Interview: Gen
I met Gen back in 2001. He and his wife, Emi, were the first non-co-worker people I hung out with here. Music was often a part of the conversation, and shared tastes were likely a foundation of the friendship. Despite that, I never knew that he’d been in a band.
From that point on, surprises kept coming.
Separate of Gen, I met Michiyo, and learned that they used to be in a band together - Asskick.
I asked a friend about them and he said, Yeah, I know them. Everyone knows them.
A few years ago, I learned of a reunion concert of several local bands, with Asskick closing the show. I learned later that the concert had already been planned and the other bands asked for Asskick to reform and play again.
Since then (up until the hiatus of all live music) I’ve seen Asskick perform at Sakuraza, Feel Rock Cafe, and the 2019 High Life Yatsugatake Festival.
So, in this post, I’m going to introduce you to the band, try to connect you to some music (in a time when there aren’t any live performances), and talk to someone who’s been making something happen in Kofu for 30 years.
The origins of the band go back to Tokai High School, where Gen formed a band called Milky Way. They did covers of Queen, Kiss, and the Eagles and performed at their school festival. When he was 21, he took over a job from his 先輩 (sempai) at リズム (Rhythm), a record store that used to be on Yamanote Street, near Asahi Street.
It’s in the lower left corner of this advertisement for record stores.
Unfortunately, it’s all gone now, just a parking lot next to a FamilyMart. At リズム, Gen met Muko, who played bass. They started planning a band, with Gen bringing in a drummer, and Muko bringing in a guitarist, and Michiyo on keyboards.
This early incarnation of Asskick played shows in Kofu and often in Tokyo, performing in Shinjuku, Shibuya, and Shimo-Kitazawa. In addition to the places I’ve already mentioned, the current line-up has played in Kazoo Hall, Kofu 101, King Rat, and Rock (Kiyosato.) The current line-up is:
Hideto (Muko) - Bass, Michiyo - Keyboards, Gen - Vocals, Satoshi - Drums, Atsushi - Guitar
More photos, in a video, click here.
And a live show at Conviction.
Click here for a longer version.
Interview
Are you from Yamanashi?
Yes, I was born in Ise.
When you were in high school, what was your best subject and after school activity? Are they relevant now?
Science, and I do use it a little bit in my work. In junior high I was in the brass band. In high school, the brass band didn’t seem so good, so I joined the 軽音 (kei-on, light music, or popular music) club. Members of that club formed the band, Milky Way.
When you were in high school, where did you hang out with friends?
Our club wasn’t a school-sanctioned activity. We weren’t supported by the school, we were supported by our parents. And we didn’t have a special activity room. We just cleared everything to the side and played in a regular classroom.
How often do you (did you used to) go to Tokyo?
Every other month, for art shows. There isn’t enough of a variety of exhibitions in Kofu.
What do you think should go in Yamako?
A place for live music or an art house movie theater.
If Kofu got a baseball team, what should the team name be?
カワセミ. The Kofu Kingfishers.
Not only does “Kofu Kingfishers” have the alliteration common to a lot of sports teams (the Philadelphia Phillies, the Pittsburgh Pirates, Buffalo Bills) but the Kingfisher is Kofu’s official bird. You can find kingfisher statues and images around Kofu and on signs that mark the city line.
Best karaoke song?
Pink Spider.
An Anecdote
When I saw Gen sing at King Rat, there was a supporting act - a trio of local high school students. Gen started his first band in high school and Big Ben and his friends were getting into records in high school. It’s what I wish I had been doing in high school. It makes me think of a high school student I used to teach. He was already focused on his future, career-wise, but he was also very talented music-wise. His friend wrote a melody, my student put chords to it, and with some other classmates they played it at their school festival. Success! In the U.S., some kids say they’re in a band but if you ask them - have you written anything? have you played in front of anyone? No, no. After the school festival, when I asked my student, who could say yes, yes, if he and his classmates were going to get together again, he said, “No, I have to study.”
I asked Gen about this, what was the difference between him and this student. Why are there so many kids who can play, paint, sing, joke but give it up so readily. How come some kids choose a path when they’re 13 and never consider straying from it. Gen and I didn’t make much headway. I guess some would say that’s just the way things are. But I’ll always be disappointed in the idea that we study and work and do hobbies in our free time except at some point we need to use our “free time” to study and work.