Crazy Ken Band: Yokohama as Seen by Yokoyama Ken, Part 2

Crazy Ken Band (CKB), known as "the greatest sound machine in the Orient," delivers a wide range of sounds. Celebrating their 25th anniversary, the band continues to evolve, currently embarking on their nationwide tour "CRAZY KEN BAND TOUR Jukage 2022-2023" in support of their 22nd album, "Jukage." When discussing Ken Yokoyama, the man behind the band and the diverse music they create, the city of Yokohama is inseparable. In the first half of the interview, Yokoyama shares his impressions of the ever-changing city of Yokohama and how Kanagawa Prefecture has influenced CKB's melodies and lyrics, along with CKB's past activities. In the second half, we focus on their community-based activities, their thoughts on their new album, "Jukage," their ongoing tour, and CKB's future.

◆Composing music closely related to the local community, such as the theme song for "Yokohama is G30" and the Minato Sogo High School song

── Yokoyama has also composed songs with ties to Yokohama, such as the school song for Minato Sogo High School and the theme song for "Yokohama is G30."

Yokoyama: Yes, I was asked to do it (laughs).

── Please tell us how you felt when you were asked to create a piece of music that was so closely connected to the local community.

Yokoyama: During the Zero Waste Campaign, Nakata was the mayor. At that time, Yokohama City asked us to write a melody, a song, with this purpose in mind. We solicited lyrics from across the country, and asked people to write the lyrics first and then set a melody to them. I thought, "Oh, that's a good idea." I chose from the several lyrics submitted, and set a melody to the one I chose. The person who wrote the lyrics was from Nara Prefecture. Not from Yokohama (laughs).

── So you received applications from all over the country.

Yokoyama: That's right. And Yokohama Minato Comprehensive High School. This was also a request from the school. There was a part-time high school called Minato High School that I was originally supposed to attend. I was supposed to go there, but my work hours didn't match up with my school hours, so I gave up on that school as soon as I transferred. That was the predecessor to Minato Comprehensive High School. Later, when it changed to Minato Comprehensive High School, it was a new school, so to speak... the name changed, and the school song was changed, so they asked me to do this too. This was also a melody to lyrics written by a graduating student. In both cases, the lyrics came first, both the zero-waste song and the school song. It functions as a school song, but I was also aiming for it to have a bit of a gospel or soul feel when performed by a band. I thought it would sound funky and cool if I added a rhythm to it. I had a chance to play the keyboard and sing at the graduation ceremony, so I did a sample to show you how you could sing it like that.

── That must have been a good memory for the students!

Yokoyama: Among those students, there is one incredibly talented musician. I was deeply moved when I heard that he had sung the school song. He's a truly talented creator and musician, singer-songwriter, called "TENDRE." I heard that he was a graduate and had sung my song. I thought, "Such a genius has come out of this school," and I was so happy.

A city where you can gradually get used to everyday life when you return from abroad

── Your latest album, "Jukage," uses titles of cities from various countries, such as "Dubai" and "Waikiki." You yourself enjoy traveling both domestically and internationally, but what do you think is the unique appeal of Yokohama compared to other cities around the world?

Yokoyama: When you return home from an overseas trip, you tend to feel a little lonely, don't you? But Yokohama has a Chinatown, so if you go there on your way back from Hong Kong, for example, you can feel like your trip to Hong Kong is still continuing. That's also in the lyrics of the song "Chinatown Operation" ("Crazy's Chinatown Operation!"), and I think that's what makes Yokohama so appealing. Just as divers who have been diving to the bottom of the ocean gradually get used to it in a recompression chamber to avoid getting decompression sickness, Yokohama is a place where you can get used to everyday life and routine.

── It's good to know that you won't feel lonely.

Yokoyama: Yes. And then, I change my mindset again, and instead of thinking I'm coming back from a trip overseas, I change it to, "I'm going on a trip to Yokohama now." That's exciting, too. It feels natural. Especially on the Bayshore Line from Haneda, I take the bus. I really want to go to Honmoku, but it doesn't stop there, so I end up going to Yokohama Station (laughs). There's the Keikyu bus, or a taxi, or your own car. When I come back from overseas, cross the Bay Bridge, and see the night view of Minato Mirai, I get a bit excited. I don't feel like, "Ah, I'm back in Japan."

── That scenery is amazing.

Yokoyama: Yes, that scenery does have a Singaporean feel to it. It's a nice feeling.

── So, if you were to explain the charms of Yokohama to people overseas, how would you do it?

Yokoyama: That's right. When I meet Italians, they refer to Naples as Japan's Naples (laughs). Naples has some Americanized aspects, like the US military presence. It's a port town, and the people aren't exactly delinquents, but they're a bit funky (laughs). I have an acquaintance named Girolamo, and he often tells me that Yokohama, Yokosuka, and Naples have a similar feeling. It's not so much the towns themselves, but the atmosphere and mood. He says this to Italians, and if it's England, they're both island nations, bordering the sea. They'll say, "Maybe it's like Dover or that area," or something like that (laughs). Anyway, when you say port, doesn't it have a nice feel to it? It's a port town, and they welcome you. It's a place with a lot of traffic, so they welcome those who come and don't chase those who leave. They don't interfere too deeply in people's private lives, and they treat you with a bit of delicacy. I once heard somewhere that "the vibe of port towns is universal," and I think that's probably true. There are crazy people, normal people, delinquents, people with a secret, free spirits, mysterious people, all sorts of different colors all mixed up (laughs). So I don't know if it's an easy place to live, but once you get hooked, you can't leave.

── Yes, it really is a city with all kinds of people.

Yokoyama: A lot of things. For me, there isn't much prejudice against me for being in a band, and no one thinks it's particularly unusual. It's a very easy place to be, in the sense that you can live a very normal life. In a good way, they just leave you alone.

◆ "Because of this opportunity, let your imagination run wild" and head to Dubai with VR goggles

── "Jukage" is CKB's 22nd album overall. What kind of album is it for them?

Yokoyama : The frustration of COVID-19, with people wanting to go here, there, overseas, is being reversed... a crisis is the greatest opportunity, or rather, it's being viewed paradoxically. It's times like these that call for superhuman strength in times of crisis. With a hint like that, I thought, "Why not just put on VR goggles and go to Dubai?" Well, I don't even own VR goggles (laughs). For example, Dubai, or even VR goggles, is just a fantasy, but I thought it was a good opportunity to fantasize, to stretch my imagination. It might be tough to do that all the time, though. I haven't been to Hawaii much, but in Honmoku, there's a local Hawaiian dish called Honmoku Chow Mein at Boogie Cafe. There's also Mooneyes, with its eyeball logo. That MOON Cafe also serves loco moco, similar to the Hawaiian drive-in style. There's Honolulu Chow Mein, and there are two varieties of the same chow mein in Honmoku. Chow mein is kind of exotic, like Chinese food and Hawaiian food. "Waikiki Night" is a song that makes you feel like "If you eat that, you'll be transported to Hawaii." So I tried to suggest a way to tickle negative feelings, to turn them into something fun with just one mindset or way of thinking.

── Listeners can enjoy the feeling of traveling around the world a little bit.

Yokoyama: Yes, it's like traveling the world from the comfort of your own home.

── You can travel with your ears. CKB is currently touring in support of the album "Jukage." I imagine that there was a period during the COVID-19 pandemic when tours were not possible, but could you tell us about your enthusiasm for this tour?

Yokoyama: We'll be touring through the new year until March of next year. This tour is in support of my new album, "Jukage," so I'll be playing about 10 songs from the album, but I've also released 22 albums in the past, so I'm not sure which ones to bring... I'm a little unsure (laughs). So, if I go to Fukuoka, I'll bring this song that has lyrics about "Hakata dolls," or if I go to Yokosuka, I'll play a song related to Yokosuka. So I thought I'd try changing things up a bit depending on the venue. Also, I released a cover album last year, and there were some songs that I didn't play at all on the tour for that cover album, so I thought I'd try to work on those songs this year.

── Has the COVID-19 pandemic changed anything, such as the enthusiasm of the audience during live shows?

Yokoyama: In reality, there are various restrictions, like not being allowed to shout. But there's a whole different "energy" between just streaming a performance with only a camera and having an audience right in front of you. Even if you can't shout loudly, the energy is transmitted with the same intensity, and we exchange energy with each other. That's the best part of a live performance, so I never feel like it's lacking in any way.

◆The 22nd album is the "next level first" album

── Finally, please tell us about your future plans and any challenges you would like to take on.

Yokoyama: At this age, there are three of us over 60, and one of us is currently on a break, but...our goal is to stay active and keep going for the rest of our lives. Every year, it's like, "This album was made this year," and if we just let it come out, it just comes out. The results come out before we even think about our goals, so once it's done, we think, "What concept should we use for this?" We realize the concept later. Well, even when we travel, for example to Korea, we get off at a random station, and then when we get back to our hotel room, we realize, "Oh, this is the place we went to today." It's like we fly away before we even look at it, that's how it feels. I think that's a theme that never changes.

── For this album, "Jukage," did you find the theme of "travel" when you saw the finished product?

Yokoyama: Well, now that you mention it (laughs). Anyway, ideas just came out of my head. When we decided on the title "Jukage," I was a little... "Jukage" is the name of a coffee shop that used to be in Honmoku 2-chome. That coffee shop was a really creative place... for me, it was a place where I could think about things creatively, come up with ideas, imagine, write lyrics, and so on, so I went back to that feeling. The band has been together for 25 years, so this is our 22nd album, but we felt like it was our first album. Our first year at the next level. Like going from third year of junior high to first year of high school, this first album is like the first semester of going on to higher education. We approached it with the feeling that it was our first at the next level.

Now in their 25th year since their formation, Yokoyama has called their 22nd album their "next-level first." This is perhaps the reason why CKB, and Yokoyama himself, continue to evolve. The "CRAZY KEN BAND TOUR Jukage 2022-2023," which kicked off in Tokyo this September, allows visitors to enjoy their ever-evolving new sound and their ever-loved songs. Their Kanagawa performances are scheduled for November 19th at Kanagawa Prefectural Hall, December 4th at Yokosuka City Cultural Hall Large Hall, and March 4th at Atsugi City Cultural Hall Large Hall.

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