MUSICA April 2008 – Interview with tetsu
This is the translation of the interview with tetsu that appeared in MUSICA’s April 2008 issue as part of a series of interviews with the entire band. The interview itself was done in the middle of the THEATRE of KISS tour, but the articles were not published until the tour had concluded.
BEGIN
Interview with tetsu
During the tour, we had about two weeks of free time, so we did some recording downtown. We only recorded two songs, but it’s wonderful music, very well done. Incredible…… I’m confident.
-Today is February 13th. How does it feel to look back on the tour from this vantage point?
[I’m sorry to have to say this, but I’ve been sick for the entire tour. It was after that interview (in the same magazine, where all four members were present), but in Nagoya I had to be put on an IV. I had a fever too, but I don’t know if that was because of my cold…… In any case, I was sick the entire time.]
-Then, in order to overcome your poor health, you had to take things one step at a time, I imagine?
[Yeah, that’s right…… Yes, that’s the only way I think I can describe it (laughs).]
– When I saw the concert, tetsu-san, I thought you were remarkably steady in carrying out your part. I felt that you were incredibly leaderlike, playing very well and creating a great sound. This time, how did you face your job and position as the tour went on?
[I’m sorry to keep repeating the same thing, but I was really sick right from the beginning, so I knew I wouldn’t be able to give a very flashy performance. So I knew I had to concentrate on playing, since that’s the biggest part of it, right? Actually, I think that even when I’m being flashy, I should still focus on my playing… That’s the kind of band L’Arc~en~Ciel is, so it’s beyond obvious that I’m going to be doing that.]
– Did you have to go to the hospital after any of the concerts?
[Yeah, I did, I had a fever so I was taken to the hospital and given an IV. I went straight from backstage to the hospital (laughs).]
– Is that so? Did it ever seem like you would have to retire from the tour?
[Taking care of my health is part of my job… There were times when I worried whether I’d be able to play the concert despite my fever… That must have been… Nagoya, I’m pretty sure. I was sick in Osaka too, but… But, I have to carry on, you know? If we skip a live, that’s millions of yen going to waste, plus it would be a problem for the tens of thousands of people who came to see us, and I just can’t let that happen, I have to get up and play my part.]
– While all that was going on, it was decided that you would go play a concert in France. Considering that it was you who named the band, I imagine that you must feel quite strongly about it, but first may I ask how this concert came to be in the first place?
[I’m pretty sure our management started working on it years ago, and I think it just took this long for anything concrete to happen.]
– Have you always felt strongly about wanting to go there, tetsu-san?
[Yeah, even before it was a realistically possible, I thought it would be nice to go there, to Paris. Considering we’d never gone to Europe, I did feel that Paris would be a good place to go.]
– I imagine that since you’ve already done shows in Korea, China, and America, you must want to extend your experience to Europe as well, but I wonder if you have any particular, personal reasons for wanting to go there, on top of all that?
[No, nothing in particular, I just want to do a concert during my first visit to a place I’ve never been before… I do feel strongly about that. That’s what I like about the idea, basically. It’s fresh.]
– Previously, a video concert was aired there, at a gathering of over 10 000 viewers(1). How did L’Arc~en~Ciel manage to attain such a position?
[But, you see, that’s not because of anything we actually did. It’s just the way these things go, it’s about how things gain or lose popularity in different countries… and I calmly accept that.]
– Is it a side affect of the Japanese anime trend overseas?
[I think there are a lot of factors. It’s like, for example, how some Korean stars can get really well-known in Japan without the Korean companies doing any promotion. Sometimes that kind of movement happens in Japan and they just ride it. I think it’s the same thing for us. These days, Japanese indie bands can go to Europe and play crowds of thousands… so I really don’t think it’s anything that we did ourselves.]
– But, in your case, L’Arc~en~Ciel is expected to draw in several thousand people. Regardless of how long your band has been active, you’re stepping into a fresh, new area. I think it has to mean that the band itself is doing something fresh and new. Can’t you explain what that might be?
[But we don’t understand it, ourselves. We don’t know what’s going on around us, we only know ourselves, so… Shouldn’t you be asking the world around us? That’s all I can say.]
– Then what do you think is the cause of your freshness?
[Yeah, okay… It’s only just now, with you mentioning this freshness, that I realized it was there, so I really can’t answer you.]
– L’Arc~en~Ciel has always been able to keep producing something fresh for their fans. Certainly not via radical methods, and you have several elements that have never changed. Yet you are always fresh, that’s why you’re popular… I mean… yes. You don’t dirty yourselves. That’s what’s so wonderful. Even when seeing you play live, it is plainly obvious that you are continuing to build strong communications.
[Umm, well I don’t really know about communications or anything, but we just make the music that we think is good, we package that music and send it off to the world, and then even if there’s just one more person who picks it up and thinks it’s good, we’re happy, we’re thankful… Those people come to see our shows, so what are they looking for when we play for them live… I guess that must be it.]
– KISS is also a highly successful album, and as always the concerts caused a battle royale for tickets, so I think your band is in extremely good condition. How do you feel about that?
[Um… but I don’t think the album was all that successful, actually… Am I right?]
Staff : Taken a package, and given the trends of the world (in other words, the music market recession) the results have been undeniable.
– But you think otherwise?
[Well I guess I do, but oh well, it’s not bad, it’s just not so great that I’d call it successful.]
– I understand. tetsu-san, in what direction do you plan to take the band from now on?
[If I say anything specific, it will spoil the surprise, so I don’t want to answer any questions about what’s going to happen later on.]
– Then, what do you feel is the most positive thing about the band, right now?
[During the tour, we had about two weeks of free time, so we did some recording downtown. We only recorded two songs, but it’s wonderful music, very well done. The recording went extremely well, too. Incredible… I’m confident about those two songs. Does that answer your question?]
– Of course, that’s a wonderful answer. Did you write either of those songs, tetsu-san?
[I wrote one of them. The other one is by hyde, and it’s the other song that made me go “WOW!” along with “MY HEART DRAWS A DREAM”, I mentioned that before, right? That’s the song.]
– Ah, you sound so happy about that song (laughs). Is it finally becoming available?
[Well, we’re still touring so it doesn’t feel like a real recording… Even tours feel more tour-like when we’re tight, you know, like during the last hall tour. Recordings work that way too, when they last two, three months, then it really feels like a real recording.]
– Whether you’re releasing work or touring or promoting, it seems to me that L’Arc~en~Ciel is always a quick band to respond. I suppose that’s reflected in what you’re doing now, you can skillfully pull it off. If you stopped and said “We need time to clear our minds!” you wouldn’t be able to pull things off so quickly. Is that the origin of your professionalism?
[No, it’s more like, we want some proper time off as well as time to do solo work, so that’s our motivation? (laughs) It’s not like we have any other choice. That’s the reason we do things this way, probably.]
– For L’Arc~en~Ciel, along with the fundamental purpose of letting your musical personality resonate, I think you also have an important theme. In particular, your singles, the “hit songs”, have a core of quality. For your concerts, too, you get up and create a wonderful experience every single time, and I think that’s spectacular.
[Thank you very much.]
– That said, please take care of yourself, and good luck for the second half of the tour.
[Oh, yes. Well I hope I get better… Thanks again.]
– tetsu-san, is there anything that you use as the source of your energy?
[There is. There is definitely something that keeps me energetic. But, for work-related reasons, I must ask you to let me keep it a secret for this interview (laughs).]
Translated by Natalie Arnold