THE GLAY EXPERIENCE
Music has always been a substantial part of my life and great music has always sent me to ecstasy. Before knowing GLAY, the only bands I listened to were British rock bands like Oasis, Blur, Suede. However, by '98-'99, although British rock was becoming popular, I felt their music had somewhat stagnated and had become almost predictable. I was ready to look elsewhere for great music.
It was a stroke of karma really that I came to know of GLAY. I was radio-surfing one day when I heard Koko Dewa Nai, Doko Ka E. I was completely taken in by the lead singer's (TERU) voice. I have never heard of such power in a voice. I had no idea how GLAY looked like or even their genre of music until I surfed the Net and found Aciel's homepage. She provided the much needed information that was very helpful to a new fan like me. And for the first time, I knew how they looked like and I was surprised that they looked so good, even with the makeup and the eyeshadow. Men NEVER looked better in makeup than them.
After taking the risk and buying HEAVY GAUGE, their newest album release, I was hooked and became a true fan. Their music gave me the inspiration never to give up my dream and although eventually, I chose the "safer" route in life, I decided never to give up this dream. It may be postponed but it sure isn't abandoned. Their perserverance gives me the courage to step out one day and know that I, too can do it...
I know that GLAY has become quite commercialised of late and as much as I dislike this direction that they have taken, I continue to support them as I feel that they are still capable of making great music like in their BELOVED and BEAT OUT! period. I just hope that GLAY remains unaffected by the fame that they are enjoying now and be the same eager quartet when they first started out in 1988.
I don't think I can ever stop being their fan because they are truly the best rock anywhere, even outside of Japan.
RHAPSODY
MINI IMAGE ARCHIVE
There is only a mini picture gallery here in my homepage because I do not have a scanner to scan in all those beautiful pictures of GLAY and the pictures that you do see here are the courtesy of my friends who have graciously helped me scan them in (for details of their identities, go to SPECIAL THANKS) or allowed me to borrow their pictures. However, I'll try my best to borrow really good pictures of Glay whenever I can for you. Furthermore, GLAY should be appreciated for their music, not their looks. Of course, GLAY photobooks are good to have since they look so good in them but personally, I feel that you should own them when you are sure that you really love their music.
NO HISTORY OF GLAY
Aciel has a VERY comprehensive background exposition of GLAY, how they formed the band in high school in '88 and how the 4 of them stuck together through the DARK PERIOD. Her standard is too hard to match up so I didn't do it. Besides, all my GLAY information comes from her so in effect, I would be plagiarizing her work if I were to do that which I didn't want to. Check out her homepage for GLAY's history - the information there is great.
THE GLAY PLANET
I thought that it would be cool to do a short take on their hometown and its various backalley attractions since it is the hometown of the 4 of them (except for HISASHI who was born in Aomori prefecture but resided in Hokkaido from a tender age of 13 onwards). They have fond memories of their hometown. I would like to go there someday too and check out the places where it all began for GLAY.
THe PiNK SpIdER COLUMN
As I have mentioned in my PiNK SpIdER section, this is a monthly column I have on the Heavy Glay-ge magazine and this is the full UNEDITED version, which would normally be slightly different from the one found in the webzine itself in terms of pictures. The contents remain pretty much the same though. The column is just basically my observations and sometimes tongue in cheek remarks about GLAY.
GLAY PARANOIA
This page contains hilarious stories on GLAY, based on their recent activities e.g.Teru's haircut and other stuff. These are the products of my imagination which I thought was really funny and you might like to have a laugh reading it.
Finally...
I hope you have enjoyed your tour of THE GLAY REPUBLIC and would return for many more trips to come. I'll always be planning new stuff to be added to this humble page. Please sign my guestbook and leave your Glay footprints behind. THANK YOU!