Snuffy Smiles Interview

Snuffy Smile was a long running record label from Japan run by Mr. Yoichi Eimori. It had a large following worldwide and a constantly growing roster of some of Japan's finest melodic punk bands. On the back of the "As Time Goes By" mini-compilation 7", a picture of a tombstone stated "Snuffy Smile 1993-2005 fuck!!". Was this really the end for Snuffy Smile? After Yoichi moved from Tokyo to Kyoto, the label added an S to the name and was born again. On a chilly May day in 2006, Yoichi and his friend Tomo Yamauchi (former I Excuse drummer) met up with me, and we made our way to an English-style bar, appropriately named "Pub" for an interview about the past, present, and future of Snuffy Smiles.

What was it that made you decide to start the label?
I used to work in a record company, and I released some CDs of Leatherface and Snuff, or Poison Ivy with that company. So, I had many things I wanted to release but my boss hated me. One day they kicked me out to another section where I couldn't release anything. So, I thought I should start my own label to release my friends' bands and stuff. So I started my label when I was working with that company. And I thought there weren't any good labels to release the stuff that I liked, in the early 90's. I had many favorite bands in japan, but nobody released their stuff. So I started the label in 1992.

Up until now, what are your favorite and least favorite releases that you've worked on?
I like most every release. You know, I've been doing my label for over 12 years - I just release what I really like, so I don't know... my current favorite release is all the stuff from Blotto, and The Because... and I Excuse, he (Tomo) used to play in that band... so those 3 bands are my current favorites.

The most difficult release you worked on? Some problems?
Hmmm...no. Because, all the bands I'm working with are the bands of my friends, so I have a good relationship with everybody. So, I never had any big trouble... but I had one thing. I wanted to release a split 7 inch of Dillinger Four and The Urchin, and they said OK to me. So The Urchin recorded their songs, but D4 didn't do anything, but you know they are... so i asked them again, "you wanna do that"? and they said yeah. The Urchin recorded their songs but D4 didn't do anything, so I asked them again so... (laughs). Maybe they're too busy? So the split didn't happen.

When was that?
I don't remember. I organized their tour twice and I tried to release it before their 2nd one and after the tour. But, no luck.

Did you have a certain goal when you started Snuffy Smile?
No, nothing (laughs). The band Snuff from England asked me, they had some unreleased stuff. They asked me to release that, so I started to keep the money from my job - but the release didn't happen. I got some money and thought "I can use this money for something" so that money is just for making one 7 inch, so I spent that money for another release.

Was that a compilation?
No, my first release was a 7 inch from a Japanese band called Slime Fisher. My 2nd release was a compilation, a Snuff cover song compilation.

Yeah, I have one of the compilations, the one with Hi-Standard.
That's the 2nd one. (Tomo then asks if I know Slime Fisher, to which I reply I know only Hi-Standard's original vocalist started that band. Tomo and Yoichi are impressed, not knowing Hi-Standard is actually my favorite Japanese band!)

So many of your releases are on 7" vinyl EP, why did you decide on this format?
7 inch was still popular for a band to release when I started the label, so 7 inch is my favorite format to listen to punk rock music. I think it's a very good format to introduce a band that I like, a band nobody knows. I still love CDs, and it's very expensive to make a 12 inch - but a 7 inch is expensive in Japan too. But, I really don't like mini-CDs or single CDs, so that's why.

I heard one year ago that you were planning to stop the label. Is this true?
Yeah, many times I thought I would stop (laughs)

Because of money? Or because you were losing energy?
Yeah... I had many friends playing in a band and working with those guys, but almost all people have another thing to do, like a proper job. Or many older people had their own family started. So, I always thought I was the only guy spending everything for punk rock. Sometimes I feel "why do I have to keep doing this thing for someone?"

So what helped you continue the label?
That is one of the reasons I moved to Kyoto. I wanted to change something, so he (Tomo) is one of the reasons to move here. He's the only guy who can understand what I'm talking about now. So he helps, especially for the tours, he can drive. I can't find that kind of person in Tokyo. I had many friends to drink with and stuff, but sometimes I'm touring on the road. Two weeks on the road and I come back to my house, all the people with me in the van come back and something is waiting for them. But you know, I come back to my house and there's nothing I can find (laughs). Because the things I'm doing on my label are almost everything for me. I think I'm happy doing that, but sometimes I think "why I started to listen to punk rock?" so maybe sometimes, because I'm too old and can't find anyone doing my kind of stuff at my age (laughs).

Yeah, it's very rare here. What kind of things would you say got you into punk rock, as an idea?
Hmm, too many! (laughs) Yeah, I love punk rock music, I love many movies, and I like to read books. But the first punk rock band for me was The Clash when I was in junior high school. Then I found other punk stuff in high school. So punk rock was something I had never seen in my life, it's changed my life. I had my favorite record label before I started my own label. Labels like Allied, or Rugger Bugger in the U.K. - those two labels are my main influences. Not the popular ones like Dischord, Lookout, or Crass label. So I think I don't play in a punk rock band if I can do the same thing by organizing a label, I learned that from those labels. Because those labels are something special, they released good stuff, good music but they could express more things. Running a label itself is some kind of expression, to me.

Did you ever have ideas to be in a band?
When I was very, very young (laughs). But you know... I was not good (Tomo explains how Yoichi used to be in a band).

I'm not very good at music either, so doing a label is a better idea. You mentioned that most of the bands that you release are your friends, but are there ever bands that you don't know that you release, that you learned about from someone? Or are there ever bands that you find yourself that you want to release?
If I know one good band, that band has a lot of friends. If I can find one good band, I can find one hundred other bands (laughs). Especially for foreign bands. So you know, if I release one band, someone asks me if I'm friends with that band, and says "I want to send you a demo". And I'm always trying to send letters to the band I really want to release. I wanted to do that D4 split, and something from Leatherface, but I can't do that (laughs). Because, life sucks. It's very difficult to ask.

But he (Frankie Stubbs of Leatherface) approved the tribute compilation, right?
Yeah!

So was that a big accomplishment for you.
Yeah, I organized their tour last year. I'm running a label and I'm not a promoter, so I want to release something from the band I organized the tour for. But, I can't ask him to release something (laughs). So I released a compilation instead of releasing Leatherface stuff, because there are many bands, and me, that really like Leatherface.

Your favorites, with the name Snuffy Smile, and Leatherface... that kind of British sound is your favorite?
Yeah. Mmm, Snuff was my favorite band when I started my label. And the guy from Snuff introduced me to Leatherface, I like that kind of stuff. But, I like Jawbreaker a lot and many other bands too.

Maybe America's East Bay sound and the U.K. sound are the most influential for you?
Yeah, to start the label. And some Midwest bands like Hüsker Dü, The Replacements, Naked Raygun.

Most bands on Snuffy Smile have a certain sound to them. Is that something you wanted to do or did it just happen?
Just happened. I think younger bands started and were influenced by older bands. I still love bands like Leatherface or Jawbreaker, and my older friends all love those kinds of bands. But younger friends love those kinds of bands too, so maybe almost every band from every generation loves the same kind of music, so that's the reason.

I guess that's what brings the bands on Snuffy Smile together, like a family.
Yeah.

They often play live together, and record.
Yeah.

A certain goal for Snuffy Smiles in the future?
No! (laughs) I don't have any plans.

Any advice to anyone wanting to start their own label?
Hmm, don't do that (big laughs). Yeah, I think you should do it if you really want to do it. I know many people that made a label, but I think some people are doing it like work, and it doesn't have any difference between working a job, so I think it's bad. I think that's bad if you're doing a punk rock label, cause I'm doing it for fun. So I stop it if I don't like to do it. But sometimes I can't sell enough records, so if you get any stress from doing a label, you should stop it.