— I know Shin as well. How did you meet?

I met Shin through Stewart during our first rehearsal. I don't know how Shin and Stewart met, though.
We practiced in a cheap studio, "ten dollars an hour." At that time, Stewart was on vocals, Michael on guitar, and Shin was on the box—he wasn't on bass yet. I was the DJ, filling in for the drums.

— What kind of equipment is the "box"?

The "box" is an "Effector Mixing Machine" made by a company called "Lexicon." Everything from my DJ equipment and guitar to Stewart's microphone was connected to it. For example, it could amplify bass frequencies or adjust pitch.



— Was that the very first rehearsal for "Death Comet Crew"?

Yes. And what I've told you so far covers roughly the seven years I was in New York.

— That's quite an intense seven years (laughs).

It was, wasn't it! (laughs)
But I left "Death Comet Crew" around '84. After that, I started a band called "The Generation" with PHASE 2, NATE B, and VINCENT GALLO. However, we only played two live shows with that band, and it disbanded after just one year.


There was a large park in front of my apartment, so many beautiful birds—like house finches and Northern Cardinals—would come. On the show, I would film these birds and play footage set to music.
The show was 28 minutes every Monday night, and the title of my segment was "OUTSIDE MY WINDOW." It was the view from my apartment window, you see.
That was one of the TV shows I did. I also included political messages between the bird footage, and sometimes I would dress up as a bird and appear next to footage of birds pecking at food (laughs).

It was a good experience for me, and most importantly, it allowed me to return to the entertainment world. The show started in '99, and my life changed 180 degrees from then on. Mentally, 100%, everything became positive.
In any case, the sense of time was completely different between myself before '98 and myself from '99 onwards. Before '98, time felt very slow.
After that, I returned to DJing, and in '04, after more than 20 years, I rejoined "Death Comet Crew" and we had a reunion live show. We went on a European tour, and I also performed live in Japan three times.
From there, things really started to click, and now I'm constantly pushing myself forward.

My interest shifted from cameras to music, specifically to hip-hop culture.
Speaking of which, the camera I used was a "Minox" model called the "35GL." Andy Warhol used the same one.

— What have been the most important events in your life so far?

That would have to be... scratching.
The act of scratching was incredibly exciting for me; it changed my life, it's everything.
And then there was my photo exhibition in Copenhagen, Denmark, in May '07. I exhibited photos of Basquiat and "Gray" that I took during the "Gray" era. At that time, I displayed enlarged prints, about 4 meters long, which were very impactful.
I also DJed at the opening party, and I did some scratching then too. Because scratching is one of the most enjoyable things in my life.

Incidentally, DJ scratching is unique to each person, like fingerprints.
Even if I try to imitate the scratching of Jazzy Jay or Grandmaster Flash, I can't quite replicate it. My own scratching style has evolved by listening to many other DJs and incorporating their techniques into what I do now.



— What are you interested in now?

Right now, it's making a 60-minute film.
It's a film about Basquiat, based on photos I took. 2008 marks the 20th anniversary of his death, so I'm very interested in that, and looking forward to it. It's also a huge challenge for me.
So, I'm working towards that now. I plan to handle the production, direction, and acting myself. I also intend to have other actors portray the band "Gray."
That's my goal for 2008.