Shinya Ueda of “Kurimu” has “bitter memories of Friday ……” “Anguish and Reward” in his 33-year career as a performer.

He has 11 regular programs! While he is known as a “big name,” he has an “unexpectedly caring face” that is no different from other people his age.

I have bitter memories of Friday!　In 2007, there was a time when my drinking party with Tokui (Yoshimi, 48) and Kawamoto (Junichi, 48) was featured in the magazine. But for some reason, I was the only one who had their eyes drawn in (laughs). (Laughs.) Maybe it was because the photo was too rough, but I thought, “What’s going on?　I was mistaken for a normal person! I thought. But that didn’t stop them from publishing the real scandal.　I’d be like, ‘Give me a break!

Shinya Ueda, 53, of the comedy duo “Kurimuchu,” spoke up right from the start. Ueda, whose latest essay “Blushing: Things in My 20s That Were Embarrassing Because I Worked Hard” (Poplar Publishing Co., Ltd.) has become a topic of conversation, says that he has realized something in the course of his writing activities.

He says, “I’m now over 50 years old, but essentially I haven’t changed since my younger days. For example, on “Ueda to Onna ga Barkaru Yoru (The Night Ueda and Women Bark)” (NTV), young celebrities in their twenties or so are talking about “what’s up with Instagram and the story function,” and I have no idea what they are talking about. I have no idea what they are talking about, but they act like they know what they are talking about. You can’t honestly say you don’t know. When I was in my 20s and moved to Tokyo from Kumamoto, I couldn’t ask “Where’s Alta-mae? I was two hours late for a rendezvous. I am still full of embarrassment.

Nevertheless, he has made great strides as a comedian. He now has 11 regular programs, including the duo’s own show, and can be called a “big name” comedian. However, Ueda says, “I am just an ordinary old man in his 50s. When asked why, he revealed that he spends his days taking care of both the young and the compliant.

He said, “It is natural that I am concerned about my language and attitude toward the younger generation. Even when the cameras are not rolling, for example, when we are in the elevator, I talk to them, saying, ‘What are you recording today? Isn’t it a little strange that they are so attentive to their juniors, when it is a matter of course for their seniors?　I sometimes think, “Isn’t it a bit strange that they are so attentive to their juniors? I wonder if someone could make a rule that says, “At this time, which one of you should talk to first? (Laughs). Well, it’s easier for me to speak first. I guess it’s in my nature.

As an MC, he is also bound by compliance when he is in charge of a program.

“Before, I could say, ‘You’re an idiot! Now I have to at least say “idiot” in situations where I would have normally said “You’re an idiot! Even female comedians who play the good girl used to be able to give a hard time with more forceful words, but now they are called “lookism,” so they have to say something like, “You’re so noisy! But now it’s called “lookism,” so it’s just “Shut up! Especially on live TV, I have to apply the brakes more forcefully. There are many times when I reflect on my actions later and say, ‘I could have been stronger.

Ueda, however, has none of the “good old days” that are characteristic of older men. Does he ever feel suffocated by the current entertainment industry?

It’s true that we have to be more careful, but that doesn’t mean that the way we used to do things is the right way. Our generation doesn’t understand the sense of harassment. Since childhood, it was common for children to be beaten up by coaches and school teachers during club activities, and it was also normal for parents to say, “If my child misbehaves, please beat him up.
But in this day and age, it is impossible to instill discipline through violence. There are many other ways of communicating discipline. In Reiwa, rather than updating the Showa era’s sense of discipline, we should at least deny the Showa era’s sense of discipline. Otherwise, I think it would be something to be ashamed of.

Rewarding “My Stride

The entertainment industry is currently undergoing a major transition. Many comedians are expanding their mainstay activities to the Internet, but Ueda continues to stand at the forefront, saying, “I got into this world because I love TV. This year marks the 33rd year in his career since he began his activities in 1991. What is it that keeps him motivated?

When I was in my 20s, I used to bluff my way to the top by saying, “I’m going to take over the world in 15 years! But I was ashamed of myself for saying grandiose things and not actually doing them. That’s exactly what the title of my book is about, “blushing. My big-mouth style didn’t fit in either. I could never quite reach the ideal I had set out for myself when I was young, and when I entered my thirties, I began to feel that I had no choice but to go my own way.
I can’t generate my own electricity, but I think I might be able to turn on someone else’s power supply from the standpoint of a comedian. That is exactly what I do as a “catalyst for laughter,” bringing out the best in others. As I get older, I find new things like that more rewarding and interesting. When that goes away, I just have to find something new and rewarding. That’s all you can do.”

In the process, he has developed a unique way of thinking about his work.

I’m the type of person who doesn’t get nervous very often, but that’s because I don’t “try too hard” in a good way. I get nervous and tired because I try to do better than I have in practice. You just have to let that go and do the best you can.

When asked about his ambitions for the future, he replied, “I’m already in my 50s, you know.　I don’t draw a blueprint. I’m just going to do what’s in front of me,” he said matter-of-factly. At his own pace, he will continue to bring smiles to the faces of the audience.

◆Shinya Ueda / Born in Kumamoto Prefecture in 1970. In 1991, he formed “Umisagari Suigyo” with his high school classmate Teppei Arita and made his debut. In 2001, they changed their name to the current duo. Since 2009, he has published a book of essays every year, and his third work, “Akumen: 20-sai no koto (Poplar Publishing Co., Ltd.),” was published on November 22, 2009.

From the December 22, 2023 issue of FRIDAY