HYDE - MANTAN WEB interview
HYDE on US tour: I wonder how much I’ll be able to leave my mark in this short span of time
__Since VAMPS’ formation you’ve aimed at expanding overseas, have you?
H: I’ve always been listening to American and English music, and I can say I’ve started my own career because I admired overseas artists so much; that’s why dreaming of playing at the same places is something natural to me. If I had been a fan of Japanese bands, I believe I’d never felt the urge to go overseas, but I really admired Mötley Crüe, so I’d like to have VAMPS songs broadcasted at US radio right after theirs. This is my dream.
__How do you feel now that you’re going to start your USA tour?
H: I’ve some expectations and feel worried, but well… I wonder how much I’ll be able to leave my mark in this short span of time. Having said that, I feel self-confident when I’m on stage, so I’m really excited and can’t wait for it.
__You’ll stay in USA for about a month, you’ll probably miss Japan down there.
H: That’s true. I really love Japan, so I’ll get homesick in 2 weeks. I can’t resist in places without 4 seasons, that’s why I’ve no interest in places like Hawaii. If I go there, I want to come back pretty quickly. But if it’s for work (laughs), and if it’s helping me pursuing my aim, becoming popular in the US, it can’t be helped.
__How are you going to spend your free time abroad?
H: Everybody usually goes shopping. But I’m not really interested in it. I’ll drink alcohol at my hotel, and check the net. I like countryside better, so if there are country towns, I’d like to take a walk there. But if there won’t be any, I’ll just buy some wine and stay in my room. For example, I may find in a supermarket some food I can’t eat in Japan, or something way more popular than in Japan. So I may ask local people about these things, look for something to nibble while drinking, and for some alcohol to pair with. No-sugar food is now a reality in Japan, too, but USA have a well-established market since before, so there’s plenty of it. It will be interesting to look for it, I like it. So thinking of a place where I’d like to go, it’s the supermarket actually! (laughs)
__Now I’d like to hear from you about your gig at Saitama Super Arena in May. Will it turn out to be something different from the live house tour you’ve held from last year till recently?
H: It will be something completely different. When I go to other artists’ live, I sometimes don’t pay any attention to the performance, I stare at the hall set wondering: “What about getting such a stage? It’d be interesting”. And then I try to get it. The setlist may be similar, but the stage arrangement and the whole direction will fit big places, so you’ll get to see something really different.
__Now you’re touring with your new album, BLOODSUCKERS, which is how you’re calling your fans. Why did you pick up this word?
H: At live singers usually shout out place names , but I don’t like it. Calling people “Nagoya” or “Yoyogi”, isn’t something cool to me, so I thought of giving fans a nickname. That’s why I came up with BLOODSUCKERS.
__ BLOODSUCKERS has the same meaning as VAMPS, and you are actually using this “vampire” image for your band style or song titles. What do you find fascinating about vampires?
H: I didn’t intend to go as far as this. If it wasn’t for band’s name, I’d probably never used it that much. Vampires are very cruel, but they have this image of being stylish and cool, and also sexy. This is very close to my ideal image of rock, so that’s probably why I’m so much influenced by them. I’m trying to make VAMPS the kind of band I dreamed of as a teenager. Mötley Crüe was one of my favourite, of course, but I also saw indies hardcore bands many times, and every time I was thinking: “They are not human beings! It looks like a ghost gathering!”. A lot of people looked so scary, too! It left this impression on me, and now I want to recreate that atmosphere using vampires’ image.
__I see. We’ve big expectations for the last gig. Can you give us some hints?
H: K.A.Z will blow fire. I’m kidding (laughs). It won’t just be a compilation of what we’ve done so far, it will be a kind of level-up. We will create a new atmosphere, still very VAMPS-like, so come to check it with your own eyes.
The original Japanese interview
__Since VAMPS’ formation you’ve aimed at expanding overseas, have you?
H: I’ve always been listening to American and English music, and I can say I’ve started my own career because I admired overseas artists so much; that’s why dreaming of playing at the same places is something natural to me. If I had been a fan of Japanese bands, I believe I’d never felt the urge to go overseas, but I really admired Mötley Crüe, so I’d like to have VAMPS songs broadcasted at US radio right after theirs. This is my dream.
__How do you feel now that you’re going to start your USA tour?
H: I’ve some expectations and feel worried, but well… I wonder how much I’ll be able to leave my mark in this short span of time. Having said that, I feel self-confident when I’m on stage, so I’m really excited and can’t wait for it.
__You’ll stay in USA for about a month, you’ll probably miss Japan down there.
H: That’s true. I really love Japan, so I’ll get homesick in 2 weeks. I can’t resist in places without 4 seasons, that’s why I’ve no interest in places like Hawaii. If I go there, I want to come back pretty quickly. But if it’s for work (laughs), and if it’s helping me pursuing my aim, becoming popular in the US, it can’t be helped.
__How are you going to spend your free time abroad?
H: Everybody usually goes shopping. But I’m not really interested in it. I’ll drink alcohol at my hotel, and check the net. I like countryside better, so if there are country towns, I’d like to take a walk there. But if there won’t be any, I’ll just buy some wine and stay in my room. For example, I may find in a supermarket some food I can’t eat in Japan, or something way more popular than in Japan. So I may ask local people about these things, look for something to nibble while drinking, and for some alcohol to pair with. No-sugar food is now a reality in Japan, too, but USA have a well-established market since before, so there’s plenty of it. It will be interesting to look for it, I like it. So thinking of a place where I’d like to go, it’s the supermarket actually! (laughs)
__Now I’d like to hear from you about your gig at Saitama Super Arena in May. Will it turn out to be something different from the live house tour you’ve held from last year till recently?
H: It will be something completely different. When I go to other artists’ live, I sometimes don’t pay any attention to the performance, I stare at the hall set wondering: “What about getting such a stage? It’d be interesting”. And then I try to get it. The setlist may be similar, but the stage arrangement and the whole direction will fit big places, so you’ll get to see something really different.
__Now you’re touring with your new album, BLOODSUCKERS, which is how you’re calling your fans. Why did you pick up this word?
H: At live singers usually shout out place names , but I don’t like it. Calling people “Nagoya” or “Yoyogi”, isn’t something cool to me, so I thought of giving fans a nickname. That’s why I came up with BLOODSUCKERS.
__ BLOODSUCKERS has the same meaning as VAMPS, and you are actually using this “vampire” image for your band style or song titles. What do you find fascinating about vampires?
H: I didn’t intend to go as far as this. If it wasn’t for band’s name, I’d probably never used it that much. Vampires are very cruel, but they have this image of being stylish and cool, and also sexy. This is very close to my ideal image of rock, so that’s probably why I’m so much influenced by them. I’m trying to make VAMPS the kind of band I dreamed of as a teenager. Mötley Crüe was one of my favourite, of course, but I also saw indies hardcore bands many times, and every time I was thinking: “They are not human beings! It looks like a ghost gathering!”. A lot of people looked so scary, too! It left this impression on me, and now I want to recreate that atmosphere using vampires’ image.
__I see. We’ve big expectations for the last gig. Can you give us some hints?
H: K.A.Z will blow fire. I’m kidding (laughs). It won’t just be a compilation of what we’ve done so far, it will be a kind of level-up. We will create a new atmosphere, still very VAMPS-like, so come to check it with your own eyes.
The original Japanese interview