Don't end up in the underground. The new betcover!
I have the strong impression that Mr. Yanase wears a suit at his live performances.
Yanase: I want to create a catchy image, so I wear a suit when I appear on stage. Nick Cave and Jack White also wear suits on stage. I also like chivalrous movies, so there is some influence from that.
Do you feel more relaxed when you wear a suit?
Yanase: It's a mess. It's like armaments, and when I put on the suit, I feel crisp and tall.
What are your personal clothes like?
Yanase: I tend to dress like an uncle. Like a jersey or sweatshirt set-up (laughs). I like fashion, but I don't know much about it. I used to work at a vintage clothing store.
Do you like vintage clothes?
Yanase: I like them. They are inexpensive, and there are a variety of designs and shapes depending on the age. But recently, I've come to think that brand-name products are cool, too.
What kind of image do you have of "BEAMS"?
Yanase: While visiting the store, I always think that there are so many cool clothes. So I was very happy to be allowed to wear them this time. I was very happy to be allowed to wear it this time.
What was the most memorable piece of clothing or styling from the shoot?
Yanase: I thought the magenta-colored parka you wore in the riverside scene was nice. I was thinking of incorporating color this year, and I thought the coloring was wonderful. I learned a lot about color balance in coordination. Then there were the green pants I wore in the scene on the roadside. I thought they looked like they would match with my own clothes, so I was interested in them.
Both of these items have an old-fashioned design. Do you like old movies and music as well as clothes?
Yanase: I like old things, but I also like new things. I also listen to recent music. I listen to BE:FIRST, which is totally different from the music of betcover! I also check out the latest fashion.
That is somewhat surprising.
Yanase: However, music is at the center of my life. I tend to dress according to the image of the sound and lyrics I seek. Old folk rock, psychedelic music, and progressive rock have a strong essence, so I choose clothes that have a strong affinity with those genres. However, I think there is something about suits that transcends the times. Even if you are an old man, you can still look cool in a suit, can't you?
I remember the old jazzmen used to play in suits, too.
Yanase: Yes, it is. That's one of the influences. I love that slenderness of Bill Evans and so on. I think it's cool to play funky, hard sounds in that kind of mood. Of course it is easier to play in a T-shirt because you get all sweaty, but I like the inconvenience of playing in a suit because it feels chic.
The music of "betcover! s music is a mixture of various elements of rock music and has a charm that is hard to describe in a single word.
Yanase: That may be so. The members of the band play a wide variety of music, and I think that is why the band is so expansive. We absorb a lot of different things and express them in our own way. If we play it as it is, it is just a parody, so we are conscious of mixing our own essence to make it original.
I know there is a lot of birth pains there.
Yanase: It doesn't come easily to me. It has been 8 years since we started the band, and we have made about 5 albums, but the hurdles we have had to overcome have become higher and higher as we have worked harder and harder. We are now thinking about how to overcome those hurdles.
In a sense, you feel like you are in a transitional period?
Yanase: Yes, that's right. I want to incorporate new things without being too rigid. That's how I feel about fashion. I think that is why I want to incorporate color into my work. I think they are quite connected.
Are all the songs written by you?
Yanase: That's right. I compose the music, write the lyrics, and arrange the music myself. I only tell the members the free parts and ask them to play them freely. That's why each live performance is different. I don't like to perform the same way as on the CD, because live performance is a living organism.
In a way, it's like a jazz band, isn't it?
Yanase: I am conscious of that. If I were in the audience's shoes, I would want to see live performances. I often go to see live jazz performances, and I never forget the shock I feel when I see them.
I would like to know about your future activities at the end of this interview.
Yanase: You mentioned earlier that we are in a transitional period, and I would like to sell more from now on.
That is also somewhat surprising.
Yanase: I want to have big dreams. When you are restricted in many ways, you lose your freedom and cannot create music or perform live as you would like. I am easily influenced by such things, which is why I have been working hard as an independent musician, but after making three albums in the past three years, I feel that I have gained strength in my own way. That is why I would like to expand my activities in the next phase of my career. I think we have already passed the phase where we only need to reach people who understand our music, so I want to involve more people.
What are your goals for this year?
Yanase: We want to be freer and even more entertaining in our work, as well as in our live performances. We don't want to end up in the underground. We want to create a new "betcover! We want to create a new "betcover!
