made it into the final article