Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on August 2013

This year’s Fuji Rock Festival went down as usual at Naeba Ski Resort, July 26-28 amid much fanfare, rain and exuberance. Metropolis Editors Dan Grunebaum and Lisa Wallin were there, and this is what they had to say about it in their chatty post-mortem.

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Dan: Hi Lisa. Ready for a brief chat about Fuji?

Lisa: Sure! I was just listening to some Turtle Island just now.

Dan: Did you catch them on the opening night?

Lisa: I did. I’d heard a lot of good things about them, but nothing prepared me for the real thing. They were amazing!

Dan: How so?

Lisa: Just watching them was exhilarating. There was so much going on, I didn’t know where to look. The crowd had such a good vibe as well, everyone was dancing. You really couldn’t help but feel a part of it and join in.

Dan: So a good start to the festival for you…What was your impression of this year’s headliners?

Lisa: My initial thought was that every single one of them was a great choice in terms of nostalgia. I grew up listening to all of them on and off. In terms of actual performance, I don’t think anyone could beat Bjork. Even though it was a shame we couldn’t see her face on the big side screens, the visuals were breathtaking. Colorful and almost hypnotizing. I liked the underwater one best, it took me a good few minutes to figure out the starfish were crawling around on a corpse.

Dan: The fact that the headliners these days are generally bands at least a decade or two old could also indicate that there aren’t many young rock acts big enough to headline Fuji Rock these days…

Lisa: Yeah, that’s a good point. Last year it was Radiohead, Stone Roses and Gallagher’s High Flying Birds. Yeah, even two years ago. Are there any younger bands you could see taking on the headlining spots?

Dan: Western rock isn’t that popular in Japan at the moment, so it’s hard to think of any young bands that could headline Fuji. The most successful Western acts in Japan these days are pop acts like Beyonce or Taylor Swift. I thought there were a lot of great young bands though, for example Local Natives were powerful on the Red Marquee, and Tame Impala got rave reviews. But none of them are big enough to headline the Green Stage. Skrillex is young and headlined the White Stage, but he’s an electronic artist.

Lisa: That’s true. You mentioned pop acts… Do you think any K-pop acts would ever get a chance at headlining anything at FRF?

Dan: Summer Sonic maybe, but I cannot imagine Smash ever booking K-pop for Fuji. It’s just not their style (and thank god for that). Were there any new discoveries for you?

Lisa: Oh yeah. Always. That’s the best part of FRF! I love the Rookie stage, so I always make sure to research those bands well ahead of time. They’ve got an awkward schedule, but there are often bands worth waiting up for. My favorite pick this time was Bakudan Johnny. Young kids from Hokkaido who know how to put on a show! It’s not often you see underwear flying *off* the stage (followed by the crowd parting to avoid a pair of boxers falling on their heads). Other than that, and I hadn’t really heard of Ryukyudisko (Red Marquee) before checking them out either. How about you?

Dan: There was that bizarre group, The Autopsy Report of Drowned Shrimp, on the Rookie stage. Ten people in giant shrimp outfits playing a sort of warped undersea techno-pop. But for musical mastery, it was hard to beat Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba, a group from Mali that put on a mesmerizing show of traditional African music on several stages over the weekend. On a more sober note, did you catch Wilko Johnson‘s show? Pretty impressive energy for a man who is dying from cancer.

Lisa: Yeah, I’m sorry I missed the shrimp guys, I unfortunately had security duty at the time. I caught him very briefly when he played the Green Stage. It was amazing—I actually thought it was someone else, since as you said, amazing energy for someone with terminal cancer.

Dan: Half the fun of Fuji is of course socializing, meeting friends new and old, and enjoying the sense of community that happens when 50,000 people camp and get wasted together for three days. What was your most memorable non-musical moment?

Lisa: Hmm, the first one that springs to mind is a guy walking around only wearing a cardboard box during the pre-party on Thursday night. That was pretty crazy since it was quite chilly that night. The other one would be semi-musical. I was waiting for an act on the newly opened Busker Stop stage where “normal” people can also perform. Some guy got up and serenaded me about the flowers in my hair.
The flowers were courtesy of a duo team of hairdressers who were doing free hair sets at the Fujirockers Lounge. I ended up going there every day and meeting some fun people through that. Popular with the girls, but a couple of guys tried it out too. How about you?

Dan: Hanging out with the security crew and Naeba village locals after-hours at the “Blue Marquee” was a good laugh. Something strange happens after the sun comes up at Fuji, when people refuse to stop partying and head to the Blue Marquee. People really show their true colors… Any bands you’d like to see at Fuji Rock ’14?

Lisa: Wow, so, soo many. I think Crossfaith is due the White Stage after their rampant tour of the US and Oz at all the big fests, the Warped tour etc. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas would be great there too. They’re both pretty heavy, but it would be nice to change it up a bit.
I have a whole heap of Rookie-worthy bands, but it’s a harder selection process for them.
As for big names… I can’t think of anyone off the top of my head who hasn’t been in the last 2-3 years.

Dan: It would be amazing if Smash could get someone like David Bowie, Paul McCartney or the Stones, and on top of my personal wish list is Soundgarden, but we may have to keep dreaming about all that. With all the festivals around the world these days, it’s very hard for Fuji and Summer Sonic to book top tier artists year after year. Anyway, the rumors will begin next winter, with the first official announcement likely in March. Look forward to seeing you at FRF14 and thanks for the chat!

Lisa: Wow, you just made me get all dreamy-eyed and hopeful with those names. Cheers!

As recorded by Google Chat on July 31.