Dan Betsey/Brian Teaman "Music" Interview@(Part 2)

Q1. Tell me, what kinds of music do you like?
A1. Oh wow. UhcI like, recently Ifvec my friends have been introducing me to a lot of J-Pop. Ifve been listening to a lot ofc lot of Japanese artists these days. Uhcbig hip-hop fan, big rock fan, I guess, rock, whatever that means. (laughs) Umcjazz, classical music. Uhcyou name it. I think, besides American country music, I think Ifm pretty much game for anything.
Q2. Letfs start with hip-hop.
A2. A. Hip-hip. Oh wow. Uhc(laughs). I think I started listening to hip-hop when I was in junior high school. Uhcthe first band that I remember being really huge was Public Enemy. And umcI guess, yeah, I thought they were okay, but I actually didnft start, I used to borrow music from my brother, and hefd say gthis is hip-hoph, Ifd be like gokay, thatfs niceh. Anything my older brother did, I wanted to do. But, I think after, when I entered high school, is when I started discovering bands that I really liked. One of my favorites was, is uhca band called De La Soul. Umcsomething about it, itfs hard to explain why you like a certain type of music, but uhcit appeals to me. And uhcyeah. Ifve been buying every single one of their albums whenever they come out, over, yeah, since you know, childhood I guess.
Q3. Are they still playing?
A3. A. They are. Uh-huh. They just came out with their, like, sixth album or something like that.
Q4. How is hip-hop different from rap?
A4. Wow. I always thought they were the same thing. And I got a little bit confused when people started arguing, you know grap is not hip-hop, hip-hop is not raph. Or, that sort of thing. I use both words freely, and I usually mean it to, you know, when I say it, Ifm describing the, you know, the same types of music. So, a lot of people I know started calling rap the hip-hop that was mainstream. So if you could hear it, turn on your radio and just hear it playing, that meant that it was rap, and that meant that it wasnft hip-hop. But, I didnft really, you know, understand that whole movement. So, I use both words, hip-hop, rap, I think theyfre the same.
Q5. You kind of laughed when you said grockh, thatfs a big subject, right?
A5. Yeah. What is grockh? What, you know, what are the categories? Is it metal, is it hard rock, is itcwhat? So, yeah. Umcthe first rock band, to use that term, whatever, rock band that I like, I think was Prince. UmcPrince and the Revolution was the first time I had heard of Prince (laughing). And umcI remember I got that album actually on vinyl when I was six years old. Someone gave it to me at my birthday. And uhcI think my parents liked it, I was too young to just, you know, to really be interested in music, I think. You know, my parents liked it, my whole family liked it, so I played the record to death. You know, even the songs about, you know, sexually suggestive lyrics, Ifd just be sitting there at six years-old goh wow, itfs so much funh. Anyway. UmcI had no idea what was being said. But uhcyeah, I think, Prince was probably the first rock band that I had an interest in.
Q6. Did your parents mind the, his adult lyrics, around you? Was that a problem?
A6. I guess not, ecause they, you know, didnft care if I listened to the gDarling Nikkih song, you know, even when I was that young. So, my parents have actually always been very liberal, you know, they say, you know, gtake a look, if something, if you have a question, if it bothers you, you know, let us knowh, you know. They did kind of shield me a little bit from, you know, certain things, butc Yeah, my parents really didnft seem to have a problem with any of that.
Q7. How about classical?
A7. Classical music. My parents were more into e60fs, like, and e70fs rock and soul music. My fatherfs a huge Jimi Hendrix fan, and my mother loves Aretha Franklin and people like that. Neither of them really like classical all that much. They always had a few songs that they liked, butc So the first time I started listening to classical music was when I entered high school, uhcin the school band. I joined it, umcand thatfs when I started to learn percussion. And uhcthe friends that I had in the band, symphonic band, started to introduce me to their favorite classical artists. Umcprobably my favorite of the, yeah, my favorite would be Ravel. UhcI still canft remember the name of the famous one that he composed. But uhcyeah, hefs probably my favorite. And I enjoy just going to the store and listening to new, people Ifve never heard of, you know, like 20th century, umcclassical artists as well.
Q8. O.K. How about J-Pop? What have you learned about J-Pop since youfve been here?
A8. What have I learned about J-Pop? Almost everyone knows everyonefs name. Uhcitfs funny, people just can go back for years and name who was popular at which time. Things like that. The other thing that I notice is that uhc
Q9. Whofs popular now?
A9. Ohctherefs so many. There is the Chemistry band, not band, itfs just Chemistry. Uhc(laughs), the other, I think, I havenft checked the list lately, but is the Gospellers, I believe. UhcuhcHamasaki Ayumi just had a new album, I believe. Um the other thing is that it seems like a certain star will really have a huge effect on whatfs popular amongst young people in Japan. Be it hairstyles, or forms of dress. UmcIfm not really sure who started the yamamba craze, but I heard it was a singer, perhaps Shina Ringo, or maybe it was the other one I mentioned, Hamasaki Ayumi. But, when a star comes out with a certain look, the, a lot of kids kind of, you know, say gwow, thatfs in, thatfs fashionableh, and uhcall the kids you see, practically, on the street, you know, outside of school or things like that, have similar fashions.
Q10. If you could get a ticket for any concert, of Japanese pop music, who would you want to see?
A10. Who would I wanna see? Theyfre a little bit, I donft really like them so much, but Ifd love to see a Smap concert. Just because people are so crazy about all the members in that band. You know, I hear about (laughing), you know, people taking their kids to see Smap. Theyfll be older women that, you know have grandkids that go to see Smap. And they love, you know, Kimutaku, and, hefs the lead singer or whatever, one of the most popular ones. SocI donft really like them all that much, but Ifd love to just go and watch the whole thing take place. I think thatfd be really interesting.
Q11. Whatfs your favorite song to sing?
A11. Uhcthe DragonBall theme song. Therefs a cartoon show called DragonBall, and thatfs one of the only Japanese songs I can sing from beginning to end, soc (Laughs)
A12. Can you sing a little for us?
A12. Uh-uh (laughing). Sorry.