First let me say that your new album is Cool. First listen was o.k... Second was beter. By the fifth or sixth i really liked it. I had to acclimate myself to it and get inside the music or your head as the case would appear. I have several questions. Firstly, what do you think of the large influx of Japanese pop culture in to America? I mean 'Puffy' has there own show here now. Second, Japanese pop music it seems is much more vital,
musicaly intelligent, and seems to have a greater sense of exploration. This of course is my own subjective view. Do you think that in a general sense that mainstream culture in japan has a greater appreciation for innovation and the estetic mastery required to produce genuinely interesting art? Lastly Do you think that the music industry itself in Japan Is more inclined to take into account the artists need to be innovative as a song writer or composer or what ever aspect of the industry in which one might specialize? Thanks for your time. Hopefully the new year will be well.

Judah

You're very perceptive, and right on the money mostly. The Japanese music system is so fundamentally different from the rest of the world that it would take pages to explain. One main difference is that the competition for every little thing here is fierce. When a major artist does a new song, 20 or so top songwriters compete to write it, then 20 or so top arrangers compete to arrange it, the the producer chooses his favorite musicians to play it. And so on.