Jon Underdown (vocalist of fade) was recently interviewed by Danzen TV. I decided to take a shot at translating it while my attention is still fully focused on fade, haha. I thought the interview was only one page, but there's a whole other page. x.x I figured I couldn't stop once I started, though, so here are the fruits of my (amateur) labor.
Original article
If anyone knows Japanese, PLEASE read this over and maybe give me some pointers? There are a few spots where I know it's iffy, but I'm pretty sure I got the jist of it.
Anyways, here you go!
____
His hometown is Seattle. The man
who loves Japan above all else, Jon. He’s the vocalist of rock band fade, and
last year, he was a part of GACKT’s project YELLOW FRIED CHICKENz. We’ve
interviewed this man who also works as a fashion model! He talked to us about
topics like the contrasting faces of Japan and his attraction to Japanese women.
Speaking of fade, there are a lot of different essences that unite in
the band…
Jon: I was raised in America and
it’s been 12 years since I came to Japan. Other members have returned to here
to their home country, so there are a lot of different backgrounds in the band.
So, the fact that there are different essences in fade is natural. In our
latest album, TEN, we decided to express these different parts even more,
especially. Because “One Reason” was used as the theme song of Deadman
Wonderland and thanks to YELLOW FRIED CHICKENz, our overseas fans have
increased. The result of this was, while thinking, “We want to reach as many kinds
of people as possible!” we created our latest album.
For instance, “In the End” is the intro and has a very Japanese-style
melody, right? I think this is really individual.
Jon: It starts off with this
Japanese-style feeling, then suddenly completely changes into a Western-style
sound. I think this is really representative of fade. It’s the first song of
the album, but it completely says “This is who we are” and exemplifies us.
This song is on the “Shark Night” TV spot, right?
Jon: That’s right. Shark Night is
a really intense horror movie. I think it’s a good combination with “In the
End.” For people who like this kind of splatter horror film, it’d make me
really happy if those people could listen to fade’s music.
Shark Night seems interesting.
Jon: It’s really interesting. It’s
got an 80’s horror feeling, like Friday the 13th. It’s a summer camp
setting kind of movie. That kind of feeling. I think it’s geared towards people
who like that.
After you released your album, you toured around the country. How was
that?
Jon: It was unbelievably
exciting. It’s every musician’s dream to have a lot of people who listened to
your album gather in one place. We even sang the English songs together. I was
extremely happy.
It was a tour that made you glad you’ve kept going, huh?
Jon: Totally right. It’s been 10
years. We’ve had good times, but we’ve also had some not-so-good times. (laugh)
It makes me proud that we’ve overcome all of those times together as a band.
Your profile is really interesting, so is it okay if I ask some
questions about that?
Jon: Yeah, sure!
You first came to Japan as an exchange student in college, right?
Jon: Yeah, that’s right.
Did you have interest in Japan from the start?
Jon: I did. It’s cliché, but I’ve
watched ninja movies since I was around 5 or 6. (laugh) That stuff was really
exciting to me as a kid. “What? Japan has that kind of culture?” I thought. I
liked American pro-wrestling, but I learned about all of these varieties of
Asian martial arts and I was really into it. In the beginning, I didn’t really
know the difference between Japan, China, and Southeast Asian styles, though.
(laugh) I thought all of it was interesting. Then I started studying the
Japanese language and from then on I had a particular interest in Japan.
I’ve heard you’ve also studied some classic Japanese literature, right?
Jon: I took a Japanese history
class. “The Tale of Genji”… it wasn’t a book with words… it had pictures and
stuff… what was it called again?
A picture scroll?
Jon: Yeah, that! I studied that
and thought the story was interesting. It made me think about things like the
philosophies that make up a place like Tokyo. I think Japan is a hybrid of old
culture and new culture. I think that’s really fascinating. Like when I walk
down the street, I’ll suddenly see a big shrine next to a building or a
McDonald’s next to a kimono shop. (laugh)
That kind of jumble is what makes Japan interesting, right?
Jon: Right. (laugh) Japanese
people themselves have that kind of hybrid nature. I think it’s because they
carry a mixture of traditional Japanese spirit and modern philosophies. That
what I really love about them.
I’ve often heard that Japanese people are skilled at arranging ideas or
things from abroad and adopting them to their own. Like anpan. Do you know anpan?
Jon: Yeah, I know. (laugh) I love
American culture, but I think it would be good if they would adopt more things
from overseas.
Are you interested in places like Kyoto, too?
Jon: Yeah, they’re interesting. You
can discover a lot of things while walking through them because so many old things
are left behind. I like that there are different sceneries for the four
seasons, too. In Seattle, it’s not really cold or hot for 7 months, then there
are two months of summer, then it goes back to that for 3 months. There isn’t a
lot of variation.
The old buildings in Kyoto form a pattern according to the era they
were built in. Isn’t that interesting?
Jon: Yeah, it is. There are ones
built during a time when China had a strong influence, then there are ones
built during the Kamakura period. Actually, while I was in America, I learned
Japanese tea ceremony, so I’m also interested in that. I’ve gone to see Sen No
Rikyuu tea ceremony. The gap between the gaudier style of places like Kinkakuji
was interesting. Tea ceremony is wabisabi
(emphasizing quiet simplicity and subdued refinement) and has a very
bushido-like philosophy, I think. I’m also interested in that.
Wow, you’ve studied tea ceremony?
Jon: When I was at my home
university [in the US]. There’s a Japanese tea ceremony association in Seattle.
It had a Japanese-style garden with a tea house inside. We performed tea
ceremonies in a room with a tokonoma
(alcove where art or flowers are displayed). It was decorated with scrolls that
matched the season and ikebana. It
was a really calming experience. The way you turn the tea cup, the way you walk;
it’s all really nuanced. That’s another thing I think is interesting about
Japan. Nuances change according to words and inflections. American culture isn’t
that precise.
When you studied in Japan, did you go to a lot of places besides Kyoto?
Jon: I did, but the most
important thing for me at that time was the feeling of, “I want to try living
here.” In this way, I lived in Tokyo and learned something new every day. It
would be like, “Let’s take the train to Shitamachi today!” Then I’d go cycling.
If I just stuck out my antennae, every day was a learning experience.
Do you have a favorite spot in Tokyo?
Jon: It depends on my mood. If I want
to go somewhere loud and flashy, I’d pick Akasaka, Seizen, Shinjuku, or
Shibuya. If I want to see more traditional things, I’d say places like Asakusa
or Ueno. I also like places with the refinement of the Showa era, so I also go
to Shitamachi. Besides that, I also go to Nishiogi.
You go to Nishiogikubo? You’re a maniac. (laugh)
Jon: I like it. (laugh) Don’t you
think it has a lot of the essence of the Showa era left behind? Like that, the
fact that Tokyo has so many different places is interesting. There are places
where you can suddenly find nature. Since I lived in Kichijoji for a really
long time, I like elements of Western Tokyo, too. I take walks in places like
Mitaka and Tamagawajosui. When I walk around Tamagawajosui, it really makes an
impression on me. The river flows alongside the freeway, and there’s a hiking course
along the road. Along that trail, grandmas and grandpas grow vegetables. I went
there a lot to buy vegetables.
You have good taste. (laugh)
Jon: (laugh) Because those kinds
of places are unexpected, they’re interesting.
That’s interesting. You’ve lived in Japan for 12 years already, right?
Jon: Right. (laugh) At first, I
only planned on staying here for a year, though.
Since this is a chance we’ve waited a long time for, is it okay to move
on to a softer subject?
Jon: Yeah, that’s okay. (laugh)
What are your thoughts on attraction to Japanese women?
Jon: Attraction to Japanese
women? I have a lot of it. (laugh) First, I think there are a lot of cute
(single) women. In my eyes, it seems like they pay really particular attention
to their behavior. It’s more that I respect that about them than I like it, I
think. “Just by seeing his hard-working figure, I get fired up, too. It makes
me want to help him.” Isn’t that something you hear often? That kind of consideration is like passive
assistance, isn’t it? I think that
aspect of Japanese women is amazing. In America, I feel like there are a lot of
girls who are more like, “What? Your job? Eating with me is more important!” Of
course, I can understand that feeling; I just admire that Japanese women’s way
of thinking more. The first time I heard about that way of thinking, I was
shocked. “It’s like it’s not ladies first; it’s guy’s first?” speaking of how
women raise men up in that regard. To be honest, I think it’s because Japanese
women are really strong.
I see.
Jon: Also, I like women’s
language. In English, there isn’t any distinction between male and female
language, but there is in Japanese. If a girl uses words that are distinctively
feminine, it really makes her seem more womanly. It really affects me; I think
it’s cute and sexy.
Japanese women are even popular overseas, huh?
Jon: They are. I think they’re
popular all over the world.
I think that a lot of Japanese women have a sort of inferiority complex
against Western women. Could you give them a message?
They should be confident. I think
their long, glossy black hair is beautiful. It’s not like I want them to wear
yukata every day, but when they wear traditional Japanese clothes, isn’t it
beautiful? I think they should know that it’s a strong sort of attraction that
only Japanese women can achieve. Be confident. They shouldn’t have that
complex. It’s only natural that they’re different from foreign women. There are
a lot of things about Japan that they are probably proud of, so they should try
to focus more on those things.
___
That's the end of the interview! What did you think?
(Also, did I mention I live in Mitaka and Kichijoji and Nishiogikubo are literally 2 or 3 train stops away from me? So close, yet so far away...lol)
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