2005.10.24 interview
-Growing Up[For example, what is your key childhood music memory? What kind of musical household did you grow up in? What did you listen to as a kid? What about your parents? Were they musicians too? Did you rebel and listen to Sex Pistols just to annoy them? How do you think your childhood affected you as a musician now?]
I liked Cesar Franck, and Gabriel Faure, that formed a core of my nursery rhyme. My parents’ principle of art for art’s sake had a bad influence on me.
-Inspirations[who are your favourite musicians? Why? Do you remember the first time you heard their albums? Do you love the music or their attitude/clothes/lovers too?]
AEC with Brigitte Fontaine’s Comme A La Radio forms the core of my lyricism. I heard it when I was in a punk band called “worst noise”.
-Your Band[So, tell us about your band. Who’s in it, when did you meet, what connects you? Any major different musical opinions? How long have you been together? Who’s the shy one, the joker, the Casanova etc.]
I could say that I certainly had members before but now I have just a loose network.
-The Music You Make[OK, start listing styles, name-check your contemporaries and tell us about your releases. Who did you record with and where?]
I made 50 copies of cdr “unify my heart” last year and it would be my first and last album I made successfully.
-Music, Right Here, Right Now[What do you think of the music scene at the moment? What are the obstacles musicians have to overcome? What’s the best thing about the local scene? What bands have you seen lately that have impressed you? What do you think the future holds?
I am living in an unseen scene where is always in the doldrums. If 6 people liked you in net, it means you are more famous than the Beatles.
-MAHER SHALAL HASH BAZ How did you arrive at the name of your band? Do you think it still relates to what you are trying to achieve? Has your understanding of what it means changed over time?
I think modern Assyria still would like to beat modern Samaria. I would not like to belong to neither but want to be a ship that loads the booty of Samaria as a sacrifice of music.
-There is a certain amount of mystery associated with Maher Shalal Hash Baz. Is this something that you actively encourage?
Things that have no connection with each other often happen inevitably. But it must not be a mystery for me and I have been trying to swim against such kind of flow of the river.
-What interests you in working with untrained musicians, how do you recruit people to play with?
I like recording some music using my score with children living near my house.
-When I listen to Blues du jour, it seems quite carefully arranged, there are even elements of Bacharach, whereas in your live performance in aoiheya 2003 I had the sense that anything could happen, the music could go in any direction, it might work or fall apart at a moments notice. Is this something you want to achieve? If so why?
I have no time to arrange.
-How would you describe the music you are making?
It is a kind of storming mercy judge with importunities.
-Do you compose all of the music yourself or do you play spontaneously with the band to compose? And how much improvisation occurs when you play live?
Free improvisation is always the matter because inspiration is basicaly a personal affair.I had once tried to share our inspiration in the band. Each members’ compositions were played while their diary site on the day of a taihoon called maon were shown on the wall through a projector. And I have come to know that any music does not stand on such kind of man-made democracy.
-I have read that you previously played in noisy bands like a Suicide. I would think that Maher Shalal Hash Baz is almost the opposite of this music. Do you see any links between the two?
Sometimes I am noisy but sometimes not. It depends on my spirituality.
-I understand that at times you have had from 2 or 30 people involved in the band. How many people are coming to Australia and what can we expect?
I have to make some new music after I come to Australia with someone new who I will meet up there.