Blast Slump：The legendary band reunites on the 40th anniversary of their debut! All members in their 60s talk about their purpose in life

Bakufu Slump, a legendary rock band active in the 1980s and 1990s, has reunited for the 40th anniversary of their debut. In August, they will release their first single in 26 years, "IKIGAI." In October, they will release a two-disc best album, and at the end of the month, they will hold a tour that will take them to Nagoya, Hyogo, and Tokyo. We asked the four members, all of whom are now in their 60s, about the reason for their reunion and the "purpose in life" that is also the title of their new song. (Part 1 of 2)

◇The "purpose in life" needed to survive in old age

Bakufu Slump was formed in 1982 by vocalist Sanplaza Nakano, whose trademark is his shaved head and sunglasses, guitarist Pappara Kawai, drummer Funky Sueyoshi, and bassist Egawa Hojin. They made their major debut in August 1984. In December 1985, they successfully held their first solo concert at the Nippon Budokan. In 1988, "Runner" became a big hit, and the band made its debut on the NHK Kouhaku Uta Gassen. In 1989, Egawa Hojin left the band, and BarbeQ Wasada joined. They enlivened the Japanese music scene with songs like "Riso Lover" and "Under the Big Onion - Faraway Feelings" (both in 1989). In 1999, they announced a hiatus. They held one-off comeback shows in 2005, 2007, and 2010.

This latest reunion began about two years ago, when Sunplaza Nakano-kun (renamed in 2008, hereafter Nakano-kun) consulted with his staff, saying, "I want to get the band moving on the occasion of our 40th anniversary." "IKIGAI," their first new song in 26 years, was a theme Nakano-kun had been thinking about.

Nakano explains how the new song's theme came about: "I saw in a documentary film that the word 'ikigai' has spread around the world and become an international word, and I realized that it is one of the important points in life. So I decided to go with this word."

He adds, "I think that Japanese people today have forgotten the word 'ikigai.' After the bubble burst, everyone was focused on how to make money, and middle-aged and elderly people are working hard, but they're struggling with things like how they're going to save 20 million yen for their retirement. But I want everyone to have a 'ikigai' to survive in their future retirement. And I'd be happy if 'IKIGAI' could bring together the power of middle-aged and elderly people and liven up the 40th anniversary of Bakufu Slump's debut."

◇The song is rap-style A return to the bizarre roots of Bakufu Slump before "Runner"?

The song is rap-style. Nakano said he was a little confused by this.

"At the end of last year, I had the theme of 'purpose in life' in my mind, so we decided to write a song based on that. I wrote the lyrics and presented them to the members, and Sueyoshi immediately wrote a rap song. I was like, 'Rap?' (laughs)."

Nakano said frankly, "I named this new genre in my mind. I called it 'conversational rap' and 'conversational rap.' I think I made a good song, but it's a little different from the current trend in Japanese rap, so I'm very concerned about how the rap community will receive it."

Kawai said, "It's the style of Bakufu Slump from the early days. After 'Runner,' Bakufu Slump was kiteretsu before they became melody-oriented. I thought it was good to mark the 40th anniversary, which is where we started."

Sueyoshi laughs, "Bakufu Slump released rap songs like 'Ah! Budokan' (1985) before rap became popular like it is now. So I never dreamed Nakano would be in such a difficult position."

Wasada confidently says, "It's unmistakably the sound of Bakufu Slump. I thought the members were really great. I was surprised that they have such a strong presence even though they don't sing (they rap). They're a great band!"

By the way, what are the members' "purpose in life"? Sueyoshi says, "I don't know how long I have left, but I want to get better at drums," Wasada says, "Performing live in front of everyone is what I want to do," Kawai says, "To live longer than 73, the age my father died at," and Nakano says, "To keep singing until I'm 125. And the Hanshin Tigers are what I want to do."

In the second part, they talk about their memories of their time in the 1980s and 1990s, their greatest hits album, and their enthusiasm for the tour.