– Recently, has anything touching happened to you?
[Touching?…… Nope (laughs)]
– tetsu-san, you aren’t moved by much?
[Yeah. That’s typical, isn’t it?]
– Oh, yes. But sometimes, things happen that make you go “Woah!” don’t they? When does that happen? When do you react like that?
[When I watch movies, or documentary programs, sometimes.]
– Then you don’t actually experience it often?
[It’s rather unnatural when I do.]
– But doesn’t that sort of situation come by rather often? In your work as a musician. A song could set it off; the song itself could be touching when you finish it.
[I wouldn’t go as far as to say it’s touching, but working on a song day after day, there’s something like a sense of achievement when it’s finally finished. Although, I think bringing that up to the level of “feeling” used in this theme is going a little far.]
– It would be exaggerating.
[It would be (laughs). Besides, the process of recording itself ends up being rather diluted. It really isn’t all that intense. Of course, the final product is meant to be worth getting emotional over, and so those watered-down days of work add up and are compressed into it.]
– So then for you, tetsu-san, something touching has to be something terribly intense, doesn’t it?
[That’s what the “touching” experiences I’ve had have been, isn’t it? Intense, having something unexpected happen, that sort of thing.]
– Then, everyday, trivial things don’t count.
[Like “Today’s sunset was pretty,” you mean? I’ll personally think that it was pretty, but I don’t think it’s anything to go “How moving!” over. But I think everyday things can be moving, too. What’s a good example…… When a puppy gets caught in car headlights, seeing someone save that puppy would be touching. “Wow, amazing!” But sunset happens every day (laughs). “Hey, wasn’t today’s sunset pretty?” “Last night’s was prettier.” That sort of difference can happen, and sometimes you do see an exceptionally pretty one, but it happens every day, so going “How touching!” over every single one would be strange, wouldn’t it? (laughs) But seeing someone rescue a puppy, although it happens every day, it’s exceptional every day, so isn’t it moving? If you saw it happen every single time, it wouldn’t be moving anymore, though. It would be like “It’s nothing to get worked up about since you save it all the time.” (laughs)]
– I see. And now I’d like to know all the more what you think is touching, tetsu-san. Could you bring up a memory……
[I don’t remember anything like that. That level of emotion! (laughs) It was touching enough to forget about.]
– That means you’re being difficult. tetsu-san, what would be a good way to make you feel moved?
[A simple way to move me would be to give me a sad movie to watch. That’ll move me, probably about two hours later (laughs). Isn’t that easy? That means you can buy my emotions for just 2800 yen. Maybe you could even get it cheaper, like 1500 yen (laughs).]
– That must not work all the time~
[So just try again.]
– Ahahahaha. How is it for you, tetsu-san, knowing that you have moved many people yourself?
[Well, that’s just part of making music. Also, at lives, there will be girls crying. That part of it might be what it means to send out emotion.]
– So you do think about sending out your emotions, then?
[Yeah, I do. In that case.]
– More than saying this or that with words, you want it to be felt through your work.
[Nah, it’s not that big a deal. Cause, even though they’re watching me, we’re not feeling the same way. Like at a live, when I’m forced to do an MC (2), they’re all looking at me and I fall short. “Cold!” (3) (laughs). It’s so embarrassing. For example, in an interview, I’ll say something incredibly cool, but actually hearing it doesn’t sound cool at all, so I think it’d be good if I could make it sound cool in the first place, but that’s just not how I want to be. Anyway, I don’t want to say rotten stuff.]
– However, you are confident that you can touch people, and that you can create something good.
[I am. Creating, that isn’t only about “moving” people. I think it usually ends up being the ballads that get called touching. I think that’s different from calling it “Cool!” or “Awesome!”]
– But isn’t that also a way to be moved?
[In my opinion, you shouldn’t go as far as to call it moving. “Wow, this is cool!” The end. (Laughs). I don’t call that moving, in my mind.]
– tetsu-san, what does “touching” mean to you?
[Just about what it means in the movies (laughs).]
– Something touching has to make you cry, then.
[Right. Cooool! is an emotion too. For example, watching soccer championships, when they win with an incredibly amazing goal, that’s moving. But, listening to a song, even if it’s an incredibly cool song, it’s exaggerating to go as far as to call it touching. “This is really cool!” Isn’t that enough by itself? If you asked “Did you find it moving?” I’d think “Moving……? Can you really go that far?” But, watching a touching movie, that’s moving! I say. During a movie insert song or the ending, while the song is playing, I might possibly cry especially hard.]
– You must not be moved by things people say, either.
[Well, when I’m close to tears, sometimes I say things like “If you keep on talking I won’t be able to hold back my tears.” Sometimes I’ll say something like “Don’t talk about happy things right now.” …… But I think it’s best not to make every single thing so dramatic (laughs).]
– Roger. So, let’s not go overboard talking about feelings, let’s move on to the four emotions now. First, “joy”. What made you happy recently?
[Lately? Aah, you know that “hanetobi” (haneru no tobira)(4) program? That got popular all over the country, so they changed the broadcast to something a little earlier, right? But, I had a recording that day.]
– They changed the broadcast time rather recently.
[And I even forgot to set my recorder. I forgot to ask a friend to tape it, too. After (the show) was over, it occurred to me “Ah! It was on today~” So I called my friend, who said “I taped it!”]
– No way, that’s amazing. Great minds think alike.
[Exactly! I was touched (laughs). That was moving for me. I remember now.]
– Don’t you?
[But, I was trying to remember “being happy” when that came up. So, I couldn’t think of something moving when I was on the spot, but now I can find something “touching”.]
– Let’s call it moving. So, now talk about something that made you even happier.
[……………… Nothing (laughs)]
– Hahahahahahaha! Then how about a time where you made someone else happy, instead.
[Probably nothing.]
– Do you enjoy making others happy?
[If it’s a matter of liking or hating, then I’d say I like it, but it depends on the time and place. Doing that kind of thing constantly…… sucks.]
– Don’t some people like receiving presents?
[Yeah. Even though it’s not their birthday, kids like getting lots of stuff. I’m…… pretty embarrassed, actually, when I receive things myself.]
– Perhaps (laughs). So, the next one is “anger”. tetsu-san, do you get angry much?
[Yes, I do. I’m short tempered. I’m quick to snap (laughs). When I was a kid, we didn’t say it that way, though.(5)]
– The word itself didn’t exist at the time. What has made you angriest, lately?
[When you ask me that, I can’t think of anything. I don’t get that angry every day. In the past, I got really angry at work, very often. Lately, I haven’t gotten mad at all.]
– Might that be because you’ve become more broad-minded?
[I’ll accept that meaning. This might sound negative, but it is negative. I used to be so serious about everything. “I’m putting everything I have into this, so work with the same intensity as me,” was how I thought, directed at the staff. But in the end, they’re salarymen. There’s no way they’ll feel the same way I do. That’s only partly true; of course some staff members are wonderful. But within the company, around 80 to 90 percent of the people there just don’t care. But they do have that 10 – 20 percent that are wonderful people, at the company. And so, my sense of values has changed, regarding people at different degrees of intensity. I understand that it would be stupid to demand that they give their all just for this project, and I don’t get angry anymore.]
– Perhaps this means that anger isn’t worth wasting your energy on.
[It’s not worth it. That means I’ve become cold, doesn’t it? In the past, I had expectations, and got angry over living up to them. I said it was for their own good too, but, in the end I was bothering them, making them uncomfortable, and they just hated me. It turned out to be better for them not to get so much advice from me. If they asked me for some, then it really was for their own good. I’ve been mean lately, too (laughs). When I realize I’m doing it, I stop myself. And so, I don’t get mad anymore.]
– Maybe that’s the case.
[Before, I was stupidly straightforward even though I was trying to be nice, but I was hated. So there was a lot of retribution.]
– I think they were extremely shallow, hating you just for that.
[When they were irritated with me, they’d say “tetsu from L’Arc is picky, isn’t he?” or “Isn’t he annoying?” and the ones saying that were the ones not doing an equal share of the work. The ones who were going around saying that sort of thing about me were, of course, the same people who said they couldn’t get their work done. But then, the people who did get their work done were the ones I could get along with. I could actually understand those people.]
– However, those people who weren’t doing their work, the ones who were badmouthing you, could it be that they didn’t realize what they were doing?
[Well, a business, like a government office or a school, there’s no way it can always have that kind of people managing it. One of these years, someone will come in and change things, like a teacher that even the principal hates.]
– tetsu, personally, nothing makes you get mad does it?
[Particularly, well, it does happen to a certain degree, but since I’m 34 I’m rapidly running out of people who make me mad. I think that’s sad. I make mistakes too, maddening things make me mad, and I think that when something about me needs improving, I have to improve it. To become arrogant and refuse to hear out a proper exchange of opinions would be dangerous. I intend to avoid becoming like that.]
– Now for “pathos,” sadness. Have you been sad lately?
[I think it’s sad that CDs don’t sell anymore, these days.]
– That is very serious. You must feel it affecting you?
[The music industry as a whole feels it, to put it plainly, don’t you think? There’s no vitality, and even when I’m not especially focused on making money, there are things I want to do but can’t, and I hate that the most. Even though all I want to do is create something good, I’m told “There’s no money” and I hate having that limitation. It’s sad.]
– Even on the charts, nothing has been selling but compilations…… On the Western music ranking, when that’s all the top five have been, it’s very disappointing.
[It’s so sad. Back when I was working odd jobs, we’d tell people “Please leave the store, OK?” and even sent them off with samples (laughs). It barely occurred to anyone to charge money for giving those out.]
– It was probably thought that no one needed to pay for one song by itself.
[Probably not, no. It’s like, just getting a hold of a hit song that way was fine. You’d listen to it in one situation, like while chatting in your room with your sister, or while you were on a drive, and that’s the only reason to use it, nothing else (laughs).]
– Are you becoming pessimistic, thinking “Even if we make an album, it won’t reach anyone,” or the like?
[But I don’t think the number of people who listen to music has gone down. It’s just the form, I think people just don’t go out to buy CDs anymore. The songs, the music itself, I think they all still listen. Differently than before. I mean, they make copies, and then give the copies to their friends, right? High school kids do that, now. Well, anyway, I think it’s obvious if you think about it.]
– When I was a kid, we used to say “Make a tape of that for me.”
[Yeah. But, with a tape, you lose a lot of sound quality in the transfer, so if you listen to a tape and like it, you’ll think about buying the album, but with a CD-R you already have a perfect copy. If you like what you hear, I don’t think you’ll be bothered to go out and buy a proper copy.]
– Maybe you would if you wanted the jacket, but you have to like it quite a lot for that. By the way, I do buy the music I like.
[But, even the fans don’t buy it anymore, these days. It’s surprising, for me. I have a mobile site, and charge about 300 yen a month for it, but some of them tell me “I don’t have the money so I won’t subscribe.” But 300 yen? When they tell me “I can’t afford it” it makes me think “I’m not even worth that much, even to my fans,” you know?]
– That is quite sad. For artists.
[So, I think the fans all need to learn more about how the flow of money works, in the world; I think they need it to be taught to them. When we musicians sell a CD, it’s the profits from that CD that will allow us to make the next album, you know? Going to extremes, I think our lives basically depend on whether the CD sells or not. If it doesn’t sell, we’ll get our contracts cut off before the next one, because we’re musicians. “I love you! I’d do anything for you!” If you think like that, then you could do a lot by just buying a CD. Don’t write fan letters every day or send presents. Of course, those things are great, but some people send letters every day, writing “I still haven’t bought your album.” (laughs).]
– Reporting that to you, directly…… how complicated (laughs). It really is. Do you have any more “pathos” ?
[Nope. (<- immediate reply)] - Mhahaha. You don't have any moments where you think "How sad!" do you? As part of your everyday life. [Hmmm, only if I watch a sad movie...... (laughs)] - Of course, movies. So, now "humour". What do you think of as amusing? "Fun" is okay too. [Amusing, is it? Fun, let's see... watching an interesting TV show, I guess (laughs). Watching 'Hanetobi' DVDs (laughs). Also, shopping. Shopping is fun, too.] - How about when L'Arc is about to release a CD, or when you start a tour? [Yeah, right before a release, it's fun. I get excited.] - What is it that gets you so excited? [It's because it's unknown at that point, you know? The sound is. The ban is lifted right when we go on air. Until then, "Nobody knows." (laughs)] - As in "Nobody knows but me." [It feels like having a mini time machine, knowing it two or three months ahead of time. In two, three months, this is the song that's going to be playing all over TV and radio, but right now we're the only ones who know.] - Ah, that must be rather exciting. Do you also get worked up over how the song will be received, once it's released into the world? [Yeah, that too.] - But that mini time machine sensation sounds very cool. [I can see one step into the future.] - Of course, that happens because you're confident in telling yourself "I've created something good," doesn't it? ["I've created something good," you say, but I've made nothing but good stuff, since way back.] - Mmhmm. You have, definitely. How about before a tour? That must be fun too, isn't it? [It is fun. I get excited. But, it's most exciting when the tour dates get decided. After that, there's so much work to do until the tour actually begins. We go into tour rehearsal starting a month before. Once the rehearsals start, it's hard work memorizing all the songs.] - Hahahahaha! So rather than have it be fun, you see how much work is actually waiting for you. [Right. Then once we're on tour, there's lots of "This part wasn't so great, let's change it," and "Let's try this," and the like. There are minor changes every day until the finale, and that's tough, just horribly tough. And we move during the tour. It's nice having days that are just travel, but since we have a show the next day, we can't drink much, and we can't go out too much.] - So, is finishing up incredibly fun? When it's all over. [Finishing it all, at the very end, yeah, that's the greatest. Having the tour finale be a good show is the best thing ever.] - Interviewer : Honma Yuuko Translated by Natalie Arnold
[Touching?…… Nope (laughs)]
– tetsu-san, you aren’t moved by much?
[Yeah. That’s typical, isn’t it?]
– Oh, yes. But sometimes, things happen that make you go “Woah!” don’t they? When does that happen? When do you react like that?
[When I watch movies, or documentary programs, sometimes.]
– Then you don’t actually experience it often?
[It’s rather unnatural when I do.]
– But doesn’t that sort of situation come by rather often? In your work as a musician. A song could set it off; the song itself could be touching when you finish it.
[I wouldn’t go as far as to say it’s touching, but working on a song day after day, there’s something like a sense of achievement when it’s finally finished. Although, I think bringing that up to the level of “feeling” used in this theme is going a little far.]
– It would be exaggerating.
[It would be (laughs). Besides, the process of recording itself ends up being rather diluted. It really isn’t all that intense. Of course, the final product is meant to be worth getting emotional over, and so those watered-down days of work add up and are compressed into it.]
– So then for you, tetsu-san, something touching has to be something terribly intense, doesn’t it?
[That’s what the “touching” experiences I’ve had have been, isn’t it? Intense, having something unexpected happen, that sort of thing.]
– Then, everyday, trivial things don’t count.
[Like “Today’s sunset was pretty,” you mean? I’ll personally think that it was pretty, but I don’t think it’s anything to go “How moving!” over. But I think everyday things can be moving, too. What’s a good example…… When a puppy gets caught in car headlights, seeing someone save that puppy would be touching. “Wow, amazing!” But sunset happens every day (laughs). “Hey, wasn’t today’s sunset pretty?” “Last night’s was prettier.” That sort of difference can happen, and sometimes you do see an exceptionally pretty one, but it happens every day, so going “How touching!” over every single one would be strange, wouldn’t it? (laughs) But seeing someone rescue a puppy, although it happens every day, it’s exceptional every day, so isn’t it moving? If you saw it happen every single time, it wouldn’t be moving anymore, though. It would be like “It’s nothing to get worked up about since you save it all the time.” (laughs)]
– I see. And now I’d like to know all the more what you think is touching, tetsu-san. Could you bring up a memory……
[I don’t remember anything like that. That level of emotion! (laughs) It was touching enough to forget about.]
– That means you’re being difficult. tetsu-san, what would be a good way to make you feel moved?
[A simple way to move me would be to give me a sad movie to watch. That’ll move me, probably about two hours later (laughs). Isn’t that easy? That means you can buy my emotions for just 2800 yen. Maybe you could even get it cheaper, like 1500 yen (laughs).]
– That must not work all the time~
[So just try again.]
– Ahahahaha. How is it for you, tetsu-san, knowing that you have moved many people yourself?
[Well, that’s just part of making music. Also, at lives, there will be girls crying. That part of it might be what it means to send out emotion.]
– So you do think about sending out your emotions, then?
[Yeah, I do. In that case.]
– More than saying this or that with words, you want it to be felt through your work.
[Nah, it’s not that big a deal. Cause, even though they’re watching me, we’re not feeling the same way. Like at a live, when I’m forced to do an MC (2), they’re all looking at me and I fall short. “Cold!” (3) (laughs). It’s so embarrassing. For example, in an interview, I’ll say something incredibly cool, but actually hearing it doesn’t sound cool at all, so I think it’d be good if I could make it sound cool in the first place, but that’s just not how I want to be. Anyway, I don’t want to say rotten stuff.]
– However, you are confident that you can touch people, and that you can create something good.
[I am. Creating, that isn’t only about “moving” people. I think it usually ends up being the ballads that get called touching. I think that’s different from calling it “Cool!” or “Awesome!”]
– But isn’t that also a way to be moved?
[In my opinion, you shouldn’t go as far as to call it moving. “Wow, this is cool!” The end. (Laughs). I don’t call that moving, in my mind.]
– tetsu-san, what does “touching” mean to you?
[Just about what it means in the movies (laughs).]
– Something touching has to make you cry, then.
[Right. Cooool! is an emotion too. For example, watching soccer championships, when they win with an incredibly amazing goal, that’s moving. But, listening to a song, even if it’s an incredibly cool song, it’s exaggerating to go as far as to call it touching. “This is really cool!” Isn’t that enough by itself? If you asked “Did you find it moving?” I’d think “Moving……? Can you really go that far?” But, watching a touching movie, that’s moving! I say. During a movie insert song or the ending, while the song is playing, I might possibly cry especially hard.]
– You must not be moved by things people say, either.
[Well, when I’m close to tears, sometimes I say things like “If you keep on talking I won’t be able to hold back my tears.” Sometimes I’ll say something like “Don’t talk about happy things right now.” …… But I think it’s best not to make every single thing so dramatic (laughs).]
– Roger. So, let’s not go overboard talking about feelings, let’s move on to the four emotions now. First, “joy”. What made you happy recently?
[Lately? Aah, you know that “hanetobi” (haneru no tobira)(4) program? That got popular all over the country, so they changed the broadcast to something a little earlier, right? But, I had a recording that day.]
– They changed the broadcast time rather recently.
[And I even forgot to set my recorder. I forgot to ask a friend to tape it, too. After (the show) was over, it occurred to me “Ah! It was on today~” So I called my friend, who said “I taped it!”]
– No way, that’s amazing. Great minds think alike.
[Exactly! I was touched (laughs). That was moving for me. I remember now.]
– Don’t you?
[But, I was trying to remember “being happy” when that came up. So, I couldn’t think of something moving when I was on the spot, but now I can find something “touching”.]
– Let’s call it moving. So, now talk about something that made you even happier.
[……………… Nothing (laughs)]
– Hahahahahahaha! Then how about a time where you made someone else happy, instead.
[Probably nothing.]
– Do you enjoy making others happy?
[If it’s a matter of liking or hating, then I’d say I like it, but it depends on the time and place. Doing that kind of thing constantly…… sucks.]
– Don’t some people like receiving presents?
[Yeah. Even though it’s not their birthday, kids like getting lots of stuff. I’m…… pretty embarrassed, actually, when I receive things myself.]
– Perhaps (laughs). So, the next one is “anger”. tetsu-san, do you get angry much?
[Yes, I do. I’m short tempered. I’m quick to snap (laughs). When I was a kid, we didn’t say it that way, though.(5)]
– The word itself didn’t exist at the time. What has made you angriest, lately?
[When you ask me that, I can’t think of anything. I don’t get that angry every day. In the past, I got really angry at work, very often. Lately, I haven’t gotten mad at all.]
– Might that be because you’ve become more broad-minded?
[I’ll accept that meaning. This might sound negative, but it is negative. I used to be so serious about everything. “I’m putting everything I have into this, so work with the same intensity as me,” was how I thought, directed at the staff. But in the end, they’re salarymen. There’s no way they’ll feel the same way I do. That’s only partly true; of course some staff members are wonderful. But within the company, around 80 to 90 percent of the people there just don’t care. But they do have that 10 – 20 percent that are wonderful people, at the company. And so, my sense of values has changed, regarding people at different degrees of intensity. I understand that it would be stupid to demand that they give their all just for this project, and I don’t get angry anymore.]
– Perhaps this means that anger isn’t worth wasting your energy on.
[It’s not worth it. That means I’ve become cold, doesn’t it? In the past, I had expectations, and got angry over living up to them. I said it was for their own good too, but, in the end I was bothering them, making them uncomfortable, and they just hated me. It turned out to be better for them not to get so much advice from me. If they asked me for some, then it really was for their own good. I’ve been mean lately, too (laughs). When I realize I’m doing it, I stop myself. And so, I don’t get mad anymore.]
– Maybe that’s the case.
[Before, I was stupidly straightforward even though I was trying to be nice, but I was hated. So there was a lot of retribution.]
– I think they were extremely shallow, hating you just for that.
[When they were irritated with me, they’d say “tetsu from L’Arc is picky, isn’t he?” or “Isn’t he annoying?” and the ones saying that were the ones not doing an equal share of the work. The ones who were going around saying that sort of thing about me were, of course, the same people who said they couldn’t get their work done. But then, the people who did get their work done were the ones I could get along with. I could actually understand those people.]
– However, those people who weren’t doing their work, the ones who were badmouthing you, could it be that they didn’t realize what they were doing?
[Well, a business, like a government office or a school, there’s no way it can always have that kind of people managing it. One of these years, someone will come in and change things, like a teacher that even the principal hates.]
– tetsu, personally, nothing makes you get mad does it?
[Particularly, well, it does happen to a certain degree, but since I’m 34 I’m rapidly running out of people who make me mad. I think that’s sad. I make mistakes too, maddening things make me mad, and I think that when something about me needs improving, I have to improve it. To become arrogant and refuse to hear out a proper exchange of opinions would be dangerous. I intend to avoid becoming like that.]
– Now for “pathos,” sadness. Have you been sad lately?
[I think it’s sad that CDs don’t sell anymore, these days.]
– That is very serious. You must feel it affecting you?
[The music industry as a whole feels it, to put it plainly, don’t you think? There’s no vitality, and even when I’m not especially focused on making money, there are things I want to do but can’t, and I hate that the most. Even though all I want to do is create something good, I’m told “There’s no money” and I hate having that limitation. It’s sad.]
– Even on the charts, nothing has been selling but compilations…… On the Western music ranking, when that’s all the top five have been, it’s very disappointing.
[It’s so sad. Back when I was working odd jobs, we’d tell people “Please leave the store, OK?” and even sent them off with samples (laughs). It barely occurred to anyone to charge money for giving those out.]
– It was probably thought that no one needed to pay for one song by itself.
[Probably not, no. It’s like, just getting a hold of a hit song that way was fine. You’d listen to it in one situation, like while chatting in your room with your sister, or while you were on a drive, and that’s the only reason to use it, nothing else (laughs).]
– Are you becoming pessimistic, thinking “Even if we make an album, it won’t reach anyone,” or the like?
[But I don’t think the number of people who listen to music has gone down. It’s just the form, I think people just don’t go out to buy CDs anymore. The songs, the music itself, I think they all still listen. Differently than before. I mean, they make copies, and then give the copies to their friends, right? High school kids do that, now. Well, anyway, I think it’s obvious if you think about it.]
– When I was a kid, we used to say “Make a tape of that for me.”
[Yeah. But, with a tape, you lose a lot of sound quality in the transfer, so if you listen to a tape and like it, you’ll think about buying the album, but with a CD-R you already have a perfect copy. If you like what you hear, I don’t think you’ll be bothered to go out and buy a proper copy.]
– Maybe you would if you wanted the jacket, but you have to like it quite a lot for that. By the way, I do buy the music I like.
[But, even the fans don’t buy it anymore, these days. It’s surprising, for me. I have a mobile site, and charge about 300 yen a month for it, but some of them tell me “I don’t have the money so I won’t subscribe.” But 300 yen? When they tell me “I can’t afford it” it makes me think “I’m not even worth that much, even to my fans,” you know?]
– That is quite sad. For artists.
[So, I think the fans all need to learn more about how the flow of money works, in the world; I think they need it to be taught to them. When we musicians sell a CD, it’s the profits from that CD that will allow us to make the next album, you know? Going to extremes, I think our lives basically depend on whether the CD sells or not. If it doesn’t sell, we’ll get our contracts cut off before the next one, because we’re musicians. “I love you! I’d do anything for you!” If you think like that, then you could do a lot by just buying a CD. Don’t write fan letters every day or send presents. Of course, those things are great, but some people send letters every day, writing “I still haven’t bought your album.” (laughs).]
– Reporting that to you, directly…… how complicated (laughs). It really is. Do you have any more “pathos” ?
[Nope. (<- immediate reply)] - Mhahaha. You don't have any moments where you think "How sad!" do you? As part of your everyday life. [Hmmm, only if I watch a sad movie...... (laughs)] - Of course, movies. So, now "humour". What do you think of as amusing? "Fun" is okay too. [Amusing, is it? Fun, let's see... watching an interesting TV show, I guess (laughs). Watching 'Hanetobi' DVDs (laughs). Also, shopping. Shopping is fun, too.] - How about when L'Arc is about to release a CD, or when you start a tour? [Yeah, right before a release, it's fun. I get excited.] - What is it that gets you so excited? [It's because it's unknown at that point, you know? The sound is. The ban is lifted right when we go on air. Until then, "Nobody knows." (laughs)] - As in "Nobody knows but me." [It feels like having a mini time machine, knowing it two or three months ahead of time. In two, three months, this is the song that's going to be playing all over TV and radio, but right now we're the only ones who know.] - Ah, that must be rather exciting. Do you also get worked up over how the song will be received, once it's released into the world? [Yeah, that too.] - But that mini time machine sensation sounds very cool. [I can see one step into the future.] - Of course, that happens because you're confident in telling yourself "I've created something good," doesn't it? ["I've created something good," you say, but I've made nothing but good stuff, since way back.] - Mmhmm. You have, definitely. How about before a tour? That must be fun too, isn't it? [It is fun. I get excited. But, it's most exciting when the tour dates get decided. After that, there's so much work to do until the tour actually begins. We go into tour rehearsal starting a month before. Once the rehearsals start, it's hard work memorizing all the songs.] - Hahahahaha! So rather than have it be fun, you see how much work is actually waiting for you. [Right. Then once we're on tour, there's lots of "This part wasn't so great, let's change it," and "Let's try this," and the like. There are minor changes every day until the finale, and that's tough, just horribly tough. And we move during the tour. It's nice having days that are just travel, but since we have a show the next day, we can't drink much, and we can't go out too much.] - So, is finishing up incredibly fun? When it's all over. [Finishing it all, at the very end, yeah, that's the greatest. Having the tour finale be a good show is the best thing ever.] - Interviewer : Honma Yuuko Translated by Natalie Arnold
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