Was the legend of Kayama-san's meat true?
I'm sure you had a lot of communication with Kayama-san during the songwriting process, but what do you think is cool about him?
Okuda: This song is exactly about Kayama-san. I think that Kayama-san has leadership skills and a welcoming mood that says, "Come to my house," and he is very open-minded. He is always ready to come over, and he doesn't go out of his way to prepare just because someone is coming over...well, of course he does prepare, but in his case, he says, "I do it every day.
So it's a real "Come on home.
Okuda: It really was the image of a big man as it should be. Also, Mr. Kayama built a boat when he was a student*. (*) He is a man of action who goes all out in pursuit of what he loves. Of course, he has a lot of money, but he puts it all into his work without hesitation. Even if I were a wealthy man, I wonder if I would have the physical strength to do so.
*Editor's note: Mr. Kayama has designed more than 20 vessels himself.
What is the story of the legend of the flesh, for example?
Okuda: Like eating raw meat, and 50 of them (laughs). When I checked with him, he said, "Not that much, but close to that," (laughs). He also said, "Hearing you talk like that makes me want to eat raw meat" (laughs).
How do you think you age, Tamio?
Okuda: I am not a health-conscious person. I smoke and drink. I vaguely wonder if I will quit for some reason someday. There is a possibility that I will stay the same. At any rate, I do think that I have to be careful (laughs).
I seem to remember that you mentioned in one of your old books about your Unicorn days that you liked to swim.
Okuda: I'm not a good swimmer, but I do like floating on floats. I don't run hard or do anything strenuous. I've done things like run or bike ride before a tour, but I'm not a big fan of strength training and I don't want to get muscular. I don't really like strength training, and I don't want to be a fatty. So I'm sure I'll be reluctant to take care of my body and health until the day I die. It's not that I don't still do sit-ups or anything, but I do wish there was a middle ground.
