[L’Arc~en~Ciel means rainbow, and there’re seven colours in a rainbow, so that’s how this theme starts right? (laughs)]

– Well, I suppose we can go about it that way (laughs). For the record, what are the seven colours that make up a rainbow?
[Oh, I don’t know. But strictly speaking, a rainbow doesn’t really have seven colours, does it? There’s a bit more than that, right? There’re some colours that you can’t really pick out with the naked eye, for sure.]

– Is that so? I didn’t know that.
[Then do you know why we say a rainbow has “seven” colours? It’s because there’re seven days in a week!]

– Eeh, is that really true!?
[No idea (smiles).]

– (laughs) By the way, tetsu-san, your favourite colour is red, right?
[Yes, I like red. A long time ago, a fortune-teller told me that my lucky colour was red. Yeah, well, I liked it even before that happened (laughs). I like Char (from Gundam) and I like Asuka (from Evangelion). Both of them have red for their image colour. However, there’s a subtle difference between the reds I like and the reds I hate. It can’t be just any shade of red. For different things sometimes a darker red is better, sometimes a lighter red is better, it varies like that.]

– Specifically, what kind of red do you prefer?
[Let’s see~. For a while I liked the “Fiesta Red” colour from Fender. It’s a bit scarlet-like, tinged with salmon pink. It’s like the colour of sunset, only a little bit lighter. It’s a vintage instrument, made over 30 years ago, so it seems natural for it to have that sunset colour. I really loved that colour, so I blew a lot of money on buying lots of Fiesta Red Fenders.]

– Conversely, which reds don’t you like?
[For a while, I drove a Ferrari, and generally, they’re red, right? But I hate Ferrari red, so I drove a blue one. The official name of that colour was “Blu Tour de France”.]

– Ah, I think I understand what you mean. Now, how about clothing?
[When it comes to clothes, it’s not a problem, I never wear red. Red, well, people’s eyes are drawn to that colour, right? I don’t usually dress so conspicuously. I do have some red casual wear though.]

– What do you think about girls wearing red?
[Let’s see~. The design and the material and things like that matter a lot. It’s kinda hard to say.]

– This is a bit abrupt, but… tetsu-san, what colour is most of your underwear?
[My underwear? Mine’s pretty flashy. Flashy themed. Crazy underwear (laughs). I generally wear boxers, but I have some pink ones, and I have lots where the rubber part is rainbow coloured. The flashier the underwear, the better. ken-chan said something kinda like that, too.]

– I wonder why that is.
[It’s true though, isn’t it? Like, flashy lining for a school uniform! Or something kinda like that. I’m not sure. I have lots of underwear, at least 50 or 60 pairs, probably. I like Paul Smith brand. Lots of times, I’ll think this pair’s cute, that pair’s cute, and buy them.]

– I see. But after all, tetsu-san, when it comes to colour you’re best off being colourful, right?
[No, I think that’s just my public image. Like I said earlier, I never wear flashy clothes. What I wear on stage, those stage outfits are in a completely different category. In a huge, open-air place, the people at the back can’t see much more than a dot, right? On stage, it’s not just the members, but there’s also cameramen and staff running around, so this way they can tell if its a band member or a cameraman. I’m very conscious of that and so that’s why I use lots of colours. Colourful outfits that reflect light easily, and even my hair and makeup. I never dress that way normally (laughs).]

– I see, I see. But, tetsu-san, the colourful look suits you well.
[Hmmm, I guess so. Well, it goes with my character.]

– Just seeing that colourful look cheers one up. Now, is there anything else you can think of that goes with the colour theme……
[Oh, I don’t like colour contacts. I think it’s okay for the stage or for photographs, though. People who wear them all the time are scary. Like, where they going? or something (laughs).]

– Interviewer : Harada Sachi
Translated by Natalie Arnold