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PEOPLE & ARTS Tuesday 7 augusT 2018
Author Murakami talks music, running, novels on radio show

By MARI YAMAGUCHI ability is extremely impor-
TOKYO (AP) — Best-selling tant," he said. "You sit all
Japanese author Haruki day and keep writing, so it
Murakami, hosting a spe- takes a lot of energy, even
cial radio show featuring though many people don't
some of his favorite songs seem to believe me."
he runs to, says writing nov- Rock music is his usual
els is about rhythm, as in choice for running to keep
music and running. a steady pace, he said,
"Murakami Radio," a pre- recommending "songs that
recorded show broadcast you can sing along to, ide-
Sunday night, featured as ally those that give you
its themes two crucial ele- courage."
ments of his life as a nov- Protagonists in Murakami's
elist: running and music. stories are often troubled
During the 55-minute show, young men seeking their
Murakami played nine self-identity in grim, dark
numbers he enjoys running or fantastical settings. But
to — rock and jazz — se- Murakami was upbeat and
lected from thousands of ti- humorous during Sunday's
tles stored on several iPods, program as in his short sto-
while sharing stories be- ries and essays, including
hind the songs and talking In this undated black and white photo provided by Tokyo FM Broadcasting Co., Japanese novelist his 2001 essay collection
about running and writing. Haruki Murakami poses at its radio station in Tokyo. titled "Murakami Radio."
A perennial contender for Associated Press The publicity-shy Murakami
the Nobel literature prize, said jokingly that some-
Murakami said he initially I dance, even though I derdog Japanese baseball Years of Pilgrimage" and his times he regrets not having
had no intention of becom- don't actually dance. For team the Yakult Swallows, latest novel, "Killing Com- a pen name. "Once I had
ing a writer. After finishing me, writing tends to be a his favorite — where he saw mandatore." Music serves a skin problem and went
university, he was running very physical process, and an American named Dave as important motifs in his to a dermatology and ve-
a jazz bar in Tokyo and mu- that's my style. If you think Hilton hit a double, he stories, and he has also writ- nereology clinic, then a
sic was his thing, and that's my books are easy to read, wrote in his 2007 memoir, ten books on the topic. receptionist called out 'Mu-
where his style comes from, perhaps we have some- "What I Talk About When I Murakami started running rakami-san.' It was so em-
he said. thing in common musical- Talk About Running." soon after becoming a nov- barrassing," he said.
"Rather than learning sto- ly." Murakami's first novel, "Hear elist, initially to lose weight Ahead of Sunday's show,
rytelling technique from A native of Kyoto, Muraka- the Wind Sing," came out he had gained from long Murakami said in a mes-
someone, I've taken a mu- mi has precise memories of in 1979. His 1987 romantic hours of sitting and writing. sage released through To-
sical approach, while be- when he decided to be- novel "Norwegian Wood" He has since become a kyo FM that he's collected
ing very conscious about come a writer: at around was his first best-seller, es- serious runner, completing so many records and CDs,
rhythms, harmony and im- 1:30 p.m. on April 1, 1978, tablishing him as a young more than 30 marathons. he felt it would be more
provisation," the 69-year- while attending a baseball literary star. Recent best- He said he runs to keep up fun to share some of them
old Murakami said on the game at Tokyo's Jingu Sta- sellers include "1Q84," ''Col- his physical strength. "When than to keep the pleasure
radio. "It's like writing as dium — home to the un- orless Tsukuru Tazaki and His you write, your physical to himself. q

'Murphy Brown' weighs in on MeToo movement in series return

By BETH HARRIS Executive producer and their own particular prism,"
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) — writer Diane English told English said. "I don't think
"Murphy Brown" will weigh a TV critics' meeting the there's probably a woman
in on the MeToo movement episode was developed out here that hasn't had an
when the series starring months ago and inspired experience with misogyny
Candice Bergen returns by the movement against and misconduct."
to a very different world in workplace sexual harass- However, English is not one
September, the show's cre- ment and assault that first of them. She says she never
ator said Sunday. gained momentum last fall. experienced any kind of
The 13-episode reboot re- "It's a powerful movement," sexual misconduct or mi-
unites Bergen as a sharp- she said. "We wanted to do sogyny at CBS, where CEO
tongued investigative jour- it justice." Leslie Moonves is under in-
nalist and TV anchor with English said the show's vestigation for such behav-
most of the original cast writing staff, comprised of ior.
from the CBS show's initial men and women of differ- English said everyone on
10-year run that ended in ent ages who are gay and "Murphy Brown" takes Candice Bergen attends "Murphy Brown" panel during Televi-
1998 — before the internet straight, spent days discuss- the allegations against sion Critics Association Summer Press Tour at the Beverly Hilton
and the rise of 24-hour ca- ing what she calls "a com- Moonves and other net- Hotel on Sunday, Aug. 5, 2018, in Beverly Hills, Calif.
ble news took hold. Once plicated issue." work employees raised in a Associated Press
again, scripts will be in- "We came at it from so recent New Yorker maga-
spired by current events, in- many different angles. Just zine article "extremely seri- ally through the prism of like I've never seen before.
cluding the fourth episode the conversations we had ously" and fully supports the the press," English said. "The The press is not the enemy
entitled "(Hashtag) Murphy- in there, the perspectives investigation. First Amendment and the of the people." The series
Too." that people have from "I'm focusing the show re- free press is under attack debuts Sept. 27.q