Kohei Matsushita is confused in front of the listeners at close range during a public radio recording (laughs). "It's different from a live performance or a stage performance. What should I do?"

■ “(In response to the program staff’s suggestion that they go solo next time) ‘Stopping it alone is a no-go!'” (Kouhei Matsushita)

The first public recording of the radio program “DK SELECT WEEKEND LIVING” (J-WAVE), hosted by Matsushita Kohei, was held at BAROOM in Tokyo on July 4th.

Before the show started, Matsushita’s music video was projected onto the screen, and the invited listeners looked nervous as they waited for the public recording to begin. The main character, Matsushita Kohei, appeared from the wings of the stage and transformed the atmosphere into a happy one. When he appeared on stage with a cheerful greeting of “Good evening, thank you very much,” the audience erupted in cheers.

“There’s an atmosphere where you shouldn’t talk, but it seems like it’s okay for you (listeners) to talk too,” Matsushita said with a smile, and the audience was filled with a warm atmosphere, perhaps reassuring them. “It’s different from a live performance or a stage performance, so I don’t know what to do,” he said, but added, “I hope you enjoy it as if you were listening to the radio.” “I’m sure there are many people here alone today, but when you come here, everyone is a friend,” Matsushita said, eliciting warm laughter from the audience.

As this is a program where Matsushita delivers music and talk to refresh the tiredness of the week, Matsushita selected the songs first. The first song played was “Heartbeat” by Tahiti80, which he chose with the image of the public recording of the day in mind. The participants were excited by the lively sound that was perfect for this time of year.

When guest MC and J-WAVE navigator Takumi Fujita asked the participants, “I hope you all feel like you’re at home,” Matsushita joked, “This is the theater room in my basement.” The listeners all smiled, and Matsushita seemed pleased, saying, “This is fun.”

The conversation then turned to the topic of their first public recording. Matsushita confessed, “It’s the first time I’ve come out and not known what to do,” and asked Fujita for advice, “How can I not be bothered by the person in front of me?” The audience laughed at Matsushita’s slightly stumbling speech, but Matsushita said shyly, “I stumble over my words even in real recordings. The staff members help me smooth it over.”

In July’s program, we are looking for music shares on the theme of “Refreshing songs to listen to at the beach.” Matsushita also shared an episode from two years ago when he went fishing privately as a memory related to the beach. The listeners were surprised to hear the name of the fellow actor who went with him.

There was also a section that could only be found in a public recording, where messages collected in advance from the participants were introduced. Matsushita actually read out the radio names and politely said, “Good evening, thank you,” while making eye contact as he spoke. He answered the messages kindly and expanded the conversation. With professional speakers, including Fujita, even the most ordinary topics were transformed into the most amazing ones. The audience was filled with laughter and exclamations of surprise as he spoke about summer vegetables, glamping, and Matsushita’s mother.

Furthermore, during the talk, Matsushita also mentioned that the LIVE Blu-ray and DVD containing the national tour finale “KOUHEI MATSUSHITA LIVE TOUR 2024 ~R&ME~” won first place on the Oricon weekly rankings, expressing his gratitude, saying, “It’s all thanks to you all. I want to say thank you. I want to continue to create interesting things.” He also revealed some precious behind-the-scenes stories about the production of the song “Tanpopo.”

Time flies when you’re having fun. As the time to end approached, the audience let out a cry of “Eh!” to which Matsushita replied, “It was so much fun! I’m grateful for the opportunity to be able to talk freely like this!”. “If (guest MC) Fujita-san hadn’t been there, it would have been ridiculous,” he said, and (the program staff) suggested that he do it alone next time. “It’s absolutely not okay to do it alone!” he said, looking embarrassed.

The program’s first public recording, which enjoyed close interaction with listeners, ended with Matsushita’s big smile. The public recording will be broadcast on J-WAVE’s “DK SELECT WEEKEND LIVING” from 11:30 p.m. on July 12th and 19th.

TEXT BY Junsuke Sasatani
PHOTO BY Kamiizaka Hajime