Interview: Guitar Wolf 'MORE JET' Tour of Aotearoa New Zealand

An on-stage rock'n roll experience so ultra-powerful they've changed the lives of multiple generations of local gig-goers, Japan's legendary Guitar Wolf are touring their first new album in seven years MORE JET across Aotearoa New Zealand. Formed in Tokyo in 1987, Guitar Wolf's eponymous leader Seiji had a chinwag with Te Whanganui-a-Tara rocker Rika Nakanasono-Kensington in advance of these mandatory shows starting next week — brought to you by Clean Dirt...

UnderTheRadar proudly presents...

Guitar Wolf
with special guests 

Saturday 28th February - Gloria of Greymouth, Greymouth (all-ages)*
Sunday 1st March - Mussel Inn, Tākaka (all-ages)*
Monday 2nd March - WAA! Club, Nelson (all-ages)*
Tuesday 3rd March - Pyramid Club, Wellington, Wild Zero screening (Fundraiser For The Weird Horror Film Festival)∞
Wednesday 4th March - Valhalla, Wellington (R18, under 18 with parent or guardian)*
Thursday 5th March - BONESHED, Havelock North (all-ages)*
Friday 6th March - Smash Palace, Gisborne (R18, under 18 with parent or guardian)*
Saturday 7th March - Under The Bridge, Tauranga (all-ages)
Saturday 7th March - Artworks Theatre, Waiheke Island (all-ages)
Sunday 8th March - KRAKEN! fest, The Original Kaipara Tavern, Helensville w/ The Jackets + more (all-ages, free show)
Monday 9th March - Space Academy, Christchurch (R18, under 18 with parent or guardian, NEW SHOW)*
Tuesday 10th March - Powerstation, Auckland, playing with Ty Segall^

*Tickets on sale HERE via UTR
∞Wild Zero screening tickets on sale HERE via UTR
^Powerstation tickets on sale via www.banishedmusic.com

Rika Nakanasono-Kensington: Seiji, how are you?

Seiji: JET!! I'm always at my peak! I’m scared of myself.

I'm burning my soul and taking on the world! My leather jacket is screaming for rock’n roll, and my guitar is ready to conquer the moon! I’ve been busy making the loudest noise in history to electrify the universe!

I’m learning guitar, specifically rock n roll, what’s the best chord / chords to master and why?

E chord! Just hit that E chord as hard as you can! Why? Because it’s the sound of the universe exploding! If you can’t make it explode, you ain't playing Rock 'n' Roll!

I'm a huge Jeff Beck fan, are there any guitarists like Jeff Beck or from that era that have influenced you?

Jeff Beck? He’s a legend, but I’m a Jet Guitarist! My influence comes from the sound of a jet engine and the kick of a motorcycle! And I like Jimi Hendrix. Sorry I never listen to Jeff Beck or Eric Clapton. But I like Jimmy Page.

What is the importance of the song ‘I LOVE YOU OK’ to you and why do you like to perform it?

'I LOVE YOU OK' is cover song. I don't usually sing about love directly, but I like performing this cover song because it lets me sing about love straight up.

With constant touring and playing shows how do you find balance with your family / personal life?

Balance? There is no balance! My life is 100% Rock 'n' Roll, 24hour365days. My family knows I’m a wolf, and wolf should always howl from the edge of a cliff.

Tell me about your new album MORE JET and the concept behind it.

The concept is simple: MORE JET!! It’s Jeter, faster, louder, and more dangerous than anything before. It’s a sonic blast to wake up great rock of the past.

Tell me about the meaning of the song 'Coelacanth Galaxy'.

I love fossils. I wanna be a fossil. A rock’n roll fossil, frozen in an ultra cool pose.

So I’ve loved coelacanth.

'Coelacanth Galaxy' is about a prehistoric fish swimming through the stars! It’s ancient, it’s cosmic, and it’s got a beat that’ll shake your bones!

Last year's performance at Takapuna Intermediate school blew many minds — what do you remember?

The kids' eyes! They saw a real monster for the first time! I wanted to show them that Rock 'n' Roll is more important than math! But math is important. Study!!

In your opinion, is it important to hand down rock and roll knowledge to the next generations? And why?

Hell yes! If we don’t, the world will get boring. We gotta teach them how to scream and how to be free!

When Gotz (bass wolf) walks on the ceiling during the show — what are you thinking while playing?

"Don't fall on my head!" No, I’m thinking: "YEAH! Defy gravity!!"

Please tell me the origins of the human pyramid you build on stage? Where did the idea come from?

When you think of high schoolers, you think of human pyramids

The school made us do them all the time at sports festivals when I was a student.

But just the human pyramid idea just suddenly came into my head when we were playing 'High School Action'.

It’s just natural — when the energy hits, you gotta climb!