#I don't even have the magazine issue to check so y e ah

[twobellsilence]

hide vs J - magazine interview

From "UV" vol.16 - February 1997. Translated by Ami (LUNATIC ASYLUM, last updated  01/13/2002)

TL Note:  J calls hide "hide-nii", which means "(older) brother hide"! Also on this day of the interview, apparently J turned up with his dog "Sid", while hide turned up with his Tamagocchi....

J: When did I first meet you? hide: When you guys were still called "LUNACY" and were playing in Rokumei-kan. But when I went, the hall was already absolutely full. - That's when you became their fan, right? h: Yep. - What did you like about them? h: The fact that the hall was full of people *LOL*. J: *LOL* - What was your first impression? J: It hasn't changed. h: No, no. Coz I met them when they were always 'fully-armed' *LOL*. They had this manual book or something they followed for when they were on-stage and off-stage *LOL*. Like, even when they weren't on stage, they had to wear this particular hat, & that particular hairstyle, etc. *LOL* They looked exactly the same off-stage as on-stage though. *LOL* J: Yeah, that's true *LOL*. h: Even SUGIZO looked exactly the same usually as when he was on-stage. He really could've gone on stage like that! *LOL* Well, one can say he was more professional back then compared to now, in that he lived up to the fans' expectations *LOL*. - What did you guys talk about then? J: Well, it was our first-meeting, so we didn't really talk about much... But because there weren't many people around us in Kanagawa, where all our members are from, who held strongly to their 'professionalism', I felt really comfortable talking to hide-nii. - It's a famous story that the guys with the most guts in Kanagawa came together to form LUNA SEA. J: Yeah, so I was relieved when I first met hide-nii because I was assured that what we were doing was right. h: (starts laughing) - What's wrong? h: The guy with the most guts in Machida, is INORAN!!! *LOL* (Machida = the town where LUNA SEA started) - *LOL* J: Yeah, that's true. He doesn't really look it, but he's got the most guts! *LOL* He's like the blue bit of a flame, you know? The hottest bit. h: Hey, that was quite good! *LOL* - Did you guys get on well right away? h: At first, I just went to their gig every now and then, & maybe appear at an after-show party, or something like that. We started to get on probably around the time MASS started. - 'MASS' being hide, J, & INORAN's unit, right? You did one track of "DANCE 2 NOISE" called "FROZEN BUG". When was that? J: It was around the time we made our debut. A little before that, we started talking about music, and we found out that we liked the same kinds of music. h: I think that was a bit before "Two Unlimited" was out. We liked 'orchestra-hit', dance-type music. (I might be translating in a really wrong way.... sorry for my lack of knowledge!!) We drunk so much, didn't we? J: Yeah, that was abnormal!! That June was fatal!! *LOL* h: Even if I had a photo-shoot or something, I still ended up in the park the next morning with J *LOL*. J: I remember now! That was a nightmare!! *LOL* - Why were you guys in a park?! *LOL* J: Because all the bars closed, and we had nowhere to go! So we just bought beer and drunk in the park *LOL*. And then while we were drinking, all these old people would come, and then while we're watching with wonder, they'd all start exercising together! *LOL* h: And we used to play basketball beside them *LOL*. We used to play around so much together. We used to REALLY play around *LOL*. J: We were literally 'playing' as well. We used to play 'tag' *LOL*. h: But we'd all still be 'fully-armed' *LOL*. With extensions in our hair and everything *LOL* - That picture is way too weird to imagine *LOL* MASS worked separately, in Los Angeles and Tokyo, right? h: Yeah. Because I went to LA before deciding on anything. J: Our demo tape made about 2 return-trips between Tokyo and LA. When hide first sent us the tape, the song was already in some sort of shape. But then INORAN said "Do you think hide'll get angry if we totally broke this song apart?". So I answered "No, no, doesn't matter! Let's do it" *LOL* And when we did, he really liked it. h: That's why I sang! For the first time in my life! *LOL* If J didn't break the song apart, I wouldn't have sang. So thanx to J, I'm now able to sing in front of people! J: *LOL* - What do you two talk about now? J: We drink as we talk, so we don't talk about much *LOL* h: I'm always drunk, so I don't even remember *LOL* J: But when we first met, I remember hide saying 'ROSIER' was really good. Because LUNA SEA don't have many people (older/younger musician 'brothers') around them who'd say things like that, I remember I got really happy. h: LUNA SEA might be one of the few bands who didn't get caught up in all the 'vertical relationships' of the visual-band world. J: Yea, maybe. Or we can also say that it's coz we purposely displaced ourselves from all that *LOL* h: It's probably coz you were all very 'flat'. You weren't up yourselves, nor were you too modest about yourselves. From an 'older brother''s view, you need some sort of passion from your younger ones, but then if that gets too much, you get really annoyed at them. If you have any of these, you probably end up getting caught up in the vertical relationship. But I think J has this firm belief that "I am only what I am". That's why he's so 'flat'. That's why I thought about doing MASS with him. J: I'm really flattered that he'd say that. Because for me, hide-nii is one of the few musicians that I can really really respect. He's one of the few people who have what I don't have, so I'm like a servant dog to people like him... *LOL* h: I just got goose bumps all over me! *LOL* - I can see that you think of hide like he's your older brother from the way you call him; "hide-nii". J: Yep. I might sound arrogant, but to me, just the fact that this guy is alive is a wonderful thing. h: Shit! Goose bumps part II!!! *LOL* J: That's why I can really feel like I have to work hard. This is the first time I tell hide-nii this, but I sometimes feel like I run into a wall, right? On days like that, I always think of ringing up hide-nii. But then when I pick up the phone, I think of his face, right? And then I think "No, I've gotta do this. I've gotta solve this on my own." I dunno how many times I put the phone down... *LOL* h: You sound like some girl who's in love with me! *LOL* J: *LOL* - What do you think of hide's solo activities? J: I think it's cool. It's really 'hide-world'. It's like something out of a child's toy box. I like the way he's not just showing his living-room, but his closet as well. h: I love the way he says things this way. The way he talks like "although it's someone else's garden". There are some people who say "That bit was good, but that bit wasn't". I just love the way he's always got an introduction saying "though it's someone else's garden anyway...". It's a good stance. - hide, you say things that way as well. Not as a "producer" but as a "receiver". J: But when I went to see his gig at Yoyogi, he didn't play the song I wanted to hear. h: What was it? J: 'DAMAGE'. h: Yeah, I did it on the 2nd day, but you only came on the 1st day. J often comes to our gigs, you see. You know in this world, even though you say things like "Hey, you can come & visit us anytime!", it rarely happens coz many people just get intimidated, right? But J just pops in anytime. That's why our members are always saying "J's so cute!" J: Well, I only go just to act as a 'stopper' for hide-nii & KIYOSHI! *LOL* - Yeah, I heard you guys (hide&KIYOSHI) always used to fight every time you got drunk! h: It's really weird, coz the two who were always fighting are now playing together! *LOL* J: I can't remember how many times I had to stop them...*LOL* - So you were the arbitrator then *LOL* J: Yeah, whenever us three sat together, I was always stuck in the middle *LOL* h: Both KIYOSHI & I knew that J'd stop us if we got out of hand *LOL* J: *LOL* - I really think you guys are similar. J: We have the same blood type; AB. (just a note from ami... I'm AB too!!!! (^^)) h: No way! *LOL* We're not even saying one piece of truth! *LOL* All these words are purely for promotion! *LOL* - "No way"?! *LOL* Don't you think you guys are similar in a way? h: Well, one characteristic of an 'AB' is that they think they're the "one & only" deep down inside *LOL* So we don't like to think that we're similar to anybody! *LOL* J: Yeah, that's true actually. Oh, but that bit's similar then! *LOL* - Good thing you two have quite a 'tidy' relationship to each other. h: Yeah, inside me, it's quite untidy, but I like to look good to the outside, so even though my 'house' is untidy, my 'garden' is clean & tidy. J: uh-huh. - Do you feel like that as well? J: Yeah, I do. I put effort into being like that. That's why I try to listen and see a lot of things to take in. h: The good thing is, it's not just effort that we're putting in. If you like what you're doing, it doesn't feel like you're putting in 'effort' does it? Like when you like a girl, and you're trying to get her. It's not hard-work; it's fun! I think if we have a job like this, we should never forget that. J knows how to balance well between 'fun' and 'work'. He knows that having fun is the primary factor, but he always has something in common with someone else's 'garden'; something he can share with the fans. - The gigs that you two play in are exactly so, aren't they? The primary thing is to have fun yourselves, to dig deep inside you to the core, but then on the other hand, that core has a sort of 'pop'ness that everybody else can enjoy. I think that's why so many people support you two. h: Yeah. Both J and I aren't types of people who make something without showing anyone, and then going on to break it apart also without showing anyone. We tend to break it when everyone's watching *LOL* J: Yeah, that's true *LOL* - By the way, J, you're going to play at the Shinjuku Liquid Room on Mar 2 with the vocal and the guitar of Anarchy, Shigeru Nakano & Shinichi Fujinuma, DJ KRUSH, and also Jun Sawada, a modern art writer (?), in a band called "GaZa". Is this the first of your solo activity series? J: Um, it's a bit different, coz I wasn't really planning on this or anything, so it's not really my solo. - So how did this band form? J: I was having a drink with KRUSH, and he said "I'm bringing my turn table to a radio program, so why don't you bring your bass, and we can play together!" Shigeru and Jun were there as well, so we decided to play together. And when we did, it was quite fun, so we decided to have a gig as well. h: Seems fun! J: But we're drum-less! I was always used to being one part of the rhythm team, so I dunno how this is gonna turn out. But we've got amazing members, so I know it's gonna turn out brilliantly. - According to what I've heard, apparently Jun Sawada is playing "junk"? What does this mean? J: Well basically, he's just gonna throw or drum or do all sorts of things with junk. It's like "Einsturzende Neubauten" on his own *LOL* h: *LOL* J: In LUNA SEA, I'm always longing for perfection. So it's really new and exciting for me to have this border less, clean-white canvas, with everybody pouring on different colours at the same time. h: Oh, I really wanna hear this and see this! I mean, you really don't know what's gonna happen *LOL* - hide, you're gonna be in Los Angeles at that time, but are you gonna come back? h: Yeah, I really wanna see this. - If it was hide, you'll be allowed to join in on the day, won't you?! J: Definitely. h: What?! How is anyone meant to join in among these members?! *LOL* - Is the day hide & J stand on one stage again quite far away? h: I dunno. MASS hasn't split up yet or anything. J: I wanna do it again!