Posted by: on: September 30 2005 • Categorized in: Tetsugaku.
– Radio, television, newspapers, etc. To what extent do you like appearing in the mass media?
[I don’t hate it. I do like it somewhat.]
– Is there any one media you like more, or one where you have more of an interest in transmitting your message?
[I don’t like it or hate it, but the most effective media is definitely TV. It’s the most influential, and also the easiest. With the same amount of labour, people can see and hear a lot more than they can with other media, so I think it’s the easiest.]
– But sometimes, you don’t have the chance to appear on TV.
[No chance to appear… Well, I’m a musician, so I’ll end up on TV and in magazines every time a promotion comes around. But when there’s nothing going on, even if I say “I want to go on a music show,” there’s no way they’ll let me. Without a release. Recently, we released the first single in two and a half years, so our offers have gone up.]
– Speaking of going on TV, I heard about an incident where you were on TV and the program host used the term “visual kei” in reference to you, at which point you left the show midway through broadcast.
[No, the truth about that incident has gotten pretty twisted, so I guess I’d better clear it up right away. First of all, not once have we, L’Arc~en~Ciel, said “We are visual kei.” Honestly, when I was putting L’Arc together, I didn’t use the word “visual kei” at all. But I do realise that it’s been a popular term, so we have called ourselves something similar to that (laughs). Among musical genres, rock is a genre, so are pop, punk, and so on, but visual kei is not a musical genre, isn’t it?]
– That’s certainly true.
[I think it’s a discriminating term used by people who judge only by appearances, so I said “Please don’t use the term visual kei,” to the office, and to the record company staff, so by the time we went on that show, they’d been told. However, I’ve been told that it hadn’t been passed on to the host of Bakushou Mondai (1). They hadn’t been informed, so the hosts, in order to make that segment interesting or funny, thought they’d use those words. Right before that, the four of us, L’Arc, had appeared in a newspaper ad with our heads shaved. In relation to that, they had bald wigs, topknot wigs, all sorts of wigs prepared, and they were going to use them in the talk. “You’re visual kei, so what do you think of these, please try some of these wigs on,” that was how the talk was going to go. But then, it turned out differently. First off, they weren’t even going to let us do that talk, saying there’s no way it would be interesting. And they had to get the stylists and the hair and makeup staff to set it up, then have us wear the wigs, and having us perform after all that wasn’t exactly a low-tension set up. If they had planned it out right, they should have organised things better with our staff, but they couldn’t do that. When our staff met up with NHK’s, they didn’t arrange much. And no one passed on the message “They aren’t visual kei,” to the show host. I think that was a mistake by the staff on our side, though. NHK and Bakushou Mondai weren’t at fault, that is. We aren’t the slightest bit angry at Bakushou Mondai, either. I mean, they’re supposed to make people laugh so of course they think of strange, interesting things to say. Deep down, I really think it was our staff that should have gone to greater lengths to get things going properly. Also, we were supposed to play two songs but only did one, so reportedly it looked like we just quit performing, abandoned our instruments and left, but that’s absolutely not what happened. Although they did announce that we’d be doing two songs, it wasn’t two songs in a row; we were supposed to do one song at a time in totally different parts of the show. So, we performed the one song, then when we went back to our dressing room, there was some talking along the lines of “While we do feel like doing this kind of show, the circumstances aren’t working out, and so we’d like to cancel for the day.” We addressed it with them, talking it out properly with Bakushou Mondai, then went home. Just like sports news or something, it should only have been of interest to people in the business. And still, without any problems, we still appeared on Kouhaku (2) that year. We really didn’t have a problem with the station. It wasn’t a big deal at all. But, in this business, there are always lots of people out to trip you up, that’s just how it is. And so, the story turned into something completely different, getting blown out of proportion.]
– Now that I’ve heard the story from you, tetsu-san, I think it sounds fair.
[Actually, when I first heard how far this story had gotten, I couldn’t believe it had spread so much when that’s not even what really happened. I really can’t stand unreasonable stuff like that. Yes, we do unreasonable, irrational things sometimes; we’re not always right. Even so, is that any reason to talk about us like this? Personally, as long as I’m putting everything I’ve got into something, there’s a gap that forms between me and the people who aren’t as passionate about it, then they tell me I’m selfish, picky, annoying, and so on. I can only take that sort of thing from people who do their jobs right.]
– Since you’ve been in the mass media, do you feel that misleading information about you has been spread, or that your privacy has been intruded on, or anything like that? If so, what do you think about it?
[I think it can’t be helped.]
– Does it ever make you angry?
[Sometimes I do get angry over it. A lot of the time, something will be written about me that isn’t true. But as far as entertainment goes, they’re just trying to increase their ratings, improve their sales figures, so it can’t be helped, right? It’s their job to deal with a huge, unknown number of people, so I don’t think they can stop doing it.]
– What’s your impression of music magazines?
[Most music magazines are quite nice. They’re rather friendly towards artists. They give artists a boost, you could say (laughs). Part of what they write gets spiced up, so to speak, in order to sell better, right? When they spice it up like that, it’s cool, but still business like enough, although I do feel that they go to both extremes a bit too much sometimes.]
– tetsu-san, since you have your own homepage, do you ever think it would be nice to publish your own version of things from that website?
[Not at the moment. At one point, there were a lot of things I wanted to do with it, but they all require money, and the results don’t make up for it. In the end, as far as promotions go, the conclusion I’ve reached is that it’s better to schedule TV spots and get advertisements in magazines. Homepages cost a lot of money, more than I had been expecting. There still aren’t enough kids in Japan owning computers. Working in Tokyo, you start to think “Of course everyone has one,” so you come to expect big returns from a mobile site. But actually, most kids won’t even hand over 300 yen. Before I can do what I’d like to do, I need to get a few more fans (laughs).]
– Interviewer : Hasegawa Makoto
Translated by Natalie Arnold
1. Bakushou Mondai is the name of the TV program where the incident in question took place. Go back.
2. Kouhaku Utagassen, NHK’s famous New Year celebrity program. He is implying that if there had really been a severe problem with NHK, they wouldn’t have been on that show. Go back.
Posted by: on: September 24 2005 • Categorized in: Tetsuyaku
This is an extract of the May 30th All Night Nippon episode where TETSU69 appeared as a guest during a show hosted by Nishikawa Takanori (T.M.Revolution/abingdon boys school). The show was primarily a NANA special, since abingdon boys school and TETSU69 both participated in the LOVE for NANA tribute album project. This translation only covers the portion of the show where TETSU69 actually participated. I would like to apologise in advance for how confusing this script can be, but the two them don’t make it easy. They talk over each other, cut each other off, and use a lot of slang.
Takanori starts by explaining about the NANA manga’s great popularity and the tribute album project. Basically, there are two bands involved in the storyline of NANA, Black Stones (Blast) and Trapnest (Trance). Each artist on the tribute album was doing a song for one band or the other. He then discusses abingdon boys school for a bit and points out that his band mates will be in the background of the show. After much explaining, there is a song from the tribute album : Ootsuka Ai’s Cherish. After the song, there is more talking on his part, a segment with fan letters, more unrelated talking, then at length he finally introduces the second guest of this show : TETSU69!
*much clapping*
Takanori: Good evening! It’s nice to have you here. Wow, so cheery!
TETSU69 : TETSU69 here.
Takanori : So cheerful… You’re cheerful when you’re solo. Why such a carefree stance?
TETSU69 : I’m not doing anything.
Takanori : Oh yeah? It seems like when you’re with you’re band, you’re always a little worried, being extra careful.
TETSU69 : Nah, I’m not. Does everyone notice?
Takanori : Probably.
TETSU69 : I think all of us do. When it’s all four of us, we’re always looking at each other like “Who’s gonna talk next?”
Takanori : Like, who’s going to answer this question? Me? (whispery) Somebody really should say something. (normal) Someone always needs to say something but you…
TETSU69 : I know, I know, I know.
Takanori : You’re always being extra careful, yourself, thinking “I guess I better say something” so…!
TETSU69 : Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Takanori : Then none of ya answer the question! That ain’t good. Totally.
TETSU69 : See, all of us do that. And we know it.
Takanori : It’s the same on Pop Jam. For the broadcast, they had to take scissors to that tape! Cutting all the parts where none of you answered.
*laughter*
Takanori : So anyway. Um… What we’re promoting… yeah! *laughing*
TETSU69 : For two, three days now, right? Oh, and thanks a lot for last week.
Takanori : My pleasure. I treated you to a meal.
TETSU69 : Well, I enjoyed it.
Takanori : No, no, no. It’s… Yeah! Well, I know you’ve been busy with Jojoushi and all, so, more than anything I wanted to make sure that your seniority in the business is respected, in the band world.
TETSU69 : But I don’t have seniority, as an artist.
Takanori : No!
TETSU69 : In this business.
Takanori : You don’t need to bring that up at all.
TETSU69 : It’s all about career history. Totally.
Takanori : No way! Actually, since I understand your feelings, tetsu-kun, I naturally thought about how I could exceed your expectations.
TETSU69 : Ah.. No way…
Takanori : Really. I wanted to, um, raise your spirits, that’s what I thought of. So that bird, that was healthy for you. Healthy, for your body. That’s all I was thinking of.
Takanori : Anyway. We’ve got some mail. From 18 year old Kirara, in Chiba. “I think this was mentioned in your last show but, it seems that Nishikawa-san had, at one point, been in a band with tetsu-kun from L’Arc~en~Ciel, isn’t that what was said? I’ve been thinking about this a lot, so Nishikawa-san, please explain the details again.” Go read Rock&Roll Newsmaker.
TETSU69 : Yeah.
Takanori : What’s with that? (they laugh) What? No, no, no, no… Hey, see? It’s just from last month right? Or the month before?
TETSU69 : Mm.
Takanori : So it’s out, in Newsmaker.
TETSU69 : Right.
Takanori : So check the magazine.
TETSU69 : The 30-year-old idols, right?
Takanori : Yeah, yeah, yeah.
TETSU69 : Mmhmm.
Takanori : The male, Japanese version of t.A.T.u.
TETSU69 : Yeah. *both laugh*
Takanori : Why don’t we do it? Impersonate Tackey & Tsubasa.
TETSU69 : Ok.
Takanori : We really should do it. At least for a bit.
Takanori : Ah, you’re dressed right for today. That T-shirt!
TETSU69 : I wore it today!
Takanori : It’s a Blast T-shirt. You didn’t need to go that far to impress the people from Toshiba.
TETSU69 : By wearing this?
Takanori : Isn’t it enough? You’ve already done enough just coming here. I understand how you feel, but why go so far?
TETSU69 : I just thought it was a good day for wearing this.
Takanori : Oh, yeah, me too. After all, it does suit this show. Better off wearing this than a jacket or something.
TETSU69 : No, but, isn’t it cool? The back of it.
Takanori : The back. *laugh*
TETSU69 : It makes a T-back. *they laugh* It’s great to wear.
Takanori : Wait, hold on, this just like when we went out to eat. I say weird things, don’t I? What was that, just now…
TESTU69 : What?
Takanori : What, what was that? And what’s that stance?
TETSU69 : What?
Takanori : Cut it out, would ya?
TETSU69 : What, stop what? *laughs* Nah, no way, no way.
Takanori : No way what?
TETSU69 : I was hoping just once…
Takanori : *laughs* I see.
Takanori : By the way!
TETSU69 : Yes!
Takanori : About LOVE for NANA.
TETSU69 : Yes.
Takanori : You participated.
TETSU69 : Yes.
Takanori : As TETSU69.
TETSU69 : Yes.
Takanori : That’s what this is about. Eh… Since you participated. So. You know the story, don’t you? Cause you read the original and liked it a lot, didn’t you?
TETSU69 : Yeah, yeah, yeah. I read it a long time ago.
Takanori : Yeah?
TETSU69 : A friend recommended it to me.
Takanori : Uh huh.
TETSU69 : And even though I don’t normally read manga, I had a look.
Takanori : Even though you don’t like to.
TETSU69 : I can like manga sometimes.
Takanori : So, you like it a lot?
TETSU69 : Yeah, well, no, I don’t ever read any.
Takanori : Oh really, but it seems like you really really like this one.
TETSU69 : Doesn’t it? Even I read this manga… It doesn’t feel like a manga, that’s what my friend told me.
Takanori : Yeah.
TETSU69 : First, Kagen no Tsuki was recommended to me.
Takanori : Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
TETSU69 : It’s Yazawa-san’s, and it’s only three volumes so…
Takanori : Mmhmm, t’s okay when it’s short.
TETSU69 : Yeah, it’s short, so I figured I’d read it since it was recommended anyway it was really really interesting.
Takanori : Mm.
TETSU69 : So, then I asked if Yazawa-san had any other good ones.
Takanori : I see.
TETSU69 : So NANA was suggested.
Takanori : So now, it’s pretty good.
TETSU69 : I read it when it came out, 3 or 4 years back.
Takanori : Yeah, a while back.
TETSU69 : Yeah.
Takanori : Wow.
TETSU69 : And I even had a chance to meet Yazawa-san.
Takanori : Oh yeah, on that day where we had the conference, me and you, tetsu-kun, and
TETSU69 : The press conference.
Takanori : Yeah, with Toshiba.
TETSU69 : Yes yes yes yes.
Takanori : At their headquarters. On the day of the press conference, seems like Yazawa Ai-sensei came too.
TETSU69 : That’s right.
Takanori : Yazawa-san was there too, and it was my first time meeting her. We talked for suuuch a long time, I felt like I’d known her since forever.
TETSU69 : Oh, yeah, that’s right… about three days ago, Yazawa-san sent me this T-shirt.
Takanori : What? Really?!
TETSU69 : Yep.
Takanori : Woah.. and it’s pink, even.
TETSU69 : Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Takanori : You’re such a dirty guy, with the loving pink and all. (Note : In Japanese, a softcore porn movie is often called a “Pink movie”)
TETSU69 : I love it.
Takanori : Cause you’re a pervert.
TETSU69 : *laughs*
Takanori : Everyone, you might not think that he’s this kind of character, but he really is a pervert.
TETSU69 : Hey, I think some of them already knew that.
Takanori : Yeah.
TETSU69 : From me, though. There’s no gossip left.
Takanori : But you really are a pervert.
TETSU69 : Totally.
Takanori : But, hey, you know, everyone, whenever they’re asked about you, tetsu-kun, they say you’re stoic, that sort of thing, even the girls say it. If you asked concerning love stuff, they’d be like, NO way or something.
TETSU69 : Mm. Think everyone has that impression?
Takanori : They do! But you’re a pervert!
TETSU69 : It’s so surprising… unexpected.
Takanori : That you’re a total pervert?!
TETSU69 : Nah, it’s like, I’m the only one who isn’t.
Takanori : Nooo way!
TETSU69 : Out of L’Arc?
Takanori : Oh, right.
TETSU69 : Mm.
Takanori : No, but, well, with the other members, see, one way or another, it’s kinda become part of their sex appeal, if you know what I mean.
TETSU69 : Yeah.
Takanori : It’s like, they’ve gotten caught up in their own perversion.
TETSU69 : Right, right, right.
Takanori : Or something. But with you, it’s more like… “less so.” So it only comes from rumours, like they expect you to be all “Eh… Nuts? What are you talking about?”
TETSU69 : What does “nuts” mean?
Takanori : Nuts, like… Wha? Are you kidding me?
TETSU69 : Hahaha *laughs*
Takanori : Enough out of you, Mr pervert.
Takanori : OK, the mail! I totally forgot about it.
TETSU69 : I totally don’t get it.
Takanori : Totally. *reads a letter* From : A 20 year old in Aichi, using the radio name Ali. “Normally, on tribute albums, people do cover songs. I thought this was the rule. But this time, it’s a tribute album for bands that come from a manga, so the songs are all original. Wasn’t that difficult? What kind of image did you have in mind when creating these songs?”
TETSU69 : I get it.
Takanori : Yeah.
TETSU69 : Well, I’m Takumi after all.
*They laugh*
Takanori : Oh yeah, sure you are.
TETSU69 : I’m Takumi.
Takanori : Mm.
TETSU69 : Hardships and everything…
Takanori : *laughs* It’s true, though. Takumi’s a bassist, too.
TETSU69 : Bassist and band leader.
Takanori : Right, right, right. Takumi was, um… he’s in the band Trapnest. Eh… Even in the backstory, he was set on making it in the city.
TETSU69 : Right…
Takanori : So, he’s bassist and leader.
TETSU69 : That’s right.
Takanori : So that’s it. You’ve got lots in common.
TETSU69 : Common points and everything. He’s me.
Takanori : *laughs*
TETSU69 : I’m Takumi?
Takanori : Ah, yeah…. So now
TETSU69 : There is one difference between me and Takumi!
Takanori : Now… Now what?
TETSU69 : If I was Takumi, I’d go for Reira.
Takanori : Ah! What the… that surprised me. I see. If you ask me, I’d say the difference is that Takumi’s hairstyle looks kinda more wild, or something like that would be the difference. *laughs*
TETSU69 : Sorry. *laughs* We’re totally different that way.
Takanori : Hahhaha *laughs*
TETSU69 : No way!
Takanori : Yours is too short! *laughs*
TETSU69 : No way. Hey, this is a radio show, so the people listening have no idea what my hair looks like right now. *laughs*
Takanori : Unbelievable. *laughs* Back then, three days ago, when we went out to eat, since we were eating we were looking down the whole time.
TETSU69 : Nah, it’s short…
Takanori : You cut it too short, don’t cut it anymore.
TETSU69 : Hey, by the way..
Takanori : Hm?
TETSU69 : So you know, if I ever need a new stylist…
Takanori : *laughs*
TETSU69 : Well, you never know! See, about two months ago, I went blond, you know?
Takanori : What if you made it pink?
TETSU69 : I dunno about that…
Takanori : You don’t know? Then you gotta try it!
TETSU69 : No, no, no, no, no. I’m pushing 35, don’t even know about this blond.
Takanori : *laughs* Don’t let yourself think about it too much.
TETSU69 : But I kinda do.
Takanori : Totally… I understand. So, while reflecting on that, here’s a song. *laughs* It’s that time, so wanna introduce the song?
TETSU69 : Okay.
Takanori : This comes from tetsu-san himself, please appreciate it.
TETSU69 : So, listen to the song! TETSU69’s REVERSE.
(REVERSE plays, then some CMs, a recorded bit from Kimura Kaela…)
(Eventually…)
Takanori : Tonight, on Nishikawa Takanori’s All Night Nippon, it’s a LOVE for NANA special and a fellow artist participating on the album, tetsu-kun, is here as a guest.
TETSU69 : Yes! And it’s a pleasure to be here.
Takanori : Yeah, so… For the entire commercial break, there was a lot of sexual harassment going on.
TETSU69 : Yeah, really. And we talked about music a lot, too.
Takanori : You’re really horrible.
TETSU69 : Been doing a lot of that lately.
Takanori : Yeah, to me.
TETSU69 : What what what?
Takanori : It’s kinda, kinda deeply rooted in you.
TETSU69 : What is?
Takanori : Um, well, you’re so very demanding. You really are, tetsu-kun.
TETSU69 : Nah, but I certainly need a lot, I really need a lot of attention. I do.
Takanori : *laughs*
TETSU69 : I do.
Takanori : Something bad?
TETSU69 : When I go out someplace, I’ll go in and I can’t figure out the menu, so I’d go “Pick for me.”
Takanori : *laughs*
TETSU69 : So eeeverything gets picked for me.
Takanori : But, hey, sometimes I can’t figure it out either. Like when it says Negima or something, I have no idea what Negima is supposed to mean.
TETSU69 : Nerima? Or something. (Note : Nerima is a district of Tokyo, and Negima is not a word)
Takanori : Yeah, so nothing… I’ll let someone else take care of it. Get someone, and the rest will take care of itself.
TETSU69 : I can’t picture that *laughs*
Takanori : And after that, like after you leave the place and head off to work, they could walk you there and then split and go home.
TETSU69 : Yeah, OK.
Takanori : But me, I’d wonder if they’re ok, if they made it home safe, that sort of thing. I’d worry constantly.
TETSU69 : It’s real close though.
Takanori : Huh? Close to the shop you mean?
TETSU69 : Yeah.
Takanori : That’d be real nice *laughs*
Takanori : Okay! Just now, we received a message from Kimura Kaela-chan.
TETSU69 : Yeah.
Takanori : Ah… she’s on the LOVE for NANA Only 1 Tribute album too. Lots of other artists participated, including Tommy heavenly-san.
TETSU69 : Yeah.
Takanori : To the sixth.
TETSU69 : The sixth?
Takanori : And then, the first ones they put in magazines were Ootsuka Ai-chan and Do As infinity, right. And Hotei-san, even. Hotei Tomoyasu-san. Eh… And then there was… Takamizawa Toshihiko-san. Yeah, Takamizawa-san. And then Circuit-san from SEX MACHINEGUNS, too, and others, all sorts of other artists were there, too.
TETSU69 : Right.
Takanori : Right! *laughs*
TETSU69 : Ohh!
Takanori : Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah. That’s good, that’s good.
TETSU69 : Hoo, hoo.
Takanori : Feels good, feels good. Too good!
TETSU69 : Yeah!
Takanori : Not saying anything, are ya?
Takanori : Pen name : Tetsu.
TETSU69 : Wha? This? Wahahaha!
Takanori : “Nishikawa-san and tetsu-san…
TETSU69 : Wahahaha! *laughing*
Takanori : Shaddup! “Out of the artists on the LOVE for NANA album, other than yourselves, when you heard an artist’s song, which one made you think “Hey, this is exactly what I imagined!” ?”
TETSU69 : No, no, no, well, I guess that would have to be, um, A?
Nishikawa : Oh, yeah, sorryyy.
TETSU69 : B?
Nishikawa : I said I’m sorry already.
TETSU69 : A, B, what it is again?
Takanori : abs? (Note : abingdon boys school; tetsu can’t pronounce it and Takanori is sorry the name is so hard to say.) Sorry.
TETSU69 : Yeah, abs.
Takanori : No way, do you really mean that?
TETSU69 : I was astonished!
Takanori : I just listened to the album, and right after tetsu-kun, right after tetsu-kun’s song, that’s when it plays.
TETSU69 : Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Takanori : It makes for a combination, a good one. Especially. It’s like an ensemble, after this large-feeling song you get this one that’s powerful, all forceful.
TETSU69 : What feeling?
Takanori : Makes you wanna cry, I mean that’s a good thing!
TETSU69 : *laughs*
Takanori : Yeah, yeah, isn’t that good? What I meant.
TETSU69 : Nah, I’m surprised.
Takanori : Oh, really?
TETSU69 : Surprisled.
Takanori : Surprisled? (Note : tetsu just mangled the word “surprised” into nonsense)
TETSU69 : Actually, when I saw your members, I was surprised.
Takanori : That’s right, two of them are trial members.
TETSU69 : Yeah.
Takanori : They are people I was introduced to at your own live show.
TETSU69 : Mine, yeah, I tried them out as members for TETSU69 shows. Those two.
Takanori : *laughs* I get it, but this talk is kinda…
TETSU69 : about abs.
Takanori : I get it, so just…
TETSU69 : Like, When did that happen?!
Takanori : I get it! *laughs* This chat dragged on a little too much… So anyway, now we’ve got a song from Kimura Kaela-chan, here’s Kimura Kaela-chan’s Twinkle.
(Twinkle plays, then some CMs, including a call to send email questions to the show)
Takanori : Okay! So, by the way, tetsu-kun.
TETSU69 : Yes.
Takanori : We have another email. From pen-name Kioto.
TETSU69 : Mm.
Takanori : Hmm… “I’ve heard that this year, tetsu-san will be working on both L’Arc~en~Ciel and on his solo project, so I was wondering how the later half of this year would shape up.”
TETSU69 : The later half?
Takanori : That’s right.
TETSU69 : About the rest of the year… I haven’t decided yet.
Takanori : Yeah, but… Well, yeah, you could do solo.
TETSU69 : Hmm, but, well, I have been thinking about doing solo work.
Takanori : Mmhmm.
TETSU69 : So, so, the later part of the year will be solo.
Takanori : Oh, really?
TETSU69 : Mm.
Takanori : But, hey, aren’t you going to be on tour until fall? Going to Asia and all.
TETSU69 : Mm, oh yeah. There’s that tour, but I still have time late in the year for recording. Solo. Mainly solo.
Takanori : Sooo, that’s good, that’s good. And next month, L’Arc~en~Ciel’s album comes out.
TETSU69 : Yes.
Takanori : And, after that, well, you’ll have all sorts of stuff to do for the release, and then that tour.
TETSU69 : The tour’s in August and September.
Takanori : Yeah, and you’re doing some shows overseas.
TETSU69 : Yes.
Takanori : Yeah. It’s been a while since I last took a taxi, but I took one to get here. See, lately, in taxis, they’ve got something written above the meter.
TETSU69 : They do.
Takanori : It was like “Travel in Asia with L’Arc~en~Ciel” or something, like a package tour with JAL (Note : Japan Air Lines).
TETSU69 : Right.
Takanori : Oooh! When I saw that, I noticed it said L’Arc~en~Ciel! So I was thinking, that’s really cool!
TETSU69 : Yeah!
Takanori : It really is, it made me go “Whoah!” And “I wonder if they know…”
TETSU69 : *laughs*
Takanori : Sometimes, sometimes you don’t. But anyway, this time it’s tied in to the band’s activities, with those concerts and the release that’s coming up.
TETSU69 : Yeah.
Takanori : So, heading solo again. Well, at least for the end of 2005.
TETSU69 : Near the end, yeah.
Takanori : It sounds like you’re still thinking about it.
TETSU69 : I’ll make solo the main thing.
Takanori : Yeah, really.
TETSU69 : I’m thinking about it.
Takanori : Mm.
TETSU69 : But I still haven’t decided anything.
Takanori : Ah, I see.
TETSU69 : Yeah.
Takanori : Well, possibly, if you get a chance, um, I don’t have a bassist or drummer, so there could possibly be some collaboration.
TETSU69 : Oh, yeah.
Takanori : With you, on abingdon boys school’s bass. Normally.
TETSU69 : Could do that.
Takanori : But we might not actually play any songs.
TETSU69 : Hm.
Takanori : Well, you know? Um, actually, this solo isn’t just for this album, there’s another release planned.
TETSU69 : Mm.
Takanori : Yeah.
TETSU69 : I don’t got too many songs though.
Takanori : To release?
TETSU69 : Though I have lots in my stock.
Takanori : But those were meant for the band, though.
TETSU69 : Hm.
Takanori : So, definitely, the image would be, well, if you had yourself in mind for it, you’d make it with a different sort of image, wouldn’t you?
TETSU69 : For me, it’s not all that different.
Takanori : Oh, really.
TETSU69 : Yeah.
Takanori : Eh, so then, what makes you decide if, say, it’s a song for your solo or if it’s a song for the band? Aren’t they different?
TETSU69 : No.
Takanori : No?! Ah, maybe if you can, then you want to try it with the band first.
TETSU69 : It’s like either way is good.
Takanori : Wow, that’s kinda…
TETSU69 : It’s timing.
Takanori : Oh, I get it.
TETSU69 : Sometimes timing determines what’s what.
Takanori : Ah, that’s how it is.
TETSU69 : For me, yeah.
Takanori : Eh.. Understood.
Takanori : So, now, well, at least for now…
TETSU69 : Yes.
Takanori : Um, tetsu-kun, you bothered to come all the way here to be the special guest in this corner.
TETSU69 : Yes.
Takanori : Well, um, we might lose track of each other, but you’ll say hi to the other members for me, anyway, won’t you?
TETSU69 : Sure.
Takanori : Okay. Well, I guess it might be hard for you, coming on the radio and talking like this, doing this sort of thing, kinda.
TETSU69 : Yeah, it is.
Takanori : I think it’s worth pointing out. And so, now let’s do this together.
TETSU69 : Okay.
Takanori : This has been our guest, TETSU69, tetsu-kun.
Both : Thank you very much!
Takanori : Well that was rather… half-hearted, don’t you think?
TETSU69 : In the voice, yeah.
Takanori : *laughs* Thank you very much!
TETSU69 : Thank you very much!
The show goes on, but tetsu is no longer there, so the translation stops here.
Posted by: on: September 21 2005 • Categorized in: Tetsugaku.
– Back when you were in your teens, in your high school days, the group of friends you hung out with must have been overwhelmingly composed of band friends, wasn’t it?
[As far as the band lifestyle went, once I started living it, the group of people that I’d call friends turned into a group of guys with the same hobby pretty quickly. Guys who were in bands, or guys who were into music. I noticed that before long, I was surrounded by people with the same hobby as me.]
– In your middle school days, although you were interested in music, you hadn’t yet begun to direct yourself towards that lifestyle. What kind of friends did you spend time with back then?
[Guys who liked music, and I also had a group of anime buddies. Guys who were into anime. But, after I started high school, I only got involved in music related stuff, so pretty soon I wasn’t spending time with my old anime buddies at all.]
– To you, what kind of traits does a friend need to have? Do they have to have the same interests as you, so that you can relate to each other that way and enjoy the same things?
[That’s right. So in my case, music had to be important to them. The topic of conversation would turn to music all the time, so unless it was someone who played an instrument, or someone who knew a lot about music, we’d have nothing to talk about. Of course, I still had some friends from middle school that I kept in touch with. After school, when class let out, we’d go to the arcade or go see a movie, or we’d go bowling together. I usually had friends to do that sort of thing with. But then, in high school, I always had band practice on the weekends, and sometimes a live show. I had no time for my school friends other than right after class. Among my school friends, though, there wasn’t anyone in my class who could talk about music with the same level of interest I did.]
– If there was no one in your class who was as interested in music as you were, how did you manage to find friends who could discuss that topic with you?
[I went to live houses. “You in a band?” “Me? Bass.” Talking like that, I made friends with people in other bands.]
– By going to places where music lovers gather, you gave yourself the opportunity to actively call out to them and speak with them.
[Right. In places like that, even if I only made one friend with the same interests as me, my network of friends would still expand from there, you know? Meeting friends of friends, and so on. Even just going to my friend’s shows; their other friends came, too. It feels natural to progress that way.]
– Are there any of your former band mates, or any of your old music friends, who you’ve maintained a relationship with until now?
[There are. Quite a few. Out of all of us, I think the only ones who work in music for a living are me and ken-chan, though. Some of them still play an instrument as a hobby, though. Some of them even have indie CDs out.]
– Interviewer : Toujou Sachie
Translated by Natalie Arnold
Posted by: on: September 18 2005 • Categorized in: Tetsugaku.
– Over the course of all these talks, tetsu-san, I’ve come to think that you have some kind of power to draw important things close to you. Such as encountering the other members; when something becomes important to you, perhaps a power like destiny is involved in drawing it nearer. As if the connection had been arranged ahead of time. Whatever it is, it’s dramatic. It might not make for much of a talk though.
[It is dramatic, isn’t it? Really. I typically think this one thing : there are so many people in the world, and I can only meet a limited number of them, but they’re predetermined. The characters of the drama that is my life are predetermined.]
– Wow, cool! That sent a little shiver down my spine! (laughs)
[Really? I feel that way very strongly. I mean, in Tokyo, there are unbelievably many people right? Still, I bump into people I know all the time. It’s highly probable, I think. But, the way I see it, they’re the characters in my drama, so of course they’re going to show up.]
– Ohhhh! Yeah, that could be it.
[So, no matter how close to them I might live, I’m never going to meet the people I won’t meet.]
– Ah, that too. There’s people you won’t see at all even though they tell you “I live right next to you,” and there are people living nowhere near you who you’ll see a lot, by coincidence.
[Right, exactly. In my case, that means I run into the other members, over and over again. It happens with all of them.]
– Ah? There must be a strong power between all of you.
[Before yukkie had joined L’Arc, I was shopping in Shibuya. My car was in an underground parking lot, so I was done shopping and on my way back to the parking lot, I pushed the elevator button, then the door opened. It opened but, you know how they have pamphlets and fliers next to the elevators? Those caught my eye, so I was checking them out, oblivious. Then, I put the flier back and pushed the button again, and when the door opened yukkie was there.]
– That’s amazing. I think it’s really incredible.
[That kind of thing happens to me a lot. Really. With hyde, too. So, this stuff is what makes me think that the main characters of my life might be predetermined. Oh, yeah, I’ve met Ishiki Sae-chan (1) about five times now. Oh, but sometimes I only caught a glimpse of her.]
– No way. So, she’s in the cast, too? Oh, that’s right, she was in a CF (2) that used NEO UNIVERSE, wasn’t she? Ishiki Sae-chan.
[Mmhmm. But, five times (laughs). “We meet a lot,” you’d think.]
– How amazing! Five times, that doesn’t normally happen by chance.
[That’s why it’s predetermined.]
– And so, tetsu-san, I think this goes to show the threads of fate tied around you are thick and numerous.
[Meeting the people I meet. Never once meeting the people I don’t meet. It’s obvious, but it sounds cool to say it! (laughs)]
– Hahahaha! Certainly, you don’t meet the people you don’t meet. But out of the billions of people on Earth, the ones you do meet, and who then become an important part of your life, there’s only a handful of them, isn’t there? Meeting those people, and even meeting them by coincidence, I think that’s incredible.
[That’s right. For example, there are some fan girls who really love L’Arc, right? “I ran into so-and-so in town!” To meet one of us, never mind meet all of us that way, that probably won’t happen, will it? But it happens to me. Isn’t that cool?]
– Cooler than the fans (laughs). It’s something to be proud of (laughs).
[Isn’t it? (laughs) Especially since it doesn’t happen when we’re on a day off together, or in stores we all go to a lot. It’s at totally unrelated times.]
– Affinity or fate, those are the words we can’t help but describe it with.
Do you believe in destiny?
[Yes, I do. Also, I have high chances of seeing celebrities.]
– Because you have an affinity for that world, right?
[Yeah, I think so. But, celebrities always disguise themselves, right? Everyone else around them won’t notice, it’s like I’m the only one who realises who it is. “How come nobody else notices?” Maybe I detect their smell…]
– “Something stinks!” (laughs).
[Hahaha!]
– I understand. Destiny varies. About yukihiro-san, didn’t you encounter him a decade earlier? Back before you had L’Arc, when you were searching for members, tetsu-san, you said you’d gone to see a Zi:KILL (3) live. Looking back on that now must seem strange. He was just another person you’d met back then and yet he was set on the path to being a current member of L’Arc. That sounds like an affinity.
[Isn’t it strange? For yukkie, too, at that live, he never would have thought that in the future, he’d join a band with a guy who came to that show, right?]
– It was coincidence, but it was inevitable.
[That’s right. I think that if I don’t have any sort of fateful connection to them, I’m not going to meet someone.]
– It must be nice to have everything be so dramatic.
[Dramatic…… Aren’t a lot of things dramatic? But. If there’s too much, it kinda starts seeming normal, to me.]
– Wahahahaha! Like, even sensational things make you go “Oh, that,” or something? (laughs)
[What, what do you mean……?]
– You must have the power to draw things to you after all. It’s an unconscious part of you, more of an instinctive ability.
[But that’s kinda creepy, really. Because, a lot of good things come with a lot of bad things. Though, if that weren’t the case, I probably wouldn’t be where I am now.]
– Of course, you also need to have the power to determine whether those encounters have any meaning or not. Even if destiny makes them happen, when you don’t notice, I think those people end up being absorbed into the mundane.
[No, I think that’s wrong. Strong-willed people end up succeeding. So the people who don’t notice, I think they’re weak in that department.]
– Ah, of course, of course.
[It doesn’t take much effort.]
– However, it does take effort not to waste money on luck. Such as on gambling and the like, right?
[Yeah, don’t do that. But, I think you can gamble even if you’re a strong person.]
– Are you aware of the strength of your own fortune?
[I am.]
– But isn’t that a talent that you’ve had since you were born?
[Isn’t it? I think it means I have a talent.]
– Interviewer : Honma Yuuko
Translated by Natalie Arnold
1. Ishiki Sae is an actress who appears primarily in dramas. Go back.
2. CF stands for commercial film, essentially a long commercial or TV spot. Go back.
3. Zi:KILL was yukihiro’s first band. They were quite famous in the early 90s.Go back.
Posted by: on: September 15 2005 • Categorized in: Tetsuyaku
This is my translation of the Korea press conference from 2nd September, 2005. It was translated by ear, and so there may be some misheard lines. Since I cannot read Korean, I cannot translate the questions that appeared at the bottom of the screen.
Begin
ken : (Greeting in Korean)
ken : At the airport, where we had to show our passports, I could hear “Kyaa!” coming from somewhere. The four of us were going to gang up and break through all at once but… we couldn’t quite pull it off. So then, we ended up kind of showing off.
hyde : Yesterday, at the airport, um… I thought “They’re so talkative.” My impression of Korea is that everything seems so spicy. Speaking of spicy, this morning my throat was a bit raspy, but I’ll go easy on it and be ready for tomorrow’s live.
tetsu : At the airport, yesterday, I really thought I was going to collapse. I was a little scared.
yukihiro : About that, at the airport… It was incredibly eye-opening. I was surprised. My impression of Korea, um… I heard it was a lot like Hokkaido so I was expecting it to be a little cooler. Last night, I went to check things out in town, and it was hot out, so I thought it wasn’t like I heard it would be.
hyde : Since this is a tour connected to AWAKE, it feels serious. We’re always serious, but this time even more so, and we’ve already done the AWAKE lives… Eh… This is the first stop of ASIA LIVE, and so, we need to make it L’Arc~en~Ciel-like, we can’t disgrace ourselves. I think we’ll make it a good live.
tetsu : This is hard. Um… We’ve always created work that we ourselves think is good. Eh.. That’s all we did.
hyde : Soteji?
Interpreter : Yes, Soteji. (Note : A person, but I do not know who this is.)
hyde : Him? Ah, in West Azabu, we met. We has some drinks together. When we were out drinking, we were introduced, yeah… (nods) He’s famous. Of course I knew who he was. “Oh, is that you?” (mimes shaking hands) And I had a drink with him.
ken : Guitar shopping, I go do that whenever I can. I found some novels to read, I think the feelings, the story, will stay with me, since it was well written.
hyde : Umm…. I don’t really have any sort of inspiration. I think about a goal, or just myself, and then it comes.
yukihiro : I just… thought I’d like to make a song like this, and so I worked to make it into this type of song.
yukihiro : Coming to Korea for the first time and doing a live here makes me very happy, and so I think I will try my very hardest tomorrow.
tetsu : I think it’s going to be good. I think it’ll be fun.
hyde : I’ll do my best tomorrow for all the cute girls.
ken : Just like there were at the airport, I want to see lots of excited fans there. It’ll be fun.
– Recently, has anything touching happened to you?
[Touching?…… Nope (laughs)]
– tetsu-san, you aren’t moved by much?
[Yeah. That’s typical, isn’t it?]
– Oh, yes. But sometimes, things happen that make you go “Woah!” don’t they? When does that happen? When do you react like that?
[When I watch movies, or documentary programs, sometimes.]
– Then you don’t actually experience it often?
[It’s rather unnatural when I do.]
– But doesn’t that sort of situation come by rather often? In your work as a musician. A song could set it off; the song itself could be touching when you finish it.
[I wouldn’t go as far as to say it’s touching, but working on a song day after day, there’s something like a sense of achievement when it’s finally finished. Although, I think bringing that up to the level of “feeling” used in this theme is going a little far.]
– It would be exaggerating.
[It would be (laughs). Besides, the process of recording itself ends up being rather diluted. It really isn’t all that intense. Of course, the final product is meant to be worth getting emotional over, and so those watered-down days of work add up and are compressed into it.]
– So then for you, tetsu-san, something touching has to be something terribly intense, doesn’t it?
[That’s what the “touching” experiences I’ve had have been, isn’t it? Intense, having something unexpected happen, that sort of thing.]
– Then, everyday, trivial things don’t count.
[Like “Today’s sunset was pretty,” you mean? I’ll personally think that it was pretty, but I don’t think it’s anything to go “How moving!” over. But I think everyday things can be moving, too. What’s a good example…… When a puppy gets caught in car headlights, seeing someone save that puppy would be touching. “Wow, amazing!” But sunset happens every day (laughs). “Hey, wasn’t today’s sunset pretty?” “Last night’s was prettier.” That sort of difference can happen, and sometimes you do see an exceptionally pretty one, but it happens every day, so going “How touching!” over every single one would be strange, wouldn’t it? (laughs) But seeing someone rescue a puppy, although it happens every day, it’s exceptional every day, so isn’t it moving? If you saw it happen every single time, it wouldn’t be moving anymore, though. It would be like “It’s nothing to get worked up about since you save it all the time.” (laughs)]
– I see. And now I’d like to know all the more what you think is touching, tetsu-san. Could you bring up a memory……
[I don’t remember anything like that. That level of emotion! (laughs) It was touching enough to forget about.]
– That means you’re being difficult. tetsu-san, what would be a good way to make you feel moved?
[A simple way to move me would be to give me a sad movie to watch. That’ll move me, probably about two hours later (laughs). Isn’t that easy? That means you can buy my emotions for just 2800 yen. Maybe you could even get it cheaper, like 1500 yen (laughs).]
– That must not work all the time~
[So just try again.]
– Ahahahaha. How is it for you, tetsu-san, knowing that you have moved many people yourself?
[Well, that’s just part of making music. Also, at lives, there will be girls crying. That part of it might be what it means to send out emotion.]
– So you do think about sending out your emotions, then?
[Yeah, I do. In that case.]
– More than saying this or that with words, you want it to be felt through your work.
[Nah, it’s not that big a deal. Cause, even though they’re watching me, we’re not feeling the same way. Like at a live, when I’m forced to do an MC (2), they’re all looking at me and I fall short. “Cold!” (3) (laughs). It’s so embarrassing. For example, in an interview, I’ll say something incredibly cool, but actually hearing it doesn’t sound cool at all, so I think it’d be good if I could make it sound cool in the first place, but that’s just not how I want to be. Anyway, I don’t want to say rotten stuff.]
– However, you are confident that you can touch people, and that you can create something good.
[I am. Creating, that isn’t only about “moving” people. I think it usually ends up being the ballads that get called touching. I think that’s different from calling it “Cool!” or “Awesome!”]
– But isn’t that also a way to be moved?
[In my opinion, you shouldn’t go as far as to call it moving. “Wow, this is cool!” The end. (Laughs). I don’t call that moving, in my mind.]
– tetsu-san, what does “touching” mean to you?
[Just about what it means in the movies (laughs).]
– Something touching has to make you cry, then.
[Right. Cooool! is an emotion too. For example, watching soccer championships, when they win with an incredibly amazing goal, that’s moving. But, listening to a song, even if it’s an incredibly cool song, it’s exaggerating to go as far as to call it touching. “This is really cool!” Isn’t that enough by itself? If you asked “Did you find it moving?” I’d think “Moving……? Can you really go that far?” But, watching a touching movie, that’s moving! I say. During a movie insert song or the ending, while the song is playing, I might possibly cry especially hard.]
– You must not be moved by things people say, either.
[Well, when I’m close to tears, sometimes I say things like “If you keep on talking I won’t be able to hold back my tears.” Sometimes I’ll say something like “Don’t talk about happy things right now.” …… But I think it’s best not to make every single thing so dramatic (laughs).]
– Roger. So, let’s not go overboard talking about feelings, let’s move on to the four emotions now. First, “joy”. What made you happy recently?
[Lately? Aah, you know that “hanetobi” (haneru no tobira)(4) program? That got popular all over the country, so they changed the broadcast to something a little earlier, right? But, I had a recording that day.]
– They changed the broadcast time rather recently.
[And I even forgot to set my recorder. I forgot to ask a friend to tape it, too. After (the show) was over, it occurred to me “Ah! It was on today~” So I called my friend, who said “I taped it!”]
– No way, that’s amazing. Great minds think alike.
[Exactly! I was touched (laughs). That was moving for me. I remember now.]
– Don’t you?
[But, I was trying to remember “being happy” when that came up. So, I couldn’t think of something moving when I was on the spot, but now I can find something “touching”.]
– Let’s call it moving. So, now talk about something that made you even happier.
[……………… Nothing (laughs)]
– Hahahahahahaha! Then how about a time where you made someone else happy, instead.
[Probably nothing.]
– Do you enjoy making others happy?
[If it’s a matter of liking or hating, then I’d say I like it, but it depends on the time and place. Doing that kind of thing constantly…… sucks.]
– Don’t some people like receiving presents?
[Yeah. Even though it’s not their birthday, kids like getting lots of stuff. I’m…… pretty embarrassed, actually, when I receive things myself.]
– Perhaps (laughs). So, the next one is “anger”. tetsu-san, do you get angry much?
[Yes, I do. I’m short tempered. I’m quick to snap (laughs). When I was a kid, we didn’t say it that way, though.(5)]
– The word itself didn’t exist at the time. What has made you angriest, lately?
[When you ask me that, I can’t think of anything. I don’t get that angry every day. In the past, I got really angry at work, very often. Lately, I haven’t gotten mad at all.]
– Might that be because you’ve become more broad-minded?
[I’ll accept that meaning. This might sound negative, but it is negative. I used to be so serious about everything. “I’m putting everything I have into this, so work with the same intensity as me,” was how I thought, directed at the staff. But in the end, they’re salarymen. There’s no way they’ll feel the same way I do. That’s only partly true; of course some staff members are wonderful. But within the company, around 80 to 90 percent of the people there just don’t care. But they do have that 10 – 20 percent that are wonderful people, at the company. And so, my sense of values has changed, regarding people at different degrees of intensity. I understand that it would be stupid to demand that they give their all just for this project, and I don’t get angry anymore.]
– Perhaps this means that anger isn’t worth wasting your energy on.
[It’s not worth it. That means I’ve become cold, doesn’t it? In the past, I had expectations, and got angry over living up to them. I said it was for their own good too, but, in the end I was bothering them, making them uncomfortable, and they just hated me. It turned out to be better for them not to get so much advice from me. If they asked me for some, then it really was for their own good. I’ve been mean lately, too (laughs). When I realize I’m doing it, I stop myself. And so, I don’t get mad anymore.]
– Maybe that’s the case.
[Before, I was stupidly straightforward even though I was trying to be nice, but I was hated. So there was a lot of retribution.]
– I think they were extremely shallow, hating you just for that.
[When they were irritated with me, they’d say “tetsu from L’Arc is picky, isn’t he?” or “Isn’t he annoying?” and the ones saying that were the ones not doing an equal share of the work. The ones who were going around saying that sort of thing about me were, of course, the same people who said they couldn’t get their work done. But then, the people who did get their work done were the ones I could get along with. I could actually understand those people.]
– However, those people who weren’t doing their work, the ones who were badmouthing you, could it be that they didn’t realize what they were doing?
[Well, a business, like a government office or a school, there’s no way it can always have that kind of people managing it. One of these years, someone will come in and change things, like a teacher that even the principal hates.]
– tetsu, personally, nothing makes you get mad does it?
[Particularly, well, it does happen to a certain degree, but since I’m 34 I’m rapidly running out of people who make me mad. I think that’s sad. I make mistakes too, maddening things make me mad, and I think that when something about me needs improving, I have to improve it. To become arrogant and refuse to hear out a proper exchange of opinions would be dangerous. I intend to avoid becoming like that.]
– Now for “pathos,” sadness. Have you been sad lately?
[I think it’s sad that CDs don’t sell anymore, these days.]
– That is very serious. You must feel it affecting you?
[The music industry as a whole feels it, to put it plainly, don’t you think? There’s no vitality, and even when I’m not especially focused on making money, there are things I want to do but can’t, and I hate that the most. Even though all I want to do is create something good, I’m told “There’s no money” and I hate having that limitation. It’s sad.]
– Even on the charts, nothing has been selling but compilations…… On the Western music ranking, when that’s all the top five have been, it’s very disappointing.
[It’s so sad. Back when I was working odd jobs, we’d tell people “Please leave the store, OK?” and even sent them off with samples (laughs). It barely occurred to anyone to charge money for giving those out.]
– It was probably thought that no one needed to pay for one song by itself.
[Probably not, no. It’s like, just getting a hold of a hit song that way was fine. You’d listen to it in one situation, like while chatting in your room with your sister, or while you were on a drive, and that’s the only reason to use it, nothing else (laughs).]
– Are you becoming pessimistic, thinking “Even if we make an album, it won’t reach anyone,” or the like?
[But I don’t think the number of people who listen to music has gone down. It’s just the form, I think people just don’t go out to buy CDs anymore. The songs, the music itself, I think they all still listen. Differently than before. I mean, they make copies, and then give the copies to their friends, right? High school kids do that, now. Well, anyway, I think it’s obvious if you think about it.]
– When I was a kid, we used to say “Make a tape of that for me.”
[Yeah. But, with a tape, you lose a lot of sound quality in the transfer, so if you listen to a tape and like it, you’ll think about buying the album, but with a CD-R you already have a perfect copy. If you like what you hear, I don’t think you’ll be bothered to go out and buy a proper copy.]
– Maybe you would if you wanted the jacket, but you have to like it quite a lot for that. By the way, I do buy the music I like.
[But, even the fans don’t buy it anymore, these days. It’s surprising, for me. I have a mobile site, and charge about 300 yen a month for it, but some of them tell me “I don’t have the money so I won’t subscribe.” But 300 yen? When they tell me “I can’t afford it” it makes me think “I’m not even worth that much, even to my fans,” you know?]
– That is quite sad. For artists.
[So, I think the fans all need to learn more about how the flow of money works, in the world; I think they need it to be taught to them. When we musicians sell a CD, it’s the profits from that CD that will allow us to make the next album, you know? Going to extremes, I think our lives basically depend on whether the CD sells or not. If it doesn’t sell, we’ll get our contracts cut off before the next one, because we’re musicians. “I love you! I’d do anything for you!” If you think like that, then you could do a lot by just buying a CD. Don’t write fan letters every day or send presents. Of course, those things are great, but some people send letters every day, writing “I still haven’t bought your album.” (laughs).]
– Reporting that to you, directly…… how complicated (laughs). It really is. Do you have any more “pathos” ?
[Nope. (<- immediate reply)]
- Mhahaha. You don't have any moments where you think "How sad!" do you? As part of your everyday life.
[Hmmm, only if I watch a sad movie...... (laughs)]
- Of course, movies. So, now "humour". What do you think of as amusing? "Fun" is okay too.
[Amusing, is it? Fun, let's see... watching an interesting TV show, I guess (laughs). Watching 'Hanetobi' DVDs (laughs). Also, shopping. Shopping is fun, too.]
- How about when L'Arc is about to release a CD, or when you start a tour?
[Yeah, right before a release, it's fun. I get excited.]
- What is it that gets you so excited?
[It's because it's unknown at that point, you know? The sound is. The ban is lifted right when we go on air. Until then, "Nobody knows." (laughs)]
- As in "Nobody knows but me."
[It feels like having a mini time machine, knowing it two or three months ahead of time. In two, three months, this is the song that's going to be playing all over TV and radio, but right now we're the only ones who know.]
- Ah, that must be rather exciting. Do you also get worked up over how the song will be received, once it's released into the world?
[Yeah, that too.]
- But that mini time machine sensation sounds very cool.
[I can see one step into the future.]
- Of course, that happens because you're confident in telling yourself "I've created something good," doesn't it?
["I've created something good," you say, but I've made nothing but good stuff, since way back.]
- Mmhmm. You have, definitely. How about before a tour? That must be fun too, isn't it?
[It is fun. I get excited. But, it's most exciting when the tour dates get decided. After that, there's so much work to do until the tour actually begins. We go into tour rehearsal starting a month before. Once the rehearsals start, it's hard work memorizing all the songs.]
- Hahahahaha! So rather than have it be fun, you see how much work is actually waiting for you.
[Right. Then once we're on tour, there's lots of "This part wasn't so great, let's change it," and "Let's try this," and the like. There are minor changes every day until the finale, and that's tough, just horribly tough. And we move during the tour. It's nice having days that are just travel, but since we have a show the next day, we can't drink much, and we can't go out too much.]
- So, is finishing up incredibly fun? When it's all over.
[Finishing it all, at the very end, yeah, that's the greatest. Having the tour finale be a good show is the best thing ever.]
- Interviewer : Honma Yuuko
Translated by Natalie Arnold
1. The four emotions are joy, anger, pathos, and humour. The kanji for each of these, when written together, form a word which means all human emotions with this set of four as fundamentals.Go back.
2. MC refers to the breaks in a concert where the artist will address the audience. Go back.
3. In Japanese, when a joke or other stage act fails to get a reaction from the audience, it is said to be cold. Go back.
4. Haneru no tobira is a sketch comedy program. Since the title is written in hiragana, it can be interpreted either as “knocking on the door” or “the jumping door”. Go back.
5. The exact phrasing was “kireyasui” which means “easy to snap” where the kire part means “snap”. This word, kire, seems to be a relatively new addition to the language. In addition, it is written in katakana, suggesting it is in fact an imported foreign word. Go back.
For the duration of the sound test, equipment which had not been previously seen was set up.
The instruments used have a compatibility and unrestrainable sound variety setting them apart from the usual categories.
And so, these precious pictures were taken to capture the overflowing presence with which this equipment constructed the unique sound of [New World] and are now presented to the public.
yukihiro – drum – A successful introduction to a completely flawless Live Set
Pic : Pearl MX Series Drum Kit in Pure White Lacquer
– MX Series Taiko made by Pearl and Cymbals made by Sabian… This is the usual Live & Rec set. However, a close look at the right-side picture reveals that the Rote Tam (TomTom) was not set up for use in the recording. The tambourine used in the inter is not the one recorded. He played it himself.
Pic : Snare
– The main one, used in both Rec and Live, is an original model YA1435 made by Pearl. It has a 14″ by 3.5″ piccolo and a hand made brass shell.
Pic : Cymbals
– The right side cymbals. From the left, they are splash, ride, mini-china, mini hats, crash, china… the same cymbals as for lives.
Main paragraph:
The drums of [New World] connected the entirety of the song’s positive lyrics run swiftly, tightly, and rhythmically. Simultaneously, the flowing break beats serve as if to amplify the speed. In summary, from the physical beat to the sequence pattern, the twelve parts of the wide drum set encompass and revive the tune. The drum set used in the recording is connected the same way as if it were for a live setting. In short, the structure of the set is currently as described in the previous paragraph (on cymbals).
tetsu – bass – Introducing the Warwick to Recording
Pic : Amp Head
– A vintage ampeg SVT. A tube amp with 300W output. Using normal channel.
Pic : Pre Amp /D.I.
– For transmitting high sounds, the DI Pre-Amp is an avalon U-5. The tone is hi-fi, in contrast with the ampeg.
Pic : Sadowsky NYC Vin 4st JB
– Obtained at the time of recording the album [SMILE], it is a Sadowsky NYC type caramel bust. The balance of each string and the way the sound sticks out is outstanding.
Pic : Warwick STREAMER STAGE-II
– Used in the B melody and in the break part’s mute brushing (where it goes “Gaa gagaa gaga”). It’s charm is in it’s clearly defined outline and in it’s granulation.
Pic : Effector (red)
– Used especially to preserve the nuance of the fundamental tone, this is an MXR limiter. No longer in production but remains quite popular.
Pic : Effector (blue)
– An MXR 10-band graphic equalizer.(Abbreviated to EQ in the text). This item is also old.
Pic : Effector (black)
– BOSS GE-10, used for line output. 10-band graphic equalizer equipment.
Pic : Speaker
– An ampeg SVT 810E. Eight 10-inch speaker output sources. There are established opinions about it’s sound transmission power.
Main : The basic part used the same Sadowsky that was used for recording the album [SMILE]. The newly introduced Warwick was the instrument for the B melody. Connect the Limiter -> EQ to add to the ampeg SVT + SVT 810 E output mic recorded amp sound ampeg SVT + SVT 810 E, use the usual line output, take the output line from the power amp. The line output from the limiter -> EQ (GE-10) -> Avalon DI is connected to record at the same time. This needs to be done as it is going to be mixed.
From here on, we’ll thoroughly analyse the playing of tetsu, whose work with the bass adds colour to L’Arc~en~Ciel’s sound. The newly released [SMILE] adds song after song to a string of eight publicized albums. This time, tetsu himself paid close attention while playing in order to faithfully repeat his fingering methods for us. This method of playing comes “straight from tetsu”.
– tetsu style fingering points
It can be said that the greatest special feature of tetsu’s fingering is the way he does a lot of movement from the side position. Evidently, some sliding of the frets is required to achieve this distinct swell. This implies a difference of as much as two octaves from normal playing level, so this playing style can be said to have a pitch of its own.
The finger positioning itself might be called “one fret, one finger” but this is mostly unconscious, since it varies a lot when playing by ear. tetsu often uses the sound of sus4 cords in his frets, but this requires special movement of the fingers in order not to damage the frets with these unusual strings. It appears that the left hand is quite active, but once we look at the picking of the right hand, it is eye-opening to notice that these actions are few when compared to the frequency of movement of the frets. That is, the left hand makes use of many different finger techniques, such as hammering, pling, and slide. Many of these need to be done with no picking. A fluency with the frets becomes apparent in going from one to the next. This fingering style is becoming established as there is no other like it.
– tetsu style picking
tetsu is characterized by the strength of his picking. Let’s check out tetsu style pick play.
Picture 1 (left):
tetsu’s basic pick holding method is to grip the pick between the thumb and index finger and leave the remaining fingers straight. Also, the pick is in the shape of an onigiri (rice ball) and is up to one millimeter in thickness.
Picture 2 (center):
Down picking hits three strings. In regard to the strings, it seems the pick hits them deeply. Of course, depending on the circumstances, this form is modified when playing by ear.
picture 3 (right):
After vibrating three strings, you should pay attention to the pick’s orbit. After hitting the string, the pick should go directly down as if pushing into the body.
Kuchizuke music :
Uses funky frets. The picking is fairly powerful. Because it can get a bit wild, it’s especially important to keep the unplayed strings held tightly by the left hand to mute them while playing the others. Once you know when to mute the sounds, you can use that skill to keep the rhythm, which would normally be done with the picking. Mostly, it organizes the rhythm. In each bar, the second beat’s bottom sixteenth-note meets up exactly with the base drum. In bars 1 and 3, the fourth beat is in unison with the guitar. Starting from looking at the bass frets, think about building an ensemble in combination with the other instruments. If you can get the sliding pattern in the second bar right, you’ll have a feel for the scope of the song.
Ready Steady Go music :
The frets here have a sound much like a distortion guitar. Once you get a sense of this melody, it is unforgettable. The 8-bar long tone frets inherit a pulsing sound from what we can call the summit of tetsu’s playing talent. In the last bar, even the register changes, going up and down drastically within one octave, curving like a beautiful mountainside. The four strings’ powerful vibrato is long tone, giving optimum nuance even though they are fixed in place. It is necessary to have a grip capable of pushing the strings. It’s obvious that without tetsu’s strong picking interaction and his left hand’s pressing, the sound won’t come out right.
