How bar owner and organizer Chikara Choshu became a behind-the-scenes member of the “Dumb Beaver” and “Gaga Morio”.

He was called “Cornelius of Yamaguchi” and came to Tokyo. ……

Takano (MC): Yesterday, Hatsuno-san said that you are a person who pushes the band back hard.

Choshu: I was very happy to hear him say so.

Takano: Also, I was actually with Chikara-san at the Asagaya Loft A’s big comedy event (laughs).

Choshu: I was invited to participate in the big comedy event, but I was too shy to participate alone, so I took Hatsuno-kun with me.

Takano: That is what happened. So there was a connection.

Celeina (MC): I would like to introduce Chikara Choshu, an organizer and bartender born in Yamaguchi Prefecture in 1983. He has produced events for the 1990s visual-kei respect band “Various Crosses,” led by Tinkerbell Hatsuno, who appeared as a guest yesterday, directed the production of the Kyoto-based band “Otoboke Beba,” which has performed at the world’s largest music festival “Coachella,” and also produced and backed events for Agata Morio. He has also worked behind the scenes in the music industry, including event production and backing band for Morio Agata, and roadie for Guitar Wolf, one of Japan’s leading rock ‘n’ roll bands with fans around the world. In 2015, you opened “Bar Chikara Choshu” in Koenji, named after your own name.

Choshu:Yes.

Takano: First of all, what is the origin of the name “Chosyu Chikara”?

Choshu:There was a period of five years when I was a serious band member. The band was a bit like Takeshigun-dan, and when you became a member, you were given a stage name. I was from Yamaguchi Prefecture, so I was told to choose either “Chokara Choshu” or “Iwai Against the Machine,” since my real name is Shingo Iwai and my father’s name is Reiji Iwai.

Takano: So it took root from there (laughs). But I heard that you originally wanted to be an event organizer.

Choshu:That’s right. When I came to Tokyo, I wanted to be a musician, so I came on an overnight bus with a guitar on my right shoulder, a bass on my left shoulder, a sampler, a theremin, a rhythm machine, and an MTR in my backpack and was called “Cornelius of Yamaguchi. Once I moved to Tokyo, I found that everyone around me was a genius and good at playing guitar, so I gave up on that path. Also, when I was a sophomore in high school, my parents, for some reason, took my 17th birthday very seriously and let me go on a packed tour to “Fuji Rock ’00” as my 17th birthday present.

Celeina: The best birthday present!

Choshu:I was in high school, so I liked intense bands and such, but I saw many bands that weren’t like that and thought, “What’s this? I also felt like I came to Tokyo to organize a festival like “Fuji Rock”.

Celeina: This is perfect for today’s guest!　It’s just before the “Fuji Rock” festival.

Takano: You had the spirit of wanting to be an organizer at a young age, but how are you doing at organizing events these days?

Choshu: In the past, I used to gather four or five bands I didn’t know and say, “Hey, there’s a cool band! But nowadays, people can look things up on the Internet, so I don’t think people go out of their way to gather at a particular live music club to find something new.

Takano: It’s the times, isn’t it?

Choshu: I think it is more interesting to listen to unfamiliar music on the radio or Spotify playlists.

Combining Otoboke Be~ba~ and OZIN OSBORN Shinomiya

Celeina: You are now working with many unique artists.

Takano: That is an amazing lineup, isn’t it?

Celeina: I guess each of them has their own flow, but how did you come to direct the production of “Otoboke Be~ba~”?

Choshu: I was running a label called “Jyusai Riot Sha,” and we did a record release in Kyoto for a rock band called “Nejiume Tassi and Memories Nonsense,” which was run by a Kyoto chef who released their music on that label. The band I was playing with at that time was Otoboke Beaver. I think they were only 20 years old or something, but their live show and the CD-R I bought from them were really good, so I sent them an e-mail asking if there was anything I could do to help them.

Celeina: Chikara-san contacted you.

Choshu: I had the courage to contact him.

Takano: Are you also working as a kind of label owner?

Choshu: That’s right.

Takano: “Dumb Beaver” is amazing, isn’t it, with Free and Chad of the Red Hot Chili Peppers mentions on social networking sites.

Choshu: Before that, Foo Fighters, who will headline “Fuji Rock” tomorrow, and Black Midi, who will perform tomorrow, mentioned us in interviews, and invited us to open their Japan tour.

Celeina: Wow!

Takano: That really fits the theme of today’s event. Also, in terms of event production, recently we have had Guitar Wolf and Choshinjuku, Otoboke Be~Ba~ and OZIN OSBORN Shinomiya-san. This is an interesting combination. Music and comedy.

Choshu: As I said before, at music concerts, if you don’t know the artists or songs, you can just go home without seeing them, but sometimes music fans don’t know much about comedy, and I want comedy fans to see music as well, so I want to create a crossover between the two. Also, simply, the Corona disaster has made me a huge fan of comedy.

Takano: You are motivated to let everyone know who Chikara-san is promoting, right?

Choshu: That’s right. I have a crazy desire to let everyone know what I like.

Celeina: From an artist’s point of view, I really appreciate the presence of people like Chikara-san.

Aiming for an authentic bar, named “Chokasu Chikara

Celeina: You have also been operating a bar in Koenji since 2015, how did that come about?

Choshu: Originally, I had been working part-time in Shinjuku’s Golden Gai for 7 to 8 years, and was vaguely thinking that I wanted to open a bar someday, when the owner of my favorite rock bar, Octobar, which specializes in indie rock, said he was quitting. So I asked him to lease the space to me, and the next day I went to a real estate agent and moved in.

Celeina: Your vitality is amazing!　Where does that vitality come from?　Has it always been there?

Choshu: Probably, I think so.

Takano: The name BAR Chikara Choshu is also interesting.

Choshu: I think the name is a bit of a misnomer (laughs). (Laughs.) I am quite serious about what I do, but I think the name Chikara Choshu might give people a different image of me.

Takano: Is there a reason you named it after yourself?

Choshu: Authentic bars often have last names. For example, “Kurata. So I thought “Chikara Choshu” would be authentic, but if the name is strange, it is not authentic at all (laughs).

Takano: What kind of people come to your concerts?

Choshu: Many of the customers are music lovers, comedy fans, manga fans, movie fans, and people who like to talk about culture. They are all very pleasant customers, and many of them know more about various things than I do, so I learn a lot from them, which helps me a lot.

Takano: It’s nice to be able to get along with everyone, so please check out BAR Chokara. Now, I would like to play a song here. I asked Chikara Choshu to choose a song that he would like everyone to listen to together on the radio at this time. What song would it be?

Choshu: Since it is a hot summer day, I wanted to play a summery song. I chose a song called “Keiko Sato Sensei wa Zankoku na Hito (Ms. Keiko Sato is a Zankoku person),” which was written by Morio Agata about his first love teacher in elementary school. By the way, the bass guitarist is Haruomi Hosono. Please enjoy.

Organizing the lives of the people around him

Takano: How did you come to work with the veteran Morio Agata?

Choshu: When I was working at a bar in Shinjuku’s Golden Gai, one of Mr. Morio Agata’s top geek customers came to see me. He asked me if I could help him out because he had a live concert in Shinjuku that Morio Agata was unable to perform due to a double booking at his bar. When I started my own bar in Koenji, Agata-san came to see me and said, “Next year is the 50th anniversary, could you help me, Choshu-san?” I helped him a little with the production of the 50th anniversary live performance at Shibuya Kokaido.

Takano: It is good that various connections are made at bars. You really do a lot of things, but is there something special about your title as an organizer?

Choshu: I like places where people gather, and I am happy when people connect with each other. I use the title “organizer” because I run the bar with the intention of organizing daily parties where people gather, drink, listen to music, talk, and have fun.

Celeina: That ‘s wonderful. It’s like I’m organizing the lives of all my friends around me. And now, “Fuji Rock” is finally coming. Chikara-san, you have been to “Fuji Rock” several times, do you have any advice on what is absolutely necessary for “Fuji Rock” or what kind of feeling you should have?

Choshu: This may be a primer for beginners, but I’m thinking of printing out about 200 copies of the lyric cards, handing them out, and asking everyone to sing along.

Celeina: That ‘s the spirit of an organizer.

Choshu: I feel like I want to give the gift of singing.

Celeina: I see. So you want us to bring our love to “Fuji Rock. Do you keep up-to-date with the latest information on social networking sites?

Choshu: Yes, on Twitter andInstagram!

Celeina: “FIST BUMP” today we welcome Chikara Choshu, owner and organizer of BAR Chikara Choshu. Thank you very much.

Choshu: Thank you very much.

GRAND MARQUEE

J-WAVE (81.3FM) Mon-Thu 16:00 – 18:50
Navigator: Shinya Takano, Celeina Ann

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