Q Matsumoto-san, as a producer of B'z you have shown remarkable result, you went as far as Nagisa-en, the big turning point of B'z career. Even though we know you are a member of B'z but you also became the producer. Why didn't you go on and produce other artists?
T Boku nee... Around that time, producer 'boom' era came, right? First was Komuro-san. (Tetsuya Komuro or T.K. is a very famous producer known of helming a dozen very successful artists/groups like Namie Amuro and MOVE. He was in TM Network, a band in which Tak used to tour with as their supporter guitarist. TK and Tak are old friends)
Q Or Kobayashi Takeshi-san.
T Yes, Kobayashi-san too. So why do you think Komuro-san could become so successful? Because he retired from his own band ne. Being a producer of an artist is a job that requires serious involvement in every aspect of the artist's case, right? It's impossible while still going with my own band, so I can't do it. I think it's very difficult if I don't concentrate while doing one thing. If Komuro-san were still doing TM Network, I think he wouldn't be able to go as far.
Q Komuro-san himself said he had to be in the studio 4 out of 6 hours.
T Yes, he had to.
Q So in your case, because you think 'there's B'z' so you didn't go for it.
T Un, sou da ne. Well for example, if I really did produce someone, it'd be too bad if the artist only released one single and one album, right?
Q Yeah that's not good.
T Nee. So I thought, no it's not possible.
Q Kobayashi-san continued though, producing Mr. Children.
T Un. That's why I said that for ME, this kind of arrangement won't work while there's still B'z. So I don't.
Q Nagisa-en was one 'peak'. The next one should be 10th year anniversary's [B'z The Best "Pleasure"] [B'z The Best "Treasure"] albums. That was the point that solidified you as the number one band in term of sales.
T That maybe true in term of sales. At that time, both Inaba and I weren't very keen on the idea of best albums... We thought that best albums are something that is released by people who are retiring, right?
Q Like something to conclude everything.
T Ee. But the people around us estimated the sales and said 'it would be ok to do this'. What happened after was, it really gave us result that was beyond our wildest imagination. So when I think about it now, that was definitely one huge turning point in our band's history, in term of numbers and in term of becoming profesionals in what we do. We really never thought that they would sell so well.
Q Really?
T Un. Because they are all stuffs from the past, aren't they? It was good timing too, because the best albums 'boom' came to scene. First it was GLAY who started selling their best. And then it was us. Afterwards everyone did.
Q Ee. Everyone thought 'Look, best albums can sell so well'.
T Sou desu ne.
Q So "Pleasure" and "Treasure" sold very well. Did you feel some additional pressure on your shoulders?
T Not at all. To us, those are things from the past. We said to ourselves, 'Wow did everyone really want best albums that badly?'
Q Many professionals have analysed and saw it through for you, 'It will sell if we promote it this way' or 'That way won't sell'. You really didn't have the thought of releasing the best albums even then?
T Really, to tell you the truth, Inaba and I weren't eager at all with the whole thing. 'Yeah it's okay'... We were mostly like that. But everyone around us were becoming more and more serious about the idea. Inaba even said, 'Iya iya, we'd rather put the same amount of energy and effort to our next album rather than this'. He also often said, 'We should've channelled the power used on the promotion of our best albums to the promotion of our next album' (laugh).
Q What did you think after they were released, now that they are things of the past already?
T On the sales side, the number was incredible. They sold more than our new stuffs. So it was really... 'Nnnnn?!!'. Inaba kept saying, 'If only the new album could sell like this'.
Q Can you explain what you think the reasons that made them sell so well?
T I didn't give it much thought before, but now if I think about it..... We had many singles that went million-seller. One thing for sure, this kind of stuff remains in people's memory. So when they found out 'this million-seller song is included, that million-seller song is included', they bought the albums. Just like our show which you came to see too, it's like the greatest hits show. When you examined the audience, you can see so many generations there. They have good memories with the nostalgia songs. For sure, it is great having many hit singles (laugh). If we had only a few, we wouldn't have said it that way. But then again, there are people who keep coming back just for a few hit singles right?
Q Yes, there are.
T In our case, we have more than ten of those. We're lucky.
Q I think so too. You would want to go on making those hit singles, right?
T Un.
Q I would think there must be pressure to do this.
T There's no pressure, never. Since we began to produce some hits, everytime people would ask us, 'So don't you have pressure regarding the next single?' Zen zen nai yo, none of it. Not saying that we're being snobbish (bitter laugh), but in the old days, we really didn't try to compete. Although we sometimes said, 'the next one would be okay too' (laugh). But nowadays, I don't know if the next one would be okay or not okay, hontou ni mou~.
Q Hahaha.
T But as long as I keep very good communication with Inaba and we keep doing our best... Now it's not really just the two of us alone, there are many section of staffs involved. We wanna do singles and albums that bring out the best of us all.
Q I think that's your biggest weapon. Like a profesional, do your best.
T Un.
Q But I guess that makes it hard to decide between doing standard and risky stuffs.
T We've always been doing some risky stuffs. Mou, now it's not that difficult for us to do risky things. The way Inaba sings now though, he doesn't take as much risk as before (laugh). So that's why, when the sound is OK, once he puts in his singing, for sure it'd already be recognized as a B'z song.
Q It's a definite recognition.
T Un, that's why we appear to be not as adventurous anymore. But we actually still doing risky business, very much so. 'This song is something that we've never done before'. But what we think as risky, other people probably don't think so (bitter laugh).
Q Hahaha.
T If anything is risky, I think it would be Inaba's solo. Everything is risky in his solo. Many people told me that my solo is still very B'z, right?
Q Right.
T And Inaba's solo is not B'z at all, right?
Q Right.
T Even when I do instrumental, I think 'I'm so B'z naaa'.
Q Aa.
T When you listen to his solo, there are some very original, very characteristic ballads.
Q Well, you are the melody maker, there's no way around it.
T Maybe. So when you read his solo lyrics, you'd probably go, 'Aa yappari Inaba-san!'
Q Sou. That's why on your solo, when you came out with the singing album, 'Aa, so this is how Matsumoto-san's world looks like' and 'So he has these words in him'. It was very refreshing. And very un-B'z.
T Aa. That's true.
Q Is there any band you put as a pattern to follow?
T Iya, there's none. But we would go and see Aerosmith or Rolling Stone's shows. They certainly do things that we both would have never imagined in the first place. I think the same goes for Southern All Stars. Datte, now when I listen to "Katte Ni Sinbad", even when it's a re-release, there's still no competition to it (laugh).
Q Haha.
T Yappari kakkoii jyan. (For sure they are cool)
Q Ee, sou desu ne.
T Listen to it now, and it's still great. They just re-mastered it, right?
Q They didn't even re-mastered it.
T Kakkoii yo ne. That song was 25 years ago, right?
Q Exactly 25 years.
T Sugoi yo ne, yappari. Even though their genre is a bit different from us, but in Japan, I think for sure they are one of our most respectable senpai. Chage & Aska too, they still continue with their tour every year. I think that's all in the older generations. Southern All Stars, Chage & Aska, Alfee... These are the only active bands, right?
Q Sou desu ne.
T Although many solo artists from older generation still active till now. Dreams Come True was around our time, aren't they?
Q Ee. Do you have in your mind an image of 'the band will be over when we become like this or that'?
T Iya iya, I don't imagine such thing (laugh)... but hmm, what kind of image ne...
Q There are many bands that disband soon after they got together.
T Un. I understand very well such problem. A band is formed by, no matter how you see it, pieces of ego.
Q Un un. But is it better then to not show so much ego in order to continue the band or is it worse?
T Well, that way the stress will keep piling up and that will become yet another excuse to disband. That's why with B'z, I don't know if the same thing happens or not to other band, but we try everything, the so called one's ego or more likely their ideas. At least, there are only the two of us when it comes to music. Of course when the promotion and tour begins, there are many other people involved, management and people around us will also give ideas and we'll decide together. When we do recording, we'd try every single thing that Inaba came up with. And also everything that I came up with. And then we say, 'Ok, that way is surely much better'. We don't quarrel. If there's any quarrel it would be before recording, one of us would start by saying 'Omae, that's not good', but there's never ill feeling. Basically there's none with B'z. Datte, even if the mixer-technician comes up to us and say 'The sound was something' or 'The level was something' then we would do everything again from start.
Q (laugh)
T I'd say 'Aa, iin jyanai no?'. But if the mixer-technician doesn't like it... well, because everyone wants to do their best.
Q Ee.
T And then Nomura-san, our engineer, would say 'Would you do that again please?' We'd say 'Douzo, please do'.
Q So you are very democrat in terms of music. How about other things?
T Sou desu ne. Just like when we decide T-shirt designs. For example if Inaba says, 'I think this is nice' and I say, 'No, I think that one is nice'. But we don't really get to say the final decision. The staff would start researching for us (laugh), which design will be a hit merchandise. And then we decide from there.
Q And everyone is satisfied. That's what I think the splendid side of B'z.
T Sou desu ne. I think there's no meaning if we are satisfied but the merchandises are not good at all. Therefore we never quarrel about such things, betsuni.


TO BE CONTINUED
from: Ultra Chronicle/ Personal Interview with Tak Matsumoto, 2003 Summer
Tak's interview Part I | Tak's interview Part II | Tak's interview Part III | Tak's interview Part IV

I'm such in the mood of translating Tak. I don't why... =p I swear I didn't dream about him, mkay! Anyway, this is gettin' too long already. I'd better stop 0__o

Tak's Interview (Anonymous) 2004-02-26 04:31 pm UTC (link)

Keen-chan: What a great job! Thank you so much as always. I'm so impressed that B'z never quarrel or let their egos get in the way. As much as I loved the Beatles, it was sad the way they broke up. Also, as famous as Matsumoto-san is, he's still greatly impressed by and respects bands like the Stones and Southern, etc.- His senpai as he refers to them. I think the quality of the relationship between Inaba-san and Matsumoto-san is definitely reflected in the quality of their music, each respecting the other for his share of the hard work involved. A great commitment to each other and their staff and their fans. And WE all get to enjoy the fruits of their labor! I'm looking forward to your next installment, Keenie! But get some rest too! Kate