- You already said it during the MC at the GRAND FINALE that this year in March you were looking towards (the band’s) sixth anniversary, didn’t you?
[And these 6 years continue somewhat…And from what we have started until now, it will be not just another 6 years…it is like the 6th year in elementary school (laughs)]
- And were those 6 years only a short moment?
[It also feels like it has been an incredible long time, but while it was passing it had only been like a short moment. When I think back, however, I can’t think it had been passing quickly. Because when I look back, I think that things worth more than 6 years have passed quickly.]
- You already said that during the MC, didn’t you?
[Still, another 6 years to come…I can feel that, too. [6 years], just the term of it, I just come to think [Hmmm…well…somewhat.] Even though I always want it to feel fresh, it’s already been 6 years…and we have come to be in a position, where gradually, this has become were we are stuck now. (bitter laugh)]
- No, it doesn’t feel like you are stuck there.
[Really? But even if, it would be completely ok!]
- Is there something within yourself, where you think you are stuck with?
[It’s just the time span of these years, probably.]
- When you consider the frequency of tours and releases you are still of the younger generation.
[When compared to other bands, on the contrary, I wonder what we look like, though…]
- It’s a restless/lively feeling, isn’t it?
[Restless…?(laughs)]
- How in a good way you never seem to calm down, and that one can never predict what you are about to do next, that’s what I mean.
[Aah, I see. On the musical side we certainly change, but there are lots of parts from the past, that won’t change.]
- How about your way of thinking?
[In a good way, there are parts in us that have become selfish. When it comes to the terms of music and to the terms of the band, and even though I admitted being selfish back in the days, too, there were things I couldn’t ask for. Lately I can give input on the photo shootings, the CD jacket or the goods design, and it is good, because I can do, what I like to do. That is something I am very grateful for.]
- In this part, haven’t those things asked of you by your surrounding increased also, though?
[Even if they do increase, I am more of the type that takes these into the opposite direction…(laughs). Like, when someone asks me to do a certain kind of songs, I really come to not want to do such a song in particular.]
- But that does not mean, that you dislike what other people tell you in general.
[No. But without sticking too much to expectations, I want to take it to a different dimension. Like, to make them think [Aah! That’s where it’s coming from!]]
- The melodies have also changed in their boldness, haven’t they?
[I don’t remember with what kind of feeling it was at that time, but what certainly changed was the part of pre processing. When we decided to make a song, we firmly held on to that thinking.]
- So was it with the album [NIL] in 2006, which brought the great turning point then?
[Maybe [NIL] or [Heyna], [Filth in the Beauty] and [Regret], around those. The first dramatic change came with [NIL] though.]
- With [NIL] as the first step, you left those earlier songs behind, and the motivation to play at a lot larger venues began to increase rapidly.
[It did. I think the will to precisely write cooler music came from there.]
- The way you were seen until then, or how you were not influenced by the state of your surroundings, but walked your way skillfully by yourself, and still, weren’t there quite a few people denying you this?
[There were different things we had been told that became powerful, because those feelings turned into songs. Somehow there is also the feeling as if that became our foundation as of now.]
- So can it be said, that the songs you made until then, were, within yourself, something with a different meaning then?
[Yes. They were as real as they were, but that does not mean, I wrote about things that were occurring around myself, because the time, when the things around me turned into lyrics right away was around [Hyena], [Filth…] and [Regret].]
- With the changing of the influence to your writing, did your writing of lyrics change, too?
[First of all it turned from handwriting to PC writing…(laughs). The things that become a topic certainly changed. Back in the days it was more a sort of making up a story, but even though there were also lots of times, when I inserted problems which were somewhat familiar, right now I am not able to write about things that are not close to me anymore. ]
- I think, formerly [14 Sai no knife] was also one of the songs were you addressed an incident which had just occurred in society within your lyrics.
[At times, when there is a mysterious incident where my heart nearly stops and it becomes the topic (of a song), I usually do thorough research on that incident. With that, the background of the incident and psychological depth become part of my interpretation and that is the feeling how I choose the lyrics. It was like that with [Taion]. However, the phenomenon in that has been written about from a different angle in the more recent lyrics. To say it simply, it’s not [Why did it turn out like this?] but rather [Why does this story happen here?]. That’s the sort of view point. Different to TV the restrictions on the internet (about expressions) are rather soft, and when concerning that, there are doubts arising. However, those things that are controlled/regulated, are thoroughly regulated, aren’t they? It’s the same with lyrics.]
- Formerly it has happened, that Gazette’s lyrics and graphics have been under such scrutiny as well, haven’t they?
[When it contained just a bit of a certain kind of thinking and was restricted, I wondered, how it came to be that way, while the world of TV consisted almost only of such things. This is really difficult. I was told, that it is influencing the young people, but isn’t that just a guess?…that’s the feeling I write about. And that is not just [Ruki], it is a lot of my normal way of thinking, I write about.]
- Does this mean that your own sentiments are also expressed by [Ruki]?
[Somewhere in between that border has vanished. If I was to say, which one is [Ruki], it would be both. Most of the time it is Gazette and therefore there is almost no off-time.]
- That’s a very professional answer (laughs)
[It is like a game I play with everyone, as I see writing lyrics as a hobby or so, because right now this is as normal for me as eating a meal. Therefore, in general I am [Ruki] now. I think when I am alone, I am the most [bare], and that is where the original/natural [Ruki] begins. It’s the same at the lives, even though I say things with determination, I don’t become an actor therefore.]
- Because there is no previously decided text, is there?
[No. Back in the days I decided upon what I was going to say, but I stopped doing that. That is why, if there isn’t anything to say, I don’t say anything, but if I want to talk, then I just talk.]
- So it’s decided upon the tension on the day of the live?
[Yes, it’s decided. However, that does not mean, that it is a bad live, because I don’t talk. Also when getting into an awesome live-mode, I might not want to talk. Comparatively, I don’t talk when the feeling is really good. There, that’s what I say here! (laughs)]
- Not concerning the lyrics, but the music, what is your awareness, when making songs?
[It’s the same as the lyrics. It’s not like I feel [Well, let’s make a song], but more while playing the guitar, or there are a lot of times, when I am in my hotel room and extend things I have created on my PC. For example, if I wanted to make the next single, I start to think about how I want Gazette to progress from here, and that is pretty close to the sensation of deciding on background music for it.]
- So it is not based on the lyrics, but with the image of the song you think about the next step?
[Sometimes I do the lyrics simultaneously, but often times, it’s the melody.]
- So you seem to do that in your hotel room during the tour, but do you also spend a lot of time on your room during off-time?
[I like to be all by myself. (laughs) Even if I was looking at a fabulous landscape, I can’t let that be reflected in the lyrics directly. More than that, there are a lot more emotions coming up, when I look at the dirty ocean. Or when I look at a beautiful, large CG-like church, I think [Wow, that’s pretty] and there it ends, but it happens a lot more often that I feel something, when I look at things with the dirty taste of the present time.]
- So there are no songs or lyrics born, when you would just drive around or when you look at the magnificent ocean?
[For me that doesn’t work. Uruha is probably that kind of person, but for me, the images rather develop, when I am in a forur and a half tatami-matt room with nothing else…inside my head it’s unexpected and plain. (bitter laugh) Rather than feeling relaxed and free on a wide grassy field, I rather get absorbed into the illusions of a dark room by myself…]
- You are unexpectedly indrawn (laughs).
[However, even the joyful songs are created out of this inner inside. Therefore, even the lighter songs are somehow floating within that negative aura…]
- (laughs)That is probably also one of the unique characteristics of Gazette’s songs. Well, I somehow do not like to imagine that songs like [Linda, candy dive pinky heaven] were born in a dim room like that.
[While writing [Linda] all of us were together. For [Best Friends], I think, we were all at Uruha’s house…that’s the song we came up with, after the day before the recording had been scheduled, we had been told that one song was "no good" from the office and we had to quickly write another one. (bitter laugh) I wrote the lyrics during the recording of it.]
- The song and the circumstances of the time it is made, don’t always correspond, do they? For example, out of those songs from back in the days, with what reasoning did you decide on which songs you are still playing now and which you don’t?
[Already back then, when we thought about the setlist, the songs we play have been decided. With [Juu nana sai] in all our heads, we come to ask ourselves, if it was good to play this song…but eventually it is just a feeling.]
- So it’s not [We should not play this song], but rather [Wouldn’t it somehow be good, if we did play it?], like that?
[Exactly. Actually it’s that kind of feeling. With the feeling of [wouldn’t it be great to play this?] we sort of revived [Akai Kodou]. It’s a song that we never played at lives during it’s release time. There are songs that did not fit in back in the days but have come to fit in now.]
- On the contrary, are there songs that have come to not fit in with Gazette anymore?
[There are lots. [Best Friends] is certainly one of which I constantly think that. (laughs)]
- However, if you play this at lives, it certainly creates some kind of euphoria.
[As for us, I think it is still ok, but the lyrics leave a very immature feeling. (laughs)]
- About the song that is always introduced as [a song that is important] to you [Wakaremichi], a song you are very fond of and that carries special thoughts, when are you going to introduce what episode lies behind it?
[Hmmm [Wakaremichi]…the deep thinking behind it is, the fact that it is also the first single Gazette has made, although, it was actually already done in the band before and we were given this by Aoi and have put a lot of interest into it. I think it’s like, when we heard this song, it was the beginning of Gazette. It’s Gazette’s first played song and the first that was made into a CD.]
- The lyrics are very young aren’t they?
[They are young, and that way, pretty long (laughs). So to say, it’s like an essay. The lyrics card is in handwritten signs and the logo is made with the feeling of a kid that is admiring rock music.]
- Because it is something like a first child, it is understandable, why the love for this songs is especially strong.
[When I became the vocalist, [Wakaremichi] was the first song where I properly wrote the lyrics for…that song and [Sentimental na Onigokko] were the first songs, when during the recording of the instruments, I wrote the lyrics (sitting) on the stairs of the studio (laughs). It was pretty hard at that time…[Will I be ok as a vocalist, recording there after?]…I used the topic of this one moment of fear.]
- Are there other (songs) to mention…?
[Also… [Miseinen], wouldn’t it be? I think the middle part has a good melody me. When it comes to that part at a live, tears start spilling. Even at the first day of a tour we could cry. I really like the lyrics a lot. It is Uruha’s song, however, he only wrote it until the middle and then came to say, he would like to add a phrase into it. And what we added in between after that became what is now the song's melody. As it is the lyrics are long and it is a difficult song, however, there is quite a bit of reasoning behind the fact that we always play it at the tour finals as the very last song. Therefore it has just as a matter of course come to be a song which we only play during the finals. It’s a really good song. And then [Filth in the Beauty], which is a songs where I tried really hard to give something a shape that wasn’t there (yet) within me at that time.]
-[Filth…] was the single released in November 2006. As for now the kind of song is very familiar, but it is forgotten, that it is a memory of a time, when it was a new kind of experiment for Gazette then.
[Until then, we did not have this kind of song format. In my head I wanted to merge R&B and Rock, but it was difficult to get close to the ideal in my head. How would we entwine the digital sound and the band sound? How to do the female chorus and the heavy rock (parts)? How could I best connect my singing with it all? Therefore it became a song we put a lot of thinking into. It can be said, that this song became one of the foundations of Gazette’s recent songs, isn’t it?]
- I see.
[Also [Toguro] would be a song with deep memories.]
- When you insert it in the live, it’s a really exciting song, isn’t it?
[Within us, I think, it is a dark part and it is not a harmonious part either…]
- The eccentricity then?
[Yeah. We hadn’t done anything like this since [Oni no Men].]
- That song was from2003………that’s extremely back in the days, isn’t it? (laughs)
[(laughs) Because of that I wanted a song with that scent. The song is known because of [Cassis], and as such is causing that reaction. I thought it to be wrong, that [Cassis] is thought of as the symbol for Gazette. With making [Toguro] we could reconfirm, what kind of enjoyment fit us…going on with [Toguro], there are lots of songs, in which we put a lot of thoughts…[Juu nana Sai] for example. It seems, that this is the origin for our ballads. How the chorus flows and the positioning on the ending. This also applies to [Ito].]
- Lyrics wise and sound wise?
[Yes, because I liked the popular songs from the ShoWa era (1926-1989) then. [Minami Kousetsu] or [Anzen Chitai], there are a few I listened to. ]
- Using words that everyone can understand…
[Somehow, to touch people’s heart directly. They are lonesome songs where you can only feel the [Negativity] and songs with that kind of atmosphere, was something I was really into. [Guren] is similar in the way, how it is written.]
- [Guren] was the latest song of Ruki that came out, did it feel like going back then?
[It felt like tracing (this feeling) back. If these songs were made now, what would it sound like? There was this kind of experimenting and whether, if they were written now, would there be even more people listening to it, was what I was thinking. We tried to once more put out the good things about Gazette from back in the days, and that is the feeling it arose with. Sometimes it is still there, when something just comes down like that and at that short moment I can just think [Ah, there it is] To have a song like [Guren] would be interesting, I thought.]
- It seems, that as of late, you are again into making songs, but what mode are you exactly in right now?
[Now it is a little more new…and heavy, but I want to make heavy songs in a more grown up way. I want to make a song of which (people) think, that [The guitars are cool] or [The instruments are cool]. We always have a melody, which connects to peoples’ taste, where we put a lot of thought into, but the next will be like going along with a maniac.]
- A maniac?
[I think, that maybe with the next single, it’s time for Gazette to change right out again…but said things, and this song are a story for when the meeting for choosing a song has passed. (laughs)]
- So the other members haven’t heard the song either yet?
[No, I didn’t let them hear it yet. Right now, if we did the PV filming like the idea in my head, I think that will, without a doubt, be very cool.]
- So the pictures are already floating (in your head)?
[Pretty much it is the pictures floating along with the melody. Maybe that is the chance to move on to the next (level), I think. Actually, I can already see it until the next album.]
- So the single that is planned for autumn (this year), seems to become the bridge to the next album?
[I don’t know what my mental state will be at the time, when we make the album, it is not visible for us yet, but we can go, where we want to go…that’s what I think. I don’t know yet, what the melody will be like, but each part will be rather simple, to emphasize the good guitar parts. From the very beginning I liked [Guns’n’Roses] and I like very much, how the guitar is entwining with the vocals. Wouldn’t it be impressing, if we did a guitar phrase like that?]
- In [Welcome in the Jungle], even in the chorus the guitar is entwining with the song melody, isn’t it.
[Yes yes!! Even though it is such a maniac song, it is also a very popular song. Even more than until now, (I would like to) make songs with an a lot wider horizon.]
- I think this is probably since the beginning a very core part, but what you make us believe [is Gazette] (as a band) is rapidly broadening.
[Yes it is. It is increasing, I think. The parts in us, from back in the days, which I did not want to lose, are still there, but those parts I did not like are in the state of changing into something new. Right now it is this kind of period. Even if we are told how to do it by our surroundings, it is us pursuing to believe we are great. After the Yoyogi live ended, in just a few days, this feeling had certainly changed.]
- What part is it then?
[I changed my hair, I got into my state as of now and into the next mode. I want to show the aura of the band more clearly, I want to get into a new taste in photography…there are lots of things I want to do right now. From the fans’ point of view, it might look as if we are on vacation now, but actually, we are pretty busy. After the long tour has ended, I would like to think more about the lives and its formation, because the songs were not enough, we also have to write more…and personally, I would like to go into a different direction.]
- Are you already seeing pictures of a new tour, then?
[No, I don’t see that yet, but I think, that from here, the measures will be drastic to accomplish the new songs. Because with the GRANDE FINALE we have compiled a large survey of a long tour, and I like to think that it is ok, if we tear down a few of the things we have built during this tour.]
- The places to restart thinking are large, aren’t they?
[This also applies concerning the fans; however, I renewed my thinking, that our fans are pretty good. At the time of Yokohama Arena, when watching the video thereafter, it was a lot like a concert, which I did not like and I could not think, that it was cool. From there we turned towards the [Stacked Rubbish] tour, which was heavier and darker, but as a result, it was really moving how during this tour our fans managed to break the fences, or how in a wide place like Yoyogi Dai Ichi Taiiku Kan, the walls became wet because of the heat.]
- Because Gazette’s fans are amazingly/terribly head banging even in a seated arena hall, there were actually claims coming from the front of the special guests seats, as you said in your MC the other day. However, when the live ended you also said [I’m sorry for being a little rude.] and it was kinda cute how you said thank you. One could really feel the love of the fans towards the band. That said, when facing yourself now, what do you think now?
[Usually, I can think that my old self is gone now. Like, [Can I keep on going further?] Even though at that time, it was my best I can’t keep thinking that for the next moment. Because I think, that the newest artist photographs or the costumes are not yet the best. I think, rather than getting tired of it, the wish to quickly move on to the next is very strong. Commonly, my intention is to increase this feeling.]
- And therefore you chose a dark place to write music?
[(laughs) Just writing songs (like that), would be a very indigent feeling, because it is a repeating cycle of trial and error. So when going into recording that is the best feeling.]
- This summer, after two years the GAZEROCK FESTIVAL will be held again.
[If it is a festival or a party, but while saying this, it will be an unexpected and earnest live!]
- Is it ok, if we expect the new song?
[Please expect it! I'll give my best! (laughs)]
- Well then, lastly, what is the dream you are painting these days?
[I want to continue this band, and it would be good, if I died as a band-man, because there is nothing else I want to do.]
- So you want to continue making music your whole life.
[Yes, I do. Because, if Gazette stopped being, I would ask myself what to do…there is this insecurity. The thinking about going solo isn’t there at all right now.]
- You want to be with Gazette the whole time?
[I think that if I stayed with Gazette, or if I did something on my own, it would be the same things. It is probably the same with the other members.]
- If someone said, he wanted to quit……….?
[Certainly we would try to convince him (to stay). Including myself, I’d say, we are not that smart as members, so we would have to ask ourselves [What would we do, if we stopped?]]
- I see. (laughs)
[As for now, we are not so sociable as people, and there seems to be none of us who could start a project/business…[Well, what are we supposed to do, (if we stopped)?]]
- Is there love, is there none?
[Well, but there is love (laughs). However, as five people we are like brothers. Concerning going solo…if one of us wanted to, and even if it was maybe ok if he tried, I think the songs coming out of it, will unchanging be Gazette (style). However, we as a band are not tied to (our band’s) songs.]
- Considerably, as with the many varying songs of the recent Gazette, there are no boundaries and as a band you can do anything?
[Yes, so even if we wanted to do folk music, wouldn’t it be good to do that as Gazette?]
- Isn’t it good?
[Yes, so we would probably come to say [Let’s do this together!] With Gazette right now, we have the capacity to basically do anything, I think.]
- So as a band, there can be felt a great love between the members, can’t it?
[It is far from thinking [I don’t want to do this with you!!], and we are not like that. There is no fear of going solo or breaking up. Really, we are good friends.]
- Ruki-kun himself really believes he wants to continue with those band members all the way, don’t you?
[Yes. I really want to continues with these five people…because actually, what would I do, if we stopped? (laughs) And maybe more than that all of us think like that a little awkward, this band is only its members. ]
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