INROCK October 2012
Note: The main feature of this issue is a coverage of Adam's trip to Japan. However, at the moment I've only translated the smaller section written by the INROCK reporter on the inside story of Adam's magazine photo shoot. As I'm not a native Japanese speaker and I don’t translate professionally, please bear with any translation errors. - Terra
Source: INROCK magazine
Please DO NOT reproduce this translation on your own sites without permission.
INROCK 13 August Photo Shoot: The Inside Story
Report: Yuko Kato
Terra: I've skipped translating the first part which is mostly about the reporter's feelings before the interview.
So, it's midsummer in Tokyo. Great weather. ...Well, if that were true, I would have loved to go to, say, the nearby Nogi Shrine instead. But it would be unthinkable that Adam's aesthetic sensibilities would allow us to take a photo of him dripping in sweat. So instead, we're inside the building of the label for the photo shoot. As this is the week of the Obon (Terra: many people tend to take vacations around this time), we had arrived 30 minutes earlier to an empty building. The smiley person-in-charge had said to us, "Today, when I mentioned that it was INROCK's data-gathering day, Adam giggled, saying, 'I wonder if they also brought strawberries and roses today?'" My head exploded when I heard that. Mean!
The [strawberry and roses] reference was a nod to Adam's first visit to Japan, where, for my interview with him, I had spent half the day preparing strawberries and roses to be used as props for the shoot. The strawberries and bright red roses were to be, respectively, the "sweet" and "fresh" things in the photos. I had visited several stores just for that. But when Adam saw the strawberries and roses, he said, "It's not really my image." Although I had sought permission beforehand, the concept had to be scrapped. But it was obvious: if it's something related to Adam, Adam's decision is everything. That having said, when I later told the editorial team about what Adam had said [regarding the strawberry and roses], they were impressed that he could remember the incident even after two years.
And so, Adam appeared, with his greyish-blond hair and solid physique. Under those clothes, he looked invitingly muscular; I got the sense that he had been working out. He wore shorts decorated with metal studs and long boots -- unique taste as always. Combined with his chiseled features, he looked like a Grecian sculpture. However, when our eyes met, the sculpture-like face softened as if blood had passed through it, and a smile spread across his face. He shook my hands and gave me a hug, and I was glad that he looked pleased to meet me again.
Adam is big. A label chief who spotted Adam in the dressing room at Summer Sonic [a few days later], would later say to me, "I really love Adam, but I didn't expect him to be so huge in person." Incidentally, it seemed that the woman not only liked Adam for his music, but was also captivated by his presence as an artist. For this interview, it was fortunate that the cameraman, Oshima-san, was in some strange way the perfect match for Adam. Oshima-san, who's also a model, is tall, probably around 175 cm. As a result, Adam and her were able to meet each other's gaze. Furthermore, as Adam posed for her camera, pounding out ideas, she challenged him to do even more through an earnest stream of "Good! Cool!" In the end, it felt like a one-to-one combat between the cameraman and her subject. Whenever there was a change in shooting location, Adam would check through each of the photos, sounding satisfied as he said, "Good!" Unsurprisingly, some days later, he would request for all the photos to be sent to him as he wanted to see them all.
A little while into the photo shoot, it was time for a clothes change. Adam brought with him a dressy long top and started changing in front of us. He removed the shorts, tights and boots that he had been wearing. Clad only in the long top and dark grey (cotton-looking) underwear, with a thoughtful look on his face, he asked, "Should we take a photo the way I am right now?" "Nah, it's a little too sexy don't you think?", he smiled bitterly, and put on the pair of shorts again. Just as I was about to tweet about that look, the label chief interrupted me: "That's becoming Imekura-esque, please stop!" At any rate, it was a pity. Posing while clad only in that top, it was as if Adam was wearing a mini one-piece with bare legs, looking somewhat coquettish. And so when the photo shoot finally came to an end, Adam and the cameraman looked satisfied as they smiled to each other and high-fived – like athletes at the end of a match.
We switched to an interview room. A post photo shoot Adam was in high spirits. But there was one more reason for his good mood: "Sauli is arriving tonight," he said. The reason for Adam's sunburnt skin was that one to two weekends ago, he had gone on a short vacation with Sauli to Mexico and had accidentally gotten a bit too carried away with the suntanning. When I said to him, "Beauty spots are appearing", Adam smiled as he corrected me, "Those are actually sunshine kisses." He said, "I take care not to get my face sunburnt, but I'm not so particular about the rest of my body."
The interview will be published in the next issue of the magazine. Adam was his usual cheerful, energetic self, and made the whole time very enjoyable. I hope that you, the fans, will enjoy the upcoming article and photos.