I'm riding in an elevator up to the highest floors of Chicago's Ritz Carlton with publicist Heidi Ellen Robinson-Fitzgerald. For a sweet lady, she represents some hard-hitting acts including Slayer, Anthrax, and even the legendary producer Rick Rubin. Today I will not be meeting any of them. No, instead she will introduce me to her latest client: Yoshiki, the heart of X Japan.
She tries to prep me for my interview by explaining that Yoshiki is terribly reluctant to talk too favorably about himself and I have a hard time believing her. I know what the man has achieved! We're talking 21 million albums sold with X Japan. He was asked by the Japanese emperor to compose a song celebrating the ten year anniversary of his reign. He has composed Japan's best-selling classical album and he did it with George Martin; the same producer who worked with this little band from Liverpool you might have heard of on albums like Sgt. Pepper and Abbey Road.
Now he and the rest of X Japan are mounting the strongest attempt by a Japanese band to capture the American audience ever; starting with a main stage performance at Lollapalooza tomorrow afternoon and followed up by a new album almost entirely in English and a North American tour.
So humble? Yeah, I wasn't buying it when she told me nor when we walked into his palatial suite complete with a baby grand piano.
Then Yoshiki descended a spiral stair case from the master bedroom and started speaking to me with his disarmingly timid nature about his motivations for taking on the world with X Japan, where it all began, where it fell apart, and where he hopes it might end up.
New Times: How does it feel to know you're about to play the largest show a Japanese and has ever played in this country?
Yoshiki: Exciting. Very, very exciting. Yeah.
NT: Just about every time I've seen a Japanese band play in the U.S. they've done so at tiny venues; never something like this. I imagine other Japanese bands are very envious.
Y: That's right. Also we are performing on the main stage.
NT: Will you have the normal amount of pyrotechnics or will they be scaled back?
Y: We're not the headliner, so we don't have that much things going on, but we do have some pyrotechnics and some lighting. We had to fight for it though.
NT: How did X Japan manage to get on the Lollapalooza bill this year?
Y: I know Mark Geiger. Actually, he is my agent. Our agent. He is one of the Lollapalooza founders. Also I've been talking to a few people in my entertainment life. Attorneys...all those people and asking "How should we debut in America? Should we start doing clubs or some small venues with a couple thousand people?" Then someone said, "If you can get into a festival, that might be the most interesting and shocking way to introduce X Japan." We started talking about Coachella and then Lollapalooza, the two biggest ones. By the time we started talking about it, Coachella was already happening, so...then let's do Lollapalooza. Mark and I started talking about it and he said he's in. We're in.
NT: How have the American fans reacted to news of the Lollapalooza show, the new X Japan album, and the tour?
Y: Well, I think they are very excited. And then...to me our fans are not normal. The relationship between our band and our fans is a little more than normal artists' fans. They're so passionate. I don't know...they just really care about us. I do too. It's vice-versa. Same feeling. It's like, I don't feel like I'm just doing Lollapalooza or this big show...festival by ourselves as a band. I feel almost like we're doing it with everybody together. Let's rock the place with us. You're part of our X Japan family. It's like a festival or a show. No matter what you do on the stage, a great performance or technically whatever...we're going to create the show together. That's X Japan's concept from the get go. Our thing. So we create the show together. Tomorrow's show is going to be the same thing. Let's rock the place together.
NT: Were you surprised to find out that you have as many fans in the U.S. as you do?
Y: A few years ago, yes. I couldn't believe...like that's another reason we got reunited. I mean, Toshi, the vocalist and I...we didn't talk for seven or eight years after the broke up. But then we started talking about...the beginning was just fixing our friendship first. Then we talked about...even Toshi found out, "You know we have fans all over the world now." Yeah, I said, it's very strange in a good way. Our music spread. While we were not doing anything. So then let's do that again!
The hardest part was doing it again without Hide, the deceased member. We found out our fans are here, outside of Japan, in America as well and at the same time, they are really supportive.
NT: How so?
Y: I dunno, the message I got through Myspace before or...I just did a Twitter thing. I just tweeted and I got tons of messages. Of course I can not read everything, but some of them are just so amazingly touching. It's like almost we are doing the music because of people supporting us. We are basically nothing without our fans anyway, so...
NT: How does it feel to be reunited after ten years?
Y: I feel like I'm still dreaming. When we broke up, I thought everything was over. Then especially right after we broke up, Hide died (the band's former lead guitarist passed away in May of 1998). So, I never even thought about...didn't even think twice that we can reunite. So, I still feel like when I wake up tomorrow morning, it will be a dream. It's so unreal. And now we're performing Lollapalooza, it's just...I feel like I'm dreaming.
NT: Do the other band members feel the same way?
Y: I think so, I mean it's...I almost have to say it's like a miracle. I mean after we had so much drama...Toshi (X Japan's vocalist) had some lifestyle drama. Also, myself, I had to do neck surgery last year even after the reunion. Everything's drama, but we still keep going and doing this. It's a miracle.
NT: What is the new album called?
Y: Why have not named that yet. But we know the first single will be "Jade."
NT: I heard there is also a song called "Born to Be Free."
Y: Yes, that will most likely be the second single.
NT: What can you tell me about those new songs?
Y: It's X Japan's sound but evolved a little bit I think.
NT: Does that have anything to do with Sugizo? (Sugizo became the band's new guitarist and sixth member after the reunion)
Y: Yes. I asked him to play some dramatic guitar solos. Yeah, he's really become part of X Japan now. He was almost co-producing the sound. Because he likes to be in the studio.
Believe it or not, a lot of musicians, when they finish their part, they just leave and get drunk (laughs) but for some reason Sugizo, he is staying like...I was usually staying until 2 or 3 a.m. and just working he was just staying and then supporting me. It was great.
He did an amazing guitar solo for the song called "Jade." Of course Pata, Heath and Toshi did an amazing performance as well.
NT: I know some previously unused guitar tracks from Hide were used in the song "I .V." Are you going to make use of anymore of Hide's unused material on the new album?
Y: There are possibilities. "I.V." was the song we recorded when we were still in the reunion process. So, I said I'm not going to reunite this band without Hide. When I was talking to the management people, they were like "How?" I said, "there's gotta be a way. I won't even think about a reunion." The reunion concert, we used Hide's hologram image and then in the song, "I.V." the first song after we reunited, I said "Hide needs to be a part of our song" so, then Hide's management brought tons of unused guitar charts then I re-pitched it, tried some expansion or shortened it and tried to fit it into the song. Right now, "Jade"...we just finished it. Hide's not in it, but his spirit is in it. Sugizo and I talked: "Hide would have played this kind of style. Or this. How about that?" And we kind of put that kind of image into it. So, without his sound...like also tomorrow, one of the other interviewers asked about how there are five of us performing and I said, "Well actually, six."
NT: How was Sugizo selected as the sixth member?
Y: Well, I've known him for a long time, like before even Luna Sea debuted...actually they debuted their first album through my label come to think of it. (Laughs) I never thought about...well, you know we are friends, but I didn't know how good he was until we worked together. We first worked on a band called S.K.I.N. Sugizo and then Gackt and Miyavi...they are all like super stars in Japan...and myself just made a band and performed together. Then I didn't realize. "Oh my god, he's a really great guitar player on top of being a really great friend." So, then also Hide knew Sugizo very well. It's a very natural process that he joined the band. He was a supporting member for our reunion...first couple of shows. Then I said, "Sugizo, why don't you join us?" He said "How about Hide?" and I said, "You are the sixth member, not the fifth member."
NT: How far do you want to take the North American tour?
Y: As far as we can. When we perform, we perform from...seriously, we use our entire energy. It's like our show is so exhausting and like physically, maybe mentally too. So we just throw everything we have. We don't think about next moment or tomorrow. I don't know how many shows we can do, but we are ready to do as many shows as possible 'til we basically die. We are that serious.
NT: What is your end goal?
Y: I just believe from the get go like the music has no boundary. So then, I think our fans proved it. I just wanna break that boundary through music. I don't know if we're going to be like famous or anything, we just believe in the power of music. Music doesn't have to come from one country or two countries. It could come from all over the world.
NT: Are you concerned about a language barrier?
Y: Let's say our new album. So ninety percent is English. We re-recorded. Like tomorrow, we're going to perform "Rusty Nail" in English for the first time. The English version. But there's a song called "Kurenai" that we also changed to English as well, but the chorus we intentionally left it in Japanese. So we are not very concerned about the barrier, because we also have a lot of songs in English as well.
NT: If the band had not broken up in 1998 would America have happened sooner? Was it part of the plan?
Y: We were going to debut in America before the broke up, but I dunno if we were ready at that time. Good question.
NT: Do you think the band is ready now?
Y: Yeah, I feel like it for some reason. We just needed those ten years. To even appreciate what we have. The vocalist and I grew up together. We went to the same kindergarten. I met him when we were four years old. So, then we've been together for a long time, so we both...Toshi and I talked about how great he is and he was. But we lost that kind of thing. Now, we also have fans I don't think we had ten years ago.
NT: Do you think your music has spread so much because of the internet?
Y: That could be part of it, but it doesn't have to be the internet. When I went to Thailand almost ten years ago, I went to the airport. There are 3000 fans singing my song. I think it was "Tears." I thought it was some kind of candid camera or something. People trying to trick me. This was the first time I went to Thailand...for vacation. Then somebody said that somebody bought X Japan's single then brought it to Thailand then played it on the radio and it just spread from there. One person. It's like an infection or a pandemic. I thought that was very interesting and then cool.
So because of the internet, it has more chance to spread. But the internet is just a tool. I think the music itself is more important than anything else.
NT: You and Toshi started the band in high school?
Y: Actually earlier. Toshi and I started a band at about ten or eleven years old.
NT: Was it always called X?
Y: No. We use to call it Noise or something. Actually Toshi was not even a vocalist, he was a guitar player. I was playing the drums, the piano as well. We had a vocalist, but we went to different jr. high schools. Then the vocalist had to leave. So who's going to sing? Everyone sang and Toshi was the best one, so he became the vocalist.
NT: What made you want to start a rock band?
Y: I was only listening to classical music up to when I was ten years old. One day I went to buy another Beethoven or classical album. Then I saw KISS...Gene Simmon's bleeding face. I said, "What's that?" and the record shop played it for me. It was quite shocking. I bought that. Then at that time also, I lost my father when I was 10. I was going through more rebel state. Everything fit perfectly. So...
NT: This is a personal observation here, but it seems to me that X Japan songs either rock extremely hard or are emotionally charged ballads. Do you think that has anything to do with your dual nature as both the drummer and pianist?
Y: Interesting. I think so. People have...like sometimes people are angry. Sometimes people are sad. So why can't we have different dimension in the music. More then ten years ago we were talking about debuting in America and the label people said you have to have one dimension. You are either hard or pop. Why can we have ballad and super fast song at the same time? It won't work in America. Well, we'll see. Because I play the piano and drums, they're different instruments, but it's the same music. I mean, those instruments are just tools to express our feeling. Some people think it's kind of strange that we do heavy and...also I do rock and classical music which is the same music. For us it's not that different. Our show in Japan is usually three hours long. If we are playing three hours of heavy stuff, people will get really tired and then...we have a combination of those and that makes X Japan interesting.
NT: What was it like recording Eternal Melody with George Martin.
Y: It was a really great moment and then I learned a lot from him. I started doing orchestration after I worked for him, so he was a very big influence for me. I tried not to think he was the producer of the Beatles, because I can not concentrate on what we were working on. It was such an honor. It's great.
NT: Why did the band break up when it did?
Y: I think there are a lot of element that caused that broke up. We were pretty popular in Japan. I wanted to go outside of Japan. I wanted to come here, but for some of the members were so comfortable to be in Japan where they are super stars. Why do we have to do the things all over again. Five of us are not really thinking to break through and go out of Japan. Some members were like I don't want to go back and forth between America a couple times a month. Something like that. The main reason, I have to say is that Toshi and I started not talking. So then we decided to go separate way. That's the main reason.
NT: Was it hard to reunite the band?
Y: Yes. In general I think it's hard to reunite the band. But for us, because Hide's dead...well, I won't say he's dead because to me he's still with us. Also, I don't know a lot of emotional things we went through, but because of those fans...we didn't questions us once we decided to do a reunion. That was it.
NT: Tell me how you went about writing Art of Life.
Y: The way I started writing the song was kind of funny. I was with Sony record. Then they said...we were talking about some MTV promotion or some radio promotion or something like that. And I asked them, why does every song have to be three and a half or even four or under five minutes. Then Sony people said, it's easy to play of course, but you can do whatever you want. Okay, let's say I made a thirty minute song, what would you guys do? Then they say, of course we're going to promote and I said, "hmm. Interesting." Then I went home and started writing a thirty minute tune...well, not thirty minutes. I tried to make it ten minutes and something but my idea kept coming to my head. Then I started thinking about what should I write about? I started thinking about my life so that's how everything started.
NT: Is there some sort of idea you were ultimately trying to express with Art of Life?
Y: Yes, I think I tried to convince even myself not to die. Try to keep going. It's a very positive message I think. Because I was very...at a certain point I was very suicidal like...I don't know, I just hated life a lot of times. That's also the message for people, also myself as well. I had to convince myself to keep going. Then I wrote the song.
NT: How did you learn English?
Y: When we came here, we did some kind of press conference and nobody spoke English. They said, how're you going to do this without speaking English. I said, I will learn...I said that in Japanese probably (laughs). So I just learned.
NT: How long did it take?
Y: I would say three years. Before I went to the recording studio I did like three hours lesson six days a week.
NT: What drives you to do things like play to the point of exhaustion and take up challenges others have said are impossible?
Y: I have some...including my father, my dearest friend Hide. They died, but we are living right now. Why don't I maximize what we've got. We have life. That's my motivation I guess. Or maybe I'm just afraid to stop. I have a fear probably, I don't know.
NT: Do you take breaks?
Y: Eventually (laughs) I'm not planning to take a break until I...I dunno, get to a certain place in America for X Japan. I'll just keep going.
NT: When will we hear more from S.K.I.N.?
Y: Good question. When the time is right. Because X Japan is doing something. Gackt is doing something. Miyavi is doing something. I mean that project is not dead. We're still talking about it, quite often actually.
NT: It just so happens I discovered a recording of you and Toshi playing a set in high school in which you played Deep Purple, Frank Marino's "World Anthem," and something by Loudness. Are these your early influences?
Y: Loudness was the pretty much only rock band in Japan at that time. The only major rock band.
NT: Everything else was pop?
Y: Yes. Rock was not mainstream so Toshi and I went to see Loudness and were like whoa! Actually, I went to see a Kiss concert when I was like ten years old. Then I went to see Iron Maiden, Rainbow so then we never thought there is a Japanese rock band. Then we found out about Loudness...later though. Then, huh there's a rock band in Japan. Then we went to see them. We may have copied Loudness too.
NT: How has Japanese rock changed since those days?
Y: It's pretty diverse right now. Yeah, but it's not really super heavy band. It's so hard for super heavy band to become popular. Like Metallica is amazing, they are doing that heavy stuff and they became popular. In Japan it's even harder. So...there are tons of rock bands, but to become super big, you may have to have some kind of melody or some kind of hook or something. I don't know, it's very diverse right now. So a rock band can become popular nowadays.
NT: Are there any up-and-coming bands that you're excited about?
Y: I don't know, I've been thinking so much about X Japan lately. For sure there are a lot of great bands. I like Dir en Grey too, by the way. I also produced their debut album. I did five or six songs. They recorded in my studio.
NT: Is there anything else you'd like to share?
Y: I feel very lucky to have all those fans in America already to support us. We would like to move forward. Please support us.
【シカゴ･サンタイムス】 Lollapalooza: X Japan makes U.S. debut, wins converts
The other night, referring to the small crowd for the Strokes and the triumph of Lady Gaga, I quipped that rock is dead. I stand corrected.
Making its U.S. debut -- after forming in 1982 and re-forming in 2007, with massive popularity in its home country -- X Japan took to the Lollapalooza main stage Sunday afternoon and delivered a spectacular, almost operatic performance of big ballads and speed metal. Given the circumstances of the premiere, a small knot of hardcore fans clustered down front for the show, some of whom traveled from all over the country for this event, dressed to the nines in X Japan's glam-anime style called "visual kei." But by the end of the show, even the mildly curious were won over by the infectious rock drama. Fists were pumping, guys were playing air guitar, people were chuckling at themselves while following suit, making the X Japan sign by crossing forearms in the air. One guy in front of me was so involved in his air guitar, he sloshed beer all over nearby fans.
X Japan only played six songs, but the theater -- on the same stage where 36 hours earlier Lady Gaga had brought her bawdy Broadway peep show -- was captivating. Bursting to life with plumes of pyro, the quintet launched into "Rusty Nail" with a driving rock melody that dissolved into synthesized strings. Such is the duality of X Japan, moving between hard rock and classical structures sometimes within the same measure. A new song, "Jade," opens with a kind of rumbling guitar attack that would make Metallica take notice, then it's a lumbering power ballad, then it's chugging at a breakneck pace, finally erupting into a guitars vs. drums battle. All the while singer Toshi Deyama -- he looks like Roy Orbison and sings with a pinched high tenor like Steve Perry -- wails away unlike a man who'd been virtually out of commission for a decade before the group re-formed.
The band's late guitarist, Hide, was able to make the debut, too, several years after his suspicious death. He appeared on the video screens while Toshi sang a slice of "Kurenai." The heart of the band, composer and drummer Yoshiki Hayashi, pounded and rolled his drums (wearing a neck brace to protect himself following drumming-related back surgery) and occasionally moved to a see-through grand piano for transitional music or to kickstart top-heavy ballads like "I.V."
At the end, Toshi asked, "Are you ready to rock?!" But the question wasn't too late, because the crowd, swept up in the frenzy, finally had an answer. "We are!" band members began shouting. The answer was to cross your forearms, marking the sign of X Japan. Over and over, this call and response continued. Once he realized he'd converted the Lollapalooza throng, Toshi changed the chant to "You are!" And we were.
【シカゴ･タイムアウト】 X Japan at Lollapalooza 2010: Live review and photo gallery
Dear Perry Farrell, thank you for no-wait Port-A-Potty lines, the Columbus Dr. walkway and the artery-clogging (Kuma’s) Judas Priest cranberry/walnut/bacon/bleu cheese party in my mouth…but thank you most of all for X Japan. Engineering the first stateside import of Japan’s (mostly) quadragenarian metal monsters was the coup of the festival, and as expected, faces were in fact melted.
Ascending the stage to a chorale that wouldn’t be out of place in later-version Final Fantasy soundtracks, band co-founders Yoshiki (drums, piano) and Toshi (Steve-Perry-eat-your-heart-out lead vocals) gave the cue and huge bursts of crimson flame launched us into “Rusty Nail.” A tidal wave of air pressure preceded the staggering guitar onslaught as a neck-braced and velvet-robed Yoshiki hammered the skins as though the crowd were a few zeros larger than the couple thousand throwing up its signature, crossed-forearm “X”’s. “Chicagoooooooo. Are you ready to rock?” screamed the cowhide jacketed and leather pants-sporting singer. It would not be the last, nor the second or third to last time this inquiry would be made. As promised in his interview with me last month, Yoshiki and company stuck to the harder numbers, shying away from its notoriously dramatic ballads, and here moved on to “Jade.” Perhaps what makes this brand of metal distinctly Japanese is the juxtaposition of speed metal and epic-sentiment lyrics, as in this little ditty with guitarist Sugizo’s brain-stabbingly thrashy solos alternating with dripping lines like: “‘Cause you are beautiful, your scars are beautiful / Like the jade / You’ll still shine, when you sink into the sea / When all the bleeding scarlet jealousy goes away with me.”
X Japan loyals alone will have noticed the slo-mo video image of former member hide (Hideto Matsumoto) projected on the screens during an interlude. Having died of an apparent suicide in 1998, an assessment his band mates and fans contest, the guitarist has taken on almost mythic status perpetuated in part by his 2008 “ressurection” via 3D hologram to 150,000 fans at the Tokyo Dome. It’s actually quite touching that after twelve years the profoundly famous band continues to honor his memory.
But back to the pyro! An inclusion on the “Saw IV” soundtrack introduced many Americans to X Japan for the first time, and Toshi was insistent that the Lolla newly-faithful sing “In the rain…I’m calling you, dear” from the hit, “IV.” Given that the band have pervaded nearly every aspect of Japanese culture (branding a racing team, condoms, fashion line, etc) he seemed genuinely perplexed that not everyone knew the lyric as inherently as the Empire Carpets jingle, but continued flurries of double kick-drum blast beats and lusty, cortex-crushingly flying-V solos kept the audience perpetually transfixed through till the monumental closer, “X.” The call-to-crossed-arms is an absolute shredfest, and could only have been topped by X Japan being chopper-lifted from the stage…but they need to save something for next time, right?
So, Perry, we still need to talk about misfires like the inclusion of Neon Trees and the pouring of Bud in place of Goose Island…but hats off to you, good sir, for the staggering Hello Kitty ear-Howitzer that is…X Japan.
you guys would to know, Taiji on bass player will play with X-Japan soon. of course, it doesn't means Heath leaves the band. if you could to see the show, you are so lucky!!!
still Taiji has many another projects, also incl with Shu, the recording seems amazing, you have to check out it!
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.
Forget Yankee pop stars. Lollapalooza, prepare to go gaga for X Japan. By Doyle Armbrust
I ME MINE Yoshiki recorded a solo classical album, Eternal Melody, with Beatles producer George Martin. Photo: NishiokaBarring Erykah Badu disrobing onstage to re-create her eyebrow-raising music video for “Window Seat,” the only act threatening to out-spectacle Lady Gaga this weekend is hair-metal übergroup X Japan. Never heard of it? You’re not alone. But festivalgoers bypassing worthy Brooklynites Yeasayer on Sunday 8 will witness one of the rarest performances ever to sonically obliterate a Lolla stage. The pants are suffocatingly tight, the makeup excessive and unapologetic, the drumming machine-gun fast and the ballads so melodramatic you’ll be clutching your Hello Kitty plush for reassurance. Here are five good reasons this Mothra-sized Tokyo export will be the sleeper highlight of the festival.
1This is X Japan’s first U.S. performance “Wow, Lollapalooza—it’s an honor for us!” drummer, pianist and songwriter Yoshiki tells us by phone from a Parisian suburb. For a fivesome that’s been shredding since 1982, with 21 million albums and singles sold and countless maniacally loyal fans worldwide, not even the band cofounder has a good answer for why it’s taken this long to cross the Pacific. “We feel like we are going back to the beginning,” Yoshiki says, giggling more like a teenage garage-rocker than a cultural icon.
2There is drama of epic proportions In May 1998, lead guitarist hide (pronounced “hee-day”) was found dead in his apartment. A towel suspended from a doorknob encircled his neck—an apparent suicide, according to authorities. Some 50,000 grieving fans flooded the streets surrounding the funeral; dozens were hospitalized. One copycat suicide took place, and two were attempted. In 2000, the Hide Museum opened—yes, a massive, free-standing building in Yokosuka, designed in the shape of one of the musician’s guitars and containing his instruments and dazzling concert garb.
3“Psychedelic Violence Crime of Visual Shock” It’s a slogan crisscrossing the cover of X Japan’s wildly successful 1989 album, Blue Blood. The phrase is inseparable from the genre the band helped pioneer, “Visual Kei,” ’80s Japanese glam-metal. The quintet’s chandeliers of fiery blond and crimson hair and full-blown gothic costumes were hugely influential in the Japanese anime aesthetic. During its massive Tokyo Dome reunion concerts in 2008, performing to 150,000 fans over three days, the band took visuals to a new level: Holographic technology resurrected guitarist hide to perform alongside his former bandmates. “It was too realistic for me. I broke out in tears,” Yoshiki tells us. He may not be able to promise Lolla fans a virtual hide, but he does divulge, “We are planning pyrotechnics.”
4Sheer talent “To me, rock and classical are the same,” the traditionally trained pianist Yoshiki shares. Seeing the 44-year-old drummer unleash brutal blast-beats is reason enough to head south of Buckingham Fountain, but Yoshiki is also known for his prowess on the Steinway—or, well, his see-through acrylic Kawai grand piano. In 1999, the (obviously unnatural) strawberry blond was commissioned to write and perform a piano concerto in celebration of Emperor Akihito’s ten-year reign. For Lollapalooza, the producer and Extasy Records owner says he will focus on harder songs: “In America, playing the heavy song and then the ballad is a no-no.” We’re not sure who convinced him of this fallacy (Slayer?), but we don’t entirely trust Yoshiki. Given lead singer Toshi’s propensity for Steve Perry–like balladry, we can expect at least one slow dance.
5There’s only one chance X Japan has translated much of its catalog into English for Western audiences and infiltrated the film-soundtrack market (Saw IV). The group sells merchandise ranging from a jewelry line to condoms. Clearly, Yoshiki and the rest of X Japan have achieved a KISSian level of fame and success. There is, however, only one opportunity to be able to boast, “I saw them first in America.” C’mon, Yeasayer has been at Lolla before and will be here again. Spark up a lighter and sing along: “Can’t live without you / Silent jealousy.”
X Japan invades Lollapalooza Sunday 8 at 4pm on the Parkways stage.
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.
X Japan: They're huge (really), and they're (finally) coming to the U.S.
Which band in this year's Lollapalooza lineup has accomplished all of the following?
•Sold out a 55,000-seat arena -- 18 times. •Created and popularized its own form of glam. •Sold 30 million albums. •Recorded a classical album with Beatles producer George Martin. It ain't Lady Gaga.
The band is X Japan, the biggest rock band in Japanese history. The quintet came together in 1982 (originally called just X, but John Doe had something to say about it), disbanded in 1997 and re-formed in 2007. They started as a speed metal band with delusions of grandeur and evolved into a power-ballad powerhouse. Their shows are equal parts Anthrax and Celine Dion.
In their homeland, their presence still creates Beatlesque hysteria, with screaming fans and impenetrable throngs. When the founding guitarist, Hideto "Hide" Matsumoto, died in 1998, nearly 50,000 weeping mourners crowded the funeral; last May almost twice that number mobbed a memorial service marking the 12th anniversary of his death.
But thus far, only Asian fans have had these opportunities to go wild for X Japan -- because the 4 p.m. Aug. 8 performance at Lollapalooza in Chicago's Grant Park will be X Japan's U.S. debut.
"Yes, we're a huge band in Japan, but that doesn't mean anything here," says Yoshiki Hayashi, usually known only by his first name. Yoshiki is the band's drummer, songwriter and core idea man. He's also a classically trained pianist. "We feel like a new band again, trying to make it. It's a very pure feeling. It feels like it did when we started, which is good."
Fitzgerald wrote that there are no second acts in American lives, but America has given plenty of second chances to foreign acts. Yoshiki -- who now lives in Los Angeles, where he's wrapping up X Japan's first new studio album in 14 years, due this fall -- hopes X Japan will live and thrive again on these shores. When he speaks, he struggles with his English, but his ambition is clear.
So is his realism. After Lollapalooza, X Japan will launch its first U.S. tour, hitting 10-15 cities. They won't be selling out or even playing arenas like they do at home.
And that's OK with Yoshiki.
"We'd like to play clubs or small venues. We cannot do that in Japan anymore," he says, noticeably excited by the prospect, and maybe a little relieved. He misses the old days, pre-mobs, pre-stadiums. "When we were an indie band, right after we graduated high school, we were performing for 50 people, maybe 200. That was a great moment. By the time we were signed to Sony [in 1988], we were already performing for 10,000 people or bigger. ... We weren't supposed to make it big, you know? We were -- how do I say? -- the black sheep of the family. The Japanese scene was very poppy. We were playing speed metal. Nobody thought we could be mainstream. Then it got very, very big."
Back to basics
The American shows will be stripped down. X Japan fills arenas like the Tokyo Dome with massive productions -- lights, lasers, pyrotechnics, enormous stages with catwalks, lots of running around and dramatic performance. Yoshiki has played several times on a drum riser that not only rises above the stage, it takes off and flies around the arena, trailing smoke and neon lights.
And, oh, the costumes. X Japan pioneered a style of presentation now known as "visual kei," meaning flamboyant outfits and hairstyles, many of which resembled Kool-Aid fountains. In other words: glam rock, hair metal.
For the U.S. jaunt, Yoshiki says X Japan will be "back to basics."
"The bigger we got, the bigger our personalities," he says. "We just want to go back and focus on the rock. Either way, you know, you don't see good rock shows anymore. Rock doesn't sound mainstream these days. We'd like to contribute something to help bring rock back. Rock doesn't have enough drama now. Rap, R&B, dance music has taken that. Our band wants to be a part of bringing that back to rock." He laughs. "But our band has enough drama."
Forgotten history
Yoshiki and X Japan's singer, Toshimitsu "Toshi" Deyama, have known each other since kindergarten. When Toshi left the band in 1997, it wasn't amicably. Yoshiki says the two didn't speak for up to eight years. When Hide committed suicide, Yoshiki thought X Japan was dead, too.
But in that time, the Internet flourished. X Japan's music -- and especially its videos -- went viral. The band that's still only performed two concerts outside of Japan (last year in Hong Kong and Taipei) now has fans from China to France.
Meanwhile, Yoshiki pursued solo interests. He recorded a best-selling classical album in Japan, the double-CD "Eternal Melody" in 1993, co-produced and arranged by George Martin. The next year, he contributed a symphonic version of "Black Diamond" to a classical Kiss tribute record. He composed and performed a piano concerto for Japan's emperor. And he cashed in. There's a Yoshiki line of jewelry, a Yoshiki wine, a Yoshiki racing team, even a Yoshikitty -- the only time Hello Kitty has combined another name with its famous toy brand.
Still, he missed his childhood friend.
"It's weird, when you have that vocalist next to you all the time for many years, you take for granted how great he was," Yoshiki says of Toshi, who spent the intervening years performing spiritually minded acoustic concerts of what he called "eco rock." "When we started talking again, he said the same thing about me. We discovered these fans around the world, and they were demanding a return from us. It made me -- I still feel like I'm dreaming. I never thought we would reunite this band. And we can't completely."
Coming to America
At the first X Japan reunion shows in 2008, the band performed its 29-minute opus "Art of Life" -- during which Yoshiki collapsed from the exertion -- and featured a floating hologram of the late Hide playing his guitar parts. (There you go, William Gibson fans: Rei Toei lives!)
"That was too much for me," Yoshiki says, assuring the band will not continue the stunt. "That was so real. It brought me to tears."
But are there fans in the United States? Lollapalooza may be the band's first ticketed performance, but on Jan. 9 X Japan filmed four new videos on the roof of Hollywood's Kodak Theatre. Thousands crammed the streets to get a glimpse, fans who'd driven from Texas and Chicago for the occasion.
"Their music is a cross link of my generation," says Chicago photographer and fan Nobuyoshi Fuzikawa, 38. "That's why I'm so excited they're still playing for a major audience after all these years. It's inspiring, and makes me want to try new challenges. ... Lollapalooza is [a] well-known concert around the world, so I will be happy to see a Japanese performer have a presence there."
Takeshi Tsukawaki, 24, will be driving to Chicago from New York just for the Lollapalooza show. He's a younger fan who discovered the band during its hiatus.
"I have two older brothers. They were always listening to X Japan," he said. "I didn't know they were such a big band in Asia. I just listen to them again and again. ... I have no idea what a show will be like. Maybe they can't play very well like before, or maybe they're better and more powerful. I never expected to be able to see them, so I'm coming. There are lots of people coming."
｢It ain't Lady Gaga.(これはレディ･ガガの事ではない）｣ってｗｗｗ まあね、現象として例えに出したいのは判ります。 てか冒頭しか読めてない件ｗｗ かなり細かい記事ですね…じっくりと読もう。
