Interview:MTV BACK TO 80's (March 2017)



Interview with Hirohiko Araki on his choices for the 80's Western Music Hits Parade on MTV Japan.

Interview
"GUNS N' ROSES --- Welcome to the jungle

ZZ TOPS --- Legs

DIRE STRAITS --- Money for nothing

MICHAEL JACKSON --- Thriller

UB40 --- Red red wine

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN --- Dancing in the dark

U2 --- I still haven't found what I'm looking for

DONALD FAGEN --- New Frontier

THE STYLE COUNCIL --- Shout to the top

SADE --- Smooth Operator

PRINCE ---When doves cry

DAVID LEE ROTH ---California Girls

The 80s were an exciting period for a mangaka too. The stories that were coming out were gradually becoming stronger and deeper. This feeling that was floating around at that time could be perceived in both manga and music I think. From "Welcome to the Jungle" by Guns N' Roses, I really liked that while it's an overly long song it contains a lot of different ideas.

How the riff vertically enters the song "When Doves Cry" by Prince and how the melody feels like rain sticking to the ground gives me a really nice effect of 'solid' and sexy. I think the sound effects in 'JoJo's Bizarre Adventure' came from my desire to incorporate the strange voice that comes out from this song in a manga. For David Lee Roth's "California Girls," I adored the excitement and happy feeling it gave me. If you link the music and images it reflects, ZZ TOPS' "Legs" reminded me of something like the Pinup Girl style.

I consider these songs similar to an oil painting; I especially consider the way Norman Rockwell used to draw them to be quite erotic. His art used to appear in calendars, but it's popular now too. I think it would be nice to listen to these songs while watching those calendars."

- Hirohiko Araki

[Translated by macchalion]