04.09.2018
A mouse man, long hair, and a skinhead... Kenichi Suzuki looks back on his 28-year "visual itinerary!
Translated partially by www.deepl.com and google translate
The Nezumi Otoko costume left a strong impact
- I would like to focus on Mr. Suzuki's "visual
transformation" in the music video, and ask you about the story of that
time. In "Ringo no Namida" (1990), you performed in a mouse man
costume that left a strong impression on the audience in the early days of your
career.
When I decided to "dress weird anyway," I tried to use the corner of a sheet that was in the shape of a bag and put it over my head, because I looked like a mouse man. The sheet was dirty and a terrible color, and it was already in tatters. I thought that only a mouse man could wear it as a costume, and I also loved Shigeru Mizuki. ...... I also had in my mind that Peter Gabriel was wearing an amazing headgear during his live performances. Well, I don't remember it, to be honest (laughs).
- By the way, when did you start wearing white makeup?
I first started wearing makeup when I learned it from the people in the drama club at the university (Sophia University) I attended. I don't remember how it all started, but I guess it was because I like ...... Kiss. After I debuted, I had a makeup artist for every music video I shot, and I learned how to make shadows look better by watching the process, and my skills gradually improved (laughs). In that sense, I would like to go to a special makeup school. I was wondering if there are any summer courses (laughs). I think my skills would improve a lot if I went there!
- I would love to interview him about it (laughs). Is that Mr. Suzuki floating in the pond at the end of your next work, "Yashiga ike" (1991)?
This is a death mask of my face made of plaster, which you can see in the video. I remember how painful it was to make the mask, sticking my head in a bucket while holding a straw like object in my mouth all the time. I still have it in storage, in my travel bag with it's face facing me when I open it (laughs).
- Is there a chance to show off the actual mask?
But, but, the shape of my face is completely different now! This is when you're so thin. Well, I was about 30 kg lighter than I am now!
Long hair, kimono, naked upper body! Trial and error in the 1990s and 2000s
From “Giri Giri Highway” (1995) MV
- From "Highway to the Edge" (1995), you begun wearing kimonos.
Yes, when I was talking to my parents at home, they said to me, "You have been wearing kimono and performing live since high school. I had forgotten about it, but my parents remembered. After they told me this, I somehow remembered that at the school festival, my good friend Ishii kun and I performed "Ikenai Rouge Magic" (Imawano Kiyoshiro + Sakamoto Ryuichi / 忌野清志郎＋坂本龍一) on the podium wearing kimonos. That was the first time I wore a kimono as a costume! ...... If I'm in the same group as Ishii, that means I'm a first-year student, so it was before the formation of Shi-ne Shi-ne Dan / 死ね死ね団 (the predecessor band of Ningen Isu)! Yes, yes, I remember.
From the music video "Dynamite" (1995)
-The kimono costume has such a long history! Mr. Suzuki in "Dynamite" (1995) also has an impact.
I was wearing some kind of underwater glasses that I don't understand. I think I saw a staff member holding them and thought, "I like these," so I put them on, and we took the shot.
- I think it is rare to see you playing a Precision bass.
Oh, I was using a Fender Precision Bass at that time. But the neck wasn't very good, and I gave it to a staff member after I took this picture, I think. I have a bad habit of giving things away when I don't like them (laughs), and I gave away a lot of basses to people. But I am very attached to the B.C. Rich that I am using now. I'd like to collect it, but it's hard to find one for sale. ...... (with a huff) That's right. This interview, was about the video! I didn't mention anything about the video!
From the music video "Dynamite" (1995)
- (laughs) In the music video, you perform live with your top naked.
I hate this so much. ...... If I had a time machine, I'd want to back to that time and punch myself in the face and say, "Why did you dress like this? I feel like punching my old self in the face (laughs). Normally, you don't go naked with a body like this, do you? If I were as muscular as Yoshihiro Yasui of OUTRAGE, I could understand, but I don't want to take off clothes with such a skinny body. ...... (whisper) Your ribs stick out.
- In "Ghost Train" (1999), there is a scene where a performance is given on a train and Mr. Suzuki plays the role of a ghost.
I think it's a bit cheesy to say "ghost and train" because it's a "ghost train," but I don't know if that's true (laughs).
-What do you think about Wajima-san's costume?
(Silence) ...... Well, there must have been a lot going on. He is wearing a hippie-style costume, but I think that kind of thing was popular among Wajima-san. He must have been friends with Jun Miura that time. But this is kind of outfit I think would be the coolest if he wore it: I often tell him, "It would be cool if you untied your hair and made it look like a samurai warrior," but he doesn't accept it. I think it would be cool if it looked more like a dirty fallen samurai.
- What else was impressive about that episode?
By the way, the video for ``The Stranger World'' (2001) from around this time was shot in the Aokigahara Jukai, and Wajima-kun said things like "I can hear the voices of ghosts'' and he was really scared. I remember that.
- Now, Nobu-san’s first music video after joining was “Baptism” (2004). The peaceful atmosphere in the scene where the three of them are eating onigiri is also wonderful.
To me, this scene looks like when we all get together and decide on songs for a tour. Hehehehe. Even now, the set list is decided by the three of us in consultation. Once we decided on the set list first, we changed it little by little while rehearsing. After a lot of rehearsals, we decided that this song wasn't good enough and added that we wanted to play it again, so we spent a lot of time refining it.
Suddenly a skinhead! Establish your current style with monk costumes
- And from Shinagawa Shinju (2006), Mr. Suzuki suddenly changed to his current style of wearing skinhead and monk-like costumes. What happened in the two years since the previous work?
I'm already tired of having long hair. I had to tie it up when I went to the spa. Also, at my workplace at the time (post office), I had a really bad relationship with my boss, and he was always warning me about it. I really didn't want to cut my hair because of that, but I thought it would be cool if I became like a monk with a skinny head at that time. So it wasn't like I was on the right boat, but the timing was just right for what I wanted to do.
- Rather than cutting your hair gradually shorter, you can become a skinhead all at once.
I thought it was the worst thing to be half-hearted. I thought that if I wanted to cut it, I thought that if I wanted to cut it, I would want skin, and if I wanted to grow it, I would want long hair, so I cut it gracefully. I plan on keeping it as a skin for the rest of my life! But even now, when I'm playing, I swing my head around pretending that my hair is long. Hehe, air long hair (lol).
What are some of the situations you "definitely want to do" in the future when shooting music videos at ......?
--Do you have any other memories of the works included in this music video collection?
I think "Romantic School Declaration" (2009) is the most precious video in this collection. We shot it at a live house called ShowBoat in Koenji, and although we made the video, it was probably the wrong time of year, but at any rate it was never shown anywhere (laughs). Now you can upload it to YouTube, but I think it was a time when it wasn't so popular yet. So it is a phantom video that no one has ever seen.
- Since “Namahage” (2014), you have constantly released music videos.
Since this time, it's been getting a lot of attention, so I think it's catching the attention of a lot of people. In that sense, there's no point in buying this DVD again...
-No, no, no, no!
But you can watch it in good quality, and the new song "Life for sale" (2018) is in full size (smile). As for impressive films, we shot "Colors from Outer Space" (2014) in a very cold place. I did my makeup in a place with no heaters, and it was so cold that I thought I would collapse from hypothermia if I did any more! That's right, I vowed never to shoot outdoors again after that!
From the music video "Colors from Outer Space" (2014)
- I see that you have been shooting in a studio for your music videos since "Colors from Outer Space" because of the fact that you are a "space musician". What kind of places would you like to shoot in the future?
Warm places, I guess. Desert, wilderness. Also, I'd love to perform in the back of a car running on ....... I definitely want to do that! In my mind, it would be like the Queen "Breakthrough" video. I think it would be great to film overseas. I think Russia* would be a good place (looking at the staff).
* the year of this interview is 2018.
Source: 33man.jp
#Ningenisu #人間椅子
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