Posted by: on: August 18 2005 • Categorized in: Tetsuyaku
This is a translation of the article that appeared in the May 2005 R&R newsmaker. Scans were posted on the minna_genki community linked in the sidebar. I have also added that entry to my own journal’s memories. This translation was originally posted in that journal entry. This site only contains a spellchecked and revised version.
The small teaser blurb was cut since it’s embarassingly sappy. That sort of thing comes across much nicer in Japanese. There’s nothing important or especially amusing to it, anyway. Also, tetsu’s Osaka-ben is hard to render in English without slipping into equivalent regionalisms, so since I’m Canadian, his little “..yanen”s are becoming “eh?”s. I hope no one is too badly thrown off.
Begin
tetsu X Nishikawa Takanori talk
Both TETSU69 and abingdon boys school participated in the NANA tribute album, “LOVE for NANA~only 1 Tribute~”, but is there a surprise relationship between tetsu and Nishikawa Takanori?! To answer, this lovely talk was put together!
I already knew I was clumsy, but I’m still going on. (Nishikawa)
Nishikawa : (looking at tetsu’s outfit of the day) No matter how you look at it, that’s pink! (laughs)
tetsu : ‘Cause, I’ve liked it since way back. Look, from my point of view, that is not a pink Porsche! (laughs)
Nishikawa : Ah! I seee.
tetsu : It takes a successful man to ride second in a pink Porsche (laugh together). When I went to buy the new Porsche, they asked me “What colour this time?”
Nishikawa : “Piiink!~”
tetsu : “Both of us, eh?” (both laugh)
Nishikawa : Me too, I’ve been heaaaavy on the pink lately. Lately (shows his socks while saying this). See, (points to his sunglasses) the lenses are pink.
tetsu : ‘s that good? …… Heh, Chrome Hearts. I got Chrome Hearts too, eh? (Note : Chrome Hearts is a brand name)
Nishikawa : Yeah. I think I saw them at the press conference (for NANA).
tetsu : Good! There’s pink ‘ns~
— And so, the pink info continues.
Nishikawa : That’s a dirty way of talking (laughs). But, it’s been quite a while since the last time we talked. That was at last week’s PopJam, right?
tetsu : Yeah. In Kobe.
Nishikawa : That day, I had nothing special to get back to, but since we couldn’t meet up the next day, I just said “See you later” anyway.
tetsu : Oh (beautiful laugh).
Nishikawa : And you never answered my email. I thought you were heartless (laughs).
tetsu : No no. Nishikawa-kun, you’re too polite. Too many manners. I’m sloppy about what I say (laughs).
Nishikawa : I realized that, so now I just stick to you like its normal. At first it was “Not getting close means rearranging my social calendar 100%, so might as well?” or something (beautiful laugh). I thought you were probably the type who doesn’t like to get into deep relationships, or something like that.
tetsu : Not at all, you’re welcome with me.
Nishikawa : I guess I’m just as sloppy (laughs).
tetsu : Like I said, I’m clumsy!
Nishikawa : I know that, but I’m still gonna go on. I thought “Hey, yeah, this guy could ruin me.” Then, I couldn’t really understand your personality, but I put two and two together. I got a feeling like “This guy’s only cold in what he says”. And I think you said “Can’t help it. That’s just how I am, eh?”
tetu : Yeah, yeah, yeah (laughs). It’s really fun remembering all this.
Nishikawa : But then, just like procrastinating on returning a rental, a bunch of stuff piled up, and it got kind of awkward. (laugh together).
tetsu : Reaaally careless.
And I even asked “Let’s be in a band together” (tetsu)
— So then, how did you two meet?
Nishikawa : I first met tetsu-kun at Umeda’s in Osaka. tetsu-kun had a baseball cap on.
tetsu : Seriously? I doubt it (beautiful laugh). I was at my job, right?
Nishikawa : Yeah!
tetsu : That was when I was working at the accessory shop.
Nishikawa : And I went there.
tetsu : Back then, Nishikawa-kun was a big name in Osaka!
Nishikawa : No no no! (Long suffering laugh) I was in a band in Osaka. I was asked to join a different band, with just “Wanna start up a new band?” The guy who asked was a guitar player, and I would be the vocals, right? And we talked… “What about the other ‘ments?” so he said “I’ve got someone.” I waited around a while, but then I got to meet the one he had in mind, and it was tetsu-kun. I greeted him with “Nice to meet you,” but he was in the middle of work so I said “Sorry,” and left. This and that happened, and the guitar player suddenly stopped contacting me. All that talk was for nothing. And then later, tetsu-kun got his debut with L’Arc~en~Ciel.
tetsu : You make it sound so beautiful (laughs).
Nishikawa : Wha~! I was definitely just summarizing everything for the article, not even using that many words.
tetsu : But it was never that interesting before.
Nishikawa : It doesn’t have to be interesting, it’s just reality. That’s all! (laughs)
tetsu : That’s what you think. Back when I first met him, Nishikawa-kun was a great sell. Like just about everyone in Osaka knew Luis~Mary.
Nishikawa : Whoaaaaa~~~(long-suffering laugh)
tetsu : That’s why when I first met him, my impression was “I think I’ve seen this guy on TV or something!” (beautiful laugh)
Nishikawa : Uwa~~ You’re too much (laughs)
tetsu : I was a no-name back then. So when you said we could start a band together, I thought “Haven’t I already decided my future?” for a moment, and I hesitated. I thought “Starting a band with Nishikawa-kun might be my way to a debut.”
Nishikawa : Uuhaahaahaahuhaa(bursts into laughter)
tetsu : I was hoping and waiting, and then Luis~Mary debuted and decided to go to Tokyo (both snicker).
Nishikawa : You’re WRONG! (long suffering laugh)
tetsu : Wrong about you wanting to be in a band with me, it looks like? (beautiful laugh)
Nishikawa : Hey! You just twisted my words around~.
tetsu : But this way it’s so much more interesting (both share a laugh)
Nishikawa : You twisted my words midway through~ (bitter laugh). I thought I’d contact the other people involved, and from then I just went on and couldn’t help but debut (with Luis~Mary). But I really would have wanted to be in a band with tetsu-kun. Now, I think about what it would have been like if I’d been the one by tetsu’s side. But that can’t happen now. (both laugh beautifully). I’m constantly keeping an eye out for it, though. For that position next to you! (laughs)
I’ve allllways kept you in mind. (Nishikawa)
— What about your interaction since the plans to start a band together were interrupted?
tetsu : The kid involved in that, the guitar player, stopped contacting me, too, and Nishikawa-kun went to Tokyo, as a pro musician, and I was just another Freeter (Note: Someone who is not a student and doesn’t have a real career) working part time in Osaka’s Umeda (laughs). We’re in contact now though.
Nishikawa : See~ he’s twisting words around again!
tetsu : It wouldn’t be wrong to say I was told “We live in two different worlds.” So there ain’t no way you can say we were standing on the same dirt. Then I came this far! (Both laugh)
Nishikawa : Fwaa (laughs). I always kept you in mind. I said “Hey, isn’t that…” when L’Arc~en~Ciel debuted. Back then (L’Arc’s) stylist was someone I knew, so I said “You’re doing L’Arc, aren’t you?” “But we only ever met once, so they wouldn’t remember me.” After my band split up, I spent about a year and a half doing nothing but wasting time at home. While I was doing that, L’Arc was just taking off. “Wow, what’s next, eh?”
tetsu : Haha, that’s distant (beautiful laugh).
Nishikawa : ‘S true, though. Like, there were no other encounters? But now saying “Do you remember?” would be kinda presumptuous, wouldn’t it?
tetsu : But I do remember.
Nishikawa : No no no no (harsh laugh).
tetsu : Nishikawa-kun, it’s like you think L’Arc’s bassist isn’t the same person you met back then in Umeda.
Nishikawa : That’s a big misunderstanding. It was a complete coincidence.
tetsu : Seriously? I’d have thought you wouldn’t remember me at all.
Nishikawa : It’s because I saw you regularly. That’s why I could do this Coming Out thing so soon. I though there was no way you’d remember me.
tetsu : That’s what I thought, eh?!
Nishikawa : “That’s what I thought, eh?!” You always say things like that! (beautiful laugh).
Luis~Mary’s spark stuck with me. (tetsu)
— When was this Coming Out?
Nishikawa : Around the year before last. Some of the staff members around me had worked with tetsu-kun. I told those people “Truth is, I know tetsu-kun from way back.” And one of them ended up telling tetsu-kun.
tetsu : Yeah, yeah. So that’s when I first knew “He still remembers me!” When we first met, I was an amateur, right? From what I remember, I think your impression couldn’t have been far off.
Nishikawa : Is that so? I guess that’s the distant past. tetsu-kun made L’Arc. You made your own spark. You went to Live Houses and propped them up. Seeing that, I can’t help but go “Wow.”
tetsu : Speaking of that, I was at the record store in Umeda, Warutsu-dou, right? When I was working there, the kid who played bass for Luis~Mary even had a spark when he said things like “Please get that for me.” I’d have gotten the whole store for him! (both laugh beautifully). Really, eh? (more laughing).
Nishikawa : That period was a great help. But, hey, I bet I know where you got that shirt (they were wearing NANA shirts). (both share a big laugh).
tetsu : It really is such a small world! I was at the store in Aoyama buying this, then when I was in front of the register getting it wrapped, I felt someone’s eyes on me. (laughs) I thought “Is a girl staring at me?!” but then I checked and it was just Nishikawa-kun.
Nishikawa : Hey, when people meet me it’s not “Oh”, it’s “……Wow~~~” that’s supposed to be the reaction (laughs). I just faded in. I don’t cut in. When I found him I was gonna say “Hey! tetsu-kun” but I didn’t. Does it feel like I just faded in going “……Wow~~~!” (laugh together). Time passed like an analog recorder. We’re at the era where they use Pro Tools, so reactions should be like flipping a switch, already! (both have a big snicker).
tetsu : First off, (the other person) probably thinks “There’s no way he’s noticing me” about Nishikawa-kun. Plus I was in a hat and shades, and I thought “No way am I gonna expose myself.”
Nishikawa : Well, that I can understand! (laughs).
tetsu : It’s different, though. Out of all the members of L’Arc, I’m the least recognized. I’m sure of that. No, it’s true.
Nishikawa : While you’re saying that, for me it’s more like, now I’m normally “moving with Zero Aura” or something. (both burst into laughter). No exposing. Even when I go get food, my aura is so low that I don’t get any service (laughs).
tetsu : Me, I can go to the same store 10 times or more and they still aren’t gonna remember my face.
Nishikawa : This guy sure knows a lot about music, but for the life of me I can’t remember where I’ve seen him before~ (laughs).
tetsu : I don’t really have that much confidence in myself.
Nishikawa : No waay~? That’s no good, you definitely need to change that.
Out of five mails I send, only one ever gets back to me. (Nishikawa)
— What have you done since the Coming Out?
Nishikawa : I arbitrarily send him mails, but he only answers about one out of every five.
tetsu : I guess I could put a bit more effort into answering them.
Nishikawa : That’s why I felt awkward at first. It’s like we’re not friends.
tetsu : The hell are you saying?! To think you’re my best friend (laughs).
Nishikawa : But, you could have told me that when we met (beautiful laugh).
tetsu : But I’m really clumsy. So…… that really hurt (pained laugh)
Nishikawa : It does hurt. This goes to show how sharp I can be. I couldn’t keep it in any longer. Oh, hey, I didn’t mean to get you depressed. You just spend too much time thinking “What should I write?” and “What do I send?” right?
tetsu : Yeah!
How about being a guy version of that twin vocal group, t.A.T.u? (tetsu)
— What kind of person is Nishikawa-kun from tetsu-chan’s point of view?
tetsu : He’s so polite! And also, he makes alllll my old dreams about what I wanted to do in life come back to me. It’d be great if they could all become reality. The things I want to do now, that is.
Nishikawa : When I wanted to make up a homepage, the web designer I got had come to me through tetsu-kun, you know.
tetsu : I’m trying to stockpile members for my solo work’s band. Hey, would you stop stealing my members? (laughs)
Nishikawa : I had no idea (laughs). tetsu’s page was in a magazine with a bunch of others, and when I had a look I kept saying “Oh! I want this too!” the whole time.
tetsu : So, we should go shopping together sometime.
— Somehow it seems like your tastes overlap.
Nishikawa : Maybe we were bandmates in a past life (laugh together).
tetsu : That time in the clothing store, I figured “He’s probably going to (abingdon boys school’s) recording from here,” so I thought about calling you over. (laughs beautifully)
Nishikawa : Shower me with those sweet words if you must!
tetsu : If I’m going to join in, it should be as vocalist~(laughs).
Nishikawa : Should have said that sooner.
tetsu : How about being a guy version of that twin vocal group, t.A.T.u?
Nishikawa : If we go that far, we’ll have to be exported to Russia (laughs).
— What if you’d known each other without any connection to bands……
Nishikawa : That’s more than ten years to change, so it’s pretty hard to imagine something like that. I just can’t consider that much stuff, eh? (laughs). What I mean is, if we went back, we might have a chance to make it together. So that’s why I won’t turn my back on tetsu-kun and keep trying hard to stay in the same front lines.
tetsu : I don’t think there’s any kind of crisis on that front.
— What are your expectations about your upcoming activities?
tetsu : From my point of view, Nishikawa-kun is just about perfect. I still totally suck, so I gotta do something about that. I’m completely cut off from my public image, right? My working side can do that sort of thing, but outside of work I space out. So…… I’ll work hard. It would be ungraceful of me not to.
Nishikawa : I’ll keep working hard the way tetsu-kun does to make the things I want to do seem ‘interesting’. I want to think of us as rivals, or make others think of us like that. Forever.
Posted by: on: August 18 2005 • Categorized in: Tetsuyaku
This is the translation of the Music Station interview from a show where Takanori Nishikawa (AKA T.M.Revolution) was also a guest. He and TETSU69 did their talk segment together, and then each performed a song.
Since I translated it by ear, instead of from written media, the possibility that I misheard something makes it much more likely that something was mistranslated. I apologise in advance if this happens. It’s probably best to watch the clip while reading this, or at least be familiar with it. Takanori tends to talk over tetsu, so tet-chan doesn’t get to say much here.
Begin
Tamori : Here’s T.M.Revolution, Takanori Nishikawa-kun.
Takanori : Hi, it’s good to be here.
Female Host : We’ve heard that you and tetsu-san are old acquaintances from when you lived in Osaka.
Takanori : Yeah, and then recently… (turns to tetsu)
TETSU69 : Yeah.
Takanori : We each realized we still remembered each other. I was so sure tetsu-kun had forgotten me. Before, we’d talked about starting up a band together, but that was about 13 years ago?
TETSU69 : Right, right.
Tamori : And then?
Takanori : Well, somehow it just fell apart halfway through,
TETSU69 : And then he ran away from me.
Takanori : I wasn’t running away. (some laughing) I didn’t run. That’s rude.
TETSU69 : You had to have your debut first.
Takanori : No, no, no,
TETSU69 : You jumped at the chance.
Taknori : No, I thought tetsu-kun didn’t want to do it with me. And then later I thought he’d forgotten about me, cause you know he went to all sorts of places, like with L’Arc~en~Ciel, and when I finally reached him I said “You forgot me, right?”.
Tamori : Ah…
Takanori : Then he was like “Yeah, I forgot you.”
TETSU69 : *tries to talk but is cut off* (It sounds like he was going to contradict something.)
Takanori : No, no, even though there was distance between us, I think we thought about each other a lot. (some laughter)
Tamori : But since it had been so long, how could you even expect him to recognize you?
TETSU69 : Well, Nishikawa-kun had his debut first, and some records…
Takanori : No no no…
TETSU69 : So I was sure he’d have forgotten about that guy from the accessory shop.
Takanori : No, no, NO! (Much laughter) I’m telling you, you’re wrong!
Tamori : So you both still remembered.
TETSU69 : Right, right.
Takanori : No.
TETSU69 : Oh.
Takanori : Well, um, you know I was in a different group when L’Arc~en~Ciel was starting up, and though we each played a lot of livehouses, it was always different ones, so we didn’t have the chance to meet up. Even so, I thought “I wonder how it would have turned out if I’d had him with me.” but I kinda hid those feelings.
TETSU69 : *in Osaka-ben* Oh, really? (laughter)
Takanori : Yeah! (laughs) I kinda figured you were better off abandoning me (laughs).
TETSU69 : *still in Osaka-ben* How come?
Takanori : It’s hard to say…
(Everyone laughs)
Tamori : Then, when did you both meet up again?
Takanori : Last week? (checks with tetsu) This week?
TETSU69 : This week.
Takanori : It was this week, earlier. Doing different songs.
Tamori : You heard each other? Who heard whose song?
Takanori : I heard him, and knew it was him right away but thought “Uh oh, I can’t go!”
TETSU69 : No, it’s ok, cause Nishikawa-kun’s my senpai.
Takanori : No, no, no no!
TETSU69 : With your early debut.
Takanori : That’s not the same thing. So I was in the same place and went up to him “Excuse me, I’m Takanori Nishikawa, is there any chance you might possibly remember me?”
TETSU69 : Talking all politely.
(Lots of laughter)
(People talk over each other here. It sounds like the host was saying Takanori talks too much, but it’s unclear.)
Tamori : tetsu-kun, do you have a different story?
TETSU69 : I didn’t recognise him at first, cause he used to have hair down to here. (indicates Takanori’s lower back)
Takanori : Uh oh.
Tamori : He must have looked like a girl.
Takanori : That was kind of bad. But you know, tetsu-kun used to work in Umeda.
Tamori : He did? (tetsu is laughing)
Takanori : It was while he was working that I first introduced myself. He was wearing a baseball cap or something, and he was busy with someone else but I still said “Hey, nice to meet ya.” and I still remember it all clearly.
Tamori : Ohh…
Takanori : Isn’t that something?
Tamori : And now you’re both here.
TETSU69 : I wanted to be in his band, but he fled. Debuted first.
Takanori : No no! He’s so mean, that’s not true. But weren’t you happier with your other band? (some laughing)
(they start bugging each other, but the hosts cut in)
Female Host : I think we’ve taken up all our time! Let’s move on to music.
The performances come next. The intro blurb for TETSU69’s song was : The lyrics to this song seem to express feelings that pile high one day at a time, and some people have been known to cry at the end. Here’s TETSU69 with Fifteen Half.
Posted by: on: August 18 2005 • Categorized in: Uncategorized
Our last interview is suited to be the finale, he is “the one who makes Taiko drums tremble,” yukihiro. During the interview, we were told about “yukkie’s adventure : the journey” and with ‘AWAKE’ he has finally been able to reach his New World.
– While interviewing the other three, I got the impression that “We would have preferred to get the album made faster, but it got drawn out,” about the creation process. What do you think, yukihiro-san?
[That’s true. It took a long time to complete because there was a lot of roughness to work out. I thought it made things more interesting. I wonder if that might be just me, because of what I’ve heard from some others. For example, with my drum part, I’d be thinking we needed to do a few more takes to get the song exactly right, but even though I wanted to do more, they wouldn’t let me.]
– Ahahahaha. For the entire album, do you still want to redo the drumming, or are you satisfied with how it turned out?
[Hmm, I’d have to take it apart, one song at a time. If I had the time, I’d probably put more into it? Like I was saying before, I had my own opinion on things, but everyone else said “This one’s good!” and I’m not the one who decides. Actually, if I were to listen to it, I’m sure I’d be saying it’s good.]
– The third song is ‘Jojoushi’. According to some listeners, of the singles released for this album, this is the one where the speed “takes off and flies into a world of its own” as if the song were coming to us from days gone by. I get the feeling that this time around, L’Arc has put effort into drawing the listeners into their world.
[I think it was a great decision to pick that song for a single. We had ‘Killing Me’ and then we had ‘New World’, so I think ‘Jojoushi’ seems unusual in that line up. There aren’t any other bands who do that. We pay attention to the balance of our songs. I played it carefully.]
– hyde had said “I’ve been wanting ken-chan to write a song like this” too.
[Yeah, we were waiting for it. hyde-kun wanted to sing this type of song. I thought “Yay! Finally!” too (laughs). The image I get for this song is of ground beat (acquired from hip-hop, soul, jazz, and alternative, it is a beat composed by mixing the savage elements of city noises). Let’s go, ground beats.]
– ……..yukihiro-san, do you always have an ideal case in mind for each song?
[Well, when it comes to songs, I’ve always got all sorts of different music floating in my mind. That’s why I get a good, nostalgic sort of feeling from those ground beats; I’ve played them before. I also liked listening to ground beats since way back.]
– I see. What are your thoughts on the upcoming tour?
[The tour.. well, first we’re going to need some practice (laughs). The recording was really long, so listening to the first stuff we did makes me think “Oh yeah, we did this too!” and so on (laughs)]
– You’re touring outside of Japan this time, too.
[Yeah. I wonder if we’re really ready to do that? I’m kind of unsure. I’m worried about what the people who’ll come see us are expecting to see. ….Well, it’ll be a first, and I don’t want to lose out to Yon-sama.]
– Hahahahahaha, it’s great how you said that.
[I won’t lose to the Korean boom! I’ll get the old ladies too! Just watch me (laughs)]
Posted by: on: August 18 2005 • Categorized in: Uncategorized
The third man is the leader, tetsu. tetsu has the most difficult position within L’Arc, but he still manages to leave his mark as an artist.
tetsu was the one who pulled everyone together for the revival live ‘seven days’ two years ago, and he kept them together for the creation of ‘SMILE’. In discussions with the other three members, it came to light that the resumption of activites and creation of ‘SMILE’ was an important step in their progression as a new band. Having dropped his melancholy pop work, tetsu was the driving engine behind the reformation.
– This is a particularly straightforward, gimmickless album. I’d like to start by hearing your own thoughts and feelings about it.
[ It’s a good album…….. and it’s our tenth one, too.]
– Yes (laughs).
[I had to think to remember that number (laughs). And then I thought “Wow, really the tenth one?” (laughs) Somehow, I don’t feel like we’re a band that’s already produced ten albums. ….. But it’s a really good album (laughs). The songs are all impressive. And it took a long time to make, too. The members of L’Arc, we’re all pros. We have high expectations because of that, and of course we live up to them. I don’t think we even need to bother reaffirming that. We’ve each come to reach higher levels. I don’t think we did it consciously, since we still put the same emotion into our work as we always have, but we do so at a higher level. Going back and listening to our old albums, I think “Ah, I’d put more thought into that now” or “Why did we decide to do it that way?” about various parts.]
– Is that proportionally from a sales point of view?
[No, it doesn’t amount to sales. It’s kind of tricky. I think it’s the same as with cars (laughs). I’ve always been the type to go for sports cars. Low-riding, fast cars. But these days, it’s RVs and that sort of big, huge car that’s popular, right? Though it’s mostly women buying those (laughs). Anyway, it’s the same sort of thing. Sometimes, what’s popular in the world doesn’t match up with my tastes. ……everything becomes obsolete at some point, so I have to keep evolving so I don’t end up the same way. But, that’s going to happen to what’s popular now, too (laughs). I think eventually, the time will come again for things I like, but in the meantime others are going to make fun of me. If what I like isn’t popular, I think it’s a problem for the rest of the world (laughs).]
– I think you’ve done a very good job of balancing the feelings you want to express in this album with the desire to make the album sell. Did you keep both of these aspects in mind while making it?
[No, I never focus on making an album sell well during the creation process. It’s not that I never think about it; I can’t help but be interested in what will obviously sell. I’ve never been interested in things that don’t sell. I’m completely uninterested in only appealing to the maniacs. If it has a sellable aspect, and it turns out not to sell, after thinking about the aspects I can conclude “It’s too bad for those who didn’t get it” (laughs). Things get made for the general public to buy, that applies to music, movies, cars, all sorts of things, but I think it’s definitely possible to take it too far….. After all, there aren’t many people who can tell what’s going to be the next big thing. If you aren’t with the majority, it’s because you’re ahead of them. When the majority is a step or two behind, you won’t have the numbers to make that much profit. So in order to appeal to the public, you need to be approachable and keep your design uncomplicated, if your stuff has a design. That’s how it is in music, but after all, I don’t think even the most popular music can appeal to everybody. So really, popularity isn’t linked to quality, really.]
– This album, ‘AWAKE’ showcases the band’s current fulfillment, but I think it still inherits from the previous one, ‘SMILE’. There was tension pertaining to the “Aren’t you glad L’Arc came back together?” feeling, and parts of that product felt very cut off from the rest, while others seemed somewhat unfinished. I hope ‘AWAKE’ managed to stay free of these issues.
[That’s true. Indeed, when we were making ‘SMILE’, the four of us were just coming away from our solo projects so we still had to work on becoming L’Arc again. But during the ‘SMILE’ tour, we spent a lot more time together and emerged much more L’Arc-like, so that’s probably why these two albums have such a large difference.]
– (laughs). Actually, on ‘AWAKE’ there are very few of your songs, tetsu-san. There’s the first song to be released from it, ‘Jiyuu e no Shoutai’ and ‘TRUST’ and that’s all. However, it’s still obvious from listening that you had an uncredited influence. Your basswork sung more than ever before. You have the talent to make it dance (laughs).
[(laughs) That’s just how it turned out this time. But to be honest, I consciously wanted to downplay my own songs. I don’t think the others noticed (laughs). …..That’s right, I intentionally reduced my song count. How to say it…… Everyone else wrote really good songs, so I didn’t have to try hard (laughs) I downplayed myself, even though we’re following up three singles by me from last year. After all, ken-chan’s fans want to hear a ken-chan song, and so there was that bashing…….. I’m really bad at confrontations. That’s why I wanted to hurry up and get a ken-chan single released, and I was very glad when ken-chan’s ‘Jojoushi’ got picked to be the single. I never tried to push my own songs to be singles, though I’m sure the tetsu fans think that would be a good thing. Looking at the whole picture, it’s better for me to pull back a bit this time. I don’t know if that’s a positive or negative thing, and I’m the one saying it (laughs). After all, L’Arc is four people, not any single artist. I know we each have our own fans, but I’d much rather see everyone come together as one. If we do badly, our fans will split. Artists have a character, and fans also have a character; if there are a lot of extreme fans, there are a lot of quiet ones too. That’s why I can’t lump all the “L’Arc fans” together. Also, as a buisnessman I have to make sure they’ll by the CD, and make sure they’ll want to buy tickets for our lives. There are a lot of people among the fans who tell us “I haven’t bought your CDs, but I like you! I’m a fan!” but I have to make sure I thank even that type of fan. Hmm… When I was putting together ‘TRUST’ I was thinking of something from the tetsu bashing : “tetsu songs are always just bright, happy pop songs! We’re sick of it!” and comments like that. I decided to write a melody in minor… But you know, I’ve written songs like that before, like with ‘finale’ and ‘Shi no Hai’. But I’m stuck with the “tetsu songs are all chirpy pop songs” label so I redoubled my efforts to make this type of song. “What do you know about me?” So it’s become an antithesis to that, the song ‘TRUST’.]
– But that’s a novelty among the songs on this album. I thought everyone else had made up-tempo, bright, feel-good songs for it. This one goes the other way, being dark and heavy, and there isn’t much distinction between the chorus and the main melody, but I’m sure you’re aware of that and put thought into maintaining the balance despite your reasons for making the song this way. I think this album does an excellent job of showcasing your skills.
[I understand. Somehow, I know the fans think it, even the other members think it, that “Another tetchan song means another pop song”. I don’t want them to think that way anymore (laughs). So I’ll see what happens with this dark song. I think it’s still balanced. This time around, I had prepared seven songs. Actually, I brought the most possible songs. But, I also got my songs eliminated the most (laughs). …….. But I’m kind of happy about that. Anyway, the single we’re releasing after the album is another of my songs, so that also adds balance.]
– It seems you’re going to be very busy from now on.
[L’Arc’s going to be busy until September. After that, hyde has solo work planned.]
– Will you be doing solo work too?
[I don’t know yet (laughs).]
Posted by: on: August 18 2005 • Categorized in: Uncategorized
Our next artist is the guitarist, ken. ken has once again put a lot of himself into the creation of ‘AWAKE’.
– Let’s start by talking about the new single that you wrote, Jojoushi. It’s become quite the popular song, ken-san!
[Hahahahahaha! Thank you very much.]
– What are your real thoughts about it?
[My real thoughts (laughs) Hm….. I composed some of it with the guitar, but I also did some parts from the keyboard. When I was working with the keyboard, I had to make sure I was only using chords I could actually play, but I put everything I had into it. Using this method, I was very careful with the melody that would turn into the song. When I compose by singing and playing guitar, I end up forgetting the tune (laughs). There’s no way to see a song objectively while composing it, so then with just guitar and singing, it’s easy to end up with something ugly. But working with the keyboard, I was able to gain an extra level of detachment and put more effort into it. That’s how that song was born (laughs).]
– Now, I’d like to move on to talking about the album. What are your feelings about it?
[Well, we went to LA to record the strings for ‘Jojoushi’. While we were there, I caught a cold and spent the next two weeks in bed. I don’t remember much else around that time (laughs). What else to say….. Practically speaking, it was spread over such a long period, but we kept the same feeling throughout the album. That’s not just my own feelings, I’m sure it’s the same for the others, too. It really was a long, drawn-out recording. But the mixing days went zoom, zoom, zoom, zoom, and finished really fast. Now, it feels like we’re in the end credits of a movie, right where they suddenly cut in with Jackie Chan’s mistakes and bloopers (laughs). I feel like fast-forwarding (laughs). That’s really how it feels. Oh, and now that we’ve decided the set order, I listened to the album for the first time and went “Wha?! Even though there’s lots of variation, it doesn’t feel scattered. The whole thing is great to listen to.”]
– That certainly applies to your own songs, ken-san. You have a beautiful, touching ballad, as well as a full-out pop song. And then there’s the song that makes you want to do stupid, noisy things all night, ‘EXISTENCE’ (laughs).
[Right (laughs). Right now, I can’t tell if it’s a good thing or not, but ‘EXISTENCE’ and ‘Jojoushi’ both represent aspects of my current self. They both feel like things I’ve never expressed before. Sometimes though I find myself thinking “Where did this come from?” (laughs). But I mean, I have a good feeling about both songs. But, the’re a lot more aspects of myself that change all the time (laughs). I think I just have a short attention span. Well, I think that goes for everyone, it’s human nature to look for something new to play with. So, I need to restrain myself a little. A little restraint doesn’t hurt, just like keeping away from another round of drinks. Yeah, whenever I started thinking that people suck while working on this album, some evil spirit from heaven would come down and keep me in line (laughs).]
– In a previous interview, I heard you say “The current L’Arc might be an anachronism, but doesn’t the current era actually want this kind of analog way of doing things?” Of course, we stuck to only talking about music here, but maybe we can afford to bring up something a little different. I think that the present-day world is caught up chasing illusions, so your work is a message to call them back to reality.
[This album kind of feels like a letter. …… So, I’m going to want replies (laughs).]
Posted by: on: August 18 2005 • Categorized in: Uncategorized
We will begin with hyde. This is not because hyde is the frontman, but rather because we feel he was the ‘front songwriter’ for this album. His are the singles ‘Killing Me’ as well as ‘New World’ which he did with yukihiro. Furthermore, hyde has three new songs planned for release with the album (for a total of five). As for the song lyrics, ken and yukihiro wrote one song each, but the remaining ten were done by hyde. No matter how it is approached, the album ‘AWAKE’ is very ‘hyde-like’.
– It’s finally complete. It seems you worked very hard this time.
[Fufufufu.]
-Though they are all quality songs, you have the most with five of the twelve. Let’s start by getting your honest feelings about this album.
[Well, I used my best judgement during the recording (laughs) this time around. We even kept working on it over the New Year’s holidays. That’s why I have more of a “Finally! We’re done!” feeling right now (laughs), but it still doesn’t feel like it’s over.]
– Does it still feel unfinished?
[No no no, that’s not what I meant at all (laughs). We’ve worked enough (laughs). But even when we took breaks, I kept working on my own solo project, so it felt a bit like a never-ending process (laughs).]
– Do you have any remarks on the musical aspect of this album?
[Hmm, what to say…… It feels skillfully made. Our age and experience has added depth to the playing, but it’s still youthful. It’s a bit experimental too. I think this album couldn’t have been made if we didn’t have our current skills. I don’t know much about other bands, so I can’t say for sure, but it’s like “Does anyone else usually pull this off?” (laughs). What am I saying…… We’ve matured, but we still do impulsive things that aren’t easy to accomplish. That’s why I think we’re a mysterious band, the current L’Arc. As we gain experience, it feels like the impulsiveness of our early days is fading, but we’ve gained a polish we couldn’t have had without those early experiences. There’s a painter I know who still has a strange novelty to his work even though he’s over 60. I think that’s what it means to have talent. It’s not just knowing the techniques or writing a good song; I think talent means using your youthful impulses to showcase your skill.]
– About the music, is there anything on this album you would have preferred to discard?
[There was. In the end, we discuss everything, and we decided from the beginning that we wanted music that would excite the audience for the live shows. That’s why two of the songs (that he submitted for the album) had to be completely re-made (laughs). You can say what you like, but what they want to see in lives are major, up-tempo songs, and so we’re better off playing that. There are songs on this album I very much want to see come to life that way. When I listen to the other members’ songs, I get a feeling of “Yeah, they all feel the same” from it.]
– While making this album, did you learn something new about the other members?
[It’s hard to see, but I got a whole new sense of just how good the others have become. For the guitar, even when he’s improvising, it threatens to overwhelm me. The same goes for the bass and drums. I wonder if there are any other bands this good. They keep showing me things I’d never heard before and never knew about before.]
– The songs ‘Ophelia’ and ‘My Dear’ were, after all, written during your ‘ROENTGEN’ period, but now they’re being used for L’Arc. Could it be that the band’s chemistry overwhelmed what you had originally set out to do with those songs?
[Well, yes, that’s fairly obvious. I really don’t have a good sense for arrangements (laughs). There’s no way I could have come with those arrangements for ‘My Dear’ on my own. If it was just me, it would sound much more ordinary (laughs). That’s why I say they’re so skilled. I don’t have that talent at all, I approach the songs much more superficially. I’m a vocalist, so it’s like “Well, at least I’m a good person?” (laughs) This time, I want to make it to “At least I’m a good vocalist” level (laughs).]
– Then, hyde-san, I have one last thing to ask you. Throughout this album, the word ‘sky’ has been a reccuring theme. I thought you might want to explain that. When you talk about the sky, what is it you want to express?
[Hmm….. Well, I apply the word sky a lot, to imply things about a fullfilling existence, or my image of the future, or lots of meanings like that. Let’s see…… It’s where I send my prayers when I’m troubled. If they get solved, I always wonder if the solution came from the sky. It means many different things to me. I don’t know if I can answer the question without leaving something out, but I do want to answer. It’s complex though, so all I can do is ask you to interpret my feelings about the sky from the words I write.]
– You talk with the sky often?
[ No, but I talk to a lot of people up there (laughs).]
Posted by: on: August 18 2005 • Categorized in: Tetsuyaku
These four interviews were originally posted on Recochoku’s Japanese site as a L’Arc~en~Ciel special highlighting the upcoming release of AWAKE. There many other interviews done around the same time, such as the ones at Yahoo.jp, but they all cover mostly the same questions. In fact, the members tended to repeat themselves from interview to interview. This set is the only one I have translated. This translation was originally posted on the Pieces forum.
Posted by: on: August 18 2005 • Categorized in: Tetsuyaku
This is a translation of the talk that appears near the beginning of the digest that was posted on the MORRICH website prior to the release of AWAKE. This translation was posted on the Pieces forum, and this HTML version is a revised and spellchecked version of the same thing. As with anything I translate by ear (as opposed to by reading it) it’s entirely possible that I misheard something and thus translated it wrongly. I do my best though.
Begin
ken : Hi, this is L’Arc~en~Ciel. The single released last June, “Jiyuu e no Shoutai,” along with “Killing me”, “New World” and “Jojoushi” are finally being compiled with new work on our album AWAKE, which will be released on the 22nd.
Q: Do you have any comments now that the album is complete?
tetsu : It’s hard thinking of it as our tenth album… I think that’s just crazy.
hyde : We’re finally done… it was kind of a long recording, but I don’t think that dragged us down.
yukihiro : We’ve become friends (laughs). It was a good process, so we had a great party when it was finally over.
ken : When I played my guitar, I did it without thinking about anything else. I’m glad.
hyde : Why did you look so sad?
ken : Before now?
hyde : When you played.
ken : Before… I’d think about how the doors were annoying. I couldn’t go in (miming holding a guitar) and the doors were a pain. It bothered me, so I looked pitiful while I was playing.
hyde : If you’d brought it up, I would’ve told you not to worry.
ken : Yeah but I was just thinking.
(laughter)
tetsu : And so, please encourage us by buying AWAKE. This has been L’Arc~en~Ciel.
Posted by: on: August 18 2005 • Categorized in: Tetsuyaku
This is the translation of the interview preceding L’Arc~en~Ciel’s performance of Joujoushi on Pop Jam. They were interviewed by Takanori Nishikawa, famous for his work as TMRevolution. This translation was first posted on my Livejournal, and I have spellchecked and edited it for posting here.
Begin
Takanori starts by commenting on how L’Arc came to Pop Jam two months in a row.
Takanori to tetsu : I didn’t realize it right away, but you hardly said anything last time! You don’t talk enough.
tetsu : Yeah, I know. (smiles beautifully)
Takanori : What kind of beautiful friendship are we supposed to have then? (laughs)
Someone off screen : He’s just being bitter (more laughing).
Takanori : I always have to call him first!
(to the other members) Does he ever call you?
hyde : No, not really. Maybe once a year. Sometimes a number will come up on my cell and I’ll have no idea who it is…
ken : I have different ring tones for different numbers, so I NEVER hear his.
Takanori : And are you all OK with that?
yukihiro : Yeah…
ken : (to yuki) You should really tell the truth…
(more laughing)
Takanori : What’s this? Sounds like a problem!
First fan question : What was the first CD or record you ever bought ?
hyde : Kamen Rider! I used to dream of being Kamen Rider as a kid.
hyde : I wore the costume and ran around town…
Takanori : With a cape? Like this?
hyde : Yeah…
ken’s answer board : Anime soundtracks
ken : But I totally don’t remember which anime, cause I had lots.
Takanori : I bet you’re one of those guys who has nothing but anime themes on his cell.
ken : Yeah.
ken : I buy as many as I can.
At this point, it seems like yukkie thought he would be next, but no, it’s tetsu’s turn.
tetsu’s answer board : Billy Joel’s Innocent Man
tetsu : I think it’s the first thing I ever bought all by myself.
tetsu : But if you mean the first CD I had someone buy for me, then it’s Kamen Rider, too.
Takanori : Ok, before Kamen Rider takes over, yukihiro-san’s?
yukkie’s answer board : Ippudo’s Sumire September Love
yukihiro : I saw it on TV. I thought it was cool, so I went to buy it.
Next question : Girl : I’m in the tennis club, so I was wondering what clubs you were all in?
hyde : I did soccer… for three days.
hyde : I really liked soccer, so I wanted to play, and I joined the club, but balls kept flying at me, so I quit.
Takanori : Oh… I get it.
tetsu : I was in the go-home-club. (1)
tetsu : I hated how they tried to tell me how to spend my youth.
Takanori : So you went against the current.
tetsu : Yeah, that’s right.
Takanori : Sometimes, they had really bad habits in those clubs, like when all the soccer players would share the same drink bottle… that’s not healthy.
tetsu : But I do like sports now.
ken : Ping-pong club.
Takanori : Not baseball?
tetsu : He’s the best at ping-pong.
Takanori : Wow, awesome.
ken : I thought of joining the soccer club, but they weren’t taking anyone that year, so they sent me to the tennis club, but I didn’t want to do that so I took the other one.
yukihiro’s answer board : Track and field club
Takanori : I think that’s the odd one out. Most people don’t join that one.
yukihiro : But I liked it while I was there.
Takanori : When did you all start being interested in bands?
hyde : About halfway through high school.
tetsu : Third year middle school.
ken : When I was 20?
Takanori : That late??
tetsu : No way, you were with me before that.
ken : Wasn’t I 20 then?
tetsu : No…
ken : I thought it was at 20…
Takanori : Shaddup! What about yukihiro?
yukihiro : In high school, I think.
Takanori : It all started with guitar, right?
ken : (checks with tetsu) Yeah, guitar.
Takanori : So you played guitar just so you could be in a band?
ken : Well, I played a little before that.
tetsu : He was awesome at it.
Takanori : Were you playing to impress the high school girls who liked music?
ken : We played heavy metal.
Takanori : Oh… (laughing)
ken : I took lessons until I was in middle school, then around second or third year I started liking heavy metal, and played nothing but that ever since.
Takanori : Without a band?
ken : Right.
hyde : I started with guitar too. Heavy metal guitarist.
Takanori : Well me too, but not heavy metal…
tetsu : That’s cause of our age gap!
hyde : I liked fast-paced guitar music.
Takanori : And we’re out of time!
(quiet pause)
Takanori : Oh wait, it’s not over?
(all laugh)
cut to performance
Transcribed and translated by Natalie Arnold
1. This means he didn’t join any clubs at all.Go back.
Posted by: on: August 18 2005 • Categorized in: Tetsuyaku
This is the translation of the Music Station interview from the show where L’Arc~en~Ciel performed Jojoushi.
Since I translated it by ear, instead of from written media, the possibility that I misheard something makes it much more likely that something was mistranslated. I apologise in advance if this happens. It’s probably best to watch the clip while reading this, or at least be familiar with it. The talk was mostly between tetsu and the MS host, as you are about to read.
The talk starts with the host saying that tetsu had experienced something for the first time ever last week.
Host : What was it?
tetsu : I went to a Bottle Keep. (Note : I think this is a type of make your own wine/beer place)
Host : Aren’t those rare?
tetsu : Yeah, they are. I went, and there were these old, grandmother-like ladies in the store.
Host : Did you have to go out of town?
tetsu : No, it was in Roppongi.
Host: There’s a a Bottle Keep in Roppongi?!?!
tetsu : Yes, yes. The store guy looked like a chef, a man of few words.
Host: You went to a chef’s Bottle Keep?
tetsu : I went for the drinks…
Host : You write your own label, too, right?
tetsu : Yeah. I was going for the most expensive type of Bottle Keep, when the owner said “Don’t bother with that one, it’s OK.” I think it’s beacause I look so young? He thought I was a young guy with no money.
Host : He didn’t know who you were?!
tetsu : I don’t think he did… I asked “How old do you think I am?” And he answered “22, right?”
Host and crowd : (laughing)
tetsu : So on my label I wrote : “The 23-ish looking tetsu.”
(More laughter)
Host : I guess you must have spent quite a bit of money on the drinks there?
tetsu : Mmhmm…
Host : So its expensive…
tetsu : Mmhmm…