A Question About Kenji...

[MissNatalie1984]

i was just wondering, does anyone know who is talking during the sound bites in Kenji?

are they people Mike knows? family?

i've heard the song so many times, yet it only just dawned on me to ask.

<3 Natalie

[mindzmisery]

Mike never gave any info about who those people might be but i guess they must be some random people he talked to who were trapped during the war.

[RockMetalFairy]

There was an interview I read a while ago, he said it was his dad and aunt. Very sad, but a great song.

[halfpunkgrl4]

i love that song its soo sad i cried the first time i heard it -_-,

[MissNatalie1984]

There was an interview I read a while ago, he said it was his dad and aunt. Very sad, but a great song.

thanks RMF. i thought it might've been family, but i wasn't sure.

[shinoda_me]

yep... it is his Dad and Aunt ...
i feel so bad everytime i listen to that song :(

[MissNatalie1984]

yep... it is his Dad and Aunt ...
i feel so bad everytime i listen to that song :(

yeah i know, me too. it's like a really subtle guilt trip.

kenji is such a powerful song. it's one of my favs.

[shinoda_me]

i get rooted to the spot every single time
that and Hands Held High
wow ...
Mike is God for certain

[heyosnow]

is a sad song, but is nice

[SquideMS]

Mike’s father:
“My father came from Japan in 1905. He was fifteen when he immigrated from Japan. He worked until he was able to buy - to actually build a store”.

Mike’s aunt:
”Yeah, soon as war broke out, the F.B.I came and… they just come to the house and, you have to come. All the Japanese have to go. They took Mr. Ni, the
people couldn’t understand, why did they have to take him because he’s just an innocent laborer”…

Mike’s father:
”When we first got back from camp, it was pretty… pretty bad”

Mike’s aunt:
“I remember my husband said “Oh, we’re going to stay ‘till last”. Then my husband died before they closed the camp”.

[Pure_Ainmhi]

Wow, I never realised it was Mike's parents. It's one of my favourite songs from the FM album. Thanks for the sharing the info as to who it was speaking in the sound bites.

[MissNatalie1984]

it's his dad and aunt. not mum and dad :)

[minuteman]

It's Mike's aunt, who, during the war she was in her twenties, and had children - one of which was born in the camp - and Mike's father, who was a three-year-old at the time. Alongside Mike's verses, the sound bytes provide two different perspectives from first-hand witnesses. :)

[Pure_Ainmhi]

^^ My bad. Still a great song and a great initial idea for a song.

[MissNatalie1984]

yeah it's definitely an amazing song.

[crystalrussianla]

Mike’s father:
“My father came from Japan in 1905. He was fifteen when he immigrated from Japan. He worked until he was able to buy - to actually build a store”.

Mike’s aunt:
”Yeah, soon as war broke out, the F.B.I came and… they just come to the house and, you have to come. All the Japanese have to go. They took Mr. Ni, the
people couldn’t understand, why did they have to take him because he’s just an innocent laborer”…

Mike’s father:
”When we first got back from camp, it was pretty… pretty bad”


Mike’s aunt:
“I remember my husband said “Oh, we’re going to stay ‘till last”. Then my husband died before they closed the camp”.

wow i head a feeling it was his dad i didint no that was his aunt

i new it wasnt his mom cuzz she say's her husband died but mike's dad is still alive
so i know it was his mom

[GrosKaka]

Mike never gave any info about who those people might be but i guess they must be some random people he talked to who were trapped during the war.

I guess this to, but the only thing I know about the song is 'Kenji' is the second name of Mike:D

[I_B_Long]

now i feel guilty for not knowing the song. i guess i'll have to finally buy the FM cd after all.......

[halfpunkgrl4]

now i feel guilty for not knowing the song. i guess i'll have to finally buy the FM cd after all.......
yes u do hon...yes you do

[watsernamekatchich]

i wonder if Mike had actually seen this film called American Pastime http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhY0PRasQy8

it's about WWII and Japanese-American families are in the internment camp.

it kinda reminds me of Kenji somehow.

[I_B_Long]

yes u do hon...yes you do

lol, i actually ordered it from amazon right after i wrote that. AND i went and educated myself by watching the video (and a couple of other FM videos on youtube, which resulted in me BAWLING when i heard "where'd you go"-i had heard it before, but never really LISTENED to it.)
unfortunately, i still havent received the cd....:(

[MissNatalie1984]

where'd you go is sad. i don't listen to it much just because of that reason, but i do love the song.

kenji is awesome. it just makes me stop. i HAVE to listen to it if it's playing, even if i don't want to or want to skip it.

it sounds stupid right? but there's just something about the way the lyrics and the music sound together. it's amazing.

and of course, the story that is being portrayed is very powerful too.

[I_B_Long]

where'd you go is sad. i don't listen to it much just because of that reason, but i do love the song.

kenji is awesome. it just makes me stop. i HAVE to listen to it if it's playing, even if i don't want to or want to skip it.

it sounds stupid right? but there's just something about the way the lyrics and the music sound together. it's amazing.

and of course, the story that is being portrayed is very powerful too.

it gives me goosebumps everytime i hear it (which hasnt been very often, but still...)
im listening to it right now

[AmHapa703]

That song was great. Even though i'm Half Korean, and not Half Japanese; I can definately relate. My grandfather was in Hiroshima doing work in Japan (History books, Korean/Japan don't get along) when it was nuked. Died from Radiation :-(. Lots of Koreans were rounded up also because they looked Japanese (no offense taken if you think all asians are chinese...but don't say it out loud). Good song.

[Joannam88]

grandparents, that's for sure :( really sad song

[Radimus]

*raising dead thread*

I just happened to be listening to that song as I saw this thread.

I honestly thought it was Mike's grandma, and not his aunt... you learn something everyday!

[faiintx]

kenji is one of the greatest songs of all time
it tells a very emotional story =(

mike is a genius.

[aravind221]

thats real i think mike spoke the truth but very sad to hear those:( ....... kenji song is for real ...... applause to mike to come out such a great one ..

[Hawaii_LP_fan]

This song is pretty deep. I can relate, I'm japanese american. My grandparents immigrated from Japan to Hawaii (Big Island). Of all places to be, Hawaii when Pearl Harbor got bombed. Needless to say, my grandpa graduated from a college in Japan & this made it worse for him. He had S-P-Y written all over him. He worked hard on a coffee farm & feed 7 in his family. To make a long story short, he committed harakiri. Even though my dad's family didn't actually live in an internment camp, it was pretty close to one in Hawaii.

This song brings awareness & gives us an opportunity (as japanese americans) to take one step closer to healing and forgiveness. Thank you for writing this song Mr. Shinoda. ~ Aloha ~

[Sofia_LP4eva]

This song is pretty deep. I can relate, I'm japanese american. My grandparents immigrated from Japan to Hawaii (Big Island). Of all places to be, Hawaii when Pearl Harbor got bombed. Needless to say, my grandpa graduated from a college in Japan & this made it worse for him. He had S-P-Y written all over him. He worked hard on a coffee farm & feed 7 in his family. To make a long story short, he committed harakiri. Even though my dad's family didn't actually live in an internment camp, it was pretty close to one in Hawaii.

This song brings awareness & gives us an opportunity (as japanese americans) to take one step closer to healing and forgiveness. Thank you for writing this song Mr. Shinoda. ~ Aloha ~

Wow, that's so sad. I feel so sorry for the japanese who bravely immigrated to America whenever I hear that song. Poor, innocent people, had to suffer. And why?

[Anna_4]

I love that song and the story behind it..
This is one the things I love on thier sings.. The lyrics always have an important meaning.. :')

Where'd you go is beatiful..

[JadedJCBXNYC6981]

Kenji is probably one of my fave songs on TRT but it's so sad that the US did this to all of the Japanese/Japanese-Americans. :(

[GrosKaka]

Mike never gave any info about who those people might be but i guess they must be some random people he talked to who were trapped during the war.

They are in his family...

[MikeIt]

i dont know that was his aunt one of the voice!
Its a sad song with a great meaning