– You’ve mentioned that when you were in high school, your band played covers of Dead End (1). What was it about them that drew you in?
[I really loved Dead End. It started with their looks, but I loved all their music too. Their lyrics and everything. They were perfect! To me, anyway. I first saw them in a magazine, in a monochrome picture this big (3cm x 3cm), you know? “Wow! This band is awesome!” I said.]
– Even though it was such a tiny picture, you knew there was something to them.
[That’s right. When I first saw MORRIE-san’s (2) haircut, I thought “That’s so cooool~!” (laughs). The original members all had pretty cool looks too. And I bought their album called Dead Line.]
– So at first, you were mesmerised by their looks.
[Everything starts with looks for me (laughs). Bad looks don’t score any points with me. If the interior was also good, I’d think “That’s great,” only after the fact. Even on that point, Dead End was perfect. Back in the day, I really liked occult movies. Dead End had a kinda creepy atmosphere to them, right? Their sound was completely different from any other band in Japan at the time. “They’re really polished, that’s incredible!” I thought.]
– Do you think Dead End was a major influence on you?
[They were a huge influence early on, when I started to want a band. I’ve liked lots of other bands, but the one I liked the most was Dead End.]
– How do you think you were influenced by them?
[Mostly musically.]
– What about your favourite Dead End album?
[The first one I had was Dead Line, but my favourite one is Shambara!]
– Did you go to their live shows, too?
[I did. I went to the “Shiki Yakou” (3) show at Osaka Mainichi Hall. Mephistopheles (4) was the opening act. I went to the show in my school uniform (laughs). I was in high school. That was one incredibly cool concert! It was the best thing I experienced in that period. I went to lots more Dead End concerts after that one.]
– Then could you say that Dead End influenced your image of the ideal band?
[They certainly did. Back when we were putting out DUNE, one magazine article said “This album is more Dead End-like than Dead End.” I was impressed, since I took those words to be high praise. I was really thrilled (laughs).]
– Other than Dead End, have you met anyone else who has had a large influence on your life?
[Probably Kimura-kun. He was my senpai when I worked part-time at a variety store. Kimura-kun was hardcore. He had tattoos all over his body. He drew them himself, since he was a tattooist. He was really good at drawing. He’d lived in America for a few years, so he could speak English, and he taught me a lot of slang. One phrase I still use a lot, “SUCK MY ASS HOLE!” was actually taught to me by Kimura-kun. He had a violent look to him. He had long, one-length hair and always wore engineer boots (5). He wore leather jackets and leather pants, too. He always had dangling chains around his waist, so you could hear him coming from far away (laughs). However, his personality wasn’t like what you’d expect from looking at him. He was easygoing; a really nice guy. Like a well-bred slasher.]
– A well-bred slasher, that’s good (laughs). How do you think this Kimura-kun influenced you?
[He’d been working at the variety store longer, and we all had to be able to draw for the shop window. He was really good at doing that. He would draw really cute pictures and then write in English “Shoplifters will be murdered” so that it looked like graffiti. He had a good sense for those things. I think that influenced me a lot. So, from working at that variety store, at least I got good at window drawing (laughs). Other than Kimura-kun, one of the girls at the store would draw things, too. She wrote “If you steal, you will die tomorrow!” and stuff (both laugh). They’d also sneak in black jokes, inconspicuously. That made things pretty interesting, at that store.]
– In other areas, has there ever been anyone who has been an influence on your philosophy of love, or on your values?
[I don’t have anyone like that. Does anyone? Normally, anyway.]
– So you’re the type who isn’t easily influenced by others?
[I’m simple, so after I watch a movie, I become the movie’s main character. For a day or so. That sort of thing happens pretty often. Same goes for when I watch TV.]
– However, there haven’t been any encounters with a person that completely changed your life?
[At this point, I can’t say there’s ever been anyone like that. But when it comes to people having an influence on me, everyone I meet does that, don’t they? I’m sure everyone I’ve ever met has had some sort of influence on me. Sometimes great, sometimes small. But I can’t pinpoint anyone in particular.]
– Wasn’t there ever anyone you wanted to be like, a sort of role model you had in mind?
[From when I started playing music, maybe CRAZY COOL-JOE(Dead End’s bassist)-san? But my current playing style is nothing like JOE-san’s. So I can’t really say he was an influence, can I?]
– Along those lines, even though you turned out completely different from your model, what were you aiming at? What was it you were following?
[That’s an odd concept. I really just live my life by looking ahead, and I go on keeping my head up.]
– So you aren’t following anyone else?
[That’s not what life is about. Wanting to be like someone else…. with that kind of life, nothing you do will eeeeever be enough. As long as you’re doing that, you aren’t really living. Time flows differently for each person, so if there are people who feel it flows regularly from left to right…. they must be different from those who look forward and advance while looking up. There must also be people who stand still, thinking time goes too fast. In the end, I don’t think it’s necessary to have a specific goal in mind, as long as you’re advancing.]
-Interviewer : Toujou Sachie
Translated by Natalie Arnold.
[I really loved Dead End. It started with their looks, but I loved all their music too. Their lyrics and everything. They were perfect! To me, anyway. I first saw them in a magazine, in a monochrome picture this big (3cm x 3cm), you know? “Wow! This band is awesome!” I said.]
– Even though it was such a tiny picture, you knew there was something to them.
[That’s right. When I first saw MORRIE-san’s (2) haircut, I thought “That’s so cooool~!” (laughs). The original members all had pretty cool looks too. And I bought their album called Dead Line.]
– So at first, you were mesmerised by their looks.
[Everything starts with looks for me (laughs). Bad looks don’t score any points with me. If the interior was also good, I’d think “That’s great,” only after the fact. Even on that point, Dead End was perfect. Back in the day, I really liked occult movies. Dead End had a kinda creepy atmosphere to them, right? Their sound was completely different from any other band in Japan at the time. “They’re really polished, that’s incredible!” I thought.]
– Do you think Dead End was a major influence on you?
[They were a huge influence early on, when I started to want a band. I’ve liked lots of other bands, but the one I liked the most was Dead End.]
– How do you think you were influenced by them?
[Mostly musically.]
– What about your favourite Dead End album?
[The first one I had was Dead Line, but my favourite one is Shambara!]
– Did you go to their live shows, too?
[I did. I went to the “Shiki Yakou” (3) show at Osaka Mainichi Hall. Mephistopheles (4) was the opening act. I went to the show in my school uniform (laughs). I was in high school. That was one incredibly cool concert! It was the best thing I experienced in that period. I went to lots more Dead End concerts after that one.]
– Then could you say that Dead End influenced your image of the ideal band?
[They certainly did. Back when we were putting out DUNE, one magazine article said “This album is more Dead End-like than Dead End.” I was impressed, since I took those words to be high praise. I was really thrilled (laughs).]
– Other than Dead End, have you met anyone else who has had a large influence on your life?
[Probably Kimura-kun. He was my senpai when I worked part-time at a variety store. Kimura-kun was hardcore. He had tattoos all over his body. He drew them himself, since he was a tattooist. He was really good at drawing. He’d lived in America for a few years, so he could speak English, and he taught me a lot of slang. One phrase I still use a lot, “SUCK MY ASS HOLE!” was actually taught to me by Kimura-kun. He had a violent look to him. He had long, one-length hair and always wore engineer boots (5). He wore leather jackets and leather pants, too. He always had dangling chains around his waist, so you could hear him coming from far away (laughs). However, his personality wasn’t like what you’d expect from looking at him. He was easygoing; a really nice guy. Like a well-bred slasher.]
– A well-bred slasher, that’s good (laughs). How do you think this Kimura-kun influenced you?
[He’d been working at the variety store longer, and we all had to be able to draw for the shop window. He was really good at doing that. He would draw really cute pictures and then write in English “Shoplifters will be murdered” so that it looked like graffiti. He had a good sense for those things. I think that influenced me a lot. So, from working at that variety store, at least I got good at window drawing (laughs). Other than Kimura-kun, one of the girls at the store would draw things, too. She wrote “If you steal, you will die tomorrow!” and stuff (both laugh). They’d also sneak in black jokes, inconspicuously. That made things pretty interesting, at that store.]
– In other areas, has there ever been anyone who has been an influence on your philosophy of love, or on your values?
[I don’t have anyone like that. Does anyone? Normally, anyway.]
– So you’re the type who isn’t easily influenced by others?
[I’m simple, so after I watch a movie, I become the movie’s main character. For a day or so. That sort of thing happens pretty often. Same goes for when I watch TV.]
– However, there haven’t been any encounters with a person that completely changed your life?
[At this point, I can’t say there’s ever been anyone like that. But when it comes to people having an influence on me, everyone I meet does that, don’t they? I’m sure everyone I’ve ever met has had some sort of influence on me. Sometimes great, sometimes small. But I can’t pinpoint anyone in particular.]
– Wasn’t there ever anyone you wanted to be like, a sort of role model you had in mind?
[From when I started playing music, maybe CRAZY COOL-JOE(Dead End’s bassist)-san? But my current playing style is nothing like JOE-san’s. So I can’t really say he was an influence, can I?]
– Along those lines, even though you turned out completely different from your model, what were you aiming at? What was it you were following?
[That’s an odd concept. I really just live my life by looking ahead, and I go on keeping my head up.]
– So you aren’t following anyone else?
[That’s not what life is about. Wanting to be like someone else…. with that kind of life, nothing you do will eeeeever be enough. As long as you’re doing that, you aren’t really living. Time flows differently for each person, so if there are people who feel it flows regularly from left to right…. they must be different from those who look forward and advance while looking up. There must also be people who stand still, thinking time goes too fast. In the end, I don’t think it’s necessary to have a specific goal in mind, as long as you’re advancing.]
-Interviewer : Toujou Sachie
Translated by Natalie Arnold.
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