Strolling in late for our meeting, his shoulder-length white hair lightly flowing, trademark cane in hand and sunglasses on, Yuya Uchida may now be in his mid-70s, but he still carries himself with the air of a rock star.
Uchida has been a colorful and controversial figure throughout his career, which really began to take off half a century ago when he was chosen as a support act for the Beatles's now iconic Japan debut at the Budokan in 1966. He went on to form the critically acclaimed psychedelic rock group, Yuya Uchida & The Flowers (later known as Flower Travellin' Band), and in 1975 began producing the World Rock Festival; an event featuring international artists in various venues around the globe that's still running today.
Apart from music, he's appeared in a number of high profile films including Ridley Scott's "Black Rain" (1989) and "Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence" (1983) alongside David Bowie. In 1991, he ran for governor of Tokyo, garnering 54,654 votes. A man prepared to tell it like it is, it soon became clear he has little time for today's music scene.
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