no, Uruha
*I hope those are the good ones, I had some problems with my computer -_-*
here they are:
1:
Even though a DVD of the band's first live performance at Yoyogi Gym will be released on the 6th of August, Uruha-san, have you already seen the image of the final product?
Well, it's something [[in the making]]
Ah, well of course there'll still be checks in the produce process, ne?
It seems that way. But for the time being, the image I see is the service image that I saw on the screens to the left and right of the stage at the live
When you see that image again, what do you think?
I don't think the whole thing affected me that much. Anyway, there were lots of instances where there are close-ups of our faces. But the atmosphere, of course it wasn't perfect, but it really felt that way
Normally, because you can't see yourself on stage [[from the audiences' POV]], do you feel strange when you see yourself objectively? [[like watching himself on a DVD]]
As expected, I do feel a bit strange. Especially for that service image, the flow of my movement doesn't seem to matter, and I wonder "even through everyone's movement, am I being portrayer properly?". For myself, nothing is useless and I'm always trying to express this. It's an unexpected feeling
During those times, do you get an impression from the other members' facial expressions when they're on stage?
Ah ... Well I see images taken my a camera during the tour, isn't it really different. Doing that and seeing the improvement in their facial expressions that can only be done during such a time [[i.e the live]], it's refreshing. Somehow, since last year's live a Yokohama Arena had been released, we all seem to have a more powerful feeling
Have you felt that you've personally grown because of these images?
Well it's not only just movement, it's also playing the sounds in time with the tune, right?
I mean for example, can you do things now that you couldn't do before?
There are things like that. I think I can now always express the sounds that the ideal me wanted to put out
That being true, does that mean the songs played on the second day ... are often predetermined? [[Becauase Uruha said he can now express the same sounds, the interviewer asked if the second show might sound the exact same as the first show, on Uruha's part]]
Yep (laughs). But after talking and meeting everyone, [[the feelings]] we put into it are different
Say if at the Yoyogi performance, the songs you selected to play were all mixed up and you had to choose new songs, do you have alternatives?
Even though we decide on the spur of the moment, there is. But it wouldn't be like that. After the release and tour of [STACKED RUBBISH], the great thing is that even if I messed up playing a song, it would somehow gradually be forgotten and no one would mention it. So by all means, I think we can play whatever we want. Because I never heard the other members say "Let's cut this part out"
Is this something you couldn't say a year ago?
Yeah, it is. I think from that point on we've matured
As one expects, its the result of a great journey (laughs)
Whenever someone says something like that I feel really happy. Moreover it makes me want to do another long tour (laughs). But after that live, we've started composing and producing again, so it seems like we won't be having another live for a while now. But that said, I've been composing songs at home for a long time now, somehow it's not tiresome (laughs)
Why am I feeling confused already?! (laughs)
For that period of production, to a composer and when working towards a new composition, what kind of new things and themes have you experienced?
This time, I think we've been going at it quite intensely. Even in our single, in those songs there's a ballad-ish kind of feel, and there seems like a familiar kind of flow, but it's not the case, we really pushed ourselves hard in these 3 songs. When we finally see the outcome of our work, it feels good. I'm in a such a mode right now. Usually Ruki's, Aoi's and my songs each become a song on the single. This is how we are for different types [[of music]]
So you're saying its kind of like using weapons in a strategic plan? That's pretty dangerous (laughs)
Yeah, it's kind of like that (laughs). Though our other songs were good too, this time it's a perfect attack
Regarding the tour in Yoyogi, I think a part of the Gazette's public image was repainted, and I think you were able to present a new appearance of yourselves that reflected who you really were. So, from the Gazette's already established image, can you more or less see this new image?
Even though there are still different perceptions of us, there maybe be people who like our new image, and there may be people who prefer out older image. Even though we were thrown into the public's eye with our single [HYENA], our image is different to our [HYENA] image. Though a new kind of taste was included, the climax of the song still has a good feeling. And everyone also seems to enjoy it. So I'm saying "it doesn't matter" (laughs). Because I only want to know how people respond to our music, I'm a little nervous
As long as you keep expressing, the pros and cons of the composition will always be there, ne?
Yeah, but it's kind of a different story. If we know what people think about our songs, we could work harder and work on the things people didn't like. But still, I want to know the evaluation of our live performance. More than words, more than anything [[Uruha lost me -__-]]
Regarding that evaluation, there seems to be a fearful side to the expectations as well
Ah definitely. Though I think it's too scary to face, I think it's more like the joy I get from knowing peoples' opinions would be greater than the fear of knowing it
Actually, you wouldn't be able to know what people think if you didn't have any confidence in your songs
That's true, but you also have to be flexible. If you're filled with confidence and you get a bad review, it'd be a massive dent in your ego (laughs). But you should still have at least a bit of confidence. Keeping both the good and bad feelings, you can transfer them to next time
Have you always thought the same since the beginning?
No, I've gradually began to think this way. Like during the beginning, I thought this world was a really nice place, after I met a few people I came to know of a group of scary people2 (laughs), and I saw the really terrible part of this world. And there are still people who think that way. but my perception has changed, I think it was some sort of self-defense mechanism [[to think the world was a terrible place]]. Whatever world you live in, it's no good to not be able to think flexibly about things [[I think he's trying to say, based on his own experiences that you shouldn't see the world in black and white]]
Without thinking about the guitar, you can see how the whole things is composed
So, through the new composition, are you making a new attempt to be seen as a guitarist?
Well up until now, even though I'm using a single coil pick-up3, I changed the humbuckers 4
And what was the reason for that?
Not only did Ruki ask me to change, I recently felt that the songs I've imagined have a different style to what we have been doing up until now. Even though we using a single coil, the multimeter's5 register output can be seen, that's the guitar's way of talking, and so changing the equipment can change the overall sound. So without even thinking about the guitar itself, you can see how the whole thing is composed
If the sound of the guitar's register comes out low, the band's sound tends to be lower as well, but still being different ne?
Yeah. If the guitar's sound is loud, the sounds that are combined with it tend to be overpowered. If the register is weak, then the loud parts are made of the rhythm's team, and the guitar will come out with a kind edgy feel to it. But if you steadily create sounds for each respective part, then overall the sounds would emit more power in this situation. If that isn't the case, you would have to do it case-by-case6
Well we've yet to see this kind of guitarist, right?
Yeah. I've yet to try, but it's likely that I'll have to do it at some point
Well incidentally, excluding music-related things, what have you been doing lately? (laughs)
Ahh, the other day I went to Shiipara7 with my nephew. A tiny penguin was being treated (laughs). After that there was a sardine show. The sardines were in large school in this large fish tank, and right near them there was a shark
The shark was probably around there so it could eat (laughs)
It's expected since sharks occasionally eat them, it seems like a sardine's worst fear comes many times a day. Even when I look at them I think "looks so yummy" (laughs). After that we bought DVDs and watched a movie
What was the most recent movie your saw?
It's a little old, but "The Bodyguard". I loved it every single time I've watched it, but I've also cried every time I watched it. How can Whitney Houston be so good at singing (and with that he begins to sing the theme song)
Hahaha. is it good to take time and relax to that kind of music and find a nice balance between old and new music?
That's what I think. When I'm always composing music, I get tired of it (laughs). If I overwork then it's impossible to make something good (laughs). If you're forcing yourself to produce a song, then the song will have a kind of rushed feeling in it. But if you have more time to compose a song, I feel that there is more dynamics inside me. Because I've spent some time on each individual sound. I've finally understood that
That's valuable experience there, ne?
Well, the next issue of Arena Special also features Uruha-san, and it's the first time you will be featured on the cover by yourself, right?
It seems like an unbelievable thing to say (laughs). It's at a location where I want to have a photoshoot done, so I really want to thank you. I wonder how much effort I can put it at that place, because this isn't something that happens often. From all the personal interviews up until now, I can finally show my drawings
I feel really hyped now (laughs). Wanting to see it wins over my feeling of the pressure
Yeah, there's a great feeling of excitement. But on a more serious note, there's also a feeling of wanting to have a good time. Rather than going to work, it'll be like going to a make-believe place (laughs)
What the heck?! (laughs)
I want to start appealing to the reader. Though I could just tell everyone about it, it's a pretty daring thing for me to do. They might ask "out of these images, which one is the most like you?"
Like "which one is the Uruha-show?" (laughs). You want something with a deeper meaning, ne?
Yeah, something like that. Although I'm aiming for such a thing, I don't know if it can be done ... well it depends on the photoshoot location (laughs)
In my head there are lots of "?" (laughs) [[the interviewer literally means lots of question marks]]
I can actually see all the "?" coming out of your head (laughs). It's like the more you don't understand, another one comes out. You'll have to slowly try and understand
Like a cuttlefish(laughs)
Yeah that's good. Like the base of a cuttlefish. Appearances are also made of cuttlefish [[i have absolutely NO idea!! Uruha lives in a world of his own]]
That comparison made me understand! I just had to tell you (laughs). Finally on August the 23rd, at the Fuji-Q Highlands / Connifer Forest you can enjoy "GAZEROCK'S FESTIVAL IN SUMMER 08 [BURST INTO A BLAZE]". Please tell everyone who's coming how prepared you are!
I can already feel the festival-like spirit and the scared looks on everyone's faces (laughs)
Ah Uruha-san, speaking of which, your feelings about the live are so pure10 (laughs)
Yeah, that's right. If you like, we can wear
sumo loincloths throughout the entire encore (laughs). Summer can be felt the best in those types of clothing. I want to enjoy the end of summer together
1 I've translated the word as aim, but they literally said attack
2 I still need clarification, but for some reason I remember Uruha saying something about once being chased by the yakuza
3 This thing that converts the vibration of the guitar strings to an electrical signal
4 Two coils that reduce noise interference / feedback
5 A device that can measure voltage, currents and resistence
6 Uruha's completely lost me and it doesn't help that I'm music illiterate
7 Hakkeijima Sea Paradise. It's an aquarium in Yokohama
8 I'm not entirely sure about this part, so please don't get your hopes up ^^;;
9 There's a study that says cuttlefish are the smartest invertebrates
10 I've translated it as pure, but the interviewer literally said "like a sumo's loincloth". I'm hoping that she was only referring to the purity (the entire sport is based on the idea of purity" of sumo wrestlers
aww it's so cute that he cries when he hears whitney houston xDDDD AND HE STARTED SINGING IT? XDD
2:
URUHA
In the tour final of Yokohama Arena last year, you were not feeling so well (laugh), but this time, you looked in very good condition.
Well, I was in top shape.(laugh) During the tour as a whole, I had been in good shape, and in the last 3 lives, I was in top shape, which surprised me.
In this tour, every time I saw you I could see you were getting better as a band and an individual.
I think my playing was getting better, and as for my feelings, I felt like my mind was getting ﾂ'clearer'.
What do you think made this change?
Perhaps it was a big thing for for me to be able to complete the album ﾂ（ﾂ『STACKED RUBBISHﾂ』ﾂ）to be a good shape. Then in [01] and [02], we didn't have enough potential, and we couldn't do lives as we wanted to do, but when [03] started after some interval, we changed your mindset totally. I think that we used to have a mental weakness for pressure, I think. We didn't have it that anymore, so we didn't lose our condition so much anymore, I think.
Certainly, the GazettE had grown up a lot by [03].
As we had time, we thought a lot between [02] and [03]. After that, [03] was like a revenge, and we could do more ideal lives doing the songs of the same album again and again in the tour, I think.
After that, and including [04], we could see clearly that the songs had become sharper.
The tour went for such a long time that I didn't want to show the same songs in the same way. As we are now professionals, we have to do things better than before. I felt challenged as a guitarist too, so it was a good growing time I think as well. What I want to do and my knowledge increased during this tour.
That's great.
Usually if you compare a CD and live concerts, the latter often seems not so good. I wanted to change that somehow. I thought about how to prevent that, got various advice, and did various things. Then we were able to go near to our ideal sound. I feel thankful for this tour as I can see that we learnt a lot from it now it is over.
You became so bright as a guitarist and an artist.
I think that I became stronger in mind and body, in that I am not beaten by pressure even after a long time. (laugh) And what really effected my strength was to stop smoking. That was kind of unexpected. I have not smoked for about one year now.
What was your prompt to stop?
I wanted to be healthy.(laugh) My condition was not so good, I had bad circulation, so I thought I couldn't get over everything if I stayed like that, then I stopped. And then my blood circulation got better immediately.
But around you, there are many people who smoke cigarettes, band members too. You must be very strong willed.
Yes, I think so. (smile). But that, for me is unexpected. Now I even hate the smell of cigarettes.
So moving on, the tour covered about two years, was there anything that you refused to give in to others, Uruha?
I think our sound. While the sounds change depending on the venue, I thought about how to improve it all the time. So I listened to our sound from the direct line, rather than what was heard in the venue, and played.
Actually, when you did in Ichikawa Bunkakaikan in [01], the balance wasnot as good as it could have been, I think. But I saw you in Yoyogi, your sound was much clearer.
That's right. I don't think that it is so much a question of venue, but I think that our sound did become clearer. You know the sound did not whirl etcﾂ…
Yes. In that venue, under the auditorium there is a big cavity that is usually a pool. And the shape is a big oval, so the sound kind of whirls when people play there. I have seen many lives there, but the sound of the GazettE this time was the best of all.
Yeah~, that was good.(laugh)
Do you feel like a great weight has been lifted from your shoulders after you finished 71 lives?
Yes, finally!.
What were you feeling on the stage of Yoyogi which was the 71st live, Uruha?
When I did it, I concentrated on playing. Until we finished the first encore, we just did our best to do our live as usual.
And after that, when you felt the emotion and the realization that that concert was the last?
I think that in ﾂ「ﾅ津最ｽﾂ債」(Koshi) andﾂ「窶督｢ﾂ青ｬ窶扼ﾂ」(Miseinen), I finally realized ﾂ"Ah, this is the final.ﾂ". I was moved at that moment. I remembered many things all at once such as ﾂ"That European tour was hard.ﾂ".(smile)
You have done a great job. But your next schedule has already been determined, right? It's a summerﾂ［GAZEROCK FESTIVAL IN SUMMER 08ﾂ［BURST INTO A BLAZEﾂ］ﾂ］.
Yes. As the GazettE, we brought that tour to an end in Yoyogi, and that was a relief but I don't think feel as though it is an end. I have many things left to work on, and I feel as though I am still progressing to the next place. In the rehearsal of Yoyogi, I told staff what I wanted to do next time we played there.(laugh)
So in what direction do you want to advance in from now on?
It's a little detailed but I want to work on my guitar sound. I want to improve the time lag between effects, and cross-fade, not just switch them. I have many things hat I want to do.
You are an enthusiast for the guitar, Uruha.(laugh)
But trying to do that in live concerts is very hard, you need lots of time and money. (laugh) I'll think about how to do it up until summer. I was told by staff that ﾂ"You can do what-ever you want.ﾂ" so I think that I will.
I look forward to it.
I think the next live will be a festival. Not something that will be loud and just finish, I want to take good advantage of the preparation process in the studio and think about things as a guitarist.
I heard that you'll have a little bit of time off from now on. What will you spend the time for?
They say ﾂ'time off', but we will meet soon to select songs soﾂ…(laugh)
So it's off with homeworkﾂ…(laugh)
Yes, that's right. But well, that's okay. We'll make many songs and do our best, as it connects to our future.
Maybe this tour has given you feed back, that can be used for new songs.
Yes, I think so. I think that there will be songs that we want and don't want. And new things that we want to do. I really want to move up to the next plane. I think a transformation this year would be good.
I hope that through the tour the GazettE has realized more of its yet unused potential.
This band has a lot of potential. I have been feeling it since we made this band. I think that we have always believed that we had potential, even more so than other bands that are more famous, and I think that has helped us to get where we are now. Our stance has always been to never be beaten by anyone. I think we still have to grow up(laugh), but I don't think that we will ever change...