POWER PLANT EXPRESS interview with Masato Nakamura

[nogizaka]

(From July 2005 issue)

Interviewer: This is your solo interview. How is Miwa doing after the tour? Is she doing well?

Masa: Yes, she is doing well. I talked with her this morning. Since 'What Mee Mee Wants' has started, the response has been so much more than we expected, or as we expected, it is getting very popular. So she seems to be very busy with it.

I: Were you directly involved in the making of the DVD?

M: I'm involved with the presentation of all our live concerts. This DVD was different from the other live recordings in that usually, we record the final concert of a tour. This time, we used a show from the middle of the tour, so the DVD could be released as soon as possible. This DVD was completed at about the same time as the tour. It was difficult doing both at the same time.

I: While you were making the DVD, did you notice anything about yourself that you did not notice you were doing until you watched the DVD?

M: No, because the DVD was made to show Miwa as I see her onstage. But, although I could see that the crowd was doing 'the wave' at one point, I did not realize how complete, precise, and spontaneous it was until I saw the DVD. We should submit it to the Guiness Book of World Records as the largest unpracticed wave.

I: Where did the idea for filming Miwa from your vantage point come from?

M: We had this idea from the beginning. I discussed with Mr. Yamamoto (director) the idea that the DVD should be like a movie with a beginning, middle, and end.

I: Unlike other films, this DVD starts with a voiceover narration instead of the film company logo. What was the idea behind that?

M: It was my idea to make the logo placement different from its' usual spot at the beginning of the DVD.

I: Miwa says DCT's goal in fifteen years is to have a thirtieth anniversary concert. What led her to make this statement?

M: Miwa never talks about plans for DCT's future, and she never mentioned this to the audience before. Now she says she will be a granny, old, and perform in a skirt. I was surprised. Miwa doesn't like the expression 'ganbaru'; she thinks 'doing your best' should be a natural thing, so her profession of a thirtieth anniversary concert is a significant thing on this DVD. It surprised me a lot. The DVD focuses on the view of Miwa from the stage and the thirtieth anniversary concept. These are the two pillars on which the DVD was built- we discussed it with the director right from the start.

I: When did you record the announcement of a thirtieth anniversary?

M: On the day of recording. On stage, in the middle of the concert. We put it at the beginning on the DVD.

I: Miwa usually doesn't say something like that, but do you talk about your future between yourselves?

M: Yes. Our ultimate goal is to get a Grammy. A Grammy is not as important as getting more people to hear our music, though. It probably won't happen. Our career would certainly be enhanced by a Grammy. When I was in my twenties, I thought a Grammy wouldn't be so hard to get, but the longer I'm in music, the more difficult I found the language barrier and the music business. I noticed this while working in the U.S. It became a goal for us. But 'Buena Vista Social Club' got a Grammy at ninety, and this encouraged us. So we will never give up until we die. The thirtieth anniversary is one big step in that direction.

I: You always have a set phrase on stage, like Miwa's "I'll make you happy." How have these changed over seventeen years, and how will they change in the future?

M: What Miwa means fundamentally is, you will never have these two or three hours again, so DCT will give a concert to make these hours happy, so you will go home happy. It is a pledge between the entertainer and the audience. If we can't keep that pledge, we shouldn't be entertainers. It's often said that it is impossible to make all people happy, but we don't believe that- we should be able to do it. When Miwa says it, it doesn't mean more or less than just that.

I: In the last part of the DVD, when the band members are leaving while the end credits are rolling, that was unusual.

M: Yes. In the opening scene we show the credits of the cast. 'Telop' in the opening of a movie is very important; our expectations are put into it and I want the audience to enjoy it.

I: In the very last part Miwa returns to the stage. What is the significance?

M: It's up to the audience to interpret. The director and I were thinking, Miwa takes the first step towards the thirtieth anniversary. Going offstage represents the end of the first fifteen years. It's shot from Masa's point of view. No sound as she leaves and comes back.

I: When Miwa says "Thank-you" and has tears in her eyes, you pat her hand. What were you thinking at that time?

M: For me, Miwa is a kind of daughter, but also a work partner, so I will be moving with her. But I am seven years older, so I will be the person who suffers. (laughs) Miwa says the anniversary is "pending Masa". I will not give up- members of Power Plant please support me! So, Power Plant members, please be genki- this could be physical or mental depending on who you are.

I: But people may become genki when you arrive.

M: Yes- that is what Miwa and I are doing.

I: The tour overall- what do you remember most strongly when you finished the tour?

M: That I was worried about Naomi who was our opening act. We have had long careers, and when we see her, we remember ourselves at eighteen years old. Our first performance was as the opening act for Mariko Nagai. So we know the difficulty of performing our music in front of someone who is a fan of someone else. We may be hated for that reason. How much attention will we get from the audience? That feeling comes back to me. We are in the same situation- we are singing in front of our fans, but there are also people who have never listened to DCT or who have left Power Plant. Our task is to get them to listen to us. So our situation is a lot like Naomi's. Naomi is like my child. Everything is a part of me.

I: The song selection was convincing to the fans. How did you choose these songs?

M: Right after we started the tour rehearsal. Miwa picked these songs. She had a clear idea about how the concert should go, including her own performance. We had no disagreement about the final selection.

I: From 'Asahi no Senrei' to 'Kessen wa Kinyoubi', the connecting portion excited the crowd. Did you plan this?

M: We planned it, but the response was more than we expected. It's been ten years since the release of 'Kessen', so it was a pleasure to see the fans' excitement. As an admirer of Western music, I know a favorite song is a favorite song, no matter how long ago it was released. So that song has become the fans' favorite, which makes us happy. It was arranged that the fans would be excited and pleased by only three songs, then go home. (laughs) It's like, 'thank-you, goodbye' after only three songs- it's really like that. All the other songs are encores. When I was in my twenties, I was in a band backing up 'Tunnels', a vocal group, and Miwa was a backing vocalist. We were touring, and Tunnels was doing that kind of stage arrangement.

I: I see.

M: They sang three songs, and the curtain came down- annoying arrangement. One and a half hours of encores followed. The audience loved it. Of course, though, there was a lot of booing. But booing was what the band was aiming for. Tunnels wanted to hear 'fuck you', so they got it. That atmosphere Miwa and I remember very well. So basically, we wanted to make the concert with three songs to satisfy the audience. So, the latest song and a few big hits. This time, they were 'answer' songs. With these songs, the audience feels like, 'I got them' and they can enjoy the rest of the show. Usually with a tour of a new album, the audience waits a long time wondering, 'when will they play the songs we want?' That is not a very comfortable feeling for us and the audience. So this time, the audience is satisfied with the first three songs, then is relaxed and enjoys the rest of the songs one after another. I imagine there were some in the audience who hadn't listened to the new album, so we wanted them to hear the new songs and feel like they wanted to buy the album afterward. That's the feeling we should get from a good concert.

I: Yes, yes, we feel that way after a good concert.

M: Yes, we put all our effort into the first few songs, boldly but peacefully. (laughs)

I: This tour was the first opportunity for the songs from the new album to be exposed to the world. How do you feel when your 'children' have left?

M: We had very mixed feelings- a kind of tension and anxiety- as if we were sending our children into the real world. If we can sell 20,000- 30,000 albums, we can tell our fans are listening to our music, but if not, we don't have the opportunity to get our songs listened to by people. In Power Plant there are new members, so we want to send our songs carefully, one by one. So we were careful to promote our songs. We are not just depending on the stage set, but on using the power of a live concert to deliver each song to the audience. Plus we wanted each person in the audience to become a Power Plant member. We wanted to make a connection.

I: So, it's totally up to you to increase the number of Power Plant members?

M: Well, we have no doubt that Power Plant members are helping us to increase membership- they are always telling others to join- but it is still up to us to convince people to join.

I: You told us that this time, the focus was on how Miwa looks on stage, but is there anything you want to tell the audience to notice about Masa?

M: Me? (laughs) Usually, I'm always in the shot- the camera is always on me. This time, I'm in every shot with Miwa. Miwa didn't like it- Miwa told me don't come too close, but I ignored it. I'm always in the shot, even if it's just my bass. This is the kind of staging arrangement I want my audience to see. So I am in every shot on this DVD. It's not the same as in any other DVD or video from before.

I: Yes- this time we can see you are singing with Miwa.

M: Yes, yes. I kept being in the shot. So, I imagine people saw me playing bass as well for the first time. So now they know I play bass.

I: (laughs)

M: Yes, it's bass. Many people think I'm playing guitar, but I'm a bassist.

I: It's a coincidence, but for the first time I'm asking a question to you about bass.

M: See?

I: (laughs) It might be because I saw you a lot in the shots.

M: See? That means you are trapped. So, that means there are people who are seeing me for the first time playing bass. I'm not an MC saying stupid things.

I: You kept playing bass, although you sometimes switch to percussion. Many bassists switch to guitar sometimes, but you stick to your bass.

M: Think about it- you have to play bass all the time. It's not like guitar, where you can take a break.

I: Don't you feel like taking it easy?

M: No. That's the job of a bassist. I'm a bassist! (enthusiastically)

I: Then what is the biggest charm of bass?

M: Bass conncets rhythm with harmony or melody, so in the ultimate sense, I am the center of Dorikamu. (everyone laughs) So, I consider bassist to be a very important position. In many bands, the bassist is the band leader. Many music companies have managers who are former bassists.

I: Well, then do you feel bassists share common features or characteristics?

M: Bassists don't call so much attention, but they can pay attention to a lot of different things, and we need to play from the beginning to the end with no break. So our job is to get hold of the overall view.

I: Yes, yes. And this time, I realize that one of the most important songs on this tour was 'Nando demo'.

M: Oh, did you?

I: It's a very heavy theme and the content has a certain kind of soul, but when you see how the audience accepts this piece, you may have looked at the meaning of this song from a different perspective.

M: This song is special. Of course, all songs are special, but this one is different from the others. So Miwa said "ganbaru", and said we will do the thirtieth anniversary show. So the significance of this song is in the same area as those statements. It was the first time for Miwa to have a problem writing lyrics. Before that, lyrics came to her very naturally, very easily. But this was the first time she had a hard time getting the lyrics, and she talked about it with Power Plant members and other people, and I was very shocked by that. So I realized that she was trying to convey what she has felt and what she is feeling as Dorikamu, so this is a different song. I feel that she is singing this song to herself. There are times when people don't understand our music, and there are people who don't want to listen to Dorikamu because of the image they already have of us. There are times that we wonder, 'why don't they understand us, why don't they like us'? But it's possible that we sing 10,000 times and they don't understand, but if we sing 10,001 times they will like it. So this song has importance in the development of our musical activity in the future, so we will never give up. Although at my age some people prefer to give up.

I: Oh, well.

M: To give up is to escape, but some people become ill by trying not to escape. But we want to make that 10,000st effort. It's simple. So if somebody asks us, 'you've already sang 10,000 times, isn't it enough'? It's not like that. We haven't done enough yet. It may not work the 10,001st time, but maybe the 10,002d. That's how we keep going. This song is a kind of agreement between Yoshida and I herself, to tell herself about her decision. Of course we are singing to the audience, but we are also singing to ourselves, too. I often get very discouraged.

I: Is it true?

M: Yes, I get exhausted. Now in that exhaustion there is no comparison with people who are in a disaster, like the tsunami victims, but I do have a lot of difficulties and probably Miwa does too. We are fighting as DCT and we do not know what we are fighting, but this is the first time we sang a song to ourselves.

I: I see.

M: Since our debut, Miwa says there are only mountains and no valleys. It shows she has been making far more effort than other people but there are times that her efforts are not rewarded, and there are times we feel that not all our efforts are rewarded, and Miwa never expresses her disappointment verbally, but I feel she is singing this song to herself.

I: I see. So you created a very sugoi song between the sixteenth and seventeenth years.

M: We expect many more turning points. It probably began when Niehya became independant. This is always on my mind and on Power Plant members minds. About Niehya's separation- I received an e-mail from a fan that said he could get over the separation by seeing this concert.

I: I see.

M: It takes time, and this song might be the first step of the turning point. I feel it, and when we go to rental CD shops, they don't display Dorikamu's earlier albums. Only the latest album and 'best' album. Seeing that, I was disappointed, I was shocked. Until we released 'The Soul', we thought the original albums were the best, and we would never release a 'best' album. But, we needed to negotiate with the record company. In order to keep delivering DCT's music, we needed to help the music company. So, as a symbol of co-operation with the record company, 'The Soul' became our first 'best' album, and by the fan's requests, it became a disc version of 'Wonderland'. But the reality is still that before 'The Soul' and after 'The Soul' there is a difference for the cataloging of DCT, and Power Plant members know what we originally said. We got criticism because we originally said we would not release a 'best of' album, but we did, we were severely criticized for it, and we are still receiving criticism. To let the fans understand, we need to make good music and get hits. That will mean a return of the fans support for us to them. When Power Plant members can say, 'See, DCT is great', then that means we are returning their favor. Of course, there are people who say we don't need hits as long as we keep creating good music, but we should not be satisfied with that alone. So when we make hits and people say, 'see', that is the kind of situation we want to create. If we make hits, they will definitely display our old albums on the shelf. As Power Plant members may know, CD shops are going through times, and can only set up a few shelves. So they can display only CD's that are popular, and we cannot do anything about it. But, if we keep making hits, then people will say they want to listen to our old albums, and they will definitely display them.

I: I see.

M: So in order to return Power Plant members' favor, we will keep making hits, so the members will be proud to be members, and more people will join. That's the direction we want to go. So again, in that sense, 'Nando demo' is a very significant song for us.

I: I see. Another thing; the 'Mirai o Tabisuru harmony' was sung by a local chorus group. Did you discover anything new through your contact with the local chorus group?

M: Well, the idea was not that we promote ourselves. Yoshida sang in a chorus group, and felt there was a significance to performing an assigned piece. So, she offered to compose a piece for a singing competition. That piece is not the kind of music that is sung in a pop or rock concert, but it is still music. By asking a local chorus group to perform the piece, we wanted to show the connection between Miwa's singing in a chorus group and where she is now. That piece represents the total of our musical experience. So, we are not just happy about it. The fact that grade school children practiced and sang a piece that Miwa created is the ultimate happiness of a musician. I was so jealous that I didn't think of it first. Next time, I will offer my services. (laughs)

I: It's better if you say it loud.

M: Yes, loud. Waaaa! Miwa, you are cunning! I was full of that kind of jealousy. When I found myself singing it happily, I realized this was the piece Miwa composed, not me. I felt jealous. Next time, we want to compose a piece that people can sing away from the people who composed it. I was so jealous of Miwa. It was really nice seeing that chorus.

I: Yes, Masa, it was really nice. How did you recruit the local chorus group?

M: DCT records has branches all over Japan, so they used their influence with broadcasting people, and they used their influence. For example, someone at a radio station has a wife who was in a chorus group, and he used her influence. We were very happy with the result.

I: By the way- you were the one who named the 4649 explorers in 'Douzo Yoroshiku', right?

M: I was the one who started talking about it, but Miwa named them, so the credit goes to her. (laughs) It is our system that Miwa always gets the delicious parts.

I: The songs 'Douzo Yoroshiku', 'Holiday', and 'Hi no Ji' were presented visually as well as musically. What part did you put your energy into?

M: That's where I put a lot of energy. (laughs) As I told you before, there are a lot of people in the audience listening to Dorikamu's songs for the first time, so we wanted to deliver the songs not just as lyrics and music, but as something visual as well. So, it might help the audience to understand the lyrics. So, for 'Takaku Agere!' we used fireworks, for 'Holiday' we blew fragrant wind to the audience, and showed the ocean. The 4649 explorers were Miwa'a decision in 'Douzo Yoroshiku'- they were the members of Voyager, but actually Voyager had no crew, there was nobody on the ship. And Shinkai 6500, the deep sea exploration craft- I remember we received a letter from one of the crew of S6500.

I: Is it true- what kind of letter was it?

M: He said he was so happy about it- that S6500 appears in Miwa's lyric. He was so happy, he sent us information about the S6500.

I: You said when Miwa sang 'Holiday', you sent out fragrance- is that right?

M: Yes, we did. We sent the fragrance of Jasmine. We sent it using a fan at maximum power. Well, it might not have reached to the last row.

I: (laughs) I understand. In the encore, Amoretto began and then Dorikamu went up on stage.

M: That was Amoretto, too. (laughs) After a while, they morphed into Dorikamu.

I: (laughs) When you went to the stage out in the crowd and when you came back to the main stage, you really went close to the audience.

M: Yes- it's a lot of fun and the policy of Dorikamu's tour is that all people in any seat can enjoy the show. We know that Dorikamu going close to the audience doesn't necessarily mean everyone will enjoy the show, but this is how we did it this time. So even people who felt that their seats are very far from the stage had a better oportunity to see the whole stage from the screen. Personally, when I go to a concert, I choose a distant seat. I'm the kind of person who enjoys a distant seat. But if there are people who are disappointed because their seats are far away, then we want to surprise them by showing them that Dorikamu's concert is not like that. It's a lot of fun for us, too.

I: Probably, it's not possible in the U.S.

M: Yes, even if it's not dangerous, the audience may do things because they love us very much. So, the Japanese audience is wonderful. But eventors tell us that Dorikamu's fans are especially wonderful. They say that they are really good. We are very grateful. We cannot do the arrangement of the shows like that if we cannot trust the audience. We couldn't be very bold when we decided for that arrangement unless we had no doubt that our audience is very trustworthy.

I: Then, I want to ask you about the future. First, this fall, you are doing the opening theme of Mezamashi TV. Are you done with the music- have you already finished it?

M: Yes, the music is already playing in my head. My lifestyle is such that I will go to bed after watching Mezamashi TV. (laughs) It will definitely be fun.

I: When I interviewed you last fall, you said you will keep running until next June. But it's June, and you're still running. What will happen next?

M: Our staff and I have been talking that we will continue until the end of May and made it our 'carrot', but we couldn't take even one day off, and we also had Naomi's tour, so what is it, staff? Then, the staff said, because of it, you can look forward to the future.

I: So, you will release one after another?

M: Well, it may not be as much as last year, but we already have the DVD and 'Nando demo', and we will release a CD of the Mezamashi TV single, of course. Meanwhile, there might be things that Power Plant members want us to release, so we will have to take care of it. (laughs) So, musically and visually, we will satisfy Power Plant members. Because of the timing (gives thumbs-up) there might be some complaint but we want you to save up your allowance and prepare for more.

I: I will write that Masa gave a thumbs-up, okay?

M: Yes, yes, I'm raising my thumbs up. (laughs) We cannot announce now, but be well prepared. Also 'What Mee Mee Wants'. (laughs) So be well prepared. We are confident that we can send very good things, so be well prepared.

I: What's the content of the limited deluxe edition DVD?

M: It's not a regular documentary- only sixty minutes, but it's as interesting as the main DVD. Of course, it does have some documentary parts, or staff interviews, but the main DVD was the maximum length, so there were a lot of things we had to cut, for example, the funny talk between Miwa and I was almost all cut out.

I: Did you cut them out? It's too bad.

M: Yeah, they said it was no use trying to put it on the main DVD. But when we edited it as a talk special, it was very funny. We also revived the message we talked about when I discussed 'Nando demo', and recycled and edited it. We also included backstage episodes and many things you cannot see on the surface. The deluxe DVD also had a backstage pass replica. So it's full of fun. So it's mandatory for Power Plant members to buy the deluxe edition. That's how the system works.

I: What's the system? (laughs)

M: The interesting part about me is all in the limited deluxe edition. So if you are a Power Plant member who is a fan of Masato Nakamura, then you have no choice. You have to give up. (laughs) There is no choice besides the limited deluxe edition. It's better to think that there is no regular edition for them. It's obligatory.

I: (laughs) I heard that the title of the limited deluxe edition is 'How to Make Diamond 15'.

M: It means that if you watch this DVD, you can make D15. You can make a tour.

I: Is it okay that you reveal so much to the audience?

M: No, it's not okay. There are many things which are not okay to show.

I: (laughs)

M: I cannot tell you. It's too much.

I: It sounds like some kind of obscene business. (laughs)

M: Yes, this is an obscene business. Limited deluxe editions are really obscene. (laughs)

I: But we want to have that backstage pass.

M: Well, you cannot get into the next tour with that pass, so please mention it when you write the article.

I: Then, do you have anything you want to say about this DVD- anything else about the DVD?

M: Well, it turned out to be a very good way to show the present Dorikamu, so I highly recommend this DVD to people who are recently getting into Dorikamu, for example, by listening to 'Nando demo'. Even if you are not a member of Power Plant, this DVD has everything the audience saw in the live show and even more, so I want them to pick it up.

I: Then finally, please send your message to Power Plant members about what you want to do the rest of the year.

M: 'Wonderland' is getting close- we are getting the vision of that and having released 'Nando demo', we are feeling like we want to release more work. We want to release our work hoping that Power Plant members will be proud of Dorikamu. We are also receiving a lot of requests for visual works, too, (laughs) so I imagine you understand we are thinking to release that work which starts with 'a', so please look forward to it.

I: Did Miwa tell you something that you should mention in this interview?

M: This D15 tour became a summary of what Miwa has been aiming for the past seventeen years, which means 'sing and dance', so she wants you to see that performance and her 'mannishness', so, mannish Miwa is what she wants you to see. Mannish Miwa... (laughs)

(Sorry this took so long to post, but it is a long translation, the result of several weekend sessions between my wife and I. Not all of it makes sense to me, but as I am relatively new to DCT, maybe our veterans can shine some light for us. The next Power Plant edition is due out this month, so I will try to address it with more speed.)

[Jei]

Thanks so much for the translation, nogizaka!
It's much appreciated

[sdankoehler]

I notice he mentioned American audiences. Could this mean future American concerts are possible? Maybe it's just wishful thinking, but I think this is the first I've heard anything about American audiences in an interview in many years...too bad he seems to have perceived our audiences as dangerous.

[nogizaka]

I believe they were just comparing audiences to show that Japanese audiences are generally more well-behaved. I don't think Masa was making any remarks in particular about U.S. audiences; rather, it was the interviewer who was expressing his doubts. Perhaps the Live 8 DVD appearance will spark new interest in DCT in America. If they want a Grammy, they need exposure.

[newrynyuk]

Ah ha! The mystery has been solved!

At the Osaka concert I went to back in March, they spoke for about 5 minutes between encores and it drew huge rounds of gasps and applause and I wondered what they were talking about. Now I know. Miwa was speaking of her desire to carry on until their 30th anniversary.

[tachikaze]

Thanks to you & the okusan for the translation! Doing translations is a very good way to learn, but like good training in anything, it's not easy...

[James]

Thanks for that! Was a great read!!