［musicJAPANplus］ Post Peace & Smile Carnival Interview with the GazettE
Post Peace & Smile Carnival Interview with the GazettE
Composition and text: Yuki and Kaori
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Following the PSC 10th anniversary Peace & Smile Carnival, the GazettE granted us a special interview! Just two days after the concert itself, we asked for their thoughts while the excitement of the event was still fresh in their minds. They spoke with us about their unique costuming and their interest in their own staging. Of course, we were sure to ask about their 7th anniversary concert and upcoming single that they announced at the event. It’s exciting! This cool, serious band who leads the J-ROCK world and is still aiming for more reveals their sense of humor in this exclusive, valuable interview! Enjoy!
-First of all, congratulations on the great success of the PS COMPANY 10th anniversary concert, Peace & Smile Carnival. Today, we’d like to look back the event, which is still burning in our minds, and ask about the GazettE in 2009. Thank you for giving us this interview today.
”Thank you, too!”
-First, please tell us how you feel now, just after the 10th anniversary concert.
Reita “Well, right after the event, I felt like “I’ve done it.” In both a good way and a bad way…(Laughs).”
-Tell me what you mean exactly by the “good way”.
Reita “We’d thought about wearing traditional New Year’s clothing and playing hard… but it was much harder than I thought to play in hakama. But, anyway, the fans were really glad to see us in our costumes, so it was fine.”
-I see. Then, what about the bad way?
Reita “The bad thing was, you know… I stepped on my hems a lot and my sleeves touched my guitar. The costume obstructed my performance. (Laughs.)”
Aoi “(Laughs)”
Reita “Well, it was New Year’s Day, so, I couldn’t do anything about that. (Laughs)”
-Yeah. It was a special occasion. (Laugh) How about you, Aoi?
Aoi “Ummm. I think it was a great honor to perform with so many other artists on the same stage.”
-Then, Ruki?
Ruki “Well… We haven’t had this kind of event for a while, so I enjoyed it a lot. But, how can I say this? I just think we could have done something more interesting. Something more…”
-Do you mean something more for your performance on stage?
Ruki “Well, like, something more musically… I just think I could play more with other bands. I know it may not go well, but, ummm. For the most part, I would be able to enjoy it.”
-Then, we look forward to your collaboration with the other bands during the 20th anniversary event.
Ruki “20th anniversary… We are over 30, but I hope we have that much energy at that time. (Laughs.)”
-Then, how about you, Kai?
Kai “As for the event itself, I was able to enjoy it a lot. But, to be honest, it was New Year’s, so we couldn’t prepare much. It was too hard to have rehearsal. I was relieved when we finished, the moment when we had done our performance.”
-Lastly, you, Uruha.
Uruha “It was our first event in a long time. We were not able to have much time for that, so I feel like it finished very quickly. We’ve been doing one-man shows for a while, so I felt 30 minutes was too short. Like, I could do more, starting now!!”
-About the staging, it was different from other concerts-- 13,000 people surrounding the stage at Budokan from all directions. On such a stage, did you notice anything of special appeal to the GazettE itself?
Ruki “Well, what. I didn’t look back much. I didn’t feel anything special. “
Aoi “I tried not to go on the catwalk a lot, or to be too excited.”
-Not to be too excited?
Aoi “…Well, how can I say this… If I go on the catwalk too much, the band will lose coherency. The audience has to look around the stage. I think it’s not like the GazettE. I want the audience to see and listen to the music our 5 members put together. That’s it.”
-It was a real sight to see all 5 members headbanging in a line together. Did you see the audience headbanging all around you?
Uruha “Uhh, when they headbang, usually we are doing it, too. (Laughs)”
“(Laughs loudly)”
-Certainly…! You shook your heads, too. (laughs)
As Reita said before, wearing hakama was a bit of a mismatch, but somehow suited to you; it turned out great. How did you decide what to wear?
Aoi “Actually, we didn’t have anything to wear at the time. (laughs)”
“(laughs)”
Uruha “Sweatshirts or hakama (laughs)”
Aoi “Since we had to choose from those two… then, hakama. (laughs)”
Ruki “We only had two choices. (laughs)”
-Then, you played, despite knowing it may be difficult to play in hakama..
Aoi “It was nothing but difficult to play in hakama.”
Uruha “We should have worn sweatshirts…”
Kai “You’re a real stickler for these things. (laughs) Anyway, we had a huge impact.”
-That’s right. All the people in house felt that the GazettE had done something special.
What about your set list? As Uruha said, you only performed 5 songs in 30 minutes. How did you choose those songs?
Ruki “There was the limit on time, and ballad songs take too long…but we expected that when we knew what the event was going to be like. There were other bands, too, so we had to make sure to do something that was unique to our band. You know, that’s the kind of event it is. So… we chose songs that would add some spice to the event itself.”
-By the way! Who would you pick if you chose the MVP of the GazettE from January 3rd?
Aoi “An MVP amongst the members? …Definitely, it’s me.”
-Wow! Yourself!
Reita “So, OK.”
(Everyone laughs)
Aoi “…But, no. I can’t decide by myself! (laughs)”
(Everyone laughs again)
-Oh, didn’t you choose yourself? (laughs)
Aoi “Well… It may be the audience.”
-Wow! Thank you for such a perfect comment. (laughs)
Aoi “Um? (laughs) …Right? Each member has their own role in completing the GazettE… Please make that sentence bold. (laughs)”
-In bold (laughs). Adding “said Aoi.” (laughs)
Aoi “Right. I said so.”
-Any objections? (laughs)
Reita “Nothing at all.”
(Everyone laughs.)”
-You must have had a good start for 2009, spending New Year’s Day with your fans. Please tell us about your schedule from now on. First, you announced a concert at Makuhari Messe on March 10th. Could you tell us about the concert? Why did you schedule this concert?
Ruki “No special reason. We won’t have concerts for a while. (laughs)”
Aoi “Our bank accounts are running out of money…”
Reita “Hey! (laughs)”
“(laughs)”
Ruki “We’ll release our single around that time, and it’s just our 7th anniversary, anyway. Well, it’s before the release of our single. We thought that we could only do one concert before the release.”
-Do you have any special plans for your 7th anniversary?
Ruki “No…. We don’t have any special celebrations planned, but it may turn out that way if the fans celebrate it. We are not the type to celebrate ourselves by ourselves.”
-As you mentioned, you’re going to release your new single “DISTRESS AND COMA” on March 25th. What kind of songs does it have?
Ruki “Ummm. We can say that it is the GazettE if we like. But it’s little different from our former works. It contains 3 songs, and there are songs from various genres, something we’ve had in the past as well as totally new sounds.…uh… I think we produced something new.”
-What does the title “DISTRESS AND COMA” mean to you?
Ruki “I just wanted to sing about trauma. I was thinking about the story of the song.”
-What inspired you when you wrote the lyrics?
Ruki “Well. Lyrics? I usually write about my own real-life experiences. But, this time, I expressed trauma from a different point of view. So, when I say it’s like a coma, I mean that it’s not the usual coma that comes about as a result of sickness, but rather the feeling that one can’t escape from trauma. In that sense, I chose the word “COMA” this time.”
-I heard that you wrote your last work “LEECH” based on your real experiences, too. Ruki, do you usually write lyrics from your own experiences?
Ruki “At its heart, it’s hard to write something that you’ve never experienced. It lacks substance. I mean, every single thing in life has a deep meaning, no matter how small of a thing it actually is. So, I took up something like that in my work.”
-Then, what kind of year do you want for the GazettE in 2009? Please talk about it one by one.
Reita “You mean, what do I think 2009 is gonna be like?”
-Yes. You can say something like “I want to make this year….”.
Reita “Well… OK. (laughs) Ummm. I want to get going more than ever. I always say something like “I want to establish our style”. But there’s no way to know how much I can do in terms of establishing our style on my own. So, all I can do is just strive to do more and be more. As for the rest, nothing is more valuable than good health. Taking care of yourself.”
-Thank you very much. Then, Aoi. What is your year gonna be like?
Aoi “Uhhh. I want to release an album by the end of this year.”
“(laughs)”
Aoi “I know you must have dimly perceived that we have to make a new album at last. (laughs)”
-…Now your accounts have less money? (Laughs)
Aoi “That’s it! I want my account to be loaded. (Laughs)”
Ruki&Kai “hahahaha!! (laughs)”
Uruha “A loaded account!” (laughs)”
Aoi “I want to go on vacation. I wanna have a fulfilling year.”
-Do you think you can have a fulfilling year?
Aoi “Yes. Yeah. I’m feeling strong in the wallet. (Laughs)”
-Much stronger?
Aoi “Yes. And I also want a rich sprit.”
“(laughs)”
Aoi “…I’m kidding! If I emphasized it, you may want to make it bold type. (Laugh)”
-Do you have any new challenges you want to take on?
Aoi “Nope, nothing! Just not to be left behind by the other members! Have to hang on to them. (laughs)”
-What about making an album? Do you have anything you can say right now?
Aoi “No, we haven’t done anything with it. Everything begins now.”
-We’re looking forward to it!
Aoi “Yes, please do. I hope it’ll come out. (laughs)”
-Yeah. (laughs) Thank you very much. Then, how about you, Ruki? What’s your 2009 gonna be?
Ruki “Well… We came here doing what we wanted. We kept doing that, aiming for perfection. You know, not everything goes better. Make everything good. I think my all time theme is to go to the highest level we can without losing ourselves. …That’s it. I want to do everything to the utmost. I think like that.”
-For us, it seems you move forward eagerly and everything goes perfectly for you. Isn’t that so?
Ruki “Ummm. Well, It’s not like everything goes perfect all the time. Uhh. I want to make it better. Make it as we wish it would be, or more than we can hope.”
-When do you feel this way?
Ruki “You know. In everything we do. Lyrics for a song, PVs, or jacket shootings. It’s the same as having something that really gets to us…I think we’re a band who hates to be imperfect. On that score, I want to be selfish.”
-Selfish in a good way.
Ruki “Yeah. … For us, it’s in a good way, but for others, it may be the worst way. (laughs)”
-No way!
Ruki “Really (laughs)? I want a year like that, where we fly the flag when we should.”
-Then, Kai? What will your 2009 will be like?
Kai “Well, I won’t change my basic spirit, but I will be improving myself. For all that, if the band as well as the people around us have the same goal or the same notions and go forward with me even if it’s just little by little, it will be a good year.”
-Who are the people around you?
Kai “The fans and everyone else. All in all, to have the same notion is the most important thing.”
-Lastly, Uruha, please.
Uruha “In 2008, I found out a lot about our sound, so, in 2009, making the most of it… then, well, I don’t want to compromise this year.”
-Thank you very much.
Then, lastly, please send a New Year message to fans overseas one by one.
Reita “Well. A happy new year. the GazettE has been welcomed by fans outside Japan in these one or two years, and I want to go outside Japan someday. But sadly, the schedule hasn’t been decided yet. If we have time, I want to visit many countries, so please wait for that moment to arrive.”
-Which country do you want to visit the most?
Reita “I especially want to go to the US. … But actually, I don’t wanna go there.”
-Which? (Laugh)
Aoi (whispers to Ruki) This guy isn’t funny!
Ruki (to Reita) This sick guy!
“(Everyone laughs.)”
Aoi “Anyway, do your best.”
-(laugh) Fans in the US must be waiting for you.
Reita “Yeah. Go to the US, and “Yes, we can!””
(Everyone laughs.)”
Aoi “…Nocchi!”
(musicJAPANplus note: Nocchi is a Japanese comedian who became famous as a look-alike of US President Obama during and following the US Presidential Elections.)
Reita “I’m not Nocchi!”
Ruki,Kai, & Uruha (all laugh)
-(laughs) Aoi, please.
Aoi “Yes. (laughs) A happy new year. …As he said, I want to go to many countries.”
Reita “Yes, we can!”
Aoi “As Nocchi said.”
Reita “Hey! (laughs)”
Aoi “Yeah. (laughs) We’ll do our best!”
(Everyone laughs.)
-Then, Ruki, please.
Ruki “A happy new year. So, like they said, I want to visit many places. As for CDs, if we release our album, I want to release it overseas the same day as in Japan. We’re going to be releasing an album, and having concerts. Yeah.”
-Kai, please.
Kai “A happy new year. Umm. Please listen to the GazettE this year, too. As we said before, I think we’re gonna release our new album, so please wait to see the new world of the GazettE..”
Aoi “(Whispers to Reita) He said the GazettE is going to release their new album!”
Uruha “Was it OK to announce that? (laughs)”
Ruki “If we don’t release it this year, we won’t release an album for another 3 years. (laughs)”
(Everyone laughs.)
Ruki “How long does it take to release it?! (laughs)”
-Uruha, please send a message to fans overseas.
Uruha “Compared to before, compared to the past, I feel that people living in countries overseas are closer to us. Nowadays, the Internet is very common.”
Uruha “What days are you living in?”
“Hahahaha(laugh)”
Uruha “In the past, we never dreamed of going abroad, but now, that possibility is getting closer. We’re not just close in that way; fans overseas can always see us through the Internet. So, know about us through the Internet, and someday, I hope you can see the GazettE with your own eyes.”
-OK. Then, that’s all for today. Thank you very much!
“Thank you very much!”
Thank you, the GazettE!