Gunn: When I had met you in Sonoma last year and we were kind of becoming friends — and I started talking to you about this label, Light in the Attic, which is going to reissue “Misora” — I told my record-nerd friends that we hung out. And they were like, “Wait, what?” No one really believed me. I don’t think a lot of people knew that you were living in California or in the States.

Kanenobu: In 1972, when I first moved to New York, I wasn’t making music because I had two babies, you know. I was mostly taking care of the kids. But Paul played music all the time and I was getting into that.

Gunn: When did you start writing music again?

Kanenobu: Really when I met Philip K. Dick. He changed my life and got me to play music again. Paul took me to meet Phil when he was living in Sonoma with his girlfriend. He asked, “Are you still writing songs?” I said, “No, I’m very busy, you know?” And he said, “You shouldn’t stop writing, you have a gift.” He made my eyes all jumbly. I was so touched, and felt so deeply. He really illuminated my heart and soul.

T: Is it true he started producing one of your records before he died?

Kanenobu: He did. He did one single record, “Fork in the Road / Tokyo Song.” At one point, Paul and I drove all the way to see Phil in Santa Ana, where he lived and brought him an older record of mine — he had this big fancy player — but when we tried to put it on, it didn’t work. Phil was really angry. He said, “I’m going to throw this whole system out the window,” and he really started picking it up, but we stopped him. Later, we played him the album and he loved it.

I wrote some new English songs after Phil had told me I should, instead of in Japanese. He started talking about making an album together — he would produce it and he’d be in the studio this time. That was 1982, around February. I was so excited, and then he died in March. It was so sad, the darkest time in my life. He was like my muse. He always called me and encouraged me and read me short stories and made me laugh. I am actually writing a book about the whole thing.