I was interviewed by BRUTUS.

Just after 10 AM, I visited Waseda for the first time.

The interview location was CAT'S CRADLE.

Books were piled up everywhere.
It must be a popular cafe around here, known only to those in the know.

Still, the relaxed atmosphere of this area is refreshing to me.
Still, Shinjuku Ward is vast.
That's right, Tokyo is vast.

I've lived in Tokyo for over 40 years, but
there are so many places I don't know at all.
Of course, I can live without knowing them...
It's funny how I've somehow come to think I know Tokyo without realizing it.

Perhaps it's a city where people's desires are less intense, allowing for a more relaxed pace...



So, as I tweeted yesterday, I selected ten books related to musicians
and ten CDs by the same musicians.

I spent the entire weekend skimming through them, and my eyes have been watery ever since,
but for some reason, reading text printed on paper
is less tiring than editing with Final Cut or Pro Tools on a computer. It's good to be refreshed.

Now, the book I wanted to reread

was David Byrne: Beat, Psycho (ARTISTIC NEW YORK)
By John Howell, Translated by Ritsuko Hiraishi

I'm almost finished reading it, and while it might be presumptuous to say,
his way of thinking and his ideas are a little bit like mine.
We went to Bali together long ago, and we often dined with many friends in Japanese restaurants in Tokyo and NY. I always felt I couldn't have a deep conversation because my English wasn't fluent, but after reading this book and reflecting on him, I realized that even if we didn't communicate perfectly through words, what I felt wasn't so wrong. That makes me happy. Of course, even if we are similar, a genius and an ordinary person are incomparable, but it's strange that I feel this way. It's probably just my imagination.

Laurie Anderson: Total Performer (ARTISTIC NEW YORK)
By John Howell, Translated by Atsuko Numazaki

I'm still embarrassed by how hard I tried to explain myself when we talked.

Putting that aside, when seeking the fun and potential of music in an iPhone,

her achievements could be very inspiring.

I think she is an artist for whom the word 'pioneer' fits perfectly.

Antônio Carlos Jobim: The Man Who Created Bossa Nova [Hardcover]
By Helena Jobim, Translated by Mana Kuniyasu

I admire the recklessness of men in the late 60s.
I bet they were fighting over women and drinking heavily with Frank Sinatra too.
Stars, being watched and trying to conform to the image created by the public, must have lived reckless lives.
That's right, reading the biography of Hiroshi Mizuhara taught me that. That's why the legend of him never being without brandy, even in death, remains... because he lived conscious of others' eyes.

It's nothing new, but I can't deny a certain envy for men who lived like that.

Men are easily influenced. Hmm? Is it just me?

And, 'Music Changes the World: The Record of Rebel Musicians'

By Robin Denselow, Translated by Koichi Hanafusa

I feel this book could be helpful when considering Japan's future after 3/11.

What can musicians, what can music, do?

I think it will be incredibly encouraging,
and I believe it's a book filled with the energy to move forward from here.

Well, anyway, it's quite embarrassing to be photographed for an interview.

If you call it being overly self-conscious, 'Guu no Ne' won't even show up in a Google search, but

after all, no matter the age, people, I, want everyone to see me as cool.
That's probably it.

Those who have transcended that are probably the true artists.

Reading books is a way to understand oneself better. My eyes are watery.

← Diary-T 159-164