Yutaro Furudate
We met when I was a child, right?
Hitoshi Ohne
It was around 2002-03. I was the director of Ichiro Furutachi's TV show. He unusually said, "Let's hold the pre-show meeting at my place today," so we went together with the writer and AD, and he said, "This is my son," and I said, "Oh, thanks."
Furudate
After that, I often heard stories about Daikon from my father. He would say, "There's this strange, interesting guy called Daikon."
Japanese white radish
I first heard of Yutaro when he appeared at Senko Riot with The SALOVERS. They were from a generation much younger than us, and there were a few great bands emerging that were creating music in a completely new context. I listened to his album "When We Started the Band" (2011) and thought it was really good.
Furudate
Thank you. At the time, N'Shukugawa Boys and Queen Bee, who debuted around the same time and performed together, appeared in Daikon's film "Moteki," and I felt incredibly jealous. I felt like Daikon didn't know us, that we'd never meet, and before I knew it, I was over 30. Then, when I went on a trip last year, I found out that Daikon had introduced me to his Instagram.
Japanese white radish
I watched it from the beginning and thought it was interesting.
Furudate
My second band broke up, and everything I'd been clinging to up until then was gone, so I set out on a journey, feeling lost. Then Daikon-san turned to me... I'd been traveling without ever expecting that people would empathize with me. I'd always believed that empathy was everything in music, and I had this obsession with making my melodies and lyrics easy to understand and communicate more. But on that journey, I connected with Daikon-san, even though I hadn't even thought about empathy.
Japanese white radish
What I found interesting was that he didn't go voluntarily (laughs). He was told to do it, had no choice, and was paid for by others. In the recommendation on the book's jacket, I cited "Midnight Express" and "Sarugan Seki" as examples of works about wandering around India and Southeast Asia, because they are easy to understand. In "Midnight Express," the characters suffer terrible things, but in the end there is romance. In "Sarugan Seki," the characters suffer terrible things, but in the end there is a moving feeling. Yutaro's book is neither of those (laughs).
Furudate
That was in my mind!
Japanese white radish
It's simply fascinating. I thought that was new. Just because you travel doesn't mean something will suddenly change, right?
Furudate
No, it's true. It's not like this trip is going to turn my whole life upside down or anything. Rather, I've realized that I haven't changed at all, and I've thought, "There's nothing I can do about it."
Japanese white radish
oh yeah.
Furudate
It was like, "Is this how I feel even after wading in the Ganges River in India?" But there was a part of me that was able to forgive it. I had a complex about not getting results with the band, and I couldn't accept myself for a long time, but now I think I can at least forgive myself for being pathetic and unable to change anything. Until now, I hated straying from the framework of what I wanted to do, but I've started to enjoy just letting myself go with the flow of the work that comes my way, like being swept away by the river. I think that's something I learned on my travels. That's what moved me the most. The moving point that I was told didn't exist (laughs).
Japanese white radish
Well, if we could create a masterpiece with this, it wouldn't be that hard for anyone.
Furudate
Yes. I can't even sing a single song.
Japanese white radish
I think it will come into play in a few years.
