~ARENA37c Band Long Interview~

Translation: seastarsoup | Scans: u/mugongeki and u/Astraplain

These interviews were featured in vol 107 of ARENA37c and Toshi's solo interview was printed in vol 109 two months later

YOSHIKI

“I'm proud of X for making this album”

Is the album finally done?
It's true, finally. The word "finally" feels like such a serious thing to say.

I've heard that you collapsed as soon as you left the country.
Again with that? I don't want to talk about that anymore. It makes me depressed. Everyone asks about that first, even though the interviews are about the album. I understand it is their job to ask that, but it's a touchy subject for me. So, I'm not going to talk about it… I'm stepping my game up, no? Refusing to talk about it. It's not that I don't want to talk because it's for an interview. I believe I still wouldn't want to even if it had happened two, three years ago. So don't think I'm being all high and mighty just because [the band's] more popular now (laughs). It is true that I start to cry during interviews when I have to talk about me. I'm a bit of a crybaby, and I hate crying in front of others.

So I guess I'll have to make you cry anyway (laughs).
Okay, I get it. Go ahead and ask away (laughs).

For starters, I think the fans are most worried and eager to know about your medical condition.
It worsened after years of accumulation. Right now, I had been tricking the problem with massages and acupuncture, but seems like it finally got to a point where it just exploded. People normally have curved neck bones, but in my case, mine are straight. The doctor said: "Well, we're not dealing with normal human bones here," and I said: "Huh, so am I an alien?". After watching a video of me playing live, the doctor said the movements deformed my bones, and that I should never move like that. But for me, giving up the drums would be the same as death, so I said no… There's still nothing definitive yet, and it troubles me to think what could happen to our concerts, but for now, I'm just glad we're done recording. When I collapsed, I thought: "Whatever happens, at the very least, I have to finish recording," As for the rest, I have no idea what’s going to happen (laughs)... See? I feel terrible after talking about this.

Did the whole band participate in the songwriting process for this new album?
We wanted to do something along those lines since the beginning. Taiji and hide wrote lots of great songs, I thought that was fantastic. They're incredible. I respect them. I think it's the biggest difference from the previous album, Blue Blood.

Were there instructions for how you should play the drums on these songs not written by you?
Excluding my own songs, I did create many different drum patterns. I had them listen and ask which variation was the best, pick one, and then discuss the finer details. "Silent Jealousy" etc, were done to my heart's content. They are truly Yoshiki songs. The rest were created in a more balanced manner (laughs).

Looking at [the album] as a whole, do you feel like those Yoshiki songs are far and few between?
That's another attempt to get me, isn't it? To be honest, some songs had to be cut due to time constraints. "Art of Life" (A 30-minute suite composed by Yoshiki) was supposed to be included, I intended that to be my signature move: "take it or leave it". Still, I think it's a great album. They may have not been included in this album, but there are songs that are almost finished, and I feel like I really want to have them released soon.

Why did you include "Stab Me In the Back", if all the other songs are new material?
It's because I've been wanting to record it properly for a long time. I really wanted a fast song on the album, and there was another fast song that didn't make it. I wanted to destroy the idea that non-hard rock fans have of X, since our hit songs after the band's debut have all been rather pop. I wanted to emphasize that side of the band. When someone who's only familiar with "Endless Rain" listens to it, they'll definitely get a shock. I wanted to add some jagged edges to a rounded surface.

And it's incredibly fast. Is the album version faster than the version that's played live?
The live version has waves of speed, so it may be even faster during certain moments (laughs). It's stupid of me to say I wanted to push my limits while suffering from a physical condition, but I wanted to push my limits as a drummer, indeed. Maybe I won't be able to replicate that speed playing it live. I was as nervous as the song is fast while recording. It's not just about speed, though. [X] has always had fast songs, and I will continue to include them in subsequent albums.

Did you have a blueprint for what you wanted to do with this album?
Not really. Just that I wanted everyone to write their songs. I didn't have the idea to make a concept album based on the word "Jealousy". I didn't have much in my mind other than wanting to make an album that had good songs with good arrangements and that sounded good live. It was when I was composing the very last song, "Es Dur no Piano Sen" that I thought about how imaginatively expansive the album was compared to the others before. At first, I did talk to the band about whether we could make an album that was superior to Blue Blood, but that ended up not mattering too much. Well, I do think it turned out to be a great album. I don't like that the fans had to wait so long for it, but on the other hand, the fact that they were willing to wait was very encouraging. I am very proud of X for making this album.

HIDE

“We’ve made an album where we’ve become more of a band”

Why was LA chosen as a recording location?
First and foremost, we wanted to isolate ourselves. We didn't want anything getting in the way so we could concentrate on recording. As long as there wasn't anything other than music to think about, any place would have worked for me. It could have been Brazil or Ethiopia, anywhere with a good studio (laughs). But now that it's over, I do think LA was a good choice.

Why?
The first time we went to LA, about a week after Blue Blood came out, I didn't think much of it. There was nothing inspiring for me, but I guess my view has changed after spending half a year there. You can get used to living anywhere. And it felt great to just be. Maybe it was because I could go anywhere with messy hair, walk around wearing shorts. I guess it would have also been the same in New York (laughs).

I have a feeling it would be the same anywhere in the world, except Japan.
As for the sound, New York is very humid, so it's not too different from Japan. LA is dry, so you get a much clearer sound. I probably enjoyed [LA] for those silly, practical details.

Is there really a difference in sound quality in LA?
I thought there was a difference. Maybe it’s because the voltage levels are different. All of our instruments are made out of wood, and when the air is dry, the wood constricts. I don't know, but I think it definitely has something to do with the humidity. I also had the feeling I was able to isolate all the different sounds when listening to CDs.

Do you think you've grown as a musician after recording this album?
Taiji has always placed a lot of importance on the band being a group, and I think we've become more like that. Besides working on the new album, we all put our collective efforts into writing the songs, we all worked in collaboration. Up until now, there's a lot that Yoshiki deserves credit for, and that's also one of the reasons why he has to do more work too.

You wrote three songs?
Yeah. "Miscast" and "Joker" are lighthearted rock and roll. I wanted to make something similar to Cheap Trick, that bright and clear American rock."Love Replica" is a multitrack recorded song mainly inspired in France. The lyrics are based on the concept of [the album] Jealousy, about a man who is jealous of his mirror image. For the record, the man is not me (laughs).

Do you think the vibe when recording in LA is different from when recording in Japan?
The first thing I felt, is that in the end, everything gets caught up in the X style of doing things. Very chaotic (laughs). Americans are the kind of people who will work as long as the sun is up, and not during the night. Or rather, they're not used to staying up working until morning (laughs). They said it's "crazy!" for them to work constantly from early evening until noon of the next day. At first, Sundays were also strictly off the table, but in the end there was no way around it. They reluctantly let us use this and that studio, people were running around, it was a mess. It turned into an ordinary X recording session (laughs).

If I remember correctly, weren't there plans to film some promotional videos in LA?
We didn't have enough time for that. Maybe if things had flowed better, but we weren't in the condition to even think about filming. Our staff members worked hard so we didn't have to think about anything other than recording. Because we're all incompetent, really. We're unable to do more than one thing at a time. Zero efficiency.

How did the other band members do in LA?
Well, Pata was the same as always. It’s incredible. You're in LA, in the US. Still, he was just like he always is. I didn't hear Pata speak a single word of English (laughs). Whenever he'd invite me out somewhere, we'd only go to either a sushi place or an izakaya. Like, you don't have to get in a swimming pool every time you're around a swimming pool... That reminds me, I saw Pata get in a jacuzzi once. He was all smiles, all like: "This is heaven". Apart from only one occasion, Pata did everything just as if he was in Japan. Taiji was in his element. I think he had a good time. It was all over his face. Not a cloudy moment, I could say. Toshi... I don't know. Like always, I never know what he's up to. But the latter half of the trip for him was practically all spent between the studio and where he was staying, so I don't think it was easy for him. I even felt sorry for him. He was recording vocals until the very end, singing even through a nosebleed episode. Yoshiki even cried and told him he didn't have to sing anymore. Even though his vocal cords were wrecked from overuse, he still wanted to sing. And towards the end there was a time when he slept only 30 minutes in the space of three days. I couldn't help in any way when he was recording, other than to offer encouragement. However, I didn't want to put more pressure on him by saying things like, "Do your best!", so I made sure to keep that in mind. I wouldn't say any of us had it worse, but I think the recording of this album was very hard on Toshi. And I want to say he did an amazing job. But I have no idea what he did in his free time. He's always been a mysterious character outside the band. Yoshiki, since he collapsed, has been trying to do as much as he can, and he's always studying English. I haven't seen him much. Yoshiki has been mastering conversational English from his experiences living amongst the American people. His evolution has been incredible. Exactly what you'd expect of Yoshiki.

PATA

“Nothing ever goes according to plan with X”

You've had a gap of free time when Yoshiki collapsed, just after you went abroad. What did you do during that time?
There was a gap indeed, but it's not like there was nothing to do. We had rehearsals, without Yoshiki, at the pace of 3 to 4 times a week. We all made songs for this album, so there are many songs that aren't Yoshiki's. So we worked on their arrangements and practiced them. There was a lot to do.

I heard it was a trip boring enough to play oicho-kabu (laughs).
Well, there was time to play oicho-kabu. We did have idle time too.

Yoshiki was in pretty bad shape. Were you worried?
Of course I was worried. But there was nothing we could do. Nothing other than pray (laughs). Meanwhile, we did what each of us could, while keeping a positive attitude. That eventually resulted in the new album, and we all lived happily ever after. Clap clap.

How was the latter-half of the album recording process, since you were facing a tight deadline?
Seems like it was like that, yes. But I just played guitar on the days I was told to play guitar, so it wasn't that hard for me. When I couldn't, I would just ask: "Can we go a little slower?" But for everyone else, it was tough. There was a lot of sleep deprivation.

Was it like that for Blue Blood too?
Yes. It feels like it's [an unspoken] rule. Because it's us. No matter how much time we get, it's never enough. It's always the same, no matter where we are (laughs). It has always been like this. Normally, you'd have things scheduled from this month to that month, then get some time off, and then you'd go back to work. But things never go according to plan. That's how it is [for us]. We never get our time off as planned. Our free time always comes as a surprise (laughs). So I'd say this album recording went as expected.

You wrote the song "White Wind From Mr.Martin ～Pata's Nap～" for this album?
I wrote it around late April. That was one of the songs that were finished last. It all started because I bought a guitar. I bought a new acoustic guitar in mid-April, and played around with it at home. Then one day, I was sitting next to Taiji at the studio and started playing this. Taiji said he'd like it to be in the album. He thought it'd be a good idea to have an instrumental piece before "Voiceless Screaming", so I polished it a bit more. But the recording process was already panicking all of us, so I was in doubt whether this song should really be included, but it made the album somehow.

Who's the Mr. Martin from the title?
That's because the guitar I bought is a Martin guitar, I took the name from it. At first it was going to just be a subtitle, but Yoshiki said that having the song titled only "Pata's Nap" would make people think it was a joke, so he suggested titling it "Blue Wind". Influenced by Jeff Beck, I felt the color white suited the music more, and that's how the title came about.

Have you ever thought about writing a non-instrumental song?
I've had the desire to, but halfway through writing one, it didn't "click" and I gave up. I don't think it's a good sign when something does not "click", so I figured there was no use in continuing.

What difficulties did you experience while recording this album?
None. I hate difficult things. I just went to the studio and played guitar like always. I'm not the kind of person to think about what was difficult about that. So, nothing.

From your point of view, how did the other band members do?
Let's see... I didn't see them very much, basically. I barely know what I'm doing myself, much less what's going on with other people (laughs). I do know that Taiji and hide were very devoted to songwriting, and that Toshi had a hard time recording the vocals.

You weren't in the studio while they recorded?
Not many times. Maybe I would have seen more if I could go to the studio by myself by taking a train, but I had to ask someone to drive me to the studio whenever I needed to go there. The drive from my apartment to the studio took around 30 minutes, and there wasn't always someone available to ask to drive me there when it was busy.

Why was LA chosen as the recording location?
Simply because we wanted to see what it was like to record abroad. I had no location preferences, but agreed that LA would be nice. While that's true of it as a place to record, I would never want to live there. We wanted a place where there wouldn't be as many odd tasks as we'd have in Tokyo, but in the end, we had none of that peace (laughs).

Were you surprised to know about the unexpected album release date of July 1?
Not really. It would have been released eventually. It seems like many people around us were surprised and impatient. At times, I wondered if it would really come out, and I hoped it would. I thought about all the hard work involved in it. If it were a half-assed album, it would be out immediately, but it's not, so whatever people said, I was prepared to be honest.

Do you have a message for our readers?
Buy it.

That's all? (laughs)
Buy it, listen to it, look at it. It's called Jealousy, thanks.

TAIJI

“I’ve asked myself, ‘Was I really a bassist?’”

Looking back on the recording process, what was it like?
On a personal level, my part went smoothly. But as a whole, a lot of it was... hard.

There are two of your songs on the album, were these songs made before you travelled abroad?
My songs were mostly already finished before the trip. There were only small details left to discuss, like the arrangement of the solo's backing, but most of it was complete.

Is it you playing the guitar on "Voiceless Screaming"?
Yeah. From beginning to end, it's all me. At first I had no intention to play it, but there was plenty of time to get it done after we arrived, during Yoshiki's recovery. I was recording by myself with a multitrack recorder, so why not also play on my own song? I also thought I could get the right "feeling" if I did it myself. Our recording director thought the same, so I ended up playing it myself.

What kind of guitar do you play?
A twelve string acoustic and a classical guitar.

What was the bass recording process like?
Since going to LA, I completely overhauled my setup. I had the feeling that my amps and other bass equipment weren't working. Once I arrived [in LA], I bought this and that and tried everything new.

How about the bass lines?
It's not like my old... cocky style of playing. I used to think going from chord to chord directly was boring. That's the first thing I worked on changing, and started wanting the rhythm section to have a more straightforward sound. I was already changing that slowly before going to LA. I believe that was what caused me to think the set I had in Japan wasn't cutting it.

What kickstarted your change in style?
Probably the fact that I started to love the 70s sound. I used to like a high-energy, trebly sound, but lately I prefer the nuances you get with a raw sound. There's still some treble, of course, but it's not the main sound anymore, I guess.

What bands have you been listening to these days?
The Allman Brothers Band, Grand Funk Railroad, Budgie, and others like these. I think that kind of music is super cool. I think acoustic music is in fashion nowadays. I'm not jumping on the bandwagon, but I feel like those old sounds are being revitalized.

What kind of musical inspiration did you get after the six-month stay in LA?
The people there are very thorough when it comes to music. When I talk to them, we seem to strangely "click". So much so that sometimes I feel like I get along better with them. I'm not an outstanding musician, but I feel like I was losing sight of a part of me after the band started getting more popular, and that [experience] was very eye-opening. There was a lot of time to really look at myself and ask, "Was I really a bassist?", and received lots of inspiration and influences.

What does the album title, Jealousy, mean?
It started as Yoshiki's idea. But the word 'jealousy' itself is multifaceted, different people may interpret it differently. While it's not a concept album, it does have many sides. I think it's a good title.

You said the word 'jealousy' may hold different meanings to different people, but what does it mean to you, personally?
I feel it's a word that has a deeper meaning than words can convey, and not just the definition of "jealousy". For example, the words 'telepathy', 'deja-vu' mean completely different things than 'jealousy', but aren't there times when they seem to overlap? That's how I see it. If you take the meaning of 'jealousy' superficially, you may think it's stupid, but if you really dissect it, think of it as a type of untapped human energy, you'll find the meaning goes much deeper.

How did the recording process go for the other band members?
hide's has improved a lot. I think he's much more refined. Pata too, he's much better. Compared to when we recorded Blue Blood, I feel like all of us have had a level of growth. As for Toshi, I feel like, maybe, he's hit a wall. During recording, there's always an expectation of how he should sing for X, versus the way he'd prefer to sing. I feel like he struggled a lot with that. As for Yoshiki, I don't think he enjoyed recording at all. For me, recording is super fun. I love adding sound to a recording. But for Yoshiki, it just seemed like a pain, just looking at him was enough to make me feel bad for him. That stood out to me more than anything else.

What went through your mind when you heard that you sold out the Tokyo Dome?
And it happened in just two hours. I was in awe. And surprised, at the same time. In the blink of an eye... It was almost like I was hearing something unrelated to me (laughs). I still am trying to understand what I feel.

You haven't played live in a while, what kind of live show do you want to do?
The sound isn't the best at the Tokyo Dome. I'm worried about it, and trying to find solutions. I want to play with a record-breaking sound, since the tickets sold at a record-breaking rate. It's meaningless if we can't deliver a good performance to the fifty thousand people who'll come all the way there to see us. We're musicians, so we have to wow them with music. Putting on a good show in a live performance is important, but it's essential to offer the audience an amazing sound. All I can focus on is playing a great concert and how to make it sound great.