Born as a second-generation Hibakusha, that is to say a child of Hiroshima A-bomb survivors, Mamoru Samuragochi faced hardship, prejudice and increasing illness throughout his life. Despite these enormous setbacks, he became one of the most respected and successful musical composers in Japan, despite becoming almost entirely deaf.
He was also a liar.
Today's guest is Hannah Lane! You can find her via her Instagram page, and she is also the co-host of our horror movie review podcast that we do together, Not Another Film podcast.
Check my new album, Ruined Numbers, for sale on Bandcamp! It's an album of acoustic arrangements of Final Fantasy music. You can also stream the album on Spotify or YouTube Music. Enjoy!
You can also find me on Twitter @sequencepod, or you can listen to my other podcasts Final Fanservice and Not Another Film on any big podcast app.
Sources:
The New Republic: Japan's Deaf Composer Wasn't What He Seemed
Classic FM: The Composer Who Was Once Dubbed "Japan's Beethoven"
Time Magazine: 2001 Interview with Samuragochi
Wall Street Journal: Music Critic's Suspicions Led to Composer's Downfall
Inverse: "Clowns farting": The wild story behind Resident Evil's worst soundtrack
Independent: Japanese 'Beethoven' Mamoru Samuragochi admits faking deafness
Wikipedia: Mamoru Samuragochi