time at length? And did they give you any tips or advice? NY: After the show in Osaka in 1995, all of us— The Ramones, Shonen Knife, and some of the crew— went to Hard Rock Cafe in Osaka together, and we talked with Joey. And I forgot what we talked about, but he was so nice though!
IE: And you also toured with Nirvana, with the late Kurt Cobain. How awesome was that? NY: It was 1991, from autumn to December, when Nirvana toured all over the UK, and he invited us as a support band, and it was a three-week tour all over the UK. And when I first had an offer from them, I didn’ t know Nirvana— they looked wild, and I was really scared to tour with them. But once we met them, they were so kind, and they often helped us with touring; they helped us alot.
IE: One thing I noticed, listening to your new expanded edition of“ Our Best Place” back to back with your debut— the songs are now over twice as long. How do you see the evolution of your songwriting from’ 81 to now? NY: I think I’ ve improved! And I like to listen to various kinds of music, especially‘ 70s or‘ 60s rock music, American or British rock music, and I’ m inspired by not only late-‘ 70s punk bands, but various music( genres), and a bit of all those for my recording.
IE: Well,“ Best” tracks like“ Vamos Taquitos”( 7:25),“ Spicy Veggie Curry”( 6:18), even the bonus track“ Green Tea— Naoko’ s Version”( 6:01)? You still seem to really love food. NY: For human beings, and everybody, eating food is most entertaining, and one of the most fun things, and most important things. So I think it’ s also an important topic, so I like to write about
delicious food. And in Japan, green tea products are very popular, like ice cream or in chocolate or drinks. And also, I love green tea a lot.
IE: How has the music business changed for you in the past four decades? NY: It’ s been changed by the Internet. Many people now listen to music through subscription services, and it’ s very hard for musicians. But we still have our shows, so I like to see our audience directly, and it’ s very fun. So the basic important part of music for me is the same.
IE: Every Our Best Place anthem is sunny, uplifting, and genuinely enthusiastic. Do you wake up every day totally happy and ready to rock? NY: Umm, not always, actually. But I like to write fun songs, because if I write fun songs, people can get happy. So it’ s my purpose, I think!
Tom Lanham newreleases December 5
Anna of the North Girl In A Bottle Greystone A Million Grains Of Sand Melody ' s Echo Chamber Unclouded Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds Live God TEED Always With Me Tom Smith There Is Nothing In The Dark... Zac Brown Band Love & Fear
December 12
Fred again... USB002 This Is Lorelei Holo Boy
December 19
Peter Criss Peter Criss
January 9
Dry Cleaning Secret Love Jenny On Holiday Quicksand Heart The Cribs Selling A Vibe
January 16
Courtney Marie Andrews Valentine Madison Beer locket Mary Lattimore & Julianna Barwick Tragic Magic Sleaford Mods The Demise Of Planet X
January 23
Louis Tomlinson How Did I Get Here? Lucinda Williams World’ s Gone Wrong Megadeth Megadeth The Format Boycott Heaven
Greystone
Sleaford Mods
10 illinoisentertainer. com december 2025