Glay Dictionary - Jiro Obsession Edition!

(Pls wait when loading! It may take u 5 mins) Jiro Personal Interview 1997 [GROOVY]
Jiro says that live concerts is his pleasure. What is the answer to himself who is always struggling with music? Interview by Mayu Motoike.
Mayu: So when did you get hooked up with music?
Jiro: 2nd year of junior highschool. Until then, I didn't have any interest in music. A friend of mine let me listen to a song by Kome Kome Club [called "Shari Sharism"] and he recorded it for me. And that was the first [time that I came into contact with] rock 'n roll. Now that I think about it, I think it was pop music but the Kome Kome Club was the first band that was neat. A friend of mine was hooked up [with the Kome Kome Club?] but I think that was the only reason. If he were a member of Bousou Zoku, I might have become one of them too. [Laughs] I think I got into it because I wanted to find a common language among friends.
M: So it wasn't necessary music back then.
J: Yes.
M: So how was it? What were you like as a teenager, such as your personality or how you spent your life?
J: My father was very strict. He wouldn't allow me to hang out late at night. I think I lived in a closed environment. To describe my father's persona, hands come in first rather than the mouth[!]. And I, I wasn't a rebel until I came over here [he means until he came to Tokyo].
M: How was your environment [back in Hokkaido]?
J: I hated it. So that's why I wanted to do something. Sometimes, I felt free from my parents but [most of the time] I found myself obeying them. There was a curfew so I think I was looking for something to get out of the house.
M: So the proposition was to stay at home and do something there?
J: Yes. When I was in the 5th or 6th grade, I would have to be home by 5 o'clock, and my father would come home when the Sumo [wrestling] on TV was at its momentum. And that's the time when we have dinner. If you came home late, you didn't get [any] dinner. I'm surprised I endured [that].
M: School, friends, home, there are places in life where you can spend time. Did you spend a lot of time at home?
J: Yes, it was high [Jiro is talking about the percentage of time he spent at home]. I wasn't as soft as I am now. So when I make a phone call, [I'm] really kind. As if the personality has changed. Back then, my room was located on the 2nd floor and "if you're not studying, don't waste the electricity. Come down and stay here or sleep."
M: "Do not make use of the electricity (for purposes) other than the use for study."
J: "It's not free, damn it!" [Laughs] Afterwards, my mother told me, "Wasn't your father kind of lonely?"
M: So your father couldn't communicate honestly; and by being strict with rules, he's able to communicate.
J: I think so. And [my father's wish was that] he wanted to raise his son the way HE wanted. He wanted to help me do boxing or judo but I wouldn't do it because "I hated it because it caused pain." [Laughs]
M: That's a good saying! [Laughs]
J: Yes. [Laughs] I think my father must have thought there was something different here.
M: So how do you think your father viewed the conditions that you were into rock 'n roll?
J: He opposed the idea of me buying a guitar but in the end, I was told, "If you're going to buy it with YOUR OWN money, then buy it." At home, there wasn't all this system. My father's basic principle was "You earn your money by yourself." Therefore, I always had a job. Even after I came to Tokyo, I didn't borrow any money from my parents. So there were 5 years that I spent in Tokyo until GLAY's debut. But I think it's attributed to my father that I'm independent and can take care of myself. Around that time, I think I gained the ability of protecting my life on my own.
M: Suddenly, rock 'n roll entered into this kind of life?
J: Yes. Since then, I listened to music. I gained friends who loved rock 'n roll, but when I say rock bands, [it was] based on bands like Rebecca and BOOWY. They had guitars. When I was hanging out, I first saw an electric guitar and it caught my attention. There wasn't anyone I knew around me who had such a thing. I wasn't good at fighting. If I became good at playing guitar, can I become famous? Since then, I thought about buying one. Plus I think it was right after I saw the video "Rebecca in Shibuya." There was a guitarist named Morio Koga. There was a scene where he threw a hat into the audience while playing the guitar, and that was really cool. "Oh, I am (a) guitar (player)!" it made me think. However, if Rebecca had had a male vocalist, I would have wanted to become a singer. In my view, the guitar was still the coolest. So in the 2nd year of junior highschool, on New Year's [day], with money from the New Year and from a part-time job, I bought a guitar.
M: So since then, did you practice playing the guitar?
J: Yes. In the beginning, I had no clue as to how to tune the guitar. I couldn't read notes. But one day, I was able to play. I [played] the guitar everyday and I improved the parts where I couldn't play it well.
M: Did your lifestyle or environment change since you had a guitar?
J: No. Since then, I wasn't checking up the faces of others [seeing what other people think]. But when my father was in a bad mood, I obeyed him, and when I thought that he was in a good mood, I played the guitar. So overall, it wasn't bad.
M: You always try to please others, even at home?
J: Yes. It was important for me. I still have the tendency to know what others think of me. And I come up with the idea that the person is in a bad mood. I sometimes dislike myself.
M: So you started playing the guitar by yourself. When did the band appear in your life?
J: In the 3rd grade of junior highschool. I played the live but it was awful.
M: Do you remember the first live you gave?
J: It was at the top of an instrument store called Yamaha. I had gone to the store even before I bought an instrument with the band members. They didn't have instruments but said that they wanted to play music. I didn't know why, but I went there often. I was a regular customer even before I got an instrument.
M: That must have been a pretty sight.
J: Yes. I would say, "I will definitely buy one" to the salesperson, then I got along with them. After I got an instrument, I practiced there every week. And the person who worked there asked me to give a performance and that was the first time I gave a performance. I had stagefright but I vaguely thought that I wanted to be a professional or I wanted to be a musician, just good enough to give a live performance. I really enjoyed the live. But maybe it wasn't different from doing a rehearsal with my band members. [That] the enjoyment of doing the rehearsal with my band members is the same as the live.
M: At the time, the idea of doing a band was getting bigger?
J: I thought I could play well. I realized that I was improving my skill. I knew it by myself. Everyday, I went home and played the guitar.
M: Then you went to highschool.
J: After I went to highschool, the band broke up but I [still] played the guitar. The band I had in junior high was dismissed so that's why I played alone. At the time, thrash metal was popular. I met people who liked hard and thrash music. And I searched for different types of music and tried to copy the sound by listening. I didn't have scores [music books], so I copied by myself.
M: So you were more the guitar boy rather than a band boy.
J: Yes. But during my highschool period, my parents were strict. I went home before my father came home so that when he went out for a drink, I was happy. In that situation, I would go out to play a game but I was anxious about when my father would come back.
M: So the center of your life and the fundamentals of your thought was always always [with] your father?
J: Yeah, yeah. But when I recall the 3rd grade in highschool, the house rules might have been [more] relaxed. My father used to nag about the rehearsals I had at night. But my mother soothed my father.
M: So your mother is always understanding.
J: Yes. She knew that since I was a child, I was bound by rules. So when I said, "I'm going to Tokyo," my mother said, "Go ahead. If you stay in Hakodate, you will be nagged at all the time so you do what you want to do." And that's what my mother always said to me. The 1st and 2nd grades in highschool were the most wasteful [years] I spent. I played guitar but what else did I do? I don't remember. I was with my friends but I didn't drink.
M: Is that because your father told you that a highschool student shouldn't drink?
J: To begin with, I didn't like to drink or smoke cigarettes because my father is strict. I felt like a loser. Do you understand? My father would say, "If you want to smoke, you do it openly. I don't oppose. If you want to drink, you can do it but not hide it from me." That's what my father said. And I always had that idea in my mind so I didn't want to do something bad behind my father's back, which is equal to that I felt defeated by my father. All of my friends used to smoke, but I didn't.
M: The 1st and 2nd years in highschool passed just like that?
J: Yes. I was playing guitar all the time but when I was in the 2nd grade of highschool, I happened to meet with a friend from junior high. He said he was looking for a guitarist and "Would you like to join?" and I joined the original band [Jiro means that this band played original songs]. And we had 3 gigs. We had 2-band concerts with GLAY too.
M: Do you remember GLAY at the time?
J: Yes, I remember them. I was the 2nd grader and they were the 3rd graders. GLAY's most popular period was in October at that time. And I was envious of them. All the other members of the band that I joined were GLAY fans and I didn't like it. I said, "What is GLAY?"
M: So you played in the live and that experience made you want to play more?
J: It was interesting. I had 2 years of just practising the guitar so I could play well. Maybe I was better then than now. But I played heavy metal guitar. It was more technical, or in other words, the guitar I played had no taste but I could play first. "Hayabiki" is a term that in general means "playing first" but in the case of GLAY, we say "hayahiki."
M: Why "hayahiki?"
J: I think GLAY looks down on hayabiki. But I could have played first at the time. And we played my song.
M: What kind of song did you write?
J: I don't remember what kind of songs I wrote, but I wrote lyrics.
M: You have the will to write lyrics. When you heard the story of BELOVED, didn't you say that you want to write music but not lyrics?
J: No. The band members were so smart and I went to one of the lowest schools in town. And they looked down on me and my ability to write lyrics. They might've thought that I couldn't write. So I decided to write and they approved of it and I don't remember if I [wrote] a song or I might have written the lyrics.
M: What was it that you wanted to say or sing?
J: Nothing.
M: ...so what did you write?
J: Nothing. Just the feeling-only the feeling.
M: It's not a question of what you want to say or you wanted other band members to hear your song?
J: That's true. It hasn't changed from then and now. Before I [produce] something, I want the band members to understand and this tune has a strong meaning. People can imagine "JIRO punk" (Shutter Speeds no Teema) but they can't imagine "JIRO UK" (Kanariya). But I wanted to show that I can do something like this. Writing songs like that surprised the other members and I thought, "I have opened a new door." And that was the best reason why we released that song.
M: What was the reaction when they heard the song?
J: Takuro was so happy, so pleased and he barked, "That's good, that's good!" And I was happy to see him surprised.
M: Do you still have the feeling that you had when you were a highschool student?
J: Yes. I think we stimulate each other not to be defeated. That's a feeling I still keep in my mind.
M: But hearing that story, your band at the time had a good relationship with each other.
J: But there was no audience. The audience was zero. They all went to boys' schools. Then there was a band called Pierrot.
M: That's the band that motivated you to come to Tokyo.
J: Yeah. The guitarist was the guy I went to school with and the rhythm unit [bass and drums] just quit. And there was a new drummer but "We need a bass player" I was told after school one day and I replied, "I'll do it." But "You play the guitar?" "You're worse than me!" That guy was not as good as me at playing the guitar. And I thought it wasn't really a question of who is good and who is bad.
M: But you were known as "hayahiki" player. Did you care about losing that reputation?
J: There was a time when I became a 3rd grader in highschool that there was no possibility for the band. I wanted to quit the band. My father was nagging at me about playing in a band and my mother was trying to protect me, so I thought I should get a job. I could have been a bass player if I could enjoy the band in 3rd grade. Pierrot had a relatively larger audience than the band I was previously in. Pierrot was like a brother band of GLAY. They used to have 2-band gigs. So I thought I could be more popular. So that was the original reason why I wanted to be in a band. I wanted to be the best player in my junior highschool and I wanted to surprise everybody, regardless of their gender.
M: But even if you don't play guitar, you can [still] attract people.
J: No. That wasn't happening.
M: Really?
J: Yes, it's true. When I was a highschool student, a young girl told me that she liked me but the girl I really liked didn't [even] notice me. I was turned down once. I was not really indifferent to girls but I was too shy.
M: So you wanted to be [in] Pierrot (to be popular)?
J: Yes. And there was a friend who had an extra bass and he wanted to exchange it for my guitar so we did.
M: What was the first thing you felt when you played bass for the first time after playing the guitar for a long time?
J: No, the basic style doesn't make a difference... At the time, I didn't think of my bass style.
M: But since you could adapt as a bass player, you must be versatile.
J: I just liked playing instruments.
M: You felt that Pierrot was different from other bands because you came to Tokyo?
J: There were 2 guys who dropped out of highschool in the 1st grade. When they came back to Hakodate, one of them had dyed his hair red and the other had dyed his hair purple. We had a gig together and I thought, "Tokyo is an interesting place." After GLAY went to Tokyo, they came back to Hakodate and did a 2-band concert with Pierrot. I drank with Takuro and the others and heard about what they did in Tokyo. And Takuro said, "You should come to Tokyo." And he said, "You do well in Pierrot and you establish your career in Pierrot. Why don't you try your luck in Tokyo?" At the time, I was talking with the vocalist about going to Tokyo and I didn't want to be turned down by the other two members. Pierrot became successful and I felt strongly that way. If I stayed in Hakodate and they made it in Tokyo, I would regret it. So I decided to go to Tokyo. My mother told my father when he was in a good mood that I wanted to talk to him.
M: Your father is bothersome, even just to have a conversation.
J: "So you want to play music? But there are zillions of people who want to play music in Tokyo. So with such competition, why go to Tokyo?" And that's what my father told me. "I don't want you to hate me so if you want to go to Tokyo, then go. But I don't want to lend you a hand no matter what." While growing up, I always earned my money through part-time jobs. (Quotes his father again) "I will acknowledge you as an adult, so from now on YOU take responsibility." It was good for five days and after that, he didn't speak to me. I think there was a period of silence that lasted half a year. We didn't speak to each other until my departure to Tokyo.
M: A band occupies a big personal space and so does family. To you, the presence of your family in your heart was even bigger until you came out of Hakodate.
J: Yes it is. It was very difficult or rather, big, so I think that's why I was into the band so deeply. There was a great satisfaction in doing lives so that I can escape from reality.
M: Do you remember any episodes around that time when you went to Tokyo from Hakodate?
J: The transportation that the company prepared for me was a night train. I was so sad. It took 12 hours. Afterwards, I dated a girl from October. When I joined Pierrot, we broke up at the best period of time. And I was so sad. The midnight train. I cried because a long-distance relationship is very difficult.
M: So your life in Tokyo began.
J: With Pierrot, we had to find a drummer and we couldn't move. And to me, my priority was to get used to the city of Tokyo.
M: Was it really difficult to get used to the city of Tokyo?
J: It was very difficult, but when I went to Shibuya by myself, I had fun. At Miyanamizaka, I headed towards Jounandenki, thinking that that direction would lead me to funky places. [At] the point after I climbed up the slope, I thought "What is this? There isn't anything in Shibuya." I recall that I went straight to Ikebukoro. Ignorance is scary [Laughs]. I got a habit of staying at friends' houses on Saturday. On Saturday night, I was supposed to hang out with a friend from Ikegami and I went to Kabata. The Ikegami line was closed and I only had 1500 Yen at the time, and I couldn't even ride a cab. "What should I do? I can't go back." At the time, I had another friend who lived in Mukorugahara in Kawasaki. By the Nambu line, it was 5 stations away from me. With no choices available, I wound up going to Kawasaki and from there, I was going to go to [my] friend's house by the Nambu line. But then, the last train had already left in Kawasaki. So I walked. [Laughs]
M: Oh, you walked the distance of 5 stations?
J: Yes. I walked on the railroad wearing rubber soles, so (it was) painful. And sometimes there was a river, and above on the railroad there was a space [below]. There was like, an iron bridge and I went, "Oh!"
M: Oh, just like "Stand By Me" [the movie].
J: So that happened. I was trying to get used to life and after 10 months since I joined a company with sales and other things, I got really busy and I saw the end. I saw that it wasn't working for me. "Why did I come to Tokyo?" So after I moved into a friend's house, I quit the company.
M: So with the condition that you're unable to play, what was the existence of the band to you?
J: Let me see. After coming to Tokyo, there was a girl that I dated. It was really fun for me. At the time, I might not have thought of the band.
M: Was the love relationship more fun than the band?
J: Yes. I was thinking that I wanted to do good for the band too, but it was something I hadn't experienced before. Without being restricted by my parents all the time, I could date freely. At the time, love relationships weighed more. If it wasn't for that, perhaps I might have been beaten by Tokyo.
M: To Jiro, what's a love relationship?
J: Let's see. I'm not strong basically, that's why I'm with the band.
M: You're with the band because you're not strong?
J: I tend to brood alone, that's why the band becomes a good material[?]. Things that I want to pursue personally, other people suggest something on my behalf to elaborate the subject matter. That person [could be] Takuro. If I were alone, there are many things that would turn out to be failures. So when I have a problem with the band, things that I can't talk about to the band members for example, I would talk to my girlfriend to relax myself. I don't think I would have made it by myself.
M: So at what point did the band exist?
J: I started hanging out with Takuro and I would go to the live to hang out with him.
M: Do you remember the impression of the 3 members at the time?
J: Let me see. For example, Hisashi. Since joining the band, I hadn't had a conversation with him for 3 months. I talked about music. Yesterday, I talked to Hisashi and "We didn't talk as much as we do now." Hisashi answered, "Yes. That might be the case." "You never say anything more than you have to." Hisashi answered, "Yes. It might be true [Laughs]." So I don't think the same way now. I thought he liked band activities so when we made the concert "BEAT out!," I became more intimate [with him]. When I started seeing and understanding this person, he was thinking about such things. "He pretended not to think but he had to be thinking." That's what I thought.
M: So how many years did it take you to join GLAY?
J: 2 or 3 years.
M: When the story came out from Takuro, what did you think?
J: I consulted my girlfriend [about it]. I think that's why there is this shape. At the time, I wanted to do a hard rock band and GLAY was like--; at the time, Teru had spiky blond hair and wore dress-like clothes and they were really into the Visual Rock scene. And I didn't like them because they looked like sissies[!]. To me, if I'm going to waste time, I would be better off looking for a new band. That was the one thought I had. A second thought was, I hadn't done any band activity for 2 years. If I'm going to drop out from the band, I would have fun with guys from Hakodate. Towards the end, I decided not to join. And I consulted my girlfriend about that: "Since you haven't done anything, you had better join the band. It will be good for you." So I decided to join them.
M: I see. For 3 months, you guys didn't exchange any conversation during the rehearsals.
J: Of course. I didn't entirely cease conversations.
M: So the atmosphere back then and today's atmosphere of GLAY are different?
J: It was an entirely different sensation of feelings. The friendly environment remains the same but Teru was not talkative to strangers at ease, didn't talk initially. He was kind anyway; as always, he is friendly. But he may not have talked to Hisashi much. I think Hisashi is a person who thinks things cool. If you bring up a stupid conversation, "Jiro is stupid" is what Hisashi would think.
M: So with such conditions, when were you convinced you can play with GLAY?
J: The band was fun too. There were many songs written by Takuro and I would listen to them as if they were really cool. There were many songs that I thought were really cool.
M: From the previous interviews before recording [BEAT out!], you thought you were going to do something else using the fame from GLAY. What is it about?
J: I viewed GLAY as a band that was manipulated or controlled. Since we had weaknesses, such as wanting to make it or our naiveness, I didn't know what it was, but I just wanted to escape. Now that I analyze the comment by myself, I think it was because I couldn't win with GLAY. Now that comment I made previously sounds like an escape. If I were as strong as that, I don't think I would have thought about such things a long time ago.
M: So that changed during the recording of [BEAT out!] or [SPEED POP].
J: That's it. Nagai, D.I.E. contributed. The power that these people brought gave us confidence. It was a turning point when I met them during the [SPEED POP] Tour.
M: Listening to your story, I get the impression that the emotions from the live for the band itself do not really matter to you. I have feelings that you continue with the band because you don't want to be defeated by your father. I keep getting the impression that you continuously fight with yourself.
J: I think that's a big part of it. If you had said the live, the objection is the audience.
M: What's that?
J: You can't relax with each and every one of the lives. That may be because I am from Hakodate. Many artists come to Sapporo but go through Hakodate. And sometimes, it is precious to me when I go to the lives in Hakodate. I clearly remember the concerts. When I go to suburbs, I especially feel that. And there are actually many people who experience the first GLAY live, so during the live, I don't want to create a bad experience for them, but when I was able to do that with my heart, it was after the [BEAT out!] concert.
M: So it's since this February or March?
J: It's been the same from the past that when I produce music, I have fun. But I have to meet the expectations of Yoshiki. So I think I have a lot of pressure. There was a gap between our feelings, so when we actually get to do the live, that was truly fun. So I paid close attention to the live. So I said before that I'd rather thoroughly go through whole concerts before going to the Budokan.
M: So your attitude to the whole concert developed when the song [Glorious] came out?
J: I didn't like it without understanding the process for the concert. At lives, we are the main characters and no-one can take it away from us. I wanted to show the people that today, GLAY has the power to sell out lives at the Budokan for the first time.
M: [There are] many changes in emotional feelings but somehow you made the Budokan a reality.
J: Aside from the music at the Budokan, I think that with our feelings alone, the fans were satisfied. I hope I felt that such emotion cannot be created even if they tried to lie. The tears from Teru, I think even actors would have had a hard time producing it. So that live was truly the one where GLAY's feelings won the live.
M: Was anything different after that, towards GLAY or towards Jiro?
J: Joining GLAY, there was a concern that "It's different." But I somehow managed to finish the live and I had stronger feelings being built gradually towards GLAY. Recently, I think I am convinced that the enemy is myself. The part of my spirituality right now[?], that GLAY is like a place where excellent employees bring their own projects in order to make something good. To make quality sound. And there is a change in the process of getting into GLAY, so I have no time to be bothered by small things.
M: Is that why the phrase "I don't wish to lose anybody or myself" often appears so that you have to bring high-quality music?
J: Yes. This time, I introduced myself as is [Jiro is talking about making his songs, Shutter Speeds no Teema and Kanariya]. When I record my own songs, I get into it. I wanted to get myself [more and more] involved in the process of making music with GLAY, but there might be no contribution to the lyrics. Regarding the lyrics, I am aware of GLAY. As long as there is GLAY, it will be okay because there is always Takuro. I think other members have the same feeling. And there are many similarities other than the songs, such as I feel okay that GLAY's okay since Hisashi plays the guitar. I would always like to maintain such feelings. The moment when the balance is destroyed is the worse time for GLAY.
M: The meaning of the balance is pouring blood, so as of now, writing songs.
J: Yes, it is. It's not like I want to do 10 songs of my own, but more like I hope to open the door, provided that my songs will open the door for GLAY.