Interview ~ D'espairsRay: March 20, 2008
Rockstar Taste of Chaos
Before their performance on the Nassau Coliseum show date on the Taste of Chaos 2008 tour, Project: JRock Events (USA) got a chance to sit down with the members of D’espairsRay. It would be a couple of hours before the doors would open so as we sat in the small press room backstage, random sound check and background music filtered into the room. Everyone was relaxed as we began.
(photos coming soon!)
Can you please introduce yourselves to the fans new to your music?
Hizumi: Hizumi, vocalist.
Karyu: Karyu, guitarist.
Zero: Zero, bassist.
Tsukasa: Tsukasa, drummer.
You’ve been to the US several times already. Is it any different this time around?
Hizumi: It’s pretty much the same as any tour except that it was longer than what we expected it to be. Listening to how long the tour was, we thought it’d be much harder, but now that we've come and seen how it is, it’s actually quite fun.
I’m sure you guys had a chance to watch the other bands perform like Atreyu, etc. Is there any difference between a Japanese live versus an American live?
Hizumi: The show itself is pretty much the same but the fans have quite a bit more freedom to be excited. We feel that the American fans show more excitement.
In what kind of way? What do they do?
Hizumi: I think it’s really interesting how people all the way in the back are getting into it (smiles). People in various places are really getting into it. In Japan everyone does kind of the same thing and everyone is kind of all together. Here people are spread out, messy-like, doing their own thing.
So how is your relationship with the other bands, MUCC and the Underneath?
Karyu: I feel like we’ve kind of become like one big band.
Yes, I’ve seen some photos on the MUCC blog (http://ameblo.jp/mucc--69).
(Everyone laughs)
Two years ago, D’espairsRay had a chance to perform at New York City’s CBGB’s and now it’s not there anymore. How do you feel about that?
Hizumi: We really wanted to play at CBGB’s and when we heard that it was closing, then we really wanted to play there. We’re happy that we got to make that happen.
As a visual kei band, you guys have a lot of experience with make-up. Who would you say is the best at it? [note: we found out the band has their own make-up artists]
Hizumi: Make-up? (points and look back and forth between Karyu and Zero)
Karyu: Zero and I actually do our own make-up, so probably between the two of us.
Now this is a little bit of an off-topic question but one of the most popular games out right now is Guitar Hero. Have you guys played the game and what do you think about it?
Hizumi: Oh, we’ve been doing it for a while now. We have it in Japan.
How does it compare to actual guitar playing?
Karyu: I actually haven’t played Guitar Hero yet. I want to try it but I haven’t had the chance yet… One of our friend’s band is on Guitar Hero.
Hizumi: One of the punk songs had our friends face and image in Guitar Hero and I thought that was really cool.
How would you feel if one of your songs was used in Guitar Hero?
Hizumi: (laughs) Happy. That would make me so happy. I hope (in English).
Last time Tsukasa went sky-diving in South Carolina. Would you want to do that again?
Tsukasa: I’ve recently been looking it up online, looking up different things about sky-diving. And I just found out that quite a lot of people actually died from sky-diving. I didn’t know that before when I had first tried it. Now I don’t want to do it anymore.
That’s understandable.
You’ve been on several tour dates now on this tour. I’m sure there are some crazy road-trip stories. Are there any you can share with us?
Hizumi: The kickboard (in Japanese, a scooter is called a kickboard). We forgot where it was but all the J-rock bands went to a K-mart to buy a scooter, a Razor. The cash register was so far away so we got on the scooter and we were riding it to the cash register. The K-mart workers told us to please stop riding it but we didn’t understand English so we didn’t know. We bought the scooter but by the time we got outside, they had called the cops on us.
Oh no! (laughs)
Tsukasa: But then I got so wasted at a party that night, I forgot the razor and left it.
So you guys don’t have it anymore?
Tsukasa: No. But I intend to buy another one.
I noticed on this tour, to overcome the language barrier, Hizumi does MC in English. What have you done to prepare for that?
Hizumi: I decide what words I want to learn and then I ask my American friends how to say the words and I listen to them.
Do your American friends include the bands on this tour?
Hizumi: Ah, no, they are just my American friends.
I see.
I know you’ve done a few Meet n’ Greets so far. I’m sure there are fans that come up to you crying. How do you feel when that happens?
Hizumi: It makes me want to cry too. I think that’s great and I want to thank them for having such a strong feeling (smiles).
We had a chance to go outside and talk to some fans. We picked out a few questions from them. One question was: If you could be any kitchen appliance, what would you be and why?
Hizumi: Umm… What would I be? …An electrical range?
Okay, why?
Hizumi: …Because people have to use it often, I guess. (laughs)
And the rest?
Hizumi: Fork! (laughs)
Karyu: …I can’t even think of one.
Zero: A knife.
Hizumi: Zero-kun razor. Cool.
Tsukasa: A cutting board. A cutting board (in English).
Why is that?
Tsukasa: Because I will be cut often.
(Silence)...(The band members all laugh)
Hizumi: He is maso. A Japanese joke (in English).
Oh…
Karyu: Except it’s not a joke.
(Everyone laughs)
So he’s a masochist? (laughs)
Another fan question we picked was actually about your crew member Taguchi-san.
Karyu: How do you know about Taguchi-san?
I found out through the fans. Fans were interested because they happened to see him on every tour whether it be Japanese or American or anything like that. So they’d like to know a little more about him.
Hizumi: Because he’s cool.
Karyu: We have other techs that we use as well. But he’s the best.
I see.
Hizumi: Why do you know Taguchi’s name?
I actually picked up the name from some fans and they said it was the crew member with the goatee and bald head. Then I saw him on the tour and also on MUCC’s blog.
Hizumi: Ah, MUCC’s blog… And you saw him on the side of the stage all tense? (smiles)
Yes, very serious-looking. (laughs)
[We look outside of the interview room and Taguchi-san just happens to be passing by so we hail him down.]
Karyu: Taguchi-san, you’re like a famous guy.
Hizumi: Rockstar! (He points to the Rockstar Energy drink banner we have around us.)
There you go. So why are you always on tour with D’espairsRay?
(everyone chuckles)
Taguchi-san: I need money the most.
(Everyone laughs)
Well the fans think you’re great.
Taguchi-san: That’s great.
[We thank Taguchi-san for stepping in to talk to us and he walks out.]
Well D’espairsRay has been to Europe, America, and I believe Spain as well. Is there any other country you would go to?
[The band discusses amongst themselves.]
Karyu: …Australia.
Australia? Would you go surfing in Australia?
Karyu: We mainly want to go there for the musicality of it and to go there and do a live performance there.
Hizumi: I’d like to go to Peking too.
China?
Hizumi: Yes.
Would you also visit the Great Wall of China?
Hizumi: Great Wall? …Ah! Yes, I would love to see that.
When you guys go on stage, do you pick up a “stage persona” different from your normal self?
Hizumi: It’s not really like I become a different person, it’s just that I become more lively.
Last question: Is there any message you want to leave for your fans?
Karyu: We’ve just been touring and we would really like our fans to check out our new album that just came out last Tuesday (Mirror). We’d really like them to give it a try and check it out.
Zero: Where is this interview going?
The internet.
Zero: I’m happy to hear that this is going to be put out on the internet because we play first on the main stage so a lot of people who don’t show up on time don’t get the chance to see us. So if fans can come a little bit earlier and get to see us live, check us out.
Hizumi: We’re always playing at 5:20pm!
Karyu: Everyday we post on the Taste of Chaos tour blog so please check it out! [http://tasteofchaos.com/]
Zero: For all the people who get the chance to see us, thank you very much. I really appreciate it.
Hizumi: I love it when I look out into the audience and the fans are singing along. The fact that they bought the CD and remember the words and are singing along makes me so happy.
Thank you very much. Good luck with the rest of the tour!
interview by Sophia; translation by Heather Overstreet
Thank you to D’espairsRay for taking the time to answer our questions. Thank you to Heather Overstreet of Taste of Chaos 2008 (and other Taste of Chaos 2008 staff) and to D’espairsRay management for arranging this interview.
links
D'espairsRay Official Website
D'espairsRay Official MySpace
Rockstar Taste of Chaos
BACK
