September 15, 2011

5 Questions: Satomi Matsuzaki

Five questions to SFMOMA artists, staff, or guests. Today we hear from Satomi Matsuzaki, singer from Deerhoof. They perform TONIGHT as part of Now Playing.

Satomi Matsuzaki in Adam Pendleton’s BAND

Do you collect anything?

For the past five years, I haven’t been collecting anything. I am fond of lightness and neatness. I like getting clothes, but then my closet gets full so I give away some of my clothes to small friends who are the same size as me. Currently I go back and forth between London and Tokyo, so I need to travel light. It’s so nice to have a few things that I really like instead of many things that I kind of like, but I think I’m just not so attached to things in general.

There’s the generic interview question that goes, “If you could invite anyone to dinner who would it be?” What I want to know is, what would you serve?

I would like to invite a Japanese Sumo player to dinner. They are extremely polite and appreciative. I love serving food to people like that. Once I saw a documentary about Sumo players, and they were eating happily. They also say “Gottsandesu!” after meals. It’s a Sumo version of saying “thank you” for food. I just wanna hear the word.

If you could steal any artwork in the world to have up in your home, what would it be?

Like I answered the first question, I am not fond of having things, so it’s a tough question. I am very happy that art galleries and museums keep art for us to see. I don’t really want to own them in my place, but if I could steal any artwork, it would be a Concert for Anarchy by Rebecca Horn. This is quite a funny piece. A piano hangs upside down. Every 15 minutes or so all the piano keys fall out, like telling us off. It would be neat to have that in the house when I invite a Sumo player to dinner. He might scream in a low-key voice, and that might create a nice harmony with the piano.

What do you listen to while you work?

I listen to the noise that surrounds me. I like taking a stroll when I create music. Oxygen is good fuel. When I breathe air deeply, my brain motor starts working. An empty stomach also helps me to stay focused. So my equation for creating music is Noise + Oxygen – Eating = Satomi’s song idea.

What’s your favorite tool?

I like a soft toothbrush with small head because it’s cute and fluffy.

Tonight’s Now Playing, inspired by Jean-Luc Godard’s film Sympathy for the Devil, includes a screening of Adam Pendleton’s multichannel film BAND, a collaboration with Deerhoof. After that, Pendleton will be joined onstage by David Hilliard, former chief of staff of the Black Panther Party, and we’ll screen new footage of Black Panther sites in Oakland. The evening concludes with a live performance by Deerhoof. Also not to be missed: Beggars Banquet by Blue Bottle on the rooftop and free bites by San Francisco Magazine in the Schwab Room. More here.

Leave a comment

Please tell us what you think. We really love conversation, and we’re happy to entertain dissenting opinions. Just no name-calling, personal attacks, slurs, threats, spam, and the like, please. Those ones we reserve the right to remove.
Required

Sign Up

Join our newsletter for infrequent updates on new posts and Open Space events.
  • Required, will not be published

Dear Visitor,
We regret to inform you that Open Space is no longer active. It was retired at the end of 2021. We sincerely appreciate your support and engagement over the years.

For your reference, we encourage you to read past entries or search the site.

To stay informed about future ventures or updates, please follow us at
https:://sfmoma.org.

Thank you for being a part of our journey!