JSBX, a huge fan of Kotaro Isaka, will be performing the theme song for the film “Grasshopper”!
jon spencer
to stop living
No one can do it!!!
The movie “Grasshopper,” starring Ikuta Toma and others, will be released on February 7th this fall.
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion provided the cover songs.
Based on the novel by Kotaro Isaka, we spoke to the blues-punk trio Jon Spencer, who was in Japan for a live performance in August this year, about this project, which he described as a unique endeavor.
Text by Jin Otabe, photo by Yosuke Morimoto
“It’s SUMMER SONIC.
How was the live performance at “JSBX 2015” (JSBX performed at both the Tokyo and Osaka events)?
Jon: I’ve been to Japan many times, and I’m always overwhelmed by the sincerity of the audience. It was a very powerful audience. I’m happy to be back again.
You usually work in New York, but do you feel a special sense of belonging in Tokyo, even though it’s also a big city?
Jon: Tokyo is a very interesting city. I’ve been here many times, so in a way it feels like home, but at the same time, it feels like something is about to happen.
I feel like I’m overflowing with this sense of excitement. In a way, it reminds me of New York.
Today you have a live performance at Shibuya Club Quattro. Tell us about your enthusiasm for it.
Jon: The Birthday (appeared as a guest at the Tokyo performance)
I’m really excited that you’re coming, it’s going to be a great night.
◆————This time, the Japanese movie “Grasshopper” will be released on November 7th.
-” with the insert song “Don’t Wanna Live Like The Dead”
I heard you were offered “Live Like The Dead”
Jon: Oh, I always write songs.
It’s quite different from the feeling of
It was a unique challenge.
◆――First of all, the movie “Grasshopper”
What do you think of “Pappa”?
Did you think so?
Jon: It was very interesting. Starting from the Shibuya scramble crossing, multiple stories intersect.
The characters in the film are all desperate to survive, and I think that the film’s theme is inevitably one that the audience can’t help but share.
One of the characters is a huge fan of this fictional musician, and we wrote a Jack Crispin song that plays in his office.
◆—How exactly did you create the insert songs?
Did you know that Kotaro Isaka, the original author of “Grasshopper,” is a big fan of JSBX?
Jon: When we were approached about writing the music, the main story hadn’t even been completed yet. We were given a video clip of the scene in which our song would be used, and we were given an explanation of the characters that appeared, their relationships and personalities. The images were so vivid and the characters so evocative, the title immediately came to mind.
Jon, I’m really honored and glad that you’ve listened to my new album.
◆――――A that does not exist in reality
JSBX is a band with such strong personalities, so I imagine it must have been a very difficult process to create music for such an artist.
Jon: Yes, that’s true.
“Don’t Wanna Live Like The Dead” would be the best.
◆――I heard that you composed the song while pretending to be a fictional musician who appears in the novel “Jack Crispin.”
Creating a certain image as artists is something we do on a regular basis…Jack Crispin.
The task of becoming Spin = playing him as an actor is difficult.
It’s creative and fun work
◆―――Jack Crispin
What was the source of inspiration for creating the music for “N”?
Jon: It’s the way each character lives their life. As I said before, I was inspired by the way each character lives their life desperately with their own purpose.
Musically speaking, Lauryn, The Blues of the Rock Stones, I think he was conscious of the essence of R&B. The words Jack Crispin’s quoted in the film also connect to the classic theme of blues. “You’ve been with JSBX for over 20 years now, haven’t you?
But how is the band doing right now?
Jon: There was a period of inactivity.
I really enjoy what I do.
But after being together for so long, we now simply respect each other’s playing.
◆JSBX is a little different from the current trends in the music scene.
I think you are a band that is in that league, but what do you think about the current music scene?
John: To begin with, JSBX is not a band that came into being with the intention of getting number one on the hit charts. We have always been ourselves throughout our long history.
I have to do it now
Do what you think you shouldn’t do
I’m worried about things like that
I’ve been doing things that I think are good. So, I’m going to rank on that chart.
I don’t have time.
I think it would be nice if that were the case (laughs). But that’s not the ultimate goal.
“Our own style
“Create music that is easy to understand.”
That is what JSBX added.
What I’ve been looking for
John: That’s right.
trend for as long as possible
Don’t be fooled by trends
I think we are good at the reason I’ve been able to continue believing in this music and playing it is because, for me, being in this band is like “living.” No one can stop me from “living.”
stomach.
Band members also respect each other.
movie
2015 “Grasshopper” Production Committee
“Grasshopper”
Director: Tomoyuki Takimoto
Original work: Kotaro Isaka’s “Grasshopper” (Kadokawa Bunko)
Starring: Toma Ikuta, Tadanobu Asano, Ryosuke Yamada
Distributor: KADOKAWA // Shochiku
Nationwide release from November 7th at Shinjuku Piccadilly and other theaters
193 Quick Japan vol.122
