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What do Barbie dolls, amusement park rides, plastic toys, extra sensory perception and plastic skirts have in common? Besides the obvious cure for boredom, they are all justadored by the sugary-sweet trio Shonen Knife. This Osaka, Japan, band - Naoko Yamano on vocals and guitar, her sister Atsuko Yamano on drums, and Michie Nakatani on bass - hit it big stateside in 1993 with their first major label release, Let's Knife (Virgin), though they've been candy-coating Japanese and American ears with independent releases since their inception in 1982. (They've recorded singles, 7-inches, a Christmas 12-inch, and full-lengths with 10 labels!) With the new release, Brand New Knife, and yet another new label, Big Deal, Shonen Knife's whimsical punk-pop slant further investigates the lighter side of life: including the fear of frogs and green peas, crazy-dream-inducing wine, fruits and vegetables, battery-powered robots, and playing twister. They're cute, yeah, but they're also considered one of the pioneering bands of Japanese rock - whetting America's appetite for bands like Cibo Matto, The Nelories and Pizzicato Five.
Calling from pay phone in a "very small town in the countryside"
10 miles from Eugene, OR, frontwoman Naoko called to reveal some
of Shonen Knife's innermost thoughts. Do you have a favorite unextreme sport? I very much like bowling, and I like, hmmm? What do you like about it? Bowling is not boring sport. Shonen Knife sometimes went to bowling alley. [Michie Nakatani] always plays with the heaviest ball. [laughs] She doesn't throw the ball, she puts the ball on the floor, and the ball is going very, very slowly. She often gets strikes though. She's the best bowling player in Shonen Knife. I like to throw very hard but? Have you ever played horseshoes? What is that? It's where you throw shoes of horses at a stick and try to wrap it around. Oh, no. Since you started in 1982, you kept your day jobs [Clothing designer, and office jobs] until recently. Why did it take so long to quit and do Shonen Knife full time? That was five years ago! We didn't have a major record deal and there was not enough money for living. Did your colleagues know what you did in the evenings? Yes, many co-workers were cooperative. [They] bought our CDs and often came to shows. In many of your songs, you talk about American pop culture. What is it about this culture that attracts you? Many things in Japan are very Americanized. American culture is Japanese culture. I had a Barbie doll as a child. Barbie was very common. Sometimes these toys are made in Asian countries too. There are no borders. Are you feminists? In my opinion men and women should be equal, the same. So is that feminist? All people should be equal. Animals too. How about cats? I heard you were fond of cats. Cats too. Cats are good. How do you compare your look - coordinated, fashion-conscious, plastic, bright colors - to some of the grunge bands you have toured with? I think sloppy grunge is also fashion. They pretend to be not well-dressed but they are dressed up. Wearing dirty clothes is also fashion. When I am touring, I don't have enough time to take shower! We finished a show last night, then we rode in a bus for more than 10 hours. Does it bother you to not be able to get a shower? No. I don't like showers, like a lot of grunge bands. [giggles] Who is your favorite clothing designer? Our drummer makes all our stage clothes. But who other than Atsuko? There's this company Ozone Community, in Tokyo. I don't know the designers' names but I like the clothes a lot. What are you wearing now? Bright pink plastic? Nooo. I am wearing sports sweatpants. [laughs] For sleeping. I bought these in New York in February. These are for touring. And a green trainer sweater. Black pants and a studio jacket. The jacket has two words on the back: Wonder Girl. Do you consider yourselves Wonder Girls? We're wild girls. [giggles] Japanese clothes have many strange words on them. Japanese people don't see English words as words or letters. They see them each as characters. In many of the articles that have been written about Shonen Knife, you are always described as "cute." Will you ever get sick of being called "cute"? Actually, we are very ugly. [giggles] When we get out pictures taken we do makeup. I think we are not so cute like? supermodel. Our minds are very cute. We like many cute, kitschy things. But we're serious about our music. Do you think they see you as simply cute and not as serious musicians? I don't mind if people say we are cute. I don't care what they think. We are just doing as we want. [laughs] How did your parents, being traditional Japanese, react when you started playing instruments? We [she and sister Atsuko] played piano when we were little. Were they upset when you wanted to play rock music? No, they weren't upset. But they wanted me to just play classical music. I was lazy so I didn't practice. And the teacher was scary! He was very strict for me. So I quit very quickly. What's your favorite food? Nuts. Macadamia. Mmmm. How about your favorite band? Right now, The Presidents of the United States of America. Their second album. I also like Supergrass. Their first album. How about your favorite city in the United States? I can't choose. I like every city here, they have good part and bad part. How about sports. Which sport is the most fashion-friendly? Tennis. I like tennis very much. If we play tennis, we get to wear very short skirts with racy gorgeous pants. Nice looking. Any last words? Please listen to Brand New Knife and enjoy. |