INDEX
“When confronting life’s challenges, it’s not about grand gestures, but rather, embracing each moment with simplicity and joy.” – (YONCE)
-Can you tell us what you talked about, what you felt, and what you were able to set in your mind when you were spending time with your mentor?
YONCE： I picked up from what he said that the only way to face things is not to do anything grandiose, but to just take it easy and enjoy what is happening in the moment. The Street Sliders tribute was a job that I had been able to do only because I had been cast, but when I thought about what new elements I could add to it, or what I could do that would be interesting or enjoyable, I realized that I like band sounds, and that is all I have ever done.
-So, for example, if you had been singing along to prepared backing tracks, it wouldn’t have led you to forming a band again.
YONCE： Yes. If I had not asked Gaku, I don’t think we would be where we are now.
-You have completed your first tour in Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka, “Hedigan’s Live Tour,” and you have been performing at live houses consistently.
YONCE： I have been nervous since the formation of Hedigan’s. I have always been nervous right before going on stage. I have always been the type of person who gets nervous right before going on stage. As Shoji said during the tour, there were a certain number of Suchmos fans among the audience, and there were a few people who looked at us like, “What’s it like? But Hedigan’s is not an answer to that. Of course, I personally see Hedigan’s in the flow of the music, but I don’t care if I look like Hedigan’s. Hedigan’s is Hedigan’s, both in my works and on stage. Hedigan’s is Hedigan’s, both in our works and on stage. But even so, it is a fact that there are people like that. There is a tension towards such people.
-I think I have had experiences in the past of having my heart worn out by the misunderstandings and words of the public. I am happy that you have come back to the stage again, but I am also wondering what kind of thoughts you have in your mind now.
YONCE： As is often the case with human beings, I still feel conflicted about situations over which I have no control. But that can’t be helped. It sounds negative to say “it can’t be helped,” but that’s just the way it is these days.
Ouchi： When I see the faces of the customers at Hedigan’s, I find it interesting. I wonder what they are thinking. I think there are some people who don’t understand us at first when they see us in the context of what we have been doing. But when I see their surprised faces, I am happy [laughs].
-I think that’s what it’s all about.
YONCE： That’s all there is to it. On the contrary, it is difficult to find any other joy than that. The question of whether music is a job or not has always haunted me, but in the end, it doesn’t really matter which one it is. In the end, it doesn’t really matter which way you look at it. Whether or not you are making money as a result of it is meaningless, and it’s not really something you think about. It’s not something I’m trying to achieve.
Ouchi： I have always had the sense that I should not make music something that is convenient for myself.
