Mitch Ikeda, photographer

In January 2003, I interviewed the Japanese photographer Mitch Ikeda, famous for taking pictures of the Manic Street Preachers and Oasis. The interview consists of questions emailed, translated into Japanese, then with answers returned in Japanese. Despite 'hanging out' with British rock bands, it seems that Mitch's English is pretty non-existent, while his Japanese answers suggested some of the surly insouciance of the rock stars he snaps had rubbed off on him.

Liddell: I saw your exhibition at Proud, Camden, in London. Are you going to have a similar exhibition in Japan?

Ikeda: Thank you for coming. In Japan they won't have the same exhibition. It'll be one third the size and only for one night.

Liddell: I saw the book, Forever Delayed in the U.K. Has this book been released in Japan? Will it?

Ikeda: They are not going to sell it in Japan, so people will have to get it as an import.

Liddell: Do you have any activities planned to coincide with the Manics' tour of Japan this month?

Ikeda: I haven't thought of it yet?

Liddell: How did you get to become the Manics' official photographer?

Ikeda: It was destiny.

Liddell: What is your approach to photographing the Manics? What do you look for or focus on?

Ikeda: I've never thought of it. Always natural.

Liddell: What are the problems photographing a rock band?

Ikeda: None.

Liddell: You have been photographing them for a long time. How has the band changed in that time?

Ikeda: They've got older.

Liddell: How aware were you of Richey cracking up? How did his disappearance affect the other three?

Ikeda: Laugh. Please ask the 'other three' about Richey.

Liddell: There are a lot of Japanese touches in the pictures, e.g.: James Dean Bradfield's Mishima crucifixion pose; Nicky with a kanji ring, wearing 'Super Lovers' clothes, and posing with a noren; Sean wearing 'Final Home' clothes, etc. How much of this is due to you?

Ikeda: There's no influence from myself.

Liddell: Do you think Sony tried to make the band appeal to Japanese audiences by appointing a Japanese as the official photographer?

Ikeda: I've never thought of that. This is very stupid question.

Liddell: The Manics often come to Japan. How do they react to Japanese culture and society?

Ikeda: Laugh. I don't think they come that frequently. I think it might be the opposite. Incidentally, doesn't Paul Weller come many times? Maybe both don't come enough. Are they reacting to Japanese culture and society? I don't really know.

Liddell: Which is your favourite picture?

Ikeda: I love them all because they are mine.

Liddell: I particularly liked number 165, the picture of Richey jumping with a guitar. It's a truly iconic image of him, suggesting crucifixion and suicide. How did this shot happen?

Ikeda: I took this photo at a photo shoot.

Liddell: What did you think of this picture later? Did you feel there was a kind of prophecy of his self-destruction in this image?

Ikeda: No!

Liddell: Do you think the camera is capable of sometimes catching mysterious aspects of a person, things that we can't normally see, like their ghost, spirit, or a prophecy of their future?

Ikeda: No!

Liddell: Which photographers have influenced you the most?

Ikeda: Ken Domon, Eiko Hosoe, Kishin Shinoyama, Daido Moriyama, Penny Smith.

Liddell: How much time do you normally spend with the Manics every year? What do you do when you are not with them?

Ikeda: Every year it's decreasing. Though I used to live in London, now I've got children. It's decreasing more and more because of children.

Liddell: How was the trip to Cuba? What was your impression of Fidel Castro?

Ikeda: It was the best. He's a totally wonderful person.

Liddell: What did Nicky and Castro talk about?

Ikeda: After the concert, they met Castro. Nicky asked Castro, was it loud? Castro replied, the sound of battle is louder.

Liddell: When my brother interviewed James Dean Bradfield earlier this year, he told him that he was hoping to cut back on his smoking and climb Mt. Fuji with you. Did he?

Ikeda: Laugh. No, he hasn't said that yet. I would definitely do it. Perhaps he's the kind of guy who can see the god.

Jiro Kondo, Egyptologist

Back in 2012, I had to crank out an article for the Japan Times on an exhibition of ancient Egyptian artefacts that was touring the nation. This brought me into contact with Professor Jiro Kondo, a director of the Institute of Egyptology at Waseda University who was curating the exhibition. An exchange of emails followed creating the following interview. The point was to get a rather pedantic and "dry" academic to say something interesting for the article, after which he could be suitably quoted out of context.

Liddell: Why is this exhibition being held now? Does it follow on from the exhibition held at the British Museum in Autumn 2011?

Kondo: This exhibition is following on from the special exhibition titled “Ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead” held at the British Museum, from 4 November, 2010 to 6 March 2011. This exhibition will tour to Fukuoka.

Liddell: What changes have been made for the exhibition in Japan? Why?

Kondo: The collection is exclusively from the British Museum. The papyrus of Ani and other eminent papyrus collections are not coming for the consideration of the conservation. On the other hand we are including other items such as jewellery and mummies and so on.

Liddell: Does the exhibition present the results of new research?

Kondo: No.

Liddell: Egypt is an extremely remote civilization for modern people, but it remains one of the most popular. How do you explain this popularity with modern audiences?

Kondo: Death is a permanent theme that human beings face. It seems that images and ideas related to the afterlife of the Egyptian people attract modern audiences with their uniqueness, beauty, and details; the modern audience can also find ideas and features familiar to them in the funerary philosophy of this remote civilization.

Liddell: Why did death feature so prominently in their culture? Was there an element of morbidness?

Kondo: It is far from being morbid. On the surface, the Egyptian Civilization is a culture of death, but if we look into their thought deeply, it reflects their strong desire for life, and it is full of energy.

Liddell: Some theories state that the ancient Egyptian attitude to Death was influenced by the sharp contrasts between the desert and the fertile river, and also the regularity of the rise and fall of the Nile, with its symbolism of a cycle of life and death. How important was the environment in influencing ancient Egyptian culture and customs?

Kondo: The fact that our culture is influenced by our environment is universal, and it is not limited to Egypt.

Liddell: The other key point about the customs connected to The Book of the Dead and the rituals dealing with death is that they are very elaborate. Such elaborate rituals, it seems to me, are much more likely to develop in a society that is isolated and which develops slowly. Once Egypt became connected to the wider world through the Ptolemies and the Roman Empire, these customs faded and disappeared. How important was Egypt’s relative isolation and conservatism is creating these very elaborate customs?

Kondo: In the long history of Egypt, Egyptian civilization had always been influenced by outer cultures such as Mesopotamia, Syria, Anatolia and so on.

Liddell: How does this exhibition compare with previous exhibitions on ancient Egypt in Japan?

Kondo: This is the first time the Book of the Dead is the main theme of exhibition. Also, this is the first time that the theme is very much focused on one single book.

Liddell: The exhibition is notable for featuring the 37-meter-long Greenfield Papyrus. What light does this item throw on our understanding of ancient Egypt?

Kondo: The Greenfield Papyrus is one complete papyrus that illustrates the funerary beliefs of the Egyptian; it also shows the scale of the Book of the Dead. It includes various scenes of the underworld through which a deceased has to go in order to attain eternal life.

Liddell: The exhibition also includes many amulets. Ancient Egyptians seemed to believe greatly in the importance of amulets. What do these tell us about the mindset of the average people in those days?

Kondo: The idea of amulet also universal.  It is natural for Japanese people to get amulets when we visit temples or shrines. Amulets were daily items for the Egyptians.

Liddell: What is the significance of ancient Egypt? What does their civilization teach modern people?

Kondo: Its eternity.  No modern buildings have exceeded the strength and duration of the pyramids which have stood in the land of Egypt for 5000 years.

Liddell: In your view, what differences and similarities are there between the ancient Egyptians and the modern Egyptians? Has there been any significant continuation from the period of the pharaohs and the periodof the Arab Spring

Kondo: Except for the religious concept, I do not see great differences. Modern Egyptians have the same roots as ancient Egyptians. They were farmers in the fertile lands by　the Nile, and, though they may have had difficulties, their life may have been richer materially and spiritually than it is now.