Crazy Ken Band: Yokohama as Seen by Ken Yokoyama, Part 1

Crazy Ken Band (CKB) is known as the "best sound machine in the Orient" and produces a wide range of sounds. Even now, 25 years after their formation, they are still evolving and are in the midst of their nationwide tour "CRAZY KEN BAND TOUR Tree Shadow 2022-2023" with their 22nd album "Tree Shadow". When talking about Ken Yokoyama, who leads the band and produces a wide variety of songs, the city of Yokohama is inseparable. How does this city look to Yokoyama, who has spent three eras in Yokohama: Showa, Heisei, and Reiwa? How did the winds of Yokohama blend into the music he creates? In the first half of the interview, Yokoyama shared his impressions of the changing city of Yokohama, the influence that Yokohama had on CKB's songs, and the secret story behind the birth of that famous song.

Honmoku, Yokohama: A "gradational" change from Showa to Reiwa

── First of all, congratulations on your 25th anniversary. How do you feel about reaching this milestone?

Yokoyama : Thank you. Something happens to a band every three or four years. They break up or something, but they don't last that long. It's the first time that a band has lasted for 25 years, so even I'm surprised (laughs).

── You have lived in Yokohama for three different eras, from the Showa era to the Heisei era to the Reiwa era. Please tell us about your impressions of Yokohama during each era. First of all, what was your impression of Yokohama as a child?

Yokoyama : Until I was about 5 years old, I lived in Hongo-cho, Honmoku, and Honmoku-dori, where the US military base was located. The base started around the time of Yamate Police Station, and the left side became Area 1 and the right side became Area 2, and a huge area was requisitioned. I still have vague memories of that scenery. When I was 5 years old, I moved to Hiyoshi in Kohoku Ward, and I thought that even though it was the same Yokohama, the scenery was completely different. When you think of Yokohama, you generally think of a port, but in the world. But in reality, there are mountains, forests, and the sea, and there is quite a lot of nature like that, which I thought was interesting.

--Let's move forward a little bit. In 1997, CKB "slips up" (quoted from the CKB official website) in Honmoku. What was your impression of Yokohama at that time? How did it look compared to your childhood?

Yokoyama : Yes, we formed. By that time, the bases were no longer there, but there were still some shops related to the bases that were there. There is a shop called "Golden Cup" that is still there, but there were shops that were there for a long time, such as "Italian Garden" and "VENICE" that were there in the 50s. In 1997, all of these shops were demolished due to land speculation or something, because they were turned into apartments. There was a bar called VFW for veterans of the US military, and "Italian Garden" in the basement was our base. We held live shows and parties at "Italian Garden" and the VFW above it. We used to hang out when there was nothing going on, so we got used to the environment that still had the atmosphere of the 50s and 60s. There were several bands performing there, and it was a gathering of various people, including members of the other bands and members who had been together for a long time, so I thought, "Oh, I want to start a band with these members," and that's how CKB came about.

--It's also amazing that it has continued for 25 years since then.

Yokoyama : That's right. So at first, I didn't intend to do it in a permanent form, but there were a few job offers. I was approached about two projects, and I thought I would finish it after those two, but it ended up lasting for 25 years.

──I see! Next, please tell me about Yokohama now. I'm originally from Honmoku, and when I come back to my hometown from Tokyo every once in a while, I'm surprised at how much things have changed. Recently, I get the impression that areas like Honmoku and Minato Mirai have been changing, but what is your impression of Yokohama now, Mr. Yokoyama?

Yokoyama : For me, the changes were gradual... I don't really get the impression that it changed suddenly, so it doesn't feel strange at all (laughs). There are a lot of people who left for a while and suddenly came back, or people who went overseas and came back, but they're all surprised and say, "We don't have this or that." When I was a kid, there were streetcars running on Honmoku Street. There are no streetcars, and no US military bases. And there's not even a Mycal Honmoku. There's no subway. Well, some people feel a lot of gaps, but if you've been there for a long time, you don't really notice.

--So, did you notice that little by little, things were disappearing and new things were being added in their place?

Yokoyama : That's right. I also lived in Tokyo for two years... well, only two years, from 1978 to 1980. I lived in Jingumae for one year, and then in Yoga in Setagaya for one year. I was in Tokyo for two years. While I was in Tokyo, I heard George Yanagi's song "America Beyond the Fence," which is about Area 1 and Area 2. So I wanted to go back to Yokohama. I got homesick after two years (laughs).

--So you came back to Yokohama from Tokyo. Now that Yokohama has changed dramatically, what would be your favorite spot?

Yokoyama : My favorite thing right now is the lighthouse at the tip of Honmoku Pier, which is called the symbol tower. If you climb the hill there, you're closest to the sea. You can see Negishi Bay in full view, it's amazing. There's also a sea fishing facility next door. I love that area. It's a good place to walk the dog. It's also a great place to sunbathe.

──That's wonderful. The sea breeze in Yokohama is really pleasant.

Yokoyama : Sea breeze, that's right. Hamakaze. Lots of people bring their own packed lunches. It's a great place to relax. We even had a concert there in 2009.

--While being blown by the storm?

Yokoyama : We were being blown by the wind. It even started raining (laughs).

The story behind the birth of a famous phrase that was "pushed out by the magnetic field" in Kanagawa Prefecture

──CKB's lyrics contain many references to places related to Kanagawa Prefecture. There are even some jokes that make locals laugh, such as the "Union shopping bag" (from "37℃").

Yokoyama : Yes, there are also names of pharmacies.

--There's even a pharmacy in the building! How do you come up with ideas like that? Do they come to you when you're there, or do they come to you later?

Yokoyama : I don't think about writing lyrics when I pass by there, but if it's Motomachi, then Motomachi comes to mind... from the melody. So I think of points that symbolize it. Like the Motomachi Pool or the pharmacy. It's a bit of an import-type pharmacy, or in old terms, it's a pharmacy that deals in imported goods. Girls from Ferris and kids from international schools come there to shop. They buy Estee Lauder. I used to think that the girls there are really precocious (laughs). And then there's the Union. I like the cloth bags rather than the Union paper bags. It was kind of fashionable to carry them around all the time. There used to be a PR corner between the first and second floors of that Union, and we used to advertise for bands there. There was also a keyboard that I really wanted, and I would write things like "Please give it to this and that." Or an English conversation school. There was the benefit of being able to enter the housing of the US military base, so I wanted to go there and joined. My English didn't improve at all though (laughs).

──When you were talking about Motomachi, you said that the melody comes to you first, but are the sounds as well as the lyrics influenced by Kanagawa Prefecture?

Yokoyama : That's right. When I'm driving or walking, a melody comes to mind, and that melody already has a certain meaning or atmosphere. I think, "Oh, this is about Motomachi," and then I translate the melody into words. It's like translating the melody.

--So first the image comes to you as a melody and then you translate it into words.

Yokoyama : There are times when the melody comes first, but on the other hand, there's also the opposite: "Listen to me" in "Tiger & Dragon". That was when I was really driving. On National Route 16, there are several tunnels continuing from around Oppama. Then, after a few tunnels... I got out of the last tunnel and could see the ocean and the port of Yokosuka. The lyrics and melody came out at the same time while I was driving. They came out at the same time up until the interlude, and then I headed straight for Mikasa Park. It's exactly like that, exactly like the lyrics.

──Is it unusual for lyrics and a melody like that to come to you at the same time?

Yokoyama : That's unusual. It's not all in one stroke. But the catchy places often come to mind when you say "Ready, go, go!" And Kanagawa Prefecture is like... it's pushed out by a magnetic field. It's like a mysterious hot spring, "sizzling, sizzling" (laughs). It feels like it's gushing out.

--So you suddenly felt like saying, "Listen to what I have to say!" (laughs).

Yokoyama : I don't know why it's "Listen to me" either (laughs). The song was created before I even decided on the concept for it.

──That phrase was very popular among my friends at the time.

Yokoyama : Without that song, CKB wouldn't be what it is today, so it's a very symbolic and important song for us. And it's about Yokosuka. Yokosuka is a city with the most tunnels in Japan, so I thought that there wouldn't be any tunnels in a song about Yokosuka... (Yamaguchi) Momoe's "Yokosuka Story" has a line about a "steep hill." Having a lot of hills is also a characteristic of Yokosuka and Yokohama. The sea and the hills.

Yokoyama Ken talks about Yokohama in different eras, occasionally laughing. As I listened to him talk, the streetcars running through Honmoku, the Italian gardens crowded with musicians, and schoolgirls stopping by a pharmacy came into focus. This is the work of the leader of CKB, who has produced many hit songs with his rich expressiveness. In the first half of this interview, Yokoyama looked back on the charms and memories of Yokohama from his perspective, along with the 25-year history of CKB. In the second half of the interview, we will focus on CKB's present and future, including their activities in the community, their thoughts on their new album "Jukage," and their enthusiasm for the tour.

Ken Yokoyama
Born in July 1960 in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture. CEO of the music agency Double Joy Records. Formed Crazy Ken Band at Italian Garden in Honmoku in 1997, and has been the band's lead vocalist ever since. In addition to releasing a wide variety of hit songs, he also writes songs for many artists. This year marks the 25th year since his debut, and he is touring the country on the CRAZY KEN BAND TOUR Tree Shadow 2022-2023 with his 22nd album Tree Shadow, released on August 3rd.
For more information, please visit the official website .