This is a translation of a reprint of an interview that originally appeared in WHAT’s IN?, June 2003 issue, just after the Shibuya Seven days 2003 lives were announced. This was reprinted for the Box Set of The 15th anniversary in formation. The translation is based on the reprinted version.

BEGIN INTERVIEW

In the midst of their lively solo projects, L’Arc~en~Ciel have just suddenly released three simultaneous ‘Best of’ albums, thus reminding the world of the high quality of their works. Now, the four of them have abruptly decided to reunite for a seven-day live. What could this concert, the first in two and a half years, possibly mean? What will become of the band’s future? This publication had the occasion to speak with them on a fine April day. These personal interviews will plunge into the depths of their hearts, accompanied by precious photographs – The truth lies here.

*****

In his solo project, he alone can, and in fact must, determine every single sound, package, and picture. How will this experience come into play regarding L’Arc? We ask this, along with a few questions about the upcoming seven-day live, to hyde, who has just entered the second chapter of his solo project.

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– To start off, could you please tell me exactly how “Shibuya Seven days 2003” came to be?
hyde [Up until now, the usual pattern has been to make an album and then have the tour to go with it, but back when we were indie, we had the lives first and made an album later. We’d been talking about that back when the band decided to take a break, and it probably stuck, so I think this live has something to do with that whole thing. We didn’t discuss it that way explicitly, though.]

– How did it come to be set for seven days from June 28 to July 6?
hyde [We all have our own projects, plus there’s the venue’s schedule too, so all things considered this is just what turned out best. At first we were thinking of making it a proper tour, but somehow we decided it was better to make it weird (laughs).]

– How did you feel when it was first decided?
hyde [It’s gonna be a lot of work (laughs). Since we’re doing this, we have to put on a good show, you know? It won’t be enough to just start rehearsals a few weeks before the lives, like we always did before; I think we’re going to have to work it until our heads explode.]

– Since the four of you haven’t worked together in quite a while, it seems to me that you would need some extra time.
hyde [Indeed. In a way, it’s going to be exhausting. But at the same time, part of me is looking forward to it. I know I can rely on the other members, and they’ve each spent the last two, three years producing their own sound, so I’ve been wondering how that’s going to impact their playing. Obviously, there has to be some kind of effect, they’d be lying if there wasn’t, and that was the whole point of stopping with L’Arc in first place.]

– As for yourself, hyde-san, how do you feel you have changed since the break?
hyde [Going back to the band means I can specialize in a single part, but since I’ve gained some knowledge of other parts, I think I’m a deeper person now. Before, I’d want to put things in just because they sounded cool, but now I know more about what seems cool to the other parts, so, let’s do it that way. I have a feeling it’s going to make me better, tactically speaking.]

– You’ve gained additional points of view, then.
hyde [That’s right. Ever since the beginning, in L’Arc, there’s been a sense that each of us is the ruler of his own mountain, and it was always cool when we clashed that way, I’m sure it helped to refine the balance between us, and it’s always been thrilling, and yet now I think we might reach a whole new level of equilibrium.]

– The fact that the other members now have experience doing lead vocals will also play a large part, won’t it?
hyde [You know, I’ve been working hard too, playing guitar, and to a certain extent the more experience everyone has, the more it deepens us as an ensemble, and I guess it will help us understand each other better than ever before.]

– What kind of live do you want this to be, hyde-san?
hyde [About three years ago, I went to see Mötley Crue, and since it was a greatest hits tour, it was like their best songs were on parade. I thought that was awesome. In a way, I’d like our live to be like that. Up until now, I think all our lives have been set up to focus on a single album and deliver it to the crowd. But on the other hand, wouldn’t it be fun to just play the songs that everyone loves, like it was a big party? I want it to be something that L’Arc’s fans will enjoy. I don’t think it’ll be quite the same though, maybe in ten years or so. Anyway, I guess this show will be kind of like seeing Haley’s comet (laughs).]

– To pull off such a live, in any format, you must have a lot of confidence in the band’s sound.
hyde [I didn’t think I’d be so confident, honestly, but now that we’re doing it, I think it will be great.]

– Would you say that taking a break from the band and working on your solo projects has changed the way you see L’Arc?
hyde [Working by myself, I found myself wishing for things that the others can do, wondering how they pulled off certain sounds, asking a lot of questions (laughs). Having L’Arc get back together will let me relieve those desires. I think it feels a lot like having someone finally scratch an itch that I couldn’t reach on my own. Of course, that’s what it comes down to, naturally. Things like that are hard to notice without taking a step back, you know.]

– How do you want the band’s activities to proceed after the lives?
hyde [I think we’re going to head toward making an album, but rather than go straight into recording, I’d rather do more lives. I don’t want to exaggerate and say we need to strengthen the bonds between us, but I think it would be nice to have more intense feelings to build on before we move on to writing songs.]

– hyde-san, how do you go about keeping your solo work and band activities apart, in your mind?
hyde [It’s really quite simple. It’s like separating work and play. I don’t mean that one is work and the other is play, work is fun in it’s own way and so is play. If that wasn’t the case, life would be boring. Keeping solo and band activities from interfering, aside from the scheduling, isn’t much of a problem for me. They’re both fun. To put it in an extreme way, it’s like buying a Playstation; if you play the same game all the time, you get bored with it. This is a lot like that (laughs).]

Words – Hasegawa Makoto

*****

In creating his other band, SONS OF ALL PUSSYS, he jumped into an indie lifestyle that is the polar opposite of the monster band that has become L’Arc – such is ken. What could he have in mind for L’Arc now that he has recaptured the flat feeling so particular to the indie era?

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– How did you feel when this live was decided?
ken [Doing lives is mostly an excuse for the four of us to get together and make some music. I think that by playing our instruments, listening to each other play and hearing the sounds that come out, we express ourselves and communicate our feelings far more effectively than we ever could by talking with words. That’s why, as a band, this is a perfect opportunity to determine what kind of music we want to make and what kind of direction we’ll be heading.]

– Were you surprised to suddenly end up playing in Yoyogi for seven days?
ken [At first, there was talk of doing it in Osaka too, but instead of going for four days in Tokyo and three days in Osaka or something like that, we decided to stay the whole seven days in Tokyo, specifically in Shibuya, because it’s crazy and more fun that way. (laughs)]

– The number ‘7’ also has deep meaning attached. There are seven colours in a rainbow, and in the old testament, it is written that God created the world in seven days, so it’s a number that symbolizes all of creation.
ken [I think we picked seven days because it has so many meanings readily available. Back in June, we wondered if it might be better to drop it to keep things from going overboard. Then we figured that since we went with the idea of doing everything in Tokyo, we were better off keeping it just for the fun value.]

– What kind of live would you like this to be?
ken [First of all, we need to rehearse; we need to hear each other play for real or else there’s too much stuff we can’t work out. I think things will become clear after that. Then, since we released those ‘Best of’ albums, and we know there are a lot of people who want to see us live, I think we’ll simply respond to their feelings and give them what they want. That means we won’t be playing new songs, we’ll focus on what we’ve already got, and I think that’s what we need to do right now anyway before we can move forward.]

– Even though you’ll be playing old songs, since all of you have been working on your own solo projects, things won’t sound exactly the same, will they?
ken [I think you’re right. I wonder how the solos have affected us. How have we changed? I don’t know, I guess I’ll just have to see; and yet I think we’ll just be L’Arc again, won’t we? I guess there are two ways it can go. Either we’ll try to be the same L’Arc we always have been and automatically stay inside our old shell, or we’ll use what we learned during our solos to break out from that shell.]

– Which way do you personally want it to be?
ken [I want us to last forever, so I want us to keep on evolving. But it’s possible to keep going without making any progress. You know, like traditional arts, we could end up just repeating what we did before. Ultimately, I just want all of us, all the members, to move forward to a happy place.]

– ken-san, at the moment, you are active in two different bands. Has your experience with S.O.A.P. caused you to rediscover the good sides of L’Arc?
ken [A 3-piece band is completely different from a 4-piece+keyboards band. In S.O.A.P. I have fun playing guitar, and in L’Arc I enjoy the whole ensemble, that’s how it feels to me. Also, in both bands I indulge myself with the melodies, but to me, the goal isn’t quite the same in each one. Just, if I’m going to be working with L’Arc now, I have a feeling that my sense of melody is going to be a bit different from what it used to be. The reason being that in the last two years, I heard and saw a lot of things.]

– L’Arc’s ‘Best of’ albums were released in March. Since it’s been so long since you made those songs, did you have a chance to enjoy them, as a listener?
ken [I didn’t have a chance to listen to those albums, myself. Actually, since my manager had them, I just heard them in the car while going around on tour with S.O.A.P. It was more about the memories than the actual sound of the songs (laughs). Plus, in the back seat there were some staff members that were always around with L’Arc, too, so we reminded each other about a lot of things. About the thing with the lights, and the thing with the fireworks. I was so happy, hearing those stories all over again. It let me know that everyone really had a good time working with us. At the time, some details seemed so much more important, and other things were completely invisible. For the S.O.A.P. tour, all our travelling was by car, and so I had the time to rediscover a lot of things.]

– How do you feel about the fact that it’s been ten years since you released your first album, DUNE, in April ’93?
ken [Right now, I feel like I’ve gone back to the flat mood from back when we were making DUNE. Back then we didn’t care about topping the charts, or about our position in anything at all. The more we went on, the more people got involved with us, and a lot of things got complicated, and some things got pretty messed up because of it, but the last two years have been a chance to reset everything, so from now on, even if more people enter the picture, I won’t let it get messed up. That’s how I feel. Now, I’m ready to pour my pure feelings about what I like right into the music.]

– What are your expectations for the other three members?
ken [I don’t want to work them into the ground, except that I do, musically speaking (laughs). I want to produce some intense sounds. I have so many ideas to try out, my heart is pounding with anticipation of the collaboration that’s about to start.]

Words – Hasegawa Makoto

*****

Having built up his own label on which to promote his solo project TETSU69, tetsu is now facing the seven-day live by preparing his body as a bassist. As he is the leader of the band, what does this L’Arc live represent for him? Let us ask and find out.

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– It’s really been quite a long time since you’ve had a live. Two years and a bit, right?
tetsu [Doing a live as a band… you’re right, it has been a while.]

– As for the live itself, have you already got everything planned out?
tetsu [No, not at all. About all I’ve done so far is go through all our songs since the beginning and put together a list of the ones I want to do.]

– What kind of songs did you pick out, tetsu-san? Also, what did you have in mind as criteria for selecting those songs?
tetsu [Ah… Personally, I looked at the Best albums (the three ‘Best of’ albums released in March) and picked songs that weren’t on them. The Best albums were put together without any input from us members whatsoever. So, I picked songs that I would have put on them if it had been up to me, so we can do them for the live.]

– How did you feel when listening to the Best albums?
tetsu [What was it like… Ah, I wish they’d put in this song instead of that one… It felt pretty nostalgic, somehow. And… My performance was so youthful, back then. The arrangements, the playing, they were all kinda…. Listening to it, I unconsciously started mewing, kinda. There’s no way I’d do things the same way, now… Part of me can’t help but think like that.]

– I see. You’ve spent the last two years working on your solo project, and now you’re going back to L’Arc~en~Ciel. Looking back at the band, do you see it any differently, now?
tetsu [Differently… I don’t feel like I’m looking back, actually. Obviously, L’Arc~en~Ciel is a wonderful band. I still think so, and I always have; it’s a wonderful band. Anything I want to do, I can accomplish with them, and I think they’re all wonderful people. To think that I’ve been able to make a band with these wonderful members… it’s so incredibly touching.]

– Could you tell me what, specifically, is so wonderful about the other members?
tetsu [No… er… I can’t, they’re just too wonderful (laughs).]

– I understand (laughs). So, tetsu-san, what do lives represent for you?
tetsu [Let’s see… Personally, I … Okay, so take recordings. They have a very ‘secluded’ feel to them, you know? We hide away in total seclusion, until we come up with something to show the world. After that come the releases, then the lives, the tour, which is like… Boom, exploding all over the place. That feeling… I’ve really come to enjoy it. To me, that’s what lives represent, so no matter where we play, it’s always fun for me. It can be a livehouse or a hall or an arena or even outside. There’s something enjoyable in the atmosphere, each one is unique and can only be tasted once.]

– L’Arc~en~Ciel has moved on to progressively larger venues with time. How do you perceive that trend, tetsu-san?
tetsu [We can play big venues just as well as small ones, so doesn’t that mean our range has gotten pretty broad? Thanks to that broadness, we have a choice of things we like to do in any given live, so there are fewer rules restricting our work. That’s the reason we can pull off anything. Of course, it’s more fun that way, getting to do what we want. It’s very enjoyable, actually. We’ve gotten to a point where… L’Arc doesn’t do that many lives. Ever since our indie period, I’ve always been pushing to reduce the number of lives we do.]

– I see. Is there any particular reason why?
tetsu [Well, hmm… Back when we were indie, we didn’t have that many songs, and indie bands have lives two, three times a month, right? At that rate, you end up with fans thinking they won’t bother coming to this live since they can always just come to the next one in a week or so. And then no one comes to the lives. Doesn’t that happen a lot?]

– Indeed (laughs) it does.
tetsu [See? (laughs) So, I want each and every live to be precious, and to do that, there has to be fewer of them. I want the people who come to see us to feel a bit of fear, a sense that they can’t know when the next live is gonna be. And of course, we’ve certainly increased the number of fans mobilizing to see us, since we’ve had this strategy all along.]

– What do you personally want to do in the upcoming lives?
tetsu [Honestly, right now it’s my body… I’m working on getting back in shape, like I was two, three years ago. Naturally, the fans haven’t seen us since two, three years ago, because L’Arc stopped. This time, when they see us again, I don’t want anyone to think “Oh he’s gotten fatter” or “Ah, he’s getting old.” So, I’m in the middle of a training program to get back into the shape I used to be. You could say I’m preparing my body for the lives.]

– But you don’t look any different to me?
tetsu [No way! I’ve totally changed (laughs). I’ve lost muscle and I’m not as strong anymore. I did some lives for my solo project, but it wasn’t too intense and it was too easy on my body. L’Arc lives are much more… They’re really intense. I do a lot more with my body. So now I have to get that body back. As the day of the lives approaches, I’ll probably have other… feelings, the part of me that goes into Live Mode coming back in full. But well, that’s still two months away, so I can’t know for sure right now (laughs).]

Words – Itou Aki

*****

He uses computers to create a world of sound, then grips a mic and steps up front. In a sense, as acid android, yukihiro is as different as he could ever be from the self he displays while with the band. That said, he was the first of them to start preparing for the lives. While re-examining his drumming style, he remembers L’Arc lives of the past.

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– Could you please tell me how this new L’Arc~en~Ciel live, the first in a very long time, came about?
yukihiro [How it came about? How was it again… We had a meeting, talked about doing something, decided to have some lives, and I guess that’s it?]

– Live first… is there a reason you decided to do it that way?
yukihiro [What do you mean? You think it’s because we didn’t have enough time to make an album? (both burst into laughter)]

– What are your thoughts on this approaching seven-day live?
yukihiro [I don’t know anything yet. All I’ve done is practise the drums.]

– In the studio?
yukihiro [Yeah. I go to the studio alone, and play. During my solo project, I didn’t play the drums at all… I haven’t played them in about a year and a half. So at first, I got blisters on my hands. I’m OK now, though. I’ve been playing for five or six hours a day, I guess. I really started over from the basics. Like… baaang! Hitting each drum one at a time. Next, I play an 8-beat, or something. Anyway, it’s a good opportunity to re-examine my style, all the way down to the basics. Right about yesterday, I started playing actual songs again.]

– By the way, what was the first song you played?
yukihiro [The first one was “Niji”. I completely failed (laughs). I was just all over the place, my balance was completely rotten. That’s why I think I need to work out until my body can handle drumming again. If only I had the muscles for drumming! You know (laughs). It’s all I need to live! (laughs) Like I said before, just yesterday I started playing whole songs again, and it started to feel a little bit real. Like a faint feeling that I’m really going to do a live. But I really need to practise… Practise, and memorize everything again (laughs). So far, I’ve been remembering the basics, it feels like I’m doing everything over again.]

– I see. And we’ll be able to see the results in this upcoming live.
yukihiro [Yeah. It’ll have to show, won’t it. I’m sure it’ll work out fine. It has to (laughs).]

– May I change the subject a bit? yukihiro-san, do you remember what it was like the first time you played a live with L’Arc~en~Ciel?
yukihiro [That would be the time we called ourselves the Zombies. It was at… Rockets, in Osaka. I was nervous, of course. I think there was a mistake, and we had to stop, at some point. But it wasn’t me who made the mistake. I think we started playing something with a completely wrong structure (laughs). But I don’t remember it very well.]

– And L’Arc~en~Ciel’s big live at Tokyo Dome was just after that, right?
yukihiro [The Tokyo Dome live… By then I wasn’t nervous anymore. It felt like I’d moved beyond the need to be nervous. Playing in the Dome, it doesn’t feel real. Even in the middle of the actual event, it didn’t feel like I was in a live at all.]

– Of all the lives you’ve done with L’Arc~en~Ciel so far, which one has been the most memorable for you?
yukihiro [That would have to be the Big Side one, I guess. In Tokyo, for the outdoor tour.]

– 1999’s “GRAND CROSS TOUR”, the final concert. You were there two days, right?
yukihiro [Yeah. It simply feels like that was my best live.]

– From your point of view, what makes a live good, yukihiro-san?
yukihiro [Let me see… It’s like, the way I hit (the drums), there’s always a response. Then, when I’m done, it’s like… Yay! In my mind. On the other hand, when there’s something lacking, it’s really obviously lacking. I always reflect on things as soon as they end. Checking for mistakes, parts that should have gone differently. Places where I wasn’t really feeling it…. …Every time there’s something not right, I reflect on it right away. Anyway, that time, for “GRAND CROSS” in Tokyo, it was the conclusion of the tour, too, the very last day, so it really felt like an accomplishment, you know? The “Light my Fire!” (1998) tour was pretty long too, I guess. When it was over I thought “Ah~ I made it.”]

– Has anything been settled for this summer’s lives? If you have any ideas or plans, please share them.
yukihiro [Nothing yet… not particularly.]

– Have you started to think about the song list?
yukihiro [I haven’t gotten that far yet. I’m still remembering all the songs, working my way through.]

– So what will you be focusing on between now and the lives themselves?
yukihiro [I will try not to hurt myself, I guess. I get hurt a lot, just before a live (laughs). But you know, I’m looking forward to these lives, a lot. We haven’t even started rehearsing yet. I know I said I was drumming, but I’m just playing by myself at this point. All four of us together… we haven’t gone there yet. So first of all, I’m looking forward to that, to us getting together again. It’s been a really long time… I’m wondering how it’s going to go, and I’ve got a lot to look forward to from now on.]

Words – Itou Aki

Translated by Natalie Arnold