Hideshima is my connection (Takashi Matsumoto)

HideshimaThat was delicious. I'm sorry for always just eating (laughs).

MatsumotoNot at all (laughs).

HideshimaThank you for inviting me to participate as a selector for this project CD. Why did "Kazemachi Shonen" and "Kazemachi Shojo" come to be realized?

MatsumotoAs you probably know, Fumika, on my website, in the "Kazemachi Sabo" section, there's a corner called "Kazemachi Ore Zukan" where various people create their own top 10 lists using my lyrics. From that, the idea of doing a live event came up among the staff, but it eventually fizzled out. Later, I had an opportunity to have a conversation with film director Yukihiko Tsutsumi. After the talk, his staff said, "Mr. Matsumoto's part is over, but we'll continue talking with Mr. Tsutsumi for a bit longer." When I asked what they were doing, they explained the project they were working on, and that's how I first learned about it.

HideshimaAbout when was that?

MatsumotoIt had been going on for quite a long time. More than two years ago, perhaps. I wasn't consulted at all about the selectors.

HideshimaThat's also leaving things to the wind, isn't it? (laughs)

MatsumotoI feel like the staff handled everything. The selectors were also left to the staff, but Fumika, you are my connection.

HideshimaThank you!

The 'Shonen' edition begins with "Garasu no Shonen," and the 'Shojo' edition with "Saraba Siberia Tetsudo" (Takashi Matsumoto)

HideshimaSo, in that process, Mr. Matsumoto wasn't very involved?

MatsumotoI couldn't really interfere much with the selectors or song choices, but I did suggest that Chika Umino would be good for the jacket art, and requested that the "Shonen" edition start with "Garasu no Shonen" and the "Shojo" edition with "Saraba Siberia Tetsudo." There's a reason for that.

— But the song selections for both "Shonen" and "Shojo" are goosebump-inducing, aren't they?

HideshimaI selected three songs for "Shonen" and two for "Shojo." Mr. Matsumoto, when you wrote these lyrics, did you consciously consider whether a male or female singer would perform them?

MatsumotoI wrote lyrics for male singers and female singers randomly, but my ability to switch between them so quickly is genius. I'm not bragging, but it's true.

HideshimaThere are many forms, such as men singing about women's feelings, women singing about men's feelings, or even gender-neutral lyrics.

MatsumotoFor "Shonen" and "Shojo," each with 30 songs, the span covers about 30 years. I asked one person to handle the mastering and to create a sense of unity within the possible range. As a result, songs like Sumiko Yamagata's "Yumeiro Glider" sound as if they were created today, with no sense of incongruity in the music and arrangement. I really want people to listen to that.

HideshimaMany songs from the 70s are also included.

Matsumoto"Yumeiro Glider" had been out of print for a long time, but fans mobilized through the internet to get it reissued. That's why the sound source exists.

I can picture "Shonen" and "Shojo" lined up in CD shops (Fumika Hideshima)

MatsumotoWhen you listen to "Shonen" and "Shojo" from the beginning, the singers' voices change in order, but it feels like the lyrics are the base, and the voices change around them. This gives the impression of a single personality, even though the protagonists of the lyrics are not identical.

HideshimaI think I understand what you mean! It's like one life experiencing all sorts of loves.

MatsumotoThat's why in "Shojo," the sequence of songs in the latter half is amazing. Most of Parannum's songs are almost screams (laughs), but "Beads Craft" is quite moving, and Mari Takeuchi's "Zouge Kaigan" is incredible. And the finale is "Woman 'W no Higeki' yori" by Hiroko Yakushimaru, which you also selected, Fumika. Everyone loves "Woman 'W no Higeki' yori," don't they? It's strange, isn't it?

HideshimaIt feels like listening to an epic novel. I think younger people, from generations below mine, will discover a lot. If these CDs with Chika Umino's illustrations were lined up in a store, I'd definitely stop and look. They'd be so cute.

— So, next time, we'll hear about your passionate thoughts on the five songs you selected, Fumika!

HideshimaI have so much to say!

Takashi Matsumoto x Fumika Hideshima: A Conversation Commemorating the Release of Compilation CDs (Part 2)

To be continued: "Takashi Matsumoto's Formidable Self-Selected 5 Songs: A Detailed Explanation <Shonen Edition>"



SPECIAL PRESENT to Commemorate the Conversation!

"Takashi Matsumoto x Fumika Hideshima Double-Signed Shikishi Board"was
closed on Friday, November 30, 2007.

*Winners of the signed book giveaway will be notified by mail.
Thank you for your many applications. (OPENERS Editorial Department)