This is a translation of a reprint of an interview that originally appeared in WHAT’s IN? June 1999 issue. It was done around the time of the release of Pieces, before ark and ray were released and also just before the GRAND CROSS TOUR. This was reprinted for the Box Set of The 15th anniversary in formation. The translation is based on the reprinted version.

BEGIN INTERVIEW

As the century draws to a close, L’Arc~en~Ciel once again take up their activities after having lit the world on fire. Their second single of the year is a very gentle song that lends colour to the heart. This July, they will simultaneously release two long-awaited albums that will include their numerous hit songs from the past year, as well as these two newest ones. Still running strong this year; no one can stop L’Arc~en~Ciel!

—

Following up on HEAVEN’S DRIVE, L’Arc~en~Ciel will soon release a new single, Pieces, on June 2. In a reversal of its predecessor’s hardness, this song is a solemn ballad that incorporates an elaborate string section. In a quiet, gentle sensation of fullness, this lovely song tints the heart ever more as it is heard. Representing the members, tetsu, this song’s composer, had a few words to share.

– Another hit song for you.
tetsu [Is it really? Personally, I really love anata, the last song on HEART. So, I was thinking I’d write a song that would be even better than anata. That was my starting point.]

– Did you have a specific image in mind? For snow drop, you mentioned “Patrasche running through the fields” (1).
tetsu [Let me see… It was kind of irritating. Like, that feeling that you can’t resist gravity, it’s sad and it’s maddening, and you can’t do anything about it.]

– You had no problems writing the song?
tetsu [I got the A-melody and B-melody finished rather quickly. It was just the chorus that took some time. I couldn’t come up with a melody that fit in well with the rest of it.]

– When it came to the lyrics, did you have any instructions for hyde-san, such as a specific image?
tetsu [Yeah. It would take too long to explain, but the shortest way to put it would be ‘Consideration’. How can I say this… I think that there are a lot of people in the world who do bad things without having the slightest intention of being evil. For example, thinking they can get away without working very hard, but in the end somebody ends up getting seriously hurt because of it. I think that sort of thing happens a lot, so the idea is “Let’s be more considerate.” I had that in mind when writing the song, and I said the same sort of thing to him.]

– Ah, indeed, the end result has quite a caring feeling to it. Also, thanks to the string backing, it sounds very solemn.
tetsu [The strings, yeah, I knew I wanted them to be there right from the beginning. Partly because to write a song that’s even better than anata, there have to be strings (laughs). The strings are incredible this time! Two or three times as many people as for anata.]

– I see! The sound is all the richer for it. Now, about the albums that are being released in July, how are they turning out?
tetsu [They’re very broad, with all kinds of songs mixed together. There wasn’t any particular concept behind them. With L’Arc, the songs usually come first. The music comes first, and the lyrics are made to fit the music, so in the end, even if there does seem to be an overall theme, it’ll only be something we came up with after the fact. So, when we’re composing songs, we can just focus on coming up with something good, something we enjoy, music that we want to hear and make for ourselves.]

– Once the albums are released, you’ll immediately embark on a nationwide tour, but this time all the shows will be outdoors.
tetsu [That’s right. This has been going on for a while, actually, I’ve always wanted to have a live that couldn’t be sold out. So that no one who wants to come will be left out. That’s why we booked the largest space available at each city we’re visiting.]

– Since it will be the middle of summer, it sounds like it will be physically exhausting. Have you been training at all?
tetsu [Training, well… I have been going to the gym and working out, at least.]

– The title is 1999 GRAND CROSS TOUR, which makes me think of it as an End of Century sort of idea. What about you?
tetsu [No, it’s not a question of making you think that, it is definitely connected to the idea. The End of the Century idea. It’s not that we seriously believe it’s the end of the world or anything like that, we’re just using the concept.]

– These days, one hears of young people committing crimes that would have been unimaginable in the past. It truly feels like it’s the end, doesn’t it?
tetsu [No, I really don’t think so. I think the same thing happens in every generation. It’s just that now, we have more media to cover it all, so that as soon as something happens, everyone knows about it but no one would have heard about that thing in the past. I think it’s been happening over and over again in people’s lives. And I think other eras have been a lot worse. I heard that in a text written thousands of years ago, there were complaints about “young people these days” (2) I think it’s the same in every generation. I don’t think the present is special.]

– I see. So, to go back to what you said earlier, you are using the concept?
tetsu [Yeah. Even Marilyn Manson (3) has that hermaphroditic character, and I think it’s really interesting to look at the way he’s made himself into the king of terror with apocalyptic images. If Marylin Manson hadn’t done it first, then we would be doing it (laughs).]

– Have you already begun planning for specific performances on the tour?
tetsu [No, we haven’t really thought about it yet. First, we need to finish recording the albums. Then, we need to make the video for Pieces.]

– What kind of video will it be?
tetsu [Oh yeah. I want it to be kind of like a movie. I think it might end up being kind of awesome.]

Words: Harada Sachi
Translated by Natalie Arnold

1. See previous interview here.Go back.

2. He seems to be refering to a quote that is usually attributed to Socrates via Plato and reads “What is happening to our young people? They disrespect their elders, they disobey their parents. They ignore the law. They riot in the streets inflamed with wild notions. Their morals are decaying. What is to become of them?” Go back.

3. Marilyn Manson is a Shock Rock band that is very famous for causing controversy with shocking images and actions. Indeed the lead singer, also named Marilyn Manson, was presenting himself as a hermaphroditic figure at the time this interview was made. Go back.

This is a translation of a reprint of an interview that originally appeared in WHAT’s IN?, January 1999 issue, alongside the release of the Light my Fire! tour video. It will not make sense to readers who have not seen that video. This was reprinted for the Box Set of The 15th anniversary in formation. The translation is based on the reprinted version.

BEGIN INTERVIEW

Having completed the longest tour of their history to date, L’Arc~en~Ciel is now releasing a video of their concerts. The release date is set exactly one year after the day they reincarnated at Tokyo Dome. This video puts on display the growth they have achieved over the past year.

—

L’Arc~en~Ciel. In 1998, this band attracted the attention of the entire country, and their Lives are an important side that cannot be overlooked. “We were on tour so long that I can’t remember what I did when I went home,” so spoke one of the members, his words proving that the lives were indeed their main activity. Despite all that, they found the time to release 10 titles (11 if one includes the GODZILLA soundtrack), which shows that their other focus has been on recording and releasing, which they have done simultaneously, and may very well be “The most impressive thing this band has done” over the course of the year.

The tenth title… Namely, the greatest work by L’Arc~en~Ciel this year: Light my Fire! will be released on December 23. This live video combines footage from the Osaka Dome live on October 17 with that of the final concert held at Yoyogi National Gymnasium on the 21st for its primary focus.

tetsu [I heard there were more cameras on us this time than ever before.]

ken [There was that R2D2 guy, he was pretty interesting. I know it was operated by remote control, but still, it looked like it had a face. Our eyes would meet, and it looked like it was having fun. And it went zoomzoomzoomzoom when it moved.]

hyde [Oh, and it looked embarrassed when I blew kisses at it (laughs).]

Beginning in May, “L’Arc~en~Ciel Tour ’98 Light my Fire!” lasted nearly six months and spanned 56 concerts in 47 venues, mobilizing some 230 000 people. At every venue, the tickets sold out almost the instant they were put on sale, suggesting that an untold number of fans were left unable to see the lives. During this long tour, many backstage clips were filmed in the style of artistic shorts, and are included on the video as “Member Approved (?)Highlights”.

hyde [Highlights… the Hokkaido Fox. It was so cute.]

tetsu [The backstage clips were put together out of stuff from the entire tour. I guess there’s more from the first half, right?]

yukihiro [I think the highlight is the one where hyde-kun goes to the bathroom and suddenly transforms (laughs).]

hyde [Oh that. I thought “Let’s film my hair standing up, frame by frame” so that’s what it is, only a little exaggerated (laughs). So that’s how it turned out.]

tetsu [I have that clip where I come out from behind Charlie’s head (Charlie being a cameraman who accompanied them on the tour) but now I wonder why I did that in the first place (laughs). I can’t remember what I was thinking, but I remember what it felt like (laughs).]

ken [The real mystery is that clip where yukkie goes “Dakkadakkadakka gwinn” (everyone laughs). I don’t know, do you want to explain or tell us what that was about?]

yukihiro [Oh that (laughs). I don’t remember what was going on. Not at all. Watching the video, I don’t understand it either. What does that mean, “Dakkadakkadakka gwinn”?]

Of course, the effective use of CGI special effects can also be considered one of the highlights.

ken [A highlight… how about the opening? The first time I watched the video, I didn’t know it was special effects. I thought “Wow, that’s some awesome lighting,” “We totally couldn’t see it from the stage.”]

yukihiro [That was the sun, right? It’s ‘a swell in the sun’, so you know, it was swelling.]

ken [So that’s why it got bigger? …I learned something new today.]

tetsu [And there’s something else that I didn’t notice during the live. During ‘Shout at the Devil’, there were fireworks going off, bang bang, right behind us but I didn’t even notice. Those fireworks, it was a special effect we only used at Osaka Dome. When got home and watched the video I was so surprised, “Oooh wow!” I had heard people talk about it but I didn’t know it had turned out so great.]

The final addition was the 150-piece string orchestra that performed in the encore, ‘anata’. This, too, was a special performance reserved only for the Osaka Dome show, and this highlight, too, was faithfully captured on video.

What follows is nothing more than my personal opinion, but it seems to me that every part of the lives of this tour, including the above-mentioned “Member Approved Highlights”, which was captured on film is a special characteristic of this video. As you are well aware, their music displays the contrast of light and darkness as a key part of its appeal, and the same has always been true of their live shows. Yet, after seeing so many lives during this tour, I now believe this trait to be of the greatest importance. In the midst of their aggressive activity this year, their bright songs have not solely been bright, and their dark songs have not solely been dark. That is the power of this band. I believe this strength may have fuelled the tour. Despite the various restrictions and unavoidable edits required by video, it is nonetheless clearly felt. Precisely because of the greatness of the lives, the true power of the band can be displayed.

In closing, I asked them “What did you do on the day after the final show of the tour?” and will now transcribe the most memorable answer. It may also be seen as a hint about things yet to come.

tetsu [I don’t remember what I did. But, with the tour being over, I didn’t have anything to do and I felt bad. I’m better off when I have things to do, obviously.]

Words – Itou Aki
Tranlated by Natalie Arnold

This is a translation of a reprint of an interview that originally appeared in PATi-PATi, March 1998 issue, during the recording of HEART and a bit before its release. This was reprinted for the Box Set of The 15th anniversary in formation. The translation is based on the reprinted version.

BEGIN INTERVIEW

Despite desires to deliver, the very act of putting it into words seems to make it vanish; such is the incommunicable HEART…. That hidden HEART has now become stronger through song and is flying toward us at last. Let us hear their thoughts upon releasing this new album: HEART.

—

I believe this album to be an Answer.
Within it are contained both power born of strife and confidence born of chaos. Dazzling light can only be produced by those who have known darkness, and thus They have obtained this spark. Above all, in the image of this Tough Band of Four, the ultimate Answer can be found, perhaps also providing a hint about the future of L’Arc~en~Ciel.

hyde [Well, just like any other album, this one started out pretty vague, didn’t it. Everybody wrote some songs, we all looked at them and went “Oh we need more songs like that” and made some more songs. Personally, I thought we should use a heavier song as the first track.]

ken [When I was writing (the songs), I didn’t really have any specific ideas in mind, you know? I didn’t write anything too flashy, instead I just played some songs and figured it would be great if they could be recorded just the way they were.]

tetsu [Umm, the power of auras…]

– What!? What do you mean by the power of auras???

tetsu [Auras are normally invisible, but they’re really incredible, you know? I thought it would be good if we could put that power into the album.]

ken [Oh, you should just take a picture! At arcades, they have machines that take pictures of auras, right?]

tetsu [They do? Do they really?]

ken [I dunno if it’s real or not, but it’s in the picture. Some people have bigger ones, and the colours are always different. And then it says “You have great power” and stuff like that, checks you and gives you a report.]

tetsu [You had yours checked?]

ken [I did. Mine was kinda purple-ish.]

tetsu [REALLY!?]

– Er, so in other words, you wanted to put that invisible power into the album, correct?

tetsu [Yeah, that’s right. ……You can’t see sound, either, right. …I wanted to put more into it, beyond the five senses. So, auras.]

– How about you, yukihiro-san? What was on your mind prior to the recording sessions?

yukihiro [I thought I should focus on power most of all, so that’s what I was thinking about. I think there’s already been a lot of strain. So I thought about whether I’d be able to work naturally, without straining myself.]

– And how did that go?

yukihiro [I think I did it.]

tetsu [You know, this time, the timeline for the recording was somehow greater, I think. It used to be… Like for example, I’d play a song on Monday night and then ken-chan would play it on Friday night. That kind of lag wasn’t there, this time. Instead, on Sunday mornings, we’d get up early and all go run a marathon…]

All [………….]

tetsu [Oh? We didn’t? (laughs) Well okay that part was a joke, but anyway, if I was playing something at 3 PM Saturday afternoon, then ken-chan and yukihiro-kun would be playing it at 3PM too.]

ken [In other words, we recorded the bass at the same time as the drums, and the guitar part got recorded too.]

– I think that on this album, the character (difference) of each song is much more explicit than it had been on your previous albums. Is that something you are also aware of?

ken [There are differences in tempo, and differences in melody, and in each song there are other things that might only be obvious to us, but there are things we didn’t do this time, and I think it’s because we wanted to include something fresh and new instead. But it’s like, by not including those elements we’re practically just copying our old stuff, so it’s as if sometimes we were just talking about redoing our own songs all over again.]

– I have a question about the lyrics. I was under the impression that this album’s lyrics were quite lively and passionate…

hyde [I really didn’t want to do the same things as before, there were some things I wanted to break down, but I didn’t really focus on any sort of passion. I just feel like my horizons have expanded… It’s like, the words that I focus on, they can be used in different ways depending on how I go about it. I also think I’ve managed to express my ordinary self more than before.]

– You didn’t meet any resistance in ‘expressing your ordinary self’?

hyde [Actually I put myself completely into that mode, so it went fine. On the other hand, it was harder to write lyrics full of nuance, like I used to do.]

– Could you tell me how the album came to be called HEART?

hyde [Hmmm, well, I was told “You’re going to need to name it soon” so I wondered “What should I call it?” and it just came to me. I think it was when I was about ready to decide of my lyrics were finished or not. HEART; it’s a word that little kids learn so I guess everyone has their own idea about what it means, and I guess some people will think it represents the HEART of the band (laughs), which in a way it does, so I think it’s a deep title. I thought of some other names, but this was the deepest one so that’s what I chose.]

The album HEART opens with the track LORELEY. The first time I heard that dignified song was at a concert. Before that earth-shattering majestic music that sweeps the entire world into a single heap, I could only tremble. I was blown away by the song’s intensity. Afterwards, I felt as though only shreds of myself remained in the song’s Traces. With this album, they will no doubt leave a new Trace behind them. And these Traces exist in the service of no one; I believe they exist unto their purposes alone.

And in their Traces, we can surely find an Answer.

Text unnatributed.
Translated by Natalie Arnold.

This is a translation of a reprint of an interview that originally appeared in WHAT’s IN? Octobet 1998 issue. It occurs during the Light my Fire! tour, on the occasion of the release of the singles snow drop and forbidden lover. This was reprinted for the Box Set of The 15th anniversary in formation. The translation is based on the reprinted version.

BEGIN INTERVIEW

As L’Arc~en~Ciel plunges headlong into the second half of their tour, Light my Fire!, two new singles arrive just in time for October. Following three simultaneous releases last July, these singles will come out within a week of one another. Including the paired coupling songs, this means a new four-song vector is about to reach us. I had the opportunity to ask them about this work as well as their current impressions.

*****

– You’ve just released two new singles that are completely different from each other…
tetsu [For ‘snow drop’, I had a bit of christmas spirit in mind. Not completely, but I at least wanted it to be the type of song that people would feel like listening to around christmas time.]

– It feels like a dashing pop song to me.
tetsu [Dashing, like when Patrasche(1) runs through the grass fields, right? I wrote it right after watching ‘Flanders no Inu’ (laughs).]
hyde [When he told me that, the first thing I did was watch that video.]

– Did it affect the lyrics for the song?
hyde [Well, there is a rather gentle feeling to it, like that vague aura that’s always eating at my body (laughs).

– As for the title, ‘snow drop’ is actually the name of a flower, right?
hyde [When I heard the song, I suddenly imagined a flower blooming in the snow. Then I wondered if any flowers like that actually existed, so I checked a reference book or something, and that was the closest match I could find. It’s like the lyrics grew out of that idea.]

– How did the recording go?
yukihiro [The drumming was painful. tetsu-kun requested that I “put in something with the tams” and I did, but it took a long time to decide how it should sound we recorded a lot of takes.]
ken [I managed to figure out what to do from the moment I first heard the song, so it’s like I was done before I had to think.]

– The guitar is certainly colourful.
ken [It sounds that way, but I didn’t put that much into it. I recorded my guitar with the drums and re-amped it, then changed it around for a few different kinds of sound.]
hyde [When I heard the off-vocal version, I thought the guitar solo sounded weird, but I guess… it’s because of that thing you had in your mouth?]
ken [Yep.]

– The coupling track, ‘a swell in the sun’, was composed by yukihiro-san, right?
yukihiro [It’s actually I song I made when I was working solo, but then I thought it could be even cooler if it was done by the band so I brought it in. It’s dark and heavy (laughs).]

– Yet, I think it’s very interesting for L’Arc to make a song like this one. How did you go about recording it?
yukihiro [hyde-kun reworked the lyrics and melody for me, and we recorded the basic track that I wrote starting with the words. Then we edited that, and it started to gain a basic shape before the guitar and bass were added, and then it got edited again until we got the final version.]
hyde [It was interesting; felt like we were making something, a material. Like a toy.]
ken [And the material for the song got rearranged by yukkie, which was the part that seemed like it would take the longest, so me and tetsu…]
tetsu [We snuck out to a festival together (laughs).]
ken [We had way too much fun and had way too much to drink. Man, we were so incredibly drunk. When we went back to the studio and started recording, I had a headache. But I couldn’t say that, so I just went “Shouldn’t we get the bass recorded first?” and so I got to take a nap while that got done and I snored and got better.]

– (laughs) Now, about the other single, ‘forbidden lover’, the beat of the snare like a marching drum leaves quite an impression.
tetsu [It was my first time working with that sort of rhythm pattern, so I worried about what kind of bassline to put in.]

– It is quite grand and also deep.
ken [At first, it was easier to do stuff at home. Around the point where I put a timpani into my guitar solo, it got much heavier.]
tetsu [I hadn’t even imagined it would end up like this.]
ken [I didn’t think so either. I think hyde’s lyrics make the heaviness ease up, though.]
hyde [I thought they made it even heavier…]

– Indeed. Above and beyond the feel of the music, the lyrics are far-reaching.
hyde [The theme is how countries have fought each other throughout history, and questioning god and so on… I thought I had to use harsh lyrics, nothing else would fit that music, you know? To me, it looked like nothing else could possibly work.]

– And the coupling track for it is a remix of ‘Kasou’.
yukihiro [I think it keeps the image of the original song better than the one I did for ‘Shinshoku lose control’. It’s heavy and awesome.]

Words : Furukawa Yuuko
Translated by Natalie Arnold

1.Patrasche is the name of the titular dog from the anime ‘Flanders no Inu’ (‘A Dog of Flanders’ in English), which is an apparent favourite of the members’.Go back.