January 17, 1952. A highly influential vanguard in electronic music, Ryuichi Sakamoto's prolific career spans across film, commercials, video games, even the 1992 Summer Olympics. First finding international acclaim in the late ‘70s with Yellow Magic Orchestra, Sakamoto continues to pioneer new sounds in his tireless work as a solo artist and composer. Sakamoto’s academic background in composition coupled with his initial studies in ethnomusicology emphasizes his astrological chart's leading Capricornian elements with a Libra stellium signifying his profoundly restless curiosity.
In this episode, your filmy chartographers venture to Japan-occupied Java to discuss Nagisa Ōshima’s “Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence” - Sakamoto’s first credit as a composer and actor - and China’s Forbidden City in Bernardo Bertolucci’s Best Picture-winning epic “The Last Emperor,” which won the artist an Academy Award for Best Original Score.
Is Tom Conti in “Friends”? Why does Bowie look so good in fatigues? Is Sakamoto the perfect human being?
Join us and find out!
Artwork by Sara Helm / Music by Jacob Anstey
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