Yoshiki and Sugizo of X Japan Otakon 2010 Press Conference July 31, 2010
PRESS: Sanspo.com published a story last week saying that you had reconciled with Taiji Sawada and he would perform as a guest with the band. Is there any truth to that rumor?
YOSHIKI: I wouldn't say we reconciled, I mean, I don't know that I'd use the word reconciled. It's more like, I saw him at HIDE's funeral about twelve years ago so we talked again. But I never thought we were going to be performing together again. But, recently, Toshi, the vocalist, saw Taiji again for the first time in, I don't know, ten years or so. Then he kind of gave me an idea, "Maybe you guys should meet too." Then, last time I was in Tokyo we went drinking. Then we started talking about something, maybe playing again. Of course, Heath's the bass player, he's here. So, he'd be more like a guest musician. So...it's not confirmed yet. Well, the show is two week from now, but.
PRESS: What are your favorite manga or anime? Or is there any current titles that you are aware of?
YOSHIKI: Favorite?
PRESS: This is a question for both of you.
SUGIZO: Ah, so many.
YOSHIKI: For example?
SUGIZO: For example...Ghost in the Shell and of course Gundam. But I...
PRESS: Going back to the Taiji question, if he does perform with you are you going to be playing any Taiji songs? That he's written.
YOSHIKI: Possibly, possibly, possibility. Yes. But nothing's confirmed so...we don't know yet. But there's a big possibility.
PRESS: In LA you recorded new videos for several songs, including Rusty Nail, which previously had a video. What led to the decision to redo that video?
YOSHIKI: Ok, Rusty Nail we're also making an English version, so I wrote the song in English, and that's another reason to do a music video. Yeah, that's the reason. That song's going to make it to the US album, too.
PRESS: At Lollapalooza are you guys going to be performing mostly songs sung in English, or are you going to perform some in Japanese as well?
YOSHIKI: Good question. *chuckles* I've been contemplating what we should be doing. Because a lot of songs we are performing, we do have English versions. But...because of our fanbase in general we may want to share some of the Japanese lyrics as well. So...some songs could be a combination of both Japanese and English. Some songs we may just go for the English version, some just the Japanese version. What do you think?
PRESS: I think you should do both.
YOSHIKI: Ok! *laughter*
PRESS: What are your anticipations for Lollapalooza and do you have any goals to beat Lady Gaga and other artists performing at the festival?
YOSHIKI: I think Lady Gaga is performing August 6th. And I want to watch that. Actually, I went to see her show in Los Angeles last year. Well, it's gonna be a big day for us because...it's just our first performance, except today *laughter*. But yeah...anticipation... for sure we're gonna rock. And then...umm...I don't know, what do you think?
PRESS: Rock out.
YOSHIKI: Rock out...yeah.
PRESS: A lot of Japanese artists have been trying to break into the American market during the last several years. What are your thoughts for the future of visual kei?
YOSHIKI: Very, very interesting and deep question. I don't know. *laughter* Somebody has to do it. Somebody has to break into the market. Well, I'm almost shocked right now because I moved to Los Angeles more than ten years ago and I wasn't really listening to Japanese music for several years. Then I came back to Tokyo again and went "Woah...visual kei evolved" It was a very interesting thing. There are a lot of new great bands, doing a lot of great shows. So visual kei...I think it's going to last. I think it's gonna keep evolving. It won't die, I think. As for the American market, that's a whole new level. So, hopefully we are one of the band to break into the market. We just have to keep trying it.
PRESS: Personal preference, quiet or loud?
YOSHIKI: You mean?
PRESS: Do you like quiet sounds or loud sounds?
YOSHIKI: Both. That's why I do Classical Music and Rock.
PRESS: I was surprised. You were very quiet.
YOSHIKI: Am I quiet?
PRESS: Today? Yeah.
YOSHIKI: Oh yeah...today...yeah...You haven't seen the other side yet. *laughter*
PRESS: This is really for the both of you. What would you consider to be your ultimate project or accomplishment. If you could do anything or work with anyone, living or dead, what would you do?
SUGIZO: My dream? I really want to play on the moon. *laughter*
SUGIZO: I'm serious.
YOSHIKI: It's...very soon. But you have to play in the US tour first. *laughter*
SUGIZO: So yes, shooting video on the moon.
YOSHIKI: Really?
SUGIZO: And a space station too.
YOSHIKI: Space station...well...you want to tour the world first. But, ultimately, yes, yes we should. ...Mars.
SUGIZO: Mars.
PRESS: A couple years ago you released remastered versions of Blue Blood and Jealousy. Have you given any thought to remastering Vanishing Vision?
YOSHIKI: Interesting...maybe we should. Yeah. Probably. Yeah.
PRESS: You're currently working on a new album. What can you tell us about it other than the fact that it's all in English?
YOSHIKI: Ok. So, I'd say fifty percent of the songs are old songs. Such as Kurenai, Rusty Nail, or Tears. And fifty percent are kind of new songs. Like...IV, Jade, or Born to Be Free, which we just recorded a music video for, along with the songs I haven't even named yet. But, recording's done. Yeah, it's a combination. About fifty-fifty.
PRESS: How did you become involved with Repo! The Genetic Opera?
YOSHIKI: Ok, umm... How did I get involved with that? I was working on the movie called Catacombs, I composed the end title. Then, the same director was working on Saw and Repo. Actually Darren Bousman, the director of Saw IV was also directed Repo. So then somehow, because of that connection, he asked me to produce the music for that movie.
PRESS: Would you like to work on more film projects in the future?
YOSHIKI: Sure...Working on a film project is very interesting because I'm not completely in charge. It's an interesting thing, when I was working on that project, Repo, Darren Bousman and I got into a nice argument. I said "You're fired." Right? He said, "You can't fire me, I can fire you." Because he's the movie director, I'm just the music director. So, what I'm trying to say is, in the music world I'm usually completely in charge, I'm not really...I just keep going on and on and on, but working on a movie project, there's somebody to stop me doing music forever. At the same time, when I'm composing I think about pictures and scenes, in my head. So working on the movie projects is very, very interesting and very inspiring.
PRESS: You mentioned something about seeing scenes and pictures when you compose music. Do you every experience synesthesia?
YOSHIKI: What?
PRESS: Synesthesia...when you hear musical notes you see things like colors in your head.
YOSHIKI: Sure.
PRESS: Are they more colors or are the definitely scenes?
YOSHIKI: Hmm...interesting...sometimes very specific, sometimes very ambiguous. Umm...but, for some reason, if it's color, I don't see pink or something. I only see very dark red or something bloody *laughs* I don't know why. Something dark and beautiful. If it's a scene, it always has, in a good way though, some kind of death involved. Kind of like, as I said, in a positive way, to see the moment we are living, right this moment. Because this is death, right next to you. When I compose I usually think about that: living, death and life, and...
PRESS: You've worked with various visual kei fashion labels before, behind the scenes just wearing their clothes. But how did it come forward to actually be presenting with h.Naoto, with their presence on stage?
YOSHIKI: h.Naoto, right? Well, one day I was reading some Japanese magazine, then I saw his clothes and said "This is cool." Then my management talked to them and then, "Sure, lets do something together." So...that's it then.
PRESS: Alice Cooper, KISS, Twisted Sister. They all pioneered extreme levels of fashion to improve their noteraity in spite of being excellent musicians. X Japan obviously did the same thing to get a big foothold in the Japanese market with visual kei. What I have to ask you is as you tone down the visual kei, how do you plan to continue differentiating yourselves from other great artists in America as you attempt to release an album in English?
YOSHIKI: Good question.
SUGIZO: I think just music's good. It's real music skill and sense. Every great band has very great player, a great composer.
YOSHIKI: Yeah. Same thing. The fashion is very important for us as well, of course it is Visual Kei. But at the same time, we think the music is the core, the main part. We're pretty confident our music is pretty strong. Well, I wouldn't say strong. We are very different. Well, I wouldn't say different...Unique. Because of our background, both Sugizo and I, and Toshi, three of us have Classical music background, besides rock. Then, of course, I do respect a lot of the bands you mentioned. We're not trying to differentiate with somebody, of course, we're going to get compared with a lot of bands, but what we are trying to do is just be ourselves, not trying to be somebody. Just, being ourselves. Then we're just gonna go for it.
PRESS: Good.
YOSHIKI: Yeah?
PRESS: For Lollapalooza, what kind of message would you want to send to your fans for your US debut?
YOSHIKI: Something new is coming to America. I hope it's gonna be some kind of like historical moment.
SUGIZO: I think...my message is very simple. Music has no borders.
YOSHIKI: Interesting... But...there have been the invisible walls between east and west. Hopefully we can put a hole into that wall and then smash it totally. Eventually.
PRESS: How exactly did it come about that your American debut is at Lollapalooza? It's a pretty big thing to have your first show be at a huge festival like that.
YOSHIKI: Well, I live in Los Angeles. I'd been talked to several managers or agents about how X Japan should debut in America. We thought about doing a club tour; we thought about doing a small hall tour. But then some of my people who I work with said, "How about Coachella, how about Lollapalooza..." and then I was like "Hmm...that's very interesting." Then recently my agent, his name is Marc Geiger said, "Let's do it. If X Japan is ready we can have a very good spot for X Japan." So, that's it, I've known those people.
PRESS: In Tokyo you have really large productions when you play concerts. On your US tour what kind of production are you kind of anticipating?
YOSHIKI: Well, obviously we are just starting in the US. Now we are gonna do whatever we can have. It doesn't have to be a huge production. We can play in clubs and everything. So, we cannot bring that huge drum riser or the production to the US until the day we can perform in a big arena. Bu the lighting, and all of those things are part of our show as well. So we're gonna try as much as we can. But at the same time we are ready to perform anywhere. Without even lighting. Yeah...without even anything. As long as we can play. So we do have kind of the same mentality, like when we debuted in Japan a long time ago. We didn't have that kind of production when we first started in Japan. So we have the same mindset. We're just starting again. Which is very exciting, to be born again.
MC: Thank you very much for your time. And I'd like to ask, what is your message for the fans who are looking forward to seeing your live shows in the United States.
SUGIZO: This is really big honor for me. I really respected X Japan from a very long time ago and X Japan's musical skill and sense is very great. When I joined them I thought, "I need more practice!" It is very, very important for me and just now I am part of X Japan, it is very exciting. This time is our American debut, too exciting. How can I say? I'm just excited, and I really love Americans, all Americans.
YOSHIKI: I'm very excited to finally, we can perform in the US. And because of our fans, because of you guys, we could reunite the band. So, without you, basically we are nothing. Nothing and nobody. I want to say thank you so much for supporting us, and I would like you to support X Japan for the future as well. And we will do anything to make it up, to live up to your expectation. Yeah, we're ready to rock the world. Thank you and I love you.
MC: Thank you very much.
Special thanks to Yoshiki and Sugizo of X Japan, Otakon, and all of the press in attendance who provided questions.
