let your light shine bright! @soutaisei-riron - Tumblr Blog

Interview: Manabu (SCREW)

Rock and Read Vol. 52 ~ 2014-02-26 | Translation Part 2 | [Part 1] - A so-called high-ranked school (school centered on preparing students to get into university)? That’s right. I didn’t think that an educational background was everything, but after entering high school, I had the impression that there were people gathered who didn’t only focus on studying but also on club activities or people who had something that they were really trying hard for. I didn’t have this feeling of not fitting in like I had in middle school anymore. I entered high school with the determination of wanting to be in a band, however, I guess that the person I was back then was only able to go to school for 3 years because the environment was good. Soon after entering school, I wanted to find people who are making music and called out to a lot of people.

- A sudden change in character (laughs). I became extremely active. There wasn’t a light music club at school, but there was a music store near school and therefore, after school I kept waiting there and as soon as someone of my school passed by I called out to them… in the end, their taste in music was different from the kind of music I wanted to make, and so I searched for band members with the help of a newspaper advertisement.

- What kind of conditions did you state? I published the advertisement in a magazine called “Let’s play in a band”, and if I remember correctly, I wrote “Looking for a vocalist, guitarist, bassist and drummer. I am a guitarist. Beginners OK, age between 16~20, no girls, people who live close by would be great. Starting with covering LUNA SEA’s songs and moving on to original songs.” At the end I wrote “Absolutely aiming to become professional” (laughs).

- And then, you formed the band you desired. However, it didn’t really take on any shape at the beginning. I spent a year meeting with various people and renting rehearsal rooms with the money I earned at my part-time job.

- What kind of part-time job? I worked at super markets and convenience stores and such. I led a life like this and by the time I became a second-year student at high school, suddenly five people of the same school year who liked Visual Kei where gathered. “Well then, let’s give a concert!” And in May we gave a concert in Osaka in a live house called Namba Rockets.

- Very energetic. At any rate, I really wanted to give a concert soon. There, we covered songs of LUNA SEA and PIERROT and performed an original song I wrote by myself too. I wrote a song as well as the lyrics for the sake of the concert.

- You wrote the lyrics as well? Do you remember what kind of lyrics? Well, it was some sort of cruel love song (blushes). At that time, I used a drum computer and played the bass by myself as well. It was sloppy, but I also sang the song and told the others “Do it like this” (laughs). Somehow, I was the only one who was really into it. Even though I had no money, I spent 50~60 thousand Yen at a shop called union jack, a shop famous for its Visual Kei fashion, to gather a stage outfit. I also started practicing doing makeup every day for 2 months before the show.

- Giving it all for the actual performance, right. How was the make-up different from now? It was heavier than now. I put on black lip stick and painted the eyelid heavily. Speaking of which, I also bought clotted blood (laughs). Even though I went that far, after one concert I quit the band. The moment it ended I thought “I’ve had enough.” I thought, “I want to work together with people with higher ambitions.” That’s awful, right?

- (laughs) However, you were absolutely aiming to become professional. Therefore, being dissatisfied can’t be helped. That’s true. Then, in summer of my second year of high school, I thought “This time I want to be successful with only original songs”, and I formed a band with a 19-years old vocalist and bassist. Every one of us wrote songs, and the others also arranged the songs I wrote and that made me realize “Oh, a song can be changed in this and that way”, and that was the first time I felt I was able to do something band-like. With this band, I also took photos together, made fliers, and even got some fans. I was able to think “That’s what it is like.”

- If music became so much interesting, didn’t you start to not care about school anymore? Well, the teachers were very considerate, and when I talked to them about a concert, they said “It’s okay to leave early.” That’s why, even on days when a concert was scheduled, I properly attended the first and the second period. My homeroom teacher in third grade also was a person who said, “Do what you want to do”, even though the teachers were supposed to get me into university... However, there was a lot going on within the band in summer of third grade, and we disbanded. I respected the other members, and it was a band I really cherished.

- You disbanded right at difficult time, because you were concerned with your future career. Then, during summer holidays, I thought “I will go to Tokyo where my cousin lives”, and I went there alone by bus. I went to Takadanobaba Area and Meguro Rockmaykan and so on, which I have seen in magazines before, and I was surprised that there were like 100 guests gathered for bands which still haven’t appeared in media. If this was Osaka, there would never gather this many people. I thought, “If I were in Tokyo, I would be seen by this many people.” Afterwards, I saved money and was determined to go to Tokyo after graduating from high school.

- This was your second resolution after the high school entrance exam, right? Yes. My parents told me “It’s okay to make music, but you can also make music while going to university”, but I don’t like it if things are not done properly. If I were to fail with the band, I probably would make excuses and blame it on the fact that I was going to university... That’s why I went to Tokyo after graduating from high school.

- Did you shoulder your guitar and get on a long-distance bus? No, I carried a bass with me.

- A bass?! I was planning to leave with a bag and a guitar, but I accidentally took the bass I used for composing with me. But the guitar was sent to me afterwards (laughs). Even after coming to Tokyo I didn’t feel lonely or anything and lived my life while doing part-time jobs.

- Didn’t being separated from your family and friends make you sentimental? No, not at all. I liked my new life. This part of me really is unsentimental, right? Then, I was looking for members again. I guess I had a misunderstanding like “I was in a band playing original songs in Osaka, I also made fliers and so on; I’m quite capable”. As for the first band I formed in Tokyo, I wrote songs as I pleased and booked concerts… that's how I have done things like. We played our first concert in summer of the same year I came to Tokyo, but after about one year we had a falling-out and disbanded. When I think of it now, I guess it was because I was leading the band as I pleased.

- In how many bands have you played since then, before you arrived at SCREW? After that I was part of a band that had a leader, but after all we disbanded. When I think of it, all my bands didn't continue longer than one year. I was told by someone “You don’t keep going for even one year, so why are you even playing in a band?”, and those words really pierced me. That was the time when I thought “The next band will be my last.” When I was thinking of my parents who wanted me to go to university, and considering my age as well, I felt I will have reached my limit soon. Carefully and patiently I searched for members… that was when I heard from an acquaintance that a band called SCREW was searching for a member.

- Did you know about the existence of SCREW? I did. They were featured in magazines, and I also had seen them before in live houses. But they were on a totally different level than me and I only thought “It would be nice if I could be active like this.” Therefore, I though “Would it really be okay if someone like me joined the band?”, and I honestly was a bit afraid. I also didn’t really like the thought of joining a band mid-way at first.

- As expected, you were strong. Well, I just thought “Let’s just meet them for now” and went to meet them and I thought “Wow, they are so cool.” And when I talked to them, I realized that they all were nice people. That was right the time when they joined the label we belong to right now and Byou told me passionately “We also want to handle it like we’d start from zero.” I got drawn to his charm and thought “If it is together with those people, I want to make music.”

- Have you ever met a vocalist who made you feel like this before? No, I haven’t. The other members were very fascinating as well and I thought “I definitely want to join them.”

- This was your chance to get another step closer to your dream, right? Yes. However, at that time I was worried about a lot of things. Even though I’ve played in several bands before, I have never given an interview or played concerts in the countryside. After I had joined the band, we immediately went on a tour and recorded songs and therefore I was wondering how I could keep up with them. It was the very moment SCREW had a tight schedule. The release of two mini-albums had already been decided, and it was like “We will soon hold a meeting on which songs we will choose for the albums, so just bring some songs for the time being”.

- You also had to remember the songs from the past to play at the concerts, and it was for sure quite tough, right? That’s true. I was so busy I didn’t even have the time to think about it. But it was fun. Because we went on a tour together, we were able to get to know and understand each other right away.

- Did you care about the reaction of the fans about you joining mid-way? At first, I was worried of course, but after joining the band I had to memorize songs, compose new songs, and my thoughts kept spinning around keeping up with the other members.

- Really? I see. However, I remember I was very happy after being told the opinion “I saw you at a concert for the first time and came to like you.” I heard from the staff that there were people who criticized me as well, but the staff told me I shouldn’t care about it. That was reassuring too.

- You have been particular about the costumes and the make-up more than others and you composed songs all along the way. Your band experience until now must have been useful after joining SCREW for sure. That’s right. Everything that has happened until then happened so that I was able to display my abilities to the fullest with SCREW.

- Apart from this story; since you joined SCREW, a member withdrew and such, and I guess SCREW experienced a lot of things. How did you overcome those obstacles? Same as now, I guess there are nothing but obstacles. I guess everyone had worries that almost made them quit and I wondered if SCREW is a band that never has a time of smooth sailing. SCREW doesn’t have a member who can do everything, and everyone lacks something, but we can make up for each other’s weak points and that is what keeps us going. Maybe there are members who aren’t very skillful, or there are a lot of people who can’t put what they are thinking into words. Therefore, I think SCREW is made up of a mysterious balance.

- I see. And yet, when I hear about your history, it seems like since you picked up a guitar, your life was going straight on. Somehow, I have the feeling that I have lived a life that wasn’t very human (laughs).

- Have you neglected love and friendship for the sake of your dream? That was also the case, but after all it was nothing that could be compared to guitar-playing and the band. Therefore, I think I’ve realized various things after joining SCREW. “This world isn’t really going to be as I was thinking it would be.”

- Did you learn about human relationships or anything? Yes. It’s been 6 years since I joined the band, and out of the time I was playing in bands, SCREW makes up the most of my time playing in bands. When I talk about it like this, I’m starting to think “The person I am lately is not good enough.” I think that the person I was in my teenage years had pushed forward even more. Maybe I mellowed out a little too much.

- Did the recklessness of facing towards a goal and pushing forward fade away? Yes. I’m wondering if it wouldn’t be better to get some of my recklessness and hardheartedness back.

- In my opinion, even after growing up, the origin of one’s childhood is still left somewhere inside. That might be true. Lately, I’m worrying about a lot of things like “I have to grow up” or “I shouldn’t cause trouble to others.” Maybe I’m thinking too much about this.

- When looking back to the past once again, one remembers a lot of things, right? I couldn’t help it because I was young, but I wasn’t able to see anything. I went to Tokyo aimlessly, and the person I am now would probably think “That’s unreasonable”.

- I didn’t know that you had such a passionate way of leading life. I’m surprised. It really was passionate.

- You have remembered a lot of past things, but could you please tell me your ideal of how SCREW should be in the near future? Personally, I think that SCREW still has a long way to go. Besides the issues about our songs and concerts and such, every one of us must grow even more as a person, or maybe SCREW won’t be able to become bigger. I think I myself as well must become a person who will be able to influence the members and the band itself. When a band continues for a long time, you become like a family and conversations also decrease, I guess. Slowly, this sort of relation becomes natural.

- You become an existence that is naturally like air. However, if this goes into the wrong direction, I guess it might become a put-up job. Today, I talked about a lot of things and this year I guess I’m going to take the initiative and stir things up between the members.

- Does this mean you are going to spur SCREW from now on? Yes. Well, because like this, I think SCREW might be a strongly destructive band.

- You are an ambitious person, so you are aiming even higher, right? LUNA SEA and GLAY, which were your starting point, are still successful on the front line. That must be encouraging. Even though they were my idols when I was young, I was part of the same world when I noticed it… However, they are of course still my idols. This is because even now they are still at a place where we can’t reach them… There is still a long way to go before we can become equals, but in order to come closer even a bit, I think I must change myself further.

- 2014 seems to become a turning point. It will. Definitely.

[I finally had the time to finish this translation, yay! It probably contains a lot of mistakes (my English still hasn’t gotten any better), but it was fun translating this interview. Maybe there are still people out there who want to read this... ;)]

Trending Blogs

Recently Viewed Blogs

let your light shine bright!