Satoshi Yamaguchi — The Past Can Be Changed: How a Drummer Reclaimed Music Through Neuroscience
RADWIMPS drummer shares how a neurological disorder ended his career — and how he built a voice-controlled drumming system to play again.
Date & Time at 6:00 PM EST
Location University of Toronto Schools, Withrow Auditorium Toronto, CA
Organizer Munk School of Global Affairs
Why we picked this
A rock drummer loses control of his hands to a neurological disorder, then co-invents a voice-controlled drum system to play again. Science, art, and human stubbornness.
In 2015, Satoshi Yamaguchi — drummer of the popular Japanese band RADWIMPS — was diagnosed with Musician’s Dystonia, a neurological disorder that robbed him of the fine motor control needed to play. Rather than accept the loss, he turned to neuroscience, conducting large-scale epidemiological studies and co-developing VXD, a voice-controlled drumming system that lets him perform using his voice instead of his hands.
At the Munk School, he’ll present the research and perform live — a demonstration that the intersection of science and art can produce something neither discipline would create alone. Free.