Legendary composer/producer Money Mark talks to AJ about recording with Atarashii Gakko! AG chat #17
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- Опубликовано: 28 июн 2024
- Money Mark (of the Beastie Boys, among other things), talks about his work with AG! on Pineapple Kryptonite, Hanako, Forever Sisters and the Snack Time EP, and about the way the group has evolved as a result. Fascinating stuff!
In case you missed it, here's AJ's review of AG!'s groundbreaking Coachella performance: • Stepping onto the glob...
AJ's website: www.ajhartley.net
Hideki Smith, Demon Queller (the novel AJ gave AG! at their DC show): www.amazon.com/Hideki-Smith-D...
Thank you, Sir, for taking the time to do this interview. We really apreciate it.
My two main takeways:
1) Money Mark is a humble and gracious person despite a long and successful career that now spans decades. So nice!
2) It has become ever clearer that AG! has a considerable agency over what they do,making them artists and not just idol-style performers. We suspected as much, but hearing it from MM added a lot of detail.
I'm teaching apprentice plumbers professionaly, so I love the toilet story 😄
Regarding the success on the European tour, I can attest that the 1300+ venue in Cologne was not only sold out, but in full party mode less than one minute into the first song. And that after a cold start, as there was no support band or any other warm up before AG's show started.
That's great to hear. Thanks! And beware the toilet ghost :)
I hope Atarashii Gakko see this video, and when you see the ladies in Chicago in a VIP m and g, that they recognise you. You absolutely deserve a hug off all of them. Thank you for this interview.
Ha. Thanks, that would be cool :)
@@AndrewHartley looking forward to seeing your vlogg from the upcoming Chicago concert with AG
During the recent 2024 AG! Calling World Tour stop for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the pre-show music tests exclusively featured Beastie Boys songs. Of course, "Intergalactic" was played, and at that moment me and my friends were literally jamming to the song, knowing how much this song meant for AG! and the producer behind it. In my heart I was saying "Thank you Money Mark for everything, we love you.", and I think this is a great display of homage to Money Mark and the fans all around the world. So, thank you Andrew for taking one for the team to talk with this remarkable individual, and I extend my best wishes for your continued success!
Nice detail, thanks!
That's a great image, thanks. I remember they played Beastie Boys songs (including Intergalactic) at the DC show too!
@@AndrewHartley Glad to hear that, seems like the audio engineer team traveling with them had the same idea for many other tours!
Making music with Money Mark was definitely a pivotal moment for Atarashii Gakko. I can't really envision the same trajectory they have going for them now had they not had people from 88rising and MM behind them. I'm glad they got to work with MM, it was a chance for them to experiment. I think the sound they've created from Snacktime onward really does seem more like them to be honest. It feels like music you can see them having input in as a group and not just an outside source making the music for them to perform and I just absolutely love that he wanted them all to be able to equally express themselves in their music. Overall fantastic interview. Love seeing this type of stuff.
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it. I hope to do a part 2.
Oh they were going to break through and grow somewhere as a boost, but it has turned up to be very beneficial to them, they way that their hook up with Money Mark turned out. I mean, it just opens up their repertoire that much further. They really seem to be growing and expanding in a very pleasant, intelligent way. I mean, they're performing all the time, and at such a high level of physicality. And there's genre shifting, but it's all connected, all freedom loving and halfway punk. They've done some risky things, but that is what keeps them fresh. They change but they also maintain. They master and expand and repeat.
"Terrific!" "It is terrific!!" So excited to hear Money Mark on your platform! Andrew, you offer the best presentation of AG commentary. You say much of what I believe about this young group of talented ladies. I appreciate Money Mark keeping the fun alive in their music. I enjoy all of their phases of music and thank you allowing them to explore new possibilities. You are right that there's really nothing new in art, but what AG does seems alive and fresh. With AG, they are who you see. Their loving friendship is built on respect, talent and hard work. There is fun, playful acting but no pretending with them. Our grandkids have Japanese heritage, and we host exchange "daughters" from Japan and Taiwan. So, seeing AG as sisters reminds me of our family laughing, having fun, and creating memories with one another. 💙Praying for their peace, safety and strength as they continue their tour! Keep on keeping' on!!
Thanks for that thoughtful comment. It's so important for young people to see role models who look like them. That didn't used to happen much for Asian kids in the US, so I'm glad bands like AG! are getting some real attention here. Cheers!
I love AG - I really want to see Suzuka in an arena performance. Although you'd need to tie a bungie chord to her or she'll be up in the rafters singing 😁😁 much love to suzuka, kanon, mizyu, rin. Awesome girls, just sensational.
A very nice surprise. Congrats on an excellent interview. You did what many “professionals” fail to do, 1. let the guest talk in response to a question, and 2. Listen to the answer as a guide to your next question. I hope you are able to land the interview with AG, especially because you are able to bridge the language for most of us.
Thanks! Interviewing AG themselves would be pretty cool, though I don't think my language skills are enough to get into a real depth with them. I'd need help :)
I cant agree more with Mark when he said once you see them live, youre a fan for life. Cause that happened to me just a week ago as i watched them front row at Malaysia 😂 great interview! Loved it!
Excellent!
of all people, it's Money Mark in the house!
Right? :)
Everyone loves Money Mark 🙂
As you said, you can see why the band got on well with him.
So this is the guy behind Fantastico! That song have been living inside of my head rent free. for weeks now.
AG is a legendary group. They are simply magnificent ❤️
Extremely enlightening interview. You did a great job getting him to appear. I like how invested he seemed in the group. I went to the Berlin and London shows. Having talked to one of the 02 Indigo's management team I was told they had 2500+ in the venue that night. Much larger crowd for London than in any of the other EU tour dates. AG seemed genuinely shocked at just how many people were at that show and commented on it at the end. I cant help but draw comparison to another Japanese Band (no prizes). I believe they got 2300 in there first ever London show ?
Thanks! Yeah, I think their breakout over the last 15 months or so has been remarkable. They seemed shocked by the energy and engagement of the US fans last year too. And like a certain other Japanese band, I think they take heart from foreign fans singing along :)
They really are at this first major peak, like he said. Where they go from here is only up if they keep the momentum & finger on the pulse.
Hi Professor, thank you for sharing this incredible interview. You may have missed your calling, you looked relaxed, cool, calm and collected while you asked intelligent questions that produced insightful and interesting answers.
I have to say that Money Mark is a wonderful guest for your channel, not a conceited bone in his body. Mark was charming, engaging and extremely giving in his responses. He made me feel like I want to sit down and have a beer with him and just chat. Fantastic stuff.
And the influence that Mark has had on AG's career cannot be underestimated, AG's stocks have risen exponentially since his involvement with them. Of course, it has taken a lot of hard work and dedication from the girls in AG, but they are reaping the rewards now. I just hope AG can find their way to Australia soon, I desperately want to see them live.
Thanks, Len. He was an easy guest to talk to, and incredibly generous with his time. Hopefully we'll get to do a follow up some day :) And yes to an Australia tour. Fingers crossed!
Thank you Money Mark for doing this interview. I hope a part 2 can happen.
Simply amazing. I am a fan of their first 2 albums but those two albums are also very niche. Working with MM gave them a voice, which is something that is not always present in the Japanese music scene. Many artists are at the whim of what the producers want. When starring in commercials, AG is granted the right to create (choreo) and they have shown to be capable of doing that on the spot. These girls are very talented and they deserve more attention from their own country as artists.
Thank you Professor for bringing this content. I hope you decide to continue with this channel.
Thank you. Yeah, this was a nice boost. He's a fixer even for my channel (or my attitude to it)!
Wow, what a score! Great insight into the process and influence he has with AG! I had no idea he was brought in as a "fixer", to get them wider exposure and appeal.
Cool right?
@@AndrewHartley No idea why my comments on my other account keep disappearing on this page here, but this is (a shortened version of) what else I wanted to add:
Very happy to hear you'll be at the Chicago show. Hope I can say hi to you then.
I'm also hoping you will do a review of the Sheena Ringo collab.
Thank you so much. That was absolutely wonderful, I was hanging on every word Money Mark was saying. What an amazing insight into the process of creation for both Money and AG. I must admit I didn't know a great amount about Money Mark previously, but what a clearly hugely talented but also realy nice guy, very much like AG themselves I think.
I got to see them in London a few weeks ago and it's true, you have to see them to really appreciate just how good they are. I went with pretty high expectations but was still totally blown away by the reality!
It's nice to underatand how much Money Mark has contributed to the evolution of AG! and in what high regard he hold them as artists too.
Thank you Money Mark and Attarashii Gakko for being so amazing, and thank you AJ for bringing us this insight. Fantastico!! (One of my favourire words even before I heard AG!)
Excellent. Thanks. Yes, seeing them live changes everything :) Cheers!
I wonder if Mark himself was inspired by the influence of AG and their motto that youth (青春) is for everyone, regardless of age.😀
I think he had something of that spirit already, which is why he worked so well with them, but I know he responded to what they were all about, yes.
I don't agree with having so much English in their songs.
I totally agree with each of them taking the lead roles and I certainly agree with dumping the uniforms.
This guy had a job and he did it. I am super grateful. I may not have discovered the band without him.
Thank you for this interesting interview - I find it especially fascinating that the girls obviously already had an influence on the music/song writing back in the Pineapple Kryptonite phase. They're just cool, and Money Mark as well. 🙂 Btw did you see/hear the song AG did together with Sheena Ringo on her new album? I think it's a great track, very Sheena Ringo-esque of course (and I love her stuff so that's a good thing).
Yes, I liked it a lot. Very Suzuka heavy, of course, but it was good to see the rest of the group supporting her in the video. Thanks!
Nicely done, young sir!. Surely an interview with the ladies themselves can't be far off, perhaps Mr Mark could help make it happen!.
we live in hope
Thanks, man. Love those gals, and Money Mark is an interesting cat, too. Quite a group of characters. Thanks again.
Me too!
Thanks so much for this, AJ!!! With the man, the legend himself, Money Mark!!! 🤩🤩🤩
You bet!
Great Interview AJ! Loved to see the insight and just the love Money Mark has for this supergroup.
Glad you enjoyed it!
DUDE! 😲 WOW!! I think this is the ONLY video interview with Money Mark in regards to working with ATARASHII GAKKO?? I mean, 88 Rising didn't even present an interview with Money after the success of Pineapple Kryptonite. Good questions that totally got him to open up & reveal some great details. What an opportunity to work with a talented & smart group of women that were right at that "transition" point of their entertainment career, and of their very lives. Man. This was totally Awesome. So great you got this opportunity to interview Money Mark. Nicely done AJ. Nicely done. 🤘
Thanks man. You may be right about this being the only MM interview on AG! I kind of thought it would get more attention, to be honest, but mine is a pretty niche corner of the internet 😬Appreciate the comment!
Thanks to Money Mark for giving some great lyrics to Atarashii Gakko is my favorite group, I knew them through NAINAINAI until the release of Snacktime and my first concert in Mexico was at Corona Capital,
nice!
I really enjoyed hearing Money Mark talk about how he became involved with AG and how their collaboration worked. It's obvious that the ladies are so talented, intelligent and close-knit. MM is so right that people have to see them to really appreciate all their talent in the choreography. I hope during their downtime before they start the North American portion of the tour they will continue to release videos for AG Calling. I hope they add some more cities to the tour when they come here too like maybe Cleveland or Detroit:) Thank you Andrew, i look forward to a part 2 of this interview and for your coverage of AG when u see them in Chicago!
Thanks! A party 2 isn't guaranteed, but we're talking about it.MM is so busy and I'm trying to be respectful of his time...
I haven't gotten to see them in person, yet, but look forward to doing so. In any case, I have found it quite astonishing if you slow down their videos to about .75%, you can see extra movements that you missed at full speed. Then you move the speed back up and watch it in real time and it is insane how quickly they move.
Thank you and MM very much for making this interview and uploading it. It was very interesting to hear his experience!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Thank you SO MUCH for this great interview. Being able to get some insights of how an adventure full of dreams has been practically carried out (and of course is ongoing) is such a privilege, and I really think every fan should watch this. Hope there will be a part 2!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Thanks for the unexpected but informative interview video!
There's so many bits of information I absolutely adore in this interview. From how MM and AG met, how they worked together, how much they influenced each other, the humbleness and the respect for each other.
The skills AG learned from MM felt like he taught them how to fish instead of giving them some fish. It's so important for them to evolve further by allowing/giving them the tools to have a say in their music produced afterwards.
Thanks again for the interview and have fun seeing them again. So happy I was able to watch them live for the first time during the part 1 tour.
The fishing analogy is a good one, I think. Thanks for that and the comment generally!
Just finished watching the interview with MM, thanks so much for doing it. I discovered AG! from the Jimmy Kimmel appearance and have tried since to learn all I can.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Fantasticoooooo!!!! I really enjoyed this interview. Thank you Andrew and Mark, both. I bought Mark's Keyboard Repair when it came out and I still have and listen since I bought it! That's 29 years ago! I couldn't believe it first time I saw his name on their credit. I was like... is this that Money Mark?????? Hope he will get involve them again and create more great songs😊
That's so cool! Thanks :)
FANTASTIC interview. And as a bonus; now you got me listening back to "Check Your Head." Haven't listened to it in years.
Right? I've been doing the same.
Check Your Head isn't only my favorite Beastie Boys album, it's one of my all-time favorite albums as well. Love this interview so much. Thank you for doing this, Andrew.
That's how, sometimes, slightly forgotten music comes back again. And strikes back))
Great interview!! It was really interesting hearing money mark talk about his experience with ag, and I actually never knew hanako was from him too, which is really fascinating as (as you've said) it's so japanese, loved the story about its origins too haha
Glad you enjoyed it!
I love how, despite the insider access, the origin story mystery and mythology remains just that. (Of course, I think we know the basic reality, to which you alluded, but that's not very interesting. So, I'm a proponent of the mystery and mythology narrative!)
Ha! Yeah, they love to play up the mystery. All part of the fun.
So cool! Great interview Andrew.
Thanks!
Wow, great interview with Money Mark!!!
AG 🔥🔥🔥🔥
He's awesome, isn't he?
Yes he is and so are you.
Thank you both for supporting AG.
Thank you for this invaluable insight into the collaboration. Who knows, maybe your next interview is with AG! itself ... (then you can ask Suzuka how she liked "Hideki Smith" 😉)
Yeah, if anyone can set that up, that would be good ;)
Amazing! Thanks Andrew.
Glad you liked it!
AJ is the real deal, a total professional. Excellent interview as always. Watch his other interesting content. ✌🏽
That's very kind of you. Thanks!
Excellent interview!
Thanks.
貴重な動画ありがとうございます
どういたしまして！
wow : )
Great interview, thanks to the both of you.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Thank you for this, AJ! This was cool and insightful.
Glad you enjoyed it!
That was a score. Great job.
Super nice of Money Mark to do this.
I think so too!
Большое спасибо, как всегда очень познавательное видео.😊
THANK YOU - great discussion! I assume you've spent time living in Japan and are fluent in Japanese. When you get that in-depth interview with these young women in Chicago, I'm depending on you to ask those serious questions we've all been waiting for. I also look forward to that AG book you're working on.
Ha! I have lived in Japan and go back a lot (and my wife is Japanese American) but I don't think my Japanese is good enough to have a really nuanced conversation about serious issues, if that opportunity were to come up. It would be nice to try, however.
@@AndrewHartley Then how are you understanding their lyrics? You seem to know that many of their songs, especially those written by Yonkey, deal with very serious social issues. Yet it's impossible to derive their intended meanings from the sanitized English subtitles. I lived in Japan 1989-2002, my wife is Japanese, my two sons were born there, my eldest returning to Tokyo for work - yet I struggle to deconstruct many of AG's verses and often have to turn to my Japanese family for help.
I watched your very good analysis of Otona Blue. Though I believe your interpretation misses their message (you're looking through the POV of a middle-age western man), it was obvious you understood that the lyrics consist of a stream of the most delightfully filthy euphemisms. Someone must have provided a detailed explanation of those euphemisms, because you couldn't get them from subtitles, google translator, or genius.com.
@@destinationsunnyside250 Yeah, good question. I ask around a lot when I don't feel I have a handle on what's being said (and sometimes even when I do because I'm not always right, of course). But it's tricky. Japanese, as you know, is such an elusive, ambiguous, and punny language that it's hard to get a grasp of it without being immersed in the culture of the moment as well as the region. I know I miss things (esp. in something like that Otona Buru video I made when there was no meaningful English discussion of the song or the band at that time). But yes, I talk to my family a lot, and to Japanese fans, and even a few scholars (I've dragooned a few Japanese Shakespeare scholars to help me from time to time :) ) as well as pillaging online translation resources. The other thing, of course, is that being a native speaker doesn't necessarily make you a good critic/analyst no matter what the language is (speaking as a literature professor), or we would all agree on the meaning of every English song, poem, novel, play etc. Lately I've seen some hot takes of AG! songs that were clearly wrong and based entirely on a highly subjective reading of a single word or phrase which turned out not to be the case. So yeah, not easy, and always a work in progress. Thanks for the comment.
@@AndrewHartley Are Shakespeare scholars in Japan eager to spend their time translating Atarashii Gakko songs?
Understanding Japanese lyrics becomes even more difficult when songwriters like Yonkey enjoy playing with the ambiguity and homophonous nature of the language - a song with a definitive interpretation is not considered as interesting. But that's why I can enjoy your analysis and still disagree with your interpretations. Your Otona Blue analysis, for example, doesn't really make sense within the context of Japan. I agree the song is a coming of age story, but coming of age in a society where the age of consent is 13, where one of the most popular men's magazines is essentially playboy with models in school uniforms, where Joshi Kousei cafes and Papakatsu Apps are accepted vehicles for child prostitootion. If you take the POV of the girls, it's not about schoolgirls frustrated because they don't know how to act mature, it's about schoolgirls who know how to act more childish to seduce "soft" Japanese men. There's a verse at the end of the chorus that's usually translated "I've yet to bloom though I still pretend to" but I think a more accurate reading should be the other way "I remain an innocent bud though I know how to be a woman".
It's this kind of ambiguity that makes Japanese lyrics so beautiful. If the ambiguity didn't exist then Otona Blue would be 4 Japanese school girls singing Wet Ass P*ssy.
@@destinationsunnyside250 Yeah, I don't really disagree with any of that. The crucial thing about semantic ambiguity is not that an art object can mean different things to different readers but that it can mean multiple things simultaneously to a single reader: both/and rather than either/or. That said, the important thing is that they wield the power of their sexuality on their terms. That seems crucial to the song and to their world view. Many of their songs are dotted with issues of body image and with the hentai gaze of the culture you describe, a culture which wants to reduce them to objects of one-sided desire. We see this in the fan base too sometimes, I'm afraid. As to Japanese scholars talking pop culture, no, they aren't usually quick to do that and are sometimes baffled by why I want to, academia in Japan generally being quite traditional in its attitude to what art is worthy of study and what the nature of that study should be. That's not to say that they don't enjoy the music or find it interesting. It's just generally not on their radar as literature or theatre scholars. I also have a friend locally who is a prominent translator of contemporary Japanese fiction so he's another resource who I introduced to AG! :)
Wonderful to watch this interview giving fans some great insight in MM and AG work and the way to their sucess. Thank you 🙏
My pleasure!
Hello Professor.
While following the subtitles, if you don't understand the words, listen to them again...
It took a lot of time, but I think I managed to understand the basics.
I thought Forever Sisters was a song written specifically for the first performance at Coachella. I was a little surprised that the song had already been produced when AG first visited LA.
I never expected that Money Mark, who I only knew from photos and comments, would appear in the professor's video.
I never thought I would be able to learn the story behind the production.
Actually, I was so surprised and happy that I wanted to comment sooner lol
Thank you for the fun time✨
Will the professor meet AG in Chicago next? I’m looking forward to hearing about that too😊
It would be wonderful if I could meet them, of course, but that's a long shot :)
いつも彼女たちの素敵なステージに魅了されています。
最近のSuzukaはパフォーマンス力が格段に上がり、余裕さえ見えます。
ただ、ライブ内でシャウトが多すぎるの気になります。
ツアー中なのに喉が潰れないか…
あんなに暴れて叫んで大丈夫か？
ファンとしての一感想です。
多くのバンドがそうであるように）本番前にはヴォーカルトレーニングや発声練習に時間を割いていると思うが、そう、彼女は自分の声を守り続けるべきだ。
As it turned out recently, Suzuka is a friend of the Japanese singer Ado, I think she adopted some screaming techniques from Ado.
この方がカノンやミジュ、リンの声の特徴を捉えて、それを活かす道を示してくれたことに感謝！！
以後の楽曲で全員のヴォーカルが活かされて、バンドとしての深みが増したことは明白です。
只、最近のツアーライブの動画を観て、それがちょっとマンネリ化しつつあると危惧しています。
固定しては駄目。もっと出来るはず。
どう変わって成長して行くか、そこにもマークさんの助力やアドバイスがあることを期待しています！
それは興味深い。フォーエバー・シスターズ』が彼らの新しいレパートリーの一部であることを嬉しく思う理由のひとつでもある。新鮮で軽やかな感じがする。