I don't want to wear my own T-shirts . I'm embarrassed (laughs).
HIROSHI NAGAI for Graphpaper
*This T-shirt is already sold out!
. The artwork printed on this T-shirt also looks very cool. I heard that you received a love call from Mr. Minami of "Graphpaper" to collaborate on this project.
Nagai:Yes, that's right. I was introduced by an acquaintance. I had a chance to look at the brand's catalog, and I really liked the atmosphere. I liked the atmosphere of the brand. I used to love big polos. Also, they are particular about materials.
I heard that the illustration on the T-shirt was chosen by Mr. Minami.
Nagai:Yes, yes. I happened to be drawing this when he came to my house. He said, "Well, I'll take this one.
. And you silk-screened it?
Nagai:It was Mr. Minami's idea. Nowadays, I would never think of silk-screening something like this. It is amazing that this picture was printed on silk. . The material of the fabric and the shape are also good to begin with. I don't want to wear my own T-shirts, but I am embarrassed (laughs).
What kind of T-shirts do you usually wear?
Nagai:It's nothing, it's a T-shirt with a loose neck. I'm embarrassed to wear mine. I like to see people wearing them, though , and I'm glad.
. The pool depicted here is also very cool.
Nagai:Yes . Like the light blue and dark shadows alone would make it cooler. . I think that is the point. I have painted this type of picture many times. It is a simple picture, but I thought it would be interesting if I enlarged it, so I drew it large.
. because ads will be forgotten before long , but music will remain.
Ms. Nagai, your illustrations are supported by people of all ages. Why do you think that is?
Nagai:We were lucky that city pop happened to boom (laughs).
But, you know, greed makes things go wrong. It is no good if you want to be famous. If you work steadily, good things will happen by chance. I used to visit a senior illustrator named Teruhiko Yumura, and he gave me a lot of encouragement. The person who was in charge of the design for "A LONG VACATION" asked me, "How about you, Nagai-kun? He asked me if I would be interested in working with him.
I see.
Nagai:Time passed from there, and I had been working for Manhattan Records on a commission basis. Then you would meet people from the record company, right? . I feel like there is some kind of connection. Also, there is a bar in Roppongi called "George's," and in the 1990s, I got a job on an AOR compilation series called "breeze" from someone I met at the bar. This was before AOR became popular.
Do you like music and is that the main source of your activities?
Nagai:Ads will be forgotten before long , but music will remain.
. Finally, please tell us what the act of painting has come to mean to you after having been illustrating for so long.
Nagai:My initial motive for becoming an illustrator was impure. I wanted to buy records with the money I earned from drawing pictures. That was the beginning. I had no idea that it would become a profession. So I had the feeling that it was not my main job.
What is it that keeps you going?
Nagai:I think the secret to being able to continue is to go through a crisis, isn't it? If you have no complaints and it is smooth sailing, you will have to quit someday. When you hit a financial crisis or some other problem that requires you to take things seriously, you can get back on your feet. That's what happened to me repeatedly (laughs).
