This is the first in a series of short interviews that explores the life of musicians trying to make it work in the real world, before fame finds them—or the business destroys them.

Survival, for anyone chasing art, is often possible only through suffering. We've known writers pulling graveyard shifts at the 7-11, painters who milk bulls (What's milkable on a bull?), and poets who repair gearboxes. But struggle is part of art, part of the price, part of the inspiration. Right?

Kaoru Tagawa is a musician living in Tokyo. To survive and produce his third album, Tagawa has—between weeks of unemployment—taken jobs as a bank teller and translator for World Cup Soccer. He's also found a way to make music pay in a niche that's unheard of in the United States (but is so very Japanese): he's a singer-songwriter for video game soundtracks.

:: Koaru Tagawa gets violent in a Tokyo club ::

Inversion: Have you been able to play much lately between work and the girlfriend?

Kaoru Tagawa: She's got a show tonight, man. Some club in Shibuya. But yeah, I've been recording every weekend. It's getting to be pretty damn good, more rock & roll-ish.

IV: When's the album due out?

KT: I'm aiming for May, but it's slow going since I only get to do it on weekends, usually Saturdays. We are trying to finish up one song now, and two more songs are recorded already, except vocals. And there’s two more songs to be recorded. Five songs total.

IV: Who are you playing with these days?

KT: A guitar player and drummer. But it's like they are helping me to do my solo stuff more than we're a band. I realized that having a band is such a drag.

IV: I've heard that. Why is it a drag? Too many personalities?

IV: It sets up too many limitations. I mean.... some songs sound good with just guitar and singing, right? But with a band, I feel obligated to have other sounds in it. And musicians play too much. Always. It's such a hassle to get rid of notes

IV: That sounds familiar … like when I write—it's a hassle to get rid of words.

KT: Yeah, writing is the same way. And usually I do all the song writing and shit, and I sing.... and I can play most of instruments anyway, so I just get people to help for things that I cannot do, like to wail on electric guitar, or play some tight rhythm on drums. And sometimes it works better to jam and do arrangements that way. Except playing music you really have to rely on other people.

IV: Do they take direction from you? Do they have any creative input on their own?

KT: It depends. We don't really have a system structure....

IV: Do you pay them?

KT: No.

IV: Will they get a cut of album sales?

KT: Partially.

IV: Do you get along with the guys in your band?

KT: Yeah. But we are not like best friends. It’s kind of like, we're not really a couple, but we fuck whenever we see each.

IV: I see. A sort of hook-up-when-you're-horny thing.

KT: Yeah, official relationship or marriage is too far out for me. I mean, bands always break up, and I don't have time—or money—to deal with that.

IV: Have you ever thought that maybe you should get a job driving the bullet train?

KT: I don't think anyone drives that. There's just some guy who sits there at the control panel just in case.

Read Part 2 here

In which Tagawa discusses his latest work: writing soundtracks for video games

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