Acid Mothers Temple

Acid Mothers Temple has been around since the mid-90´s and they have always played some music that expands your mind and soul every time you hear it. Here´s what Kawabata Makoto had to say about music and life:

 

 

 

First of all, thank you for the interview. You are on a US-tour right now. How has the tour been so far?

It's still just getting started, but it feels good. This time, there are 39 shows over 39 days.

 

You have been around the music scene since approx. the mid-90´s. What has changed the most during these years?

 

I don't feel much change. While it's said that works, including physical releases, aren't selling well in the mainstream, we're a minor underground presence, so I don't think it affects us that much.

Especially since there are many dedicated fans, and if you create good works, I believe people will buy them regardless of the prevailing social climate.

 

When we listen to AMT we feel like we are almost floating in space...what do you want your listeners to feel when they listen to your music?

 

We want everyone who listens to our music to hear it with their own free sensibilities and feel it freely.

We never embed any specific message in our music. We want you to feel it freely and conjure your own images freely.

My only wish is that while you listen to our music, you forget all the hardships of reality. Though it's just a fleeting moment in life, I hope you enjoy that time.

 

Back in 2007 you toured Japan with our dear friends in Träd, Gräs & Stenar. You also released a special split-CD with TGS. What can you tell us about that special tour?

 

Träd, Gräs & Stenar toured with us in Japan and then in Sweden the following year. This is a treasure in my life.

Every night I got to see Träd, Gräs & Stenar's amazing performances, and we even played one song together. I learned so much from them. 

During our Japan tour, I told the audience every night: “You may not have seen Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, or John Lennon perform live, but there's no need to feel inferior. Because tonight, you saw TG&S. You can brag about this to your kids in the future.”

 

If TGS/Träden would invite you to play together with them in Sweden, would you do it?

　 Why not!!!!???

 

We have a couple of taping friends from Japan who mostly record undergound concerts. How would you say that the music scene in Japan are today? Do you have a lot of venues to play at?

 

I have been active in music in Japan since 1978, but I have had almost no involvement with the so-called “music scene.” My music has consistently been difficult for many people to accept, and my activities have always been challenging. Even AMT is difficult to understand in Japan, and the places where I can perform are extremely limited.

We initially released three albums on PSF Records, but we had no connection to the so-called underground music scene closely associated with PSF, nor do we have one now. They are extremely conservative, and our music and very existence seem to be unacceptable to them.

 

We also record bands sometimes...what do you think about people who record your concerts?

 

Our music, from the moment it is played by our hands, no longer belongs to us—it belongs to everyone who needs it.

Therefore, it's okay to record our live performances, and it's okay to share them freely with those who need them.

I call my music copy lefy, not copy right.

Many people point to pirated copies and illegal uploads as problems, but I believe that if the music is truly great, people will always pay to buy it.

 

Speaking of live tapes...what makes a good sounding live tape in your opinion?

 

I can't really tell about the sound quality. Even if you record directly from the soundboard, if the mixing and sound design are terrible, a live recording from the venue will be far superior.

I value the content of a performance over sound quality.

Even if the recording is poor, it's only natural to want to hear a historic performance or an interesting one that could never be repeated.

I grew up on those rough-sounding bootlegs from the '70s and live recordings from venues included on the B-sides of singles by post-punk bands from the late 70s to early 80s, so I actually find poor sound quality enjoyable in a way. Listening to those rough live recordings, I'd imagine the band must have been playing at an insane volume in that venue.

 

You have toured a lot during all of these years...is there any places you still would like to visit that you have not yet been to and why so?

 

I'd like to visit  Morocco. It's a place connected to William S. Burroughs.

I'd also like to visit Egypt. Alan Bishop of Sun City Girls strongly recommended it. Hearing him talk about it, it sounds like a fascinating place.

I'd like to visit China again.

I've been there many times before as solo tour but when I booked an AMT tour, it was canceled by the authorities and labeled as “evil” for causing significant negative effects on the Chinese people. Since then, no matter how many offers to visit China I've received, I haven't been able to get a visa issued. They misunderstand me.

 

Last question for this time...what wishes for AMT do you have for this year?

 

This year marks AMT's 30th anniversary.

But I don't feel anything particularly special about it.

More than that, my health isn't exactly great, and I'm already 60 years old.

Touring is grueling—how many more years can I keep this up?

 

I live each day thinking, “Today might be my last.”

Since I believe I have at most 10 to 15 years left, I want to do as much as possible during that time—everything I can and everything I want to do.

 

It's not just about music or creative pursuits—for example, I want to savor the seasons. Because who knows if I'll get to experience that season again next year.

I want to see my friends while I still can.