What do we know about Shugo Tokumaru ? He's covered that Peter, Bjorn and John song, sweats the Beach Boys, and somehow sneaked into Japan's Top 10 Charts...  Shugo's discordant folk stylings are making his way across the Pacific from the the land of technology and we just wanted to get to the bottom of all this.... 

Chief Magazine: What's your hometown?

Shugo Tokumaru: Tokyo.

What was it like growing up there ? Did you ever want to grow up anywhere else?

It was normal, I guess- I mean, I thought about what it would have been like if I had lived in America but I never tripped on it.  When I watched foreign movies growing up, I just thought those people were 'over there' and had nothing to do with me.   

So what kind of kid were you growing up?

Well, I played Famicom - Nintendo and I played baseball but ended up quitting that.

I just realized it wasn't for me. I was a pretty good kid in high school, but I didn't have a lot of friends.

Did you ever get caught doing anything bad?

I smoked in high school but never got caught or arrested, I guess I was lucky but now I don't drink anymore.  

Wha-? Bad experience?

[laughs] No no-I was totally into beer but suddenly, one day, I couldn't drink anything carbonated- it was weird.

So did that affect your songwriting at all ?

No, not at all- alcohol and my music have nothing to do with each other. 

You've never written a song drunk before?

No! [laughs]

Yeah right.  So when you realized sports wasn't for you, you got in to music- if you weren't playing music, what would you be doing?

Well, I don't know, I've never thought about it.  I quit sports because there was a chance of loosing and I never wanted to loose or be defeated.  Growing up, If i think about it, I would have ended up being an academic because my parents said I was smart but I didn't end up going to college after High School.  I didn't want to study here so I just went to the States.  

Where?

I lived in L.A. for two years, in North Hollywood.

What was it like moving to LA ?

Well, I didn't work, I just played music and went out, I studied jazz a bit with a teacher and learned English. I had a car to get around but felt there was nothing to do.  And there was nothing for me to eat- I didn't really like the food, I was so used to Japanese food- I just ended up eating McDonald's and Mexican food all the time.