Changes

Nepenthes’ stinging blog post about “instafans” got me thinking. Tetsu, Ken and Yuki are not Hyde’s backup band. L’Arc~en~Ciel is an entity to itself, with all four members playing vital parts.

Because of this we’re in the process of making Mesmerized a Hyde only site, highlighting just his solo projects, and have created a fansite for the whole band called, Get Out From the Shell.

On Mesmerized this will mostly effect the sidebar. Soon we'll be removing the L'Arc links (they're already at Get Out From the Shell). We also won’t review L’Arc concerts here anymore. And, instead of featuring a “Live of the Week,” we’ll have permanent links to a number of Hyde’s performances.

Before we make the change, though, I’m going to include one last L’Arc live that I came across today on YouTube. It is a fantastic performance of Route 666 . The band is simply on fire. And Hyde’s performance is pure shmexiness.

So enjoy. It will be in the sidebar for the next week or so. And thanks to GankiL1 for uploading it.

Faith Tour Goods

Tofu announced that the confirmed merchandise for sale at the concerts will include: FAITH CD (U.S. version), FAITH t-shirt and wristband. They added there should also be some “cool posters and whatnot.”

Merch will be available at Tofu’s website, too (also at Anime Expo). The release date is to be announced.

Also, for those who are interested, J-XYZ.com now has FAITH t-shirts, wristbands, face towels, shopping bags, the Faith Tour Book and, get this, Hyde Gummies, for pre-order.

Concert tickets still available!

Tofu is offering the opportunity to purchase tickets to two Hyde concerts: The Fillmore, 7/6/2006 and the House of Blues Sunset Strip, 7/3/06.

The first 100 registered forum members to reply to Tofu’s posts (50 replies per concert) will be eligible to purchase a pair of tickets from ticketmaster.com, with special access provided by Tofu Records. Click on the above links for more info.

More band photos

Here are more recent pics of Hyde's band from the Faith Tour Book.

You can preorder the Faith Tour Book at J-XYZ.com

How high can he go?

They’re having an interesting discussion on Hydeist about how high Hyde can sing and what his range is (some say 4 octaves). zeli17 posted this helpful info:

You know of course that the octaves start at C, so the notes in one octave, depending on the key, of course, cycle CDEFGABC. C4 is middle C. If you go to the piano, it's most likely dead center. It's marked as one line below the staff. C5 is the third space on the staff (Musing inserts: that's one octave above middle C). Almost all female singers can sing this. C6 is the second line above the staff. Most people can't sing this. C7 is like, whistle tone. o-o;

In Hitomi no Jyuunin he sings an A5. That's really close to the end of the octave, as you can see.

Anemone = E5 This is also one of his higher notes.

Jesus Christ = D5

Season's Call = Bb4

Perfect Blue = C5

White Feathers = D5

Dive to Blue = Eb5 The third highest? xD;

Twinkle Twinkle = B4

If it gives you some idea, Christina Aguilera got the deal for the song Reflection because she could sing an Eb... same Eb that hyde sings in Dive to Blue.

Thank you shinjiteiru's mom

Seems I'm not the only one who became a Hyde fan because my daughter introduced me to him. shinjiteiru converted her mom and then she asked about the other band members in his solo project.

Glad she did, because here are pics of KAZ (above far right) Furuton (below left) and Hiroki (below right) thanks to nepenthes59.

Also, click here and here for parts of interviews with them during 666 (click on links then the right bottom corner of images to enlarge).

Apparently Furuton and Hyde were too nervous to even speak to each other when they first met. And Hiroki says Hyde has a "silent fire inside him" and also is like "a carnivorous lesser panda...cute, but very quick and dangerous."

We aim to please

Someone visited Mesmerized searching for Season’s Call screen caps.
Here they are thanks to fangels-icons.

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Preorder FAITH at Amazon.com or VH-1 Shop

Preorder FAITH

Amazon.com has FAITH available for preorder. It’s $17.98 (includes bonus DVD w/Countdown and Season’s Call Pv’s).

The VH-1 Shop has the CD/DVD for only $13.59. I’ve never ordered from them before but that’s a great price.

FAITH will be released in the U.S. June 27, 2006.

Back up and running

FYI--Pieces and Tofu’s forums are both working again.

Also, Tofu's admin says more Hyde info will be announced Tuesday, May 30. No new concert dates, though.

The great usefulness of speculation for mental life lies in its thus suspending practice and introducing consideration. ~Samuel Alexander

in_my_death_guise (who btw has a gazillion Hyde icons, also ones of Johnny Depp and Ewan McGregor, but I digress) posed a question on Hydeist asking if Hyde’s symbol (top image) has any connection to the one in The Da Vinci Code (bottom image), the movie my friend Julie really liked and my friend Novel really hated.

On Hydeist uzumakisama suggested Hyde’s symbol looked like the one for the planet Saturn. Members of the ARK have mentioned the Foundation of Humankind, a stamen/pistil of a flower, and the “H” of Hyde’s name depicted to resemble half a heart.

Any other ideas out there?

Hyde in Taiwan AZIOPOP

Niji88 kindly uploaded clips from the 2002 Taiwanese show, AZIOPOP.

In Part One Hyde tours a museum, tries a couple of instruments (one being a mandolin, I think?) and eats some native cuisine.

Part Two is mostly an interview where the interviewers talk too much and Hyde too little. Additional clips from the museum tour are shown then Hyde is presented with a gift, where he says in English, “Present? Oh, my god. Thank you.”

Also, I have to admit, Hyde’s little smiles and quizzical looks throughout make both nine minute clips especially worthwhile.

Kagen no Tsuki screen caps

The lovely ranaeressea just uploaded 800, that’s right, 800 quality caps from the film Kagen no Tsuki . All she asks in return is that you comment if you take them.

Great bargain, I say.

Hydeist entry 2006/05/25(Thurs)

Thanks to Insomnia for translating the most recent Hydeist entries.

Hyde writes of traveling in Japan, chasing the cherry blossom front, and, what else, food. And Hyde, the farmer?

Here’s the link (No.15071).

Could someone, like, pay me to blog about Hyde 24/7?

There's so much info on the Internet. Hyde is busy. His fans are busy.

For instance, Ladychris uploaded the English Ensembles versions of Angel's Tale, Shallow Sleep and Evergreen.

These are different arrangements from the originals and are simply breathtaking. (thanks to bailey59 for posting the above pic on the ARK)

* * * * *

Buy different Roentgen versions at CD Japan

Which Hyde hairstyle are you?

I don’t always like quizzes like these but this one is really funny.

Are you long & natural Hyde, short & natural Hyde, short & spiky Hyde, slick, tame blonde, wild blonde or something else entirely Hyde?

Answer questions about how you make a sandwich and do your laundry and find out.

Welcome JDorama people

Dr. Jackal mentioned Mesmerized in a 397 page JDorama L’Arc~en~Ciel thread, and we’ve had a bunch of new readers today because of it.

Everyone please make yourselves at home and visit us again sometime!

Hyde hearts food?

These are from a “date” photo shoot L’Arc did around 1996/97.

(Thanks to KawaiLarc)

Grand Cross Tour Shi no Hai

Thanks to Koiji for uploading the 1999 Grand Cross live performance of Shi no Hai. Fabulous!

* * * * *

Buy the DVD (requires Region 2 or Regionless DVD player)

Hyde and Dan Brown

Eleonora reports (No.15000) that Hyde is reading The Da Vinci Code.

I’ve read the book and also studied the issues it raises. It's definitely a work of fiction and sometimes makes the mistake of treating certain interpretations of evidence as actual fact, but still, it touches on honest historical and theological questions (it’s also a real page-turner!).

So, it pleases me to hear that Hyde’s reading the book. I think it’s a good thing to explore both fiction and nonfiction when learning about something (for example, when studying existentialism I read scholarly articles and The Plague by Camus).

Also, for any who might be interested, here’s a good site for online texts of historical Early Christian Writings.

Newtype USA interview

A huge thank you to kookalu for sharing the recent Hyde interview in the June issue of Newtype USA.

In it Hyde talks about when he became interested in gothic imagery, how he met KAS, the way they produce songs together, and why he recorded FAITH in L.A. It ends with these two questions:

Newtype USA: You're about to head back to the US for solo concerts. What are you looking forward to on this trip?

HYDE: We went to Baltimore [for L'Arc~en~Ciel's 2004 performance at Otakon], I was moved by the sense of unity I felt, like everyone was transcending boundaries of race and coming together under music. That's something I'd like to feel again with my own band. I also want to share my brand of rock with an American audience and give them a taste of how Japanese rock has progressed.

Newtype USA: Do you have a message for overseas fans?

HYDE: I've always loved American hard rock, and it makes me very happy that my album is being released in America. And then to get the chance to put on live concerts to promote that album... well, I honestly don't know what else I could wish for. I hope all of you can make it to a show.

Newtype USA // June 2006 Issue // Volume 05, Number 06

Whatever you say, Haido-san

In the Faith interview, Hyde also talks about music freeing us and allowing us to express emotions. He mentions tribal dancing in Africa but says that these days that kind of freedom can be repressed and looked upon as embarrassing behavior. At his live concerts, though, there isn’t embarrassment, so “even dancing na.ked would be fine.”

Now would be a good time to read the recent addition to the sidebar

The part where it says posts on Mesmerized only reflect the opinions of the individual writers. We won't always agree with each other, and there may be times when our readers disagree with us. We're all free to express different views in the comments, as long as we do it respectfully.

Eleonora on the ARK just posted a translation of Hyde’s Faith interview (No.14994.) After Hyde talks about the theme of the song, Jesus Christ (the conflict of a parent who believes in a God who does nothing to save a dying child), he says he finds that kind of faith strange but wonders how his life might be different if he could bring himself to that level of trust. He adds, though, that he doesn’t understand why God would punish His creation with tsunami or earthquakes, but if it’s only the laws of Nature that would make sense.

I sympathize with Hyde's questions. Biblical writers believed God did punish us through natural disasters. I used to think that way, too, but I don't anymore. So, now I'm left with the idea of a God who, instead of sending disaster, just stands by and watches and doesn't do much to help. Philosophers and theologians have been grappling with the concept of a seemingly distant God for centuries (Bonhoeffer comes to mind). Hyde is in good company.

On a different note, I love Hyde’s answer when asked if music had the power to change the world. He says he thinks it’s impossible to bring world peace through music. That if it could have been done it would have been by John Lennon. Still, he’s seen the awareness of fans change during L’Arc performances.

“I don't think I'll go as far as changing the world,” he says. “But because those people are thinking about peace, then maybe they'll teach it to the people near them.”

Amen to that.

Awesome

Click here for fantastic Faith Tour Book scans

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Preorder the Faith Tour Book at J-XYZ.com

Win a trip to see Hyde!

From Shojo Beat:

HYDE, the vocalist of the band L'Arc~en~Ciel is set to rock California this summer on his first solo tour! Like any magazine worth its pulp, Shojo Beat has exclusive tickets that we want to give to you, our beloved fans! Win one of two sets of tickets to see HYDE live at Slim's in San Francisco, plus airfare and accommodation for you and your guest! You'll also receive an autograph of the artist!

To enter, see page 280 of the June 2006 issue of Shojo Beat for details. The deadline is June 15, so hurry!!

“So perfect, this moment"

Ikuni and I were coming home from her drama class. As I pulled in the driveway I saw something brown on the porch, pointed and said, “Box!” Hardly waiting for the car to stop, Ikuni climbed out, tore up the front walk and snatched it greedily. A huge grin told me that FAITH had arrived from CD Japan!

Within ten minutes my copy was burned and we were both listening to the album in our respective rooms (we have this thing about hearing new music for the first time alone).

During the next few weeks I’ll talk about each song individually but, for now, I’ll give my overall impression--AMAZING. The music is great and the lyrics poetic and thoughtful, but Hyde’s vocals...in the opening track when he sings, “They call me crazy but it won’t matter,” I got chills, the soaring chorus of Season’s Call brought tears to my eyes (even though I’d already heard the single many times), and his falsetto in Perfect Moment is just that--perfect.

I was reminded again that it’s the sound of Hyde’s voice that moves me most. The emotion, the range, the vulnerability. He is a unique talent, and I’m so glad to have discovered him and his music.

And to think I didn’t know he existed a year ago. His voice has been such a constant in my life, it seems I’ve been listening for a decade.

No walls - embrace a world as one

Where music will guide us, guitars instead of guns

We'll play in harmony, it should be so easy

Come and dance with me

And just in case...

...there’s someone who hasn’t heard: Tofu Records is releasing FAITH in the United States June 27!!

Recent concerts

According to fans on 2chan, Hyde’s Manager wrote about some recent concerts. Here’s a summary:

KITAMI

Seems they wanted to go fishing but couldn’t rent any gear. Manager Fa was disappointed at not being able to see Hyde with fishing rods (thx to bailey59 for pic). He also said Hyde reminisced about a L’Arc concert there 11 years ago where they had a technical problem.

(Fans reported that Hyde said maybe it was the shirt he bought before the curse, so apparently to prevent more bad luck he took it off.)

ASAHIKAWA

Jin san got a nice gift for his birthday. Papers were distributed to the fans at the concert titled, "Surprise Project." Then during the encore, and at Hyde’s prompt, everyone sang Happy Birthday.

HAKODATE

The day of the concert, Takuro of the band, Glay, sent them lots of hamburgers from a well-known restaurant called Lucky Pierrot.

(Then fans reported that at the concert Hyde said he wanted to eat Lucky Pierrot hamburgers only from the Glay museum, but he didn't know the way so had called Takuro and asked, "And now, where?")

Read more at the ARK (posted by Eleonora No.14958)

Hotel Magic Arizona: Part Three

Part Three is my favorite of them all. I can’t quite explain why it makes me so happy to watch him flying down that hillside in a swirl of white.

Lastly, we get to see him sign his name--twice. And then he narrowly escapes the scary hotel people.

We interrupt this program to post one gorgeous photograph

(thanks to aoki p'unk

who posted this on the ARK)

Hotel Magic Arizona: Part Two

In Part Two an explanation of the previous restaurant scene in Part One is given, we get to see Hyde driving, and then there’s another random surprise (and I must say, Hyde would have made a good ballet dancer…notice the feet…pretty decent 5th position he's got going there).

Finally, Hyde makes it to the snowy slopes (and, forgive me, but is he adorable in that hat or what?) and actually does some snowboarding.

Near the end of the clip he meets professional snowboarder Narita Doumu and gets a private lesson.

Hotel Magic Arizona: Part One

Hail to Niji88 for uploading the whole English subtitled Hotel Magic Arizona segment.

In Part One L’Arc first performs Ready Steady Go. It doesn’t appear there’s an audience. It’s not a bad performance, but it seems Hyde feeds off a live crowd and you can tell when that element is missing.

Hyde and bandmates are then ushered into the hotel for “Hyde’s dream vacation,” which turns out to be a requested holiday filled with snowboarding.

Later, donning a pair of glasses and a yukata, a tipsy Hyde shows off his snowboard.

The next morning, and after walking the employee gauntlet, Hyde gets a surprise or two (and, my, the man can down his ramen).

I’m pleasantly surprised

Go from Jrocknyc gave FAITH the green smiley.

Now, I’m not surprised because the album doesn’t deserve it (it does!). I’m surprised because Go liked it. He seems, um, how shall I put it, a bit hard to please. Here’s his brief review:

An improvement over Hyde's previous solo albums, with a touch more aggression on a coupe tracks (Made in Heaven, Dolly) and what feels like a freer reign over his supporting musicians, so we get more of a band vibe, instead of the star-and-robot vibe common with a lot of solo albums. There's more to listen to in each song. :)

Roentgen Stories Screen Caps

Rána Eressëa capped some great pics from all four music videos

Evergreen
Angel’s Tale
Shallow Sleep
Secret Letters

Would you like to write for Mesmerized?

We’re looking for essays, reviews, translations--all about Hyde, of course!

Submissions should be professional quality, no more than about 1,500 words, and written in a conversational style (examples: review, essay). No stream of consciousness, fanfics or fangirling, please. Also, Musing is a published writer and will edit if needed.

We may not be able to use everything submitted and the only payment we can offer is to credit you in the post, but if you’d like to send us something to consider email us at: mesmerized[at]insightbb[dot]com

Thanks!

The manga version

I'm sure some of us would react that way if we were standing next to him

STV [Namaran] radio show
(Found via the ARK)

I love YouTube

Niji88 recently uploaded the whole Pusma game show segment with Hyde, Ken, and a guy named Smap.

It has a little bit of everything: drawing contests, candle blowing, octopi feeling, mental challenges, and the grand prize for the winner--food.

It’s in five parts. They’re all fun to watch but you must especially see the last one (smart guy, Hyde). Another plus--they're subtitled in English. Enjoy!

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5

Small feet, Big feet, Here come Hyde feet. ~Dr. Seuss, sort of

Pictorial additions to the foot discussion in the CD Data comments...

CD DATA May 2006

Eleonora posted a translation of the CD DATA May 2006 interview on the ARK message board. It’s post No. 14884.

In the interview Hyde talks about liking things devilish and things divine, why there are only 10 tracks on FAITH, how he’s an indoor person yet loves the bends and open spaces of a snowy sky slope, how much he enjoyed being in L.A. because he wasn’t recognized and didn’t have to hide his face, how he wants to own a souvenir shop of handicrafts one day, and that he has very stiff shoulders.

Oh, he also likes small, efficient things.

Evergreen

The featured live performance (in the sidebar) is Hyde singing Evergreen in English at a concert in Taiwan.

I read on the ARK that when Hyde was asked about the theme of Evergreen he said that while he was writing the song an old friend (the bassist in the first band he played in) passed away. He’d been ill for a while and had been in and out of the hospital many times. Hyde said he wrote the lyrics as if from his friend’s perspective, what he might have said to his wife before he died. Because of that, Hyde said, the song is warm and filled with love.

evergreen

i lie awake beside the windowsill
like a flower in a vase
a moment caught in glass

the rays of sunlight come and beckon me
to a sleepy dreamy haze
a sense of summer days

if only i could stop the flow of time
turn the clock to yesterday
erasing all the pain

i've only memories of happiness
such pleasure we have shared
i'd do it all again

the scenery is evergreen
as buds turn into leaves, the colours live and breathe
the scenery is evergreen
your tears are falling silently

so full of joy, you are a child of spring
with a beauty that is pure
an innocence endures

you flow right through me like a medicine
bringing quiet to my soul
without you i'm not whole

this scenery is evergreen
i need you far too much, i long to feel your touch
this scenery is evergreen
you've always been so dear to me

this scenery is evergreen
it sorrows at the sight of seeing you so sad
this scenery is evergreen
i wish that i could dry your tears

the bells have rung, the time has come
i cannot find the words to say my last goodbye
this scenery is evergreen
you've always been so dear to me

Also, for those who are interested, here's Hyde talking about Evergreen on MTV Store Corner 2002.08.11.

And here’s the Music Video (Japanese lyrics).

There are times when the only appropriate word is--wow

from the Faith Tour Book

(Thanks to My Sweet Haido)

Concert update

The Hollywood concert is SOLD OUT.

EDITED: The July 6th San Francisco show is now SOLD OUT.

A Review of Grand Cross Conclusion

Well, commentary, since what's to review--it's AMAZING.

I've promised this to Musing for awhile, but I didn't think it was fair to write about it until I could post some pics too. So I had to make myself watch it again very carefully, going over some parts again and again to grab the shot--oh, it was torture. That's how much I love you! HA HA! I'm sorry I don't have software to put the best songs up on You Tube, but I will work on that.

Grand Cross Conclusion--August 22, 1999 (plus clips from other dates)

First let me say, this and Awake are my two favorite concerts ever. The energy is wonderful and unlike Awake which has some serious themes which makes it a thoughtful concert, this one is mainly pure fun. The band is so happy, Hyde-san in particular. He's on top of the world and he knows it. This concert supported Ark and Ray which they released simultaneously (for anyone who doesn't know) and the two albums sat at the 1 and 2 positions on their charts. I think (and I may be wrong, so feel free to let me know) that they had four singles in the top ten between the two albums at one point. I've read that the big set on the stage cost 1 billion yen and that they played to 250,000 people. I don't know if that was per night, or all together, but I think this is the biggest crowd I've ever seen at a concert--the field seems to go on for 4 city blocks.

They open with "Trick" which you can see here and yes, they pop OUT OF THE STAGE. I admit to mixed feelings about "Trick". Some days I love it, some days I skip it, but it is a song designed to bring people to their feet (as if anyone was still sitting down). IN CAPA CITY! I want a T-shirt that says "I live IN CAPA CITY" and see who gets it. Whatever else one loves about Hyde, he is and has always been a master showman, from Claustrophobia on. The Japanese audience is screaming TRICK in perfect rhythm. Did I mention Hyde-san is HOT in this show and it's not even one of my favorite looks for him? He plays to the camera A LOT (see the picture from later in the show) He and Ken apparently coordinated outfits--sequined snakeskin. Tetsu is his fabulous neon self, even down to his hair and 5 inch platforms and Yukihiro is dressed as always for comfort and freedom of movement. Besides the metal space orb, there are giant statues of busty girls (I suspect a Ken contribution, but I could be wrong). Since the concert starts while the sun is still setting, Hyde's in sunglasses but you should hear the crowd scream when he takes them off! I screamed and I was home (ha ha).

"Trick" is followed by "Honey" and "Shi no Hai". There is much tongue action through the whole show but especially in this last song. He knows that his own smexiness is part of the reason the crowd is there, and for tonight, this night, he's proud of it. He grabs a tambourine for "It's the End" and runs from one end of the stage to the other, hoping and spinning. He never loses his breath. Then it's "Sell My Soul"--I always see you in my dreams! The stage is bathed in red light for "Ibara no Namida". It's during "Fate" that he gives up having his shirt buttoned at all. That gets a scream from the crowd as well. He crumples to the floor and keeps singing just like in the early concerts. Despite the seriousness of "Niji" he can't help but smirk a little when the crowd goes wild. On the Nani Mos's he's throttling the stand so hard you think he's going to break it or himself. He ends slumped over his mike stand (see picture).

They all take it to 11 on "Snowdrop" where he runs out to the sides for the crowd. There's some great editing of clips from other shows (I've put a bunch of those in the big picture at the bottom). My favorites are the hands on hips in the hot red shirt--very Bowie, Peter Murphy, Richard Butler (works for me) or maybe even Mick Jagger, Steven Tyler. I haven't talked much about the rest of the band (since this is a Hyde site), but they are playing the audience for all they are worth. Tetsu dances and flirts for the camera. Ken is loving every minute as well as loving what he's doing, and even Yuki smiles. There's a pic. I've included in the composite of H, T and K jamming together. Hyde's shirt's falling off but they are ROCKIN'!

Did I mention there's a blimp in the sky recording with Grand Cross on the side? I can't imagine anyone in Tokyo didn't know about this concert.

After the rousing energy of the first half they bring it down a little with four of my favorite songs. The sun has set by now and we get "The Silver Shining," with Hyde is a single spotlight. Then "Kasou." I love "Kasou" but it's a hard song to sing and sometimes live it's beauty gets lost, but not here (not on Awake either). Then back up with "Shinshoku." I've always loved the contrast between those two songs on the album and I'm glad they kept it here. They cut "Shinshoku" like the video with lots of fast cuts and shaking cameras. And then into an old song, "Caress of Venus," always a crowd pleaser and one that they seem to like to do. Hyde is in the camera for this one--leading the audience, in complete control. "Heaven's Drive" sees some go go dancers come out on stage, but don't worry ladies, they don't touch the band. "Come on, baby," yells Hyde. Ken and Hyde play dueling guitars for a moment. "Dive to Blue" is another rouser with Hyde pounding his stomach so much you think he's going to knock himself over. He dons devil's wings for "Shout at the Devil".

Then comes another quiet interlude. The band changes (or maybe it's another night) and then walks down a long, long runway, to a small stage maybe a third of the way back. During the walk we get a few backstage clips from the soundcheck which was apparently during a rainstorm. Poor Tetsu has to have a roadie wipe down his bass. The small stage is covered in sand. Yuki has a tiny electric drum set and Hyde has----BONGOS! This is their island oasis, this is "Perfect Blue". He plays bongos well and seems very into the words of the song. See the pics. in the composite.

Then it's back to the main stage for "Driver's High" and "Blurry Eyes." During the "Blurry Eyes" break Hyde pants into the camera and then "pretends" to be surprised that it's on. Tetsu asks the audience if they're GENKI.

They like to end on a soft song and so they end with "Pieces". Hyde is deeply into it and when the song ends there are FIREWORKS! Like I said, all of Tokyo must have known about this and loved L'Arc. (I know, I know, Tokyo is very large so probably not, but it certainly feels like it).

Click here for larger pic

Oricon Style 2006

Eleonora posted a translation from an interview in the Oricon Style 2006 magazine spread. You can read it at the ARK (No. 14831).

Hyde Song

Breathe
Hot & exciting, the concert hall
I dream of us there waiting for the show
Lights, flicker and start to dim
Rejoice, the first chord begins
I can't wait
I can't wait

Yes,
We will gather to hear him sing
We feel all the love that his music brings
Hear him with his sweet voice
As he plays his guitar
I can't wait
I can't wait

I hope he will play for hours & hours
Through the night
The whole world enjoys his song
We'll be reset to face the future
Once again

Yes, on & on he will play
Like an angel, from the sky

The outside world fades away
Lead us into a wonderland
We will enjoy songs of Faith
A new beginning

He will play for hours & hours
Through the night
The whole world enjoys his song
We'll be reset to face the future
Once again

Only one last one--I promise

Hyde hearts food IV
You wanna see me eat? YOU WANNA see me EAT?

He's everywhere: TV, radio, magazines

I especially like this clip for the opening shot with combed back hair and Bonoesque glasses then later he says a couple of things in very good English.

AIUEO 2006.05.02

MOON CHILD photobook Gackt/HYDE interview: Part 3

Used with permission

Gekka-no-neko made a very readable translation of the Gackt/HYDE Moon Child interview. It's in three parts. Here are a couple of the questions from Part Three:

MOON CHILD Interview: Part 3

Interviewer: Q
Gackt: G
HYDE: H

Q: Because so many unique individuals took part in this movie, the finished work has a strong sense of humanness. I feel like I can understand. This takes us back to the script, but did you have an idea of what kind of movie you intended to make from the beginning?

G: Uh...... I did have an idea for the movie, of course, but I don't want to explain it specifically. I think the people who have seen this movie will definitely embrace the thoughts and feelings of the characters. I just want them to feel some emotion for themselves, and to take home those feelings, whether it's sadness or being deeply moved. Of course, there are also things at the core that I want to convey to the viewers. But, if I said what it is, then there'd be no need to see the movie...

Q: I see. So HYDE, as an individual, how do you perceive this piece of work called "Moon Child"?

H: This movie is sort of about youth. Like a hot and fun summer vacation when we were young...... Oh no, it wasn't a summer vacation though (laughs). Although the story is completely different, in a sense it has the youth-oriented image of "The Outsiders." In the story, I am over 100 years old, so it can't be said that I was at a youthful age, but it was like everyone was gradually growing into adults with a feeling of camaraderie. The kind of fun and passion you can only have when you are very young...... It's like a story that you can just reminisce about while having a drink. When you're young, you do a lot of stupid things, but kids will completely enjoy doing things that adults can never understand. When you become an adult and remember those times, you get embarrassed and feel self-conscious, but I think there are some things you can't go on living without remembering. You don't just want to say, "Those were the good old days," you want to live an even more enjoyable life right now; everyone has done a lot of things when they were young that they wouldn't want to do now. Rather than trying to enjoy those things now, the meaning of having so much fun while doing stupid things is what remains (the strongest). This movie has many sides like that, and there were also the sides of wrongdoing and extreme sadness, but I feel those are the things that make me see it as a movie about youth.

Read the rest of Part Three here.

Haido web cam

This is why I'm learning Japanese

Because I want to know what he's saying!

Hyde on Wow @ Music DX

(thanks to the ARK posted by bailey59 No. 14782)

ORICON WEB interview

Thanks to Eleonora, who translated part of the Oricon Web interview and posted it on the ARK (No.14755). I deleted most her own comments (they can be read on the ARK) and cleaned up the grammar.

What is your reaction to your recent work?

Hyde: Mah…I think as I’ve gotten older I want to make products that have meaning. Up till now, there were many that excavated the past from the images in songs, but recently messages like, "future," "I wish it were this way," "as much as possible," became strong. Before there were very abstract expressions, but recently it’s been a pleasure to put my thoughts into words. Obviously, without what I've already done, this musical expression and composition wouldn't have been possible. If I should debut now, without warning, and I was told, "Please make an album quickly," I wouldn't be able to do this kind of work…

Why do you want to give such a strong message and definite expression?

Hyde: Because I came to dislike the circulating mistake. Up till now I had this stance, "Portray the image you prefer." Obviously, though, even in WEB entries, people have quite different interpretations. "Certainly after reading they'll understand," I thought, but people would get stuck on one word only and come up with a totally different meaning. It's always felt like that. Though I aimed at skillfully communicating to people, sometimes I didn’t. However, explaining the meaning to every single person is hard and impossible. But, I don't want misunderstanding. Especially with this theme...As far as possible I made it easy to understand.

This theme, it's "faith" and "religion," isn't it?

Hyde: Yes. But thinking on it now, it's maybe "love and death." Love is something that enables you to surmount death, something that makes it possible to welcome death, seen by a different point of view. (Eleonora notes: by "different point of view" he means universal love and not simply passion)

Even with not wanting to give birth to misunderstandings, I think you took on a difficult theme.

Hyde: But that is like the core of it. Because, from the previous work, I came to think about peace. When I thought of what’s at the root of so many wars, I reached this point. If you are in Japan you don't feel it much, but globally religion is deeply rooted in people’s everyday lives, therefore, there are many accidents/events happening. When I thought about war, I reached this point.

Your long tour will end in autumn. For a solo tour it's a record length. What's behind your vitality?

Hyde: I've been a musician for long time. Probably the first thing is wanting to leave a mark. Though I don't always think so deeply, when I think, "Why am I doing it?" maybe it's because I want to leave a memory of me in people. Of course, it's what I've been doing up till now, but, even more, and especially because it's solo, I want to leave a mark in people's memories, something that is essentially me. In solo live you're able to close the distance with the audience. That's the best.

WHAT'S IN Self Liner Notes

Thanks again to Eleonora, who translated the What's In Self Liner Notes. I deleted her own comments (they can be read on the ARK No.14758) and cleaned up the grammar.

JESUS CHRIST

I composed Jesus Christ thinking it was the first lyric I wanted to write. I wanted to depict somehow the contradiction for people that believe in God. At first I thought, “What should I write?” But, when I had words that contained spirituality, the lyric became this one. Having it as the first track on the album was present from the beginning. I thought, "If I begin with this one, it'd be cool.” …The last part of the song also feels good. Even when I listened to it, I got goosebumps. About the music, even as a demo it was good, so we made it match the demo. The piano was KAZ's idea. Since he managed to drive into that phrase, I asked the pianist to play it as it was.

COUNTDOWN

The planet is going towards the last stair, that countdown has already begun, though, without any doubt, humans are bringing this destruction. There isn't even a will to take some measures, indulging in their desires. The theme is about this. The countdown starts from 13, simply because I like the number 13.

MADE IN HEAVEN

It became a song clearly full of cynicism in the contents. "If humans were made in the image of God, why can they do only bad things?" The starting point was that question. If there is a God, omniscient and omnipotent, he wouldn't consent to such things, would he? If you create something, you shouldn’t get angry at how it turns out, if your creation acts violently. For example, if I made a computer and there were problems with it, I'd think it's my fault, right? To say it's the computer’s fault would be irrational. Linking to this, I used the words MADE IN HEAVEN. Wanting it to be a song to heat up a live, I made it starting from the guitar riff.

I CAN FEEL

I wrote it with a feeling overflowing with love. It felt right to have the lyrics in English. Unintentionally, I tended toward that direction. Where there's Japanese I did it feeling it was possible. This music is KAZ's. At first it was more illusion/ethereal. To give it strength and add some rhythm, we tried arranging it by adding a different taste. It was a song that I came to like. I wanted a shining song for the live. "I wanted a song you can participate in with no rest for the drummer."

SEASON'S CALL

It's a love song. However, I think the lyrics I wrote are different from the typical love song. I can't write a lyric about realistic love. That is, I don't care to write it. I'm saying this, but maybe for the next album I might use a heart mark. This song was also the opening theme of BLOOD+. I did my personal interpretation of the story. I thought about the main character then I mixed them inside me to have this atmosphere. While doing the melody for the chorus, nannan, the key became higher than I thought, so singing it was difficult.

FAITH

I think that Christ, at the moment of his death, didn't think that his will would be the root of evil, giving birth to so many wars. Definitely, there's an interesting difference between how his will was interpreted at the time and the pure thinking he was harboring in that moment. With this song lyric, I started out trying to put into words his pure feeling. To succeed in writing it, I did research. Not just on the surface, but researching both the negative and positive factions. I built it by judging a truth that in some parts mingles together both points of view. The melody was made by KAZ, and the moment I heard it I thought it was complete. I didn't add any ideas of mine.

DOLLY

At the moment, the advance of civilization and science is causing many contradictions, and the cloned sheep, Dolly, is a symbol of that. Since before the case of Dolly, I thought of wanting to have a text. The moment I heard the music, that fact came back to my mind and I gave it form. I don't know whether cloning is right or wrong. But, I think that, if the person you love should die, even if the world is your enemy, it'd be human to want to bring that person back from death. In this there's the voice of Dolly. Finishing, I had a scary feeling about it.

PERFECT MOMENT

This is for me the experience of a moment, like when singing. If compared to that moment, both joy and anguish lose meaning. Paradise discovered in a person's life. That's a sort of secret, and I CAN FEEL is a work that depicts this theme from a different angle. However, maybe it's more a spiritual song than religious. One more thing about this song--when death visits me, I don't think there will be anything after. It seems unlikely to me that you go to Paradise if you behave well. So, we should live in this world with all our might…In a live, among violent songs, when performing this type of song, it feels good, so I did it aiming at that. In the former album, this role was for UNEXPECTED. It felt incredibly good to play in a sweating live house combined with that song's clean and detailed sound, so even this time I thought it'd be good to have such a song.

MISSION

I don’t think that while I'm living the world will become what I wish for. If we were all a bit wiser, it'd be very easy to realize, so I wrote it with this positive feeling that with time it might become so. The will in live is to heat up all together, in harmony, and the wish of becoming one thing, I mixed them together. As for the sound, I thought it'd be good having a song where the audience could become as one. It became a song with that sort of energy. At first I didn't mean to include the acoustic guitar, but there weren't songs with acoustic guitar, so I decided to give it a try, in a hurry. I acquired an acoustic guitar in L.A., added it in and since the sound was great, I was satisfied.

IT'S SAD

Since I wrote it to be clear in the meaning, maybe it's fine interpreted as it is. To say it in a few words, I don't think anything exists that is as cruel and evil as humans. The content of the lyric is the same of the manga, Devilman. It feels like two songs in one. The music already had a very catchy chorus, but thinking it too catchy, I combined it with a wild song. Even for this I thought of wanting a song to heat the live. Since I wanted to conclude with heating up, it became the last.

R&R Newsmaker & Sky Perfect TV

R & R Newsmaker
Sky Perfect TV Guide

(thanks to matsuchan on the ARK No.14751)

Okay, this is kinda weird

Hyde in a funky hat, a cigarette in his hand, and a demon possessed furby on his lap. He’s speaking who knows what (English?), with a translator (Japanese?) talking over him. It looks like Kasou is playing on the TV’s in the background. Then Hyde shows an animation he apparently created that is...well, you’ve just got to see it for yourself:

HYDE'S ANIMATION

2 more concerts confirmed!

Tofu just announced new HYDE tour dates:

7/3 @ House of Blues / Hollywood, CA
7/6 @ The Fillmore / San Francisco, CA

Ticket sales will begin Sunday 5/7 10AM Pacific, via ticketmaster.com and the respective venue box offices.

Hyde hearts food III

Or maybe a better title would have been: Hyde, um, plays with food

(Thanks to Reincarnation)

And on a more serious note

During an Aomori concert Hyde is reported to have said:

I don't believe in the existence of an afterlife, but it’s not that I dislike the concept. Actually, I really like it and wish there was another world. How can I say it? Really, it might seem that I hate the idea, but in truth I like it very much. I really wish there was one. I’d like to meet people who have died, I really would. It is lonely, death as it is, without nothing. It's lonely, so even if I go to Paradise it'd be nice to be able to perform.

(thanks to the ARK posted by Eleonora - No.14701)

Oricon Style Q & A

Eleonora on the ARK message board posted a translation (No. 14711) of the Q & A section from the Oricon Style magazine spread. She also mentioned no one "stealing it." I hope it's okay to post it here as long as I give her credit. But, if anyone knows of a way to link to the individual posts on the ARK let me know, and I can do that instead. My hope is to eventually have links in the sidebar to all the interviews for people to browse through, and I haven't found a way to link directly to ARK messages.

Anyway, here are the Q & A's (the questions were submitted by fans):

Please tell us about the recent illness you had.

Hyde: The moment I arrived in L.A., I realized I had a cold. I thought, "My joints hurt." The one I got around New Year's was the same.

The occasion when you feel happy, when is it?

Hyde: When I go to the spa, or when eating good things.

Please tell us if there's something you want to realize during this year.

Hyde: What I want to do…having about a month off, doing things endlessly. Drinking alchol, playing games, reading...

When buying clothes, are you the kind that falls in love at first sight?

Hyde: Isn't it the same? By saying "that one" it might be like falling at first sight. In my case, I usually don't have much free time, so if there is something good I buy it on the spot. There isn't any margin for doubt. Whether it suits me or not, it's for later. That's why my place is full of useless things. (bitter laugh)

Of the countries you’ve visited up till now, which one was most interesting?

Hyde: The one that impressed me the most was Morocco. It was my first time abroad. It was for a L’Arc shooting, but that time one of the members said, "Let's go again!" Thinking on it now, it wasn't a place that felt very foreign. Later, whenever I go it seems ordinary.

You sing with an amazing high-pitched voice, do you take daily care of your throat?

Hyde: In general, if possible, by not catching cold. Then when I wash my hands I rinse my throat. For the tour I use a humidifier, which isn't such a rock thing. I drink alcohol, smoke. But, before singing I don't have s.ex.

Are there times when the tension gets so high it bursts?

Hyde: Not recently. In the past, yes. Like when closing a live final it was violent...light violence (laugh). Happy violence. Breaking glasses. That kind.

Recently did you buy something on impulse?

Hyde: When I was doing inline skating I bought shades. It was about 3500 yen? But it was important, it made me think, "It's not like it's poor quality, isn't it!" (laugh).

When you wake up in the morning, what's the first thing you do?

Hyde: I get this question every time, but what is it you wanna hear me say? Generally, I pee. That's the normal answer. I've never looked at an enquete (etiquette?) of people answering in another way.

The recording, what word comes to mind--"pleasure" or "hardship"?

Hyde: Hardship. No doubt. But, the deep emotion of having completed it, most people can't probably taste that. Annually, doing this same work, is very common, isn't it? That sort of taste, most people can't experience. It comes near to freedom/liberation.

In L.A. did you find some funny object? Like a toy or some food?

Hyde: Wanting to do inline skating overseas, I visited several sport shops, but there wasn't anything good. In the end I had to make a compromise and buy, then I could slide. Inline skating, unexpectedly, it's something I do from the past.

Oricon Style

Complete photo shoot and interview scanned at
Vivid Colors.

(found via the ARK)

"I would like to move the hearts of many people." ~Hyde

The following is a partial translation of the Hyde Discord Tokyo FM radio interview. Please, keep in mind that the translations posted here are done by fans. They are not official, and I don't know enough Japanese to say how accurate they are. Also, sometimes those translating are not native English speakers, so I clean up the grammar for better understanding.

Why did you use a crucifix in the background during your former tour?

Hyde: Maybe for a sense of beauty. Rock and religion combined together--that feels best to me. To tell you the truth, I'd like to shoot a PV in a European church.

(Speaking of the “American sound“) It's a dry sound but heavy?

Hyde: Yes. I really like bands with a heavy sound. But inside me runs the European blood for the melody. Though I thought of something like Marylin Manson, it wasn't fully an American sound. So, I structured it on the dry sound of L.A. with the influence of European New Wave. I felt it was best that way...

What did you do in L.A.?

Hyde: (laugh) Actually, it was stoic (dull?). It didn't change much from doing it in Japan. Wake up in the morning, in the interval I'd do the arrangement with KAZ for the next song. It was really stoic. But, in the last part for the TD, since we didn't work only in the evening, we did a bit of shopping or inline skating.

Are you good at inline skating?

Hyde: I can lose myself for hours (laugh). After reaching Santa Monica, I really wanted to slide, it's awfully good. I do it alone, but I thought of teaching KAZ. At first he went, "Why not skateboard?" But I said, "Inline skating it's definitely better." (laugh) "At our age, if we skateboard we might break some bones." After trying a few times, he really got into it (laugh). Once into it, when we’d go somewhere he’d say, "Could we slide here?" But, when we got back to Japan, even though we’d say, "Ah, here we could slide," we only talked about it (laugh).

That's amazing. I heard that Mick Jagger, wherever he goes, always runs 5 km every morning. Even you?

Hyde: I can't do that. (laugh)

While doing the L’Arc album AWAKE, your awareness towards music changed. Even for the tour you thought about a story and a concept that became an anti-war theme. Even this new album has a theme, religion, that could mean "a wish for peace." It seems to me like religion and anti-war go together. In short, it feels like you wanted to hit that theme hard with this album.

Hyde: Without AWAKE I wouldn't have been able to do FAITH. Because there was AWAKE, I could explore things more in depth…Clearly L’Arc is a band of 4 people. So, doing something this deeply might be impertinent. It might cause anger. I don't want that…Among four people there might be someone who says, "I don't like all this religion." If you hear something like that, you have to take it into consideration. But the existence of [AWAKE] made it possible for me to search deeper…It's like a stair…

Also, after AWAKE, I noticed the existence of peace and love. While doing FAITH, actually the deepest part was the existence of love that made it possible to cross over or transcend death, being able to welcome it…that's the most important thing. The religious theme is a deception. The deepest part is this one. So, the times when you accept or don’t accept death, there's like a contradiction, the world seems small. All things…even the universe appears small. Love makes you feel big. Usually when you like somebody you might think that's a small love, but actually your existence is becoming really big…I realized this while doing the album.

So, was there a feeling that you wanted to settle?

Hyde: To settle, I wanted to express my own emotion. There are situations where I think, "I don't care about such a small thing." But also situations like, "Compared to love, money is useless!"

War and religion are respectively so, but unfortunately, this society is all about money. You reach an opinion about life and death by making money. In this period, I think it's very difficult for something like this to echo inside a heart. But, then, while listening to this album I thought that it's incredible what music can do.

Hyde: Yes. Even for me…though I've done three solo albums and been with L’Arc for fifteen years. If there wasn’t this big current, I'd never be able to make this album. Inside me really...in the end I want to make music with a meaning.

Did this album feel like an achievement?

Hyde: Yes, really. Finally, the way I'm going, because I realized the music I could make. That was a turning point for me.

Did you have this awareness while making it?

Hyde: No, no. Until it was completed I didn't understand it. Only, I wanted to pour out everything until I have time.

After this album?

Hyde: After this album, maybe I’ll go to a nice place? (laugh). When I was young, though, I wondered, "Will I have an impact?" I was obviously uneasy. Right now, I receive love from people that are kohai (younger), but inside I can't help feeling uneasy. Though at great pains I'm at this stage, I really dislike being considered just a person who sings a song.

I see. Do you think you can change the world with music?

Hyde: What a question! (laugh)....Strictly speaking, I don't think so. But, I would like to move the hearts of many people.

For Hyde what is life/birth?

Hyde: ...something touching.

What is solitude?

Hyde: Maybe people that don't know love.

What is the world?

Hyde: What is...it's difficult. What's the world?...I don't know.

(thanks to the ARK)