– You also play the guitar on your TETSU69 solo album, right?
[Only a little bit, but I did play all the guitar solos.]
– You said you had started guitar before bass; how long ago was that?
[Back in middle school, they had guitars in music class, so that’s where I started. I wasn’t especially thinking that I wanted to play guitar at that time, though.]
– When you play the bass, how does that make you view the guitar as an instrument?
[It’s lighter than the bass, isn’t it? I think during lives, it must be so much easier (laughs). Also, the guitar stands out a lot more, right? There are lots of guitar heroes, but there aren’t really any bass heroes, are there? I own some guitars too, and I end up playing them at home more than I do the bass.]
– So, could you say that you like the guitar more than the bass?
[Nah, I play the guitar, but sometimes I feel more like playing the bass. I can be a bit bratty like that. Sometimes I play the bass as if it was a guitar, just to see. But really, there’s a way to play guitar, and a way to play bass. Well, back when I didn’t even own a single bass, I somehow got a hold of a bunch of guitars. I had about five.]
– Have you ever thought about becoming a guitarist instead?
[Nah. Looking at it as a thing, it’s just easier to buy guitars, kinda like buying toys. For the bass as a thing, there aren’t many that strike me as cool. But I will go “Ah, this guitar is cool, I want it, I’ll buy it.” I still do that now. There are a lot more cool guitars, so there are a lot more I want.]
– So, do you have a lot of guitars now?
[I have some. Probably less than 20.]
– What do you think are the interesting points of the guitar?
[I’ve never thought about it in that much detail. I just play.]
– tetsu-san, when you were in middle school, the guitarist ken-san lived nearby, right? What did you think of him as a guitarist?
[By middle school, ken-chan was already incredibly good. He was by far the best around. That’s why I thought he was cool. I wanted to be like that, too. Then, I was trying to be as good as him. Back then, there was more emphasis on technique than on whatever type of music it was, especially for hard rock and heavy metal. It mattered how fast you could play. You had to practice a lot, or you’d regret it.]
– In your activities for TETSU69, when you played guitar, what were you being picky about?
[I guess when I play guitar, I try to make it delicious. What I play has to be simple, and yet stand out at the same time. I make guitar solos and main themes so that they’ll get stuck in your head. I have fun making a lot of delicious bits like that. I’m a slut for them (laughs). I don’t think any part of me but Melody Maker (1) can really connect with the guitar.]
– From now on, what do you think will happen with your guitarist side?
[I have no idea. How far can I take the guitar? I might not even play it anymore. I made the first album by trial and error, just one song at a time. I worked with lots of different people. So, I can’t see what the next thing will be, yet. If I think it’ll be fun, I’ll probably do it, but even I can’t tell if I will or not. Oh, yeah, on L’Arc’s new album, I played one of the guitar solos (laughs). I might end up doing more guitar for L’Arc. It’s one of my own songs, so at the demo stage I temporarily put in my own guitar solo. At the actual recording, ken-chan kept on playing the intro instead, so I said I’d show him how it’s done. I just meant “it should be like this” but when we gave it a listen, we decided to keep mine. We used it just like it was. I had a guitar the technicians hadn’t even adjusted. I guess I played it just right.]
– Is it because of that relaxed feeling that you were able to do such a good a take?
[I never know if a take was good or not. It’s not that important. It’s not that I actively wanted to play the guitar part. ken-chan’s playing is fundamentally right for L’Arc~en~Ciel. It’s just an occasional kind of thing.]
-Interviewer : Hasegawa Makoto
Translated by Natalie Arnold.
[Only a little bit, but I did play all the guitar solos.]
– You said you had started guitar before bass; how long ago was that?
[Back in middle school, they had guitars in music class, so that’s where I started. I wasn’t especially thinking that I wanted to play guitar at that time, though.]
– When you play the bass, how does that make you view the guitar as an instrument?
[It’s lighter than the bass, isn’t it? I think during lives, it must be so much easier (laughs). Also, the guitar stands out a lot more, right? There are lots of guitar heroes, but there aren’t really any bass heroes, are there? I own some guitars too, and I end up playing them at home more than I do the bass.]
– So, could you say that you like the guitar more than the bass?
[Nah, I play the guitar, but sometimes I feel more like playing the bass. I can be a bit bratty like that. Sometimes I play the bass as if it was a guitar, just to see. But really, there’s a way to play guitar, and a way to play bass. Well, back when I didn’t even own a single bass, I somehow got a hold of a bunch of guitars. I had about five.]
– Have you ever thought about becoming a guitarist instead?
[Nah. Looking at it as a thing, it’s just easier to buy guitars, kinda like buying toys. For the bass as a thing, there aren’t many that strike me as cool. But I will go “Ah, this guitar is cool, I want it, I’ll buy it.” I still do that now. There are a lot more cool guitars, so there are a lot more I want.]
– So, do you have a lot of guitars now?
[I have some. Probably less than 20.]
– What do you think are the interesting points of the guitar?
[I’ve never thought about it in that much detail. I just play.]
– tetsu-san, when you were in middle school, the guitarist ken-san lived nearby, right? What did you think of him as a guitarist?
[By middle school, ken-chan was already incredibly good. He was by far the best around. That’s why I thought he was cool. I wanted to be like that, too. Then, I was trying to be as good as him. Back then, there was more emphasis on technique than on whatever type of music it was, especially for hard rock and heavy metal. It mattered how fast you could play. You had to practice a lot, or you’d regret it.]
– In your activities for TETSU69, when you played guitar, what were you being picky about?
[I guess when I play guitar, I try to make it delicious. What I play has to be simple, and yet stand out at the same time. I make guitar solos and main themes so that they’ll get stuck in your head. I have fun making a lot of delicious bits like that. I’m a slut for them (laughs). I don’t think any part of me but Melody Maker (1) can really connect with the guitar.]
– From now on, what do you think will happen with your guitarist side?
[I have no idea. How far can I take the guitar? I might not even play it anymore. I made the first album by trial and error, just one song at a time. I worked with lots of different people. So, I can’t see what the next thing will be, yet. If I think it’ll be fun, I’ll probably do it, but even I can’t tell if I will or not. Oh, yeah, on L’Arc’s new album, I played one of the guitar solos (laughs). I might end up doing more guitar for L’Arc. It’s one of my own songs, so at the demo stage I temporarily put in my own guitar solo. At the actual recording, ken-chan kept on playing the intro instead, so I said I’d show him how it’s done. I just meant “it should be like this” but when we gave it a listen, we decided to keep mine. We used it just like it was. I had a guitar the technicians hadn’t even adjusted. I guess I played it just right.]
– Is it because of that relaxed feeling that you were able to do such a good a take?
[I never know if a take was good or not. It’s not that important. It’s not that I actively wanted to play the guitar part. ken-chan’s playing is fundamentally right for L’Arc~en~Ciel. It’s just an occasional kind of thing.]
-Interviewer : Hasegawa Makoto
Translated by Natalie Arnold.
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