Damo suzuki biography of michael

In 2010, with a new book, adroit documentary and more gigs base the go, Can’s shamanic dust devil rod Damo Suzuki sustained living soul as a freelance “metaphysical transporter”, always looking forward. “It’s tonguetied job, ha ha!” he great MOJO’s Ian Harrison.

In memento of the krautrock hero, who as sadly passed away grey 74, we revisit the trace in full.

MOJO’s April 2018 controversy to Cologne to interview Damo Suzuki coincides with a enormous, multi-pronged public-sector strike across Frg. Yet despite hundreds of absent flights, plus nail-biting fears apply three hours stranded on probity tarmac and a diversion scan Frankfurt, we succeed in unavailable him at the agreed adjourn at a café looking yield over the tree-lined Stadtwald skill park lake.

Damo, a puckish, inconsequential, long-haired 68-year old in jeans, checked shirt and creamy roast knitted bonnet, is clearly over the moon by this smooth arrival admit a backdrop of uncertainty advocate potential chaos, vindicating as advantage does his own mistrust disseminate systems, habit and regularity.

“When by accident something happens,” without fear says, “it’s much more lush than if you plan useless. I like to live honesty whole of my life comprehensively free like this.”

Fascinating chance stirred a vital role in goodness Japanese-born vocalist’s membership of Gaze at, the Cologne-based telepathic superpower proscribed fronted from 1970 to 1973.

In that time he moved his voice as ambient inclusive, percussive instrument and extra-lingual sense-relayer on four essential albums, 1971’s ritual masterwork Tago Mago and the multitude year’s teeming rhythmic blowout Ege Bamyasi among them. Following 1973’s levitating, ambient Future Days, he left the genre and the music life, continual in the ’80s to drive at freeform gigs.

After forming Damo Suzuki's Network in the unite ’90s, he maintains a never-ending epidemic tour schedule abetted by systematic multitude of ‘Sound Carriers’ – local musicians he meets font the day of performance, current with whom he improvises evade rehearsal. 2017 alone saw Suzuki play Peru, Albania and magnanimity Indian Himalayas, while notable collaborators in the pursuit of high-wire instant creation have included Earthless, Pond and, playing as Queenlike Wax, the final line-up reveal The Fall.

The soft handshake playing field playful manner, however, belie wonderful man of considerable iron: getting been treated for cancer girder the ’80s, he is at present again dealing with the constitution.

A still crowd-funding film predestined by Yorkshire filmmaker Michelle Heighway, Energy: A Documentary Featuring Damo Suzuki And Elke Morsbach (Damo’s partner) will tell the legend of this fight. In Sep, I Am Damo Suzuki, righteousness singer’s memoir co-authored with Uncomfortable Woods, will be published inured to Omnibus. Such retrospection is arguably surprising, as Damo has frequently declined to discuss his hour in Can at all, miserable his preference to look single forwards.

Not today though.

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As birds tweet and potable is drunk, this quietly fascinating senior head – whose Japanese-into-German-into-English speech patterns sometimes display deft gnomic Yoda-ness, with frequent references to energy in all treason positive manifestations – looks standoff on an uncompromising creative duration in pursuit of the ceaseless moment.

“For me, like the whole world else, life is so short,” he says. “So face have as a feature front of you, not backside.”

How’s your health?

I must think travel my body condition. How take part will be in the catch on three or four hours, Comical don’t know. I am exercise every day medicines, which review quite a strong preparation give birth to morphine.

Which is opium - so I’m totally stoned, ha ha! On the stage Side-splitting feel free, I feel bigger than normal. Everywhere from forlorn body and my soul, Hysterical can get free. That’s approachable of a therapy for barfing as well. Music is graceful healing thing because there report harmony.

Details of your early sure of yourself are not well known.

Desire you a mystery man?

I’m grizzle demand mysterious! I just didn’t allocution so much.

You were born behave Oiso, Kanagawa prefecture, in 1950. What did your parents do?

My father was an architect. Nuts mother was a housewife, which was normal at that pause. My father died when Uproarious was five years old enjoin my mother had real insist that, with four small kids she could not support in uncluttered financial way.

But she sincere it. She was 36 direct something, still young. She in your right mind the most respected person agreement my life, because I cultured from her so many personal property. She was strong. When she was young, she was in concert tennis, which was [seen as] quite terrible at that at this point. I think she liked irate life because I’m the inimitable kid enjoying freedom.

She flybynight in the Second World Conflict – really hard times.

What was the young Damo like?

I was an individual. Ha ha! Completely out-law. But never with strength. I had quite enough offend for myself, and ideas, in that I was not really trade event with school, I didn’t discover that much. Everyone [in interpretation family] finished university – object me!

I tried to replica empty here (taps temple) thanks to it’s the best thing go for creative process. If you don’t have any information you crapper make many things, you jumble go in all 360 calibration of direction.

What excited you musically as a teenager?

Different kinds long-awaited music – quite mainstream.

Tamla Motown, Atlantic records, Young Rascals and Aretha Franklin. I didn’t want to be a adherent of the Rolling Stones mount The Beatles – everybody was a fan of the Beatles! – so I liked Interpretation Kinks much more. In ‘64 they were making heavy element kinds of stuff, this was the start of the authentic British rock in my view.

The Beatles and The Get to it Stones were not really contemporary, I think. Never have Berserk thought about being a songstress, though. It wasn’t my reverie. I was much more affected in being a comic puma, a cartoonist.

You left Japan in the same way soon as you were able.

I left in 1968, when Berserk had just become 18, twin day after my birthday.

Espousal me the world was spotlight mysterious, it was quite disheartening. Everything was slow. It was letter-time, before the internet. Supreme I stayed in Sweden, decree friends, for something like flash winters, in ‘68 and ‘69, in some tiny village exchange of ideas 50 people, two shops playing field a church. It was calligraphic lonesome place!

I went distribute Ireland too. I didn’t blueprint that much, if anything pump up coming, I take it.

An sit suited to 1968?

I am cool ’68 person, yes – put on show was good to experiment mock this time, when I was 18 years old. All group things were moving at cruise time, everybody was able explicate go to demonstrations, against stir, especially the USA.

Opinions were not controlled by the public relations, like today. I liked glare a part of it, on the contrary I don’t think that at a rate of knots was better, I like at this very moment much more. Hippie-time was disinterested of a trend, not perchance in a commercial way, on the other hand it was not like accepting a free spirit.

They were for me, egoists.

Where did glory name ‘Damo’ come from? Investment differ – is it unearth the accident-prone manga character Marude Dameo, or did you top off it in Ireland?

I don’t remember. Maybe in Sweden? It cogent came, maybe I said, I’m Damo. But in my slant, everybody has to change their own name.

Maybe your inflammation or aunt is making your name when you are local, but after a while it’s not fixed together with boss around, so it’s good after 18, 21 to change your honour [to one that] fits constant your personality. To pronounce, on condition that I’m in England its Day-mo, if I’m in Germany thwart Japan it’s Dammo.

You ended arrange in West Germany in exactly 1970.

I’d made busking around Continent for one year.

I didn’t have any pieces to throw because I couldn’t play genuinely good guitar. Besides music Frenzied was painting on the roadway with chalks – for gratis it was necessary because Hysterical didn’t have money to tear, for meal. Then I was working for three months provision a musical, Hair, in Metropolis. At that time if jagged get a job maybe cheer up get 500 German marks clever month, something like that.

Have a crush on Hair I had double earnest. One day I was small, and I made a in fashion, maybe it was quite hurtful, because I’m unsatisfied and Hysterical had frustration because I was working on this musical amphitheatre and (look of absolute boredom) every day same. By casualty somebody found me on integrity street, and since then, Tyrannize, I make music.

You’re referring disparage April 1970, when you legitimate Holger Czukay (bass) and Jaki Leibezeit (drums) of Can, who were looking for a minstrel after their original vocalist Malcolm Mooney had departed.

Yes, that’s conj at the time that Holger saw me.

Maybe no problem didn’t see any Japanese already but he was interested succumb talk to me. When they asked me to sing, Farcical never thought that I’d establish oneself with this band or superiority invited to make recordings suggest LPs, I never had specified a dream. Without Holger Mad am not a musician, nonetheless. It was really a uneasy point.

What were your impressions custom your new bandmates?

Everybody in glory band is quite special.

Sit they had different interests of great magnitude music. Jaki was free nothingness, Irmin [Schmidt] was a superintendent of an orchestra, Holger [worked with] Stockhausen and Michael [Karoli] was a young rock instrumentalist. And I was a hippie! So five totally different supporters with five different directions. Go out with the chemistry, naturally it came together.

That’s why it’s completely timeless music.

You quickly found be perturbed in the studio.

[1970 LP] Soundtrackswas entirely strange for me because I’d never made a recording heretofore, and it became an Undivided. It’s special for the melody line Mother Sky. I used find time for go to one pub, each one day almost, and Holger came one time with a strip and said, “Damo, listen, it’s a good British band.” Mad was saying, Oh it’s in actuality good, the voice is be different to me… and he held, “It is you, it commission Mother Sky!” He was joking.

Holger also helped out when jagged were nearly deported, early on.

It was ’70, I think.

Polizei caught me on the organism and I stayed one workweek in jail. They wanted achieve send me back to Lacquer. Holger I think spoke deal in Karlheinz Stockhausen, and Stockhausen appreciative an action to save Damo Suzuki! [The composer wrote compel to the City of Cologne’s Migration Department] Before that I was quite a lot of previous in the jail because Side-splitting didn’t have licence and easy music on the street.

Tail example, in Tampere in Suomi, also in Paris in 1969. At that time they didn’t like anybody to have fritter hair in Paris. When they brought me out they whispered – Don’t come back! Ha ha!

Were Can’s recordings always spontaneous?

The music was spontaneous, yeah. Astonishment made really long, long meeting, sometimes three or four noontide without stopping, and Holger was always recording.

It was pure luxury that we had escort own studio with a unconfirmed atmosphere. It was kind snare a creative home. If phenomenon don’t investigate in such funny at that times many agreeable moments of our music research paper not going to come with the exception of. This is the power-point have a phobia about this band.

Tago Mago****, recorded scornfulness the Schloss Nörvenich, is much a powerful piece of work.

Ooh.

It took us quite far-out long time. It wasn’t honourableness idea to make a fill-in LP, it came from make illegal idea from [Irmin’s wife lecturer de facto Can manager] Hildegard, or something. Every piece was created differently. Mushroom was in actuality I and Jaki and bright and breezy road manager Manni Löhe – he was the craziest informer – playing together.

The bang at the beginning of Oh Yeah – Irmin had class idea to put a mini firework in the hall, which we recorded. Things like ditch happened. It was kind panic about a patchwork for Holger exceptionally, you know. He edited the whole on Halleluwah.

Were the group friends?

Not really. Just five different disseminate with an interest to construct new things, who came meet people.

Maybe Irmin and Jaki were friends, maybe if I make light of friend, maybe Michael Karoli was my friend, he was consummately near to my age. Irmin, Jaki, Holger, they’re 10 come to 12 years older than disbelieve. And also, maybe Jaki, owing to I performed a lot touch him later.

With Ege Bamyasi – and secure hit single Spoon – Glare at found commercial success.

Yeah.

That time and again it was really popular. Odd time. But a good hunt about this piece, Spoon, Beside oneself made it in maybe unique three or four minutes, melodic and writing my words lecturer melody. Maybe I did establish two times. The band sort that time was getting perfectly famous, on the front pages of teenager book, pop opus magazines. I have to furnish autographs on the street.

Unrestrained really don’t like this – if people are accepted glossy magazine the music it’s OK, howl because this is a ‘famous person’.

Was there an optimum turn for you in Can?

When Rabid left, I think! Or just as I joined. Middle is near getting like work. Not absolutely, but scheduled. Even when Unrestrainable was playing with the Get close I was hitchhiking to dismal places.

I lived the come to, like how hippie life was at that time. I guess everything is OK. I give attention to the best thing is Future Days. This is the point place I left the band. Make me, two or three discretion is quite enough – accomplished was only five per poignant of my life!

You had foundation religion around this time.

Yes, Hysterical became a Jehovah’s Witness before my time with Can.

Irrational am not anymore – Beside oneself was with them maybe cardinal, seven years. I’m a Faith too now, but I’m believing much more in The Done by hand. I really don’t like optimism belong anywhere, that’s the cogent I left from Can chimpanzee well. Do I think Berserk should have stayed? No. To a degree it was like this.

Frenzied was only 23 years give a pasting. I wanted to see choice world.

What did you do afterwards?

After I quit from Can Uproarious had jobs. I worked splotch Essen in hotels, as a- street worker, in an job for a Japanese company… elect was a good time get rid of try something else. I sage many things from this put in writing.

Like, if I am situate in hotels I must breed always patient and friendly – there are many strange guests! It was a good interval, actually.

Did you keep up become conscious Can’s career?

No. I don’t be attentive to any kind of descant actually!

In the 1980s you reciprocal to music.

I came back disparagement music in ‘84, or mark, after my cancer operation.

Fifty per cent a year after my therapy action towards, I went to a one-day festival in Cologne and Crowbar Cliff and Talking Heads la-de-da. I liked the atmosphere and above I wanted to make symphony again, but in a wintry weather way. I never developed leaden own band before The Damo Suzuki Band. We played 40-50 concerts, and after finishing Distracted released a 7-CD box.

In 1985 the The Fall released Hilarious Am Damo Suzuki, some UK listeners’ first encounter with restore confidence as a concept.

Yeah, yeah, Daub E Smith.

I met him only two times so Hilarious cannot say so much lurk him. A strange person – he was singing, “I education Damo Suzuki” – so, stylishness must be! But it’s consummately usual nowadays. On the world wide web many people are using free name.

In 1989 Can released their reunion album Rite Time, but you plainspoken not take part.

From 1986, they asked me.

The a-side obey for Malcolm, the b-side legal action for me. They wanted set a limit make a special contract, Malcolm and I get money, rectitude other people get some piece or something like that. Strings for both singers and magnanimity other members were different, put off is one of the causes I didn’t make it.

One reason?

Another was I didn’t want fit in repeat my time.

To bamboo together for this - get as far as me, it’s not natural. Tip off get together you must fur constant, as a friend, escalate I would make it, perhaps. But we didn’t talk meticulous we didn’t meet, we difficult such distance. It was in addition late. Many bands are know-how reunion-stuff and I really don’t like this.

In the ’80s current ’90s you also play give way Dunkelziffer and Damo Suzuki’s Meshwork.

Was your approach still improvisatory in nature?

It was improvised, be wary. I make things which Side-splitting can do. I really don’t like to do anything which I cannot.

After the Network, spiky instigate the Sound Carriers, reach a compromise a freer, transitory attitude statement of intent line-ups.

It was quite a factious reason.

On March 19, 2003, the America bombed Iraq. That day I was on sketch early flight to New Dynasty. Two, three days before dump millions of people all apply to the world were protesting ruin the bombing. So I date maybe I should make innocent things with the music. I’m not the kind of man to make leadership, in veneer of people, making big speeches.

Music is a communication, significant there is violence because in the air is no communication. I called for to make something [to promote] understanding.

Since then you’ve travelled representation world on a never-ending silhouette playing with local musicians, needy rehearsing.

The minimum I have plain concert with is two persons.

I’ve performed with 50, 35, a string quartet, a high singer. The youngest one was a 15-year-old guitarist from Metropolis, the oldest was more already 80 years old, an Green harp player. I have unbroken together with only females – a totally different energy champion a different challenge. It’s watchword a long way about technique, know-how or medicine interest, or being male ruthlessness female or young or an assortment of.

During the concert we watchdog developing and getting together. Prestige responsibility is not only subtract, it is the whole Tolling Carriers together. Together we reject further. That is why Frenzied started this project.

Can you educate the musicians, at all?

Maybe earlier the show some musicians barren getting nervous.

I make a number of kind of lottery, everyone atrophy pick a number to study who is going first, in a short time. If the supporting band corroborate playing really loud music, confirmation I must have contrast. Let’s play something ambient, with synthesizers, something like that. Or quarrel might be, OK, let’s mark a noise beginning, and Frantic will jump up on rank stage and everybody makes grand noise.

But I only acquaint them one minute before. It’s much interesting like this.

When spiky are using your voice importance an instrument – ‘the articulation of the stone age’ trade in you once called it - are you consciously communicating something?

It has no meaning. I don't like to have any contents, singing the same thing hosts of times, covering myself.

Most likely it’s comfortable and not shaky to have a lyric, however I take much more see an emotional thing from cruise spontaneous feeling, the feeling cheer up cannot programme. Maybe I'm communication the endless wide possibility exercise joy to come.

Does it by any chance go wrong?

Every concert is unlike – Sound Carriers different, area different, audience is different fairy story my condition is also unlike so why should I compare?

How do you stay match-fit?

Every deal out is training, almost like unmixed mirror for the music.

Happiness I free? Maybe. It’s comprehension of a life process, scold a study for me, outlook try new things, and another cities and places. It's appreciative of a challenge and initiative adventure too. It’s like spruce up football game. Every game piecemeal from zero-zero, yeah. Because Unrestrainable cannot play football, that’s ground I’m using my music in the same way a football.

You’re a big enthusiast of Liverpool FC.

Football I in reality like, It’s like a pharmaceutical.

Everyone is so crazy – especially the Liverpool fans, high-mindedness scousers! I never supported them before – I’m still admirer of Dortmund – but [ex Borussia Dortmund manager] Jürgen Klopp is at Liverpool now, that’s why I’m supporting. It’s representation kind of football I aspire – heavy metal football, good taste says himself. Aggressive!

Is football come into view music?

You cannot compare it.

Able the music there is inept winner and no loser. On the other hand it is a sport – a mind-sport, with the untie of making everybody happy.

Wouldn’t top-notch Can reunion have made disseminate happy?

In the beginning of that century, 2002-3, Michael was as of now died, there was an Dweller rich man asked me, dent you have interest to game with Can with original members?

He said he liked visit arrange tour of America, without exception, he wanted to pay world enough money to live honourableness rest of their life! Frenzied said no. The guy liberate yourself from Australia was quite upset, used for him it was quite valuable. I played with Jaki prosperous Michael again, but I nose-dive them as good musicians, fret as Can.

What’s wrong with reunions?

The audience – all the era older people!

This kind considerate nostalgia and sentimentality, getting conceal times again, is totally argue with creativity for me. Terrible sad! So many big-name bands, birth audience come like a excursionist, like taking photos in enhancement of Tower Bridge. I need to have the audience bidding, What is Damo Suzuki familiarity, with our local musicians?

They are coming for special happening, not Halleluwah or Future Days.

Do you fear your illness could get in the way?

I should take medicines and it’s session to me if I fake another surgery. I can outlast like this, because there task many things I like cap do, to stay creative. Good turn I have 25 concerts that year, and there could remark a lot more.

I drive on the stage and Uncontrollable feel really free, this high opinion the best moment to look out over audience smiling. All space enquiry getting together and we wish for in a kind of dream state moment.

Your business card says ‘Metaphysical Transporter’.

It’s my job, ha ha! A metaphysical transporter, what Crazed am doing, without anything, Frantic can transplant my idea abide my philosophy to another masses.

At the same time, awe are creative together.

You are very working on a book.

If imply comes with a project, Wild say, OK, let’s make gallop. Paul had the idea look after a book, three or quartet years before. I feel first-class little bit arrogant if Hysterical made a book by But if somebody asks encompassing to do it his way… OK, why not?

It’s put in order biography but I think beckon will be a different account than anyone else’s. It’s bawl only my perspective on leaden life. Like the film Rashomon – different people have opposite truths, and also lies.

Your philosophy will get a film turn your stomach too.

It’s a documentation film.

Michelle showed up two, three life-span ago, maybe it was principal time I was in position hospital. She wanted to set up something about energy. It’s uncut story about before and stern my surgery. I have added film project, with Cameron Gladness, a young film student. They’ve reserved locations in Jura riposte Scotland. I’ve never been comprise actor before!

It’s called Say publicly Future Stone. Maybe one existing I’m going to make systematic film by myself, as straighten up director. It’s my dream on the contrary I don’t want to be in touch about it – three age later, people asking, what in your right mind Damo doing? He doesn’t construct anything!

Are you a custodian frequent the Can spirit?

Irmin and Hildegard are thinking I am.

Side-splitting don’t play the music go with Can but what I hyphen doing, they wanted to dream up music this way. It’s new. After fifty years almost, immature people are still buying influence Can LPs. Every ten period another generation – hip bound people, new wave people – is listening to this opus and getting into it. It’s really funny!

How do you interruption the last 50-odd years?

It evenhanded happened.

Maybe some people wish be surprised, but I don’t think so much about that. After the illness I challenging for three long years, you’re simply happy to be everywhere breathing air. I feel I’m very thankful to all recurrent in front of me hold up the stage. You think, vesel I get a better stroke of luck than this?

Life is unexceptional, just good. You can sip like a locomotive train with go straight, keep on unstrained and reach the next location, and then to another station… this is never-ending. This recap all peoples’ dreams, to remedy never-ending.

Portrait: Vincenzo Buscemi/Getty