TAKURO Interview

takuro

TAKURO Personal Long Interview (from GROOVY)
A boy who wanted to be John Lennon has been producing many songs. As a guitarist and composer, Takuro talks about his music and live concerts. Interview by Mayu Motoike.

-Why did you choose the guitar?
First of all, John Lennon played the guitar... And what else?
-Did John Lennon affect you the most?
Yes. When I was in junior highschool, I wanted to be John Lennon. The Beatles is the source of my music. I really liked John Lennon so I tried to buy a Rickenbacker (John Lennon's guitar) but I bought a Stratocaster because all guitars looked the same to me at the time.
-Could you tell a bass from a guitar?
No, but I knew that drums were different from guitars. I didn't know why we needed a bass guitar for the band. I just picked up the guitar naturally. It was because the guitar is the symbol of rock music. I think that if you think about rock, you pick up the guitar.
-Did you play the Beatles' songs when you started playing guitar?
Yes, I played the very basic Beatles songs. At the same time, I learned very basic guitar techniques.
-And you formed a band and had a concert? You are not the one who really wanted to be John Lennon?
Forming the band took me 2 years.
-When you are in junior highschool, you are curious about everything. So were you really interested in the guitar and the Beatles?
Yes. I already started writing lyrics.
-Did you start writing lyrics before music?
It took me a lot of time to be able to write music. It was in the 1st grade of highschool. It was just before I started GLAY, but I wrote more than 10 notebooks of lyrics.
-When did you start writing?
It was in the 6th or 7th grade (last grade of elementary school and 1st grade of junior highschool), when my mother was about to re-marry. (Takuro's father died when he was only 3 years old.) But she didn't after all because she was worried about the children (Takuro and his sister) who don't like to see a stranger at home. I didn't know what was bothering me. I was really frustrated. I always fought with my older sister everyday. At night, I stayed in my room and I wrote lyrics. Those lyrics contained English, such as "Blue Something." I tried to mimic somebody else's lyrics.
-Usually, home is a place where you feel comfortable so you stay at home. But in your case, you stayed in your room because you didn't feel comfortable in the other rooms in your house.
Yes. But I don't know. I felt comfortable in my room although I forget. I had a pen-name, like Sliders JOY POPS (for lyrics). I used my pen-name because I felt like I was in a dream.
-Did you want to be a poet?
John Lennon really affected me. He was not only a good guitarist but a good writer as well. So if I wanted to be John Lennon, I had to write lyrics. That's the way of conveying my feelings to somebody. But I didn't show my lyrics to anybody. I just stored my lyrics.
-In concert tours, you always say "I have a lot of things to write." Are lyrics the most important thing to you?
I am keen on writing. And I'm always afraid of something. When I publish my new lyrics, I look forward to seeing the reaction and I'm afraid of the response. Sometimes I feel very good but sometimes I feel terrible after publishing my words. In order to overcome that fear, I have to continue writing my words. I believe that words are the most important communication with people. You can use words to make people laugh. I can't communicate with people without words. Maybe you can read people's minds if you get along with them for a long time. But for me, it's words and music that I use to convey my feelings to others for the first time. I believe that.
-You played with Teru, Hisashi and Jiro because their words had power.
Yes, yes. I feel great when I talk to them. They speak frankly and give me the word that I am looking for. It's not give-and-take. He gives me--it's not because I give him. I like this communication. I feel this when I am eating with them.
-You wrote 10 notebooks of lyrics. After you started writing lyrics for the band, were those lyrics different from the lyrics you wrote when you were young?
Yes, they are different. When I was young, I wrote lyrics for myself. But now I'm writing lyrics to show somebody else. I don't sing my songs. I write a song as a third person.
-When was the first band formed?
It was in the 1st grade of highschool. We gathered for the band but we didn't have drums. It was like playing baseball and playing music, eat dinner and go home.
-When did you form GLAY?
2nd grade of highschool. So I played copy songs for half a year. We had a concert every 2 months. We played copies of BOØWY and MODS and our own original songs. In GLAY, we just played original songs.
-Why did you decide to play original songs?
In some sense, it's a kind of skilled job. I think it's a technique. When you play your original song, the level of your band goes up. For the first time, our original songs were similar to somebody else's songs but we kept on playing our songs. We got many fans. We gained confidence in playing our songs and we tried to improve our concerts. I had an opportunity to read my old lyrics. I was surprised that I wrote them very well. At that time, I made a lot of lyrics and I threw many junk lyrics away. We released very good songs and we got attention and our status increased. I had nothing to be good at, but since I started GLAY I got a lot of attention and made a lot of friends. I was so happy.
-What was the response of Teru and Hisashi to your songs?
It's not different from today's response. When the song is good, they agree to play. And when it is bad, they hate it. Their judgement has not changed at all since the old days. They have a policy to play, but I don't have it. I just enjoy playing instruments.
-Was there any episode at that time?
When we tried to record our demo tape, our drummer's grandmother died so we couldn't record. But I called him when he was attending the funeral.
-You called him at the funeral?
Yes, I did. I was desperate to record our song.
-Can you do the same thing now?
No, I can't do that. Everybody will blame me!
-Yes.
I was so desperate for GLAY. I could not see anything but GLAY.
-Were Teru and Hisashi desperate?
No. Not as much as I was. We talked about whether we should stop recording today and what we can do. And we talked about another day when we could record. But if we did not record today, I felt that everything would disappear. And he came from the funeral.
-He came?
Yes, he came. We recorded the tape and those tapes sold very well. We got a lot of money from the sales. That money supported our concert activities. I was the leader so I had to do something. I was always desperate to play.
-How about your life outside of music?
I was always thinking about the band, making demo tapes and making advertisements for the concert. I had a lot of friends related to other bands. In the same school, I had a rival band which was better. Their technique was great and they were much more popular. Our technique was lower than theirs but we spent 2 years practicing.
-Was there any change in the relationship between Teru and Hisashi?
Yes. I don't know now. I had a big responsibility of making a good mood in the band because I tried to persuade them to join the band.
-Making a good mood?
Yes. I had to protect them and I have to make a good mood for them. I am their friend.
-When I talk to you, you always say "protection." For example, I would understand if you had a wife and children, you have to protect your family. But you say protection and love for your friends like you did when you were a highschool boy.
I think I am saying those words for myself. I AM GLAY. If I don't have them, I can't do anything.
-In order for you not to lose them, you try to make a good mood for them in the band.
Yes. If they help me, I try to make a good mood. That is my job.
-You protect them not only for them but also for yourself.
Yes.
-And when you were graduating from highschool, you decided to become a professional musician.
Yes. I wanted this profession in order to feed myself. I had a big audience so I thought I could play as a professional. In addition, I didn't want to break up GLAY because IT IS ME. If I lost GLAY, I don't know what I should do.
-It's natural to think about what one should do in highschool. There are a lot of choices to go for, like going to a University.
University? I can't think about anything but GLAY. I never thought about going to a University. I never thought I was great. All I can do is something with GLAY. I can be myself in GLAY. I like to play music with my members so I had a lot of concerts when I was in highschool.
-How many concerts did you do?
In the Fall, before graduation, I had 6 concerts in 2 months. I played every Saturday for 5 straight weeks.
-Did you go to school on weekdays?
On Mondays and Wednesdays we practised, and on Saturdays we had concerts. The students around me were busy finding jobs or preparing for Universities but we were busy with the band.
-It sounds aggressive.
Yes. During the last 6 months in Hakodate before graduation, we were so busy with music.
-Hisashi told me before that he was impressed by the last live in Hakodate.
It was our own live at the night of graduation. [Hisashi]'s hair was blond and he went to the graduation ceremony with his blond hair. The night of graduation, we had a one-man live at AUNDO. That's why (the roots of) his hair was blond at the graduation ceremony. He dyed his hair black.
-What did you think about his hair?
It was great. He was very brave. [Teru and Hisashi] always listened to me when I was in trouble. We are good friends outside of music as well. If they said that they wanted to play their music, maybe we would do that. But they did not have any music that they wanted to play. It's limited to choose from the music we want to play but I felt I could play any kind of music with them.
-While protecting them, I am being protected?
Yes. GLAY is for everybody and it's me. We are always on the same boat.
-You were 18 years old when you came to Tokyo. Was there a transition while you were playing in GLAY?
It was the wave of visual (i.e. video). It was Summer when the big wave came. In Tokyo, there were many bands on TV. They paid attention to what they look like. It's like we quit working and started part-time jobs. The bands changed their hair color to blond and they looked for a good part-time job.
-19 years old?
Yes, I was 19 years old. That was 6 years ago.
-So you changed your hair to red?
Yes, my hair was red when I was 19-20 years old. When I went to a job interview, I stood out because my hair was too loud. My friends happened to work there and they needed to hire somebody. So I worked for just 1 day. I worked so hard for that day that the employer liked me and he gave me the job. I followed the fashion so I sometimes cut my hair short. When I was an amateur, between 19 and 20 years old, I cut my hair short and dyed it black 3 times.
-Why did you do that?
I don't know. At the time, people who were loud were very popular. We had confidence in our music but we had a dilemma: that loudness made us popular. I was confused that we might not be popular if we had black hair. Meanwhile, I was thinking about human values which could make us look better. And I was thinking about which part of myself I should show. So I always say, "Don't overlap myself to me". (What Takuro means is that, what you see may not be what it seems.) If you rely on me, don't do that. Rely on our songs. What you are looking at is not the REAL Takuro. That Takuro is made-up by me. If you know the real Takuro, you might want to leave me. It's very sad. If I ignored the fashion and always showed myself, maybe GLAY would be different from what we want.
-You don't want GLAY to be different from what you want even though you want to show yourself directly?
Yes. For example, if I worked hard on the music and I was in a "gurabia" (this is what the Japanese call all visual pictures/images) as I was, it's the real me but it is NOT what YOU want. And when I'm at home and reading letters, I am misunderstood. But I understand what they think of Takuro.
-I think there are many truths. For example, it is the real Takuro to relax at home, but there is another Takuro here. And I don't think everything is a lie. And I don't think you are talking about what the readers want to hear now.
No. The telephone is not a good way of communicating with each other because you can't see your face on the phone. You can't see the real Takuro through the expression of the face and conversation. If you see me, I am very lazy at home. It is only a part of me. It's not 3-dimensional but 2-dimensional.
-If somebody breaks open the door and takes a picture, it's only the [2-dimensional] picture.
It's 2-dimensional. It matters [only] whether you want to buy the picture or not.
-Did you establish your policy about this when you were 19, 20, or 21?
I was really confused at the time-even now. I am looking for the word to explain this. When I was very young, I couldn't say what I am saying right now. But many people came to our concert while I was confused. And I started thinking, "It's good to have a big audience to see our concerts in 1992." I learned how to overcome the situation (his confusion).
-That made you what you are now?
At the time, I was very confused but what I wanted to do was to continue GLAY. Teru and Hisashi were very cool. Now I can think about something from different angles but at the time, I couldn't do that. If my dream was too big and if I looked at myself and I wasn't doing anything, there would be nothing left for me. And if you are doing something without having any dream, there will be nothing. And I believed that if many people came to our concert, we could be a professional band. And I always thought of concerts as important things and we did many.
-Jiro is the one who raised questions. So Jiro clears up your questions?
After Jiro joined, everything became better. He gave me a new wave which changed my policy. I always thought that just doing many concerts made us popular. But I changed. I started thinking that in order to let people listen to our music, we have to record our music. And another change was that I stood on the stage without make-up. (Jiro) gave me a chance to correct my ideas. Jiro was accepted by GLAY's audience without any difficulty because the audience thought that he was cool, without having to wear pants which looked like skirts. (Jiro usually wears tight pants.)
-And he influenced GLAY's music. Not everyone in the audience liked pants which looked like skirts-and they're visual?
I don't know. But we had a chance to become a professional band after that. And we were accepted at a record company which was called Extasy Records. We were really comfortable in that record company. There were no restrictions-they never said what you had to do. They trusted us and we wanted to be successful in return.
-After that, not only the situation but also the concerts have been improving. When was it that you realized that you were improving?
Oh, I don't know. We thought we had trouble or we made mistakes, we are still in that kind of situation. What we think about everyday is to play in the band with joy. Even though 600 000 or 700 000 people came to hear our music, we always make mistakes and we were talking about which part we made a mistake in (or who made the mistake) and we enjoyed talking about it.
-You are having fun but for example, BEAT out! is very different from BEAT out! reprise. From that I can see the improvement in your music.
Yes, you are right. Each of us has been improving. "Nevermind. Shut up. Everybody has something he doesn't want to talk to you about so I don't want to listen to you." As we grow up, that situation grows up. It is individual improvement that makes the band improve faster. Although there are many things we are confused about and regret, we never talk about it. We keep them in mind. That is mature and manly. We will face that kind of situation in the future. Ever since I was in highschool, I belonged to only 1 band. After I passed the ages of 20 and 25, I became mature. Even though I became mature, GLAY is still the best thing for me.
-You're right. It's the transition from boyhood to manhood.
Yes, it's the transition. I'm becoming stronger and kinder to people. And GLAY can absorb our selfishness.
-Is this selfishness for each other?
People who make something, such as bands or music, make things better through their selfishness. But it doesn't apply to GLAY. We regard the band itself as the most important thing. We don't see the results or the songs as the most important. For example, when I wanted to make [BELOVED], the other members let me make the song into whatever I want without any complaints. They expect me to contribute my songs to GLAY in the future and I made [BELOVED]. I think Jiro wouldn't help me with my songs before because it is really good for the band. But they expect me to contribute my songs to GLAY. They let me do whatever I want. I'm not sure because I haven't asked them about that. But I think I'm right. I guess our work is not important. Music contains many notes but the band contains life. So we think that balance is important. We don't talk about the quality of our work. We believe that the relationship between us is the most important thing. I have thought a hundred times that if I were not in GLAY, GLAY would be a better band. So I was in pain when I played in the BEAT out! (tour) because of the technique and ideas. But I worked hard. I did my best. I'm always ready to work harder.
-When you were going to Osaka from Fukuoka for the reprise tour and listening to concert tapes, you thought you were a good guitar player?
Yes, sometimes. I'm very happy when I think that I'm a good guitar player.
-Yes, you look very happy. You decided to play with the other members?
Yes. That's GLAY.
-What did you get from GLAY?
T: When I was a teen and in my (early) twenties, I was in great physical form. By using all my physical energy, I played our music. So now I can use my brain to write songs. Maybe there is no-one else who feels this way. I have a place where I can do my best. If you want to be yourself, you have to look for that place. It's like a family or company which you want to keep. I was impressed with my decision and it made [Glorious]. I received some letters from the fans which said, "You have to live for yourself." But I rejected their ideas. The songs that I want to sing is different from their lives. But my point is about love. I like those kinds of songs. I'm always careful to see the other side.
-You don't want to be a person who doesn't express his feelings. How do you want to change GLAY?
I wish GLAY would be a band which everybody remembers forever in rock history.
-Do you still maintain the idea that you want to be John Lennon?
Now I'm at the age of John Lennon when I liked him. Of course I still like him. I've been following John Lennon. I've been thinking about what he did when he was the same age as me.
-John Lennon still exists in your mind?
Yes. I didn't like hearing about the Beatles break-up.
-Does the boy who wanted to be John Lennon still exist in your mind?
Yes. He is so big in my mind.

GLAY Image Encyclopedia [B-PASS December 1996]
ALONE Staying at home makes me feel alone
BOOK [Gormanizm Sengen] (This is a Japanese comic book which criticizes politics, the economy, and social events ~aciel)
CD [Revolver] by the Beatles
D.I.E. Please don't be late, D.I.E. [Laughs]
ENJOY Snowboarding in the winter [Laughs]
FOOD I am obsessed with noodles. Please tell me a good restaurant
GLAY Go for it
HOMETOWN It will be covered in snow soon
IRONY There are many ironies in the world
JEALOUSY The driving force of love
KITTEN A kitten...never came back
LETTER I read it but I can't reply
MUSICAL I go often
NIGHT I have a lot of work so I bring it home
OVERSEA I want to go to New York where I can feel a stimulus
PET Where did it go?
QUESTION Go back to be yourself
RING I wore a skull-shaped ring which might call on miraculous power
SHOPPING I bought a "raba" light
TROUBLE I called the police because some car occupied my parking space [Laughs]
USEFUL I use my brain a lot to write words
VIDEO [Gold Fever] I watched it recently
WAIT I read something while I wait
X I set my future goal
YOU The days are getting longer. It is fun time [Laughs]
ZEAL Zeal... Who videotaped [Netteyu Jidai]? [Laughs] (This is a program about a teacher who teaches kids ~aciel)

Q&A [B-PASS February 1996]
3 FAVORITE MUSICIANS:
Sakuma Masahide, D.I.E., and Toshi [Nagai]
THE SONG WHICH HAS THE STRONGEST IMPRESSION ON YOU:
Dekiai [GLAY]-this is the song we played only once in 1992
YOUR ROLE IN GLAY:
I make Hisashi laugh
A PERSON YOU RESPECT:
Nobody
HISTORY OF INSTRUMENTS YOU HAVE PLAYED:
Playing guitar for 8 years
THE DISH YOU'RE GOOD AT COOKING:
Any egg dish
WHEN YOU DRINK, WHAT DO YOU DRINK AND WHO DO YOU DRINK WITH:
On New Year's Day in 1995, I had a drink with Jiro for ~9 hours
YOUR HOBBY OTHER THAN MUSIC:
Chatting with Tokio for 10 hours, 3 times a week
YOUR AVERAGE SHOWER TIME & WHERE DO YOU START WASHING:
10 mins. Left arm
FAMILY STRUCTURE:
Mother, sister [Takuro's grandmother passed away in 1996]
HOW DO YOUR FAMILY MEMBERS CALL YOU:
Takuro
WHAT IS YOUR REQUEST TO THE OTHER GLAY MEMBERS:
Don't drink too much
MEDICINE YOU ALWAYS CARRY:
Fake it
LICENSES YOU HAVE:
Car, I can talk to Mr Inoguchi like I'm his buddy
ACCESSORIES YOU ALWAYS CARRY:
None
HISTORY OF PART-TIME JOBS:
Plenty
HISTORY OF PETS:
A bunny
WHAT TYPE OF GIRL DO YOU PAY ATTENTION TO AT THE CONCERT:
Somebody who's height is 3 metres
THE PRESENT YOU WILL BE HAPPY TO RECEIVE FROM FANS:
I always joke but fan letters make me happy the most
A PHRASE YOU USE TO GET A GIRL:
I don't want to say it because it's not good enough
IF YOU FIND OUT THAT YOUR GIRLFRIEND IS CHEATING:
I don't understand those words, never even seen those characters
HAS ANYONE EVER TOLD YOU THAT YOU LOOK LIKE:
Dolph Lundgren [from the movie, Rocky IV]
YOUR FAVORITE SPORT:
Future snowboarder
YOUR LIFE GOAL:
Making everything come true
HOW DO YOU SPEND YOUR DAY OFF:
Think about GLAY
YOUR FAVORITE SPOT IN HAKODATE:
Don't come to my house, you idiots!
YOUR STRONG POINTS, WEAK POINTS, AND CHARM POINTS:
People say I talk too much these days
THINGS YOU ALWAYS DO RIGHT BEFORE THE CONCERT:
Give a "Tower Bridge" to Teru

Monthly Kadokawa [May 1997 issue] Q&A: TO TAKURO
[Note: Questions in pink red are by Teru, blue by Hisashi, and yellow by Jiro. All answers are by Takuro].
You're into the Internet. What do you look for on the Internet?
...underwear...

You're not thinking of firing me from GLAY because I have such an attitude.
Jiro-kun, I haven't even heard an official answer to my offer, "Can you help us [GLAY]?" since I asked you that question 5 years ago!

Tell me the ramen noodle shop that you're keeping your eye on.
Tossako[?] Ramen in Itabashi. My friend asked me the other day, "Takuro-is there any shop which has ramen noodle which is like a mud puddle?" and I took him there. I asked the chef to make it thick and it was really like a mud puddle-but it was good!

You should be happy when you go home to Hakodate with your friend. Why do you call me at midnight?
Probably a GLAY fan will understand. You just get an urge to hear Teru's voice at midnight.

Why don't you change the curtain in your room?
To be honest, when we shot the PV [promotional video] for "a Boy~Zutto Wasurenai," that WAS my room. According to Jiro, my taste in curtains is horrible so when I get money from BELOVED, I will buy one.

Teach me how to get into XXX websites!
Well, for the Internet, I haven't experienced much. Anyway, it doesn't move-it's just a picture. Let teenagers enjoy those. I am going to buy emerald green tapes.

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