Mariya Takeuchi: Record Day Special Interview 2021 (Part 1 Translation)

 

After having done the translation for the Night Tempo interview over two successive Mondays, I began wondering about scouring the Internet for any recent Mariya Takeuchi（竹内まりや）interviews. The reason for this is my interest in her reaction to the whole "Plastic Love" mania that occurred a number of years ago leading to the delighted unearthing once more of Japanese City Pop. I've heard rumours that on speaking with a Canadian friend (no, no...not me...I'm never that lucky), she mentioned that she couldn't quite understand what the heck was going on with a song that she'd recorded all the way back in the early 1980s. Well, I finally wanted to find out what was up with that via the source herself.

Anyways, this will be another translation two-parter and the interview that I found had been conducted by Mayu Kakihata back on October 20th 2021 in commemoration of Record Day. Apparently, the interview had taken place at HMV Shibuya, another one of my old haunts back in the day. The link to the original interview is right here. Just to let you know in advance, her answer to the "Plastic Love" phenomenon will be provided in Part 2. However, Part 1 will cover her feelings on the old records.

Kakihata: I think there are really a lot of people who have been waiting for the release of "Plastic Love", "Variety" and "Request". How do you feel about the recent upsurge in the vinyl market?

Takeuchi: I had an inkling that the demand for records increased tremendously in recent years, but I'm really honoured that those albums are getting a re-release at this time. With stores, record producers and artists getting together like this, it's wonderful for these events to be held to show their appeal. I definitely want to be a part of this, too.

Kakihata: How do you usually find and acquire new music?

Takeuchi: Although the chances for me to actually browse at the stores have fallen with the decrease in stores, if there's something I want, I check it online and then go buy it after making sure with Tatsuro that he didn't get any duplicates (LOL). I wish I could actually go to the stores but with COVID, I've probably been buying stuff online a lot more recently. But there are a lot of things that can only be done at a record store when shopping there.

Kakihata: Yes, certainly there is the enjoyment of going on your own to a record store and coming across something, isn't there? Plus, you can also listen to what you're interested in right there, too.

Takeuchi: When we were little, we had the experience of dropping the needle onto records, but culturally speaking, I think that there are many young people who've never experienced that. Now, you can just ask Alexa so you can listen to a variety of music immediately, so that's become the norm. That's why I think it would be great if they could experience the act of actually placing a needle onto a record and feel the warm analog sound they hear. Recently, I think there have been more and more portable record players that allow you to listen to records without having to buy a lot of equipment, so I think you can experience it more casually.

Kakihata: Don't you think it's strange that analog records have gotten through to the hearts of young people in an era where you can not only get music for a fixed price through subscriptions and YouTube, but for free?

Takeuchi: Yes, but it's a phenomenon that I can understand, emotionally speaking. Ironically, I think it's especially because we can get our hands on music so easily that the interest and depth within analog records is sought out in what we want to listen to. Whether it's the warmth of the sound that's unique to vinyl records or the act of dropping a needle, you need a lot of "time" and "tools" to listen to music, don't you? I believe that those formalities that are included in the total process make up the goodness in analog, something that cannot be experienced in things like subscription services. People who have been listening to this constant tidal wave of new music find it "enjoyable" to listen to this music they have found by themselves by entering the world of analog records. In a way,  I feel that it might be a rather reasonable thing. Looking at it from our generation, I wonder if it feels like returning home. There is that nostalgia but there is also a reminder of its charm.

Kakihata: I see. There is that feeling that both analog and digital have had their proper uses. I can imagine that opportunities to enjoy music can increase in various situations from those two choices.

Takeuchi: When listening to music on the go or while traveling, you can easily listen to it on your smartphone, but apart from that, if you have time to listen to analog music on your home speakers as a special occasion, I'm sure that you will have a rich experience. A long time ago, I had a velvet curtain-like cloth covering the stereo system which I would uncover to place the needle slowly on the record. At the time, there were features like an auto-changer which would automatically flip the record from the A to the B side so I even enjoyed the sound during the time that there was that flip. That was a special time for listening, so I somehow found it rather extravagant. It's like concentrating on listening to the sound. There was also a wealth of time and effort to listen. Of course, I think that there are people who prefer to listen to CDs with their clarity, but personally when push comes to shove, I truly love the analog sound. Now, records obviously get scratched which will lead to skips and noise, and so TLC will be needed, but even with all that, that is the charm of analog.

She's quite the romantic on the old vinyl, isn't she? And yep, I totally relate to her feelings and experiences since the first several years of my life, it was all about the giant chunk of oak that housed our RCA Victor stereo. Scratches, noise and skips were part and parcel of those experiences. I've gotten some of that back thanks to my TEAC. In any case, I'll come up with Part 2 next week.