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➤The whole interview is divided into 8 topics, and the translation is divided into 4 parts. This is the third part, including the 5th topic.
※The five members were interviewed separately and then edited into a video, so the words spoken by each of them are not necessarily coherent.
※[ ] are timemarks.
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{tocify} $title={Table of Contents}
05. Member Feature [31:25]
[薰 Kaoru] [31:32]
- - Memories of the Band Formation
Kaoru：Even ONE MAN LIVE, we still didn’t have the budget to decorate the stage. But we still wanted it, so we went to TOKYU HANDS* and bought Styrofoam, flower decorations, and wire or something like that. It’s fun that we all made stage decorations in the house together.
(*Note: “TOKYU HANDS” is a Japanese chain of home-based department stores specializing in selling DIY products.)
- - Something of Recent Interest
Kaoru：I am often asked, but I can’t think of anything. I don’t want to do anything when I get home. This month, in June, “Neon Genesis Evangelion” (the movie) will be released, and I really like it.
Kaoru：It’s almost over, of course I also want to see it earlier, but after watching it is really over. I’m a little happy that it’s going to be postponed, that it won’t be released this year (2020), and that I won’t be able to watch it.
(Staff: Emotionally, you still can’t accept it.)
Kaoru：Yeah, yeah, it will feel like it’s not the end yet.
- - Opportunity for Solo Exhibition
(*Screen caption: Kaoru held a solo exhibition”ノウテイカラノ”in 2019.)
Kaoru：The reason for the exhibition is that a few years ago my hands started to become a bit uncomfortable and I couldn’t hold the pick properly to play the guitar, so I had to put the pick on my fingers with tape*. As a kind of rehabilitation, I started to draw and try to show some random things, but the story is not yet that rich.
(*Note: Around 2014, Kaoru’s hands began to show signs of abnormalities, which were diagnosed to be the occupational disease, caused by relaxation of the ligaments of the muscles or joints.)
- - The Origin of「ノウテイカラノ」(“nouteikarano”)
Kaoru：When I was a child, I often had a dream. I don’t know if it was the sky or the ground, but there was a pure white place, and from far away, I could see a lot of dots, as if there was a large group of things coming closer and closer, and in an instant, they all swarmed towards me.
Kaoru：Every night I would dream about it, and then I woke up with a start. I wake up every time I dream about it, and what happens after that? I imagine what happens after that, try to draw a picture like this, go back to my mind at that time and imagine it.
(*Note: According to Kaoru’s scend book “Dokugen ni” (published in 2018) P.85, "ノウテイカラノ” means “脳底からの” (born from inside the head), just written in katakana.
- - Influence on the Band
Kaoru：At first, I wanted to draw with a different feeling, and I felt that my creative power was stimulated, so I thought I could compose with a different feeling. But, rather, it seems to be more difficult to make a song. (laughs)
...
[ Shinya ] [34:12]
- - The Person You Admire
Shinya：I’ve been in a band since my first year of middle school. X was very popular in the class, and YOSHIKI-san’s presence was very strong. At that time I decided to become a drummer like him, and I’ve always looked up to YOSHIKI-san since then.
- - Memories of the Band Formation
Shinya：We used to compose in a studio in Osaka. There was a container-like studio, and I remember we stayed there for 3 or 4 days, composing the song together. The studio was rented, and we slept there under the blankets.
Shinya：I never understood why we had to share a room*. The studio was in Osaka and we could just go home, so why did we have to spend the night there? I guess other members might have felt the same way.
(*Shinya used the word “gashuku, 合宿”)
- - Reason for Not Changing the Style
Shinya：There are people who have liked me for a long time. Also, I can feel the beauty by keeping my old look, and that’s why (I don’t change my look)
- - Opportunity to Start Solo Project
(*Screen caption: Shinya established the music group “SERAPH” in 2017.)
Shinya：The concept was already there many years ago, but I felt that it was a bit taboo to have other band activities, so I didn’t do anything. But around 2012 or 2013, I started to think that it was okay, so I went into it with the intention of trying it out.
- - The Concept of “SERAPH”
Shinya：The theme is the various things that I see from heaven, about human beings, and that’s what I’m expressing.
- - Influence on the Band
Shinya：The drum part is the same as DIR EN GREY. After all, it’s an expression of my own creation. In this respect, when I think of the drums of DIR EN GREY, there may still be some influence.
- - Things learned from “SERAPH”
Shinya：I have to do a lot of things by myself in SERAPH, booking all kinds of things and so on. I’m quite happy to do it myself, or maybe I’m doing it because I like it. But looking at these, seeing Diru’s behind-the-scenes production process, I still feel it’s not easy, DIR EN GREY is really amazing.
...
[ Die ] [36:59]
- - Opportunity to Go into the Band
Die：I wasn’t that interested in music itself before. I like listening to music, but I don’t know anything about the bands. After entering high school, I saw the performance of senpais’ copy band at the cultural festival. I was dragged there by my friends, and it was a shock to me. The first time I saw a live performance, I realized that it’s the band.
Die：Although I had no interest in it, I wanted to do something while watching it, and I formed a band with my friend immediately after the show was over. There was no one else (in the band). I was a drummer at first. (laughs) But it’s boring to play rhythm all the time at home. After all, guitar is a melodic instrument, and there is an amplifier. I guess the guitar is more attractive to me.
- - Memories of the Band Formation
Die：When we first debuted, we spent the whole day in the conference room of the record company, signing posters, changing signatures, and so on. Filming also started at 6 a.m., and it took about 3 hours for a person to put on makeup, it’s usually over time at the end. I remember these things very well.
- - Something of Recent Interest
Die：In my daily life, I naturally see and hear things like the Japanese music industry, and it feels really peaceful.
- - Opportunity to Start Solo Project
(*Screen caption: Die founded the rock band “DECAYS” in 2015.)
Die：As far as music is concerned, it’s something I can’t do at DIR EN GREY. I wanted to try and see how far I could go without the DIR EN GREY label. There is a part of me that wants to do it myself, or to challenge it.
- - Things learned from “DECAYS”
Die：At first I felt like I had to make some changes, but instead, I felt like I was losing myself. In the end, I found that it is best to be myself, in the next process.
...
[ Toshiya ] [39:23]
- - Opportunity to Start Playing Bass
Toshiya：Originally, I just wanted to be a guitarist, but I didn’t think I could play very well. At that time, I was thinking about what to do, and then I was attracted to the bass. I felt like I could see my future.
Toshiya：There are many people who are called “Guitar Heroes”, but few people remember “Bass Heroes”. That means there is still room for me to develop, so I thought I would play bass.
- - Memories of the Band Formation
Toshiya：When our band first formed, four members came to my hometown. It was winter and there was still snow on the ground. They all came from Kansai and rarely saw snow*. I was very impressed by how excited they were to see snow.
(*Toshiya’s hometown is Nagano. It is said that Toshiya’s mother took the picture at the time and still keeps it at home in Nagano :D 👉read more on tumblr )
- - Favorite Artists
Toshiya：I like painting. Vincent van Gogh and Francis Bacon, I like both of them very much. The world of painting is usually a mixture of truth and fiction.
- - Opportunity to Start the Apparel Brand
(*Screen caption: Fashion brand with Toshiya as creative director - DIRT)
Toshiya：I think music and fashion are inseparable and both are very attractive. Music should be free to express itself, and in the same way, fashion should be free, too.
Toshiya：When it comes to expressing oneself, everyone chooses what is acceptable to most people*. I don’t like that, I think we should listen to our own thoughts more
(*Toshiya used the word “migimuke migi, 右向け右”)
- - Influence on the Band
Toshiya：Even if I’m designing clothes, I end up having something to do with music. Although this is a completely different field, it will eventually return to music and bands.
...
[ 京 Kyo ] [41:39]
- - The Person You Admire
Kyo：There are a lot of them. Now I’m not just targeting one person. When I was young, there were a lot of senpais that I wanted to become like them. But it’s been more than 20 years, so now I don’t take them as a target, just be myself.
- - Interested Artists
Kyo：Haven’t there “Kimetsu no Yaiba (鬼滅の刃)” recently? I haven’t read it yet, it’s super popular, isn’t it? Generally speaking, if the sales are so good, it is difficult to end the series, right? There will be a variety of entanglements, such as the life afterwards, there are many to consider.
Kyo：I think it’s great to end the series like this, to end it at this time, with a sense of strength and determination. So if there is a follow-up manga in the future, I would like to read it.
- - Opportunity to Start Solo Project
(*Screen caption: Kyo founded the rock band “sukekiyo” in 2013.)
Kyo：The things I want to do often keep popping up. I think it’s a shame not to do it, and I don’t want to regret it.
- - Influence on the Band
Kyo：I don’t think so, but I feel less stressed (after the solo project). People who like DIR EN GREY say to me, “Don’t bring sukekiyo to DIR EN GREY!” Sometimes people say that, and I’m not going to do that.
Kyo：I was asked why (I want to form a sukekiyo), “Diru can do it, right?” It’s because I can’t do it (in Diru) that I want to do it! I don’t know what criteria they used to say that Diru can do it, but I didn’t do what I could do (in Diru). If you finish what you want to do one by one, you will be less stressed out.
(To be continued...)
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