What does it mean to write? Writing is a very simple task one can do with only a pen and paper. And yet, the possibilities are endless. This popular series from last year comes back with a new lineup of interviewees. To everyone who is involved in writing on a daily basis, what does it mean to write?

What does it mean to write?

Gota Nishidera【２】

SEASON2 vol.2

Gota Nishidera

I continue to research no matter how long it takes, and write.
That’s where I find something new.

While being a musician himself for the band Nona Reeves, Gota Nishidera produces various songs for artists. At the same time, he’s a storyteller for musicians from the 80s, including Michael Jackson and Prince, and talks about their songs and episodes in various places. When storytelling, a notebook where he’s packed information in, yet is easy to read, is crucial. We asked Nishidera on what it means to handwrite.

ProfileGota Nishidera

Born in 1973, Tokyo. Brought up in Kyoto.

Formed the band Nona Reeves during university and is the vocalist. He also works as a songwriter and producer for various musicians. Is also a specialist in 80s music and has worked on official liner notes for Michael Jackson and Prince, and many others.

Publications include: New “Michael Jackson” School Books (Shincho Bunko), Michael Jackson (Kodansha Gendai Shinsho), We are the curse (NHK Publishing Shinsho), Prince Atheism (Shincho Shinsho), Janet Jackson and 80s Divas (Seikaisha Shinsho) and more. Also has a publication on his neat notetaking “Note-taking to convey your thoughts” (Small Publishing). A new book from this series “Beginners Note-taking Method” (Small Publishing) is planned to come out on May 28, with tips on taking notes to learn, convey thoughts and to come up with ideas.

Table of Contents

I don't want to teach, I just want to know.

――: Can I ask you a little bit more about how you summarize in your notebook for lectures? For example, you know a lot about Michael Jackson, and I’m sure you talk about him a lot in various places. But I feel that you make adjustments to what you say depending on who you're talking to.

Nishidera: You're right. For example, after a year since Michael passed away, I gave a lecture about Michael at a culture center. This was a time when the movie This Is It came out, and people who didn't know much about Michael, or those who didn't like him that much, started to want to know more about him. He was a person of that moment. That's when someone asked me to give a lecture about him at a culture center. I ended up giving two lectures. In this case, some of the audience weren't even fans of Michael Jackson, but were simply fans of the culture center in itself. For this instance, I started by introducing myself, and also introducing them to Michael from the basics.

: My recent regret is when I talked about Abbey Road by the Beatles in a radio show. The interviewer said that he didn't know about the cover photo and the album of Abbey Road at the start of the show. Because I'm a professional, and live with the mindset of a music enthusiast, I was so certain that everyone would know that iconic picture, even if they didn't know a lot about the Beatles. But, to think of it, it's normal that there are people who don't know.

Last year marks 50 years since Abbey Road came out. In the end, the interviewer bought Abbey Road and did end up loving it.

Because this is the case even with the Beatles, I strongly felt that I have to carefully convey information from the basics for musicians such as Prince and Wham!.

――: I feel that people think they can't go wrong if they ask you about 80s music such as Michael Jackson and Prince. I'm sure that your job as a storyteller is different to a musician, but what do you feel is your mission?

Nishidera: I wanted to be a musician since I was young, and I also hoped I could write songs for other people as a producer alongside singing myself. The reason behind this is Prince. He composed songs for bands and artists while he sang himself, and I thought this was so cool. I'm really chuffed that now, 60% of my job is as a producer. On the other hand, my job as a storyteller was built up through requests. These kinds of jobs expanded as I responded seriously to everyone's requests.

――: I see.

Nishidera: For example, with Prince, it might be a surprise for you to hear that there weren't any books of him written by a Japanese person on his/her own before he passed away, so there were less opportunities for a new generation to know about him. A music-loving editor even made a cover of a book for me and said, "I want to be taught of Prince through your words." Alongside this, we released Prince's new song and I became to write his official liner notes.

Whenever I talk of Prince on a radio, I sure do feel the pressure. In this age, if I say something wrong or pretend like I know everything, someone will soon notice.

――: I can imagine.

Nishidera: Especially with Prince, I know that there are Prince enthusiasts all around Japan who know more about each aspect of him. That's why I write a notebook. To research carefully and summarize the information I've gathered is to create a shield and weapon. I make sure that there are no errors in the years, dates and facts that I share in books and radio shows.

: Of course, because I'm a musician, I make approximations as a musician and talk about it. For example, if there were to be a piece with a doctor as the protagonist, a real doctor will have a definite rule to follow in certain situations and know the big nos. Whether it be an architect, detective or a nursery school teacher, there are things you start to see and realize because you've experienced it. There’ll be different interpretations made by different people. But I make sure that the facts that are at the base of everything: what happened at the recording that day, what someone said and what another person said, are correct and I try to build it up three-dimensionally. It's a bit close to archeology. I carefully take away assumptions, images and preconceptions and convey the shape that comes up after removing them. So I make sure the line between what I've assumed and objective facts is clear.

――: I believe what makes your work interesting is that you lineup all the facts, and on top of that you explain your own thoughts. You've also been in charge of liner notes of albums, right?

Nishidera: Liner notes require a lot of work. I've rewritten liner notes for Michael and the Jacksons after he passed away. For Prince, there's a group of people who know a lot about him and we divide the work between us. But there isn't anyone who'd do Wham! with me. (Laughs) I almost wish a Hobonichi reader out there who knows a lot about Wham! and George Michael would contact me. I really want someone to join me.

: I've never felt that I want to know more than anyone. I actually want to be taught more than to teach. If there's someone who knows a lot, I get excited. With the Internet and smartphones becoming widely used, opportunities to get to know the so-called "music culture", especially with music from overseas, ironically is decreasing. Situations where I’m like "I have to thoroughly search about Prince's “1999" is on the rise.

――: Why do you continue you job as a teller, even though you feel the pressure and have to research for an enormous amount?

Nishidera: I myself love artists who cover music from past musicians and secretly add influences from past musicians to their music or talk about them passionately. Michael Jackson plays an homage to Debussy, Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly and James Brown. Although he doesn't put it to words much, Prince's songs are also influenced by many artists. Wham!'s George Michael is a genius of copying, in a good way. He's great at blending in chord progressions from dance classics into his new melody. He covers a lot, too.

――: You feel more strongly that you want to know more because it's someone you love?

Nishidera: Exactly. I definitely find something new as I research, too. I found something new about Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go just the other day, even though I've heard this tune thousands of times. When they recorded this song, the drummer was actually late and didn't appear. At that time. there was this drum machine called the LinnDrum that was a huge hit, so they tried it out before the drummer came. They liked the sound of it, so decided to record the drum section with the LinnDrum, while the other instruments were recorded live. This is probably why it sounded like a rework of the 60s Motown sound, while also seeming fresh.

But, embarrassingly, I finally realized that the drum wasn't live a few days ago. I guess because I'd listened to this tune since I was young, I didn’t think about it twice. Things like this happen even at this age.

――: You enjoy your new findings.

Nishidera: Yes. That's also why I don't feel that I'm teaching someone when I tell a story. Whether it be the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Prince, Michael or George Michael, there's no way I could know 100% about them. Because I constantly find something new, I will never get bored of researching about these geniuses. That's how I feel.

(End)

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