SHYLY INTERVIEW

TOCHIKAGAMI's new album "HANIKANDE SALADA / SHYLY SALAD" is their first in two years. We heard that some people had already finished listening to this double album and were on their second tour, so we hurried to contact the previous interviewer, "Mr. Hekilkyo Miulloffo Pifitfyamiaoon". We were able to get an answer from his assistant, Mr P.M., who said he would recommend a suitable person for the interview at a later date. This time, the interview was conducted by "Mr. Hekilkyo Miulloffo Pifitfyamiaoon", an editorial member of the melodic gentile magazine 'The King of Implications', which is run by "Mr. Pyokyuryuiche hopyulwofohteh tryulyun" (hereafter : E).

　　　　　　　　Date of recording: 25 June.

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E: Quickly, Mr. TOCHIKAGAMI (hereafter : T), hello. Nice to meet you.

T: Hello. It's nice to meet you.

E: You, today is 25 June, what is the situation at the moment? What are you doing?

T: Yes. I'm not doing anything particularly noteworthy. I don't even play the piano.

E: You are not creating anything?

T: Well, I have four or five songs left. I think I'm going to try to relax a little bit. I think it's good to relax and tinker a bit with the camera and stuff like that from time to time.

E: Please do tinker with it. Eh? But didn't you use it for the jacket shoot?

T: No, well, we ended up being able to use the one we had taken before this time.

E: When was the album completed?

T: Well, it was really last minute, I finished it on 9 June with 'Milk Tea with You in the Afternoon'.

E: Oh, so you decided on 18 June from the start?

T: Of course, that was the plan. But during the production of 'Milk Tea with You in the Afternoon', I wondered if it might not be possible.

E: Isn't it strange that 'Milk Tea with You in the Afternoon' is the last one? Isn't it in the order of the songs?

T: Well, it's mostly in the order of the songs, although we did switch them around in places. Then we ended up with 'Milk Tea with You in the Afternoon'.

E: Why the trilogy?

T: Well, of course it's the guitar.

E: You mean the hinged part?

T: That's right. Generally speaking, there is always a day in the day when you play the guitar first, isn't there?

E: Yes, those who play, they say so.

T: So I recorded only the interesting parts on my iPad video.

E: Recording instead of recording?

T: Well, yes, for me, it's easier to see where I'm pressing and playing.

E: As it is?

T: Yes, and there was a day when I suddenly wanted to record the rough phrases into LogicPro9, on 27 November last year.

E: You started recording last year?

T: It was a song called "IMPROVISATION BUTTER 1127". It started out as "Cheese in perpatual rock 'n' roll". From there it became "Asama no Oni no Oshidashi", "WASABIDAONION" and "Impact of climbing rock 'n' roll"...

E: Oh my God, is that right?

T: It also became "intermission". I used this as a basis for this roughly recorded three and a half minutes, which I carefully recorded again.

E: I see.

T: If you put this in the middle. I still felt, how should I say it, that the trilogy felt right.

E: Oh, so you also wrote the 'introduction' afterwards?

T: Yes, I did. Yes, I was working on those two songs in February or so.

E: Has anything changed compared to the last album?

T: It's been an extension of that, I mean, 'RISSHINBEN-NO-KOKORO' was finished on 1 January last year, so part-A was mostly made in 2020. So the rest of the work was done last year and this year, so the pace is relatively calm. Yes, and the song 'Women's Masterpieces' was finished in the middle of December, I think, and then I was going to write a song, but I got caught up in the aftermath of this song... by myself. I got stuck for a while (laughs). Then, in February this year, I started 'introduction', which, as you know, is a phrase from 'Women's Masterpieces'.

E: Wow, that sound right!

T: Yes, it is. So in March I was exclusively re-recording"WASABIDAONION" carefully.

E: Wouldn't it have been better to name the song 'WASABIDAONION'? So, what's the sound structure like?

T: Well, it's a Behringer amp simulator. I set the preset to 'BRITISH CLASSIC' or 'BRITISH BLUES'. I almost always use these sounds. Isn't it great that there is a setting called 'BRITISH' from the start? It means it's very "BRITISH".

E: It's no wonder. It's a well-known tradition.

E: Oh, well, I'll have a soda of this plum syrup.

T: Oh, yes, let's drink.

E: Phew, it's summer.

T: Phew, it's summer.

E: By the way, seriously, um, I was going to go back and read your past articles, are there any articles that are missing?

T: yes. Approximately, exactly 50 articles. At the moment, some of the articles and songs that I have posted here have apparently been marked as deleted. I am sorry, but I did not delete them, so I don't know what is going on. Is there some kind of glitch? I can't get back to it. The articles that have been deleted have not disappeared, so I will reprint the same ones on tochikagami.com again.

E: Oh no, what is it? I'm scared.

T: Scary, scary. Shall we delete the music at this point? Or rather, we should organise it a bit better. I'm sorry for the inconvenience.

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E: So, um, were there any particularly difficult phrases on this album?

T: Well, I made a decision based on whether the phrase was needed there or not. I played the phrases as best I could. I may have improved my piano a little. I played it well.

E: Do you like trills?

T: I like trills (laughs).

E: The piece 'Rainy Telephone Box', was that inspired by the 80s in Japan, or the rain-soaked urban boulevards in the neon city?

T: I didn't really have that in mind, but it was based on Acrostic, which I recorded with a bit of singing on the guitar, and I guess the atmosphere and chord progression of Acrostic gave me this feeling.

E: For example, did you listen to this kind of music when you were making this piece?

T: Not so much, I don't think. I don't listen to it that much. Sometimes I have days when I listen to a lot of music at once. Oh, but back to "Women's Masterpieces", I was listening to Nat King Cole's "Candy", which was a coincidence. So I played an unintended phrase during the recording of another song. For a while I was trying to make the phrase sound like a ballad. Then I tried to act like 'Candy'. That's how this song started. Do you get it? It's funny, isn't it?

E: So the phrase you thought was a failure was jazz?

T: That's exactly right.

E: Let me ask you about lyrics suddenly.

T: Yes, suddenly. Go ahead.

E: You don't write lyrics?

T: No. Yes, I do. I wrote lyrics for two songs in 2020. I'm writing another song in 2021. It's called 'Milk Tea with You in the Afternoon'.

♬

E: Is there anything you've been into recently?

T: Recently, what is it? Particularly, well, that, Tamanohada soap.

E: Tamanohada soap? That's soap?

T: Yes. It's that sphere of soap.

E: Does spherical mean that the soap is ball-shaped?

T: Oh, you don't know anything about it. I really like the smell of it, number 005.

E: Oh, well, I can't describe it. What does it smell like?

T: Well, I can't really describe it (laughs). It's just that it smells really nice. 001 is orange, but I didn't like it so much.

E: Number 005 means, what? That one? You don't think it has anything to do with that, do you?

T: I'm glad you noticed. That's exactly what it is. When you get into this smell, that's exactly when it coincides with the number 005. Please listen to it again. Ho-ho.

E: Is there anything else you are into?

T: Well, I don't get out much, you know.

E: By the way, Mr.Hekelucki was wondering about you.

T: Oh, why is that again?

E: Is it that you haven't eaten any ramen at all?

T: Oh, that's right. I haven't been able to go out to eat ramen at all, it's really annoying. I'm going crazy.

E: You say that ramen shops are fashionable these days?

T: Yes, yes, they are fashionable.

E: There are even shops where jazz music is played exclusively, you know.

T: Well, there is a lot of jazz, and not just in ramen shops. There are even classical ramen shops.

E: As for part-B of this album, isn't that something you've taken into account?

T: No, no, it's not that I did it on purpose.

E: What? Is it a 'it's just happened' type of thing?

T: Yes, it's a kind of 'it's just happened' type.

E: Like the Yokohama family type(Brands of ramen shops).

T: Ha-ha. But if you think it sounds like a musical when you listen to it, I'm happy if you think, well, maybe he likes music with this kind of atmosphere. Also with jazz. It consists of phrases that I have constructed as I feel them.

E:
You know, when I listen to it, there are parts where I can smell that you're playing the organ with a cigarette in your mouth...

T: That's not good. Then imagine it better and more clearly. What do you think? You are not mistaking it for a YOKU MOKU cigar (search for "YOKU MOKU"), are you?

E:
(laughs). What do you want people to pay attention to or how do you want them to listen to this album?

T: No, not particularly. If I had to say. As you listen to it, it's, you know, what we call tangibles. You can really feel the weight in your hands.

E: Well, it's really hot outside today, isn't it?

T: Also hypothetically. If you have come to think, "Are you on drugs?" I'm sorry, but you're going to have to take a refresher course. Start by attending TRILOGY of the DAWN COLOR CROSSWALK at 4:20pm in Lecture Room 3.

E: You are right (laughs). Is there any explanation you would like to add, for example, about the specific structure of your work?

T: To be more specific. For example, in the song 'Sunrise Gradation', the trombone solo starts after 30 seconds, and this is a haphazard, one-time improvised recording, so it's a great place to listen to it. Well, I'm playing on the keyboard. Next, the song 'Tossed by the Heavenly Wind' is pronounced 'Honlou amatsukazze'. Amatsukazze is also found in a couple of phrases in the "One Hundred Poems" karuta game, e.g. "Otomeno kayo ijifukitoziyo", No, "kumono kayoiji fukitoziyo".

E: Aren't the two phrases you are referring to "watanohala"?

T: Huh? Well, anyway, each song is like a hair accessory for God.

E: Do you intend to explain all the songs?

T: Oh, no, yes, I think it might be better if you listen to it with earphones. It will give you a more immersive and comfortable listening experience.

E: Are you suddenly talking about earphones (laughs)?

T: Yes, listen with normal earphones. Normally I would recommend Sony XBA-40 (canal type with four armatures) earphones, but I assume these are no longer available.

E: What films did you watch during the making of this album? Were there any films that made an impression on you?

T: Yes. There was one film that really helped us to decide on the song titles for some of the songs. It's called Prince of Persia. I don't know if you know it, it's a Disney film. I was thinking of this film when I came up with the song titles.

E: Eh, we have a letter from Katsushika-ku, Tokyo, pen name 'Sunglasses in the dark night'.

T: what is it?

E: Hello, Tochikagami-san.

T: Eh, hello.

E: Um, you can actually drink alcohol, can't you?" You're definitely making it while you're drinking, aren't you? And you're making it while you're drinking a bit of a high alcohol content, aren't you? I can tell by listening to it." I received a letter saying... Well, what do you think?

T: yes. I can't really drink, so please don't worry. I can't drink a drop of it. I mean, I don't have the enzyme to break down acetaldehyde. I'm really sick of it.

E: What? (laughs) But, I mean, didn't you say at the beginning that the title of the album was 'Koku to Kire to Tochikagami to'?

T: Ah, yes, how should I put it? The idea for the cover changed completely, and I couldn't find the right balance, or maybe it just didn't fit.

E: Don't you think it was a bad idea to announce the album title so early?

T: Well, I don't know. I've never once felt people looking at me in the street and saying, "He's the one who's going to release the album 'Koku to kire to tochikagami to' ".

E: (Laughs), eh. Letter from Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, pen name 'The Paper Lantern Traveler's Journal'. 'Hello, Tochikagami-san.'

T: ...Hello.

E: Eh. 'Regarding the title of your album, can you tell us how it didn't become "Koku to Kire to Tochikagami to" or "Mellow Brew Rider"?' The letter says...

T: Hmmm. You all seem quite serious. What do you mean?

E: No. This is normal.

T: I am very sorry for having mentioned the title of the album so early, just because I was feeling very light hearted. Please forget about the potential titles "Koku to Kire to Tochikagami to" and "Mellow Brew Rider".I would conceive a different concept again.

E: (laughs),Would you be happy if you could listen to this album?

T: Of course, yes. I'd like you to listen to this album, but just take it as a hypothesis that "music" can be very interesting. I hope you'll start enjoying the music in your own way, as if to prove this.

♬

E: Thank you for your hard work. Well then, it's time to start summarising.

T: summary, yes. Please.

E: Well, it seems that you are still not sending out messages. It seems that your Twitter greetings have also stopped.

T: Yes. That has something to do with the fact that the number of works is a little modest this time.

E: What do you mean?

T: In other words, there was a lot of time when I was thinking about sending out messages without writing songs. Then I came to my senses and decided to stop doing this and write songs. I wondered how many songs I had finished during that time.

E: I see, so you were troubled at least a bit.

T: Yes.

E: And it didn't work?

T: But this year, I'm probably not in the mood to make music with the 'hyun- hyun' feeling anymore, so we might be able to do something.

E: You want to say 'byun-byun', but I think it's 'gyan-gyan'.

E: Oh, you're trying to make me laugh. So, tell us about your future prospects.

T: It was about two years ago that I finished reading two introductory Latin books. And two years passed by thinking that Latin dictionaries are very expensive. In the meantime, I have completely forgotten the basics of Latin. I can't say it's good timing, but now it's finally a chance to learn English alongside songwriting. I'm self-taught in music, so maybe I can do English too. I can't have this naive notion that I can pretend to be able to speak English and eventually I might actually be able to speak it. I've always thought that being able to speak English is a bit like being able to play Granados' Spanish Dance No. 5. That's why I think it's kind of cool.

＿Oh, so that's not an excuse for skipping English for the past two years?

T: Now, do you think I will learn to speak English or not?

E: What about your musical outlook?

T: In terms of music. I feel that I need to gradually acquire the amount of musical knowledge that corresponds to what I have created this time. After all, if I say I don't know much about it after having created this work, it's not very convincing at all.

E: Finally, do you have any message for people who say, "I feel like there are already a lot of strange phenomena happening around me" through this album?

T: Mm. I mean. Tomorrow at 3pm. So there's a 'discovery or a great positive solution' beforehand. You can clearly see from a distance that it's already sinking under the weight. So, tomorrow at 3pm, we have to repeat our mistakes, however. Unless we repeat the failure with very high quality, the "discovery or the great solution" is just a déjà vu. The question is, can you really repeat a failure that has the ultra-high precision to match the "discovery or the great solution", a failure in the realm of almost nonsense? I wonder if you know.

E: Well, as you can see, I took over from Mr. Hecheluckey this time and we had an interview at Al Dente, relatively speaking. I didn't even let you think it was our first meeting. How was it?

T: Well, by being interviewed in this way, I am wondering what I should create in my own way in the future. For example, will there ever be a boom in German language learning in Japan? Or, for example, do I have to start thinking seriously about portamento in vocals? Or, for example, what does it really mean to write lyrics in this day and age? Well, there's no end to it, but I've been thinking about it while omitting a lot of things. And...

E: Eh? Uh, yes, go ahead.

T: So, in my own way, I would like to continue to create my works with the idea of a "one-man CERN", where I can either compete with, jump over or skip alongside each of these works. If you are interested, I would like you to think of my work in this way, and I would like to continue to be excited about the essence of entertainment with you.

E: Yes. So, in the end, you were surprisingly talkative, in your mind. Well, we've spent a lot of time together, so let's meet another time, the week after next, in front of the ticket gate at the entrance to the climax of the play. I'll leave it to you to book the pasta restaurant. Thank you very much for your time.

T: No, no, thank you for coming a long way. Well, then, let me take you to the entrance of that motorway. From where are you coming from?

＿＿Oh, thank you very much. I'm coming from the Kan-Etsu Expressway and would like to stop at the Takasaka service area.

T: Well, let's meet again, with the mutual intention of meeting by chance somewhere again on an unknown street corner (or even on a street corner you know is OK).

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　　✨HANIKANDE SALADA ✨ SHYLY SALAD ✨
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