“Some cats from Japan”
We have just received a whole bunch of delightful comments from various Japanese celebrity tastemakers regarding David Bowie and his latest album, The Next Day.
There are five contributors in total and each of them have been good friends in Bowie’s orbit to a lesser or greater degree over the years.
The accompanying picture here is of David Bowie at a press conference at the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo in April 1973, when he first started to fall under Japanese influence.
Mr. Ryuichi Sakamoto
(Famous Japanese musician, activist, composer, record producer, writer, singer, pianist, and actor. He appeared in the 1983 Nagisa Oshima film “Merry Christmas, Mr Lawrence” alongside David Bowie.)
A dialogue with the past self in the second person.
What are the important things in life?
Ordinary everyday life; friendship;
The invaluableness of just being alive
It’s the path that we all go through as we age.
Mr. Tomoyasu Hotei
(One of Japan’s most famous guitarists and a huge David Bowie fan who toured with Bowie in 1996.)
The first chord of “Where Are We Now?” opened the door of my memories wide.
It was as if I had met my long gone self, warmth and sorrow stabbed through my mind.
We have come this far in the continual pursuit of something, but where are we now?
This album, entitled The Next Day, is a time capsule for us who have left our future behind in the past.
He lives for the next day, and that is totally “rock n roll.”
Mr. Kansai Yamamoto
(One of the leaders in Japanese contemporary fashion, in particular during the 1970s and 1980s. Well known for his avant-garde kimono designs, including ones worn by David Bowie for his Ziggy Stardust and Aladdin Sane tours.)
This album is infused with his whole life of 66 years.
There is no other artist that has anything approaching his music or his world view.
His creations have no hint of ambivalence.
Perhaps he is charging ahead in pursuit of a perfection of his life.
On the way there must be a lot of sadness, bitterness, and loneliness, but I strongly resonate with his attitude to pursue a new world beyond such conflicts.
As a fellow creator of his contemporaries, my mind was filled with a delightful sensation of happiness.
Likewise, I am sure this album will grab the hearts of people around the world.
Mr. Masayoshi Sukita
(Famous Japanese photographer who has been taking photos of David Bowie since the 1970s. He was also responsible for the “HEROS” cover shoot)
Back in the day, there was very little information available on David Bowie in Japan. And I had never even heard his name until I visited London. But the moment I saw him, I became extremely curious about him.
The story began in London back in 1972, and I am still following him with my photography.
I have always been inspired by his vitality and his imaginative power.
Ms. Yasuko Takahashi
(Japanese stylist who became a friend of David’s when she worked with him during Mr. Sukita’s Bowie photo shoots.)
I reached out my hand to receive his sudden gift to the world.
It lets the present embrace the past and the future to live “the next day.”
David, who always enjoys giving a “lovely surprise” to amaze people, gave us a very big surprise after a decade of silence.
I will let myself in this energy and keep on living my life.