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. <\/p>\n
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. <\/p>\n
Begin<\/b> <\/p>\n
tetsu X Nishikawa Takanori talk <\/u><\/p>\n
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! <\/p>\n
I already knew I was clumsy, but I’m still going on. <\/i>(Nishikawa) <\/p>\n
Nishikawa : (looking at tetsu’s outfit of the day) No matter how you look at it, that’s pink! (laughs)
\ntetsu : ‘Cause, I’ve liked it since way back. Look, from my point of view, that is not a pink Porsche! (laughs)
\nNishikawa : Ah! I seee.
\ntetsu : 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?”
\nNishikawa : “Piiink!~”
\ntetsu : “Both of us, eh?” (both laugh)
\nNishikawa : 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.
\ntetsu : ‘s that good? …… Heh, Chrome Hearts. I got Chrome Hearts too, eh? (Note : Chrome Hearts is a brand name)
\nNishikawa : Yeah. I think I saw them at the press conference (for NANA).
\ntetsu : Good! There’s pink ‘ns~<\/p>\n
— And so, the pink info continues.
\nNishikawa : 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?
\ntetsu : Yeah. In Kobe.
\nNishikawa : 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.
\ntetsu : Oh (beautiful laugh).
\nNishikawa : And you never answered my email. I thought you were heartless (laughs).
\ntetsu : No no. Nishikawa-kun, you’re too polite. Too many manners. I’m sloppy about what I say (laughs).
\nNishikawa : 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.
\ntetsu : Not at all, you’re welcome with me.
\nNishikawa : I guess I’m just as sloppy (laughs).
\ntetsu : Like I said, I’m clumsy!
\nNishikawa : 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?”
\ntetu : Yeah, yeah, yeah (laughs). It’s really fun remembering all this.
\nNishikawa : But then, just like procrastinating on returning a rental, a bunch of stuff piled up, and it got kind of awkward. (laugh together).
\ntetsu : Reaaally careless.<\/p>\n
And I even asked “Let’s be in a band together” <\/i>(tetsu) <\/p>\n
— So then, how did you two meet?
\nNishikawa : I first met tetsu-kun at Umeda’s in Osaka. tetsu-kun had a baseball cap on.
\ntetsu : Seriously? I doubt it (beautiful laugh). I was at my job, right?
\nNishikawa : Yeah!
\ntetsu : That was when I was working at the accessory shop.
\nNishikawa : And I went there.
\ntetsu : Back then, Nishikawa-kun was a big name in Osaka!
\nNishikawa : 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.
\ntetsu : You make it sound so beautiful (laughs).
\nNishikawa : Wha~! I was definitely just summarizing everything for the article, not even using that many words.
\ntetsu : But it was never that interesting before.
\nNishikawa : It doesn’t have to be interesting, it’s just reality. That’s all! (laughs)
\ntetsu : 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.
\nNishikawa : Whoaaaaa~~~(long-suffering laugh)
\ntetsu : That’s why when I first met him, my impression was “I think I’ve seen this guy on TV or something!” (beautiful laugh)
\nNishikawa : Uwa~~ You’re too much (laughs)
\ntetsu : 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.”
\nNishikawa : Uuhaahaahaahuhaa(bursts into laughter)
\ntetsu : I was hoping and waiting, and then Luis~Mary debuted and decided to go to Tokyo (both snicker).
\nNishikawa : You’re WRONG! (long suffering laugh)
\ntetsu : Wrong about you wanting to be in a band with me, it looks like? (beautiful laugh)
\nNishikawa : Hey! You just twisted my words around~.
\ntetsu : But this way it’s so much more interesting (both share a laugh)
\nNishikawa : 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)<\/p>\n
I’ve allllways kept you in mind.<\/i> (Nishikawa) <\/p>\n
— What about your interaction since the plans to start a band together were interrupted?
\ntetsu : 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.
\nNishikawa : See~ he’s twisting words around again!
\ntetsu : 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)
\nNishikawa : 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?”
\ntetsu : Haha, that’s distant (beautiful laugh).
\nNishikawa : ‘S true, though. Like, there were no other encounters? But now saying “Do you remember?” would be kinda presumptuous, wouldn’t it?
\ntetsu : But I do remember.
\nNishikawa : No no no no (harsh laugh).
\ntetsu : Nishikawa-kun, it’s like you think L’Arc’s bassist isn’t the same person you met back then in Umeda.
\nNishikawa : That’s a big misunderstanding. It was a complete coincidence.
\ntetsu : Seriously? I’d have thought you wouldn’t remember me at all.
\nNishikawa : 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.
\ntetsu : That’s what I thought, eh?!
\nNishikawa : “That’s what I thought, eh?!” You always say things like that! (beautiful laugh).<\/p>\n
Luis~Mary’s spark stuck with me.<\/i> (tetsu) <\/p>\n
— When was this Coming Out?
\nNishikawa : 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.
\ntetsu : 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.
\nNishikawa : 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.”
\ntetsu : 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).
\nNishikawa : 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).
\ntetsu : 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.
\nNishikawa : 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).
\ntetsu : 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.”
\nNishikawa : Well, that I can understand! (laughs).
\ntetsu : 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.
\nNishikawa : 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).
\ntetsu : Me, I can go to the same store 10 times or more and they still aren’t gonna remember my face.
\nNishikawa : 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).
\ntetsu : I don’t really have that much confidence in myself.
\nNishikawa : No waay~? That’s no good, you definitely need to change that. <\/p>\n
Out of five mails I send, only one ever gets back to me.<\/i> (Nishikawa) <\/p>\n
— What have you done since the Coming Out? <\/p>\n
Nishikawa : I arbitrarily send him mails, but he only answers about one out of every five.
\ntetsu : I guess I could put a bit more effort into answering them.
\nNishikawa : That’s why I felt awkward at first. It’s like we’re not friends.
\ntetsu : The hell are you saying?! To think you’re my best friend (laughs).
\nNishikawa : But, you could have told me that when we met (beautiful laugh).
\ntetsu : But I’m really clumsy. So…… that really hurt (pained laugh)
\nNishikawa : 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?
\ntetsu : Yeah!<\/p>\n
How about being a guy version of that twin vocal group, t.A.T.u? <\/i>(tetsu) <\/p>\n
— What kind of person is Nishikawa-kun from tetsu-chan’s point of view?
\ntetsu : 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.
\nNishikawa : When I wanted to make up a homepage, the web designer I got had come to me through tetsu-kun, you know.
\ntetsu : I’m trying to stockpile members for my solo work’s band. Hey, would you stop stealing my members? (laughs)
\nNishikawa : 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.
\ntetsu : So, we should go shopping together sometime.<\/p>\n
— Somehow it seems like your tastes overlap.
\nNishikawa : Maybe we were bandmates in a past life (laugh together).
\ntetsu : 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)
\nNishikawa : Shower me with those sweet words if you must!
\ntetsu : If I’m going to join in, it should be as vocalist~(laughs).
\nNishikawa : Should have said that sooner.
\ntetsu : How about being a guy version of that twin vocal group, t.A.T.u?
\nNishikawa : If we go that far, we’ll have to be exported to Russia (laughs).<\/p>\n
— What if you’d known each other without any connection to bands……
\nNishikawa : 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.
\ntetsu : I don’t think there’s any kind of crisis on that front.<\/p>\n
— What are your expectations about your upcoming activities?
\ntetsu : 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.
\nNishikawa : 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. <\/p>\n
(Interview and transcript \/ Tojo Sachie) <\/p>\n
Translated by Natalie Arnold <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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. <\/p>\n
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. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[69],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-94","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-tetsuyaku"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.larcompendium.com\/site\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.larcompendium.com\/site\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.larcompendium.com\/site\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.larcompendium.com\/site\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=94"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.larcompendium.com\/site\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.larcompendium.com\/site\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=94"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.larcompendium.com\/site\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=94"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.larcompendium.com\/site\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=94"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}