The man who gave Japan its voice—but you've never heard his name.
Everyone in Japan knows his work, yet few recognize his face. Chris Mosdell, British expatriate, pop lyricist, poet and visual artist, during his 30-year residence in Tokyo has written chart-topping hits with some of Japan's most influential musicians and composers, penned lyrics to anime film scores, and run with the multimedia underground of that city's avant-garde. Ink Music: In The Land Of The Hundred-Tongued Lyricist is a 90-minute documentary film detailing those artistic relationships in the expansive career of artistic word-smith, Chris Mosdell. Shot in HD on-location in Tokyo and Fukui, Japan, and New York City, USA, the film highlights Mosdell's rise from obscure expatriate bohemian poet to renowned lyricist for Japan's biggest band ever, Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO). The story is told through exclusive interviews. Tokyo itself also figures into the narrative as a major character, featuring copious clips of original footage from inside the city that inspires Mosdell's work.
Direction
Treats Tokyo as a living, breathing collaborator.
Production
Rare archival footage of Japan's avant-garde underground.
Writing
Mosdell's poetry reveals the craft behind earworm lyrics.
Director
Brian Comerford
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Mosdell wrote English lyrics for 'Behind the Mask'—later covered by Eric Clapton and then Michael Jackson, though Jackson's estate never cleared the YMO sample.
The film captures late-2000s Tokyo just before streaming flattened global music consumption; Mosdell's analog-era hustle feels increasingly extinct.
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