Tsuchi's "Taiko Strange Story" 19th | The importance of conversation

Dear readers of the JPC newsletter, the time has come for the familiar taiko stories. It's the usual start, but today's situation is a little different. What on earth...?

It was a very cold January day. The New Year's mood has long since disappeared, and life has returned to normal. On such a midwinter evening, a carefree old man and a beautiful woman have a secret meeting in an old-fashioned room in a building in Asakusa...The man walks around town wearing an old coat and sunglasses, as if refusing contact with the world. The woman walked at a good pace with a straight back and a slight smile on her lips. Both of them were drawn into this old building in the city of Asakusa, as if welcoming what was about to happen with some anxiety but even more joy.

I tried to write it in the style of a novel, but what I mean by that is that I was able to have a conversation with Risa "Taikoban" Okada, who is serialized in this magazine, at the suggestion of the editor of this magazine, Mr. Nishio, a downtown Jedi master who made a name for himself in the drum industry as the famous store manager of Drum City. Actually, this was my first time having a ``conversation,'' and I had no idea what to do or how to do it, so I just did what Mr. Nishio told me to do, and I just blurted out something meaningful, like ``My Melody, My Rhythm,'' and was immersed in joy. Or rather, it's difficult. Anyone who knows me will tell you in unison, ``It's okay, Tsucchi, just keep talking in your normal tone.'' It wasn't that stupid. After all, more than 90% of the things I talk about are meaningless nonsense and end up disappearing on the spot. I have to have this ``conversation that lasts.'' This creates responsibility. Now that's tough. Just as I was feeling nervous, Jedi Master Nishio-san, who was standing by my bedside, said to me, ``You don't need to worry too much, as I've already talked about it in this paper,'' so I relaxed and headed to JPC.

This is only my third time meeting Risa Okada, who will be my interviewee, but from the first time I met her, I got the impression that she was a woman with a very cute smile who struck up a conversation with me.When I listened to the D.W. Nichols music she was playing, I realized that Risa Okada is a wonderful drummer who plays only for the sake of the ``songs'' in her cheerful beats. What's the secret behind her simple and lyrical playing, where you can clearly see her respect and love for roots music? I thought it would be great if I could ask about this in a conversation. But...I'm writing this manuscript now, regretting my excessive talking...sweat.
For example, what kind of practice do you usually do? Things like equipment, things to be careful about when playing, etc. are not talked about very much, and it's more of a psychological thing, each other's roots, and differences in interpretation due to differences in the way men and women feel.It's a big deal when you put it into words, but in reality, it's the bottom of the deep river that flows between men and women like, ``What do women feel at a time like this?'' or ``Oh, that's how men feel.'' We were having a very relaxed time, just peeking in and talking about things.

Conversation | Yoshinori Tsuchida x Risa Okada “My Melody, My Rhythm”
One day, during a conversation with Mr. Okada, he casually said, ``It would be interesting to have a discussion with Mr. Tsucchi, and I would like to do it,'' and this conversation became a reality. The topics covered a wide range of topics, including the differences in sensibilities between men and women in everyday life, love, movies, and food, and the topics were very rich. Here we take a peek at the conversation between the two, focusing on topics related to music.
 

No matter who you talk to on a regular basis, a casual comment can sometimes make you startle. However, this conversation was a series of such things, and I got the impression that Ricchan, who laughed brightly and talked about various things, was a person with intelligent instincts, and he had a completely different logic from a man's, no, he had a big swell that could easily blow away a man's logic, and he had a very groovy and accurate machine in his stomach.Where can you buy that machine? I wanted to ask this question, but then I realized that it's probably something we men will never be able to obtain. That's why it was great to be able to talk to each other about how men and women are interesting, and Nishio-san's way of intervening was exquisite, and I think we had a really fun conversation.However, my only regret is that I talked too much...Next time, I'd like Ricchan to talk more.LOL
I don't even know if there will be a next one lol

After the conversation, em's banquet was so exciting that I wish I had recorded that as well. When I drink alcohol, I end up talking more and more, and I feel sorry for making you all talk about such nonsense... My next goal is to actually go and listen to Risa Okada play. Of course it's good to listen to it on CD, but I would like to experience her breathing in real time. When I said this, Ricchan said, ``Ah, I want to hear Tucchi-san play too!'', so I felt like I was able to get a glimpse of that secret through this conversation, that I want to keep busy and play as well as I can until that time comes.

Conversation is like playing catch, and when you catch the ball that the other person is throwing, you can understand how the other person is feeling. On the other hand, if you throw the ball with your feelings, the other player will understand how you feel. It's obvious, but in addition to that, I'm checking myself while following the ball I've thrown with my eyes. I am deeply grateful to Mr. Nishio, who organized the conversation, and Ms. Risa Okada, who spoke to me, as it was a conversation that made me realize so many things about myself. We would also like to thank Mr. Narita of Komaki Musical Instruments for setting up the banquet, for letting us hear many stories, and for providing us with delicious food and delicious sake. Please read the transcript of the conversation that Mr. Nishio transcribed while crying, and try to imagine the atmosphere.

In this day and age, when many things are done on computers and smartphones, and even confessions of love are done on LINE, it was a day when I realized that the lives of performers and musicians who make their living by ``playing music'' instead of ``conversing'' face-to-face. Performance is music, a language for conversation. Let's all talk more lol See you soon. I pray for your health and peace of mind.