Let's just call it quits. -murakami radio-

         Memoires" is generally translated as "memoirs" or "autobiography", but the word sounds stilted and pompous and doesn't ring a bell. To put it crudely, it means 'I have compiled what I have seen, heard and thought about in my life into a book'. Most foreign bookshops have a 'biography' section, which includes memoirs. Japanese bookshops rarely have such a section. I wonder why.

I found a copy of George Martin's memoir All YouNeed Is Ears at a second-hand bookshop in Kyoto, and read it on the bullet train on my way home, thanks to which I left my mobile phone on the seat. Martin is a legendary Beatles producer, and the title is, of course, a play on the hit song 'Love Is All That Matters'. All these books are generally the same, or rather, the most thrilling parts are usually predictable before you even open the pages. It follows the breathtakingly exciting years (or months) of four nameless rock 'n' rollers from Liverpool as they seize the smallest of opportunities and rise to international heroes. The part when they're at the bottom, and at the top, it's like an add-on to the before and after, so to speak. When they were unknown, the four of them went around to record companies with their demo recordings. However, no one would take them seriously, and they felt that they had to give up music. Their music was very popular in their local clubs, but the bigwigs at the record companies didn't accept it at all. For them, who are conservative, it's just noise. But George Martin, who was in charge of a small label called Parlophone, a subsidiary of the big EMI, heard the Beatles' music and thought, "It's a lot rougher, but there's something strangely appealing about it". His main job was to make comedy records rather than music, but he trusted his instincts and signed a contract with the Four, despite the ridicule of those around him. If Mr. Martin had hesitated and dithered, or if John and Paul had given up on music as they were, they might have ended up in some kind of a thankless job. Or a post office worker. You never know what life has in store for you.

When I was 30, I won a literary magazine's newcomer award and made my debut as a writer. When I went to the publishing house to say hello, I was told quite curtly by the publishing manager, "Your work has quite a few problems, but just (*appropriately) do your best . At the time, I came back thinking honestly, "Oh, so I have problems?" (*Nuance) I know it's a stretch to compare them to the Beatles, but I really think that companies don't like things that are "problematic". It almost automatically eliminates anything that is inconsistent, unprecedented, or differently conceived. In such a situation, it seems to me that a company's capacity is determined by the number of employees who are "ready to face up to their problems" as individuals.

It's not what I think will happen, but I wonder what will happen to the Japanese economy in the future.

This Week in Murakami
I
left my cell phone on the Shinkansen with a mini Starbucks cup and strap.
I was embarrassed to explain it to the station staff.