Interview with Koshi Inaba 1995

FOREWORD
This is an interview with Koshi Inaba during LiveGm "Pleasure '95 BUZZ!!" at Maishima Sport Island in Osaka, July 16th.1995. The site which I found this interview did not state who the interviewer was. I supposed we can safely assume that he's a reporter. ^^

Interview with KOSHI INABA - B'z Livegym Pleasure '95 "BUZZ"

Q It's now just before the opening of huge live show, I can see your exciment ~ let's do it now!... Can you tell us more how you feel?
Koshi Today is the second day of LiveGym, therefore I have stood on that stage yesterday too. Only that this time, we have finished rehearsing the day before and there was no rehearsal today. So when the real thing comes knocking, I feel quite nervous too.
Q Even though you have done considerable amount of Live, but surely enough before every Live begins, you'd still feel nervous?
Koshi Because I'm relatively the nervous type.
Q But I see that you're very relaxed now. Like it's no big deal...(laugh)
Koshi (Laugh) What time is it now? 5 minutes passed 4 (*Live began at 6 in the evening). Well, if I start to get nervous right now, it's definitely not good for my body.
Q What are you like when you're nervous?
Koshi I would kinda pace back and forth by myself.
Q Like the fingers get cold...
Koshi They do! But as soon as the show starts, I'm fine already.
Q Sort of like when you start singing then you're fine, right? On this tour, you have finished 3 shows already. Can you tell us about your impression?
Koshi For the time being, there isn't any new song in the menu. We're still doing many old songs up to now. So it means we're doing it with nostalgic feeling. On the live shows we do whenever an album is released, these are songs which we always feel like putting in the menu. Another impression is, I feel that on this tour, the time on stage is extremely short! It's like, before I know it, it's over already.
Q Doing the same songs repeatedly, there's an impression like "all-stars battle", so many great moments are put into them. If the audience is abit restrained with their enjoyment, do you ever aim to do something on this purpose?
Koshi This so called Pleasure tour started with that purpose as our goal. This time we do it the opposite way, we seriously take into consideration all the songs to be performed, like, which songs would our fans like to hear. So compared to the one-year length tour last year, this year's tour once again has a different feeling altogether.
Q I heard that to today, the weather has been great. I suppose the atmosphere and tension will change according to the weather?
Koshi In my case, not once have I ever done a show in the rain. Therefore I don't know what we can expect to do if rain falls. Doing outdoor Live is like, the sky also performs with its changing colors. So even if we know it's coming, we can't say we don't wanna go on. But standing in the middle of light rain this evening might be quite exciting too, for a change.
Q The stadium show you're doing this time is a huge event. This is yet another step ahead of what's planned, right?
Koshi Everyone seems to think that we must have undergone huge decision to do stadium-scale shows. Actually it's not like that at all. Everything flows in naturally. For example, last year's album "The Seventh Blues" despite its two CD volume, we've never gone through any big decision in the process of producing. Even though it did take alot of time, but our method of recording did not change. The sense is the same if we did a one CD volume. I think it's just a further extension of what flows in natural order.
Q I suppose the only difference is just the outdoor and indoor atmosphere then?
Koshi I think so. There's no ceiling outdoor (laugh). Well, it's very open so great atmosphere can sort of travel through. Whenever I stand on stage, it has become a habit to feel and love that uncontrolable great atmosphere in the air.
Q It makes you feel relaxed instead, right?
Koshi It'd be great if I can manage to be that way, yes.
Q I was at the backstage before. I could feel that the atmosphere there and the staff's mood are different than when you're doing indoors. And there's also the audience waiting outside in this flaming hot weather. Do you think that the tension on this LiveGym is different?
Koshi Even though I am aware that compare to outdoors, the waiting period before indoor concerts start is easily more enjoyable. But isn't it the same case with restaurants? On a good hot weather day like this, people who want to go barbeque would still go barbeque (laugh). As time passes, the atmosphere changes. You can feel it when the doors open and people rushing in. It feels like as if everyone outside are connected together.
Q You have done quite an amount of Live last year. For this year's stadium scale shows, you have surely been doing some physical maintaining exercises to prepare for it. Is there any special preparation this time?
Koshi For the so-called basic physical strength, we have a temporary training (*?) set up. As for the live music, The energy and strength on this aspect sort of flows in accordingly when we're doing the show. It doesn't matter how much energy we built and save for this purpose because it won't just come through simply. I also wonder where we got all those strength and energy to do the full year tour last year.
Q So there isn't any special preparation done this time?
Koshi We have always been doing the basic thing all the time. Aside from that, all would definitely be for the live shows preparation.
Q In the subject of your voice, I suppose even as you more or less feel like drinking, but for the sake of the next day show, you probably stop altogether. Do you do anything special to maintain your voice?
Koshi Of course I do. That's why after seeing the show schedule, starting from around that time, I should stop all the itching to go drinking (laugh).
Q After Live shows, the tension is usually very high. Is there anytime when you find it difficult to fall asleep?
Koshi There are times like that, for sure. But it has become something that we have always been doing now. Actually about drinking, even though I love that drinking atmosphere, but I'm basically not a drinking soldier (*not made for drinking), so I can't drink a lot. Although when I do drink, my condition the next day is alright. There are some people who have bad hang-over. That's different between people, I guess.
Q Outdoor performances should be quite different in preparation compared to indoors. Do you have any special arrangements?
Koshi Compared to indoors, we can certainly use much more fireworks outdoors.
Q That kind of special effects or arrangements, are they decided after a discussing it in the meeting?
Koshi When an idea comes out, everyone will discuss it together. I think these compliment terrificly to the plus alpha parts of the concert (*?). But no matter how it turns out to be, music is definitely our top priority.
Q Right now, you're in the middle of a tour, so it might be weird to ask this. Do you have any expectation on what kind of Live you'd like to do after this one? Because I think you have done many different patterns of Live already.
Koshi It's true that we have done more and more different things. Normal open concerts, smaller class halls which can only accomodate 2000 people, or live houses. But maybe we might never get to do these again. I have no idea now.
Q After seeing huge places like this, you wanna go back and see smaller places, is that right?
Koshi I think it would be great, yes.
Q How about things like accoustic live or secret gigs?
Koshi We still do that sometimes. Well, we'd like to perform in as many different places as possible, even in places we don't fit it (laugh). If it's interesting, then great!
Q On the stage this time, you will blow blues-harp and play piano, about piano...
Koshi Before I couldn't play at all (laugh). It was last year, when I was playing around it, that I started seriously.
Q What do you think about piano? Is it interesting?
Koshi Wow, it's also one magnificent piece of an instrument.
Q The recent two singles has Inaba-san's name in the music arrangement list. Where did you get ideas on how to turn music arrangement into the best?
Koshi Well, some are probably from music I usually listen to and parts are from music I used to listen to.
Q In that case, which artist or music that have influenced you most or you like for the time being?
Koshi I don't know about by whom I'm most influenced. But as the ones I like, somehow I like Steven Tyler from Aerosmith very much. I also like many guitarists. I like Jeff Beck very much. And there's certainly Paul Rogers. Although when I listen to him, I always feel like I'm listening to Otis Redding.
Q Do you find your own music reflecting theirs?
Koshi Yeah... For example, Terrence Trent D'Arbys. When I do a good fake (*copy) on him, the result is completely the same thing. Even as persons, we're basically very different, so supposedly it's impossible. I just wanna try and see how far I can come out with that kind of taste... I have tried that style many many times already, whether during recording or Live.
Q How's the recording of the new album? (*Loose)
Koshi We have been doing it since February.
Q What kind of feeling will it be like?
Koshi I think it's difficult to be put into one word. Maybe because we don't consider about this aspect too much when we're recording (laugh).
Q How about more details?
Koshi Well... It'd be weird to categorize it. There are songs which have nostalgic feeling to it. And like last year's one-year length show, there're quite a portion of heavy numbers too.
Q How about the variety?
Koshi Much more variety.
Q My impression on the lyrics that Inaba-san writes is like, I have to get into the music first and the lyrics next... It's the same as listening to Western music. The next step is to read the lyrics booklet and then "Oh, so that's what it is" I'd get the message and content of the song. This kind of pattern happens alot. Are you aware of this?
Koshi I have not considered it that this is the way listeners finally understand my lyrics. My position is like I don't put Japanese language into a temporary songs. On nice parts of temporary song, I'd prefer putting in English and then everything progress from that part. When I do it with normal Japanese language, the whole atmosphere would be a different group altogether. I do consider it a lot, whether we can come up with even better melody.
Q When you are writing the lyrics, is it like sort of riding along with the melody?
Koshi It is actually both ways. Although I do lean on the melody. For example on ballads, I'd start with writing things that has no relation with the tune, so I'd continously do that. But sometimes I'd also write with a certain aim in mind.
Q About these lyrics, do you do it in the studio, saying, "Alright, let's write some lyrics now", that kind of feeling?
Koshi For me, I write lyrics at home. Even though recently I have been doing it in the studio too, but almost all the time at home.
Q Do you think the outdoor Live experience will sort of influence your music in the future?
Koshi Well, the next album is basically coming out naturally, so I guess there's no such influence.
Q Recently there's a lot of remarks about plus alpha (*?) possibility for both of you. For example doing sessions with many other people, what will B'z music become in the future?
Koshi I guess you are right. Especially like this year, we started the recording after reconfirming once again our feelings. It's probably true that we had many sessions with many different people. Once we pass through this session stage, it will probably cause the changing sound of our band once again (laugh).
Q From now on, for example: who would co-write the lyrics or maybe do a duets. Is there any possibility for that?
Koshi If we think it's interesting enough, I think we'd possibly do it.
Q Can we expect such possibilities?
Koshi Well, how to say it... Now we're in the middle of doing this album, we'll take time to consider for a while. I don't know what we will come up with.