Special Interview] Pistol Takehara: “It was supposed to be a limited time unit” – The Surprising Story of “Noxuzen

The main character in the lyrics rarely overlaps with myself. I tend to focus on a single word that someone has said or a scene that makes me feel happy.

So says singer-songwriter Pistol Takehara (48). In 1999, Takehara Pistol formed the folk duo “Nofugu Zen” with his college classmate Hiroya Hamano (47), and began their activities. They gained a core music fan base, but disbanded due to conflicts over their activities. Since then, he has continued to express himself on his own, calling himself a “do-sa-tourist,” and in 2005 he made his first appearance on the NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen with “Yo, Koko no Younger No.” “But I’ll be back in ’19,” he said, “and I’ll be back in ’20.

However, the ’19 release of “Oi, Oi! Oi! is an unusual story of my own experience. It is a song about the time when I was living a goofy life before I started my music career. So every time I sing it at a live concert, I remember the layout and smell of my apartment back then, and at the same time I want to tell myself “Pull yourself together! (laugh).

Takehara’s lyrics are both delicate and bold, and they soothe the thirsty hearts of modern people, while her powerful voice stirs the souls of her fans. His musical roots, which have catapulted him to stardom, “date back to my childhood,” he recalls.

My whole family was a musician, except for my mom,” he says. My dad still plays in a Hawaiian band, my sister took piano lessons, and I took electone lessons……. There was always some kind of tone in the house.

I learned the joy of singing in front of people when I performed the theme song from the anime “Attack No. 1” in front of everyone at a forest school I attended when I was in elementary school. When I was in high school, I seriously wanted to become a professional musician, so I started writing original songs and sending demo tapes to record companies, but that didn’t work out at all (laughs).

After entering university, he joined the boxing club and devoted himself to the sport, but after retiring he felt a great sense of loss.

I think it was about 10 months from the time I retired from club activities to the time I formed ‘No Fox Zen,’ and that period was the toughest.” I remembered that I had a dream of becoming a professional musician,” he said. But I didn’t even know what exactly I should do, and time just kept passing by while I was goofing around. …… At that time, Hamano-kun called me and asked me out. I told him earlier, ‘Hey! Hey! is exactly what happened at that time.”

Surprisingly, he reveals, “When we first formed, we planned to be a limited-time unit.

We decided to work hard for just one year and quit if we didn’t make our debut. We played about 100 gigs a year, went to a lot of auditions and contests, and with the help of the people we met there, we managed to make our debut. There was a time when I was working part-time and performing at the same time, but I was having a lot of fun the whole time. So I don’t really feel like I was “working my way up.

The classmates’ unit decided to end their 10-year activity and go their separate ways. Takehara spent his days touring the country as “Utantai,” performing more than 250 shows a year at small live houses.

Takehara said, “After Hamano was no longer next to me, I realized how much his piano had supported me musically. But I was the one who initiated the breakup, and I was ignited to say, “I’m going to show him up” and “I’m going to prove that this breakup wasn’t a mistake. That’s what I call willpower (laughs). (Laughs.) I booked gigs and managed my own schedule. I was allowed to sing about six days a week, and it helped that I had a voice that was not affected by my condition.

The February 20 issue of “FRIDAY March 7” and the paid version of “FRIDAY GOLD” will feature a full-length exclusive interview with him, from his origins in becoming a singer to his acting career. In addition, a special feature on unexpected hobbies and interests is also included.

For more details and multiple photos, click here↓.

From the March 7, 2025 issue of FRIDAY