When I’m holding my guitar, it’s like my mind goes all white.

– ken-san, on the album ‘AWAKE’ I thought you came across as a ‘thoughtful person’.
[Have you always thought that?]

– We are talking about your musical approach, right?
[Yeah.]

– How did you consciously approach the music this time?
[I played with everything I’ve got.]

– With all your might?
[It’s not that I put my all into “making it sound even fiercer” or that I went all out because “this part is supposed to sound sadder!” or because “this part is supposed to be more fun!” but anyway, I put everything I had into it.]

– You weren’t pouring your all into giving shape to that particular song, but rather into putting the same soul into the entire product, right?
[Yeah. After all, I have to do something to make it stand out a little, give it a novel twist… It might sound weird to say I have to, but that’s how I write music and play my guitar, you know?]

– You could say that rock is about asking yourself “How can I make something new with this?” right?
[Yeah. But, it’s not really a question of working out my brain cells. My creative process doesn’t involve that much brain stretching. When I put my all into it, I mean finding things like “That’s the way!” or “I just had it!” and then maybe just taking care to figure those out. At first, I have butterflies in my stomach when I start playing, but it gradually fades.]

– There’s an example that’s easy to relate to (laughs).
[So I don’t yell at myself “What’s up with this?! I’m about to start playing, already!” as I start to play, but I just say “This is it.” I’m just saying obvious stuff (laughs).]

– You could make a joke about how “Food and music don’t mix” at this point (laughs).
[But really, once I’m holding my guitar and say “Ok, let’s go!”, it’s like it goes all white inside my mind.]

– It becomes a challenge to see how far you can meld with the song, or something like that?
[Yeah. When it gets to be the tune that asks to be played, rather than me requesting it, I’ve really merged with it. Sounds delicious, doesn’t it?]

– You’re making it sound like food again (laughs).
[I have to keep an out and make sure the good bits don’t run away as quick as they came out.]

– If you’re pessimistic about that, you’ll be paying for it at the recording.
[Yeah. That’s why, for example, if we’re playing a darker type of song, I’d let myself fall into that sort of feeling. But this time though, when the moment came I said “Ok! Let’s put everything into this one!” and so “Boom!” it worked.]

– You were in an idle state.
[Yeah. What I mean is, I think there are a lot of people who are listening to us for the first time, and I want them to want to come to lives, and enjoy it, right? So I gave my all so I could do that. If those people tell me “No, no, you should get all wrapped up in the emotion of it!” I’ll say “Sorry, my mistake!” (laughs)]

– There’s always going to be someone saying “I wanted to hear ken’s angry guitar playing!” or something.
[Yeah. But I can say I put my all into making what we did end up with.]

– I think that perhaps the appropriate name for your approach to this recording was “ken-san unmasked”.
[Yeah. You could say that.]

– When a guest comes to your home, you say “Oh, I’m glad you’re here! I have good food!” and put your all into cooking something especially delicious for them. But in this case, the guests aren’t just fans, your music is also being made for hyde, tetsu, and yukihiro.
[Yeah, that’s true, that’s how it is for the music. That’s how I think about it, anyway. It’s not a strange way to play around, is it?]

– For example, rather than being like a stubborn ramen shop owner and saying “This is how our ramen tastes, so eat it!” or “I’m not making something special for you!” and just making what you feel like having, it’s better to ask the guests what they want and work on making something that fits their request.
[Yeah. “I’m making me happy!” or something.]

– Isn’t that sort of person horrible?
[Aren’t they? Makes you sick (laughs).]

– Ye, yeah (laughs). But why are you putting all of yourself into it, now?
[When we came back together to make ‘SMILE’ and toured it, of course all the members spent a long time together, and so I thought I should give more of myself while things were still fresh.]

– You weren’t before?
[It’s more like it crept up on me (laughs).]

– Ahahahaha (laughs).
[While it’s fresh… like for example, when you’re trying to start up a band you think “Ok, let’s go find a drummer!” and put your all into it from that point on, right? But I had just said “It’s such a pain, trying to find members.”]

– Ahahahaha (laughs).
[I even said “We don’t have to all be in the same place. It’s more fun to just write the songs I play by myself!” or something like that. I was playing randomly “Yay! That was fun!” and just goofing off like an amateur. I performed carelessly, but even though it was lots of fun, it wasn’t exactly good playing. That came later.]

– It’s taken a long time for you to come so far (laughs).
[It did take a while (laughs). “Ah, so this is the way guitar is meant to be played!”. Realizing that wasn’t so much me going “Hey, this is pretty good!” but rather just naturally coming to like this way better.]

– What was that like?
[“Am I always going to be doing this?” (laughs)]

– Please, keep playing! This latest piece of work is so very, very, good. ‘AWAKE’ I mean.
[I guess so. But well, I think my feelings change gradually. Like a mischievous spirit (laughs).]

For the tour, I want to show off the true colours of each and every song.

– Naturally, your feelings are going to change once the tour starts. We’ve only been talking about your thoughts on the recording studio work so far.
[Right.]

– What kind of tour do you think it will be?
[When it comes to lives, well, the word “live” makes me think of putting songs into sets of two or three and then saying “Time to show off!” and playing them that way. Even so, I want to perform while showing off the true colours of each and every song.]

– I thought the ‘SMILE tour’ had the feel of an omnibus movie that showcased each song individually. Was that what you were trying to do?
[Yeah. The feel of that one was jumping in with both hands and going “This is rock!” “What else could it be?!” (laughs). Well, it goes back to what I said about “I gotta put everything I’ve got into it” right?]

– You keep saying you want to showcase each song one at a time, but I think you have to keep in mind the overall performance, too.
[Yeah. Without that root, it’ll only turn on people who get easily excited, but what can you do about that? (laughs)]

– It’s not like a classical concert. You’re doing a rock show and so it’ll feel that way.
[Right. The audience participates, right? They keep us excited. But that’s kind of strange, isn’t it?]

– What is?
[I send out my feelings through sound. Now, I can tell what I was thinking, wondering “Will they hear it that way?” and if they do “I’m thrilled.”]

– What I felt the most was that “He really completely loves L’Arc”. You do love L’Arc, don’t you?
[This is embarrassing! (said brightly)]

– Please say it! Say you love L’Arc.
[What kind of interview is this?! “Declare your love!” This is the first time I’ve been asked to do that (laughs).]

Translated by Natalie Arnold.