L'Arc~Compendium

– By middle school, did you know what you wanted to be later on?
[In middle school, well…… I remember kinda wanting to run my own store. It would have been either a toy store, or a fancy goods store. Fancy goods, that has an old-sounding ring to it (laughs). I didn’t want to be a salaryman, but in middle school I didn’t have any other ideas besides maybe running a store.]

– Was your middle school somewhere you could walk to from home?
[I went on my bike. But, actually, I was close enough that I was supposed to come on foot, so I’d ride my bike halfway, find somewhere to park my bike while I was at school, and then walk the rest of the way.]

– What kind of clubs did you join during that time?
[I didn’t join any. Just the go-home club(1). At one point, I did join the baseball club. I didn’t have a choice. The soccer club had gotten disbanded. So I tried the baseball club, but I didn’t go much. Soooometimes I’d say “I’m bored, maybe I’ll go to the batting center,” so I’d go borrow a bat from the baseball club. Besides that, I never practiced, but I was a great hitter (laughs). Even got home runs. When I did that, the teacher in charge of our club couldn’t find anything to say to the guys who practiced to exhaustion every day. Since the guy who only showed up once in a while, for the hell of it, was hitting better than the guys who put everything they had into the sport. I must have been a problem for that teacher. Besides, I was already putting all my youthful energy into dashing home as soon as classes were over.]

– What was your reason for rushing back home so quickly?
[I actually don’t really remember what I did when I came home (laughs). What I do remember is that a senpai, two grades above me in the same middle school, lived across the street. I used to go over there to play. I’d come home from school, dump my stuff in my room, and then head over there right away. Sometimes I didn’t even bother going home after school, I’d just go straight there. And, ken-chan came over to that house, too (laughs). During middle school, me and that senpai and ken-chan hung out together. Around supper time, we’d each head back to our own homes, or something like that.]

– When the three of you got together in that room, what did you do?
[We hung out and listened to records. When something new came out, one of the three would buy it. We’d all listen to it, talk about it, then go “Who’s gonna buy the next one?”. With the three of us buying different things and borrowing each other’s records, we got to hear a lot of stuff, didn’t we? And we took turns going out to buy them. It was an effective way to use our pocket money.]

– What was the new music you were buying back then?
[Scorpions were huge back then. Micheal Schenker (Group), Whitesnake(2)…… That was a good time for heavy metal and hard rock.]

– You could say that you are the way you are now because you had gone through that lifestyle of collecting and listening to music.
[That has some truth to it. But I liked to listen to music even before that, ever since fifth or sixth year of elementary school. It was around middle school that I got into hard rock and heavy metal, though. The first time I touched an instrument was at that senpai’s house. He played guitar.]

– Was that the first time you were in a band?
[That was in middle school. But that was just friends playing together rather than coming together as a band. The most we did was put on a show at the school bunkasai (3)]

– How were your study habits during middle school?
[Besides school, I went to cram school, and I had a private tutor. I guess that covered it.]

– A private tutor! Did you get good grades?
[Not really. I hardly studied at all, in middle school. But I had to get ready for high school entrance exams somehow, so my parents got me the tutor.]

– I see (laughs). In middle school, you start new subjects, like English. Did you take much interest in learning English?
[English, well, I hated my English teacher~ (bitter laugh). Since I hated my teacher, I ended up hating the subject, and I really regret that now. I wished I’d tried harder with English, so now I find myself wishing I’d had a better teacher. That school’s English teacher was a person I couldn’t accept anything from. Also, that teacher wasn’t originally from Kansai, so I never got any of his jokes(4). It was a man. I must not have been very humane with him.]

– Then, your teachers had a huge influence on whether you liked a class or not.
[Absolutely. That’s why I think people should think carefully before becoming teachers. How are you going to go about teaching?]

– But before becoming a teacher, you need to take education courses at a university and successfully graduate in order to get a teacher’s certificate. Furthermore, you need to pass the teacher’s qualification test, and then find a school that has an opening.
[You can get through that whole process just by studying. People can still become teachers without a shred of human personality! If you’re a little brainy, you can probably get far by studying, but I think a lot of teachers do that and still fall into the “Not good with people” category.]

– On the other hand, have you had any teachers that charmed you into thinking they were wonderful people?
[My cram school teacher, and one of my regular school teachers. And my high school homeroom teacher was good, too.]

– How was that impressive teacher from middle school?
[It wasn’t my homeroom teacher or anything; I hardly had any contact with him. But, he was interesting and came during recess, for fun. He was a male teacher, but he really fit in with the students (laughs). So much that we’d ask “Are you really a teacher?!” I liked that about him. He did lots of extracurricular work and clubs after school. Those activities were linked to classes, so everyone had to participate in something. Whenever that teacher was there, I went to club meetings (laughs). Like I was following him. I think it was in third year of middle school? That teacher started a volunteer club. When I asked “What’s a volunteer club for?” he said “It’s dumb! I really wanted to call it the ‘walking club’, but if I made a club like that, the other teachers’d be pissed off, so the volunteer club walks around town picking up trash. That’s just what it’s called. Really, all we do is take walks!” (Both laugh hard). So, I went for walks with that club every time. We’d pick a path for the walk, like around the school, or to the train station. And if we happened to find trash along the way, then soooometimes we’d pick it up (laughs). The teacher said “That’s good enough!” (both laugh). Great volunteer club, isn’t it?]

– Was your middle school uniform a normal school uniform?
[It was. I wore the short jacket. And slim pants. I was picky about that.]

– I can imagine (laughs). What about your bag?
[It was thin, but didn’t always look that way.]

– Of course, you didn’t take your textbooks home, did you?
[I left them all at school, probably (laughs).]

– Where did you go for your end of middle school trip?
[We went to Kyuushuu. On the Shinkansen (5). We stayed next door to this lady’s house. She came over to talk with the girls, saying things like “It looks like XX has a crush on ya.” (both laugh) “Whaddya mean?” “Well, it’s hard to explain…” and so on (laughs).]

– What were you like in class, during middle school?
[A plain kid. I didn’t stand out.]

– Was bullying ever a problem for you?
[It was never anything serious, but I did get teased a bit.]

– Do you think bullying in schools had a different meaning then compared to how things are now?
[I think serious bullying was a problem then, same as it is now. But at my school, we never had a problem serious enough to lead to someone’s death.]

– Would you say it was a pretty severe era for school violence?
[There was some regular violence in my school. It was normal to see broken windows. I contributed to some of it, actually. But, I’ve been on the receiving end, too. Looking back now, it really wasn’t much. But, the way it happened was that a group of people ganged up on me, specifically intending to pick on me. I don’t think it was all that unusual. I guess it can’t be helped. So, I don’t think there’s been much change since then in the degree of violence and bullying that goes on in schools. I think the shady stuff that happened back then still goes on these days. Anyway, I can’t say I’ve never been picked on. I did some bullying, and on the other hand, I got bullied. Maybe that’s part of what makes people stronger……. That’s why I can understand what both sides go through.]

– These days, lots of kids suffer because they get picked on. Now that you’re an adult, are there any words of advice you could offer them?
[Hmm…… First of all, don’t ever consider suicide. Taking your own life is the one thing you should absolutely never do. Maybe your situation seems so horrible that you’re contemplating doing that, but even so, you absolutely cannot give up and die.]

– So your message is that no matter how bad things get, never commit suicide.
[There are always excuses for why bullies pick on people, and there are reasons why their victims are the ones being picked on. I can’t offer any explanations for it, though. I really think bullying is a case by case thing. Some kids will kill themselves anyway, even if you say “Don’t die over something this trivial.” Other people get the same treatment and only go as far as saying “The bastards doing this to me are too cruel to be called human.” It’s case by case, so I don’t think it can be solved so simply. Still, I think you should never go as far as taking your own life.]

– That goes for everyone, not just people who get bullied, right?
[That reminds me, I saw something on TV about bullies who actually killed someone, by lynching. The victim’s parents were on TV, too. There were a lot of people involved in the incident. Those kids are adults, by now. They committed murder, but since it happened when they were underage, they can live a normal life, going about their business as if nothing had ever happened. But that means they’re going about life without having had to make up for what they did to that kid; they didn’t even have to present themselves to his butsudan (6). The assailants’ parents moved on, too. Their excuses were even worse. “It’s already happened, so there’s nothing we can do about it,” they said. That’s what they said to the victim’s parents. “Your kid will have another life, now. Don’t keep bringing up the past and dragging our kid down.” And they just murdered someone, didn’t they? Can you believe that?]

– I would have to say that’s crazy.
[So, if the parents are like that, it figures they raised that kind of kid. The parents were responsible, and so were the teachers. They didn’t raise a human being. That’s why I think you shouldn’t have kids thoughtlessly. Honestly, don’t have kids if you aren’t going to dedicate yourself to raising them. I don’t think unprepared people should have kids.]

– In reality, it’s difficult to realize the extent of the responsibilities involved in raising a child.
[That’s true. But I think that if you don’t raise your kids properly, it’ll come back to haunt you when they’re older. When raising a kid, I think their education until about age three is critically important. If you neglect that, there will be a cost, and I think it will manifest itself in that child’s future life. I think that if I were ever to become a father, I’d shower the child with love.]

-Interviewer : Toujou Sachie
Translated by Natalie Arnold.

1. In Japan, middle and high school students have tons of after-school club activities available to them. These can range from sports to student politics to volunteering and even more. Almost every student joins at least one club. Those who choose not to are said to be in the go-home club, because they go straight home after classes. Go back.

2. All these artists were mentioned and footnoted back in Chapter 05. Go back.

3. Bunkasai, which translates as “cultural festival,” is a yearly event in Japanese schools. Students put on shows, either with friends, with their clubs, or with their classmates. People living near the school are invited to attend and enjoy the student’s shops, decorations, and performances. Go back.

4. Kansai, the western side of Honshuu, Japan’s main island, contains Osaka, Kobe, Kyoto, and many smaller cities. It has its own distinct dialect, which is especially prominent in Osaka itself. Also, it’s often said that people from Kansai are better comedians than any other Japanese. Go back.

5. Also known as the bullet train, these incredibly fast trains can reach speeds of 300 km/h. They connect Tokyo to all of Honshuu and even to the north tip of Kyuushuu. Go back.

6. A butsudan is a Buddhist altar kept in one’s home. They serve to commemorate deceased family members. Offerings to the Buddha can be placed there, as it serves as a place of prayer. Keep in mind that the Buddhist faith believes in reincarnation. Go back.

– You don’t smoke at all, right?
[That’s right. I never have.]

– Isn’t that rather unusual? For a man. Do you have smokers around you?
[I do. Quite a few. Until recently, ken-chan didn’t smoke either. He took it up about five or six years ago. ken-chan and I grew up together, and we’ve been in the band together for a long time, too. For the longest time we were the only two out of all the members who didn’t smoke. Also, the drummer we had in the past didn’t smoke, and neither does the president of the record company L’Arc is associated with.]

– How unexpected. tetsu-san, does anyone in your family smoke?
[Nobody smoked at our home.]

– I suppose that must have been a large influence, right?
[It might have been, but basically, I hate the smell of it. I don’t even like perfumes. Especially since the scent of tobacco clings to clothes and hair, it really stinks doesn’t it? I hate that.]

– So then tetsu-san, you’d be a bit harsh with a girl who smokes, wouldn’t you?
[I fundamentally hate it. I don’t think it’s cool, and if I had a girlfriend who was a smoker, I’d want her to quit. Otherwise, she’d have to go smoke somewhere else, where I’m not around. Doing that would make it painful to be together. If she didn’t quit, it would mean she likes smoking more than she likes me.]

– But, I’d have thought that by the time you got to middle school, some of your friends would have started experimenting with smoking. Didn’t they ever tell you “Have a smoke?”
[It happened, but even though they said things like that, I just refused. Eventually, they got the message that “This guy don’t smoke” and stopped asking. One thing I hated was how everyone hid their smoking. From their parents and teachers. I never saw anything cool about it, at all. Also, everyone who started smoking always said that it tasted horrible, right? I’d ask “Is it good? How’s it taste?” and they’d say something like “I can’t stand the flavour, but I’ll smoke cause it’s cool.” To me, that was incredibly uncool. They were doing that just to look good. That sort of thing isn’t cool, don’t bother with it. So, I’ve never ever wanted to smoke.]

– I understand completely.
[And then, the school toilets would be full of smokers in hiding. Those guys were like “Hey, you smoke too?” to anyone who came in…]

– Ah, so they were the Nobita-kun(1) type of kids, weren’t they?
[Yeah yeah yeah, actually, that’s insulting for Nobita-kun (laughs). Yeah, and wasn’t it mostly the kids no one wanted anything to do with who tried to be cooler by smoking? And then those kids were happy teacher’s pets. But actually, they were smoking in secret. “The hell? You smoke too?” or something. Seeing that sort of scheme didn’t make me think smoking was cool.]

– There aren’t many kids who see things as objectively as you do, tetsu-san.
[That’s not true~, there might be some who take the simple approach about what’s cool. In some ways, I’ve been warped, and I approach things diagonally. There are things the world considers right that I simply don’t agree with, and there are things considered cool that I simply don’t agree with, either. Whatever it is, I start by questioning it. “Is this really cool?” “It it really fun?” I can only respond to things that make it through my personal filter.]

– You’ve been that way since you were quite young, haven’t you?
[Yeah. I don’t like letting people lead me astray. You could say smoking doesn’t count as leading astray because people say it’s alright, but try asking the non-smokers who have to put up with smoke. How many cigarettes does a non-smoker inhale just by being in the same room as smokers? Having the smell cling to your clothes, bags, and hair is bad enough, isn’t it? And it’s dangerous to walk and smoke. Right now, in Japan, the mentality is that the non-smokers should shoulder the burden, but I think it should be the other way around. Smokers should take non-smokers into consideration when they’re going to smoke.]

– You’d like to see more non-smoking areas in Japan, then.
[That’s right. I think that’s the way developed countries are heading. It used to not even be prohibited in hospitals, right? It’s nothing like that in America. A lot of Japanese think they’re acting like Americans by smoking everywhere, but actually they’re ahead in banning it. Right now in America, it seems not smoking is being promoted, so non-smokers are the cool ones. I think I’d like Japan to learn a lesson from America as far as that goes.]

-Interviewer : Harada Sachi
Translated by Natalie Arnold.

1. Nobita-kun is the main character of the incredibly long-running children’s series Doraemon. The basic premise of the show is that Nobita-kun was so incompetent in life that his future descendants sent a robot back in time to help make him into less of a failure. Go back.

– Was there always music in your home, growing up? If your parents liked music and constantly had records playing, maybe that had an influence on you.
[It wasn’t like that at all. My parents were the kind of people who never listened to any music. They’re still like that.]

– Did you take any music lessons, like for the organ or piano or something?
[No, I didn’t. We had a piano at home, but I could never play anything beyond ‘Nekohunjatta’(1).]

– I think you would have been in fifth or sixth grade when when music programs like ‘The Best Ten’ were becoming popular.
[That was earlier, actually. When I was starting elementary school, I watched ‘Best Ten’ every week. Rather than say I watched it, it’s more like that’s what was playing on our living room TV. I moved forward with music on my own, when I started listening to radio and buying records around fifth and sixth grade. Before that, I only heard about music shows when they naturally made their way to me.]

– A lot of popular songs were very typical of that era. Of the popular songs you heard back then, are there any that left a lasting impression on you?
[I like Sawada Kenji, Julie, a lot. That was probably around third or fourth grade. After all, his looks were awesome!]

– Was the first record you bought one of Julie’s?
[I don’t think I got as far as buying his records.]

– Did you ever sing one of Julie’s songs in front of an audience?
[In elementary school, during a recess, I got up on stage and did a Julie impression (laughs). I didn’t go alone though. A friend came with me.]

– Did you enjoy your music classes in school?
[I hated music class. Music isn’t something you can appreciate that way.]

– So, around fifth and sixth grade, you began to actively seek out music to listen to. What was the first music you had an opportunity to listen to?
[It was probably YMO. Or Ippudo or something. They were on TV or radio; back then everyone listened to the radio, didn’t they? And YMO and Ippudo were popular then, right? So of course, it was normal that their music would get to me, too. Until then, all the music I heard came from idols who were on TV alot, or from checking the hits on the radio. When I first heard YMO and Ippudo, I felt they were refined, or polished. Even though I was a kid. In terms of fashion, and of the music they made too, they still seem different from anything else out there, don’t they? Then, around the start of middle school I gradually bought more and more records. That time was the New Romantics Boom, so that’s the kind of music that was in. I listened to Duran Duran and stuff, I think.](2)

– Duran Duran certainly were exemplary of that boom. Also, they were the most popular.
[After that, there was a metal boom around the world. Ozzie Osbourne and the like would play regularly on ‘MTV’. We had the L.A. Metal Boom, too(3). With Mötley crüe and Ratt and stuff. That sort of music was getting to be common, and it played on ‘MTV’, which made it more popular. I listened to that kind of music. That’s what got me to listen to hard rock and heavy metal. At first, it was all western music, but then I found out there were Japanese bands like that, too. I got into Japanese metal, like Loudness, Earthshaker, or 44Magnum. Then, I eventually found out about the world of indie music, and started listening to some of that. That must have been around my first or second year of high school. Then I discovered Dead End. Dead End wasn’t one of those popular bands that were on TV.]

– Did you ever encounter any music that had more impact on your life than Dead End?
[Not by a long shot. Knowing them has put me through more emotions than anything else.]

– Do you feel encountering music has caused big changes in your own life?
[It has. Once I encountered music, I started playing some myself, and that led to making my own music. And so, that’s why I do this kind of work now. Of course encountering music changed my life. It’s the one thing in my life I’m passionate about. The one encounter I feel so strongly about …… I’m incredibly glad… that I can say it was music.]

– Even though it was such a powerful encounter, you couldn’t have known if it would ever stop being a hobby, if you would ever turn pro. What do you think it was that made things turn out the way they did?
[A little effort and luck. It’s probably a bit different than in sports. There, you can probably make it on pure skill. But in music, skill alone won’t be enough to make you a pro. Being cool won’t be enough. In the end, it’s a question of balance between many things, especially talent and luck. Even if you’re lucky enough to become a pro, you could get stuck with very controlling, restrictive people. I think that’s where luck is most important.]

– What advice would you give to people who are currently trying to become pro musicians?
[Nothing. It’s not like what you’re dreaming about. How about “Give up”? (bitter laugh). It’s just that if you don’t have the skill, it’ll be harder than getting into Toudai(4). Getting into Toudai, you can pull that off just by studying, studying, and studying, right? But with music, you have to practice and practice, even after you become a studio musician.]

– It’s about as likely as winning the lottery, right? The odds of success, I mean.
[That’s right. That’s why I’m deeply grateful, even for the stormy parts (laughs).]

– Hold on to that sentiment.
[So, you know, I don’t let myself get too wrapped up in ecstasy. It’s the entertainment business. I’m extremely happy that I’ve been able to get this far with music. There are people I want to make music for, and that motivates me. I’m truly happy.]

-Interviewer : Toujou Sachie
Translated by Natalie Arnold.

1. Nekohunjatta means “I stepped on the cat”. It’s the title of a simple piano tune that serves as an easy piece for beginners. Go back.

2. All these artists were mentioned and footnoted back in Chapter 05. The New Romantics Boom was also explained there. Go back.

3. The L.A. Metal boom was thrash music, which is essentially any fast metal-punk fusion with no screaming. Mötley crüe and Ratt were typical of the style.Go back.

4. Toudai, short for Tokyo Daigaku, is the name of Japan’s most elite university. It has an extremely difficult entrance exam, and only admits the brightest of high school graduates. Go back.

– When you were in elementary school, what did you want to be when you grew up?
[Growing up… everyone has to be something when they grow up, right? We all need to get a job and live independently. The only thing I knew was that I didn’t want to become another salaryman. Since the very beginning of school.]

– What could have made you think that way?
[Ever since I was little, I didn’t want to have the same stuff as everyone else, I didn’t want to look like everyone else, I didn’t want the same haircut as everyone else……. I didn’t like any of the big trends. Somehow, I did things differently. But I wasn’t exactly trying to get attention. Actually, I’m pretty shy. But, for some reason, it was natural for me not to gently go along and agree with what everyone else said. I had different tastes, compared to the people around me. I wasn’t choosing to be different so that I’d stand out, I just naturally always preferred different things. So I didn’t want to have a job that followed that salaryman pattern, getting up at a set time every day, going to work, coming home at a set time, and repeating the same cycle every day until the weekend. I didn’t have anything in particular in mind as a goal for when I grew up, but I was absolutely sure that I didn’t want to be a salaryman.]

– You said you weren’t trying to stand out, but you also said you knew you were making different choices than everyone else. When did you first start being conscious of that
[I noticed it in elementary school. My pencil cases, shitajiki (1), notebooks… I wouldn’t use anything except the ones I liked enough to pick for myself.]

– Did you choose what to buy for yourself at that age?
[I can’t say I shopped for myself, because at that age, your parents have final say in what gets bought, don’t they? But, if I didn’t like something, I’d say “No! Don’t want that.” (laughs) My parents, they were just glad I was studying. “This kid won’t use what we buy if he doesn’t like it, so we might as well let him choose.” Sometimes, they’d buy something they thought I would like. I just wound up repeating “No! I’m not gonna use that.”]

– Did you go to school in a group?
[Yeah. I walked to school with the other kids.]

– What style was your uniform?
[The top was a blazer. I think the bottom was shorts…. There were long pants, too, but I only remember wearing the short ones.]

– Somehow, I can imagine that! (smiles)
[I wore jeans, too (laughs).]

– Whaaat? You went to school in jeans?
[I think jeans were OK, at that school. I think as long as you were wearing the blazer, they didn’t really care what pants you wore with it. Oh, and when I wore the jeans, I told everyone “I want you all to call me the undercover cop.” (both laugh). And I always wore red underpants when I went to school. But my parents said “Don’t wear that, it’s too flashy.” That made me upset (laugh).]

– Why did you want to wear red underpants?
[Because Toshi-chan (Tahara Toshihiko) (2) wore them on TV! (laughs) I must have seen that and thought “Red underpants are cool!” or something like that. But my parents said “No, it’s too flashy,” right? But it’s not like there was anything in the school rules that said “You may not wear red underpants,” so I was upset.]

– I see. Did you enjoy the elementary school life?
[Well…… I guess so (laughs). At that age, going to school every day is fun, isn’t it?]

– Did you start going to cram school (3) during that period, and do you remember anything you learned back then?
[I did go to cram school. I think I went to two, over that whole period. I went to Kumon. Even though I thought “This is pointless,” I went anyway. “All they do is pass out printouts! Easy cram school.” (laughs) I mean, they just expected us to learn from printouts. All the teacher did was mark them. Really, really! (laughs) So even though I went to cram school, it really felt more like after-school playtime. I don’t remember a single thing I learned~. The teacher was a hysteric old lady. I really didn’t like her. But, I only went there for one or two years. The cram school I went to later on had a much better teacher. Did the job properly. That teacher put enthusiasm into teaching. Also, the school was run by just that one teacher. We got to hear a lot of stories that weren’t related to studying. That made it more interesting. But, that teacher passed away. A little while ago. I kept going to that same cram school past the end of elementary school, into middle school. It was around middle school that I started wanting a band. When I was busy with band practice, I’d say “I’ve been kinda busy, so I didn’t do my homework~” or something. But the teacher at that cram school really was a good one. That teacher even started calling me “Tamasaburou.” (4) Because, I was growing my hair out and it was getting long. I must have looked so girly (laughs).]

– I can imagine a voice saying “Tamasaburou, did you do your homework?” (laughs)
[Yeah, yeah (laughs). No one but that teacher ever called me Tamasaburou.]

– Going back to elementary school, when you went with your parents to buy clothes, did you choose everything they bought for you?
[That’s right. I thought that was the obvious way to do things. But isn’t that how all kids are these days? When I see my nephews or my friends’ kids, when they don’t like something they say “Don’t want it!” Even two and three year-olds do that, don’t they? I think kids today choose for themselves.]

– Now about your parents. Parents buy things for their kids that they would like if they were kids themselves. They imagine “If I buy this, they’ll be surprised, they’ll be happy,” when they buy those treats.
[That’s just the parent’s ego, isn’t it? It’s the same as with a pet dog or cat. If you decide to dress them up, it’s because you wanted to. I think it’s the same thing with the parent’s ego.]

– I see. So, what kind of games did you play when you were in elementary school? Boys like to make forts and things…
[Yeah, yeah, I built secret bases! I also did rollerskating, and was in a gang of bikers, with bicycles.]

– That’s the first time I’ve ever heard of bikers on bicycles. (laughs)
[We were the bicycle biker gang. And I was the leader! We took our bikes to the smaaaaallest alleys we could find and zoomed around as fast as we could. With lots of squeaky noises. ……That was kinda dangerous, wasn’t it? (laughs). Looking back now, I don’t think we had too many accidents. Still, we were pretty reckless. We mostly crashed into ditches and gutters. It was still a dangerous game, though. That’s why I wound up with a ton of little injuries. I bled a lot (laughs).]

– Where did you make your secret bases?
[In the places where they kept construction materials, or in vacant lots.]

– Did you keep your secret treasures there?
[Yeah, I did (laughs). But I can’t talk about it to anyone except that group of friends.]

– Were you the type who was serious about schoolwork?
[Not really. But there was a time when I was really fired up about studying. Around third grade. It was like studying became my hobby, at least for that little while (laughs). It was a short phase, but it was intense! I went through tons of pencils and erasers! Cause I was studying so much. During that phase, a new eraser would last me about a week. You could say it was my studying boom, that one moment in my life. (laughs)]

– What was it that triggered your studying boom?
[I’m not sure what started it, and I’m not sure what stopped it, either (laughs). But that could very well be the time I studied the most in my entire life (laughs).]

– Summer vacation is longer for elementary schools, so they gave a lot of homework, didn’t they? Did you do your homework and assignments at the times you were supposed to do them?
[No way! Either I wouldn’t do it, or I’d just barely do it. Or I’d cram it all into the last three days of August. That’s how I was.]

– Which subjects did you like most? For example, what did you think of phys ed?
[I didn’t hate it… but I did hate having to get changed for it (laughs).]

– I thought you’d have been good at phys ed.
[I had good reflexes, so I was one of the fastest runners in my class. And I was especially good at those floor exercises we did in gym class. There was a lot of gymnastics involved in those, right? Sometimes the teacher said “Go show everyone how it’s done,” to me, and I went up in front of everybody. I guess my form was pretty. For the vaulting horse, it wasn’t so much my jumping, but rather my landing form that was nice, or so I was told.]

– Even though you weren’t taking gymnastics lessons?
[Yeah. I guess it’s one of my talents. It wasn’t something I learned to do by practicing a lot.]

– Were you on any class committees?
[Only in high school. Not in elementary or middle school.]

– One of the fun parts of elementary school is that they provide lunch. How was your school lunch?
[It was good. But, I was pickier about food back then. Fish, onions, peppers… I hated bitter food, so I’d eat everything I liked but leave that part. But I had a mean teacher. After lunch, it’s supposed to be recess, but that teacher made us stay in our seats until we’d eaten everything. I felt sorry for the girls who couldn’t eat any more. There were always kids like that. But then again… was it really mean spirited? These days, doing something like that would cause trouble. But back then, lots of teachers did it, didn’t they? Lots of teachers would be considered a bit crazy these days. I don’t think today’s teachers are better, but there used to be a lot of bad teachers.]

– Do you remember what your favourite lunch was?
[Curry noodles. I think I liked that.]

– Oh, and where did you go for your end of elementary school trip?
[We went to Ise.]

– What kind of student were you, in the classroom?
[The kind that doesn’t stand out, probably. I didn’t really want to stand out, but I guess I stuck out inconspicuously (laughs). I wasn’t first, but I liked coming in second or third.]

– Which of the anime you saw in elementary school left a lasting impression on you?
[I hated [(Uchuu Senkan) Yamato]. I liked Matsumoto Leiji’s [(Ginga Tetsudou) 999], but [Yamato] left me cold (5). I didn’t get it. “This is stupid!” “There’s no way anyone would do that!” I’d say (laughs). I liked the movie version of [999] more than the TV series. Other things I liked in elementary school was [(Dr. Slump) Arale-chan] and [Pataliro] (6). I loved those! Now that I think about it calmly, Arale-chan is my ideal woman!]

– She’s small, smart, has a sense of humour, and she’s cute, too.
[I have a glasses fetish, so I like girls who look good with glasses.]

– Looking back on [Pataliro], it was a surrealistic anime, wasn’t it?
[It had gay characters way back then (laughs). But there were a lot of old anime like it. [Sasuke] and stuff like that scared me (7). I saw it in the early years of elementary school, so maybe it was just the theme music that scared me.]

– What did your room look like? For example, did you have posters of idols you liked, or just wallpaper instead?
[I had posters of anime I liked. But, you know, there really weren’t any idols I liked.]

– Did you have puramoderu for decoration? (8)
[I had GunPura (Gundam Puramoderu) here and there, for decoration. I wasn’t really collecting them, but I did end up with quite a few of them.]

-Interviewer : Toujou Sachie
Translated by Natalie Arnold.

1. Shitajiki are usually called pencil boards in English. They’re boards of plastic, smaller than most sheets of paper, used under pages in order to have something stiff to write on. Often, they are printed with images, so some people even start shitajiki collections. Go back.

2. Tahara Toshihiko was an actor/singer who got his start fairly early in life. His official site has more information. Go back.

3. Cram schools, called juku in Japanese, are prep schools aimed at getting students better prepared for entrance exams later on in their education. At the elementary school level, they mostly focus on giving kids extra tutoring. There is no negative stigma associated with this tutoring. In fact, it’s usually the smarter kids who take these lessons. One of the best-known juku in the world is Kumon, which has expanded its service to most of the globe. Go back.

4. Tamasaburou was the name of a kabuki actor famous for his convincing portrayals of female characters. The name has come to be associated with long-haired pretty boys, and many such characters in anime and manga are thus called Tamasaburou. Go back.

5. In English, Space Battleship Yamato. It and Galaxy Express 999 were both directed by Matsumoto Leiji and were quite popular series. Go back.

6. Dr. Slump Arale-chan was the first anime series to be based off Toriyama Akira’s manga. Later, better known ones, are the various Dragonball series. Go back.

7. Pataliro was a romantic comedy aimed at girls, often credited with being the first anime to feature homosexual characters. Sasuke was a ninja anime that would have aired earlier than the other titles mentioned. Go back.

8. Puramoderu comes from the English “Plastic Model”. They’re those plastic model kits based on various robot anime. Gundam ones are probably the most common kind. Go back.

– About your first love : what kind of girl was she?
[First love……? What do you mean by first love?]

– I mean, the first time you had a crush on a girl.
[Ah…. Um, well, I don’t remember~ (laughs). I think the first time I thought a girl was cute was back around preschool or elementary school, though.]

– Did you have a crush on your teacher?
[I had no interest in my teachers. Even the youngest teachers are at least in their twenties, aren’t they? To me, at that age, a woman in her twenties was already an “old lady,” you know? (laughs) I had no interest in those old ladies.]

– Do you remember what kind of girl you found cute?
[She was a short girl. Short was cute for me.]

– Between elementary school and high school, behaviour towards crushes starts to change, right? Was it around then that a girl first confessed her feelings to you?
[I got Valentine’s Day chocolate. But, it wasn’t really a confession, more like just a gift (laughs). In year four or five of elementary school, things don’t develop beyond that, do they? (laughs) I didn’t hate getting the chocolate. Also, I kinda bragged to guy friends “Check it out! I got some.” On Valentine’s Day, I forget if it was inside my desk or something, but I found the chocolate. When I brought it up, one guy who hadn’t gotten any said “You bought that yourself, didn’t ya?” (Both laugh). I said “Nope! See, there’s a letter,” and showed it to him (laughs). At the time, a lot of kids didn’t get any chocolate. Only some of the guys did.]

– And you were one of those few.
[(Smiling and nodding) Yup!!]

– Around that age, boys and girls start to get interested in the opposite sex, right? In the lower grades, most boys absolutely refuse to hold a girl’s hand or anything like that. Were you that type of kid?
[No, I wasn’t. I was always perfectly fine with holding hands. There would be folk dances in gym class sometimes, right? Sometimes the girls would refuse to hold hands, too. If I was partnered with one of them, I’d just grab her hand and go “It don’t mean nothing!” (both laugh). To me, holding hands was normal.]

– So when you were partnered with that kind of person, you just went ahead and grabbed their hand. Boys like that are an incredible minority, but they do exist (laughs).
[Guess so. I didn’t like to just barely hold hands, where it’s only the fingertips that actually touch each other. It’s unnatural, isn’t it? Personally, I thought “I don’t feel anything special towards you. It’s just holding hands.” (both snicker)]

– I seee~. Were you the type who would discuss love and relationships with your friends? Like a relationship counselor or something (laughs).
[I played cupid sometimes. I liked doing that sort of thing. I guess I started doing that around middle school. I was a pretty good cupid, but it didn’t always work out. I’d say “I’ll go talk to her,” but then it would be me who would end up getting closer. To the girl (both laugh).]

– Then you weren’t a cupid, but more like a devil (laughs).
[Girls would come to me and say “I think OO-chan likes XX-kun,” and we’d discuss it, you know? But then, I’d gradually start becoming close to the girl who came to talk to me. There was a pattern like that. …….. Does that mean I’m evil? (laughs)]

– That could drive friends apart, eventually. (laughs)
[I was the bad guy (laughs).]

– Around middle school, guys and girls start to mix more……
[That’s true. I went out with a girl who looked like Eru-chan from [The Kabocha Wine](1). And she was taller than me.]

– What made you want to go out with her?
[It just sort of happened. That’s all (laughs).]

– Well, that doesn’t sound very mature~ (laughs).
[No, really! I’ve always been like that (laughs). That’s how it’s been for everyone I’ve dated. It just happens. Either it happened naturally, or we were set up by friends. I date people I happen to notice, that’s all. That’s why when people ask “Do you really love her?” I don’t know how to answer (laughs bitterly). It’s because of my casual approach.]

– I see. What did you do with girls when you were in middle school?
[We had an exchange diary (laughs). We’d trade it after school. I kept it in the basket on my bike, or ask my friends to hide it, or keep it in my desk and make sure everyone else left class before me. That’s how it was.]

– What kind of things did you write in the diary every day?
[Normal diary stuff (laughs). What happened today, and how it turned out. I don’t really remember. But, writing in it ended up being a pain (laughs).]

– Did you write “I love you” or any other love notes?
[No, I didn’t.]

– Did you go to the movies for your dates?
[Yeah, we did! We went to see [High Teen Boogie](2) (Both snicker). We went with another couple, though.]

– Did you date any girls that you had liked first and confessed to yourself?
[I’ve never confessed to anyone. Like I said, I just happened to date people naturally. But, I still remember everyone I’ve ever gone out with. I’m grateful to all of them. I’m where I am because of them (laughs).]

– Did you still keep exchange diaries in high school? (laughs)
[No, I didn’t (laughs).]

– Were you pretty popular in high school, since you had your band?
[I don’t really understand how being in a band makes anyone popular. Popularity had nothing to do with my wanting a band. I don’t understand people who say “I wanna be in a band so I’ll be popular.” (laughs). Specifically, I was in a Dead End cover band, so only people who knew about them would get it, right? I remember a lot of people saying “Ew, I don’t like this music.” Maybe we would have been popular doing a BOOWY cover band. I didn’t listen to BOOWY. Wanting to be in a band for the popularity, that never applied to me at all. It wasn’t until I got into the music world that I found out “guys in bands are popular.” So, I don’t think any of the girls I dated in high school wanted to go out with me just because I was in a band.]

– What did you do for fun on your dates during high school?
[We went to arcades, or to the park, or to the movies. And shopping! We’d go shopping for clothes together. And sometimes we went to concerts, too. Since we had the same interests, we could have fun together. On our dates. So, my high school girlfriend was a huge fan of Dead End, too.]

– You were together because you had the same interests, then.
[Liking Dead End was the biggest factor (laughs).]

– Of course, she must have come to your live shows, right?
[Yep. She put my stage outfits together (laughs brightly).]

-Interviewer : Toujou Sachie
Translated by Natalie Arnold.

1. The Kabocha Wine was a romantic comedy anime from the early 80s. Eru-chan (or L-chan) was the lead female character. Kabocha means pumpkin. Go back.

2. High Teen Boogie is a Japanese movie from 1982. It seems to be a bit of a classic, and featured many songs, some of which are still occasionally covered by new artists. Go back.

– Do you remember anything about preschool? Also, did you walk to preschool from home?
[No, I got a ride. On a bike.]

– With your mom?
[By my grandma, actually.]

– How long did you go?
[One year. Most people go for two, but I only went for one. I don’t really remember, but I probably didn’t like it much. So, I only went for the year right before I started elementary school.]

– What kind of preschool was it?
[A normal one. It was next to an elementary school.]

– Was there anything from your preschool days that left an impression on you?
[I had a friend who was really good at drawing. He was constantly giving me drawings of Mazinger Z (1). But I told him “Draw for me! Draw for me!” a lot.]

– You were probably in a class play, too.
[I think I was. I kind of remember seeing pictures of something like that.]

-Interviewer : Toujou Sachie
Translated by Natalie Arnold.

1. Mazinger Z was a children’s robot anime, with your typical giant robot piloted by teen who must save the world from evil demons type of plot. The show ran in the mid 70s and inspired a few movies, like most anime aimed at children do. Go back.

[If I’ve ever had an idol, it would have to be Billy Idol.]

– (laughs) Really?
[Really. But my first idol was probably Julie (Sawada Kenji)(1). From back when I was in elementary and middle school. On the way home from school, I’d pass a place where they had movie posters on display. They had posters for ‘Makai Tenshou’(2) with Julie as Amakusa Shiro on them. I remember thinking “Wow! Cool! I want that poster!” But they wouldn’t give me one.]

– Did you have posters of Julie in your room?
[No, I only had posters of (Lambourghini) Countachs (laughs).]

– Ahaha. What did you like about Julie?
[Of course, it was mostly his appearance. I liked men who wore make-up. That androgynous style.]

– Who were you interested in after Julie?
[Tsuchiya Masami-san (3), I think. And after him, Duran Duran. Their looks were cool, and I liked the music, too. I liked JAPAN’s (4) looks too, but I listened to their music and didn’t care much for it.]

– I bet you took a lot of those full-size portraits out of ‘Music Life’.
[Yeah, I did! And in ‘Young Guitar’ they had life size shots of guitarists’ hands. I used to compare my own hands to those. But showing their actual heads…… that was a great idea (laughs).]

– Later on, how did you progress?
[In middle school, it was Oosawa Yoshiyuki (5). The first time I saw the PV for his debut single, [Kanojou ni wa Wakaranai], I thought he was really cool. I liked the song, too. Later on it was Honda Yasuaki. (6) The Kyoukyoku boy he played in [Nerawareta Gakuen] was cool~. And after that I got into Billy Idol.]

– At last, the star’s grand entrance (laughs). But doesn’t he kind of deviate? From the rest.
[He is a little different. But I think that’s pretty cool, he’s my “anti-idol.” I thought the guitarist Steve Stevens was cool too. ……. Maybe I was more into him than Billy Idol (laughs). In middle school, I used to take a broom and pretend to play guitar like Steve Stevens. They’re a matched set. After that, I didn’t have any more idol-ish idols. I was never really the type to call myself a fan of someone, anyway.]

– Didn’t you ever have any female idols?
[Not a single one. Anyone you could name, I hated. They’re nothing but puppets acting like children. “You don’t write your own music! You don’t write your own lyrics!” I always thought.]

– You didn’t even think any of them were cute?
[No, I didn’t. I thought Kyonkyon (Koizumi Kyouko)’s type was cute, though. Asaka Yui, too. (7) But I still didn’t like them enough to consider myself a fan.]

– But tetsu-san, you don’t feel the same way about idol products, right?
[Ah, yeah, I do check out their products. Oh, I like Yazawa Ai’s manga [NANA], especially the band with Reira, Trance. (8) I wanna see something from that~. If I get the chance, I’d like to make a band exactly like that one.]

– That sounds very interesting.
[But I don’t want to do it if I’m not 100% sure there will be people listening to it (laughs).]

– (laughs) Out of all the people we’ve covered during this interview, is there anyone in particular you’d still like to meet?
[Not really. I don’t think there’s anyone I want to meet. That’s all from the past.]

– I’m sure there are a lot of younger musicians out there who have you as an idol, tetsu-san, and would like to meet you. What do you think of that?
[Well, it makes me very happy. A lot of young musicians tell me “I listen to L’Arc all the time,” or “My band does covers of you.” I’m getting old (laughs). It feels kinda strange.]

– How does it make you feel, knowing those people exist?
[Let’s see… I guess it feels cool, like I’ve really accomplished something.]

-Interviewer : Harada Sachi
Translated by Natalie Arnold.

1. Please see the old footnote from Chapter 05.Go back.

2. Makai Tenshou was an action/horror/samurai film from 1981, starring not only Julie, but also other big names of the time, such as Sonny Chiba. The title translates to ‘Samurai Reincarnation’. This movie was also the inspiration for the video game ‘Samurai Shodown’ which was also made into an anime. Go back.

3. Tsuchiya Masami was a member of the famous techno-pop group Ippudo. Again, please refer back to Chapter 05 where they were first mentioned. Go back.

4. JAPAN were a British group popular in the 70s. They were an immense success in Japan, especially early on. Later, they did collaborations with many artists, some of whom were Japanese. More information can be found here. Go back.

5. Oosawa Yoshiyuki was a solo singer. As above, he was previously mentioned in Chapter 05. The song title means ‘She doesn’t understand’. Go back.

6. Honda Yasuaki was a rock singer who later became an actor. He was a rather versatile idol. ‘Nerawareta Gakuen’ translates to ‘Targetted Academy’ and was the name of a TV drama he appeared in, which aired in 1982. His character was the ‘Kyoukyoku boy’, a term that only has meaning in the context of the program itself. Go back.

7. Koizumi Kyouko, nicknamed Kyonkyon, and Asaka Yui were both actresses and singers. They mostly appeared in TV dramas and just a few movies. Go back.

8. The manga [NANA] features two bands in its main storyline, Trapnest (aka Trance) and Black Stones (aka Blast). Actually, TETSU69 later did a song for the NANA tribute album, which was indeed for Trance. Also, this manga is being made into a movie at the time of this translation. Go back.

– Do you enjoy recording?
[It depends on the studio. There are studios I could stay in forever, and there are others where I can’t wait to be done so I can go home.]

– What makes for a good environment in a recording studio?
[It’s best if there’s a lot of space to relax in. Having a sofa is crucial. Sofas that are uncomfortable to sit and sleep on are the worst. Cause, sometimes I start thinking I’d like a nap, so I want to be able to get a good nap in at the studio. I don’t lie down to sleep, I just sleep while sitting. So uncomfortable sofas tire me out. I guess that’s a weird thing to be picky about.]

– Is that because your work takes such a long time?
[I can fall asleep anytime, anywhere. Hearing so much sound makes me sleepy, you know? Doesn’t going to lives make you sleepy? (laughs) It’s a great feeling, sleeping through explosion noises. I sleep a lot when I go to concerts. But, let’s not talk about that (laughs).]

– What makes recording sessions interesting?
[The process of slowly, progressively giving shape to something new is lots of fun. Songs, they come from a variety of different sounds, but gradually turn into something entirely different. Even I don’t always know what I’m going to contribute, but when it turns out even better than I’d imagined, it’s incredibly fun. The same goes for when we do the dubbing for things I came up with myself, and then the other members give their input, new sounds go into it, and there’s another transformation.]

– Does recording go any differently depending on whether it’s for L’Arc~en~Ciel or TETSU69?
[For my solo work, I make 100% of the decisions, so things get done a lot faster. With L’Arc, there are four of us in the band. We each have our own songs, and I participate as the bassist, giving my own opinion, but it’s comparatively not as simple. But our differences make it interesting.]

– L’Arc~en~Ciel’s first album ‘DUNE’ was released in 1993, over ten years ago. Have your recording methods changed over that period?
[Technology has advanced a lot, and that’s changed things, but I don’t think it’s only that. I think it feels different than it did back then. There were periods when we scrutinized everything carefully, others where we let it sound rough, we’ve had all sorts of different periods, so I think this is just another time around. If I had to compare, I’d say this one was simpler, probably.]

– When you’re doing vocals at a recording, what sort of condition do you have to be in?
[For my physical condition, it helps a lot to get as much sleep as possible the day before, and right before the recording, I warm myself up, because that helps keep my body relaxed.]

– Do you give yourself an emotional boost?
[I wouldn’t say I get very emotional, but being in the right mood helps me get my throat into the best possible condition.]

– Do you like the lighting to be dim, or the mics to be set up a certain way, or have any particular preferences like that?
[Not really, no.]

– When you sing, do you let yourself get pulled into the world of that song, or do you take a more instrumental approach, or perhaps something else entirely
[I think my approach is more instrumental, rather technical.]

– How many takes do you need to record something?
[The normal amount, I think. I don’t use too many takes to record, but not that few either. Well, I think my voice sounds smoother in the earlier takes. After singing the same thing too many times, my voice starts to loose its luster, but that happens to everyone, doesn’t it? But my throat is surprisingly strong, so I can sing for a long time and not get all that hoarse. Though, sometimes I can sing the part over and over and still not get a good take. Usually, I get a certain number of takes done, then listen to them all and select the one that turned out best. But lately, for recording, it hasn’t been getting the takes that drags on, I think it’s mostly been the editing.]

– Could you explain some points about the editing?
[That really varies from part to part, so I can’t say there’s any constant rule to it. For example, the vocal nuance from some part would fit better in a different part. It changes from place to place. Like, the pitch in this part will be a little high, but it sounds good, and the rhythm in another part would be better off standing out more. It all comes down to going through the song piece by piece and deciding what would suit that song best. I mean, recording a song is kind of similar to producing something in a factory. That’s how I’d like to think of it (laughs). Of course, when listening to the finished product, that process isn’t even remotely detectable, but that’s because it’s had finishing touches put on by professionals. Singing by getting wrapped up in emotions… that might not apply exclusively to Enka. Today’s recording techniques, and post-recording too, have done a lot to raise the level of polish we can achieve. I think it’s only natural that we constantly aim to produce better things. I think it applies to recording, too. If you think of it the same way as a live show, it won’t work. I think a live performance and recording studio work are completely different things. Recording work is different from lives because you can try it over and over again, you can take your time, and if you don’t like how it turns out, you can just start over. As long as you have the time and budget. You get the chance to build something. Of course, it’s always possible that it’ll be a rough process. With the help of technology, all sorts of creations are possible. It’s not like lives, where you have to be able to apply your judgement every instant. You can sleep on it, then come back the next day with a better idea. That’s what recording is all about.]

– However, you also need the ability to judge which takes are good, because you’ll have problems if you don’t have that sense of what’s OK, right?
[That’s right. In the end, I think it’s crucial to be able to do it all over until I can listen to it without feeling like something’s off. No compromises. Naturally, that means being able to listen to the piece from beginning to end without finding any worrisome bits, bits that need work, or bits that are no good at all. But before you can do any of that, you need that judgemental sense. You need to have a good ear, the same way you need an artist’s heart to paint. It’s not just a matter of using the right pitch for a given song. There are always cases where you might find that something a bit sharper or flatter works better. To fit the music, that is. Similarly, you can play around with power levels, handle your strings differently, modify your picking a little, and the sound will vary. If you want a certain part to sound stronger, you can try playing a little bit ahead of the rhythm, which speeds it up so it sounds cooler, but you can’t do that without a good sense of composition and structure, and you also need perseverance. Because recording is a process that gradually evolves, you need to be able to change your methods. I think being an artist, giving such precise attention to every piece of work feels like Sennin’s work secluded in the mountains (1). Because there’s still so much to do after the recording itself. And there are budget and timing considerations too. And it can happen that as the song progresses, rougher bits turn out to fit better. It’s like how you never want to eat nothing but French cuisine. Sometimes you want to eat junk food. If you feel like making junk food, that’s what you’ll be aiming for. That sort of thing happens with recording. That’s why I don’t think I get particularly wrapped up in the emotion behind a song.]

– But once it is completed, don’t you find yourself getting pulled back into the song because of the emotion being communicated through it?
[Well, of course, when it’s a human being singing, I don’t think it’s possible to never feel anything from it. But consciously, I don’t think I quite get pulled into its emotions, as you say. The phrase “I love you” can be in the lyrics, but thinking “I love you” isn’t the same thing as singing it. It doesn’t mean as much to me.]

– But for instance, if you were to sing “white snowflakes falling,” and got a sad feeling from picturing a scene with that falling snow, wouldn’t you expect that feeling of sadness to colour your singing voice?
[No, I don’t think that’s emotion, but rather the power of language. The soul of the words. When a voice utters the words “white snow,” somehow it brings the soul of those words to life. So I don’t think its necessary to put any human emotion into singing “white snow”; it’s enough just to sing it and the words will evoke that scenery on their own. That happens once the words are heard. The end result can accomplish that every time someone listens to it. Even if there was no emotional input while singing, those feelings will come through upon listening.]

– So then, aren’t you effectively saying you don’t get emotional at all about what you’re singing?
[When Kitano Takeshi-san(2) makes a movie, I’ve heard that he doesn’t explain what kind of acting he wants to see for each scene, but just tells his actors to perform. So actually, the actors just go along with the setting and do what they can without really knowing what he expects of them. When they get to see the results, they go “Wow, so that’s what kind of scene it was!” Even though they didn’t originally think their acting would turn out that way. Sometimes, I think that’s a good way to go about things. Just going along with the sounds, instead.]

– Because focusing too much on the goal makes it harder to actually reach.
[But sometimes it can go wrong, right? If you purposely drift off, you’ll start to mess up, and next thing you know you’re singing Enka. And getting emotional isn’t such a good thing when playing the music, either. It’s like that for bass and for singing. But sometimes I’ll space out, and next thing I know someone’s telling me “OK, we’re done.” When that happens, even though I wasn’t paying attention at all, I’m told “Wow, that was awesome.” That happens to me a lot.]

– It might be a state of self-effacement (3).
[Somehow, whenever I talk about music, it ends up turning into philosophy (laughs).]

-Interviewer : Hasegawa Makoto
Translated by Natalie Arnold.

1. Sennin is a figure from Japanese mythology. He was a sage who lived as a hermit in the mountains and acquired the skill to perform miracles, as well as the ability to live forever. Go back.

2. Kitano Takeshi, aka Beat Takeshi, is a well known Japanese actor and director, and much else besides. See his IMDB page for more information. Go back.

3. In Buddhist philosophy, self-effacement is a state of being in which one’s consciousness is “at one with everything” and able to glean more comprehension of the universe as a whole. Go back.

– You sang for the band you were part of during high school, right?
[Just for fun. All of it was for fun, really. We did do a live show once. We didn’t really have any songs to play, so we just did two or three covers. They were metal songs, so the key was high. I had to shout; it wore out my voice, so I thought it must be awful to be a vocalist (laughs).]

– tetsu-san, your voice definitely isn’t suited for metal vocals.
[Right. Especially since I don’t shout much, normally. I do everything I can to avoid straining my throat.]

– Did you sing a lot when you were a kid?
[Just humming, really.]

– Did you sing at karaoke?
[Karaoke was in around the time I was in high school, so I’d go on the way home from school. I didn’t especially like it or dislike it. When I didn’t feel like singing, I’d just hum along or something. It’s only recently that I’ve started to like singing. I guess it’s because I’ve done some for the band.]

– You didn’t do any singing other than with your high school band?
[I didn’t sing much. I didn’t especially want to be the lead vocal. Back when I was putting L’Arc~en~Ciel together with hiro, we were having a hard time finding a good vocalist, and hiro said to me “tet-chan, you do the vocals,” but that kind of worried me so I said “I don’t wanna.” (laughs)]

– How come?
[I’ve always thought writing lyrics was the vocalist’s job. I’d never written any lyrics, and it looked like such a tough job to do (laughs).]

– Since L’Arc~en~Ciel became active, as far as lyric writing goes, you’ve written provisional ones, right? And of course, you do the backing vocals. Even though it’s not on stage, it’s fair to say you do quite of bit of singing.
[That’s true. I like singing my provisional lyrics. I get a lot out of them (laughs)]

– How so?
[To describe a song I’m composing to other people, the fastest way is to sing my temporary lyrics. It’s easier to communicate the song that way rather than with a synth or piano.]

– Do the temporary lyrics go lalala?
[Yeah, I use lalalas. Using random English words makes it harder to write the real lyrics. It’s like it becomes all I can hear, so the random English becomes the real lyrics. In order to get a plainer feel for the song, I use lalalas. But it isn’t all about the temporary lyrics anymore, I love normal singing too. Whether it’s for lives or for recording, I’ve been asking “Wouldn’t it be OK if I didn’t just do back-up?” (laughs)]

– When did you start to like to sing?
[I really started to enjoy singing around the time I started my solo work.]

– What was it that made you want to sing for your solo?
[When my solo work came around, I figured solo meant that I would be doing the singing. I was definite on that point. I never once considered working with another vocalist. I was absolutely going to sing.]

– Even though, formerly, you didn’t want to write lyrics or do any vocals.
[That was more than ten years ago. I thought I’d do something progressive for my solo work, so that’s how it came about. That’s the best way of describing it, rather than just saying I felt like doing it. I was never the one who had solo ambitions. I didn’t have even the slightest intention of going solo. Up to half a year before my solo work started, I would have said there’s no way I’ll ever sing for a solo project. But it came around anyway. The other members wanted to do solo work, so I had the time, and I was so bored I needed to do something, so I started writing songs, and then I had to write lyrics for them, and so I wound up singing them.]

– So then, once that process began, you discovered that you could enjoy singing?
[Well, I already liked to sing, but little by little I got to like it even more. I think I became a good singer because of my work with L’Arc~en~Ciel. From doing the back-up vocals. I think I was a lot worse in high school. By doing back-up vocals at recording sessions, and doing them during lives, I must have naturally figured out how to do it well. Similarly, from being in the band, even though I don’t practice with the drums, I’ve gained a degree of knowledge about playing them. If the rhythm is simple, I can play it.]

– Doesn’t that show you have an aptitude for it, tetsu-san?
[No, I think anyone can learn to play that way. hyde can play that type of rhythm, too. I don’t think hyde practices much, either. It’s the same for me. Of course, I can’t play anything complicated. But if it’s a normal 8-beat(1), I can play it. It’s something I don’t normally do unless we’re all together. Singing started out that way, but little by little I learned to do it well.]

– So without realising it, you used hyde-san as a model?
[People who are in bands doing back-up vocals tend to imitate the main vocalist’s singing patterns, or at least that’s what my voice trainer told me. When I had my first lesson, I was told “Wow, you sing exactly the same way hyde-san does.” So the lessons started by building on the habits I’d already formed. That’s also when I heard about that tendency.]

– How did you go about picking up proper techniques?
[We started with basic voice projection. I had never been taught the proper way to project my voice while singing before. My way doesn’t quite agree with what my voice trainer teaches, so at first I had to adapt to another way of doing things, as if I were starting lessons from scratch. Once that was done, I could go on using my old habits.]

– You went to a voice trainer because you were going to be doing solo work, and wanted to make sure you had the proper foundation?
[Before I started the lessons, I had already damaged my throat a lot. The type of voice I used for singing in D’Ark~en~Ciel was really more of a shout, and it made me lose my voice, which was bad for my throat. It made me kind of anxious. Doing the vocals for all of my solo work meant I’d be singing a bunch of songs in any future lives. When I’m recording, I can take a break if I feel like it, whenever I feel like it, but that doesn’t work during lives. I’d be singing for a long time, so my initial goal was to make sure my throat would last that long. That’s why I went to a trainer for lessons.]

– Have you been seeing results?
[Yep. By the second or third lesson, my voice wasn’t giving out any more. Now, I can sing for hours on end.]

– You must be a fast learner.
[No, I’m really slow. I keep messing up the most basic things. When I was learning on my own, I picked up some bad habits. Then, everything I’d done before was D’Ark~en~Ciel type of music, so I kept trying to sing with that kind of voice. I had the hardest time learning to use my voice correctly. But I’ve always been a bad student. I never do my homework (laughs).]

– You have homework?
[For example, we’d record the lesson on a tape or an MD (2), and I would be supposed to redo the same thing and bring in my own recording, but I didn’t do it (laughs). At first, when I was asked to make those recordings, I did, but we never ended up using them (laughs).]

– Are you not doing your homework because you don’t need the practice?
[No, just because it’s a pain (laughs). Mostly because I let it pile up when I thought I was already good enough. Like, I was already good with pitch.]

– Since you started singing for your solo work, has there been a vocalist in particular you’ve wanted to emulate?
[No, I don’t have any particular image in mind. For voice quality, I like Deguchi Masayuki-san’s voice, from GRASS VALLEY (3). I use him as a reference when I find aspects of my own singing that need a bit of tweaking. Though really, I might have picked the people I use as a reference because we already sound alike. For example, if you have a short athlete who wants to become a professional, they’ll find a short professional athlete to identify with, thinking they want to be like that person. It’s the same sort of thing; if I can find someone who already sounds like me, that’s the person I’ll try to be like.]

– I see. It certainly makes things easier. Now, tetsu-san, you compose your own music, write your own lyrics, and sing your own songs. Is there anything you’ve paid particular attention to as a singer-songwriter?
[What do you mean? I don’t quite understand.]

– Let’s take lives, then. What did you pay the most attention to? At Danger II (4), (Held at Budoukan in December 2003, this event was held by the company behind L’Arc~en~Ciel) you moved around aggressively even though you were singing.
[I do move around a lot during lives. I’m an expert bassist, so I’m used to moving around holding my bass, but I wasn’t sure I’d be able to move the same way as a vocalist. I talked about that with my voice trainer. During my lessons, I practiced moving while I sang. But, I was told “That’s enough, this studio is already cramped with just us in it. Make sure you do it right at the show.” That voice trainer came to the show, and praised me with “You’ve become a splendid vocalist,” afterwards.]

– If it were to go to a different event, would you see it differently?
[I think I’m the type who takes every event seriously.]

– How do you think your singing has improved?
[Practically speaking, I’ve been taking lessons, so I can’t help but accumulate lots of new tricks and techniques. I learn from my recording sessions, I learn from my lives, and then when I take a break I can look back and notice all the changes.]

– Has singing songs gradually become more interesting?
[Well, I don’t really know.]

– Some would say you’ve raised expectations.
[I guess we’ll see about that.]

– Playing bass and singing songs : how do you think you’ll be combining those two aspects?
[I don’t really know that, either. When I play bass, I’m holding and playing it, and when I sing, I’m looking past the mic and projecting my voice from my throat; clearly they’re completely different things. Even if you were to point out similarities, I don’t know how they can really be combined.]

– Lastly, do you think you’ll always continue to sing?
[I wonder. I’m the type who doesn’t like to say too much about what’s coming up. I mean, right now, if I were to say I want to always sing and always stay with the band, I’m sure all the readers would be relieved. “Ah, then L’Arc~en~Ciel will never break up and tetsu-san will keep going with his solo work.” I don’t want them thinking that. I don’t want to say much about the future because I don’t know what will happen. Back when I was first starting up L’Arc~en~Ciel, I had no idea when our next live would be, so I learned to treasure each one of them and make them special. I’ve kept that perspective. I don’t want to just be listened to. That’s why I want to do as many lives as possible. I don’t want people to say “I’m busy so I’ll skip this one and just go to the next tour.” I don’t like that they always expect a next time.]

-Interviewer : Hasegawa Makoto
Translated by Natalie Arnold.

1. Music normally follows measures with four beats in them. This would usually be shown as 4/4 time. With drums, it is much more common to see eight beats in a measure. Since this is more common, tetsu has an easier time playing 8-beat time than, say, a 16-beat time. Go back.

2. MD stands for mini-disc, effectively a small CD. Go back.

3. GRASS VALLEY were a Japanese band active from 1987 to 1992. Their vocalist, Deguchi Masayuki, then moved on to solo work. See GrassValley for more information. Go back.

4. The 2003 show included as guests TETSU69, S.O.A.P., and Acid Android, as well as a special L’Arc~en~Ciel performance of Ready Steady Go that was included on the SMILE DVD. See the set list here. Go back.

– About love : is it something you think about regularly?
[I do. Love…… Whether it’s people or my work, love is what makes everything come together. It’s something I feel coming from my staff, my parents and friends, and from my fans, too. But as an individual, I don’t get much love. Love is all-encompassing; it’s a big, important thing.]

– I get the impression it takes a long time before you express your love, tetsu-san.
[That’s the case when it comes to my co-workers and friends. But it’s not the same when it comes to women. Sometimes I can get quite lovey-dovey.]

– How about with your family?
[There isn’t much to say about that. I only see them once every few months. And my mom isn’t the type to call constantly, either.]

– She doesn’t say things like “Have you been eating breakfast?” at all?
[It used to mean “Do you have enough money to afford breakfast?” but these days there’s no need to ask. I don’t think I’ll run out of money for food any time soon (laughs). Really, I only call her when I need to.]

– So it’s a rather distant relationship?
[Well, you know, I’m an adult, and a man. Even if we just wonder “I hope you’re doing well,” about each other, I still think it’s love. Parents and children need to part, eventually. There are many parents who can’t let go of their kids, right? I think once a kid is about 18, they need to let go. Even though it’s tough.]

– In order to become independent?
[Yeah. They should at least pay to keep living with their parents. That way they’ll have less of an adjustment to make once they move out and start living on their own. And they shouldn’t keep living with their parents after getting married. By that age, parents retire, so the kids shouldn’t still be bothering them. Be independent! Strike out on your own! That’s how it should be. For businesses as well as households (laughs).]

– (laughs) So that’s the kind of parent you’ll be in the future, tetsu-san.
[I’d turn out that way. Besides, cutesy, goody-goody children go bad once they’re big, right? Then they always rely on their parents to bail them out. Normally, the parents expect to die first. It’s only human for them to worry about what’s gonna happen to their kids after they’re gone, but those kids should learn to be responsible for themselves, right?]

– It’s a compromise between love and dignity.
[A certain degree of dignity is necessary. Otherwise, if you experience nothing but family life and school life, you won’t be cut out for the working world.]

– So it’s a rite of passage. This is changing the subject, but have you ever had any pets?
[I had a dog during all of elementary school. It was my parents’ dog, but I don’t have any particularly cute memories of it. I haven’t had a pet since I’ve been on my own. It’s because I’m away from home a lot. Musicians who say “I’ve got a pet,” usually think it’s good to have someone to live with (laughs). At least, that’s what I’ve seen.]

– Ahaha! Do you think you’d like to get a pet?
[Yeah. If I were to get married and live in a house with a yard, I think I’d get a huuuge dog. See, if I were married, my wife would be there to take it for walks and look after it (laughs). No, it’s not that I don’t want to take care of it, but with the type of work I do it would be physically impossible.]

– You don’t think you’ll get a pet as long as you live in an apartment?
[Right. In an apartment, it would annoy the neighbours. Like by stinking up the elevator, or making lots of noise. My building doesn’t allow pets, and I never thought I’d be getting one anyway. I’m not interested in getting a pet unless I have a house with a yard and someone to take care of it.]

– What are your thoughts on love for a pet?
[Lots of people buy pets lightheartedly, as if they were children, right? Going “Aaah~ it’s cute!” without really thinking. I think that’s just wrong. It’s a living thing, so don’t just buy it because it’s cute, you know? You have to be sure to feed it, take it for walks, and clean up when it goes to the bathroom. In the end, pets that go to careless people get horribly neglected. I feel sorry for those pets.]

– It really is irresponsible.
[After all, love requires “responsibility.” Not just for people or for jobs, it applies to pets too. They really do require a lot of love, so I think you shouldn’t get a pet unless you’re prepared to take care of it until the very end. I don’t think I can handle all those responsibilities, so I don’t have one. I haven’t got enough love to spare. Right now, I’m giving all my love to my work.]

-Interviewer : Harada Sachi
Translated by Natalie Arnold.