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The breakup of X Japan, which has been as his life itself, and death
of hide, who has been his best friend. Yoshiki has gotten over the
greatest wall in his life and started walking on a new road toward the
future by releasing The Last Live Video. Yoshiki breaks the silence
and tell us all about X Japan, The Last Live Video, hide and Violet
UK!
The Last Live
K: I watched The Last Live Video. And I remember that you beat the
drum with a corset in your neck.
Y: Yes, I did.
K: Are you ok now?
Y: No, I'm not ok (laugh).
K: Oh, you are not ok? (laugh)
Y: It becomes chronic. I always feel pain even when I do nothing.
K: Then you haven't play drum yeat?
Y: I play drum for the recording of Violet UK. I don't play drum more
than 3 hours, so I'm ok. I can't play drum like I was in X now (laugh).
K: I watched the video and noticed that you made contact with hide so
closely.
Y: Yes, that is, in a word... how to explain... I told the staff to
put off the microphone if Toshi said something strange.
K: Really?
Y: Yes, I came to an agreement with hide that we change the program
according to the situation. So we exchanged glances and made a
confirmation like "It is ok?", "Ok".
K: Toshi said that Yoshiki named a band X at first.
Y: We made a band when we were 15 years old. We participated some
contest and at that time we thought about a band's name. "What do we
name this band?", "We don't know... then let's name it X."
K: It was more than 20 years ago. I guess it was a tough decision to
breakup X which you spent with more than half of your life.
Y: Yes, but we planned to re-start X. It was April 1997 that Toshi
said he wanted to leave X. I was in LA for the recording. Other
members except Pata were also in LA. When Toshi came to the recording
of his vocal part, he said he wanted to leave X. In that moment, I
said "Ok".
K: A prompt reply?
Y: Yes, I answered promptly. We have been known each other for a long
time, so I understood there was no possibility left for further
discussion. But it was not the problem between only two of us, so I
called hide and Heath to come for the discussion soon.
K: Then you decided to disband X at that meeting?
Y: No, we decided to continue X for the time being. I had been working
for the vocal editing at that time. That means I should listen the
voice of the member who had left already. After a few months, I
conldn't endure those situation any more, then I called hide and told
him that it was the limits of my ability.
K: I'm sure you were exhausted.
Y: But we were still looking for a new vocalist. We had a plan to re-start
X in 2000, so we had better to use the word "pause of activity"
instead of "breakup".
K: But you chose the word "breakup" as a result.
Y: The vocalist would be changed, then we thought it meant breakup.
hide and I had still a conversation like --"That vocalist is good, do
you think so?" or "Let's pick out him from OOO".
K: You had a definite plan at that time. So didn't you have a plan to
do the last concert?
Y: No, I absolutely didn't want to do the last concert. And I never
wanted to play with Toshi on the same stage... in another word, I
thought I couldn't play with him. I told hide that we couldn't do the
last concert. Then hide said, "We should do", "But it is not a real
breakup", "It sure is not... but...", " We should draw the line", then
I said "Let's play our songs only on the instrument without a vocalist.
We would ask fans to sing songs instead of Toshi."
K: You really denied to play with Toshi.
Y: Yes. But I reconsidered and then called Toshi to ask him to do the
last concert with us. Then we had a press conference of our breakup on
September 1997.
K: That was held by four members. Toshi didn't come.
Y: No, he didn't. We had a trouble about releasing The Last Song
before the press conference. At last we decided to release it.
K: I was surprised that it was released.
Y: I thought it was the last song for Toshi and I, not the last song
for X. Therefore, I dared to make it in a conversation style... I
speak and Toshi sings. But I raged when I heard the comment of Toshi's
office after the press conference.
K: That is "I (Toshi) wasn't informed about the press conference
before", isn't it?
Y: Yes, He had already left X. Then I thought he should not say so.
Then I told hide "I won't be able to play with Toshi on the same stage".
For example, I hired a producer in Japan and I sent the score and
lyric to him with my advice. Then he taped Toshi's vocal, and sent it
to me. I listened it and sent it back with my advice like "Sing again
this part". I made a recording of The Last Song under such situation.
I never made a contact with Toshi directly.
K: Dear me!
Y: So that I hadn't talked to Toshi until the very day of The Last
Live.
K: Until you were in Tokyo Dome?
Y: Yes, but I thought we couldn't do a good concert in such a
condition, so I went to his dressing room and said, "We should do a
good concert today". That was just before the rehearsal.
K: That means you didn't have a rehearsal with all members.
Y: I practiced in the rehearsal studio alone, and other members
practiced with the tape of my drumming.
K: Even if you didn't practiced together, you could do such a great
concert. I realize X is great.
Y: hide said, "Let's have a rehearsal together, please, for God's sake"
(laugh).
K: We have an image that X's live is well planned. But actually we saw
lots of scene in The Last Live that was happened only by force of
circumstances.
Y: Basically I think we should do anything we want or we hit upon in
the concert. I haven't decided what I play for piano solo just before
I sit in front of the piano.
K: Really?
Y: I haven't decided what song I would play, I haven't even decided
whether I play piano solo or not. I feel good, then I play piano solo.
I don't feel to play piano solo today, so I don't play.
K: I can't believe it. But I remember that hide said a same thing as
you do. "X was just a rock band till its end. So I wanted to do the
last concert like a thunder".
Y: That's right. I don't like the things going on as calculated,
though I calculated everything.
K: Indeed! (laugh).
Y: That's why I trouble other people (laugh). For example, I broke
hide's effector when we play Orgasm.
K: That's annoyance.
Y: hide got mad and he tried to throw down my cymbals (laugh). We
played a prank like those among the members.
K: Therefore both you and Toshi finally understood at The Last Live.
Y: Yes, I think so. I felt refreshed after the Last Live. I thought "At
last I can go forward".
K: But you take 4 years to release The Last Live Video. Was it
impossible for you to watch the video?
K: If hide didn't die, I could watch the video. I was completely
ruined by hide's death.
K: ...
Y: Then I went back to LA and made a song for hide.
K: Dedicate to hide?
Y: Yes. It is called "Without You". It's like "Endless Rain", "Say
Anything", "Forever Love". I was really depressed after I made that
song. I couldn't have made the song for myself after that. I tend to
think about X or about myself or hide when I make my own song. Then I
prefer the produce work for other artists to the work for myself. I
could think only other artists when I produced them.
K: I see.
Y: Then nearly 2 years had passed, I got an offer to made a song for
the Emperor for the 10th anniversary. I heard everyone's cheer when I
was on the stage and it made me deeply moved.
K: So, it was a beginning or your new step.
Y: Yes. And, in addition, I had been receiving a lot of fan letters
asking, "When will you come back?". Then I started to think I would do
something for myself again.
K: Then did you start editing The Last Live Video soon?
Y: No, I started from last January, so I needed one more year to make
a resolution to do that.
K: How did you feel when you watched the video for the first time?
Y: I went into the studio taking 2 boxes of tissue papers with me (laugh).
K: You knew you would cry.
Y: Then I said, "Hey, come on!" (laugh). But I burst into tears when I
just saw the beginning of "Amethyst". I watched only the first 5
minutes and I couldn't continue watching. Then I went back to my
office and stayed for a few hours and said, "No, I can't watch it!".
Those situation continued for 3 days, then I could watch all through
the video on forth day.
K: How did your mind change in these three days?
Y: I thought I should get over it. If I can't get over it, I won't be
able to talk about X for all my life. I can't talk about X --that
means I can't talk about my life.
K: Certainly.
Y: I had been shedding tears during the editing.
K: When did you finish editing?
Y: On March... let me think... maybe 3rd.
K: Did you shed tears till the very last day?
Y: Exactly 100%. I watched it again after the handshaking event, for
it was the release day of The Last Live Video. I cried again at that
time. Enough of my tears.
K: Is it because you remember hide?
Y: The most painful matter is that hide no longer exists.
K: hide said, "X is Yoshiki to me". hide was very important person for
you, too.
Y: X was the band such as... I said it was white, then it became white.
I said it was black, then it became black.
K: hide said in that meaning that X was Yoshiki for hide.
Y: hide always supported me thoroughly. hide said, "If Yoshiki makes a
decision, it is ok for me". I tend to rush into everything. I always
asked hide "What do you think about it?", and get his advice.
K: Really?
Y: I also asked hide about my own work. For example, I asked him, "I
am going to produce Shoko Kitano. What do you think about it?".
K: You talked such a thing to hide.
Y: Yes, I did. "I am writing a song for Hideki Saijo. How is it?", "This
type of song is good". "I'm going to work for the tribute album of
KISS. What do you think about that?", "I think Black Diamond is good!"
--things like those. I talked to hide about everthing... But hide was
gone... that means I have no one to consult with now.
K: Yes...
Y: I used to let hide listen Violet UK songs. "How do you think about
those songs?", "Wow! You have been making songs like these!". I have
been working on Violet UK since then and songs have been changing as
my concept of Violet UK have been changing. I really want hide to
listen Violet UK songs and ask him, "How do you think?".
K: To begin with, how did you meet hide for the first time?
Y: I saw the band "Saber Tiger" playing at Kagurazaka Explosion. I
thought hide was really cool. I attended the Saber Tiger's party and
said to hide, "Join X!"
K: You should not say so at the Saber Tiger's party (laugh).
Y: hide also said, "Yoshiki, it is the Saber Tiger's party" (laugh).
Then I said, "I know. But join X!" hide said, "I can't do that right
now". I said, "I'm sure you will join us".
K: Is that so?
Y: I got phone call from hide when Saber Tiger broke up. He said, "I
think I'm going to quit a band".
K: Did he say such a thing?
Y: Yes, he thought he would be a hair dresser. I said, "It's ok for
you to quit a band".
K: But you wanted hide to join X (laugh).
Y: hide said, "I have an offer from a few bands to play with them.
What do you think about?", I said, "What do you want to do?". Then he
answered, "I want to quit a band", "Then it's ok to quit".
K: What did hide do after you told him like that?
Y: "I see", he said.
K: That's all?
Y: Yes. But a few days after, I got phone call from him again and he
asked, "May I go to see your rehearsal?". He came and watch our
rehearsal alone. We went to drink liquor after the rehearsal. Then he
said, "May I join X?".
K: Hmm...
Y: Taiji joined X and then left X once. Taiji had left X because X was
a band of punk rather than hard rock. Why did he come back to X? Let
me think... yeah, I remember. He came to my house and said, "I don't
have a place to stay, so let me stay with you for a while". Then we
lived together for a while. In the meantime, he wanted to do something
with me. hide also said, "I can do something with Yoshiki". So... I
think it is not the reason why hide and Taiji join X that they have
the same taste of music as mine (laugh).
K: They thought they could do something interesting and exciting with
Yoshiki.
Y: That's right. hide was a leader of a band and Pata was also a
leader of "Judy".
K: How did Pata join X?
Y: I once played drum in Judy as a supporter. Pata asked me to join
Judy. I said, "No, I can't. How about you join X?". "No, I can't. I'm
a leader of Judy". But I found out he joined X later (laugh). It was
so hard to be a leader of X because all other members were a leader
once. In that situation, hide was always picking up what I had broken...
X was like that.
K: You broke what?
Y: For example, when we made a debut, X was criticized by the critics,
so I had a quarrel with them. Then hide said, "Yoshiki, don't do that.
You'd better to talk to them properly". He always gave me such
suggestions.
K: I see.
Y; I rush intently, and hide supported me. So I really want hide to
listen Violet UK.
K: Even though you finished editing The Last Live Video, you haven't
recover from hide's death?
Y: I watched video so many times, and suffered so deeply, and
considered so many things. But still I shed tears. I think I won't
recover from his death forever.
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