author: Zy - translation: Non-Non

© 2007 Zy.connection Inc. All Rights Reserved.

After they released their album STACKED RUBBISH in July, the GazettE did a national hall tour for about two months. Their Budokan live on September 7th was successfully filled to capacity. After that they took a short break before their European tour in October, their live house tour, Pulse Wigging To Black 02, in November, and they are still on the move. After a lengthy wait, vocalist Ruki was able to appear for a personal interview despite the difficulty in finding time in his busy schedule. He talked about how he felt during the summer tour and what he wants to do now.


As a solo interviewee, you haven’t appeared since Zy No.29, which was released in July 2006. Last time you were drenched with blood (laughs).

Ruki: This time I was drenched with water (laughs).

The idea that you wanted to go in the sea came from you, Ruki. Why did you think of such a concept?

Ruki: As a personal interview, we usually imagine being shot in our private clothes. So I thought I would go back and do what I couldn’t do in the shooting of the band. Then I thought of something like... a woman in a funeral(laughs). And I wore Kimono and went in the sea. I simply like this kind of mood. Honestly speaking I’m now absorbed in the Japanese mood.

Japanese mood? That’s a little unexpected.

Ruki: I think it came from the image of the song Chizuru.

I see. By the way, this time we’re going to ask you about the hall tour in July, which finished with the Budokan live on September 7th. How do you feel looking back on that?

Ruki: Um, until then I had been thinking about fans and how to do our lives, but by that time I didn’t think about that. I think that we were able to start from a higher position so to speak, as we had gained a lot of experience in our lives. So I could really concentrate my feelings on the songs.

As it was a summer tour, I'm sure you were exhausted.

Ruki: Actually it was hot during the lives, but it was because of our costumes.(smile)

So it was kind of your own doing then?

Ruki: Yes (laughs). It was still hot whatever costumes I put on, but I put on thicker clothes, which made me feel even hotter. And the halls were quite old so the dressing rooms were hot too.

And you did the Budokan live on September 7th. Last time you did a Budokan live you cried a lot, but this time it seemed that you were a lot more relaxed.

Ruki: Last time, people around me were nervous and I felt a lot of pressure about doing such a big venue for the first time. This time we didn’t change the set list and how we appeared, and didn’t do any additional things, so I could do it without feeling any pressure. I think we were able to do it as we usually do.

The range of the age of the audience in Budokan was so wide. I saw a man who looked like he was 50 years old pumping his fist up into the air (laugh).

Ruki: Ah, I get fan mails from people who are pretty old.

What do they write?

Ruki: "I remember the old days when I liked CAROL (legendary rock band headed by Eikichi Yazawa)", was one fan mail that came to me (laughs).

CAROL and the GazettE are totally different (laugh).

Ruki: Yeah, totally (laughs). But they continued to say "I remember when I used to go the lives of CAROL, and I’m excited again". So all kinds of people seem to enjoy our music.

That's a very good story. The generation of CAROL would be those in their 40's ~ 50's? Only the GazettE has such old fans, don’t you think?

Ruki: Yeah. I don't know why. I just wonder where they got to know us.

They may have just happened to listen to the music that their daughters or sons listen to, and then...

Ruki: They might think "It’s so cool!" (laughs)


For the rest of the interview, please refer to Zy 37.

© 2007 Zy.connection Inc. All Rights Reserved.