SKIN member post 1: Yoshiki
This is a post for people like Joanne who are going to go see SKIN at AX, but who don't really know them, and for the people who don't even know what SKIN is but wonder why I keep posting about 'this yoshiki guy'.
First off: Here is SKIN's trailer.
As you can see from this extremely informative and engaging trailer, SKIN is Yoshiki, Gackt, Sugizo, and Miyavi.
If you're wondering, 'wait, who?'then please proceed to the lj cut.
THE SKIN MEMBERS PIMP POST - YOSHIKI
Yoshiki
yes the man of my icon - Drums & Piano
Yoshiki is my favorite musician of all time! He plays piano, drums, guitar (or can, anyway), composes, and produces. He's most famous for X/X-Japan, one of the most beloved visual kei band in Japan.
Yoshiki and Toshi started X in high school. On the first cd line-up, Toshi sang, Yoshiki played drums/piano, hide and Pata both played guitar, and Taiji played the bass.
Influenced by glamor rock, KISS, and western heavy metal, X dressed loud and played fast speedy metal. To support the band, Yoshiki's mom sold her business (which is absolutely amazingwhen you consider the fact that Yoshiki's father had committed suicide when Yoshiki was 10 & so it may have been the primary source of income for their family), and Yoshiki founded the independent label, Extasy Records. X did their debut cd on Extasy and they were later signed onto Sony.
Long story short, X-japan (they changed the name later when they made an attempt to go international), was the first Japanese visual rock band to achieve popular mainstream success, the first band to ever play in Tokyo Dome, and the first to use the words "crime of psychedelice violence crime of visual shock", thereby being one of the main pioneers of the Japanese visual kei style. After Blue Blood & Jealousy, they signed onto Atlantic. By then Taiji left, to be replaced by Heath. The line up stayed the same for X-japan's 30 minute epic song "Art of Life" and their final album, DAHLIA.
Yoshiki was the leader of X-Japan and he wrote most of their music. While he did write fast songs, he made X-japan known for their classically influenced emotional ballads like "Endless Rain," "Tears," and "Forever Love".
X-japan disbanded in 1997 when Toshi left the group and joined a cult. Yoshiki had planned to start X-japan again w/X-japan's popular guitarist, hide, but these plans vanished when hide passed away.
Aside from X-japan, Yoshiki greatly influenced the Japanese music scene by his work as a producer. He released Luna Sea & other visual kei bands on Extasy, and produced successful bands like Dir En Grey & Glay, who in turn inspired other musicians.
Also, Yoshiki is world-famous. Of course, his work is beloved in Japan: Former Prime Minister Koizumi loved X-japan's ballads so much that he used them in his campaign ads, while the Emperor of Japan asked Yoshiki to play for his anniversary. But he's also done a song with Queen's Roger Taylor, played video games with Bill Gates, met Bush, and even hugged Paris Hilton. Also, Hans Zimmerman is a fan.
Before the sudden activity of SKIN and X-Japan's possible reunion, Yoshiki has been basically working for over 10 years on his other project, Violet UK, for which there has yet to be a cd release. although he wrote on his blog that he's already recorded over 300 songs for it
Good lINKS
Yoshiki's myspace. He's publicly said that it was people's encouragement in his blog that spurred a lot of his recent action.
You have to be a member of the comm, but you can try X-japan music here.
Taiji (former bass)'s book, translated by darcenciel. He talks about Yoshiki in Step 3, chapter 16.
Interview with Yoshiki on Jame in english.
More pic spam - most credited to jrock_scans. some found on internet, comment if you want credit, sorry that I don't know where from.
Youtube links
Random
hide gets Yoshiki and Toshi to mosh their heads in synch. X's lives are always so much fun to watch.
X-Japan interviewed on Heyx3, subbed. As you know, the Heyx3 hosts Downtown are hilarious so, this interview is funny. I love part 2 as well, there are some cute moments between hide and Yoshiki as they squabble.
Yoshiki closelines Toshi.
Yoshiki is a perfectionist. Watch as he tears apart the first few seconds of Dahlia. It's subbed, Yoshiki obsessives, and the other members look bored. Now you see why Violet UK has never released a cd.
Yoshiki was also in a band briefly with Tetsuya Komuro (globe artist and producer of pop stars like Namie Amuro), called V2. Here is them playing jenga.
Yoshiki when he is TWENTY participating in a sports thing.
X/X-japan Music videos
X-japan does not have particularly interesting music videos. But if you want to sample some of their most famous songs, give these a try:
Kurenai (last live). Yes, Yoshiki's wearing a neck brace. In one of the lives apparently he fell off the stage and hurt his neck.
X. the first 2 minutes of this clip is X2, which was an original clip (not movie or tv) of CLAMP's X set to X.
Weekend pv. I am extremely fond of this video because it's not X just standing around and playing, it's them getting killed too!
Celebration. While not my favorite song, this is probably my favorite X music video. See witch!hide, cinderella!Yoshiki, and white people.
Endless Rain. Yoshiki collapses. This is at least staged, but he did collapse a lot on stage too, and I thought he was faking it until I saw the emergency medic people take him away back stage.
Silent Jealousy. Kinda boring but I felt like I should link one song from Jealousy, and you do get to see Yoshiki's super awkward kiss with a random girl.
Rusty Nail. This is one of my favorite X-Japan songs, and my favorite X-Japan music video. Because they're animated in a post-apocalyptic world where hide is a servant of An Evil Eye, Yoshiki is like God, and Toshi & the rest of them are leading some kind of rebellion.
Forever Love. A boring pv, but pretty song.
Crucify My Love. Same, but more shots of Yoshiki, so I always thought it was more entertaining.
Tears. Last live, love the song.
Yoshiki-written music youtube links
Eyes of Venus. I love watching him and Tetsuya Komuro play the piano together.
On the episode of Hey x 3 that has both Yoshiki and Gackt, Yoshiki performed one of his Violet UK songs, Unnamed Song. Very sad song (like all of them).
Dir En Grey's Cage. This video always freaks me out but I love the song. Yoshiki did not write this song as I previously thought, but he produced the single and his influence is definitely there.
Glay's Rain. Meh.
TRAX's Scorpio. Yoshiki wrote this under a pen name.
He also wrote Rhapsody for them.
Another Violet UK song, "I'll be your love" with a girl from Pussycat Dolls.
Yoshiki wrote 3 songs for Beat Takeshi's daughter. Here's a live of one of them, Begin.
Abandon Pool's The Remedy. Yoshiki didn't write this, but he does a cameo in the party scene.
Up next is Gackt.
First off: Here is SKIN's trailer.
As you can see from this extremely informative and engaging trailer, SKIN is Yoshiki, Gackt, Sugizo, and Miyavi.
If you're wondering, 'wait, who?'then please proceed to the lj cut.
THE SKIN MEMBERS PIMP POST - YOSHIKI
Yoshiki
yes the man of my icon - Drums & Piano
Yoshiki is my favorite musician of all time! He plays piano, drums, guitar (or can, anyway), composes, and produces. He's most famous for X/X-Japan, one of the most beloved visual kei band in Japan.
Yoshiki and Toshi started X in high school. On the first cd line-up, Toshi sang, Yoshiki played drums/piano, hide and Pata both played guitar, and Taiji played the bass.
Influenced by glamor rock, KISS, and western heavy metal, X dressed loud and played fast speedy metal. To support the band, Yoshiki's mom sold her business (which is absolutely amazingwhen you consider the fact that Yoshiki's father had committed suicide when Yoshiki was 10 & so it may have been the primary source of income for their family), and Yoshiki founded the independent label, Extasy Records. X did their debut cd on Extasy and they were later signed onto Sony.
Long story short, X-japan (they changed the name later when they made an attempt to go international), was the first Japanese visual rock band to achieve popular mainstream success, the first band to ever play in Tokyo Dome, and the first to use the words "crime of psychedelice violence crime of visual shock", thereby being one of the main pioneers of the Japanese visual kei style. After Blue Blood & Jealousy, they signed onto Atlantic. By then Taiji left, to be replaced by Heath. The line up stayed the same for X-japan's 30 minute epic song "Art of Life" and their final album, DAHLIA.
Yoshiki was the leader of X-Japan and he wrote most of their music. While he did write fast songs, he made X-japan known for their classically influenced emotional ballads like "Endless Rain," "Tears," and "Forever Love".
X-japan disbanded in 1997 when Toshi left the group and joined a cult. Yoshiki had planned to start X-japan again w/X-japan's popular guitarist, hide, but these plans vanished when hide passed away.
Aside from X-japan, Yoshiki greatly influenced the Japanese music scene by his work as a producer. He released Luna Sea & other visual kei bands on Extasy, and produced successful bands like Dir En Grey & Glay, who in turn inspired other musicians.
Also, Yoshiki is world-famous. Of course, his work is beloved in Japan: Former Prime Minister Koizumi loved X-japan's ballads so much that he used them in his campaign ads, while the Emperor of Japan asked Yoshiki to play for his anniversary. But he's also done a song with Queen's Roger Taylor, played video games with Bill Gates, met Bush, and even hugged Paris Hilton. Also, Hans Zimmerman is a fan.
Before the sudden activity of SKIN and X-Japan's possible reunion, Yoshiki has been basically working for over 10 years on his other project, Violet UK, for which there has yet to be a cd release. although he wrote on his blog that he's already recorded over 300 songs for it
Good lINKS
Yoshiki's myspace. He's publicly said that it was people's encouragement in his blog that spurred a lot of his recent action.
You have to be a member of the comm, but you can try X-japan music here.
Taiji (former bass)'s book, translated by darcenciel. He talks about Yoshiki in Step 3, chapter 16.
Interview with Yoshiki on Jame in english.
More pic spam - most credited to jrock_scans. some found on internet, comment if you want credit, sorry that I don't know where from.
Youtube links
Random
hide gets Yoshiki and Toshi to mosh their heads in synch. X's lives are always so much fun to watch.
X-Japan interviewed on Heyx3, subbed. As you know, the Heyx3 hosts Downtown are hilarious so, this interview is funny. I love part 2 as well, there are some cute moments between hide and Yoshiki as they squabble.
Yoshiki closelines Toshi.
Yoshiki is a perfectionist. Watch as he tears apart the first few seconds of Dahlia. It's subbed, Yoshiki obsessives, and the other members look bored. Now you see why Violet UK has never released a cd.
Yoshiki was also in a band briefly with Tetsuya Komuro (globe artist and producer of pop stars like Namie Amuro), called V2. Here is them playing jenga.
Yoshiki when he is TWENTY participating in a sports thing.
X/X-japan Music videos
X-japan does not have particularly interesting music videos. But if you want to sample some of their most famous songs, give these a try:
Kurenai (last live). Yes, Yoshiki's wearing a neck brace. In one of the lives apparently he fell off the stage and hurt his neck.
X. the first 2 minutes of this clip is X2, which was an original clip (not movie or tv) of CLAMP's X set to X.
Weekend pv. I am extremely fond of this video because it's not X just standing around and playing, it's them getting killed too!
Celebration. While not my favorite song, this is probably my favorite X music video. See witch!hide, cinderella!Yoshiki, and white people.
Endless Rain. Yoshiki collapses. This is at least staged, but he did collapse a lot on stage too, and I thought he was faking it until I saw the emergency medic people take him away back stage.
Silent Jealousy. Kinda boring but I felt like I should link one song from Jealousy, and you do get to see Yoshiki's super awkward kiss with a random girl.
Rusty Nail. This is one of my favorite X-Japan songs, and my favorite X-Japan music video. Because they're animated in a post-apocalyptic world where hide is a servant of An Evil Eye, Yoshiki is like God, and Toshi & the rest of them are leading some kind of rebellion.
Forever Love. A boring pv, but pretty song.
Crucify My Love. Same, but more shots of Yoshiki, so I always thought it was more entertaining.
Tears. Last live, love the song.
Yoshiki-written music youtube links
Eyes of Venus. I love watching him and Tetsuya Komuro play the piano together.
On the episode of Hey x 3 that has both Yoshiki and Gackt, Yoshiki performed one of his Violet UK songs, Unnamed Song. Very sad song (like all of them).
Dir En Grey's Cage. This video always freaks me out but I love the song. Yoshiki did not write this song as I previously thought, but he produced the single and his influence is definitely there.
Glay's Rain. Meh.
TRAX's Scorpio. Yoshiki wrote this under a pen name.
He also wrote Rhapsody for them.
Another Violet UK song, "I'll be your love" with a girl from Pussycat Dolls.
Yoshiki wrote 3 songs for Beat Takeshi's daughter. Here's a live of one of them, Begin.
Abandon Pool's The Remedy. Yoshiki didn't write this, but he does a cameo in the party scene.
Up next is Gackt.