Rock band "Ling tosite sigure" member TK has released his first written essay titled "Yureru" (Published by KADOKAWA). This essay delves into TK's way of life and philosophy. The multi-creator Mafumafu, comedian Haraitchi Iwai Yuuki, and novelist Haruka Touno have also provided commendatory comments.
In the interview with NewsCrunch, TK discusses the process that led to the publication of the book and explores the differences between music and writing as forms of creative expression. He shares his past attempts at writing a book and unravels the thoughts and emotions that drove him to tackle this book.
It's strange to me when someone says,
"I want you to write something."
—I had the opportunity to read your book "Yureru". I get nervous when reading books by people I admire, but from the very beginning, I felt glad that it was written by you, TK.
TK: Thank you very much.
—In the opening lines, it felt like a declaration of intent, saying, "If I don't write about that incident, I can't write at all." May I ask again about the catalyst that made you decide to write this book?
TK: Several years ago, there was a period when I thought, "Maybe I should try writing a book." At that time, I tried writing on my own, but I realized I could only write from my own perspective, and since it was about my own life, I could only write about ordinary things. Consequently, I could only progress a few pages.
From an outsider's perspective, it might have been an interesting or even an eventful story, but from my own perspective, I felt that my life wasn't particularly fascinating. So, I thought, "This is not something that anyone would want to read" and I gave up. It didn't motivate me to continue.
Then, unexpectedly, I received an offer. Because of my previous experience, my manager was initially planning to politely decline it, thinking it was probably not suitable. However, as one of many musicians, I was curious why the offer came to me, so I decided to meet with the person in charge.
During the meeting, they proposed the idea of having my words translated by a third party and turned into a book. I didn't know about that method, so I thought it might be worth trying. But when I read the first draft that came back, it felt too polished, and I couldn't help feeling a bit uncomfortable. I realized I still wanted to write it all by myself. That's how this book came to be.
So, I really feel that I caused a lot of trouble for the publishers and the staff. Generally, if I feel that I would inconvenience people with tasks like comments and other jobs, I tend to decline.
— I see. You believe in conveying things properly through your works, so you didn't expect to receive this interview.
TK: There are clear distinctions between when I decide to do something and when I don't, and there are specific reasons behind it. For example, (Pierre) Nakano from the band is quick to respond to interview requests and comments, but it takes me a lot of time.
When asked for comments like, "Please provide a statement from the person you produced for," or "Please give a comment about the anime you are working on," I start thinking about how the fans of that person or work would feel, and how I should word things... I end up thinking about unnecessary things. I put too much thought and care into it, and I get too involved. That's why it takes time and inconveniences others. However, this time, it was like, "Who is this strange person who wants me to write a book?" (laughs). I thought most people wouldn't approach me for such a thing, so it felt mysterious.
— I think there are many people who would love to have you write a book. However, you might have felt that you wouldn't accept such requests...
TK: The editor from KADOKAWA who made the offer had previously worked on books by Yamanaka (Takuya) from THE ORAL CIGARETTES, Kataoka from sumika, and Walpurgisnacht. Perhaps that was one of the reasons why I decided to take it. I just wanted to know what they were planning to do with me.
— I see. Even though you decided not to do it, did you feel like you might find the reasons why you stumbled when you tried writing before?
TK: Yes, exactly.
— I see. Regardless of whether you decided to do it or not, did you feel like you might understand the reasons why you stumbled when you tried writing before?
TK: Yes, that's right. I thought that could be interesting. Also, when I travel abroad, I take a lot of photos, and at that time, I add some brief texts to the photos, not quite like a travel journal. When I look back at those later, there are words that I don't remember using now, and there are episodes and my emotions that I can't recall just by looking at the photos.
Until now, I've preserved those memories through music, but I also thought it might be nice to preserve them in a visible form with words. So, it felt like jumping into the world of books was an attempt to do just that.
If I'm not excited about it, others won't get excited either.
— I was really drawn in from #0. It's hard to believe you said you don't read many books; it felt very narrative and had a bit of suspense... I even had a sensation like reading the opening of a novel by Haruki Murakami or Stephen King.
TK: Please don't write that down (laugh). That #0 was actually a part I had attempted to write before but couldn't finish. So, that was the text I wrote before I received this offer.
— Really? But the following text seems to suggest that, as a result, you engaged with the foundation and managed to make the parts that didn't make sense fall into place.
TK: Yes, you're right. When it comes to music, even if I'm alone, I feel like I can push forward. It's because the feeling of finding something interesting or exciting in the music is already within me. However, when it comes to writing a book, I don't read many books myself, and that makes it challenging for me to judge what is unnecessary while writing. If I had read more books, I might have had a sense of what's interesting and that could have helped me progress with the writing.
— You can't make relative evaluations.
TK: Exactly. I had a strong feeling that I was writing something entirely self-indulgent, and that feeling hasn't changed much even now. Though, with the guidance and experimentation from the person in charge, we managed to complete it. But for me, it's still a book born out of self-indulgence. So, like in music, I tried to output things that I want to preserve. Of course, I want to satisfy others as well, but the idea that people won't get excited about something that I'm not excited about is a sentiment I have from my music activities.
— What surprised me while reading was how openly you wrote about your frustrations and the things you couldn't do well. For example, in the early songs of Ling tosite sigure, you mentioned that you tried to mix two songs by yourself, and the professional engineers found out. Considering the public image of Ling tosite sigure and yourself as TK, I thought you might not reveal such things.
TK: Writing about the parts I couldn't do well is essential, and it had to be in my own words. Even if a writer's manuscript formed the foundation for the evaluation, I felt that if it didn't become my own words, I wouldn't feel anything about the praise I received, even if it was a great article.
Even if it's an excellent piece of writing, if my own thoughts and emotions are not infused into it, I probably won't be moved by the praise I receive.
This applies to music as well. Moments when something is conveyed or not, I feel like I want to create those moments myself. In music, there's no clear distinction between success and failure, but if there's anything I would consider a failure, I also want to write about it myself.
As for the mixing story earlier, it's the same. If someone else handles it, and it turns out differently from what I envisioned, I wouldn't want to hear comments like, "Seems like Ling tosite sigure lacks energy in this work." I have a strong sense of rejection towards such situations.
凛として時雨・TK「言葉が見える本の世界に飛び込んでみた」 Original article in Japanese
https://wanibooks-newscrunch.com/articles/-/4476
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