Rintaro Tanaka | Excuse My Trash! "My Freedamn!" Finally Concludes (Part 1)

Series | Rintaro Tanaka

Excuse My Trash !

“My Freedamn!” Finally Concludes (Part 1)

June 30, 2012. The long-awaited “My Freedamn! Vol. 10” was released, the first in 1 year and 9 months. This volume, themed around the 1980s and featuring over 1,000 photographs—the largest number ever—also marks the final chapter of the “My Freedamn!” series, which has spanned approximately nine years since its initial publication in April 2003. Openers interviewed Mr. Tanaka shortly after the release of this final volume, a time likely filled with a mix of emotions. We asked him about his thoughts on this latest volume and the significance of the 1980s, while also looking back at the series as a whole to hear what “My Freedamn!” meant to him.

Photographs by Rintaro TanakaText by Toranosuke Takeuchi (City Writes)

This is what I really wanted to do, which is why I made it to Vol. 10

──So, “My Freedamn!” has finally reached its final chapter. First, please tell us your honest feelings now that Vol. 10 is complete.

TanakaYou might find this surprising, but this is actually what I wanted to do most. To put it grandly, I almost feel like I’ve been making these volumes up to Vol. 10 precisely because I wanted to do this. The reason is, the 1980s, the theme of this volume, is my real world. The clothes I wore in my teens when I first became interested in vintage clothing were like the ones featured here. In other words, the 80s equals me. So, while I felt a bit embarrassed making it, I wanted to create something solid. Because this is me.

──I understand (laughs). Things you’ve experienced firsthand can feel a bit embarrassing. But without them, you wouldn’t be who you are today, and it’s clear you love them. It’s like a first love, isn’t it?

TanakaExactly (laughs). In fact, this book includes clothes I wore myself, and I’ve also included my personal interests, like guitars, beyond just clothing. It’s truly a volume filled with the bittersweet memories of youth. However, that aside, I wanted to properly document the essence of the 80s as a fact. After 30 years, bittersweet memories are neither here nor there, and for younger generations, their perception will surely be completely different.

I’ve come to terms with the theme of “Freedom”

──Listening to you, it feels like the final chapter has come full circle, returning to the origin.

TanakaThat’s exactly right. And I feel like I’ve accomplished what I set out to do. For Vol. 1, I had no money and no skills, but I was determined to do it. What I wanted to do back then has finally come to completion within me.

──I imagine there were times of struggle along the way…

TanakaBased on the experience of making the first volume purely on impulse, I wanted to improve the quality for the next one, and then again for the one after that. As my skills gradually improved, I started to feel that the initial momentum had waned, and I’d worry again. It was a cycle of that. The decision to make Vol. 10 a concluding point, besides the sense of accomplishment from reaching my own origin in the 80s as I mentioned earlier, is also because I’ve resolved that cyclical struggle.

──So, in this Vol. 10, you found an ideal balance between technique and passion?

TanakaNo, it’s not about that. That’s probably an eternal pursuit. Rather, it’s that I’ve come to terms with the theme of “Freedom.”

──Could you elaborate?

TanakaWhat became clear to me over these past 10 years is that life has its ups and downs, but both the good and the bad are entirely my own doing. It’s not the times or the world, it’s all my fault. That’s what became clear to me after making it to Vol. 10. Freedom, in essence, is self-responsibility. It’s the attitude of, “Do whatever you want, but you have to clean up your own mess.” For me, “My Freedamn!” was the place to practice that. And now, self-responsibility has become something so obvious that it goes without saying. On the other hand, I’ve also realized that my naive challenges weren’t misguided. To earnestly pursue naive things within the bounds of self-responsibility. In other words, I’ve clearly understood that freedom is rock and roll itself.

(To be continued in Part 2, scheduled for release on October 24)