Run Wild
8 years ago by
It feels like another life, but a long, long time ago, I was living in Marseille, in the South of France, and I had an all-consuming passion for Blonde Redhead, a punk rock band I still absolutely adore. Fan to a point that, with my best friend, we decided that Marseilles couldn’t live without hosting a Blonde Redhead concert and so we decided to have them stop on their tour.
That’s the first time I met Kazu.
She represented everything that made me dream. She was an amazing performer, she had a wonderful sense of style, she had the most alternative lifestyle I could think of, she came from Japan but lived in New York with two awfully beautiful and talented Italian twins that were the other members of her band, and, well, she was a beauty.
Long story short because I could go on forever, I had always dreamed of talking to you about her and, more specifically, of something that has little to do with her music… Her passion for horseback riding. I think I just have a thing for passionate people. I would love to find a thing, apart from my work, where I could invest the same type of love and energy. Diving, knitting, singing, whatever the thrill, something I can always go back to and that’s just mine. Maybe surfing will be that, one day…
I’m going to let her talk about it, but I just wanted you to know how happy I am to present you with this story today…
When did your passion for horseback riding start?
I always loved horses. Apparently I told my parents I wanted to be a jockey. When I was little, I did try to have a go in Kyoto, where I was living. I was invited to this farm and I think it happened to be very, very high level. They were like, “Would you be willing to send your child to school from this farm, like she would have to live here but we could really train her?” And I remember saying no because I didn’t want to be away from my parents. I never really rode when I was little, but as soon as I came to New York I started looking into it. At the end of the day, in Japan it’s hard to ride because a lot of the horse world is based on race horses — that’s a whole other territory, so I waited.
But I’ve been riding at least 15 years or so, intensively.
I researched everything in New York, and I found out about these people who have a training ground for horses. They imported English horses, Irish horses… It was a good range of horses I got to learn on. As naive as I was… I learned kind of in a rough way, but in a good way also. I fell a lot, but I never felt like the horses didn’t want to help me learn. I was really really into it.
And how did you find a balance between music, touring, being a New Yorker and being such a passionate horseback rider?
That was, I suppose, the issue. My days became me just staring at the calendar, my band mates would make fun of me because I was just looking for a little timeslot to ride. You have to be so mindful. You couldn’t be spontaneous about this, you had to really know where you’re going to be.
You can study riding at the same time as playing, and it really works hand in hand because to me it’s basically the same thing, music and horses. The sensation it gives you, pretty much the same. Of course, the music doesn’t give you the sense of danger as much as riding does. But aside from that, the groove and the rhythm it gives you… They’re the only moments I don’t feel like an outsider. I always felt foreign, whenever I was doing anything but, when I play music or when I ride, I feel like I belong to this place. That’s a very good feeling, and that’s a big part of it.
You had a horse riding accident, but you never stopped riding. How did you get through it?
It was a really big one. Like I said, I was so naive and I felt my love for riding was so powerful that I really thought nothing could ever happen to me. I really believed that I liked it too much for something bad to happen. I would sit on any horse that was assigned to me, I was confident that I could figure out whoever I was riding. And then it happened. The horse I was riding stood on my face. We both fell, but he didn’t care.
I was shocked and I was about to record this album called Misery Is A Butterfly. We thought we were ready to go into studio and then this happened, so I couldn’t. My face was disfigured and my jaw was gone, basically. It took me about three months before I could actually start rehabilitation, or open my mouth. So that was quite amazing because we were kind of forced to re-work the entire material for the album because we had so much time. We went through and through, the arrangement was so intricate and over the top. For a long time, that record was just too much. Like eating a stick of butter. Each song was to me so rich, there’s no other record that we made that was like that. In a way, it became a sort of blessing in disguise, we got to slow down and work harder.
And your horse, Harry, what has he taught you?
My horse is incredible. Love at first sight. When he walked into the barn, I saw his hair, the way he swayed his body, the way he walked and everything, his eyes. Everything about him I was like, “I’m finished.” I fell in love with him so hard. Clearly, he was way too big for me, he was way too advanced for me, because he was, and still is, a very very strong horse. So, it was like completely out of my reach in skill, but I spent three years getting to express myself.
Because he’s so big and I’m so little, he’s actually very, very sensitive. And very eager. Quite a combination of character; a bigger horse tends to be more docile, but Harry’s really hot as if he’s a very agile, skinny thoroughbred. He’s always anticipating. You have to ride him very sensitively but at the same time he is so strong, you have to be there to support his strength. You have to be very tactful to ride him.
At times, things get really rough, but still, I will never compromise it. It means so much to me that he is there and in a good place, he’s happy.
You just returned from some shows in Japan. What next?
We were scheduled to go to Paris and to play at David Lynch’s nightclub called Silencio, but it’s not possible because of the political situation. So now we are just waiting to see if we can reschedule or not, and hoping that will happen sooner than later and so we spend little time in Europe to do something else. I’m very interested in doing collaborations, that’s why i was so thrilled to hear about David Lynch.
I feel like it’s time to kind of do something out of our comfort zone and collaborate with other people. Also, there are still places we’ve never been. We want to go to Thailand to play a show, and also we might go to Istanbul. Again, it’s just something with the world, it’s not so easy to move ourselves from one point to the other. It’s almost irresponsible to think, “Oh, we are going to go here, we’re going to go there”. I don’t really want to ever be political, I just want to do what we do, which is play music. So, we’ll see.
Then yeah, it’s time to write new songs!
Kazu Makino and Harry “Flagmount Cliff” Makino
Look 1: Jodhpurs, Ariat; Riding jacket, Asmar Equestrian; Helmet, GPA; Boots, Tredstep.
Look 2: full look, Isabel Marant.
Special thanks to LDS Equestrian
14 Shinto Farm Lane, Millbrook, NY 12545 USA | +1 (845) 677 3549
Words: Garance Doré | Photos: Erik Melvin
Love The story !
Passion is the strongest element that can make you do almost everything …………..just for Passion
it’s great and it’s dangerous……
xoxo
Yael Guetta
http://www.ftwwl.com
the first picture is wonderful! :)
http://littleaesthete.com/
Les photos sont sublimes !!!
Amélie
http://charlesrayandcoco.com
Kazu is amazing!! I totally love Blonde Redhead <3 That mix of sadcore, dreamy and punk-ish sounds is so cool… When I heard "Misery is a Butterfly" for the first time, like 15 years ago, I was totally blown away and I've been loving them ever since! I'm very happy you shared this post!
xx Al
Ouf! WOW! Les photos sont absolument magnifiques!!! ON sent la vie et la liberté dans ces photos! Merci!!!!
Merci beaucoup, beaucoup, BEAUCOUP Clara!
This piece just made my day! I’ve been a HUGE fan of Blonde Redhead for years and I love Kazu’s style – such a beauty. Thanks for sharing this, Garance and team!!
Je ne suis pas sure que mon commentaire soit parti.
Cet article m’a beaucoup emue et a fait resurgir de merveilleux souvenirs de mes lointaines (et douloureuses) annees d’equitation. J’avais deux passions, la danse et l’equitation qui demandent la meme rigoureuse discipline mais que de bonheur !
Merci Erik pour ces magnifiques photos.
Merci Sevan!! :)
Beautiful pictures
xoxo
http://poshnessary.com
Les photos dégagent un truc hyper fort ! il est doué cet Erik !
Oh my God, what lovely photos! Thank you and thank you for your book.
I adore Blonde Redhead. I actually caught my breath when I saw this. Thank you Garance.
What a wonderful story! The way Kazu talks about horseback riding is just magical, pure love. Thank you, Garance. xo
Once you get mature, you will realise how important the lifestyle is. Passion about your life really makes your life journey different. Being passionate, sweet and positive really changes everything – internally and externally. That’s how to make yourself attractive.
http://www.swingsnowman.wordpress.com
Très beau sujet, très intéressante personne, et très honnêtement, ça fait vraiment plaisir de lire des sujets sur autre chose que la mode, ou le design ou le “commerce”.
Bravo Erik, les photos sont superbes.
Merci!! Elle est top, Kazu :)
Inspiring story, Garance and great photos cause of your real sense for beauty, Erik!
Thank you! Couldn’t have done it without Brie and Neada’s help, though ;)
And, of course, Kazu & Harry!
Super article. J’adore les chevaux et l’équitation.
Et, chose hyper bizarre, à l’instant même où je me suis connectée sur ton site, j’étais en train d’écouter ça !
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Js-XbNj6Tk
Now, tell me that isn’t strange! Six degrees of separation or something like that…
EXQUISITE
love this! I used to horseback ride when I was younger and then I got spooked! I still think it’s so elegant and beautiful
http://hashtagliz.com
J’ADORE Blonde Redhead, merci Garance pour cette belle chronique.
Les photos d’Eric sont sublimes !
Baci, Ali
http://www.alidifirenze.fr
Merci beaucoup Ali! :)
Ce post is so heartful et ces photos si magiques ! Quelle magnifique histoire !
Pour les miroirs Le fleuriste s’appelle Moor et c’est 80 rue de Turenne
Garance, these photos are stunning. What a beautiful piece!
This might be my all-time favorite Garance Dore post, and here’s why. Garance, you made me fall in love with Kazu too! A great and interesting interview. Thank you for sharing her with all of us. And then there are the photographs…. Erik! Every one of them is a gem.
What great way to *jump* start (there might be a riding pun in there) a dreary Tuesday morning in Massachusetts!
Thank you so much Judith! Definitely couldn’t have done it without Garance, Brie & Neada, though!
(And I love your pun :)
These photos are just exquisite, like a form of visual meditation.
Les photos sont absolument magnifiques et je voue une passion à ce groupe, alors je suis comblée.
Silently n’est elle pas une des plus jolies chansons de tous les temps ?
Et je suis émue en lisant cet article car, et ça n’a rien à voir, Kazu et les jumeaux, c’est mon plus beau souvenir du Bataclan, certainement.
She’s so inspiring! She sounds like the perfect dinner party guest: cool, with a unique identity and so much depth and character. I never heard of them before, but I’m youtubing them right now:)
Très beau post, vraiment passionnant pour la néophyte que je suis. Je ne connais rien au monde du cheval et je n’en ai jamais fait. Quant aux photos, elles sont “wow” … magnifiques, elles portent totalement l’article.
Gigi xxx
Beautiful photos ! Bravo Erik ! Bravo.
Thank you Carole!!
Thank-you for such beautiful photo’s and lovely story. The love of riding and the way of the horse, pure passion. Heading out on this cold Montana morning to the stable. Horses, riding, fashion all on my favorite blog….you made my day!!!!
Exquisite photos!! Superb
Colleen
http://www.blushandbeyond.com
I was a horse happy kid and rode regularly until I was about 15 and had a couple of falls that resulted in a slipped disc. I got back into it when I was in my ’20’s and one of my advertising clients had a riding instructor and a gorgeous stable on their property. Moved to Boston and New York and the only horses I got to see were magnificent police horses. (Retired police horses are the absolutely best for kids as they don’t spook easily and watch their feet!) Once I started spending time on Hilton Head again, I got involved with a marvelous organization called Heroes on Horseback, doing equine therapy with special needs kids, many of whom are on the autism spectrum. I found my passion. I started riding again but what I loved even more was teaching natural horsemanship to the kids — in short, teaching the horse to think more like a person and the person to think more like a horse. Horses are one of the few prey animals we interact with (dogs and cats, like us, are predators) so seeing trusting relationships develop has truly been magical. When we’re around horses, especially when riding, our hearts beat in sync. As I said, magical. If you’d like to see it in action, check this out: https://vimeo.com/40570505 Dare you to watch it dry-eyed!
Such a nice story! The pictures are amazing! love this post! xoxo
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Absolutely exquisite photos, Erik! And so perfectly suited for this story about a remarkable woman. Thank you!
Thank YOU Charlotte! And quite right with “remarkable woman.” :)
What a beautiful horse and awesome story. Thanks for sharing, Garance! As usual, great photos, Erik! I love the close-up detail shots.
Thank you so much Emily!
after all kudos to the photographer -Erik-, I mean Wow amazing photos
Thank you! … I think Kazu and Harry helped, though :)
Sublimes photos ! Bravo et Merci Erik
Merci Schabi!
Great subject, great pictures (you can sense the strength of the horse), thanks for this moment outside of fashion and business!
A stunning woman with an absolutely lovely passion!
I rode many years when I was younger too, and would love to again but goodness it’s expensive. I am looking for a great thing to be passionately into also, but it’s no good if I end up homeless over my hobby!
Anyone have an idea that is NOT expensive?
p.s. Jane with the noisy terrier- that organization looks so cool. Thank you for sharing
Beautiful story and the photography is exquisite! So dreamy…exceptional job!
sublimes photos… bravo Erik!
Merci Violette!!
Stunning photos & story. I’ve been waiting for you to feature someone who shares my passion–horses! Mad love to your team!
Les images sont sublimes.
J’ai un petit garçon qui est passionné aussi, du coup, je tente, de temps en temps de fixer la Majesté des chevaux et des cavalier, sur pellicule. C’est extrêmement difficile. Bravo!
J’adore tellement ce groupe !!!! Je ne savais pas qu’elle avait cette passion que je partage également. Voilà pourquoi je me sens tellement connectée quand j’écoute Misery is a Butterfly !
Im speechless following this story, what strength and passion! Absolutely lovely photos they truly complete the store. Wow!
BEAUTIFUL PHOTOS! Wow! (And now I start to read the story, too!)
Dear Garance: Thank you for this absolutely beautiful story about this gal and her horse. How lucky she is!
Thank you again for sharing it These types of vlogs are my favorite! Something with substance.
Love, Ingrid from CA
superbes photos !
Kazu has been my muse since I was fourteen! The most elegant, deep woman with impeccable style born of a romance I could early on connect to and still today look to as a reminder to connect only with our inner truths. I was saw her riding in a horse and buggy backstage at coachella, many years ago. Misery still plays on my rotation of music I listen to in my art studio. Thank you for this piece!
Garance I love horses since ever and I have the same dream since ever that I am about to start to acomplish very soon! I loved this story, it was my favorite ever!! So good to see beautiful things that you can relate to!!
Thank you sooo much
Beautiful photographs Erik.
Thank you Belinda!
What a wonderful and harmonious portrait, it really stands out! (Not that the other portraits aren’t wonderful, this one is just so “round”. Thank you : )
wow, j’écoute la chanson 23 en boucle depuis des années et je n’avais aucune idée de à quoi ressemblait la chanteuse et encore moins sa passion pour le cheval ! et j’apprends qu’un concert était prévu en France ! Revenez ! y’a plein de concerts tous les soirs, la vie continue !
Love Blonde Redhead!!! Beautiful interview and pics
Check out our winter collection: http://www.shopsaul.com/collections/f-w-15-products
Beautiful photos! You have a fabulous “eye”! Just wondering what lens(es) you favor for these shoots?
Garance, horses and fashion – day made! STUNNING photos Erik! Come to Aus with Neada at Christmas and bring your camera to my place and play with my horses!
Dear:
I rode all my life until I was thrown and broke my sacrum. My back has been screwed up ever since.
But I still love horses!
This might be my favorite post/story of all time on the blog. Absolutely amazing.
Beautiful horse, beautiful pictures, thank you.
She is very brave to come through that accident and not let it ruin her spirit or her love for horses. Falling is part of riding, but if the horse stands on you, that’s 500 kg moving with force through a metal horseshoe…and on her face!
Brave, beautiful woman.
Merci pour ces photos, elles sont vraiment magnifiques, elles communiquent élégance et liberté à la fois.
I’ll add my voice to the chorus of praise for Erik – these are absolutely spectacular photos. But I was pulled up short by this statement: “I don’t really want to ever be political.” Do any of us really have that luxury in this world, as it is? Is there a bubble in which good music can be made (or listened to) in the absence of politics or its repercussions (good or bad)? And since we’re speaking of politics (well, I am anyway), with Garance in Paris during the UNFCCC Conference of Parties, any thoughts on the fashion industry’s impact on global climate change and how it might influence the direction of the blog? I would love to hear from this smart and savvy team on that very relevant (and yes political!) topic. Merci! :)
I’m so happy that you’ve shared your passion for Blonde Redhead … They got me through some delicate, wild, and poignant times …thank you.
Great article.
Erik, the photographs are images made poetry <3.
Thank you!
Outstanding piece. Ate up every word. Superb photography! Super saturated landscapes are beautiful. Merci, Janine Claire
http://www.noworriesparis.com
Erik, these are some of the best photos I think I’ve ever seen on the blog, you have an incredible talent. There’s so much expression, movement, and passion in your pictures that I almost didn’t need to read the interview to understand Kazu’s sentiments about riding.
Wow, thank you so much Claire! I really appreciate that :)
Beautiful images and words.This piece for me very nicely encapsulates life itself with all its beauty,power,determination,passion,softness,harness etc
J’aime les chevaux. Chevaux de selle doit être intéressant. Missydress.ca
Ça y est j’ai fini par vous contaminer avec mes chevaux :D
Photo 2 : C’est apparemment un cheval pas mal sur la défense. Dites à la dame de baisser les mains pour pas lui plomber les molaires à son cheval ;) et changer de mors pour un double brisure plus doux. Puis moins de mains, BEAUCOUP moins de mains. Et BEAUCOUP mais VRAIMENT BEAUCOUP plus de jambes. L’avantage : ça fait des cuisses, des abdos et des fessiers en béton armé !
Non seulement cette femme a un charisme incroyable et son cheval est MAGNIFIQUE, mais BRAVO pour ces photos, je ne trouve d’ailleurs pas de mots pour décrire ce qu’elles dégagent.
Pour connaître plutôt bien le monde équestre, et avoir fait moi-même de (très) belles photos de chevaux, ce que j’aime ENORMEMENT ici c’est qu’on sent que le photographe (toi, Erik, donc…) a cette “innocence” du milieu (excuse moi si je me trompe mais c’est vraiment ce que je perçois) qui lui permet de photographier du “courant” en lui apportant une intensité incroyable. Chaleur, grâce, émotion, sensibilité.
Vraiment, je dis BRAVO.
The pictures are wonderful, Erik is so good!
What an interesting person! And the photographs of this piece are absolutely amazing! My favourites ever on the blog so far, together with those photographs you published a while ago of the New York City ballet!
Erik, you should do a cultural series featuring theater, opera, libraries, etc! I love how you capture atmospheres (so clean, airy and polished) and the more atmospheric a place is, the more I like your job!
Ok, this fan comment ends now :)
xx,
E.
http://www.theslowpace.com
Thank you so much! I don’t know what to say except thank you thank you thank you (and it’s definitely a team effort :)
J’adore les photos, elles sont très très belles. Et c’est assez inhabituel comme passion il me semble chez les rockstars, à part la famille Springsteen.
Son cheval est très beau aussi.
Ceci dit, en tant qu’ancienne prof d’équitation, je trouve que, compte tenu de sa taille, Kazu aurait très très grand intérêt à rallonger sérieusement ses étriers, elle monte un peu court, et ça n’est pas optimal pour l’assiette.
Les photos sont magnifiques. Erik a parfaitement su saisir la communion entre kazu et Harry. On leur sent presque des attitudes similaires, au delà de leurs physiques et conditions différentes. Comme si quelque chose d’humain passait en Harry et que Kazu redevenait l’animal libre qu’était l’homme aux commencements . La photo où kazu sangle les pattes d’Harry, ça me fait penser à des coulisses de ballet….Kazu est affacée, un peu dans la pénombre , le visage baissé et cela crée un contraste saisissant avec la force du cheval.
J’aime particulièrement la photo qui présente les jambes de Kazu et les pattes d’Harry, tous deux en mouvement , un mouvement similaire mais dans des directions différentes, on ne sait pas qui mène l’autre, malgré la force et la lourdeur qui se dégage du cuir des bottes, c’est le cheval qui son pas léger et nonchalant qui donne le La.
les photos des accessoires et détails sont aussi saisissantes: technicité légère et “rutilante” à travers le métal mais aussi force , rudesse à travers les sangles et le cuir des gants avec en arrière plan la répétition à travers l’usure des gants maculés de terre et le soin apporté au cheval (le peigne) . Un bel article comme on aime en voir sur ce site. Un très beau travail d’équipe.
Merci BEAUCOUP Mareme! :)
Stunning photographs. I think some of your best.
And an incredibly refreshing approach to profiling a stylish, passionate, and inspiring woman.
Thank you so much! More like this please!
Le tapis de selle d’un blanc immaculé, lol! Après une bonne séance, il est beaucoup plus crasseux!:)
J’ai eu deux chevaux et beaucoup monté pendant 15 ans, ma passion, toujours à chercher un club partout où j’allais…Un jour, j’ai “senti” que je devais arrêter de partir toute seule dans les bois en chantant…
Superbe cheval, avec du sang, en effet…
Je dédie à ce couple la lame n°7, celle du Chariot…
@Emma: peut-être est-elle plus à l’aise en extérieur en montant court? Je le faisais aussi.
Bel article, original et plaisant!
Great story about a fabulous woman! And the pictures are sublime, really transport the reader – amazing work Erik!
THANK YOU for this beautiful article!! I love Blonde Redhead and Kazu and have always wanted to know more about her passion for
horses and riding. I too love those things!
Lovely photos as well!
passionnée d’équitation c’est la 1ère fois que je laisse un commentaire, très bel article et photos impressionnantes, on sent tellement la complicité entre ces deux êtres, bravo ! si certaines étaient à vendre je les achèterais sans hésiter.
ce cheval est splendide, force, souplesse, placement impeccable, un rêve ! merci à vous
Merci Garance Doré pour cet article-interview relatif à la passion de Kazu, qui dégage sur scène une équestre énergie également. Un calme avant la tempête, la douceur d’une crinière prête à de langoureuses envolées rythmées par les bruits des sabots ou d’une guitare Teisco. Fan de la première heure du groupe que j’ai pu admirer à 7 reprises, c’est ici un véritable hommage que tu nous illustres. On sent cette passion pour le groupe de New York.
Magnifiquement illustré par les clichés d’Erik Melvin, aussi doué dans les détails que dans ces portraits, aux cadrages et couleurs subtiles, un automnale tableau poétique entre l’homme et la nature. MERCI et BRAVO !!!!
Merci à VOUS!! :)
Erik, your photos are absolutely beautiful! I mean, they should be framed!
I hope we continue to see more of your work. :)
Thank you so much Jane!!
So beautiful. Thank you for sharing.
Merci pour ce portrait très sensible en mots et en images qui conjugue tant d’univers !
Je suis très touchée que le blog aille vers d’autres sujets et d’autres personnages, tout en sachant garder un ton juste et un style si beau.
Blonde Redhead est un groupe qui ne peut laisser indifférent et qui parle a l’âme.
Mention spéciale pour les photos !
Je suis aussi impressionnée par les conseils avertis et bienveillants des internautes en termes d’équitation !
Belle équipe Doré et belle communauté…
Mais ces photos … Oh my dog … Et en plus l’histoire …
Harry looks so happy. Thankful he is yours.
You look so gorgeous and stylish! Very nice pictures!
Thank you for this sublime post; it brought tears to my eyes! The photos are so powerful; absolutely gorgeous! I love Blonde Redhead, and had no idea about Kazu’s accident. A story filled with passion, strength, trust and love.
merci bcp ! un vrai régal de post :)
Aaaaaah !! Je suis FAN de Blonde Redhead !! Merveilleux, merci pour cet article !! :)
the photos take my breath away.
Your photos are absolutely amazing! They have a unique atmosphere!
And I love Blonde Redhead!!
Je suis absolument époustouflée par la qualité des photos. La mode et l’équitation sont très importants pour moi, et cette série révèle toute l’esthétique de l’équitation, toute la finesse de ce sport. Merci Garance <3
I so wish you would have a lot more entires like this showcasing stunning photography! Especially with women and their pets or animals. Even farm animals! It brings so much peace and serenity to me to look at photos with horses. Thank you for making my day a little brighter!
Such a beautiful story and such stunning photos! I started with dressage at age five and this post made me want to run out and saddle up!