Samplaza Nakano-kun Reveals Unexpected Thoughts Behind “Under the Big Onion” and “Runner

He once sang “Runner” at Koshien Stadium.

The goal, of course, is to have a full house,” he said! The Budokan, where “Big Onion” is performed, is a special place for us.

The Budokan is a special place for us,” said Samplaza Nakano-kun, 65, vocalist of the rock band Bakufu Slump, with deep emotion.

Bakufu Slump, which reunited to celebrate the 40th anniversary of its debut in August of two years ago, will hold its first concert in 35 years at Tokyo’s Nippon Budokan (Chiyoda Ward) in August of this year. Budokan is a sacred place for “Bakufu Slump” and its fans. In the hit song “Under the Big Onion,” the “onion” is compared to a giboshu, a small pearl on the roof of the Budokan. It is only natural that they would be fired up to fill the Budokan with memories. Nakano-kun reveals the behind-the-scenes story behind the birth of the famous song and the origin of his unique visual appearance with a shaved head and sunglasses.

Nakano explains, “Pappar Kawai, the guitarist, and I went to the same high school (Higashi Katsushika High School in Chiba Prefecture), but we weren’t really close. The kicker was in May 1980, right after I entered university (Waseda University). I got tickets to see a live performance by a band called “Super Slump,” which Kawai was a member of.

It was a strange band. The members were singing in insect costumes like cicadas and grasshoppers (……). I thought, ‘I really want to sing too. I really thought, ‘I want to sing too. I was so impressed that the band members, at the right time, invited me to join as a vocalist, saying that they were looking for someone tall enough to fit into the worm costume.

Nakano did not have a shaved head when he first joined the band, but a turning point came before he participated in an amateur rock band contest.

We were confident in our musical abilities. We were confident in our musical ability, but the problem was visuals. When we discussed it among the members, it was unanimously decided that the vocalist should have a shaved head. We each received 1,000 yen and went to the barbershop on the same day. I still keep my head shaved, but it is difficult to maintain. The hair grows back naturally, so I make sure to ‘take care’ of it before concerts and interviews.

Super Slump, of which Nakano is the vocalist, had a competition that they were aiming for. East West” was called the gateway to success for rock bands. Super Slump” made it to the finals in August 1980. The following year, they competed again and won the runner-up prize.

It was at the launch of the competition in which we won the runner-up prize. I happened to be sitting next to a female staff member, and casually asked her, ‘What would you like to be called (the artist’s name)? I casually asked a female staff member who happened to be sitting next to me, “What would you like to be called? She said, ‘Your real name is Nakano. She said, “Your real name is Nakano, right? （Your real name is Nakano, and the venue for the contest is Nakano Sunplaza, so you should turn it upside down and use that as your name. That’s how I got my artist name.

I started wearing sunglasses because of a comment from a female vocalist in another band. It was at a concert. I had been singing with silver-rimmed glasses, but the woman said, ‘Why don’t you wear sunglasses today? I refused, but the people around me persuaded me, saying, ‘Well, she’s the one who suggested it,’ so I put them on. When I tried them on, the impact of the shaved head and sunglasses was surprisingly strong and well received.

He met Funky Sueyoshi and Egawa Hojin, who were members of another band, and “Bakufu Slump” was formed in June 1982. The band was very popular at live houses, breaking attendance records in many places, but it was difficult for them to make their major label debut.

That’s right,” he said. The record companies were having a hard time dealing with them. The record company must have had a hard time dealing with it.

I’ve got it down next door.”

It was in August 1984 that the band finally made its major label debut. Their popularity skyrocketed due to the popularity of their lyrics, which were on the verge of being banned for broadcast, and the fire-and-brimstone antics they used on TV music programs. The Sony Group of record companies to which they belonged called them “one of the three biggest monster bands” along with “Seikimatsu II” and “Yomeyone Club.

The young people of that time were looking for a new trend. For example, in the case of comedy, instead of the traditional “blur” and “tskkomi” style, a little tongue-in-cheek teasing like that of “Downtown” was popular. Bakufu Slump’s new and intense performances may have been in tune with the times.

He had a regular radio show, and his first Budokan concert was scheduled for December 1985.

When we finished our live performance at Kudan Kaikan in December of the previous year, the record company staff told us, ‘We’ve got the place next door. The “next door” to Kudan Kaikan was the Budokan. I was happy, but I also felt a lot of pressure. At that time, rock bands did not have many customers. I thought there was no way we could fill the hall.

So I wrote a song “Under the Big Onion,” which later became a big hit, as an excuse. It is about a pen pal who promised to go to the Budokan with us, but didn’t show up after all. …… It was a precaution against there being empty seats.”

My fears were unfounded. The first live performance at the Budokan was a full house. Another representative song of “Bakufu Slump” is “Runner,” the 12th single released in October 1988.

It is generally regarded as a cheerleader song, but I had a different intention when I wrote the lyrics. At the time, there was a member who left “Bakufu Slump” after the release of “Runner. As a member of the track team in high school, I wrote “Runner” with his departure in mind. To me, it is like a private novel of “Bakufu Slump”. The song was written as an insert song for a TV program (“Tensai Takeshi no Genki ga Dekiru TV! ), it was recognized as a cheerleader song for youth, which was a strange sensation. ……

Bakufu Slump” had hit after hit, but a turning point came in April 1999. In April 1999, “Bakufu Slump,” which had hit after hit, reached a turning point.

I was extremely busy with TV appearances, national tours, recording, and songwriting. I was so busy that I don’t even remember those days. Then Funky Sueyoshi, the drummer, started saying, ‘I want to work in China. Sueyoshi is fluent in Chinese and a big China lover. We must have been tired from our extremely busy days. Then we decided to take a break and do what we love.

Nakano called on the members to reunite the year before last.

It was our 40th anniversary. Fans would be happier if all the members were together rather than celebrating alone. Sueyoshi is based in China, so we held a live tour under the title of “Japan-China Friendship Live. This year, the concert will be held at the Budokan in August. We want to make this commemorative live performance at the place of our memories a success at all costs!”

Under the big onion, a new legend of …… “Bakufu Slump” is born.

From the February 20/27, 2026 issue of “FRIDAY