The highest monthly income was 12 million yen, but now he “drinks and sleeps on weekdays.” Senior Rat (52), who won the “Pop Pop” 17 years ago, talks about the unexpected characteristics of “one-hit wonders who can keep on eating.

　There are many “one-hit wonders” in the world of comedians, but it was Rat Senpai (52) who once took the world by storm, singing “Roppongi – GIROPPON”, known for its unique lyrics, “Popopo, Popopo”. In 2008, he made his debut and got his big break, but shortly after that, he announced his retirement. A year later, he made a quick comeback with a commercial for KINCHO. His light footwork, “I go wherever the demand is,” is his specialty, and he has been supporting his family with “Ippatsu” for 17 years. We interviewed the senior rat about his current lifestyle and what life was like when he first broke into the business. (Part 1 of 3 / Read more ) ◆◆◆

Drinking and sleeping on weekdays…Unknown current “source of income

–In 2008, when you were 35 years old, “Roppongi – GIROPPON” broke out and it has been 17 years since then. What is your main source of income now? Senior Rat: Right now, I’m in sales. I work mainly on weekends and holidays, and on weekdays I drink and sleep. I go wherever I am called. Snack bars, cabarets, boat races, pachinko parlors, houseboats. A lot of local corporate events, too. Anywhere except for anti-sha. –Even now, you only have one movie, “Roppongi – GIROPPON”. Rat Senpai Yes, that’s right. I wonder if it’s because the people who listened to it as children have grown up and become great and call me because they miss it, or because the fee is cheap. Because, you know, the 20-year-olds today don’t know me. If I said, “Hi,” at the Aeon Mall, the kids would say, “Here comes the scary guy! and they would run away like spiders. If I talk or sing a song, they will come up to me and say, “There’s a funny old man here. –Do you go out and sell yourself? No, I get offers for everything. There are some new clients, but most of them are acquaintances or acquaintances of acquaintances. Often, I am invited back a few years later from a place that invited me once. I guess you could call them repeat customers. Very often the pattern is that the person who called me told someone about me, and that person told someone else about me again, and then ……. –Sober word of mouth. Senior Rat Yes, that’s right. In that sense, I am very careful about relationships. I am polite to everyone and cherish each encounter. I’m a one-hit wonder to begin with, and I’m on a tightrope.