The story is well-known by now - life, as you know it, is forever changed when you lose the only real job you've ever had. There's that amazingly vacant feeling as, when the rug is pulled, you fall - not entirely knowing how or where you're going to land. This happened to Mako Funasaka, who worked at the Hudson Bay Company from 1981 until that special day in the fall of 2000. New Millennium, my ass. Yet Mako did something the rest of us rarely have the courage to do - he made a plan, invested into it and set about to DO it. And this resulted in the launch of his first series in 2002 - Talkin' Blues - which ran on Bravo Canada for five years and three years on BETJazz in the U.S. He followed this with another series - Rhythm, Roots and Soul - which continues to run on Bravo Canada.

Let's check in on this highly accomplished dynamo and see what he's been up to....?

Eric Thom: Mako – you start fresh after losing your long-time job and you put your severance into A/V gear and take a bender with the blues – a genre you admitted to knowing nothing about but one that – at the time – sounded fascinating to you. What was so fascinating about it that would cause you to take such a risk?

Mako Funasaka: “I’ll be honest – looking back on it, it was a very crazy thing to do. However, I remember my very first interview at the Harbourfront Blues Festival way back when and sitting there listening to Piedmont Blues musician, John Jackson telling me about his incredible life and I knew I needed to pursue this idea of documenting the blues through the words and music of these amazing people. I love the music but for me, it’s always been about the people who make the music more than the music itself.”

ET: What was it about your exploration into the blues that you found so reinforcing – keeping you at it and moving you forward, in spite of all obstacles thrown your way?

MF: “Perhaps my own ignorance? In the beginning, it was all about doing as many interviews as possible as a way of ‘learning the blues’. If I got one great answer from each interview, then I was doing well. Remember, I had no idea what I was doing back then…(and one could argue that I still don’t)…but the goal was to learn the blues through these people. I always felt that no one single interview mattered more than any other - perhaps with the exception of interviewing B.B. King. Other than that, if I had a bad interview or if someone just wrote me off on an interview, it just really didn’t matter. It was tough because I had no credibility, no history and I certainly didn’t have a name or an organization that people would recognize. I wasn’t doing it for a major network or a news magazine…it was just me and my crazy idea of documenting the blues. What kept me going was just this need to pursue this idea for what I hoped would be a television series one day.”

 
ET: In the face of so much negativity – the non-returned calls, the lack of respect from some segments of the industry, the short-sighted management, the disorganized state of most musicians – what was it about this experience – these conversations you were having – that made this all worth it?

MF: “I won’t lie – there’ve been times when it’s been really tough and somewhat discouraging doing what I was attempting to do. But I understand that one has to earn trust and credibility – and that takes time. There were a number of instances where people asked me not to shoot any video of any performances because they didn’t want things to be used improperly. In some cases, the artists would be more open to me shooting footage as years passed and they got to know me better. It was frustrating but totally understandable. However, for every manager, agent, label or artist that gave me a hard time, there have been many, many others who have been very supportive of what I do from the very beginning. The fact that I was able to share the music and the musicians I liked with people through my television series then – and now through my videos and podcasts is truly an amazing thing…which makes everything I do worthwhile. The first weekend that I decided to do this I also met David Gogo, Donnie Walsh and Andrew Galloway…and I can honestly say that those three people have been very supportive of my work ever since day one. I’m really lucky to be doing what I’ve done for the past 10 years. I get to meet – and know – a lot of musicians that I really like and respect…and some, I have the pleasure of calling them my friends. Whenever you make a friend…I think that’s a worthwhile endeavor.”

ET: Give me one hands-down, stand-out memory from this whole event in your life with the blues?

MF: “There are so many that it’s hard to narrow down to one single moment. Off the top of my head, some of the truly memorable interviews with people Dr. John, Gatemouth Brown, Keb’ Mo, Curtis Salgado, Tommy Castro, and Charlie Musselwhite come to mind. Or, musically? Watching people like Sonny Landreth, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Ruthie Foster, Darrell Nulisch, Tab Benoit, Jeff Healey and Jack de Keyzer create magical moments on stage come to mind. However, meeting B.B. King for the first time (and all three other times) is definitely huge…and at the end of 20 minutes, hearing him thank me for doing this project on the blues was as good as it could ever get, I think. I think everyone should experience what it’s like to meet someone truly extraordinary – and as far as the blues is concerned, it simply doesn’t get any bigger or better than meeting B. B. King. Realizing that he’s not only the most amazing blues musician there is but also an amazing human being is a life lesson.”

 

ET: There’s another interview that stands out – Dr. John. Tell us why that was so memorable?

MF: “I've been a Dr. John fan for a long time and have great respect for his contributions to the history of rock and blues music. I made a number of requests to interview him but never even got a response from his management. Once, quite by accident, I wound up sitting next to his road manager at a press meeting on the Legendary Rhythm and Blues Cruise. I requested an interview – never expecting it to happen – to hear him respond, "we can make that happen" and he did. I remember getting a quick history of Dr. John and New Orleans music from Curtis Salgado 20 minutes before the interview – and the interview went great. When it was over, Dr. John started asking me questions about my life – especially my family. He was genuinely interested in knowing about my parents and how they were doing. It may seem silly but that small thing distinguished him from most of the other interviews I’ve ever done. He next asked me for my card and told me that he may want me to interview ‘some people he knew’ – like Allen Toussaint and Huey "Piano" Smith, because he felt they’d never been properly recognized for their contributions. Although, these two interviews have yet to happen, it meant so much to me that he'd say that.

When negotiating the show I produced on Dr. John, I had to deal with his road manager, manager, lawyer, publisher and record company. At every step of the way, I was sure it would all fall apart because, in my experience, the larger the act and the more people involved, the more likely that things wouldn't happen. At one point during the negotiations, the lawyer asked me a question which seemed a show-stopper to me. I can't remember what it was but I was resigned to the fact that this episode was never going to happen and I remember the lawyer writing me back telling me not to worry. He said something like "they’d do whatever it took to make it work because Dr. John thinks you’re cool". Needless to say, this was pretty special. A year later, I saw him (Dr. John) backstage at the Ottawa Blues Festival and mentioned I was interested in pursuing a project about the New Orleans music scene and he told me the person that I had to talk to was Art Neville. About 30 minutes later, the Neville Brothers showed up and Dr. John called me over and introduced me to Art Neville. Dr. John wouldn't know me by name so he said something to the effect of, "Art, I want you to meet this motherfucker who's interested in doing a thing on New Orleans. I don't like most journalists but this guy I trust. I'd appreciate it if you could talk to him." And there it was - Dr. John, Art Neville and I - one of those amazing life moments that ranks way up there and lasts a lifetime. [Katrina happened about a month later which, given the coverage received, killed the proposal] The interview (with Dr. John) was amazing but I think it was everything else about the good Doctor that still makes it truly unforgettable.”

ET: And what did you learn from this experience of documenting the blues? How are you better at what you do based on you learned?

MF: “I’ve learned a lot of things on my journey through the blues. Some are obvious – like how dedicated and committed one has to be in order to make it in this business or how the more successful musicians tend to have more professional people surrounding them (and you wonder which came first). More importantly, I’ve learned a great deal about people and life. In the short time that I’ve been doing this, I’ve lost a number of people who I’d gotten to know – people like Mel Brown, Snooky Pryor, Jeff Healey and Lil’ Dave Thompson. It may just be about me getting older but I certainly understand how precious life truly is – and this journey has certainly taught me that. And when you look at people like Sean Costello, Big Daddy G, Jeff Healey or Lil’ Dave Thompson – these are relatively young people who left us way too early. I think I’m better at what I’ve learned simply by doing it more and more. The more interviews I conduct, the better I hope to be as an interviewer and the more footage I shoot and edit, the better I get at that…but most of all, not to sound hokey or anything but I really do appreciate my life and the people around me more than I ever have.” 

 

ET: Tell me, in your own words, why you think you were awarded the 2006 Maple Blues Awards Blues Booster Award? What do you feel you might have done to have earned that?

MF: “That's a tough one. One never goes into these kinds of things motivated by the idea of being nominated for, or winning, an award - or at least I never did. When Derek Andrews called me, it was a total surprise. I was between projects and none of my TV proposals were getting traction so this news came at a very good time for me. However, I’m still not entirely sure what I had done to deserve it. I wasn't actively promoting the blues for the sake of promoting the blues – I had done nothing more than shoot a lot of video with people that I really liked and I felt lucky to continue doing this. The only answer I can supply is the fact that it's pretty amazing to be recognized for doing something you actually enjoy doing. However, the weirdest thing is starting out knowing nothing and nobody and then, one day, you find yourself on the other side where you know some people and some people know you. It’s not clear when this happened but it did and then you realize that, through the internet, you have people all over the world looking at your videos – not in huge numbers, but enough to notice. And then you look at the hundreds of tapes you have in your office and realize that this material in your possession documents a small part of the history of blues. “

ET: Talkin’ Blues Media has evolved, correct? How?

MF: “I think it’s a constant evolution – trying to keep doing what I do and hopefully getting better at it in one form or another. I don’t think what I do is amazing and I can be very critical and frustrated with my work. However, I see so many horrible videos on YouTube shot with video phones or whatever and realize that what I do is better than that. I think my camera work and my editing is of consistent quality but what I think might distinguish me from others is my interview skills and that’s something I’m always trying to get better at. I’m lucky enough to currently be working with a director named Joel Goldberg (Colin James, The Sidemen) on a documentary celebrating the 40th Anniversary of Downchild Blues Band. Being part of this project and watching the way Joel works, surrounding himself with amazing people, has been an incredible lesson to me. He’s a brilliant director who knows his stuff – both from a video standpoint and a business point-of-view. It’s really made me think about what I’m doing, how I’m doing it and what I should be doing differently. I’m interested in being a part of more projects like this while I continue to work on smaller projects like my podcast and the promotional videos I’m producing, with my wife, Patti, my brother Tom and most of all, my good friend, Bruce Greenaway. Each has been integral to my ability to successfully complete the projects I work on.”

ET: What are you doing now with the Talkin’ Blues Media concept? And what’s the interest in podcasts?

MF: “I wanted to produce a video podcast featuring blues and roots music for many reasons. First and foremost, because I wasn't seeing a lot of other people doing a blues video podcast – lots of audio podcasts but very few video podcasts that I'm aware of. Secondly, I wanted to continue my work documenting the blues in one form and podcasts allow me to do that, regardless of whether I have a series or not. In some ways, the podcast series has helped me earn additional work because it shows the potential client what I do as it demonstrates the calibre of artist that I’m already working with. I don't know who did it first (it certainly wasn't me) but I think with the advent of the iPod and, now, the iPad, shows huge potential. I watch and listen to a lot of podcasts when I travel.

As for how it's going, it's a slow, steady climb. I’ve got a very small but loyal following – however, things are a long way from being considered anything remotely successful. I’m still doing work for the Blues Foundation for their Blues Music Awards that takes place in Memphis in May every year. The fact that I’m involved with that presentation is a huge honour. And I’m thrilled to be contributing videos to the Notodden Blues Festival and more importantly, the future European Blues Center. Although, things are still up in the air, I am hoping that the Blues Center is built soon and I’m so looking forward to producing more content for that museum. For me, my involvement with the European Blues Center is probably the most important thing I’ve contributed to the blues.

I’ve also been lucky to do a number of different promo video projects with people like Leon Redbone, Alejandra Ribera, Jayme Stone, The European Blues Union, Germany’s Ruf Records for Meean and Shakura S’Aida, Electro-Fi Records’ Piano-Rama. I look forward to creating more promotional video projects in the near future. My video of Jeff Healey’s Jazz Wizards was just included in Jeff’s latest CD – another huge honour. In addition to the Downchild project, some of my footage will be seen in an upcoming documentary on the late Chris Whitley by Chicago director Jonathan Mayor. I’m also constantly working on other proposals for future television projects, which I hope will find a home once the industry gets its footing back.”

MF: “I think the blues has an incredible infrastructure of blues societies, blues clubs, blues festivals and most importantly, the blues fans, who differentiates the music from other genres. However, I’m worried about what I see in the blues these days. I think it has become more about the solo than the actual song and I think the song is the most important thing in any genre of music. Don’t get me wrong – I love a good guitar solo as much as the next person but when I got to festivals, I hear a lot of long, drawn out solos and it makes me long for blues songs like the ones Chess records used to produce. With so many of the older blues musicians passing away even in the short time that I’ve been doing this, I’m concerned about the current state of what blues music is attempting to be. I think there are a lot of great young players and when I look at the blues scene in Europe, I see a lot of hope for the blues. But it does concern me that it seems less about the song and more about the solos – for me, that’s not necessarily the thing that should differentiate this genre from the others.” 

 

ET: Does what you do do more for the artists you’re covering and/or promoting – or for you, the director/producer/film-maker?

MF: “Interesting question. I'd like to think it benefits both parties in some way. If I do a good job, then the artist will see the benefit of my work. If they do, then other people will also recognize it and may approach me to work with them. However, I don't think what I do makes a huge impact immediately. When I produced the Talkin' Blues television series, I went after all the artists I liked and wanted to work with. As time went by, it was easier for me to approach more people but I don't know if that means much in the grand scheme of things. I would like to think that it's more of a long-term thing. Once the European Blues Center gets finalized and I’m able to share my videos in a museum setting of that nature (or on its online counterpart) then, I think my efforts will have a longer-lasting impact, ultimately benefiting the artist in an historical sense. Having said this, the mere fact that they would ask me to produce these videos for them has been truly rewarding.” 

ET: Speaking of rewards, what brings you the most reward? Telling people about somebody they may not know, musically? Exploring a personality and bringing it into the light for all to see? Freezing these musical contributors in time because you feel they’re important? Hanging out with cool people?

MF: “All of the above and then some. Capturing a great interview or a great performance is the most rewarding because that's where everything comes from. If you have that, then you can create a great video, television show, podcast, historical document, DVD, etc. If you can capture this, then you can share it with an audience and, if done right, the artist will realize new fans. It's always a great feeling when someone comes up to me to tell me they’ve discovered someone through my television series or my videos - it's the ultimate compliment, I think. From a selfish point of view, hanging out with cool people or finding yourself backstage or stage-side at an incredible show is also very rewarding in a special kind of way.”

MF: “I’d tell them to get a real job first and make lots of money where you can afford to follow these silly dreams. Seriously – I’d tell them that doing what you love to do can be a very difficult pursuit however, if you’re lucky enough to succeed in doing it (success being a very relative thing), the rewards are great. Working hard at doing something you love is a hell of a lot easier than working for someone else doing something you don’t like. In other words, you only live once – you might as well have the best time possible on this go-around.” 

ET: What do you see yourself doing in 10 years time? 

MF: “I’d love to be doing what I'm doing right now – documenting blues and roots music in one form or another. I’d love to continue working with people like Joel Goldberg on bigger budget, larger scale projects related to music. I’d love for the European Blues Center to be up and running and for me to be actively involved in the ongoing documentation of the blues around the world. If the Blues Foundation ever builds a physical Blues Hall of Fame, I would hope that some of my work could find its way there or onto some sort of extensive online blues museum. Or, in ten years time, I could be doing something completely different …something that actually pays money.”

Talkin' Blues Website: www.talkinblues.com

Talkin' Blues video podcasts: talkinblues.podbean.com