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ROCK AND READ 023 – Interview with Kazuki of SCREW

Firstly, please tell us where you were born.
★I was born and raised in Tottori’s mountain recesses, and when I was small I was really cute or so my mom says. As I as a bad child, I occasionally had lower grades in primary school and to my classmates I said such things as “It’s because you have to call me Kazuki-sama” and also “If you don’t call me by that name then our friendship is over”. Well, I am a person that helps people get to their feet, so all they had to do was say “Kazuki-sama” as if they were crying. Replacing my heart from there, I became a good child (laughs)

Generally a brat?
★Yeah, I was pretty much the biggest brat.

Was it like that around the time of kindergarten?
★The time around kindergarten, I almost don’t remember anything. But I remember coming to class as showing a girl’s underwear……

So maybe that beginning of life is a memory?
★……you could say that (laughs). It gives an awful impact for the event, but I didn’t put the underwear on or anything. Though I remember giving up to display the skirt, it’s a really intense memory.

Surely that is intense.
★Even now I’ll recall that moment. I went out with that girl in middle school, she’d say “We’ve known each other since kindergarten, haven’t we. And you still won’t come [to my house]?”, so I would say “I can’t do such things. I don’t care.” (laughs)

The time around primary school?
★I was doing tennis. For about 4 years of primary school I began it regularly.

You began tennis on chance?
★I have 2 older brothers, and both of them did tennis. At home is a beauty room, but my parents wanted my to do sports, so I did a little of it at the time. That stream, I also began to do it [more].

So just by yourself, you wanted to do tennis?
★That’s right. My elder brother was very good at it. With that I got better at tennis, and a few times I had become Japan’s best*. At that kind of level, I was small and longing to be like “awesome brother”. However, when I first started tennis I was really happy.

How long did Kazuki-kun do this?
★During the time of primary school there was this national athletic meeting that I went to, and the prize was never taken. Around the first year of middle school, so things like “Kazuki has his brother’s talent, keep at it” were said but in the end I stopped playing. If I continued, I probably would’ve been in an article about tennis players (laughs)

So no more than with utmost effort, you didn’t do anything but tennis in primary school?
★Tennis was really my life then. Though I studied as usual, at the time of recess I would have a racket [and hit the ball against] the wall. If class finished, I’d go do it at the school’s court and play tennis, so tennis really effected me.

Well, weren’t you popular?
★That’s right! In those days, I think I had the best life. I had a cool brother that had a fan club at another school. So I was really noisy and all in hopes of achieving that. Eventually, I didn’t get a fan club but the people from the other school said “Let’s be friends”. Also with Valentines chocolate, I’d get it from [girls of] my school, and a lot from the other school. And now I think I get more than ever (laughs).

How old is your brother?
★I have 2, so the oldest is 5 years older than me, and the second is 4 years older than me. They both played tennis.

It’s like you’re tennis siblings.
★My first year, we were the 3 brothers that were raised [playing] tennis. I think mom and dad thought “It’s good to raise you this way~”.

Did you have a good relationship with your older brother?
★It was a good relationship. But for the oldest one, when I was in my 2nd year of primary school it wasn’t until I was a junior high school student, and I had went to a school in another prefecture and graduated there with tennis, so I don’t really have memories playing with him. My second brother I played with a lot, and met neck to neck at tennis a lot so our relationship was good.

And your parents?
★As a child, it was a good relationship. Everyone played tennis very hard, and so growing up quickly, we became closer on a grand scale…… or so I think that’s what it is in my memories. Actually, I preferred playing with my brothers but somehow I was the one that only left [the house].

So you took that as a chance to stop tennis?
★Well I stopped tennis, but my excuse for stopping is because I’m not good with socializing so I wanted to start on that more. To say that it’s typical, I made friends with a senior, and so with tennis I began to slack off. I didn’t go to practice, and the advisor started saying “Do you have any interest in this? In what way?” and so I ended up not seeing the advisor anymore. After that was a bit of a naughty time that I rushed into, but at that time I was thinking of stopping tennis like “I wasn’t able to play tennis anyway”.

So you stopped out of feeling?
★Yes. From that time, my Dark Ages began.

So under the good people, why did you make friends [with your senior]?
★Basically, my senior was a graduate from the school. It was in the middle that he was my brother’s classmate, and so my senior, and I used to drop by [my brother's class]. My brother was really serious but that person wasn’t a good one, so that senior and I became friends, and from then on the darkness began.

What about study?
★From the 2nd year of junior high I didn’t do anything.

But you did it in primary school?
★For my 1st year I was doing my best, since I think I got relatively good results then. But in my 2nd year it was almost nothing. Nowadays the good manager says “your head is unskilled!” and “I don’t know Sinology“, since they don’t think I studied flat-out in school. However, for Christmas I always get the Sinology Drill (laughs).

So why was it a dark time with your parents, Kazuki-kun?
★I desperately was made to reform my life. “You do things this way” was given to me to teach, but the parental advice of puberty, I resisted it. As a child I said “I won’t obey you, you can’t make me”. And also “I’ll do as I want”. I couldn’t do anything (laughs).

Did you like things at that time?
★I had in interest in bikes, and my senior gave me a ride and taught me how to ride one in a parking lot.

So you weren’t interested in music then?
★I was after that. My senior is from a different neighborhood and he’d say things like “Why do you like bikes? Come riding with me”, and so I’d get on and we’d go to his place to play. That person played guitar and I thought “Oh, that’s cool!” and so I began playing bass.

You thought guitar was cool but you began to play bass?
★For some reason the atmosphere was like “Let’s start a band”. I didn’t have an amp at the time, and so no band and it was like “We’ll join it together”*. We’d do it at my senior’s house, and he’d say things like “You, play the bass”.
[*Usually guitar amps are made for guitar and guitar only (same for bass) but there are a few that can play both instruments. You just have to put it in the different input jacks, and the bass would likely go on the higher one to hear and keep up the rhythm.]

So you didn’t know there was a difference between bass and guitar?
★ Not at all (laughs). In a magazine was Sex Machine Gun’s bass player NOISY-san (in those days), and I was reading that he said “I think it’s a simple thing to begin and learn that guitars have 6 strings but bass have only 4″ and so I thought, ah I see. But there wasn’t really anything I wanted to do, since I merely wanted to go have fun with my senior.

What did you do at that time?
★At the very beginning, LUNA SEA’s “MECHANICAL DANCE”. I has a bass solo in the middle, so I have a memory of playing that solo for the first time. To some extent I had hoped that I could play it [perfectly], but I played X and Halloween and Gamma Ray instead. I did those 3 at the time.

It’s metal isn’t it. So you were listening to their music?
★No. The ones I listened to were SPITZ, Mr. Children and Imai Miki. But while with my senior it was metal, so gradually I ended up listening to it. Of course, I had a feeling of wanting to become that good [at playing], so I started listening to metal myself.

And what about tennis at that time?
★I already stopped. My 3rd year of middle school, I wasn’t going to school. I didn’t go to school since I was with my senior and playing bass. Which reminds me, my parents, it raised a problem each time I got to buy something. I think they probably wanted to make me reform myself, but I got advice from various people. Also it raised a problem in school, “come for awhile!” and so for one week I actually attended. During that time, I was given an invite that said “we’ll go shopping” and what I wanted to buy the most was an instrument.

Each time was difficult, but your collection is increasing!? (laughs)
★Each time was difficult, but they were very kind about it. It’s my parents’ love.

So you knew of that parental love?
★I didn’t at that time. And also at that time I didn’t eat dinner with them, so we weren’t able to talk. I was always alone in my room, and I’d go out with my senior. During middle school [his house was a] short distance from mine, so it was like we had a gathering point. That sort of time, my parents were really gentle and connecting. Of course I’d get mad and end up fighting with my dad, but thinking back now I have very strong and gentle memories [of them].

Were your brothers peevish to you as a younger brother?
★I was the one sulking, since my older brothers went to another prefecture and did tennis there. So in my house I’d swagger around freely. But during summer vacation my brothers would come back, especially my eldest brother who had a horrible temper. An absurd muscle man that returned and got angry. But at the time when my brother came back, I wouldn’t come home as much as possible. At that time my dad said things like “saying that is useless, you’ll see the circumstances soon”, but my brother came back and I said “Hey don’t make our parents cry” and I’d get a harsh scolding. And he lied about that situation by saying “I didn’t.”

So he made a mistake in his answer.
★At first he could only say “Isn’t it because of the connection”. So, each time my brother came back it got more scary and frightening, it couldn’t be helped.

And so the result didn’t change?
★Yeah. At the time of my parents’ home, it didn’t mean I behaved like a spoiled brat. So I think I could only do what I could.

Around your 3rd year, you didn’t go to school?
Even then it was compulsory education, and I’d be near school and say “I won’t turn up”. Once, after school a friend and I went on a ferry. Then a teacher and everyone would come and they said “Why did you go for”. It seemed like “It’s none of your business. But we’ll go soon” (laughs). The high school principal came too, we were actually surprised.

Were the teachers afraid?
★They were afraid, but came loose. It was only one close part for about 5 people and they didn’t say anything, and so I went to the junior classroom and the atmosphere was something like “Ah, I really came here. What to do”. I was an idiot, now that I think about it. But I was trying to appear smart.

What about senior high school?
For senior high school, at first I didn’t have any motivation to go. At that time I was thinking of wanting to do a full-blown regular band. But even if I did have a band in my parents’ home I had thought it’d be nonsense, so going out for Tottori I was thinking of relying on myself. Everyone was nearing finishing middle school and thinking of things like “Where will I go for senior high?” though I wouldn’t say things like that. To me, everyone that went to high school was an idiot (laughs). Though, I was thinking that my wish of starting a band would come true. Speaking my mind to the teacher, they said “You won’t get into senior high”. It was a feeling like “I don’t plan to go anywhere”.

You thought you had a chance to start a regular band?
★On TV I was watching a VK band, and thinking that they were cool I took the chance to start one. After that, I spent a day in my room to spray my hair and only listened to VK songs. Because of that, I didn’t think I’d ever leave Tottori. I wanted to move out of the house so much at the time.

You didn’t do any bands or lives?
★At that time in the house, I was pounding the drums and had a small 10 watt amp. Though I couldn’t do lives, I stood on stage in my 3rd year of middle school at the culture festival. We played Sex Machine Gun’s “Mikan no Uta”. Somehow at that time I said “I’ll play guitar” and so I played it. It was a suitable solo. There was no way I could play [the actual one] (laughs).

What kind of feeling was it?
★It was a good feeling. I wasn’t able to imitate the solo with my right hand, but I did it in the middle of the stage. It was fun.

But at the time of your 3rd year, your teacher had already said “you won’t get into high school”?
★Because it was the culture festival there didn’t seem to be a relation. I couldn’t help it not coming to class late? While going through the corridor from the gymnasium to the classroom, it seemed that I wouldn’t go at all (laughs). But I think the teacher actually said I wasn’t a bad person……

So what did you do after graduation of middle school?
★I went to Osaka. Both my brothers remained in Tokyo, so not everyone was wanting to move to Osaka. Because I was 15 I wasn’t of age, but at the beginning I moved with my parents*. At that time with my parents help it was like “You’ll like this experience”. Deciding to only live in that place, it was by chance. At first my room was empty. On a futon, TV and bass.
[*he means that they helped him move there]

By what means were you thinking of living there?
★I was thinking if I was living there then I’d get something like a part-time job. There was a lot of light riding (laughs). I was found working at restaurants, but the first day there I was late. It was only because I slept in late, but while they were angry their necks were getting red I’d say “I made a mistake and came to the [train] station late. I’m sorry, it’s my first time in Osaka”.

So you began a band then?
★With my senior and starting music, it was after I came to Osaka that I went to a music store to see leaflets to see if there were any for recruiting members. But I thought the [bands were] left unpaid at first. So for that time being I worked! I thought that working for 6 weeks, my senior and I could basically live at the music store then.

You always did a band with that senior?
★No, it’s not really that kind of thing to joke about. The result was that we didn’t do one.

So Kazuki-kun didn’t go to Osaka to start a band with his senior?
★No. He came to Osaka to get into university. He was a person that really loved bikes and guitars.

So how long did you continue living that sort of life?
★I guess for about 7 months. But I didn’t get money. Mom sent the money to me, and I had planned to cook for myself but…… somehow I guess it was unbearable? I had thought many times that I was a burden. Since I did buy a lot of equipment.

So you practiced?
★I did but…… I’d play bass after coming back from work, and I’d play a little guitar too although I was really worn out and did lie down then. On the way I had thought “What the hell did I come to Osaka for?”. Because I was living by myself in Osaka, I understood my parents’ blessing to me. Then I thought “What have I been doing until now?”. After that I tried not to worry as much as possible.

So when they visited your life changed?
★My senior at work, he was a person that liked VK. This person was a roadie for an Osaka-based band. Because of that he invited me by saying “Let’s do it together”.

So you weren’t in a band, but started as a roadie?
★Yes. I hadn’t decided to be in a band, and I didn’t know anything of roadies then, but for that time being I thought I’d try it out. That person said “Being a roadie is useful”, in a way like it was a good experience for the world, I think. And because of that I began [being a roadie]…… I was really random (laughs).

What kind of things did you do?
★Things for the equipment, all the staff-like things too. Insertions (handing out leaflets), and it was also things like shopping for the person. But the main thing was the equipment on stage. So I remembered the [settings of] the equipment. I think it was exactly that time I really stuck with guitar.

Why was it that time that you thought of it?
★I met a very skilled senior. I met my senior that went to university, but the people of the Paul Gilbert group said things like “You’re great”, and I didn’t really know anything but it was skillful. Watching that person, I thought “I have no choice but the guitar”.

So you thought of it while watching that person play guitar?
★That’s right. I was so shocked and thought “How can you do such things [on guitar]?”. Little by little at that time I would play guitar, and I think it was since then I found the guitar interesting.

So being a roadie became a good experience?
★It was very useful. I followed with a whole-country tour, and I got a lot of experience. At first it was all fresh, and then seeing things I was deeply moved by them and was like “Aa, so these two things are like this”. The equipment van for the tour, my seat was on them (laughs).

It seems that your back would get sore (laughs)
★It was painful at that time. On the contrary it was quite fun. But it’d be scary if I got angry (laughs).

So you did work?
★I did. But since I was busy I couldn’t do it all the time. For about 2 months I didn’t go to a single day of work, and so I’d call mom and say “I’m sorry mom. Can you pay the rent?”.

Your parents are good, aren’t they.
★It really seems that way. I can do things freely, and it’s thanks to my parents I am who I am now, at that time I had thought deeply. Because of that, I received 43,000 yen to pay the rent.

So it seems that you studied being a roadie, so you weren’t able to do band activities?
★The time that I began as a roadie, I promised myself “I’ll stay on for 1 year” and after that I was thinking about starting my own band. I said “I have many side-to-side connections”, and so for a year as a roadie I continued to do my best. And then just after a year, that band broke up.

And because of that you started a band?
★Yes. Me being a roadie and going on tour to Tokyo, of course I had thought that the band would reach to Tokyo [before breaking up]. And then graduating as a roadie I went out to be different.

Again it was random?
★No. This time I was with a vocal roadie, and so we started a band and he was always with his younger brother so it was us 3. That was when it was random, that we had 1 member right before us. We lived together in Chiba, but the rent was 16,000 for 1 person. And then we began a lot of band activities.

At last you started?
★Yes. Because of that, being members with the vocalist we went to see lives and at once we got 3 members. They were exactly for the opposite side [of the stage] too, guitar, bass and even drums, and we already had a vocals, a guitar and keyboard. And because of that combination, we were Clover.

What kind of band were you guys?
★I’ll say one word: Utamono*. We were considering the melody so seriously, since we were a fresh band. We’d wear over-the-top makeup and costumes not similar to other bands, and I thought of becoming a band that was just about music.
[*Utamono - one word in Japanese, but the translation for this would be "classical Japanese poetry". Think... IRODORI or Kagrra,? XD]

And little by little the metal influence of music came, didn’t it.
★That’s right. At first with metal, it was very much like VK to be doing [such songs], so from there we did soft visual. While I was a roadie there was plans for magazines, it was a good plan [for the band] to take pictures of their roadies. At that time, my mouth was covered in blood so it was really visual. We used fake blood (laughs). But there were various events for the band, so I think that the cool utamono band began then, and I think with the vocalist we said “I’ll absolutely do utamono”, and with my nature we did an utamono band.

What kind of activities did Clover do?
★If I think about it, it was that thing, making way of what we thought (laughs). I think now that we weren’t really aiming on getting big. Before the band I hadn’t made a single song. All the songs I made were rejected. Though I did my best making them utamono, they were no good. With the exception of me, an experienced person with bands, or so that’s what someone said about me in the beginning. But it was fun. I went for one thing and it was fun, so I was cheerful and was like “Ah, so now I’m on tour♪”

Were the lives good?
★Where we performed was away from perfection (laughs). The first band’s live, opposite to [our van was] D’s van. We were really happy, being able to play at AREA. But the guest seating at the other lives were somewhat lonely, although we were knowing of the reality. At that time I had thought senior roadies were really cool. And now I can go try on the world that’s relentless; it was a feeling that sank deeply into my mind.

How long did Clover do activities for?
★For about a year. We did 2~3 tours, and organizing 1. We weren’t able to do a one-man. And the for the first time we had recording experience, we were thinking of various things while recording.

Considering Clover’s activities, how were you thinking it to be?
★Honestly saying this, I was thinking that perhaps I could get better. I had thought that it was a cold world (laughs). But that time with a live video, it was embarrassing that I didn’t see it. I was intending to play so well, but I could only stand there and play [guitar] like it was out of fashion. It was only the rhythm that moved around. After looking they said “What are you doing? It’s like you’re in the studio?” and as myself I wanted to do something about it. The stage-left guitar is a person that moves a lot, and I seemed like a stage-right guitarist that just silently played. But playing as still person wasn’t my plan.

What was the cause of the breakup?
★Before the vocalist quit, the remaining 4 went out seemingly looking for a new vocalist. But we couldn’t find anyone so we continued doing lives without one, though our motivation was falling. Someone said “This isn’t the right time?”, and so we disbanded. We quickly organized a last live and even got the vocalist to come, so it was the last for us 5 together.

And after that?
★I continued my part-time job. It seemed that I wasn’t thinking of a new band, but slowly I did get that feeling.

So I guess you met a feeling of fire?
★I didn’t catch the fire, because I felt I couldn’t do anything. I came to Clover around a time that it was very new to me, and so I didn’t think of replacing it with a new band. A lot of people were calling out to me for session bands, so for a little while I did both work and sessions. That was the time I got to meet SCREW.

So with that mind you did it?
★I had met Byou before. At that time, he had disbanded from Joker, and made a new band. Yuuto was already there, and once we talked at a session. At the beginning I used the session for my own convenience, but I saw the members in my free time with any chance. Then I found that Byou and Yuuto were quite cool, so I was surprised how popular they were. Their aura is different. Well, those 2 and I were pleased when we watched the session, and so we came together. The makeup for Clover was light, and so they said to me “We’ll make your look darker” and that wasn’t even it for the live, they said “We’ll all do it for the lives” (laughs). It all began from there.

So before that you were doing a session band, were you thinking of making a new band?
★I was barely thinking of wanting to look for members, and I wanted to do simple lives. Before, I got an invitation from a senior but I rejected it (laughs). For a moment it was a cruel thing [to do], like “We decided on THIS day”. It wasn’t “We’ll do this”, so it was always those days. But he was a good senior, they did fun sessions.

Because of that SCREW started.
★Yes. Somehow the beginning was a great impact, and our fighting spirits settled in greatly. Clover’s vocals didn’t look at things from the outside, but Byou thought and looked at things like “This person is great”. But that wasn’t [the reason] for Clover wanting to break up, it was actually that we wanted to do our best. Though since meeting by chance, SCREW began [activities] not long after [the breakup] and I think it was about half a year [later that we started]. At that time our drummer Jin joined officially, and for about 1 month we prepared and started as a session band.

So SCREW is the first time for Kazuki-kun where it’s the music he likes.
★Isn’t it. I guess it was turning back to the start of music. I couldn’t head bang [and play guitar at the same time] until we did that live (laughs). Byou is saying “Head bang” and while playing I’d shake my head as if in denial for practice. The music stirred up the most of it, though it was good that none of us had cut our hair then.

So there were a lot of fresh things to do.
★They were wonderful things. Somehow there was a popular pair each time a live came our way. Everyone would get excited seeing those people, it was a feeling like “What is this!?” and “The live is so good”. Though I didn’t see all the guests [while on stage], they were head banding so it felt really good. The ones that I saw head banging, they were doing if since it was their first time. It was an amazing mobilization, so I thought “This session is so cool” (laughs).

So that kind of mobilization was great?
★We always had about 100 people that came. Because of that me and Jin-chan said things like “We’re probably not useful, but it’s good right?”.

SCREW’s first live was a one-man wasn’t it?
★That’s right. Before that secret there were about 15 lives that we were doing. Our first live was 23/04/2006, but for the one-man we were making the amount of songs needed for it, and in March there were a lot of secrets that came and the lives would finish before everyone could hold hands at the end and jump. Because they were secret [lives], we didn’t have our regulars all the time. We had a premonition of beginning something, and I think everyone was happy with it (laughs).

So for Kazuki-kun, SCREW’s first one-man was a birth one-man?
★Yes. We did the best we could. I saw the one-man video and thought it was horrible. It was an awful performance, though we’ve had a severe change. But everyone is lively. Well, everyone is young (laughs).

As for your own impressions?
★I didn’t realize that I didn’t do well. Though we played 10 songs, I don’t remember what I was actually playing. I didn’t have any self-confidence at that time. It was good that we had a lot of guests but I didn’t really look at the guest seating then.

And thinking of that time, you felt that you’ve grown?
★Yes. Next year will be SCREW’s 3rd year, even though we haven’t grown very much (laughs). SCREW plays negative things, turning our backs to things, though now I think it’s become positive.

Why did it become a negative band?
★We came up with imagining the band’s progress, so then it wasn’t all so different. Mobilization and a problem of mathematics came about. We thought that such music was useless. As a matter of fact, just recently it’s that kind of thing that’s negative that we’re not going to worry about. But now it’s about our pace, step by step and walking in a sexy way, so we think it’s good that it’ll be this way. But now and then, we weren’t looking. Though I think that the other members have a lot of thoughts too, but now I think we’re all going for one target.

So it looks that you’re doing well, but you had a time of worry didn’t you.
★I did. I wasn’t thinking about anything else but worry, and as I was performing I was bearing it. So, for SCREW’s lives, from the stage there was probably a negative aura radiating.

That’s from Kazuki-kun alone?
★I think it was from each person, but the members weren’t thinking of similar things. What we were doing was already going badly, and it was unsuccessful struggling out of it. But now there is none of that.

So you surpassed it, but what was your reason for it?
★Me and the members say to be positive comes with feeling, so there are a lot of new things like challenges that come, and I think it’s good that we’re tied together this way. So, everyone is thinking flat-out I guess (laughs). Before stepping into this office [for the interview], I think there was a part [of me] as a child. Thinking of it now, I was thinking of things like “I wonder if I should bother worrying if this is going to be really serious?”. I didn’t think of anything, only doing lives. But there were a lot of people speaking, and though we don’t think of the seriousness, I think some seriousness came about it. You had met the former seriousness, but that seriousness was easy-going wasn’t it. Recently it’s doing things precisely while before it was we won’t advance and won’t think of anything. The band’s current status and situation is great, and I think that the band wants to do their best in their power

Interview With ScReW

One day before Jrock Invasion we got the opportunity to make an interview with SCREW, a relatively young Visual Kei Band, who performed at the Rock Identity Event Jrock Invasion in Germany. The five musicians - all in bulky jackets - and apparently a little battered from the long flight greeted us friendly in one of the backstage rooms in the Palladium of Cologne.

Hello. Please introduce yourself to our readers!
Jin: I am the drummer of the band, Jin.
Yuuto: I am Yuuto, the bassist.
Manabu: My name is Manabu and I am guitarist.
Kazuki: I am a guitarist aswell and my name is Kazuki.
Byou: I am the vocalist, Byou.

You are in germany for the first time. Which impressions could you gather and what do you think about Germany?

Jin: I have heard beforehand that Germany is great and that the german fans are generally in a good mood. I like that and I hope it will be proven true tomorrow!
Yuuto: I have only seen Cologne so far, for me the city is beautiful - like from a movie.
Manabu: Since I have arrived at the airport, I feel that the air here is kinda different.
Kazuki: I have heard that in Germany, it is very cold. But personally, I find the climate very pleasant.
Byou: I think the germans are very good at soccer. *laughs*

Tomorrow you will be performing at Jrock Invasion. What are you expectations?

Jin: I would be pleased if we could enthuse the fans.
Yuuto: When I perform in Japan, it is more of a matter of the head. Here one is so close to the fans, I think that's great.
Manabu: I think the german fans react and feel different that the fans in Japan. I am really curious about how the fans will accept us, what it will be emotion-wise.
Kazuki: Tomorrow we will play together with bands who are above us, so to speak. Especially because of this, we would like to show our abilities and deliver a good show.
Byou: We want to - especially as a japanese Band - leave an impression with our performance.

Manabu, you are a regular member of SCREW since May 2007. Have you settled in well?

Manabu: I am really happy to be a member of this band. It is a beautiful thing and it is a lot of fun.

Which meaning does the name "SCREW" have?

Byou: I'm not quite fond of things that are 'straight forward', I prefer things were you need to use your head and think. Screw means Screw translated, and as a listener, you have got to occupy yourself with us, to 'screw yourself in' and we as a band want to screw us into the hearts of our fans with our music *smiles*

How did you meet each other?

Yuuto: Well, me and Byou have done music together before, Kazuki was introduced to us through acquaintances and we immediately thought that he would fit to us. We met Jin on the Internet *laughs*, we thought he was cool and he fit to us, Manabu then was also introduced to us personally through a friend and then joined us.

Byou and Yuuto, so you have been together in a band before. How come you are in a band together again?

Yuuto: In between, I made music with other people too but I realized that Byou and me fit together best. It is most fun with him, additionally, together we achieve the best results musically and take advantage of this.

You are a relatively young band and already have the chance to perform abroad. What do you think about that?

Jin: When we got to know about this, we were very astonished, precisely because we are a young band. We never would have expected that but this chance has made us very ambitious - we definitely want to deliver a good show and not 'loose' to the other bands.

I heard that your stage performance is very interesting. How does it distinguish?

Jin: Our songs are very hard on the one hand, but they also contain beautiful melodies. We try our best to convey this interplay on stage aswell.

Byou, you were a roadie for the band kagerou and said once that the vocalist Daisuke is your role model. Why?

Byou: Yes. I learnt a lot through him, he was kind of a teacher for me. His influence has definitely heavily influenced me.

Different music styles do influence your music. Do you decide beforehand in which direction a song should go or does it happen spontaneously?

Kazuki: Byou usually allows and sets up a structure and tells us how he imagines a song. The rest of the band then creates a certain image on this base how we like it. So we actually decide beforehand in which direction the speficic song should go and what kind of topic it has got.

Has the joining of the Label Indie PSC helped your career in your opinion?
(the band shortly confers with each other and the manager)

Byou: First the band was pushed a lot, of course. Additionally, Manabu joined us, and the band grew, he really is an enrichment for us. So it was a positive decision which definitely helped us.

Why did you only play Secret Lives at first?

Byou: We wanted to see what it is like to perform with four people at that time. We had to approach slowly to the whole thing and that is why everything happened secretly *laughs*

Do you have a certain kind of message which you want to convey in your songs?

Yuuto: We do not have a special message, it always depends on the song we play. The listener has to let our music sink in and then decide for themselves which message he sees in it.

How did you get into Visual Kei and fascinates you about it?

Jin: I was mainly influenced by X Japan and my passion for music got me into Visual Kei. This band has definitely thrilled me.
Yuuto: What really like about Visual Kei is that in this scene there are different styles of music. There are pop bands, very hard bands and very different melodic bands. I like this variety.
Manabu: I got hooked by the whole package in particular, especially the exceptional style.
Kazuki: I can only associate with that. The style really fascinated me, additionally I was influenced very much through my older friends who were interested in this style and the music and they finally got me into it.
Byou: God told me to follow the Visual Kei *laughs*

And what kind of music do you listen to private?
SCREW: Mainly Slipknot and Radiohead. But we often listen to our own music privately!

Do you have any ambitions as a band for the future?

Jin: We want to evolve as a band and be successful.
Yuuto: We do not want to perform in germany alone but wish to play our music everywhere in the world.
Manabu: We want to become successful step by step and improve music-wise.
Kazuki: I think one should set a goal at a time, reach this and then set a new, higher goal. Currently I am looking forward to tomorrow and see this performance as a goal. After that I will search for a higher goal!
Byou: We would like to do a oneman tour in germany.

Do you have got a final message to our readers?

Jin: I hope you will get to know SCREW better and that we will please you.
Yuuto: We want to become a famous japanese band and we would be happy if the readers of JaMe would support us in this matter.
Manabu: I'd also be happy if our popularity would increase with the help of the readers. Thanks!
Kazuki: We definitely want to come back to germany and hope for your support!
Byou: I would be happy about new friends. *laughs*

Interview With Kai the GazettE Part 1

For someone who has never heard about the GazettE, how would you describe your music, image, and message?

KAI: Hmm, We have a mixture of everything. *laugh* That's how I see it. I think we are a band that is able to do all genres of music. Sometimes when making new songs, there are times when we think, "This is quite new for us," but once we actually do it, somehow it always end up sounding like our music, that when the five of us do it together, it will turn to the GazettE's music. That's why I think we are able to cover all types of music.


How did you become the leader of the GazettE?

KAI: *Laughs* About that, to tell you the truth, we asked for a volunteer. We asked each other, "Who wants to be the leader?" so I said, "Ok I'll do it."


Were you the only one that raised your hand?

KAI: Yes. I think the others thought it'll probably just be troublesome work. *laugh* But naturally, a drummer's position is the only position that can oversee the whole audience and the whole band at the same time. So in that sense, I feel that I would like to support the members from behind; that is why I volunteered to become the leader. When I said "I'll do it!" nobody else raised their hand so...


Maybe they wanted to, but were just shy?

KAI: I thought so too, I thought at least two or three of them would want to be the leader *laugh* but nobody raised their hands, so I said I'd do it.


So you want to support the others from behind, that's like YOSHIKI.

KAI: Eh? No, no, I'm not that good *laugh*.


When making music, do you start with the music first or the lyrics? How does each band member contribute?

KAI: RUKI covers all the lyrics; music-wise, the five of us would compose tunes, select one together, and then arrange it together. We start with the music, well, RUKI would add the lyrics and the melody later on, so I guess we start with composing the music first.


So you compose the songs together?

KAI: Yes.


The musical direction of STACKED RUBBISH is very different from that of NIL. Some fans even say that parts of it sounded more hip-hop. Was this a conscious decision on the band's part or did it just happen?

KAI: For us, when we make an album, we don't decide on a set concept. When making a single, since there are only a few tracks on a single, we have to use the leading track to present our view, and the image of the CD. But in an album, the first thing we think of is that we need to have variations in music, so we try to cover a range of types of music. So in NIL, that presented the challenges we had at that time, and the new album, well to say hip-hop, there was only one track that was like that. But it was new to us, so for us we feel like it has opened up a new door for us. We did not exactly aim for the hip-hop sound, though.


Speaking of releases, you will be releasing a new single next year. Could you tell us about it?

KAI: Yeah well, the release date has not yet been decided. But right now the music is coming together bit by bit, we are discussing let's do this, let's do that, so we can't really tell you anything because well, it's not complete yet. It's a secret *laugh*.

*Everyone laughs*

Top secret!!

In DISORDER, the song "Saraba" had a very strong anti-war message. Are there any songs such as ones from STACKED RUBBISH that raise strong political or moral questions?

KAI: I don't think so, anything politically. According to RUKI, all the lyrics he writes are from things he's actually experienced. He's the only one that writes lyrics.

Have you ever attempted to write lyrics?

KAI: There was once, a while back, RUKI asked us to contribute some lyrics to a song. It was three lines, and he asked us to write whatever we felt like. I did and he laughed at what I wrote. *laugh*

Where those lines used at all?

KAI: No, actually, yes, REITA's lines got used, in "ITO."

Now that you mention him, why does REITA wear the handkerchief on his nose?

KAI: Oh, that's like his trademark now, it's like a part of his body. That is REITA.

Does he wear that normally?

KAI: *Laugh* No, but as the bassist of the GazettE, that is the way REITA is.

Isn't it hard to breathe like that?

KAI: Well, I guess since he's still alive it mustn't be too bad.

*Everyone laughs*

If we think about it, we do start wondering, but since he hasn't complained about it I guess it's alright.

Do you design your own costumes, or do you let the stylist design for you?

KAI: We work with the stylist to come up with the design. We would draw up a design of what we imagine ourselves wearing, and then the stylist would suggest "Wouldn't it be better like this?" afterwards, so we design together.


That's really interesting to hear about the creative process that goes into your image. So, to digress a little, you have just completed a live at the Budokan this year. Last September, you also did a live concert there. What was the biggest difference, experience-wise?

KAI: Definitely. This time around, we know what we are doing and how we are presenting ourselves. We are able to look at ourselves objectively, since it's our second time performing there, and I think that's the biggest difference. It really applies to all the concerts we did in this tour.


At the Yokohama and the Budokan concerts, all of your parents were there amongst the audience. How did that make you feel?

KAI: You mean how it felt to perform in front of our parents? It was a happy experience, it wasn't really like repaying them, but when we first started the band, we had to go through a lot of difficulties and they helped us a lot. Finally now we are at a place where we can, not just substantially repay them, but emotionally as well, and I am really happy about that.


Was there anything that presented itself as a challenge during your tour this time?

KAI: Hmm.. challenge. It's not as much of a challenge, being that I think we have discovered new things that we can work on. When doing a live, we come to know what we are lacking, and what we need to do to change that. So, at the next live, or even at a recording session, we can find ways to overcome the problems. We basically found new things that we need to work on, and didn't really have much opportunity to face new challenges.

Last summer, you played your first show in Europe. What was that like?

KAI: The biggest difference to Japan was that it was unrestricted and had an open feeling, the fans were too, and they show how much they are enjoying the music with their whole body. To non-Japanese fans, it might be just something natural that they do, but since we'd only done concerts in Japan, it was a quite fresh experience for us. Surprisingly we felt that it was close to what we expect from our fans, in regards to the relationship and their response. In that sense, the Japanese fans are a bit more restricted, so I think it's a good thing that the overseas fans don't have that restricted feeling. Music is not something that you have to think about or consider while listening, right? I think it's meant to be experienced subconsciously.

Was there anything unpleasant, or something that surprised you?

KAI: Nothing in particular but, probably food. We are so accustomed to Japanese food, so food there was very different and some didn't cater to our taste *laugh* But the beer was good. And sausages. The rice was very different from Japanese rice. We were surprised. *laugh* We ordered rice and were surprised by what they brought out. *laugh*

You will soon be departing to go to Europe to do your PULSE WRIGGLING TO BLACK tour. Are you excited about that?

KAI: Yes, I am really looking forward to that.

It will be your second time to Germany, and first time to London, Paris, and Helsinki. How do you feel about going to perform in those new places?

KAI: Yeah well, this is totally unrelated, but I love soccer, and so does my manager. *laugh*

Did you play soccer?

KAI: Yes, in elementary school, junior high, and high school. So to me, France is like the holy ground for soccer, so I am really excited about going there. Although that's totally unrelated to what you asked *laugh*

*Everyone laughs*

In regards to this European tour, how did that come about?

KAI: Last year we attended ANIMAGIC there, an anime convention, and at the same time we were asked if we would like to perform in Europe. A bit prior to that, we had already contemplated with the idea of doing concerts overseas, so we took that offer. And we have gotten hooked on doing concerts overseas *laugh* It was really fun. So after the first time, we already thought that we would like to do more, even though we didn't get the new offers yet. We talked amongst ourselves that we would like to do lives in more countries. We thought we would like to take any chance possible.

Do you plan on doing tours in other countries, or release CDs there?

KAI: In Germany, well, in Europe, our CDs are already being sold there, I saw it myself at the stores there. NIL was being sold *laugh*

What about other countries?

KAI: If we have the opportunity, we would definitely like to go.

What about Asia?

KAI: Asia‚, nothing so far. We haven't been to Korea, or America, for that matter, so if we decide to do concerts there, I think naturally the CDs will be sold there, too.

You will be spending your birthday (October 28th) this year in Europe. Are you planning to do anything to celebrate your birthday?

KAI: Yeah *laugh* I think we will end up doing nothing *laugh* I think we will be too busy. We will probably be moving to a different location that day. But I think it will be quite an experience, since we don't normally get to spend our birthdays overseas. We might be crossing national borders at that time.

*Everyone laughs*

I don't really have the need that I have to spend my birthday in Japan.

What is the most fun song to perform at a live, and what is the most difficult song to perform at a live?

KAI: The most fun song would be "LINDA," and the most difficult one would be the song in our new album, "GENTLE LIE" I think, because we put in a lot of phrases that I am not so good at. Well it's not so much as,"Oh let's just put those in," but I wanted to make it more challenging for myself. So it's the most difficult.

What direction will the GazettE take on from here, and how would you like to grow as a band?

KAI: Hmm, we would really like to have more people listen to our music. Of course, there are a lot of people in the world that don't know about us. We would like to have them know us, listen to our music, and if they don't like it, then that's fine. We don't want to be judged because of our appearance when they haven't even listened to our music. So the first thing would be to have more people listen to our music. We would also like to expand our activities to overseas.

Fool's Mate August 2008 - Reita Interview

- First, please tell us when and why you started playing the bass.
I started the bass in my third year of middle school. At first I had played guitar in my second year. And it was acoustic (laugh). I started because I thought it would be cool if I knew how to play guitar. There wasn't anyone I knew who did, so I bought one as soon as I could. But after that, I saw LUNA SEA on TV. It really affected me, and I thought "I have to join a band, this isn't the time to be buying an acoustic guitar!" (laugh) So then I bought an electric guitar.

- But you switched to the bass soon after, right?
Yes. I started playing bass after I got frustrated with the guitar (laugh). Since I didn't know anyone who played guitar, so I couldn't improve. Then everyone started buying guitars, including Uruha. Then Uruha said he was going to perform at the arts festival, and wanted to borrow my amplifier. At the time I lent it to him, the electric guitar had already become boring. I couldn't do more than make that raw "pekepeke" noise (laugh). I wasn't getting better, and it was boring...so I stopped. But I wanted to be in a band. At that time, even when I listened to CDs and stuff I couldn't pick out the sound of the bass, so I didn't know which part I wanted to play. Then I thought, "I can do this even if I don't practice!" and decided on bass (laugh). My reason for starting to play the bass is pretty impure (laugh).

- No, I think it's fine (laugh). Did you start a band right after that?
At first it was me, Uruha, and one other friend who played guitar. We would play a CD, turn our amps up really loud, and record onto a casette tape (laugh). I also had a friend who was pretty good at singing, so after we started using him as a vocalist we did the same thing, playing CDs and recording onto casette tapes...it was fun anyway, and we did that until high school (laugh). At that time we also found a drummer, and by our first year of high school we were able to play at a live house. That band broke up before we graduated, but after that Uruha and I would still always play together. There was also a time when we didn't have a drummer, so we played live with a rhythm machine. Just recently, I went over to my friend's house and he had a DVD from that time. We watched it, but it was pretty painful (laugh). First off, no one was there (laugh). There weren't any more than 5 people, and even they were talking and stuff (laugh). Even so, the point was that we were performing as best we could. So much that it created my view of the world even more than recently (laugh). At that time, I met Ruki...he was a drummer then, but we decided to be in a band together. When that band had a live, about 80 people would show up on a good day. But a lot happened, and we broke up. And for the next band Ruki had gotten good at singing, so he became the vocalist, and we found a new drummer. And that drummer brought Aoi with him. That was at the beginning of 2002.

- The birth of Gazette, huh. What kind of band were you at the time?
Pretty different from now, we kept with a very Japanese image. Everyone loved to use kanji for everything and things like that. But as we kept doing lives, we wanted a different, more manly kind of mood...so we started thinking that, and gradually changed. Then about a year later our drummer said he was quitting. But Ruki had made friends with Kai-kun by that point, so once he joined it became the 5 members we have now.

- At that time, what kind part did you think a bassist had?
I thought they should stand out (laugh). I thought I should move around a lot when I played my phrase. I wanted people to think, "Wow, this bassist moves a lot"...like that. Nothing about wanting to support the band (laugh). I wanted people to say, "He's like a guitarist, huh". But at that time, everyone was like that. No one thought that someone should be more in the background for the sake of the band (laugh). It was just like, "Go for it all at once!" (laugh).

- There's a lot of bands who were like that at first (laugh). In 2003 Gazette began to stand out more, so what are your thoughts on that time?
We had joined a label and started appearing in magazines, while having lives at the same time, so more people found out about us. In the spring of 2003, we also had a coupling tour. On the first day, March 9th at Takadanobaba Area, there were about 90 people, but on the May 6th final (Shibuya O-West), about 280 people came. Also, on the day of the final we talked about a oneman performance on January 16th, 2004 at Shibuya AX. Our manager at the time said, "At the rate people are coming, by January you'll have 1,800 people at Shibuya AX." I got goosebumps when I heard that, but I didn't feel like it was real. I thought, "Yeah, that probably won't happen." (laugh). At that point I thought 280 people would be a miracle (laugh).

- Even if it's not a miracle, 1,800 people is almost six times that amount, after all.
Yeah. After we started talking about that, we didn't have any oneman lives. We would have two-band lives or perform at events. We began to travel the region a little more. Then, during the summer we decided to really do Shibuya AX. We actually didn't think it would be filled up or anything, but when I peeked out from behind the curtain it was totally full. I think I was more nervous that day than I've ever been in my life. My legs were shaking and everything. But I did understand the feeling of playing at a larger area, and how good it feels (laugh). I thought that maybe we'll try to change the world a little. But at that time there was a feeling that we had been brought there, not that we had gotten there ourselves. Because of that a kind of fire had been lit in the band, but in the end it worked out well. After that, starting from April 2004 we had our first oneman tour, and we were able to create more sound. It was also at that time when I started realizing what a bassist should be like. The first place on the tour was Fukuoka, but our manager at the time had gotten mad at us. After the live he was like, "Isn't something different?". I don't remember what he told the other members, but he told me "You're too far forward!". At first I was like, "What?", but after a while I got it. I had never been told that before, so I didn't know. After that I decided to stand back a little. It was at that time when I started thinking about where I should stand.

- I guess you had recieved some good advice at a good time. If there was one song at that time that became a turning point for you, what would it be?
Probably [DIS]. When we started aiming for a better mood, that was the first song we brought out. I think it was October of 2003, but that was when more and more people started raising their fists and things like that. Perfoming that song live also began to influence our sound afterwards. So because of that I think it was a turning point. We also gradually stopped messing around so much. We did that a lot at first. I can't belive it now, but in the middle of our oneman live there was a small break, and during that we'd play a comment video we had taken beforehand. And it was filled with us just messing around, doing impressions and stuff. We always played those during the break (laugh). We really did dumb stuff like that then. But eventually our feelings of "It's fine as long as it's fun" changed to "It should be cool". The visual part also changed, and we started to use harder things like studs and things like that.

- I think that the album NIL released in 2006 was when you changed the most.
That's true. Since then we've used more B tuning. But the reason was way before that. We joined PS Company and released consecutive CDs for about three months after May 2003. The day before we started recording for "Akuyuukai", which was released in June, we all gathered at Uruha's house. The conversation turned to, "Why don't we bring all of our strings down a note?", or "For tomorrow's recording, should we do this?" kinda thing...all of a sudden (laugh). Things started changing after that. I think the increase in our tuning variations created the present Gazette.

- Your sound became heavier, the visual style became more manly, but I think the fact that you left a luxurious feeling became charactaristic of the GazettE.
Yeah, I guess because we're not too guyish. Cool has a lot of different meanings, so we want to show a lot of different forms of cool. Because we've always done whatever we wanted to at the time. We've never said things like, "This song doesn't sound like Gazette", we just do whatever we think sounds good. That also expanded after we started using different tuning. I think in the future we'll continue to show a lot of different faces as well. How should I say it...there are rails that our senpais put up, right? If there are kouhais that go above those, I think there are also kouhais that digress from them and put up a different rail. For us, even if we digress we don't want to go in a completely different direction, but we want to continue the rail that our senpais put up...a really thick rail.

- I'm looking forward to it. After getting more and more popular, Gazette then performed at Budokan on May 7th, 2006.
That's right. When we started talking about Budokan I thought, "It's finally here, huh".

- When you heard about Budokan, did you think that as a band and as a bassist, now would be a good time?
Well, we discussed it a lot. While on the ferry during our tour (laugh). Plus the water was really rough, so I got seasick too (laugh). But we thought that if we were going to do it, we would have to decide now. Then we got the staff together and talked about it. About 4,500 people had come to the International Forum, but there were people who pointed out that 10,000 people was a lot different than one or two thousand. But we were able to do Shibuya AX, which we didn't think was possible, as well as Yaon and Shibuya 2 Days. I thought, "We should go for it." Plus I was getting really seasick and I felt like throwing up (laugh). Anyway, I just wanted to lay down and go to sleep, so I was just like "Let's do it!" (laugh). And then it was decided (laugh).

- So that rough ocean also helped push the GazettE forward (laugh). How was it when you were onstage at Budokan?
Before Budokan we had been on a long tour of 34 places, and a lot had happened on it. There was something regarding the encores that we wanted to show, and there were about 2 times when we didn't do one. It's becoming as if encores are a given thing, isn't it. So there were a few times when we thought, "What is this? It doesn't sound like an encore." For us, we just want to get things energized during the main part. Then afterwards, go even higher with the encore...we felt that strongly. In order for that to be understood, we decided not to do one. I'm pretty sure it was at Kumamoto. Of course, I know there were some people who were seriously calling for an encore. But we think that if it doesn't become one big wave, it doesn't feel like our live. So as much as it hurt, we didn't do it. And the surveys that we read afterwards were amazing. Like, "Don't be so full of it, bastards", "Who do you think you are?", or "Don't treat us like that!" kinda thing. But I still think not doing an encore was the right choice. It was different after that, though. Since it was that kind of tour, Budokan was really important. For the fans too, it wasn't all fun. Because of what we did, there was sadness and anger as well. So it was a final at the end of those experiences. I think it really made an impression on everyone.

- At the end all the members started crying, didn't they.
We did. It was really suprising. Going along with the end of the live, the impact of it just spilled out, and none of us knew that kind of thing would happen. I was crying at that point. I just saw the faces of the staff members and started crying in a second. Because I had talked. In a lot of ways, Budokan made the greatest impression on me. I was the most nervous at Shibuya AX, and Budokan made the biggest impression. For Budokan I felt that we had made it there ourselves. We weren't taken there, we had done it. So I wanted to become closer to the fans, and to understand each other better. Those feelings became even stronger.

- It's because of that attitude that I think Gazette has great fans. Then in 2007, it progressed into a monster band. Can you tell us what Gazette means to you?
Well...99% of me is Gazette. If it wasn't, I think even my personality would be different. I guess if there was no Gazette, the present me wouldn't exist either. I really love it...it's the band I want to continue with my whole life. It's my work, fun, and interests. All of me is in it. So for me, Gazette is a way of life. I think it's the most blessed band in the world. Our members, fans, and staff all make me think that. Basically, there aren't any bad people around us, only really great ones. I think we've grown up in that amazing kind of environment. Because of that, we need people to think "I'm definitely gonna follow these guys!". We have to become something that can pull along the fans and staff....is what I think. So I want the fans and staff to understand us even better.

- I think you have those feelings of wanting the fans and staff to understand you better because everyone is at an equal position. Because you aren't looking down on anyone, you feel a deep affection for the fans and staff.
That's true. But if it was out of 100, I would want them to understand about 50 (laugh). I don't want all 100 to be understood. 50 is plenty. The remaining 50 doesn't need to be known, and actually I think it's better that it's not (laugh). From the fans' point of view, there are a lot of people who would want to know everything. Everything about what Gazette does and what we think. But I don't think that's right. Saying everything you think and telling your lover every single day "I love you" is something Westerners do (laugh). Japanese people don't talk about things like that in the same way. And things are hard to convey with words. You can't feel with words, so it's fine. I just don't want to be misunderstood. Whenever I am, I want to say "That's not what I meant!", but I'm not good at putting things to words, and I can't say it well. So our real intent is in our recent activities, our music, lives, and what we talk about in magazines. Out of that, it'd be great if we could have half of us understood....is what I think.

- I think that's fine. So six years after forming the band, what is your image now of the perfect bassist?
Now, I think the bass is an all-purpose instrument. It creates a rhythm, but can also play the melody. A bassist can have a frontman position or be more towards the back. I think it's the most versatile position. If it was soccer, it would be the libero [sweeper]. They can do defense, offense, and midfield...kinda thing. When I think about it like that, I found out on this recent tour that there are even more things I can do.

- So completely different than at first when it was "How much you stand out".
That's true. Though I think it's fine if you stand out from the back. So there's not much point in being in front. I want to be able to say, "Even if I'm standing in the back, I'm in front!". I don't want to feel an actual distance. That's also why I leave the stage first after a live. I'm leaving my feelings behind. If I didn't, I would want to stay there forever. If I don't leave right after the song ends, who knows how many days I'll spend there...that's the extreme (laugh).

- You're an "unspoken aesthetics" kind of person, aren't you. You want to be understood and not misunderstood, but you don't want to explain everything from 1 to 100. The "Just understand from my actions" type, huh.
Yes. If I try to explain it, it won't end...or rather, depending on what I say there would be more people who would misunderstand, and it would keep looping like that. So in the end, what I wanted to say became even harder to understand (laugh). I know there are people who think, "Just say it", but I'll only say what's necessary.

- I see. You have had a lot of dreams come true with Gazette, but what is your dream now?
My dream....if I start explaining it won't end, but I guess if it's a dream for the near future, my goal is Tokyo Dome. That's as far as performance areas go, anyway. For that I want to gain even more friends. Rather than selling 100,000 CDs and having 10,000 people come to a live, I would want to sell 50,000 CDs and have those 50,000 people come. I want to become that kind of band. So there's no need for Gazette to be a band that everyone knows about. Whenever I peek out from behind the curtain, to see so many comrades....I want to be like that.

------------------------

ok, i have to say. if i went to a recent gazeconcert and they played clips of themselves acting like total retards backstage, i think i would die of happy. whats wrong with doing that D:

and yeah, i'll probably do the kai one too, lol. i actually haven't even looked at the interview, i just finished going "is that kai? how is that kai?? what happened to him?! what is this sexyness al;skdfja;sldkfja;sdf" for like twenty minutes, soo...might as well ^^

Interview Uruha the Gazette

Uruha likes alcohol. Too likes.
He likes teasing Kai.
For his free time he likes to stay at home and cut video clips at his PC.
Uruha has older sister whom he has not good relationships with.
In high school he was the one who likes visual kei.
He often thinks about death. Too often.
Uruha and Rita have been friends for more than 15 years.

About Uruha by other members:

What is your first impression of Uruha?
Ruki: His face looked gentle, but I though he was a big brother of heavy metal.
Kai: It was just the first impression anyway. I thought he was lack of personality charm.
All: (laughter)
Kai: Actually, I thought he was a supporting technician and Aoi was the solo guitarist.
Reita: I have known him for a long time. We met each other at the suburb soccer club. My first impression of him is just “what a blushing”. (laugh)
Aoi: I first met Uruha among the other members. I was waiting him at my friend’s home and I heard the door opened. When I turned around I saw a heavy metal guy standing there. That’s my first impression.

Uruha’s expression: What’s that?! You guys! (grumbling himself)

What are Uruha’s strong and weak points?
Ruki: The good point is that he acts like a big brother, and that’s what he so-called himself as well. (laugh) And he is gentle too. The weak point is that he forgets what he said very soon. I hope he can take the responsibility of his own words.
Reita: What is this? Stand on yourself!
Ruki: But Uruha is looking here through the sunglasses. (smirk)
Kai: He is someone very passionate with music. When it’s just the two of us, “I am just like this! I think on that way!”, he will speak of himself seriously. “Do like this! Should do like that!” It’s good to always be the pioneer.

And the weak point is……
Reita: Kai kun, be tough! What are you afraid of? [Uruha seems terrified to the others…]
Kai: Okay, I’ll try my best. (sweat) It’s awful that he is stubborn and will not change his idea.
Ruki: God! You said it loud. (laugh)
Reita: Good point is, don’t judge by his appearance, he is actually a hardworking person. About the weak point, didn’t he said I am too talkative and don’t listen to him at all in my interview? But he is also just talking of himself all the time.
Ruki: Oh, no. We are now turning into a malicious talk.
Aoi: The good point is he can talk a lot with me about music without hesitation. And the bad point is just like the others said, he is a little impetuous. And I like to drink slowly, but Uruha get drunk very soon and go teasing people.

Do you have things like “Please keep your mind on that! Please stop doing this!” that you want to tell Uruha?
Ruki: He is a nice person indeed. But why must he dug out things from ages to speak of? And everytime I go to his home, he will make me watch our first live video.
All: (laugh)
Ruki: It really made my stomach twist by watching that, so I told him everytime that I don’t want to watch that. But then he would have that brilliant big smile on his face, and I felt so melancholy. I hope he can throw that away.

It can be done by giving it to the manager?
Ruki: That’s also…disturbing…It’d be the best to let me keep it.
Kai: I hope he can have more interest in me. No matter what I talked to him, I found his face was just emotionless. It would be fine to tell me “It’s boring” if he felt like that, but he had no reaction at all.
Reita: Ahh! I am so sorry for that. How come Uruha has no interest in Kai? I am sorry if he said something bad, Kai kun. I will talk about this with him.
Kai: I will count on you then
Reita: May be Uruha is too self-paced. And it takes him so long in the shower, it takes long time to dry his hair, long, long, long, why is everything takes him so long?
All: (nodding)
Aoi: Uruha and Kai were playing games beside me when I was writing songs. Actually it doesn’t matter that they were playing games. But Uruha would keep talking about the games with Kai kun when I was working seriously beside. That’s really distracting so please stop doing that.
Reita: And you (Kai) too!.
Kai: Err, I am sorry. (sweat)

Here is the corner of instant dialogue.
Ruki: The question is asked through the editor, right. Sure, what are you scared of? (smile)

Uruha’s expression: (Taking off the sunglasses and staring at the members)

Ruki: Uruha always acts like he is usual, especially to me and Reita, like we are some wired people. He said his style is “street casual”. And sometimes ago we are on the street in Shibuya, there is a villain said, “Hair! Long.” I want to know what did Uruha think at that time. And where does his moral of “big brother” come form?
Uruha: Isn’t that good? (get serious suddenly)
Ruki: Well, if he think so. I am just curious of that.
Kai: Uruha is too self-confident. He once said himself looks like imai tsubasa or takizawa kun. I want to know what does it make he think he looks like them?
Uruha: Kai doesn’t understand me much. What is the problem to look like them? My sister said my hair style looks like takki before, and I was really happy about that.
Kai: Ah, I got it then, you mean hair style. I can understand that. My question is cleared, next please. (smile)
Reita: Mine is similar to Ruki’s. In winter, I wore my favorite jacket which I brought earlier, but Uruha didn’t want to walk with me on the street. It’s liked he thought himself is the usual one and looked at me like some weirdo. Didn’t he want to go out with me for just a while?
Uruha: But that’s a jacket with a green skull! Can I really walk with him?
Reita: That’s why I took it off.
Ruki: didn’t you still wore it before?
Reita: Not this winter. I want to say something here. Please don’t pick on other people’s wearing.
Uruha: I got it. I won’t say that anymore.
Aoi: I want to know why Uruha likes to occupy the bed everytime when he stay overnight at people’s home?
Uruha: Because human beings are meant to sleep on the bed.
Aoi: Why does the owner of the bed has to sleep under the bed?
Uruha: I think the owner has his right over his property. The owner also has the right to tell me not to sleep on the bed when he doesn’t want me to. What is the problem of sleeping on the bed if you don’t tell me?
Aoi:…………Ok…I got it.

Is there any difference when it’s just two of you instead of all being together?
Ruki: Scrupulous. He has high tension when everybody is around.[Japanese refer “tension” as vitality rather than nervousness.] If he says I am chiyu-kei[Type of person that can comfort the others, their existence can make the other feel relax.], then I am going to roll on his bed for him. (laugh) And please bring me to somewhere fun more often like the old times.
Kai: No matter we are all there or it’s just the two of us, he is indomitable all the time. Both Uruha and me like playing games, he won’t stop until he finally win. And he won’t admit it if I win.
All: (laugh)
Reita: Uruha is the only one that can talk world affair with me, that’s the topic that the others won’t talk about. We talked about the war ardently some times before, and it changes into a malicious talk of the other members.
Ruki: Really?
Aoi: What’s that about?
Kai: Just as expected…… (sweat)
Reita: That’s right. So you guys would better put a bug on us! The atmosphere is embarrassed. (smile)
Reita: Okay, okay. Of course we wouldn’t say something like that, we love you guys so much.
Aoi: Well, Anyway. When it’s just me and Uruha……
Ruki: There wasn’t times of just two of you right?
Aoi: Yeah (smirk). It’s only when we two practicing guitar. His eyes was so sparkling at that time.

What makes you feel cool of Uruha recently?
Ruki: He has been more attractive……

Hum? No more illustration?
Ruki: Because he looked terrified staring at me(sweat)
Kai: He started calling me recently. He wouldn’t call me at all even about matters of the band before. But I saw more of his name on my call-in list currently, I am quite glad of that.
Reita: He will get mad at the pedestrians when he is driving, I hope he can stop behaving like that. That’s not something cool at all. (smile)
Aoi: I always think he is stiff by observation. But he became more attractive and desirable on stage now. I won’t give in to him.

At last, please say a sentence to Uruha.
All: We love you.
Reita: We talked a lot of this and that, but those are all comments of love.
Ruki: We wouldn’t have said that much if we don’t love him indeed.

Reita X Ruki Is Canon! [In the GazettE Interview]

about Reita angry at Ruki because he messed his room [but Reita also messep up Ruki's room ^^ baka isn't it?]

then about Ruki very hungry and buying 2 burger, he ate one and he save one for later. but when he wanted to eat the burger, it's gone. Ruki gets a bad mood and sleep [hahha, so sensitive, ne?] but Reita keeps asking him, "Are you hungry? You want to eat?" and he always ask that for straight 2 years. Ruki thought that Reita teased him, but Reita only try to be caring to Ruki [so sweet!!]

then on Gazette's first impression on Ruki:

Reita said when he visit Ruki's house, Ruki will take off his coat and hang it. Reita also said that he want to MARRY Ruki if Ruki keep doing these kind of thing! hahha Ruki will be a good wife, ne? M A R R Y ?