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turtleations · 23 days ago

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Interview with t.o.L. (Artist unit consisting of saito and kuno, involved with LEMONed as art designers) (summarized)

Published in the hide BIBLE (by Akemi Oshima) 2008

Note: t.o.L. (trees of Life) are an artistic duo consisting of Kuno Makiko and Saito Kei, who published work under the LEMONed label and further worked for LEMONed on the design side of things. They are the creators of the cartoon cat TAMALA who stars in their 2002 movie “TAMALA2010 – a punk cat in space”.

Note 2: For this interview I am falling back on the “summary” format I have used for all the long interviews so far. Again, much of it is still a rather direct translation.

Note 3: I once again use names and honorifics or lack thereof as used by the people talking. (They are somewhat inconsistent in this one.)

For starters, please tell us about your first meeting with hide-san.

(kuno) In 1995, they were in London to make the PV for their song “one day for maria”, where they showed their work to an acquaintance and it somehow ended up being seen by someone from HEADWAX. It made its way to hide, who liked it so much he arranged for a meeting soon after.

(saito) They were talking to London’s EMI UK at the time, but met with hide-san as soon as they returned to Japan in January 1996. He was recording in a studio in Hitachizaka then, and right at their first meeting said, “I’m making a label called LEMONed, how about we work together?” He let them listen to his song “BACTERIA”, which he was recording just then, and it was completely different from what they had imagined. They had not expected it to be music they liked that much. The fact that the label he was creating wasn’t just for the music but also for the covers, videos etc. was exciting to them.

(kuno) When she saw the video for “BACTERIA” for the first time, she was surprised and simply thought it was cool. She had been mostly listening to foreign music until then and had not expected there to be people making such awesome stuff in Japan as well. That was one of the reasons why she wanted to work with hide.

Did you live in London at that time?

(kuno) On and off.

You talked about making music and PVs, but what was your main activity until then?

(saito) Mainly TV-commercials and advertisements, but he was ready to move on to the next thing. The song “one day for maria” (trees of Life) that was entered into the LEMONed compilation, and the PV for it, were something they had made for themselves, completely out of their own volition without having been commissioned for it. Them making the music, the video, and the graphics themselves must have been in line with what hide-san wanted to do with LEMONed.

What was your impression when you met hide-san for the first time?

(kuno) He seemed like an amazingly delicate and ordinary boy. The massive gab between his unremarkable, sensitive impression and the strong impact left my “BACTERIA” was quite surprising.

(saito) To he honest, saito didn’t know X JAPAN well until then. When he met hide in person, the large gab between the wild energy of his works and the very delicate nature of the person making them was immediately captivating.

After this, you started creating things together?

(kuno) When they entered “one day for maria” into the LEMONed compilation, it led to them also being in charge of the entire art direction and all the visual work for LEMONed. Then the LEMONed-log, hide-san’s log, and the pamphlet with LEMONed’s introduction and so on.

(saito) hide had probably always meant to create an image that was different from that of X JAPAN’s HIDE. To realize that, they talked at lot and often had exchanges late at night. Hide would suddenly reach out in the middle of the night because he thought of a song or an idea had come to him. He was now operating in a different genre than the one he was used to, and that’s where t.o.L. came in. When they talked about what to do for the jacket of the first LEMONed compilation, hide-san brought up Salvador Dali: What if they didn’t use one of the artists images but rather an image of the artist himself? Kuno then picked that idea up, asking, should they go for a model of the old man? What environment should he be in? Hide came up with radical ideas, they played them back with their own input, like playing catch ball, and it the end the photographer, stylists, lighting made it a reality. That’s how LEMONed worked. Saito took a step back from creating songs and live performances as part of trees of Life then, he sees now.

(kuno) They worked on the overall image of ELMONed together, but t.o.L.’s general involvement was more in the visual department.

(saito) hide was someone who had a lot of ideas, but those ideas were often absurd. Dali, for example, was already dead then. In saito’s opinion, hide was way ahead of his time. t.o.L. also made the pamphlet for the [then] recent “hide Memorial Summit”. While hide himself is gone, everyone wants him to be an icon. He was an extremely imaginative person, the kind of person who wants to use Dali, and influenced Saito a lot as a person. Saito didn’t think it possible for this design idea to be well received, but it was.

(kuno) The idea of using Salvador Dali was fresh and unexpected and she wanted to turn it into something real using her own imagination.

(saito) Hide probably wanted to do something that could be enjoyed even by all the people who didn’t know the painter Salvador Dali. Saito, who had himself operated under Dali’s name, felt that difference back then. While hide lived in a fun and insane world, he also wanted to translate that craziness for the fans who loved him. It’s hard to believe that that was ten years ago already. To saito, it feels recent.

(kuno) To create the cover for the recent live album, she listened to the recordings once more and dug up old photographs. They don’t feel old at all, they feel fresh.

(saito) He thinks it’s funny that X JAPAN’s HIDE was well established, but it was the solo artist hide who created LEMONed whom they got involved with, and as a result, their relationship with him was somewhat unique. For fans from the X JAPAN era, that shift was probably unsettling, but to t.o.L., who joined halfway through, it was quite a different experience.

How exactly did hide-san influence you?

(saito) After hide passed away, they created the character of TAMALA and worked on that movie for about four years. During that period, he thought about something hide had said countless times: That there is a gab between an artist’s understanding of the fun and fascinating work they want to do, and the way the people viewing it in the end will perceive it. It’s not a question of choosing between your vision and what would bring people enjoyment, but of managing to do both.

(kuno) She thinks this is really important.

(saito) Recently, when he saw X JAPAN’s performances or the “hide Memorial Summit” and HIDE-san appears on screen, he felt like just another fan, even though they should have done these things together, thinking “He’s so cool!” or “He’s so cute!” hide’s greatness can be felt in the last glittering fragments he left behind. He was burning with ideals yet knew of the harshness of reality, and that’s what makes what he left behind so great and adorable, and it’s what made him special.

(kuno) She feels like there were a lot of terrible things that they can’t even imagine, yet hide’s songs and performances gave the impression of him always having fun. It may sound strange to put it like that, but it feels like he was playing with great seriousness. That’s what she also wants to do; it’s his influence on her.

(saito) Even when hide was at his absolute limit, he would ask his fans if they were entertained enough. It goes beyond his imagination. He heard this from someone else, but if the fans were to answer, “We’re not!”, hide would probably say, “Okay” and work even harder. Working with hide-san, Saito didn’t have a single bad experience.

(kuno) To put it differently, he was extremely considerate. He was so considerate of his staff and the people around him that she feared he would exhaust himself with it. On the other hand, he was reckless and playful, but he was also someone to take the initiative and lead everyone. It were his sensitivity and kindness that really left an impression.

Are there any episodes from when you were working together that left a particularly deep impression?

(saito) When they made the PV for “Beauty & Stupid”, he felt like there was a taste of the Showa-era [25. December 1926 – 7. January 1989] in it, so saito decided to go in the opposite direction with the styling. Hide said, “That’s cool, that’s really cool, but there are fans who sport their own pink hair, so can you include the part where I go “Ehehe” with the pink hair for me?” and saito thought, “Oh, sorry, I get it now.”

(kuno) The finished thing was super cute.

(saito) It really worked out well. Hide always wanted to go higher, and he wanted to take everyone with him when he went. Rather than going on his own, he always prioritized his fans.

(kuno) She thinks he was also playing around.

(saito) Really, he probably couldn’t keep himself entertained.

(kuno) For real.

(saito) He acted that way a lot, though, so it was kind of adorable.

“Beauty & Stupid” was reshot?

(saito) He just wanted to add some new footage but ended up redoing the whole thing. It was a fun project, through. And of course, on the day of the shoot, there was a broken foot… (laughs)

(kuno) For the shooting of “ROCKET DIVE”, everyone was supposed to cheerfully jump up, but hide had a broken foot.

(saito) He asked hide to pretend to fly and hide was happy to do so. Speaking of which, he thinks hide was a person who worked not only with his head but with his whole body. He wasn’t gig-headed at all; he was a physical person, and yet an extremely sensitive one. He was strange like that. (laughs)

What was it like when you came into the studio for “ROCKET DIVE”?

(saito) hide just smiled and said, “It broke”, and they looked at his foot and were like, “So it did.” It didn’t come as much of a surprise. Hide didn’t take his injury into consideration for its own sake, but he was conscious of how it affected their concept. He was someone who could adjust to circumstances and come up with new ideas on the spot, to make the best of any situation. And at LEMONed, they were used to accidents, those happened all the time. For saito it was educational, how even outrageous or unthinkable things could just happen.

(kuno) hide seemed like someone who had a clear idea from the beginning but didn’t get hung up on the details if someone else had input. If she came up with an idea, they would talk about it some, but after throwing her the ball, he wouldn’t say anything more. She doesn’t quite know why but thinks it’s because he trusted those he worked with to make something good. She wouldn’t have minded if he had actually told her so, too, but she’s grateful for the faith he put in her.

(saito) When saito was working at the office late at night, someone from HEADWAX might come and deliver audio data to him. When done with the pre-production of a song, hide wanted to let him listen to it right away. Saito now thinks he considered them friends within LEMONed and wanted to share the joy of creating a new work with them. He was like a child in this regard.

(uno) To her, hide had this childlike purity. In the dressing room of some event he’d suddenly start telling them about a baby monkey and how cute it had been. So small and so cute, he’d go on and on about that endlessly. It was adorable. (laughs)

Staff (Yamamoto): Recalls how hide said he wanted to see a baby monkey on some MTV program, so they went to a pet shop and he had one ride on his shoulder. He enjoyed that so much it seemed like he wanted to keep it.

(saito) This is something personal, but he often thinks about hide. When things are tough, he thinks about him and how he would handle it. He feels like hide set the standard for many things. They created a lot together, and hide send him his tapes and music right away. Maybe he was just being nice, but Saito feels like they connected as friends, as equals. When he remembers that, he realized just how important a person hide had been to him.

What prompted you to create TAMALA?

(saito) A lot of things. Saito had been thinking about what to do next as a creator even before hide-san passed away, but after what happened in 1998, he decided to make a movie. And so, he started. Of course, he wanted to show it to hide-san. He’s still working on it in 2008, but for him it was a natural progression to do this after he finished his work with LEMONed. It’s been 10 years, and LEMONed’s hide-san is still close to him.

(kuno) She thinks hide would really have wanted to see TAMALA. He wasn’t a model for her, but TAMALA, the main character of their story, is a cat who gets bullied and bullies right back, a flag bearer for everyone. In her mind, privately, there is a link to hide-san somewhere. TAMALA has been hurt but still carries the flag for everyone – a role model for Kuno.

Did you interact outside of work?

(saito) Not at all.

(kuno) They went out for drinks after work.

(saito) Just once for him, and not together with her. From the outside that must have seemed like he reasonably just didn’t want to go.

(kuno) This wasn’t something she got particularly hung up on.

(saito) That he got data and tapes in the middle of the night was enough for him; he didn’t think he needed to convey his feeling by getting drunk and going wild on top of that. Hide-san probably wanted to share some private time with them, but saito thought it was enough. Now he wishes he had spend more time with him. Hide-san was someone who worked in a very relaxed atmosphere and then went to treat those around him, but saito felt he always had to keep up the tension so he couldn’t go relax in his free time like that.

(kuno) They often worked until late at night and then went drinking. After hide passed away she wished she could have talked to him more and share the things she liked with him.

What kind of things?

(kuno) Just stuff like, “That jacket is nice, isn’t it?” Nothing special.

Other artist also often expressed that hide-san “didn’t have a lot to say about the work itself”.

(kuno) He must have had faith in them. Leaving their work to them without getting involved was just his style.

(saito) Beyond the concept, as long as they met his standard, he let his artists, musicians, and bands work independently. That was important to him. Creators had to be able to make their own decisions about their work. He had worked independently from the beginning, and so he wanted to give those around him the confidence to work independently as well. So saito feels that it was probably their own fault that they didn’t connect to him on a more private level. From his perspective, hide-san had almost no flaws – something that amazes him even now.

(kuno) This is not a flaw, but hide put so much energy into being kind and considerate to others that she worried about him, wondering how he could possibly balance it all.

(saito) He was like that.

(kuno) He was someone who was looking out for those behind him while everyone in front of him was having fun.

(saito) He only worked with hide-san for two years, and to be honest, he didn’t look back on it so far, immersed himself in making a movie to the point of blocking out everything else. About two years ago, he started reviewing hide’s work once more and found that it was not dated at all, especially “Pink Spider” and “ROCKET DIVE”, recognizing hide’s immense potential in it. He felt that way again when he got to make the jacket for RIZE’s cover of “Pink Spider”. But that was the potential within LEMONed. With X JAPAN and other bands there was a different kind of potential, so saito thinks he only got to see a potion of it. Even so, it influenced him.

You mentioned absurd ideas he had, do you remember any specific ones?

(kuno) There were no requests that were straight up impossible.

(saito) He was fixated on old men and women, using them to express a long span of time in his work. The idea to use old people on the jacket for “ever free” also came from him. “How about we use old people as icons in my work?”, he asked, and saito started to think about it. But hide didn’t stop at simply having old people, he took it to a point of amusement with old skinheads kissing. Then: “If they are skinheads, they should have tattoos on their heads.” Since they couldn’t do that in Japan, kuno-san went to L.A. for it.

(kuno) She figured it would be hard to find models willing to shave their head in Japan, so L.A. it was. When she held auditions for the job, the uncles and aunties were willing to save their heads right away. She figures that for older talent, the priority lay with getting a job. The auntie who had her hair set like a geisha for the audition came to the shooting completely bald.

(saito) And there they put on magic tattoos?

(kuno) With a writing brush.

(saito) He couldn’t go there, but asks if hide-san came.

(kuno) He said he would, but in the end he was too busy, so she went to show him the film after.

(saito) Did he leave the decision to her?

(kuno) He did.

(saito) Since “ever free” and “Pink Spider” were produced at the same time, they worked on them separately. He had a lot of fun with the PV for “Pink Spider” and how to make things look real using CG. As soon as the idea of old skinheads come up for “ever free”, he started to think about how to top it. Kuno said that there was nothing unreasonable being asked, but it was not exactly normal either.

Like skinhead tattoos. (laughs)

(saito) They had a discussion about what to do, since they both started at the same point and stage. It never reached a point where they had to reject something as impossible.

(kuno) It was hard, but it was fun. Since this was how he liked to do it, things kept spreading with ever more people suggesting, “Well, how about this?”

(saito) For “UGLY PINK MACHINE”, hide was really happy with the idea of the safety pins and the computer. There were things they couldn’t understand, of course, but those were two good years of moving in the same direction at LEMONed.

You also made various designs for the “hide Memorial Summit”, didn’t you?

(saito) Having to choose between doing a memorial of the past or presenting a look at a potential hide from the present day, he naturally went with the latter. Hide-san is gone and there is no telling what he would be like in 2008, but looking at a vast amount of photos, saito realized that there were many fans who wanted to see it anyway. He went with a version of LEMONed’s hide-san, but there were also a lot of fans of X JAPAN’s HIDE-san, and he tried to make everyone happy. Doesn’t know if it worked, but he put his heart into it.

(kuno) It was actually really fun. Because those old photos, especially the live ones, hadn’t been used much until then. After hide was gone, a lot of photos had been used in projects, but they only started to exhume the live footage then. Starting with the live albums, there are a lot of cool pictures, with him looking into the distance.

(saito) He had great eyes for that.

(kuno) You didn’t know if he was looking at the sky or elsewhere.

(saito) It was never sentimental.

(kuno) It made you want to look at whatever he was focusing on with him.

(saito) It gave you courage. The photo seemed to tell you that you can do more. That’s why he feels like it ended up being not only a memorial but also fun.

Is there anything you would like to tell hide-san?

(saito) He wants to meet him again. Only that. He doesn’t think this has anything to do with the occult, but he feels like he will meet him again someday, somewhere. That’s what he wants. And he wants to create something with him again. Anyway, every time he remembers hide-san, he looks forward with a positive attitude. So he wants to keep connecting to him through his work, dedicate something he made to him, and keep in contact this way.

(kuno) That’s how it is.

(saito) hide-san is present in the works he makes, in spirit if not in form, and he wants to be told by that work to “make more”.

(kuno) When she creates things, it gives her courage to know that someone like hide existed. She wants to make things that encourage others as well, just like him.

#hide #translation #interview #summary #hide bible #t.o.L.#this took surprisingly little time to get finished #important revelation to take away from this one: hide was very cute #now back to owaranai kizuna #and some shorts

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kurumeki · 1 year ago

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Die from Dir en grey came to Morrie's show, just saw him in the corridor!!!

He was chatting with Akemi Oshima. Friends told me to go say hi, but I can't do it when he clearly came in private 😶 he has a companion.

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eternity-called-darkness · 8 years ago

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Akemi Oshima with Kamijo and Hizaki 10 years ago . She said :

I met Versailles members 10 years ago on Revenant choir PV set. Next month, I made my debut as MC at Rokumeikan press conference. That’s why I was happy to see their dream coming true.

#Akemi oshima #hizaki #kamijo #Versailles #Versailles Philharmonic Quintet #translations

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argumentl · 4 years ago

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The Freedom of Expression, radio version - Live special #3, August 9th 2016.

✯📆Kaoru starts by trying to remember when the last live special was, getting it wrong by saying it was at the start of year (It was actually in Dec). Kaoru comments on how the amount of staff in the studio is different from usual when they go live. They also have half-price off food from the supermarket to keep them going for 2 hours.

✵🐎They then welcome Hiranabe and Tasai to join them for the show. Hiranabe worries whether he'll still have a job in the morning after doing this show. He doesnt want to lose his job, as he just also lost a ton of money on the horse racing.

Kaoru then suggest they might get a visit from Kami at some point, and they will try to have a phone call with Dobashi, who is currenly in Brazil 🇧🇷.

He then gets started with the top 5 stories of the first half of 2016. Counting down from...

●5. North Korean satellite lauch/ America and Japan suspect an intercontinental ballistic missile launch - Hiranabe thinks American satellites are so advanced that America will know exactly what N.Korea is doing. Joe thinks the wording/phrasing in such news articles makes a big difference as to how the story is percieved.

Kami tells them he is ok to appear on the show tonight, as he managed to catch the last train home after work. He's now enjoying taking part with a beer.

●4. A boom in adultery - Celebrity Becky's affair (plus apology to her sponsers at a press conference) at the start of the year has set off a string of public revelations about the adulterous affairs of other celebrities, all of whom have also immediately held press conferences to apologize. Before this year, celebrities tended to use their personal blogs etc to address the accusations. Joe brings up something he heard from Nuclear Safety Chief Madarame Haruki when interviewing him about the 3.11 disaster. Madarame said that it has long been Japan's culture to never badmouth a samurai who has commited seppuku. Badmouthing such a person makes you worse than whatever they did. In this way, if celebs appear at a press conference with tears in their eyes and full of apology, they can avoid any future dragging about their past mistakes.

✵🏘️At this point Kaoru takes a break from the countdown to read out an email from a listener. The email is from someone who currently lives in their hometown, but is thinking of moving to Tokyo, so they want to know Kaoru's advice for moving to Tokyo for the first time as a single person. Kaoru says he moved to Tokyo 19 years ago, and lived in Nerima ward at first, specifically the neighborhood Fujimidai. This was to be near to where Dir's manager lived. The rent was ¥120,000 a month for a 2LDK apartment, which he shared with Kyo. Kami gives out advice to not be picky about specific locations when searching for a cheap place. Hiranabe brings up the website 'Oshima teru', where you can check to see which apartments have previously been the sites of murders/deaths. The rent for such apartments is often abnormally cheap.

✵🤭🤭🤭 Next Kaoru moves onto some news which interested Hiranabe a lot, the story being very typical of him....'Admission of squirting'. (Lots of laughs from the others, and Joe wants to know more 😆). The story relates to the model Darenogare Akemi. She appeared on a radio show and was denying the rumour that she was the type to lie still during sex, she claimed that she moves around and vocalises a lot during sex. The host of the show asked her, 'Yeh, but I bet you don't squirt?'. She replied on air, 'I do, I did for the first time a year and a half ago'. Hiranabe decided to dedicate a whole page in Tokyo Sports to this story.

Hiranabe was also fond of the Beat Takeshi 'Comǎneci pose' story, invovling actresses Ayase Haruka, Nagasawa Masami, and Hirose Suzu. This story was talked about previously on Ep 25.

✵☎️Next, they try having a direct phone convo with a listener. The caller brings up the news of the 2016 World Happiness Report, in which Japan ranked at #53. Joe explains these results are obtained by surveying local populations, but each nation has different standards of what happiness is. Kaoru thinks happiness is not something that should be ranked in this way. The caller then asks Hiranabe why he never learns to not spend so much money on women. He answers 'Because Im an idiot'. Joe asks the caller what she thinks Hiranabe looks like. She says 'a face which can't be broadcast'. (Laughs all round).

✵🎶Next they listen to a few of the new jingle entries. They like the second entry, which apparently contains phrases influened by a couple of Dir songs. They also like the fifth entry and ask Kami to do the voice-over on it, which they all find hilarious. Kaoru says he might use some of these entries on the show in future.

📞✵🇧🇷Next they connect via the phone to Dobashi, who is in Brazil covering the 2016 Olympics for Tokyo Sports. He is calling from the table tennis venue, as he is covering a match there. He says he has seen a few Japanese athletes win gold medals in other events, and encourages listeners to buy Tokyo Sports to read his reports.

They ask Dobashi various questions about security, and the local food etc, then Hiranabe asks him if he has any of the commemorative Olympic condoms, and whether or not he has used them. Dobashi says he has some, but hasn't used them. He opened one to check it out, and it was so thick, obviously not made in Japan (his words). Hiranabe asks him to bring some back as souvenirs 🤭😆

✵Before moving onto # 3 in the countdown, Kaoru reads out an email. This is from a listener who is a fan of Dobashi and wants to know what kind of woman he likes. Hiranabe knows his type..he likes kinda crazy women. Another email from 'radio name: 0.3mm' asks for some Olympic condoms. The last email asks them whether they like watching movies on regular screens, or on 3D/4D screenings. Kaoru prefers regular screens, otherwise he finds it difficult to concentrate. He recently watched the movie 'Shin Godzilla' (in 2D), and was anxious seeing familiar Tokyo landmarks getting trashed.

Continuing the countdown...

●3. Muhammed Ali's death. This was discussed in ep 39, about how Ali was very outspoken in regards to segregation. Despite Obama becoming the first black president, Joe questions how much discrimination against black people by white people in the US has actually improved. Hiranabe agrees with Joe, in that based on the news, race relations are not improving at all. Joe says we must be careful not to focus too much on the big headline of Obama as President. That doesn't suddenly mean everything is ok now.

Hiranabe then talks for a bit about his memories of prowrestler Antonio Inoki, who fought with Ali once.

●2. The eventual resignation of (former) Tokyo Governor Masuzoe Yōichi. Masuzoe had held onto his position as long as possible, claiming he was innocent. He's used specific techniques during press conferences to avoid getting cornered. Hiranabe was impressed with the words of new candidate Torigoe Shuntaro, who used the phrase, 'Everyone please get distracted', instead of the usual 'Don't get distracted', which candidates usually finish their speeches with. Joe draws comparisons with the 3.11 response. A third party investigation committee was set up in both the 3.11 case and Masuzoe's case, but if the guilty parties are choosing which lawyers make up the committee, its not very impartial in the end. Use of the word 'third-party' is another trick politicians use to try to look innocent.

✵☎️Next they take another phone call from a listener. This caller's first fave news of the year is the announcement of new Dir en grey tours. His second is about Pokemon Go. He asks if Kaoru plays. Kaoru says he's already given up, after getting to level 12. Joe interrupts to say Kami looks as if he's about to fall asleep.

Reaching the end of the countdown..

●1. Mystery Phoenix appears in sun. This is a story from Tokyo Sports back in May. Shapes resembling a phoenix have been spotted in various photos of the sun which were released by NASA. Tokyo Sports offered the suggestion of whether this might actually be real. Tasai hands a copy of Tokyo Sports out to everyone to show them the image, but Kaoru is more interested in another story on the same page: 'Discovery in Arizona of trunk from 20cm tall elephant with fish gills'. Joe then reads out some similarly crazy headlines from the newspaper in his hands. The question arises of whether this story merits being at #1.

✵To finish a quick suggestion of another live special at the end of the year, as long as everyone still has their job, and are not in Atami...., and Kaoru plugs his upcoming tours. In the last min, they all agree that Kami voicing the jingle was the funniest bit of the show. Kaoru wishes the listeners good luck at work tomorrow after staying up late to listen to the show.

Songs - Dir en grey/Amon (Symphonic ver.), Ill niño/God Save Us, Dir en grey/Un deux, Meshuggah/New Millennium Cyanide Christ, Dir en grey/Ruten no tou, Jakalope/Go Away, Dir en grey/Utafumi, System of a Down/Chop Suey.

To radio top page

#dir en grey #the freedom of expression #radio

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raifuujin · 6 years ago

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MK Treasured Edition Commentary

From here, here, and here.

Volume 1

Hello, it's me, Aoyama.

In the course of the republication of Magic Kaito I take the liberty to show my memories of this time straightforwardly. (grin)

The Revived Phantom Thief The memorable first chapter! Actually I became a Mangaka because I wanted to write about a high school phantom (grin) and so I drew it under great tension! Well and back then I was short of money which is the reason why his hatband around his tophat isn't shaded with screen tone…

The Police Are Everywhere The original title „Keikan ga ippai” referred to a movie... „Taiyou ga ippai”, a movie with Alain Delon („Purple Noon”). Detective Doron is an allusion, too, because „Delon” is written as „Doron” in Japan. (grin) By the way! The words „When you bend them, they...” Kaito announces the light-emitting diode were literally written on the package of one of those things I purchased on a public festival as a kid. (grin) Appearantly they're actually known as „glow stick”.

The Clockwork Heart A science-fiction-thriller! A rarity for Kaito (grin). I recall that I perceived it as really exhausting to draw all the parts of the robot and that I had no computer, so that I had to write Kaito's farewell letter by hand (Haha!). By the way! In the panel the robot says „I'm Kuroba Kaito... Haha!!” Kaito's pupils look kinda strange (?). There I mimicked Akemi Matsunae of which I was a big fan back then. (grin)

Kaitou Kid's Busy Day Off Back then, the 3D movie „Captain EO” starring Michael Jackson was being played in cinemas and has been satirized in this chapter, although I never thought 3D movies could have been revived because of „Avatar”... (grin) By the way! When I read the closing scene today I think that the phrase „But, ice cream... still tastes great!” is my most embarrassing quote ever (grin).

The Pirate Ship Unsurfaced A sea adventure with Kaito? This is a rarity, too! (grin) I can't remember at all why I wanted to draw this story, but maybe I wanted a confrontation between a thief from the mainland and a thief of the seas...? (Ha!) Well, and so Kaito brought his costume of Kaitou Kid even to this place...?! (grin)

The Scarlet Temptress There she is! Mistress Akako! To be honest, she, as practitioner of black magic, is the reason who drove me into the corner the most during Kaitos appearances in Conan. Well, you just have to accept these works as parallel universes. (grin) By the way, Kaito Kuroba is written on the handkerchief, this probably was a prank done by his mom (Chikage)... (grin)

Aoyama Kid ♥

Volume 2

Stay Away From Him Although it's more of a romantic tale than a thief story I really like this one ♥ Especially the panel with „Well, excuse me for being an idiot...“ is a real gem, because of how often I had to redraw it! (laughs) Additionally, Superman and Top Gun appear... which is according to my taste! It's also revealed in this story that Aoko is flat-chested. (laughs)

Japan's Most Irresponsible Prime Minister A story I used one of my then-favourite actors Hitoshi Ueki, who has passed away in the meantime, as model! I also dared to use the Japanese prime minister - this was probably really audacious... And then characters appear who look like the past leaders of the USSR and the USA, Gorbachev and Reagan... (sweating). By the way, did anyone notice the „Akako balloon“ in the night sky? (laughs)

I Am the Master! This story was purely written because I felt like it! Anyway, I really wanted to draw how Kaitou Kid makes a balls to the wall ride down the facade of a building... (laughs). I would be nice if they one day made an Anime out of it ♫ Oh well, even if Cleopatra's Vanity case should really exist, two thousand years later one probably couldn't use it anymore... (laughs)

Would You Grow Up If I remember correctly, the hang-glider associated with Kaitou Kid lifted the first time in this story. Well, one could also say that Kaitou Kid could have fled from the get-go with it, instead of stretching a rope to the Tokyo Tower first (laughs). I'd really like to bring the motorized roller skates again.

The Boy Who Bet on the Ball It has also been really daring to take real professional baseball player as a model... (laughs). I think the story was created after I talked with my editor in charge about how thrilling it would be if Kaitou Kid appeared on a pole in Tokyo Dome. Well, the Yomiuri Giants are working together with Conan in several ways anyway, so I hope they can turn a blind eye to this... (fierce laughter)

Ghost Game If I remember correctly, I was frantically busy because I had to draw „Tantei George no Minimini Daisa-kusen“ („Detective George's Mini-Mini Big Strategy“) three weeks in a row for the Sunday magazine, so I finished this chapter in a very short time... (laughs). Directly afterwards my series „Yaiba“ started, because of which „Magic Kaito“ had to pause for a while. Hard to believe that the series is continued until today...! (laughs)

Hustler vs. Magician Originally this was the true second chapter of „Magic Kaito“! But... it was rejected! Since my debut in „Sunday“ there was never a story before or after it that was rejected. It's real luck that it made it into this volume! (laughs)

Omake „Magic Kaito“ was the first Manga I was allowed to publish as a Mangaka, which could be the reason I drew this story with zest and high motivation... Oh well, this probably was my youthful enthusiasm... (laughs)

Aoyama Kid ♥

Volume 3

Star Wars The first „Magic Kaito“ story I drew in the Heisei era (since 1989 -editor's note). There are several stories in which someone tries to gain profit from using a false Kid, but this is the shining first one! At the crime scene Kid announced a lot of Kid fans have assembled and shout "Kid! Kid!". Pretty clever idea, huh? Because this has developed to a classical element until today.

The Great Detective Appears!! Entrance of Saguru Hakuba! No, not only that, the chief inspector also shows his face...! Perhaps the junior was just worried because the top policeman never appears at the crime scene? (grin) By the way, Kid is so bad at ice skating because I'm so lousy in it myself.

Kaitou Under Scrutiny The skirt of Aoko's school uniform is so long and Kid's television is so big! From this you can tell the time! (Haha!) Apropos, the newspaper appearing on the last page is called „Oshima Daily Paper“ in the original version. Most of the newspapers shown in „Magic Kaito“ were named after my then editors. I beg your pardon. (grin)

Akako's Delivery Service Kaitou Kids measurements, 1.74 m (~ 5'9") and 58 kg (~ 128 lbs), naturally are my measurements from back then! The same goes for his blood type! (grin) Back then I thought it's really cool that it's possible to figure out skin colour and age of a person just by a single hair, but today, with DNA analysis you can figure out the whole identity of the person the hair belongs to. The progress of science is frightening... (Haha!)

(Extra Chapter) Yaiba vs. Kaito! I was told to draw a short, self-contained story and this dream sequence is the result. Back when I was a kid I already loved collaborations like „Mazinger Z vs. Devilman“, so I wanted to draw something like this. This is also the reason Kaitou Kid appears in Conan... (grin)

Blue Birthday The first time the gem Kaitou is after is the name origin for the title! Because this was the first „Magic Kaito“ after a very long time I debuted Kaitou Kid's arch-enemy and I can remember how much this motivated me... but it's also a story about a nightly firework in the midst of the city which must have made a lot of trouble in the surroundings... (grin)

Green Dream Oh well, this story is nothing special, but to be honest, it's this story which grew dear to my heart. (grin) What should I say about it? The rhythm is felicitous. This story was the first time I drew Kid's „signature“ we've grown so accustomed to. You can also tell from the name of one of the persons appearing that I really loved „Furuhata Ninzaburō“ back then - a japanese police detective drama.

Aoyama Kid ♥

Volume 4

Hello, it's me, Aoyama.

Since Magic Kaito is being republished I allow myself to show my memories about the past without further delay. (grin)

Crystal Mother This is the Kaito-train story I always wanted to draw! Including some allusions to "Lupin III" or "Sherlock Holmes" it became a story during which I could live it up... (grin) Snake, who got severely hurt in the tunnel returns in the following chapter completely unharmed. That's what I call "tough“! (Ha, ha!)

Red Tear Back when this story was published the first time, the thre first pages were in color! In fact, this created a mystery: „The gem on page 1 is blue, but the one on the cover page is red... Why oh why?“ Great that we can revive this mystery in all its glory! (grin) By the way, the closing scene in which all the photos containing the fondest memories are projected against the wall is an homage to the closing scene of the movie „Cinema Paradiso“. ♪ I used this highlight again in „Detective Conan – The Last Wizard of the Century“. (grin)

Black Star The first confrontation with the one and only Shinichi Kudo! In this story, Kaito says: „The inspector couldn't catch him even if he used a satellite system!“ But really, it's kind of surprising that he hasn't caught him before, isn't it?! (grin) Shinichi is firing a pistol? Akako wants to use magic to get rid of Shinichi? Little Kaito is flirting with Aoko? What a crazy story! (grin) Well, the scene in which Akako uses her magic powers was cut from TV syndication, but it was restored for the DVD, so everyone who wants to watch it, can do so now. ♥ Oh yeah, the title „Black Star“! I believe there are some readers who ask themselves why this gemstone served as the namesake of the story even though it's just mentioned in passing at the end. That's because Kaitou Kid himself is the "Black Star" after all ★ – hence the title! ♪

Golden Eye The first duel of the phantoms! (... maybe.) Catherine Zeta-Jones was the model for the character Ruby Jones. ♥ Well, they don't look very much alike... (Ha, ha!) In this story it's made clear that Kaito was born in June and Aoko in September! Exactly... Kaitou Kid may be a thief, but he is also a magician, so it really delighted me to slip in the name of the grandiose real-life magician Harry Houdini. (grin) There are a lot of tricky moments that show how much Detective Conan "poisoned" this story... (Ha, ha!)

Dark Knights The mask Nightmare is wearing is based on one I bought during a vacation in Spain, because I really liked it. It now hangs at the wall of my living room. (Ha, ha!) Again, in this story is a lot to analyze and moreover, it ends in a thought-provoking, grim mood, which isn't very typical for „Magic Kaito“. On the other hand, this isn't bad either, isn't it? Superintendent Chaki, an old acquaintance from Detective Conan, had his origin in this story. Further on, Hakuba's nanny „Baaya“ has her very first appearance in here! Actually, it's said that there is another nanny for him who has a more docile personality, but that's a different story altogether... (He, he...)

Phantom Lady (Preannouncement) This story revolves around how the original Kaitou Kid obtained a wonderfully beautiful jewel for the first time. ♥ It will be the first in Volume 5... I wonder when it will be released? (grin)

Volume 5

Hi, it's Aoyama ! Since a new volume of ''Magic Kaito'' came out, I have to delve into my memories from the past. PHANTOM LADY I wrote this story about Kaito's parents four years ago. I had stopped writing Magic Kaito for Conan and I thought : ''Wow, so much time has passed ?'' (laughs) If I recall correctly, his mother mutters ''Kaito, it's time for you to know'', and the story's finally here ! It's this story that finally revealed that Kaito's mother's name is ''Chikage''. It was my first time digitalizing a manuscript, I was glad I managed to portray the security sensor similar to phantom thieves stories so cooly, but I had to drew one night scenery after another, and that took time and so I almost didn't make it in a deadline. By the way, this story leads to Conan's Ryouma case, in volume 70. Read it if you're interested ! MIDNIGHT CROW When it was decided to animate the series, I had a meeting with the animation staff. We asked ourselves ''How are we going to finish the story ?''. So I suggested : ''Why not do one about a black Kaitou Kid that would be published in the Sunday ?''. And that's how I wrote Midnight Crow. I will never forget the staff's face when I told them ''Actually, Touichi is alive'' (laughs) Ikeda-san, Touichi's voice actor, had difficulty saying the line ''When you come in contact with an audience, it's a scene of duel...'' quickly ! <3 The ''sucker trick'' line comes from Kaito Kid's anime screenwriter Kunihiko Okada, who I thank very much. In the Phantom Lady chapter, Kaito's work as Kid was given by Chikage, but in Midnight Crow, he's supposed to quit because a lot happened in Las Vegas... but it's another story (laughs) SUN HALO This chapter was written to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Magic Kaito, so it had to be a love comedy <3 When I drew the chapter, Kaito's bike is a Suzuki GSX 250 R. I had forgotten that it was supposed to be broken, so I had Jii-chan say that a ''doctor friend'' helped him... I leave that to your imagination (laughs) Speaking of characters, Lucifer appears again ! As I thought, Akako uses red magic ! (Fortunately Akako doesn't exist in Conan's world (laughs)). The entrance hall in the chapter is based on Tottori's entrance hall, so please go there if you visit Tottori ! By the way, in Sun Halo, Aoko rides the bike with Kaito ! NONCHALANT LUPIN It's a short story I sent to a shounen magazine, and I got an award for it. As you can see, it was a prototype for ''Magic Kaito'' (laughs) The forms are different but there's no card gun. I drew this because the editor I had at that time told me : ''Show me a story you want to write''. It's my second work ! Now that I look back, I'm embarassed because it looks bad. (laughs) Anyway, the hero's name is Lupin, and the name of the story ''Nonchalant Lupin'', but I don't know where he's nonchalant... (laughs)

#reference #These are the ones that bug me the most about the translations honestly #Because these are the comments where people like to point and say 'DC and MK aren't the same world'#When the terms used only really indicate that their stories are separate; not their worldds #They're more separated into 'DC world' and 'MK world' in extremely loose terms that don't actually mean 'separate universes'#More just things like 'Akako is only going to be in MK because she can't appear in DC'#Which. Really gives more argument for their universes being the same; if there can't be a 'DC version' of Akako without breaking DC #Means if Akako were to appear in DC; she's implied to have magic; which could only be if she's the same Akako as MK #...Anyway; last post about this; unless more MK stuff comes up or I missed some #Which is possible; there's a lot of random information everywhere

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bunnychuu45 · 7 years ago

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Random question. I know Hide was the kind of person with a lot of friends and he seemed to be close with a lot of people and I was wondering if he had a best friend.. you know like a best best friend kind of person? I was wondering about this the other day and got really curious. (I know, stupid question)

Not sure if he had like a "number one" best friend that you are talking about. Only hide could really answer how he felt. He kept in contact with so many people and he was still friends with people he went to elementary school with. There are a huge amount of stories of him hanging out with other band members in Japan and America too. Not to mention he was quite private and protective of friends/family who were not celebrities. His supposed girlfriend (his stylist) was someone he knew for almost 10 years but we don't know exactly when they started going out even. As far as people I know of I would say his closest friends were his band mates from Saver Tiger, X and Spread Beaver and within there the closest were probably Yoshiki, Pata, INA, Kiyoshi and Tetsu. He hung out quite a bit with Sugizo and J from Luna Sea, Imai from Buck Tick, and Sex George from Ladies Room (he also used to be X's roadie from very early on. I love George lol he was almost like a 6th member of X. There are lots of stories of them together). Everyone forgets about Akemi Oshima (an interviewer and magazine writer) but she was extremely close with hide. Most of hide's interviews and books involve her. He fought constantly with his brother Hiroshi but I would call them close as well.Out of all the interviews/radio transcripts/books I read, their names pop up the most. Aside from Imai all of those people and bands I listed still continue to talk about hide a lot. They also seem the be the ones that miss him the most or never really seem to get over his death so I would assume they were very close. These people also almost always end up at his memorial lives as well even if it is just as support or solo works or with new bands.

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usunezukoinezu · 6 years ago

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About the newest HIDE biography Never Ending Dream by Oshima Akemi (available on Amazon.co.jp since 15th Dec. 2018): I saw people on Amazon complaining that Oshima has already published quite a few HIDE books and every year there is such consumerism related to HIDE memorial... Anyways I bought it because 2018 is the 20th Anniversay of his passing away and the only biography I had so far was Kyodai by his brother Matsumoto Hiroshi (also Junk Story is a damn good documentary). Not to mention that the so-called ‘‘quite a few HIDE books’‘ by Oshima are mostly compilation of interviews (e.g. HIDE Bible).

Notion: Unlike HIDE Bible, there is nearly no photos in this book.

(and I finally found the Japanese version of Taiji’s Life and Death of X)

Hopefully this will be an interesting read with new insights (e.g. I.N.A.’s Kimi no inai sekai).

Index:

https://66.media.tumblr.com/0b00979b62e5226f027a1ac16626c8d8/tumblr_inline_pkt65pVbSF1qks8r9_1280.jpg https://66.media.tumblr.com/262860ee7f39d1fdc71bb7e72352e575/tumblr_inline_pkt665a4vz1qks8r9_1280.jpg

#les guerriers de La Croix de Saint-André #les dorks de la croix de saint andré #Hide #Hideto Matsumoto

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pookystolenkissworld · 8 years ago

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#pata #tomoakiishizuka #guitarist #heath #hiroshimorie #bassist #sugizo #guitarists #xjapan #backstage #present #recently #cool Credit picture to Akemi Oshima Twitter เท่มากค่ะ ❤🎵👍

#tomoakiishizuka #sugizo #hiroshimorie #guitarists #recently #pata #heath #present #cool #guitarist #xjapan #bassist #backstage

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eyelectricmoon · 2 years ago

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That time hide, Heath and Akemi Oshima went to a gay club in 1992 (SHOXX 1999/6 translation excerpt)

[T/N] context: In 1992, Akemi, Heath, hide (and presumably some unnamed friends) were hanging out around The Limelight nightclub in New York.

At that time, the only thing in that place was the remodeled church building. It had a lot of small rooms, so hide, brimming with curiosity, was like "Wow, what's over there!?" and immediately wandered off somewhere. I don’t remember what day of the week it was exactly, but the number of people was tremendous and despite us trying not to get lost in the crowd, it was really frantic…

Having been there before, I seemed to recall another building connected to that one, with a smaller club called “Shampoo”. Everyone was like, “Alright, then let’s go check it out!” and so we began to roam around restlessly in search of the entrance. Instead of us going dancing, it turned into a little expedition of sorts (laughs).

We wandered about for some time, getting lost here and there, until finally we discovered the entrance to “Shampoo”. However, as we went inside, we realised it was a perfectly gay club! What’s more, it was a 4-store building, and with each consecutive floor, the density of gayness increased. On the first floor you could still sporadically spot some girls and the gay couples were keeping it tame. But throughout floors 2 and 3, the aura of obscurity gradually thickened. At some point on the third floor we got a little scared, so we were like “Hey, hide-chan. Let’s stop here”. But he was like “Nope, we’re making it to the top no matter what!”, and contrary to our pleas, he started moving forward even faster than before.

Just as expected, the condition of the 4th floor was terrible. There were only men; half-naked shredded men exposing bare muscles, men wearing skin-tight leather bodysuits with countless studs, anyway, with just one glance you knew for certain that they were all a part of that world. Even so, hide was completely unbothered by it all, he swiftly made his way to the counter and ordered a beer. It was difficult to be there for our girl gang, but as for Heath, who was clad in black enamel, he must’ve been taken for a man of the same tastes, because everywhere he went, he attracted inviting voices (and hands), it was quite a scene.

After leaving the establishment, we confirmed that, save for hide, every single man, with no exception, had been approached by someone in the club. Hearing that, hide made a puzzled expression. “Why am I the only one who didn’t get hit oooon?” He made a confused face, but apparently there was no one in that club brave enough to approach him as he sat there calmly sipping his beer, staring intensely and scrutinizing the men around him.

"Oh, it makes sense”, we all agreed in unison, but hide alone kept questioning it till the end, tilting his head to the side in confusion: “But why?” (laughs)

source (Akemi Oshima's blog)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HEATH ♡

#my translation #excerpt #hide #heath #x japan #akemi oshima #1992 #1999 #hideto matsumoto #matsumoto hideto #shoxx #vkei #visual kei

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doubleheartcd-blog · 8 years ago

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ROLEPLAYING HISTORY

The rules are simple! Post ten characters you’d like to role play as, have role played as, and might bring back. Then tag ten people to do the same (if you can’t think of ten characters, just write down however many you can and tag the same amount of people). Aside from that, please repost instead of reblogging!

CURRENTLY PLAYING:

Riel Rodas (panfandom OC); @creativiisms

Jiao Kumar (D.Gray-man OC); @doubleheartcd

Sasume Oshima (D.Gray-man OC); skype-focused; @blccdyfate

Shida Oshima (D.Gray-man OC); skype-focused; @lightccnfined

Sasake Oshima (D.Gray-man OC); skype-focused; @blccdywitness

Lyra Keiren/Lyra Oshima (D.Gray-man OC); @seccndwind

Tomas (D.Gray-man OC)

WANT TO/WILL BE PLAYING:

Hayley N’guyen (FireWire)

Tai (FireWire)

Diana Garret (Original verse OC)

Kiimare Sejtsuo (The Seven Tribes webcomic OC)

Jenorache “Jeno” Unkidae (The Seven Tribes)

Kyra Griffin (Magience OC)

Name forgotten (Magience dragon OC)

Kyra Verum (Magience OC)

Valae (Magience dragon OC)

HAVE PLAYED:

Luna (Ib group OC)

Sol (Ib group OC)

Ebony (Sci-fi group OC)

+ seven “kids”

Name forgotten (Fantasy group OC)

Ember (Humanized Rapidash Pokemon group OC)

Ryuu Takahashi (Free!! group OC)

Nanami Mai (Puella Magi Madoka Magica group OC)

Emma Gardner (FireWire); @samaritansavior

Yu Kanda (D.Gray-man)

Akemi Reo (Fantasy OC); @hybrxdiisms

Kidi Lucretz (Fantasy OC)

+ 2 siblings

+ 1 child

Ryuunosuke Wakahisa (Durarara!! OC); @drxgoniisms

Utashi (Yu Yu Hakusho OC); @betrxyxl

Mara Surgens (FFVII OC); @everbloomiing

Aura Arma (FFXV OC); @succeediing

Lara Heartifilia (Fairy Tail OC); @musicianiisms

WILL/WOULD PLAY AGAIN:

Mara Surgens; depends on partner activity

Aura Arma; depends on long-term interest

Emma Gardner

TAGGED BY: Taken from @jrbookman TAGGING: whoever would like to do this!

#lets play again! (ooc meme replies)#outofhate (ooc)#murmurs behind the curtain (mun talks)#thats..... m ost of them.........#l ays d own #the puppeteer (mun)

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turtleations · 11 months ago

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Interview with YOSHIKI - Translation

Published in the hide BIBLE (by Akemi Oshima) 2008

Note: I wrote much earlier that I was not going to do this particular "interview" (aka free commentary after one single prompt of the interviewer) because it doesn't actually offer any information not available in plenty of other places, but since I'm doing every single other interview in that book, it felt weird to leave it out in the end. And since it's so short, I ended up doing an actual translation rather than a "summary", although I am not happy with it.

It's still long enough to warant a cut:

It’s great that you were playing your new song at the X JAPAN reunion concert at the Tokyo Dome.

Regarding “Without You” (the song YOSHIKI dedicated to HIDE), I also thought about the magnificent version performed at the Tokyo Dome, but this time there was no time for it. Whether it’ll be overseas or in Japan, I’m thinking about maybe doing the next one in a pattern that will develop into something spectacular. Regarding “I.V.” (the song using HIDE’s guitar track), I thought it would turn out cool to have the audience sing the first part before returning to Japan and then later add sound effects and the band parts. Therefore, I told the band members on the second day of the performance, “Until everyone starts the big chorus, I won’t be drumming at all.” It was really exciting, wasn’t it?

Anyhow, this time there was a lot of preparation to do, but, not limited to the hologram, things related to HIDE are of the most importance now. I started that work quite early in Los Angeles. So far, I’ve chosen a good take of HIDE’s from that live and singled out only his part. We perform while listening to this sound of HIDE’s, but it took an enormous amount of time for the sequence for that to be created. Still, it was not enough to invoke a live-feel, so for that song, SUGIZO joined us as the first guest-guitarist to play along with HIDE’s image.

When remembering HIDE, what left the deepest impression? In the end, that would be something that once happened when we went to have dinner together. I am bad at picking out fish bones. I was livid, saying, “How can I eat this?”, and next to me, HIDE went, “Wait a moment, I’ll take them out,” and cleanly separated all the bones for me (laughs). Because of things like this, he was like a mother.

As a musician, HIDE was the type who thought about things very attentively. For example, X’s songs are ensemble pieces, and I, the one who sees those vertical sounds, am the one for the ultimate details, but on the other hand, there are also things I have a rough grasp of, and it felt like HIDE was right there in between those two extremes. Therefore, filling in the duties left by HIDE for our live this time has been terrible, I think.

But, to me, HIDE had been a friend before he was a band member. Way back, HIDE came to recruit me for his band. Next, I tried to recruit HIDE. That day, I went to Yokohama’s “7th Avenue” to see a SAVER TIGER live, and I brought LADIESROOM’s George along. “Today, we’re off to get HIDE!” “Are we?” Like that (laughs). Therefore, after the live, when everyone was having an afterparty, I said in front of them all, “HIDE, join X!” Which didn’t result in much of a fight, somehow.

At that time, HIDE smoothed it over by telling me, “Let’s talk about it more slowly later.” He, too, had been betting his life on SAVER TIGER. And I had come in with a special attack like that (laughs). George had been surprised. “Please have those talks in secret, or at least not where all the members are gathered,” he said. But since talk like that tends to leak anyway, I figured it would be better do it right in front of everyone to begin with (laughs).

While there were episodes like that, eventually, SAVER TIGER ended up disbanding. I got a phone call from HIDE then. “I’m thinking about giving up music,” he said. When I told him, “Then, isn’t it better to just do so?” and heard “Eh? You’re not trying to get me to join your band?” in reply, I answered, “That’s your decision, that’s why,” and HIDE was surprised. I think I was waiting for the words, “Well, I’ll join X,” but HIDE did not say that.

When HIDE asked, “Would it be okay for me to come watch X’s rehearsal?” two or three days later, I said, “Yeah, come.” While he watched the rehearsal, HIDE appeared to be deep in thought. In those days, we often went drinking after rehearsing, but this day, after making the invitation, “Let’s go drinking!”, HIDE immediately said, “I’m joining X.” I’d somehow known that already, but it still caused big excitement.

At that point, X’s fixed members were only TOSHI and me, and so HIDE got personal invitations from a lot of different bands who wanted him to join them. Because of that, he met with a lot of people. But in the end, HIDE always cut them off with “I’m with X, that’s why.” “But, X is only drums and vocals?”, he was then told. I think it’s great that TOSHI stood his ground in this. Because guitarists had come and gone, come and gone over and over.

I think X was a band not affiliated with any genre. It was not thrash metal, not orthodox hard rock, I liked punk, but the songs we made were too melodious for that and I also liked music in a classical style. The more I talked about the sound I wanted to create, the more chaos there was among the members. Because of this, we separated from other bands more and more. I think that that while HIDE had courage to jump into that, he must have approved of us and our style in the first place. When HIDE told me, “I don’t understand it, but it looks like you’re creating something big, YOSHIKI. I’ll wager on that,” I gained confidence. “You will dash forward, so I will follow you,” he said.

HIDE got along well with the music critics. But I always had to fight with them. For example, one time, a certain critic called them to some issakaya [restaurant that also serves alcohol] in a very positive manner, saying, “Let’s think about the future of X.” Because the period in which a band like ours got positive attention from music critics was like a lifeline. But there we were told, “If all the members sported black hair and an army look, X could be a success,” and I flipped out and asked him “Are you an idiot?” HIDE tried to calm me down with “Wait a second. Please take it easy,” but I was like, “Shut up! I’m going to beat this fucker up!” (laughs)

Even though HIDE said, „It they hate us any more, it’s over for us,” I said something like, “That doesn’t matter. We’re going to perform on TV,” and just went home. At that time, rock bands never went on TV. Even after our debut, I was told by the people from the record company that TV appearances were rare, but the more they said so, the more I wanted to do it. About this, HIDE said, “I don’t really understand it, but if YOSHIKI says we should, then we will. I’ll follow you.” He always took that position.

Mentally, we were perfectly punk. Regardless of the quality of something, we wanted to dare going to places where we would be laughed at for doing what we did, or where it was not allowed. We had that strange kind of self-confidence since long ago, and I think HIDE understood that as well. For example, my background is in classical music, and so I thought there was no way I would be defeated if they talked about music, and just wanted to face them head on.

But before I could get that across to the other person, I just lost my temper. Here, HIDE interpreted for me, saying, “Actually, what YOSHIKI wanted to say is this.” At that time, he did that a lot. This isn’t a real thing we used, but HIDE would say things like, “That’s on page 60 of the YOSHIKI user manual.” (laughs) Is it okay to perform this action at that time, in a case like this, that’s what he’s saying, and so on. HIDE explained it like that to a lot of people (laughs).

In that sense, too, HIDE felt a lot like a mother. When he died, it felt like losing family. Although we are now standing on stage at Tokyo Dome like this, TOSHI was simply a childhood friend at first, and the same goes for HIDE. Before they are members of my band, they feel like members of my family. That’s why… It’s strange, isn’t it, this kind of thing.

#hide #translation #hide bible #interview #x japan #yoshiki #well #so this happened #anyway

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kurumeki · 5 years ago

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Akemi Oshima (music journalist, MC) on Twitter

Ever since I saw the obituary, I couldn’t believe it; yet yesterday I have accepted the reality. A composer and guitarist who produced wonderfully unique sounds and melodies, he was always such a warm person and put everyone in a good mood. YOU-chan, you have created s omany great songs, these will stay with us forever.

#akemi oshima #you #yuji adachi #dead end #picture from 1989 london when dead end went to record their 4th album

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bunnychuu45 · 11 years ago

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Yubamangashira: ‘Indulging in LA’s Roller Coasters’ Episode 8 (Sept 1993) Part 1 (1/2)

Starting in Chofu’s Green Hall on July 1st was X’s Film Gig, so shooting for it was carried out on the outskirts of L.A., Long Beach Arena, on May 26th. A lot of Japanese media gathered in L.A., for news coverage. It gave an impression akin to something you would normally see to a gathering in a concert hall. “Is this Shibuya Public Hall? Budokan!?” so for an instant I was completely taken aback (laugh). However, for the authorized staff, it was a super tight schedule for two nights and four days. Though I had just arrived to L.A. the day before shooting, I would be on a plane to Tokyo the next day early in the morning on the day of shooting is an unbelievable handling of scheduling. However, I secretly without telling anyone, delayed my stay for three days. Because, previously, I had done a business trip to New York for two nights and four days (and with a stop in Washington), and after returning to Japan, my physical condition was thoroughly and completely destroyed. It’s such a pa~inful memory. When I returned, I told Utsumin and Satoshi-chan “It’s unfa~ir” while looking coldly at them so, I told myself in a bouncy happy voice, “Alright! I’ll do a 3 day vacation in L.A.!”. Although I said that, in the end, I wasn’t able to take scenic photos or the shopping that I looked forward to doing though… … ((oh Akemi, not with hide planning your vacation XD))

‘Tomorrow, where should we go play?’

Before and after the shooting, the members of X were really busy, so we really didn’t have free time to meet and talk, but those two days after, hide invited me out saying, “Tonight, after the photo check, various affairs and everything is finished, let’s go drinking!”

So then, that night at around 8:00p.m., I went to the studio where the guys were. I walked in the entrance and in the hallway, I ran into Toshi, who had started working on recording the song, ‘Art of Life’, unexpectedly.

Toshi: The day before, I really over did it for the Film Gig video shooting, so I’m really tired~

I could hear that his voice was cracked a little.

Toshi: Ma~n, after this everyone is going to drink right? You’re so lucky~ I have to work

And then Toshi disappeared into studio. When I went to the reception office, Hide, Pata and Heath were relaxing.

hide: I looked at too many images today, my eyes hurt.

He complained. It seems that the reporters that came from Japan to film had done over a thousand reels. And furthermore, the only had two days to check them all, so it was inevitable that his eyes would hurt huh~. And then after that, with the exception of Yoshiki and Toshi who were working on the recording for ‘Art of Life’, I went with the guys to a Japanese restaurant near the studio. Come to think of it, the previous year in August, I came to L.A. to collect data for an article, and when we went to eat, it was always at a Japanese restaurant. They were such fine Japanese men, weren’t they… … I had thought, it seems like their true purpose was to have Nihonshu and Japanese style sake with appetizers. It didn’t matter where in the world they went, their style really didn’t change at all I guess (laugh). And then, while drinking alcohol, accompanied with dinner, we would become lively while idly chatting, to Pata

hide: Tomorrow, should we go out and play somewhere?

hide said and began our conversation. His place that he lived in was a little bit separated from the rest of the member’s apartments and lately he didn’t really go out very often. It seems like he had found out that I had rented a car and his ulterior motive was to turn me into an Asshi-kun (a man used by a woman for his car) but even Pata did not seem to notice it yet at the time so this led to his day of struggle… … (laugh).

Me: So, where should we go?

Pata: Anywhere is fine.

Me: Ok, let’s go to Magic Mountain!

Pata: What!?

Me: I had gone once before, but, when I went it was Sunday and it was really crowded and I only got to ride three roller coasters!

Pata: No way. I don’t want to be a downer, but I hate things like roller coasters.

Me: Oh, I see… … (sniffle)

Magic Mountain, Disneyland and Knott’s Berry Farm are L.A.’s, big three most famous amusement parks. Furthermore, Magic Mountain’s roller coasters are generally the kind that you scream your guts out, so it’s an amusement park that’s really popular among young people. At that moment, hide who had been listening to our conversation from the sidelines

hide: It’s fine isn’t it, Magic Mountain! Let’s all go tomorrow!

he said. Heath too

Heath: Sounds good~

he says with a smug smile (the meaning behind this smile becomes clear the next day). And then

hide: Great! Tomorrow’s ‘Yubamangashira, Go to the amusement park in L.A.!’ is decided. Let’s all get together at my house tomorrow at 12:00, ok!

he said and with that, it was determined that we would go to Magic Mountain the next day. Pata who was motionlessly listening to our exchange

Pata: I’m going to pass during the day, so, at night, when you go out to drink, invite me out, and I’ll come ok?

he said so leisurely and yet… …

((Oh Pata, how wrong you are XD The next title is “After all, everyone is going!”))

#akemi oshima #x japan translations #hide #PATA #Heath #toshi #YOSHIKI #hideto matsumoto #Matsumoto Hideto #Tomoaki Ishizuka #Hiroshi Morie #Toshimitsu Deyama #yoshiki hayashi

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