Actor Daisuke Shima (60) appeared on Tetsuko Kuroyanagi's long-running talk show "Tetsuko's Room" (TV Asahi) on September 24th. He talked about his hit song "Otoko no Kunsho" and some episodes from back then.
"I've known him since I was in high school. He's already 60? That's shocking," said Tetsuko in surprise. When Shima revealed that he had been allowed to touch Shima's pompadour, Shima said, "At the time, I said, 'I'll never let anyone touch my head.' But then Tetsuko touched it on (the music show) 'The Best Ten.' A lot of people said to me, 'You're letting me touch it!' That's a very vivid memory."
It's been 42 years since his second single "Otoko no Kunsho," released in 1982, became a big hit. "I never dreamed I'd still be doing it until this age," he said with emotion. He said that he regrets not being able to interact with idols on music shows because he had a serious character at the time, and said, "Now that I think about it, that's the only thing I regret..."
"On 'The Best Ten,' you sit next to someone after singing, right? At that time, everyone here is chatting away happily. But I had to keep my sunglasses on, and there was a golden rule: don't laugh, don't talk, don't look. So my ears were like Dumbo's. I listened to Toshi-chan (Toshihiko Tahara) and Seiko-chan talking," he recalled.
Shima revealed that at the time he couldn't understand the meaning of the lyrics of "Otoko no Kunsho," and "I was still a 17-year-old kid, so I sang it on impulse." When Tetsuko asked him, "Would you still sing with a ducktail in 10 years' time, when you're 70?" he said with emphasis, "I think it would be great if I could wear a special attack uniform, have a ducktail, and sing 'Otoko no Kunsho' when I'm 70!"
