This is a bit old already since I'm still just re-posting content from the livejournal WEAVER community, but here's an interview with WEAVER from the July, 2010 issue of "B-PASS."
WEAVER
B-PASS 7/2010
English Translation by Laura Bartholomew
Interviewer: Your new single, “Hard to say I love you ~Iidasenakute~” is being used as the theme song for the current popular TV drama, “Sunao ni Narenakute.” What did it feel like to see it on TV?
Sugimoto: I was really happy and excited. Until I actually heard it, I still half doubted that they would really play it at all! (laughs) We haven’t heard our own music played on TV much before, so it was really thrilling.
Interviewer: Was knowing that it was going to be used in a drama a big influence on your composition of the song?
Sugimoto: It did influence me. I thought it was important to keep in mind that the song was for a drama. I wanted to make a song that would go along well with the world in the show, while keeping our own worldview in it as well.
Interviewer: This single was produced by Kameda Seiji; what was it like working with him?
Sugimoto: He really influenced us too. When we’re all holed up in the studio, our feelings tend to kind of close in on themselves, but he reminded us that if we have fun while we’re working, we can actually create better music.
Interviewer: Was it different from working with just the three of you?
Okuno: When it’s just the three of us, it’s hard to be objective, so we get hung up on our own personal preferences, and it’s hard to be open-minded. But by believing in the ideas that Mr. Kameda tossed out for us, we were really able to create something great. It’s really good to have someone objective giving us a third-person perspective.
Interviewer: I see. Your new music video for “Hard to say I love you ~Iidasenakute~” is a really original piece; it’s got a lot of impact, so that once you see it you can’t forget it.
Sugimoto: I don’t know about “impact,” but it is definitely striking. I’ve never thought that music videos have to follow along with the content of the song. I think the most important thing is how much it sticks in the mind of the viewers; that also makes people more interested in the song, so in that way I think it’s a really great video.
Interviewer: What part do you think is the most expressive?
Sugimoto: The scenes where we’re performing. The first time we made a music video, we were kind of panicked because we didn’t know what to do, but now that we’ve done a lot more videos and concerts, we’re learning little by little how to involve people more in our performances. I think we were able to put that experience to good use in this video.
Interviewer: So in order to give your music video a kind of live-performance feeling, you have to do something more than just play the song?
Sugimoto: Yes, that’s right. I keep an image of myself performing in my head while I play.
Okuno: I was so embarrassed at the beginning. I wasn’t a very good actor. But of course I’ve gotten used to it.
Interviewer: “Actor?” Are you acting?
Okuno: At all our concerts, we always make a point of really becoming artists when we’re on stage; looking the part of the musician is kind of our theme. So when we film our videos, just like at concerts, we want to be very conscious of our image as artists.
Kawabe: We appreciate every opportunity to really get into the role; our experiences with filming videos helps us at concerts, and we can also use that experience from concerts for the next video. So every time we’re always really doing the best we can.
Interviewer: In addition to the title track, your new single includes two other songs, described as “a new side of WEAVER,” and they leave a completely different impression from the title track.
Sugimoto: We made the title track to go with the drama, but the style and feeling of the other two tracks was completely up to us. I wrote “Tsuyogari Bambi” sometime around May of last year. That was when we played at the Nanba Hatch in Osaka for the first time, and playing on that big stage with other groups like flumpool made me realize that we were really still just a small band. Until then, I’d always thought only about what type of musician I wanted to be, and wrote songs with that strong desire in mind, but after our experience on that stage, I wanted to write in a more relaxed, laid-back way. I thought it would be nice to only have to think about creating a song that the audience would enjoy with us. I wrote that song with that new attitude, so it’s got a bluesy essence, and I think the song reflects a more adult kind of freedom.
Interviewer: So it’s a song that you made based on your experience at a bigger show than you’d ever played in before.
Sugimoto: That’s right. It was like we’d shed an older version of ourselves.
Interviewer: What about the lyrics?
Kawabe: I think that through this song, I was able to express my own thoughts much better than I have before. We often think that it’s cool to act differently from other people, and that it’s not at all cool to want to be just like everyone else, but there are some times when we do want to be like other people, and times when we don’t feel up to trying too hard to be unique. I wrote this song thinking that, if we could all just understand that everyone has these conflicting feelings inside them, the world might become a kinder place.
Interviewer: So you were able to try something new through both the music and the words. How about the arrangement?
Okuno: It was scary. Up until now, we’ve always said that we’re not insisting on only piano, and we have nothing against adding other instruments, but when it actually comes down to adding guitar and strings and things… for example with this song, with an organ and other new sounds, at first I couldn’t help thinking, “Uwaaah!” But it was fun working with Mr. Kameda, and since we want to broaden our scope from now on, I think this new sound was a big step for us.
Interviewer: And there’s one more song: “Tabidachi no Uta.” When do you write this song?
Sugimoto: Until now I’ve usually written songs based on my own negative side, so my songs have expressed my wish to be able to have more fun with the people around me. But I wrote this one just about the time when we were leaving our hometown for Tokyo, and when I looked around me, I realized that I’d really been loved a lot. So for the first time I wrote a song to express my own “love.” It’s a very meaningful song for me.
Interviewer: Since you’re expressing your feelings in your music, do you also discuss what kind of lyrics you want to go with it?
Sugimoto: Ever since I was small, music has constantly rescued me and made me feel better, so I’m good at expressing myself through music, but I’ve never been good at putting my feelings into words. So all I said was something like, “I’ve written about ‘love,’ but it might be easier to understand if it’s put in terms of a romantic relationship.” But he really took that in a great direction, and wrote lyrics that fit the music perfectly.
Kawabe: Instead of really writing about a love affair, I think I was able to link up this song with our own situation. I always feel strongly nostalgic about the past, and I’m not usually very optimistic. That’s why I’ve written so many songs about the future. But this time I was able to write some lyrics about moving forward while still remembering the importance of the past.
Interviewer: So Kawabe really understood the feelings that Sugimoto put into this song.
Sugimoto: That’s right. I’m really happy. Trying to express feelings through words is a bit of a contradiction, so I’ve often wished it were possible to express them through some more emotional medium. But in reality, it’s usually impossible to explain your feelings through anything other than words. I’ve come to realize this even more while working with music. We’re still working on trying to make those different types of expression blend together well. I really think that trying to express oneself is a very deep and layered thing.
Interviewer: This song has a very fresh arrangement too.
Okuno: This composition has some gaps in it, something we’ve always avoided until now. We’ve always felt that we had to completely fill up our songs with sound. But this is a bit of a retro song, where you can enjoy a bit of blank space; I think we were able to use some gaps to good effect.
Interviewer: What was the impetus that allowed you to arrange something by subtracting sound?
Okuno: I think we were able to make that step because we completely filled up “Hard to say I love you ~Iidasenakute~” with as much sound as possible. We had sound to spare, so we were able to make up the difference in another song; I think that was what caused it.
Interviewer: You’re currently getting ready for a one-band tour, where you’ll probably be playing in front of many new fans who learned about you through this new song. Please tell us your feelings about this tour.
Sugimoto: I think many people are only used to the title song in the context of the TV show. They probably aren’t even thinking about seeing it live at a concert. But I’d be really happy if this single and this tour help people realize that musicians play concerts as well, and I hope they can learn how it feels to enjoy live music. So if people who have never been to a concert before come to see us, I’ll be thrilled. I think that if you come to this tour, we can really show you how great it is to enjoy live music. I hope you’re all looking forward to it.
Okuno: I think there will be a lot of people who hear the single and come to our concert for the first time. But even you come just to see this song in particular, we’ll be working hard to make it a great show, so that no matter what song you’re listening to, you’ll think, “Wow, WEAVER’s great.”
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS:
Q1: Name an interesting movie or TV show you’ve seen recently.
Sugimoto: the TV drama “Sunao ni Narenakute”
Okuno: the TV drama “Sunao ni Narenakute” and the variety show “Matsumoto Hitoshi no Marumaru Hanashi
Kawabe: the TV drama “Sunao ni Narenakute”
Q2: Name an interesting book or comic you’ve read recently.
Sugimoto: Hime-chan’s Ribbon
Okuno: Dragonball
Kawabe: Kimi ni Todoke
Q3: What food have you been really enjoying lately?
Sugimoto: Krispy Kreme donuts
Okuno: ham and cheese sandwiches with sautéed tomato and garlic
Kawabe: akafuku mochi (a kind of sweet made with rice flour)
Q4: What’s your favorite item in your room?
Sugimoto: a talking dog character from the Softbank commercials, that attaches to my toilet paper
Okuno: my tissue case
Kawabe: my expandable curtain rod
Q5: What emoticons do you use a lot in your text messages?
Sugimoto: a sweat drop
Okuno: a sun, and a little running guy
Kawabe: smiley faces
Q6: What concert recently moved you?
Sugimoto: Tokyo Jihen (May 11th, Tokyo International Forum)
Okuno: Tokyo Jihen (May 11th, Tokyo International Forum)
Kawabe: Tokyo Jihen (May 11th, Tokyo International Forum)
Q7: Name a song you’d recommend right now.
Sugimoto: Tim Buckley – “sing a song for you”
Okuno: Teshima Aoi – “Kishi o hanareru hi”
Kawabe: YUKI – “Rendezvous”
Q8: What’s something that made you laugh really hard recently?
Sugimoto: Nothing.
Okuno: When Sugimoto had sleep paralysis, a ghost licked his ear.
Kawabe: when I felt really out of it during the filming of the music video
Q9: What’s popular among the members of your group these days?
Sugimoto: talking about sleep paralysis
Okuno: getting sleep paralysis
Kawabe: getting sleep paralysis
Q10: What is your goal for this summer?
Sugimoto: I want to build up stamina for the summer festivals.
Okuno: I want to build some muscles.
Kawabe: I want to get mentally stronger.
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