Now, here’s something you didn’t expect to see today. Resident Evil composer Mamoru Samuragochi, often dubbed as the “Japanese Beethoven” has admitted to being a fraud.
Samuragochi, who also worked on 2001’s Onimusha: Warlords, confessed to having hired a ghost writer on commission. This has apparently gone on for nearly twenty years, the first incident occurring in 1996 when he was approached to compose for a feature film. A year later he would compose the soundtrack to Resident Evil: Director’s Cut.
This isn’t a straightforward case of betrayal and colluding, however. Since the age of 17, the composer had suffered from migraines and eventually lost his hearing at 35, despite retaining perfect pitch. Today’s revelation may undermine the Beethoven comparisons, though it’s reported that Samuragochi was still largely involved in the creative process behind his music.
Samuragochi’s solicitor said he is “deeply sorry as he has betrayed fans and disappointed others”.
“He knows he could not possibly make any excuse for what he has done. He is mentally distressed and not in a condition to properly express his own thoughts”.
His ghost writer has yet to be revealed though Japanese press believe it to be music teacher, Aragaki Takashi.
Source: BBC
gernboes
Why should this undermine the Beethoven comparison? If anything, it strenghtens it… Beethoven lost his hearing too, after all… ;)
Jim Hargreaves
The revelation regards Samuragochi’s admission to hiring a ghost writing, not that he is deaf ;)
gernboes
Oh, now that you mention it.
i never would have considered that on my own…
tactical20
This happens all the time in electronic music. Goldie’s Timeless album was ‘engineered’ by Rob Playford. Heist has done a lot of his stuff in recent years. Grooverider’s album was engineered by Optical. It’s not just drum & bass either.
colmshan1990
This counts as fraud?
Isn’t this similar to how the likes of Hans Zimmer do it? He comes up with the basic tune before handing it over to composers or something?
Who cares anyway, as long as the team working on it produces something good, whether it was written by so and so or supervised by them.
AddictedAndy
Poor guy.
Don’t see how this is any different to comedians that don’t wrtie their own jokes and make a fourtune, or politicians that don’t write their own speeches and then benefit in some way, or in the older days when beautiful people would mime in music videos to a less atractive persons wonderful voice.
Anyway its not like we bought RE for the score. I don’t feel cheated
blast71
Is this the 2014 version of Milli Vanilli? ;)
bunimomike
Ha! Great comparison. *switches on backing track* :-)