Introduction One of Japan's indie rock heroes, fomerly the vocalist for Number Girl and now the frontman for Zazen Boys, Mukai Shutoku's career has already been a big influence on Japan's underground scene. Mukai takes a break from his rigorous schedule with Zazen Boys to talk about his career, from Number Girl to present. back to features		Mukai Shutoku What are your thoughts on Number Girl's "Omoide in my Head" project? Were you looking forward to or hesitant to revisit your old band's material? Right now I have too much to think about with my own personal affairs and Zazen Boys. I just think it's a good way to give people who have never heard Number Girl before a chance to hear us. When Nakao Kentaro left Number Girl, it sounded like the band was still on the rise. Was it a difficult decision to for the band to split? Were you immediately looking forward to trying new things that couldn't be done within the context of Number Girl? Because of the strong sense that Number Girl was the original four members, we decided that if one person left, the band could not continue. We arrived at that decision smoothly. What were your main ideas going into forming Zazen Boys? Do you think Zazen Boys was an evolution of Number Girl, or do you feel that you had to start from the ground up? I started with the feeling of "I'm free to do what I want." Because of that, I started from nothing. While there were things still tied to what I had come to want to do with Number Girl, as the band has evolved there have been many changes. We've come up with ideas that we hadn't thought of before, and thus we perform much, much more expressively than I had been able to with Number Girl. What changed in between releasing Zazen Boys and Zazen Boys II? Because we recorded them one after another, I think of 1 and 2 as a single work. It's just that the first's spirit of "we'll make this son of a bitch into something like a record no matter what happens!" and the anxiety of "what do we do if it doesn't come out right?" turned into a work full of nervous tension. I think it embodies the state of mind I was in: that when you start from nothing, there's a certain barrier that you have to surpass. It's a feeling so vivid that I can't really explain it. In that way, I feel that it's a really special record. Ahito Inazawa brought a distinctive sound to Number Girl and Zazen Boys, both bands where rhythmic precision was critical. So with a new drummer, will there be any signifcant changes in store for Zazen Boys? Because the drums create the band's rhythmic color, they are an extremely important part of any band. When the drummer changes, the band makes a totally different impression on people. However, as long as I'm here, the fundamental style of Zazen Boys will not change. Modern rock is frequently criticised in Japan as being weak. What do you find to be its biggest weak point right now? Its best hopes for the future? I don't know. I can only speak for myself. I think that my personal weak point is that I lack the power to express myself appropriately through performance, vocalization, etc. And so I've been practicing and gaining experience so I can express myself better through the medium of rock. Rock is the only thing that's ever made me think "I could do this forever", and as such, it's really important to me. You've been playing concerts for over 10 years now, and must have encountered all kinds of interesting things. What's the tour moment that sticks out most in your mind? There's a lot, but we once played in a small venue in the middle of summer, the air conditioning was broken, only a warm breeze entered and there was no oxygen. I thought we might die from the heat. Can you name a few of your favorite albums that have proven to be a strong inspiration? I've listened to many of Miles Davis' works for a number of years, and they've been extremely motivating. With many of your songs, such as Num-Ami-Dabutz, there's a strong societal message at work. Is there something in particular you want to convey to your listeners? I don't think I do music with a "these are my beliefs!" kind of didactic message in mind. I just want the audience to hear my music and say "Mukai's so cool!" That's the best feeling. What are your thoughts on having a following overseas? Is there any chance of doing more shows outside of Japan in the future? To think that my music has spread to people with a culture completely different from my own, who live in places I've never heard of, is very exciting. I can't even imagine what kind of impression our music leaves on people with a different way of thinking or a different culture. There's a feeling that I'd like to go do a live performance overseas just to hear those impressions. Is there anything in particular you'd like to say to fans overseas? If we ever go hold a performance where you are, please, come see it. Interview held 2005.3.7 [translation: Graham and James] Keikaku.net would like to thank Mukai Shutoku and Matsuri's Imai for their cooperation. - Keikaku.net Staff
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