Chris Mosdell

Chris Mosdell
Mosdell in 2000
Mosdell in 2000
Background information
Birth nameChristopher John Mosdell
Born (1949-11-09) 9 November 1949 (age 74)
Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, England
Occupation(s)Lyricist, composer, poet, author
Years active1976–present
LabelsSony Music Japan
Websitechrismosdell.com

Christopher John Mosdell (born 9 November 1949)[1] is a British lyricist, poet, author, composer, vocalist and illustrator based in Tokyo, Japan, and New York City, United States.[2]

He has collaborated with an extensive array of musicians and artists, though he is especially known for his work with Yellow Magic Orchestra and the poet Shuntarō Tanikawa. His interactive audio-visual album Equasian, featuring an experimentation with "VISIC" (visual music), melded his scientific background into a musical framework, and his Oracles of Distraction, a set of poetic cards set to musical coordinates, further expanded his lyrical idiom.[3]

He has written lyrics for Sarah Brightman and Boy George;[4][5] co-written lyrics with Michael Jackson,[2] had his work covered by Eric Clapton, worked with the West African kora player Toumani Diabaté and the calligraphy artist Juichi Yoshikawa;[6] and wrote the verse dance drama Amaterasu, the Resurrection of Radiance, that was performed with the City Ballet of London at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane (2001).[7]

As "Mozz", Mosdell has also released a series of award-winning children's books, which he also illustrates.[8]

A film about his life entitled "Ink Music: In the Land of the Hundred-Tongued Lyricist", featuring interviews with many of his collaborators and shot in Japan and the United States, was released in 2009.[9] The documentary bills him as the "Lafcadio Hearn of Lyrics",[10] Long term collaborator Ryuichi Sakamoto describes his interpretation of how Mosdell creates his varied works; "When I read his lyrics, I see him in a high school chemistry laboratory, making Molotov cocktails – his eyes lucid, blue and very clear."[11]

In 2023 he was the recipient of Japan’s Classics Day Cultural Foundation Prize, an award “honouring individuals who have contributed to the dissemination and enlightenment of Japanese classical culture” ––an award presided over by Her Imperial Princess Akiko of Mikasa.[12]

  1. ^ "Index entry". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
  2. ^ a b Aimee Heckel (15 January 2011). "Chris Mosdell, quirky Boulder lyricist, wrote lyrics for newly released Michael Jackson song". Daily Camera. Retrieved 18 October 2011.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference JT was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "Fireboy Meets His Match". YouTube. Retrieved 17 January 2012.[dead YouTube link]
  5. ^ "80s CM Songs". CDJapan. Retrieved 17 January 2012.
  6. ^ "世界中を揺るがせろ—完成への近道". ASIN 4783724377.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference BBC was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference Goofy was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ ""Ink Music" movie trailer". YouTube. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021.
  10. ^ "Chris Mosdell and the Incendiary Orchestra". Tokyo Art Beat. 15 January 2007. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
  11. ^ Mosdell, Chris (2001). Splatterhead. Emerson's Eye Press. p. back cover. ISBN 1893722023.
  12. ^ "文化基金賞授賞式" (PDF). Kyoto Convention & Visitors Bureau. 26 June 2023. Retrieved 9 July 2023.