“Despite the romantic notion of musicians speaking truth to power, commercial or societal pressures often restrict musicians in what they can express” (p. 352). This statement, which opens the final chapter of The Revolution Will Not Be Televised, captures the essence of this study by Noriko Manabe. Using antinuclear protest music in Japan since the March 11, 2011, Fukushima nuclear disaster (precipitated by the earthquake and resultant tsunami on that date) as a lens, Manabe examines in detail protest music and the associated musicians, culture, and social and governmental structures. Although marketed as an ethnomusicology book, the potential readership is much broader: historians, particularly those who study protests, antinuclear movements, or censorship; political scientists; cultural anthropologists; and others will want to add this work to their reading lists.
The book begins with the chapter “Background Information on Analyzing Political Music Under Self-Censorship,” which helps the reader to understand why and how musical expression in Japan is restricted.
Chapter 2, “The Nuclear Past and Present,” gives a clear and concise overview of the complex situation regarding nuclear power in Japan and sets the stage for the rationale behind the protests described in the book. In the context of the nuclear industry downplaying potential issues with nuclear power, Manabe points out the role of the United States in promoting nuclear power in Japan, something that is often overlooked in other examinations of this issue. This chapter alone is worth the price of the book for anyone who is looking for a good synopsis of the events surrounding the Fukushima nuclear disaster.
Chapter 3 examines the musicians who participate in antinuclear movements, their roles and motivations, and the risks entailed. Here we are introduced to a number of the individuals and groups whose involvement is examined in greater detail in the rest of the book. These portraits, placed in the context of antinuclear and other types of protest music, help to create a fully rounded picture of the activities in Japan post-3/11.
Technology and social media play a large role in the production and dissemination of the music discussed, and the second section, “Spaces of Protest,” begins with cyberspace, “a metaphor to describe the social and informational connections made possible through the networked computers of the internet” (p. 109). It continues with a detailed examination of demonstrations, including the history of sound demonstrations, the evolution of performance styles, and urban geography and its impact on this music. The book then moves on to festivals and recordings, examining how the music and performances in these spaces differ from demonstrations.
The Revolution Will Not Be Televised benefits greatly from interviews, which allow us to hear directly from the musicians and others involved in the protest music. Lyrics, in both Japanese and English, also give voice to the artists, and Manabe analyzes how the Japanese language is used to its fullest in the music, live performances, interactions with audiences, recordings, and social media.
Manabe's participation in numerous demonstrations gives us a clear picture of what happens “on the ground”—who the actors are, where the events take place, how they are organized and publicized, who the musicians are, and what they perform. We learn how their involvement impacts their professional activities, including their relationships with their recording labels, their management companies, and their fans. Some of the artists profiled, such as Ryuichi Sakamoto, are known internationally, but for reasons related to self-censorship of lyrics of a political nature or that run counter to official policies, underground performers predominate. In addition, because of the importance of words in conveying the antinuclear message, the genres, particularly in sound demonstrations, tend toward hardcore punk, techno, reggae, and hip-hop (p. 180), and we hear from the artists in those genres about the creation of their works.
As befits a movement in which social media plays a prominent role, this book includes online materials, clearly indicated in the text and accessible through a dedicated website. Indeed, these materials, which include examples of Japanese television advertisements produced by and in support of the Japanese nuclear power industry, and field recordings and photos (many by Manabe) from sound demonstrations and festivals, are vital to fully comprehend the text. The addition on the website of page number references for each of the online resources would be welcome, as it is very easy to start clicking through the online examples and then want to go back and read the contextualizing information. Although most of the videos are in Japanese, they are contextualized well enough to be of use to those with no Japanese language ability, and English subtitles are supplied when needed.
The Revolution Will Not Be Televised is engaging and accessible, and the online materials are the icing on the cake that make this work so valuable. Manabe's study should be on the reading lists of a wide spectrum of scholars—and others—who are interested in any of the topics on which it touches.
