Acting Debut and “The Human Condition”
After his admission into the Haiyuza Training School in 1952, Nakadai went on to rise to the top of the Japanese world of cinema in the blink of an eye.
In this chapter we trace the footsteps of young Nakadai, at the core of which is The Human Condition, the work which first brought him fame.
The Birth of Actor Nakadai Tatsuya
Nakadai Tatsuya has taken on a great number of completely different roles in his career as an actor. Many of those roles have had something about them that is entirely out of the norm; something that feels eccentric. Explaining his preference for choosing roles like that, there was one word which Nakadai uttered several times over the course of our interviews: “insecurity.”
Before getting into the main subject at hand I wanted to ask about the background behind that insecurity, delving deep into the origins of the actor, Nakadai Tatsuya.
Introduction
“Actor.”
In recent years, there have been fewer and fewer performers deserving of that title and the weight which it carries.
What will happen to Japanese film and theater if things go on as-is? I must not be the only one with concerns such as this. It is especially because we now find ourselves in such a predicament that my wish is for more people to know the spirit of the actor, Nakadai Tatsuya. It was with these thoughts that I first set about researching and writing this book.
The birth of a legendary Japanese band. This is where it all began: Lamp’s first release, 2003’s Soyokaze Apartment 201. I have translated below two interviews pertaining to the album, as well as Someya Taiyo’s liner notes for all of the tracks.
The first interview was originally published on WebVANDA.
Original interview & text: Uchi Takahide (original interview)
English translation: Henkka
Lamp online: website, label, blog, Facebook, Twitter, Spotify, YouTube, SoundCloud, Instagram
You can buy Lamp’s music directly from the band, both physically and digitally, on Bandcamp.
This group of three men and women known as Lamp debuted in April 2003. Whenever I listen to their young, lively sound, I’m always brought back to the season of the blazing sun…
In this interview, we talked to the band about their origins and about the making of this album.
Less than a year after their debut, Soyokaze Apartment 201, Lamp came out with Koibito e, their amazing second album. Below you will find two interviews pertaining to the release along with Someya Taiyo’s track-by-track liner notes for all of the songs on it. Enjoy!
Original text & interview: OOPS!
English translation: Henkka
Lamp online: website, label, blog, Facebook, Twitter, Spotify, YouTube, SoundCloud, Instagram
You can buy Lamp’s music directly from the band, both physically and digitally, on Bandcamp.
Updating the Concept of “Pure Ubiquitous Pop”
These three youngsters by the names of Someya Taiyo (guitar), Nagai Yusuke (vocals, bass, etc), and Sakakibara Kaori (vocals, accordion, flute) formed Lamp in 2000. They debuted in 2003 with their album Soyokaze Apartment 201 that demonstrated how well they understand city pop, bossa nova, and AOR — all of the “pleasant sounds.”
Not only is their sophomore effort way up there in terms of its degree of perfection, the group have also demonstrated here their will and resolve to “update” pop music as a whole. Above all, they are capable of analyzing themselves very objectively. At the risk of exaggeration, the author of this article feels that this band is an answer to the so-called “sampling era” of the 90s.
This is the pop music of a new era.