Well, the way that Mizutani pretty much acted for most of the last part of his life,
he would probably be happy that few people know or care. He spent so much of
his time cultivating his “mystique” instead of playing his damn music that he
pretty much committed a kind of slow-mo dissolution of his career. He wouldn’t
answer phone calls and you had to fax to get a message to him. When his
bandmate’s wife died, Mizutani refused to go to the funeral. Some thought that it
might have something to do with his bass player’s ‘70s hijacking - wanting to lay low -
but it appears that it was just his delight for intrigue.
That cultivation of a dark reclusive attitude coupled with a constant self-imposed
competition with Haino pretty much put him in a well of pity that ultimately was
detrimental to his health. I read that he pretty much wasn’t able to walk the last
months of his life. Still, looking forward to the box set being released - especially
on the strength of “White Awakening.”
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