Guy Perryman Interviews

A conversation with StuartO - voice actor, singer, MC, DJ and all round talento , whose booming voice, infectious laugh and inspired wardrobe brings a smile to our faces. StuartO talks candidly about challenges in a showbiz life, the "gaijin glass ceiling" and shares some favourite tunes.  

A conversation with Nicholas Pettas - karate and kickboxing professional, K-1 Japan Grand Prix 2001 champion, fitness entrepreneur, media host and actor. Nicholas shares stories from the dojo and the film set, and explains when to choose flight over fight.

A conversation with ReN - singer songwriter from Japan who has lived in the UK and whose first goal in life was to be a professional F1 driver but made a career change to music after an accident and released his debut album in 2016.  ReN talks about how music got him through difficult times and shares his excitement of a new direction and new music release for 2022.

A conversation with Clara Chong - film writer and director who has worked on productions in Tokyo, studied film in New York and in 2022 completed her own first major feature film, the suspense thriller Dark Noise, in Australia. Clara talks about combining a creative career with family life and shares behind the scenes stories on set.

A conversation with Matthew “Matty” Healy from The 1975 - headlining artist at Summer Sonic music festival in Tokyo in August 2022. Healy talks candidly about having nerves a few days before the band's first live show in over two years and how he loves the sensual side of Japan.

A conversation with Rina Sawayama - British based Japanese musician and gender and cultural identity trailblazer who was in Tokyo for Summer Sonic music festival in August 2022. Chatting three days after the stadium show Rina shares the excitement of being back in Japan to see fans, family and chosen family.

A conversation with Leo - a musician who puts a contemporary spin on the traditional Japanese instrument the koto, who was performing at Sonic Mania and Summer Sonic music festival in Tokyo in August 2022. One thing I love about music festivals is discovering artists you don’t know and that is how I discovered Leo who talks about wanting to share "the harp of Japan" with the world.

A conversation with Billkin and PP Krit - Thai superstar actors and singers with a huge fan base around the world following the success of the drama series I Told Sunset About You and I Promised You the Moon, who were in Tokyo for their first ever live show in Japan at Summer Sonic music festival in August 2022. The conversation took place in English, Thai and Japanese backstage at Makuhari Messe...

A conversation with Serge from Kasabian - legendary British rock band who were in Japan for Sonic Mania at Summer Sonic music festival in August 2022. The interview took place backstage at Makuhari Messe in Tokyo just before their live  show on the day Kasabian's album The Alchemist's Euphoria went to No. 1 on the UK chart. Serge talks about his new role taking on vocals full-time and ho...

A conversation with Hank Santos - the actor who plays the Director in the Broadway cast production of A Chorus Line touring Japan in 2022. Hank talks enthusiastically about the production, his fellow cast members and the spirit of Broadway.

A conversation with Koyata Aso - a katsuben or benshi - a live stage performance narrator for silent films, a Japanese art form that goes back to the early days of the silver screen.  Koyata-san talks passionately about sharing this unique style of entertainment with people around the world and performs a spontaneous seven-minute show.

A conversation with Olivia Newton-John - legendary singer and star of musical movies Grease and Xanadu and an absolutely delightful lady. From my archive, the conversation took place backstage after one of Newton-John’s live shows at Tokyo International Forum in 2003 talking about her love of life and music.

A conversation with DCappella - Disney’s a cappella group from the US who were very happy to be back in Japan for shows across the country in summer 2022. All six members share their  joy of singing and how important music is in their lives.

A conversation with Deborah Ann DeSnoo - theatre, film and TV producer/director for projects in Japan, the US and Korea who in 2022 filmed Japanese Noh performances in Tokyo for the Samurai Museum Berlin. Deborah shares professional and personal experiences and challenges with a lot of laughs and music inspired by her craft.

A conversation with Lin Nishitani - a student who volunteers in Japan for Atlantic Pacific, an NGO founded in the UK with a mission to combat global drowning and protect the oceans. Lin talks about why she volunteers and ways to inspire young people to have fun while protecting the oceans and people.

A conversation with Randy Bachman - legendary guitarist and founding member of enormously successful rock groups The Guess Who and Bachman Turner Overdrive, who was visiting Japan to be reunited with a  favourite guitar which had been stolen in Canada 46 years prior. Randy talks passionately about the guitar being the only instrument you hug like a human.

A conversation with Roland Kelts - journalist, writer and specialist in Japanese pop culture, manga and animation; author of Japanamerica: How Japanese Pop Culture Has Invaded The US; speaker at Ted Talks and the World Economic Forum; and visiting professor at Waseda University in Tokyo. Roland talks from the heart about his childhood in America and Japan influencing his adult life writing and mus...

A conversation with James Nepaulsingh - DJ and electronic music maker under the name Nepotek; artist and curator under the name Nepo; coaching podcaster; Executive Committee member of the British Chamber of Commerce in Japan and senior associate at a law firm in Tokyo. James talks from the heart about how his ancestry is inspiring his art and life decisions.

A conversation with Chris Wells - voice actor and the voice of JR train platforms including Tokyo’s iconic Yamanote Line; director of Improvazilla live improv theatre shows; founder of Studio Gokko providing improv and acting workshops in Tokyo plus corporate team building workshop facilitator. Chris shares his professional and personal experiences, gives a  few excellent life tips from his worksh...

A conversation with JJ (Maydenfield) - a passionate champion of music and sound; musician, songwriter, and producer who in early 2022 created 40 songs for a Japanese animation series; voice actor, and sports TV commentator in Japan for his other great passion - soccer. JJ talks passionately about sounds that inspire his music and selects some favourite tunes that changed his life.

A conversation with Freyja Dean - an artist who creates fantastical worlds through paintings and objects inspired by stories, nature and science, currently painting in her Tokyo studio for a collaborative show with her father Roger Dean in San Francisco in August 2022, plus developing technologies in art and founding the Dean family school of art.

A conversation with Ivan Kovac - Tokyo based Emmy Award 2022 nominated director and cinematographer of music videos, commercial videos, documentaries and feature films. Ivan talks candidly about his productions, film shoots in Japan, synesthesia, mental health and music.

A conversation with BJ Fox - stand-up comedian, writer/actor of NHK World Japan TV sitcom Home Sweet Tokyo and founder of the Tokyo Comedy Bar. BJ shares behind the scenes stories of stand-up comedy and writing for Japanese TV, gives us tips on how to be funny and selects music that gets him ready to lose himself for a show.

A conversation with Donna Burke - who loves showbiz - the show AND the biz - singer of blockbuster Japanese game and animation soundtracks, founder of talent agency Dag Music, songwriter, screenwriter, and famous voice of the Shinkansen “bullet train” in Japan. Donna talks about her career in entertainment in Japan, selects some favourite music and even sings a little something spontaneously for u...

A conversation with Ken Lloyd - vocalist of hugely successful J-rock bands Oblivion Dust, Fake? and Atom On Sphere; and from 2022 new solo projects, who also happens to be my second cousin. Ken shares rockstar stories, why he decided to go solo and some favourite music.