音楽と人 - March 2009
Interview with Sakurai Atsushi
Text by Yanagi Kenichiro
Translation: Lola
This is a good album.
Yes, well. It feels complete. But it was heavy for me so I'm exhausted now *smiles*.
Oh my. Do you mean it was hard on you physically? Or mentally?
It's like that after every album but, this time well I also had a lot of things going on myself......so I feel mentally drained.
I see.
I'm not trying to brag about my misfortunes but *smiles*, well, to put it simply, I had a lot of things on my mind and it was making me depressed. It's in my nature to be like that. I'm the type of person who can't help but think about all the terrible things.
Hahahaha. Yeah, but even so the completed album is good don't you think?
Ah, I think that is because I didn't let my issues hinder it.
Ahahaha. Well, you could say that you have strong influence and sway over how things turn out then. Even though it was hard for you mentally, you were able to express that in your lyrics clearly.
Thank you. Well, because in this way I can get my thoughts out and just by doing that, now I can deal with it. So, it was exhausting but, now that it's done I'm greatly satisfied.
Were you able to grow from that hard time?
It's not an easy thing to get over. But that's all the more reason to grow from it.
In the interview for the previous single, 'Alice in Wonder Underground' you told us how at first as a single it confused you but that after you found it fun. This time, the whole album seems much more of a challenge.
It's true. Of course if there wasn't any challenge for me, I don't think I could feel satisfied with it.
You would think then that if your actual feelings were so down that writing something in that decadent dark world that you like Sakurai-san would be ideal but that just wasn't the case for this album, instead you even expressed yourself positively in parts.
Because, that's part of what saved me with this album. If I lose focus, then I'll succumb to apprehension, so I remind myself of the things I must do.
And so you took it upon yourself to sing about brighter things?
No, it was that it was impossible for me not to think of brighter things. For instance, for me thinking about death equals thinking about life. At least, that's how I interpreted it.
It's like you're glad Buck-Tick exists, and you're glad 'memento mori' was made.
Hahahaha. It took me by surprise at first but, the theme of 'memento mori' came from Imai. At first, I thought it meant he was making Buck-Tick flit through that dangerous dark world again but, recently I've come to see that it's completely different from my initial thoughts.
Seems like darkness and happiness are both equal in your eyes.
If they weren't both equal, for me and those around me, it wouldn't be very interesting would it. That's how I avoid it just being lip service when I sing of being happy.
That's what makes me think the album is light this time. It seems like your kind of dark view Sakurai-san only with a flicker of light in it, where even in the happy tunes there is that feeling of unrest in the air. Given that you were aware of the serious theme of the work, I imagine that awareness influenced you.
Well, it was the same as usual in that I just went with my intuition.
But somehow, up till now it didn't feel like you had that sense of goodwill towards others.
Well, but if I didn't have that sense of being good to others then I couldn't live you know *smiles*.
But that's something you see in this album isn't it. It's about death and it's about life but somehow it's also about goodwill towards your fellow man.
In the past it was easy for me to be confused so perhaps I did that unconsciously but, well, it wasn't like I was intentionally planning on conveying it in a certain way. At this point I am.
Now? But that's hard isn't it.
Hahahaha. See, so it's better if I don't say things like 'That was really difficult for me'. And even though I don't want to say it, I end up saying things like 'it was my pleasure' instead *smiles*.
Hahahaha! It's true but that's life you know.
......but, I think it helps the other members for me to be like that. I know it was just by chance that the title of our theme this time matched the heaviness I was feeling but because of that, I was able to put all my energy into until the very end.
That's how you guys can continue without hating what you do right?
Right. Of course, I always think things like, 'it would have been better if I had done it this way'. But well, it's natural for us to tell each other things. So they'll say, 'but you know, it's good like that too'.
I think, for me, when you talk about living and that sort of thing, I think about what it is to be human you know. But I guess it sounds kind of bad if I say it like that.
Not at all, that's exactly the point. We're not really trying to do something that will be hard for people to get.
Yeah, this album is easy to relate to as a whole, it's like, yes, that's exactly how I feel you know. To live, to be human, it's amazing, it's beautiful, it's sad and it's even a little silly at times.
Yes, that's what makes it charming. And certainly, I want to praise that too as those thoughts are part of life.
I think you don't express those things yourself though Sakurai-san. If you like decadence, does that mean you have to go around with a bottle of wine in your hand every day until morning? Does it mean you're not allowed to think that the morning light is beautiful?
Hahahaha.
If you're the type of person who thinks things that perish are beautiful does that mean you're not allowed to think that the birth of a new life is a wonderful thing?
Mm, I see what you mean.
But the complete affirmation of death itself is captivating to you isn't it?
If I think about it, it's scary. And yet I like that sort of world. But the real issue for me is that if I went into it completely then I wouldn't be able to return here and that's frightening. So if I can just stay here and work until the very end, then that's good.
It seems this way for the band too. It's not the kind of band who just because they completed one dark masterpiece is going to say, well then goodbye world~. Because you continue to go on as a solid rock band and I think that's why you can continue to make albums.
Yes. I think it is because of the various experiences we've had, and the various directions that challenged us that we were able to make this album.
And no matter what, as is custom for Buck-Tick, your work will exude real human nature.
Yes. People might have a hard time seeing it but, the truth is, I am quite human too.
Uh you know Sakurai-san, we all know that. You've already shown it.
Hahahaha. I guess I have.
But that's why we love you.
Yeah, right. But thank you for saying that *smiles*.