This is a translation of a reprint of an interview that originally appeared in PATi-PATi, January 1998 issue, shortly before the release of winter fall, and during the recording of HEART. This was reprinted for the Box Set of The 15th anniversary in formation. The translation is based on the reprinted version.

BEGIN INTERVIEW

On the stage, on CD, and in every conceivable type of activity, there is always L’Arc~en~Ciel, and for L’Arc~en~Ciel alone there is a groove that only one man goes on playing – he is the bassist, tetsu. Through seven key words, this personal interview opens the door within his heart.

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Date

I haven’t been dating lately… You want to know my ideal date? I’d get up early just to go on that date (laughs). So, around 10 o’clock I’d drive over to pick her up and when I got to the front of her house her mom would come out too and say “Be careful!” or something to her off. (laughs) Then we would go for a drive, all the way to an amusement park, somewhere kinda far. And then normally I’d want to go on all those scream machines, I guess. We’d have lunch at a restaurant somewhere inside the park, and stay out until the evening. Then, since we came kind of a long way we’d leave the amusement park early. On the way back we’d stop for dinner, and I’d drop her off at home. When I’m on I date I want the girl I’m with to be smiling the whole time. But, no homemade lunches… please. (laughs) You know, I’ve always been bad with homemade food. I really can’t stand it. That’s why, on a date, I’d rather go eat at a restaurant.

Car Stereo

It’s wonderful! My car stereo, that is. My car can seat four people, normally, but I’ve got a 25cm subwoofer set up on the back seat. So, only three people can ride. (laughs) Actually, it cost more than the sound system I have at home. How much!? A bit more than the one I have at home. (laughs) So yeah, it sounds really great. That’s because I was really picky about the sound quality, of course. I peeled off all the upholstering on the doors and stuff, and then I put in lead sheets wherever it was dried out, and that took about two weeks. At first I was going to keep the subwoofer in the trunk, but it just wouldn’t fit. I had no choice, so I had a speaker box made and set it up on the back seat. So now when someone sees my car for the first time, they’re surprised. “What’s that?” “A subwoofer.” (laughs) And you know, since I can turn it up so loud, it’s actually better than my home system. And plus, when we’re recording and I go home afterwards, I can just keep listening to the DAT tapes(1), so I can keep checking things all the way home. We’re in the middle of recording right now, so I’ve been listening to our songs all the time. I play the DAT tapes in my car constantly.

Winter

I don’t do well with cold. When it’s cold, I have a hard time getting up, you know? So, these days, I just leave the heater on at home all the time. But, because that’s always on, my skin is getting dried out. … I’ve got problems (laughs).

Girls

I like girls who are cute, with a nice personality, and smart too. “Oh, her, she’s kinda cute,” (laughs) as soon as I find myself thinking that, I start to like the girl. What makes me think she’s cute? The moment I notice her cute face (laughs). I’ve always been accused of going for the pretty ones. At least I’m consistent about it, and it’s not like I can really help myself (laughs). I like Alicia Silverstone. A long time ago, I saw her in an Aerosmith video and I’ve liked her ever since.

Manga(2)

I hardly read any manga, I only ever watch it (as anime). The first one I got obsessed with was [Ginga Tetsudou 999](3), the movie. I didn’t like the TV series much. Cause of the art style. But in the movie, doesn’t Tetsurou look so cool?! I thought “I gotta see this.” For TV series, my first obsession was Gundam, you know. I like a lot of SF shows, of course. I get hooked on them a lot. But you know, when I was really little, I hated anime, in my heart I was thinking “This sucks. It’s for kids”, and I didn’t have much interest in it. And then I saw [Flanders no Inu](4), and I cried (laughs). Oh, yeah, while we’re on topic, I want to mention this. I get a lot of fanletters that go “I heard that you got into Evangelion(5) recently, tetsu-san” but you know, it’s not just a recent thing. I was already pretty into it when the reruns were on last February, but I guess it didn’t come up in interviews until now or something!? Just because the interviews got published in the fall, that’s why it’s only coming up now. It’s very regrettable that people think I just got into it “recently” (laughs). What’s so cool about EVA?! Okay, you know there’s the part where Lilith gets pierced by the Lance of Longinus, by Rei-chan, right? In the TV show, when the spear came out, she didn’t start growing legs again, but in the movie she grew legs right away. What’s up with that? But I like how it makes you wonder (laughs).

Tastes

My tastes are intense… I suppose… Hmmm (thinks hard). I think I’ve gotten a bit more mellow, compared to how I used to be. Even when it comes to food. I used to be really picky about food. There are lots of things that I can eat now, but never used to eat at all. Like peppers , onions, and fish. And stuff I still don’t eat?! Liver and innards and stuff. I like yakiniku(6), but I only order sirloin and garbi. I used to have yakiniku all the time, but these days I eat more fish than meat. Maybe I’m getting old (laughs). It used to be like “What do you wanna eat?” “Yakiniku!” but now I like to have shabu-shabu as a meat dish, and I’d rather go for sushi instead.

Music

Right now, the music I want to listen to the most is the new L’Arc~en~Ciel album, the one we’re still working on. At the moment, it’s about halfway done. You know, every month, I buy many different artists’ CDs, like at least ten, and listen to them, but even on the albums I like there’s only two, three songs that I listen to. So, say I buy 10 CDs, and on each of those albums there’s only two songs (that I like) or so, so I collect all those songs onto a single album with only songs I like. On this new L’Arc~en~Ciel album, it’s going to be all songs I like. That’s why I want to hurry up and listen to it. We’re releasing a single first, but that song is already done. It’s more upbeat than Niji, a light-hearted L’Arc song.

-Interviewer: Itou Aki
Translated by Natalie Arnold

1. Digital Audio Tapes, or DAT tapes for short, are similar to cassette tapes but record sound as digital, as opposed to analog, data. They are now almost obsolete, but their CD-quality sound had them used by professional recording studios and radio broadcasters for most of the 1990s.
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2. Manga are Japanese graphic novels, and they are the basis for most Japanese animation, aka anime.
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3. Called Galaxy Express 999 in English. It and Gundam are both very famous anime series, though the later has lasted much longer.
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4. In English, A Dog of Flanders. This is an anime series that is rather famous for making grown men cry, despite being a children’s drama.
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5. Neon Genesis Evangelion, one of the most successful anime of the 1990s. The scene tetsu discusses would constitute spoilers if explained further.
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6. Yakiniku is a meal where the diners cook small pieces of meat over a grill, which is set into the table. Various cuts of meat are available, including innards like the liver, stomach, and guts. Garbi is meat from the belly of the animal. Shabu-shabu is a different meat dish where very thin slices are lightly boiled in soup, again at the table.
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