寿記 27.08.2010 The Truth

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I got this email from a fan.

I'm just going to post the original text.

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"I've been a fan since middle school.

I think I read it in a magazine or something a while back, that you didn't like doing 'guitar karaoke' when you were playing live on TV, so during the performance you didn't touch the guitar strings.

Like, during the solo part, you just took both your hands off the guitar...is what I heard.

Actually, that's one big reason why I became a fan of Buck-Tick, but now when I ask people if it's a true story, they either don't believe me or they say they don't know.

There's no way I'd stop being a fan, so I wonder, could you tell me if that story is true?

I guess it's a really rude question to ask but I've just been so curious for so long...

I'm guessing you're probably way too busy to take time answering questions like these, but if you can, please tell me..."

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Wow, was there really some rumor that I hated 'guitar karaoke'?

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It's not true.

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It is true that I took my hands off the guitar strings.

It's also true that I raised both hands over my head during my guitar solo.

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And other stuff...

Tuning during solos...

Performing with no guitar strap, holding the guitar in my hands and dancing around...

Going on stage with a sitar instead of a guitar (Hide did the same thing!)

...yeah we did a lot of funny stuff...

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But, it wasn't because we hated doing guitar-lip-synching performances on TV.

Nothing like that.

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Hide and I had problems when we performed on TV. The guitar sound wasn't working. It happened three times in a row.

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It was actually our fault.

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We weren't used to playing on television.

But it just caused trouble for the other people who were playing on the shows.

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So we consulted with the other band members,

And we decided to do guitar karaoke the next time we played on TV.

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We were the ones who chose the "television guitar karaoke" thing.

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So why did we act ridiculous about it, then?

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Basically, because we thought it was funny.

I mean, we were doing guitar karaoke, so we decided it would be much more fun to make it a different experience from an actual live performance.

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I guess you could say it was like a live action music video.

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Guitar karaoke on television

No, I don't hate it.

Actually, I had a lot of fun.

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Once, when we were playing on TV, we ended up performing on the same program as J, by complete coincidence.

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So then J came to hang out in the dressing room.

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J said, "Hey Imai, you want to switch your guitar and my bass?"

So I said, "Oh that's a great idea. Let's do it!"

But then we realized...the programs we were performing on would be aired on different days, so people wouldn't get the joke...

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So in the end, we didn't do it.

Because, we're grownups.

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IMAI 10:00

寿記 26.08.2010 Rehearsal

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We just finished rehearsing.

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On the 28th we're gonna get out there and go wild, right from the start of the first song!

Yeah, let's go nuts.

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IMAI 8:00

寿記 26.08.2010 Dokudanjou Beauty

Dokudanjou BEAUTY

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Electric, noisy, pop, punk, and disco.

I wanted to make a song with all those elements in it, and this was it.

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I thought of the bass riff that was the seed of the idea for this song during the memento mori tour.

I wanted to make something you could go nuts to for four minutes.

With a simple, simple rhythm.

Something bold.

But, with a sort of silly, joke thing going on.

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The lyrics are "a requiem."

For my friend, who passed away.

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Death is a frightening thing.

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"It's gonna be all right Yeah Yeah

Nothing's gonna go wrong."

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R.I.P.

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Oh, and the day changed, but it was her birthday today!

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IMAI 2:24

He's talking about his friend with uterine cancer, who he mentioned in this entry. Puts a new spin on Dokudanjou Beauty, all right...(Dokudanjou Beauty translation available here.)

寿記 23.08.2010 We're done! (probably)

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Nice work, everyone.

And thank you.

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Today, just a little while ago, I finished my work in the recording studio.

(probably)

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We're done recording.

(...probably)

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Anyway, look forward to it.

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Next thing up are the rehearsal studio sessions!

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Personal Favorites

This will probably come across as hypocritcal, considering my last few posts, but I'm really not a fan of lists of rankings. They can be fun to make and fun to read, but ultimately, I think they're pretty shallow, especially when you get to ones like "the top ten best visual rock albums of all time" or "the top ten weirdest outfits Imai has ever worn" or "the top ten male j-rockers who are also screaming Sakurai fanboys"...wait, the last two sound like lists I want to make!

But anyway, you asked for it. What are Cayce's personal favorite Buck-Tick songs? What are Cayce's picks for the top five best Buck-Tick albums? Okay, here goes. In alphabetical order, because I couldn't possibly choose a number one favorite.

Cayce's Top 25 Favorite B-T Songs (more or less)

Angelfish

Ao no Sekai

Asylum Garden

Coyote

Die

Death wish

Darker Than Darkness

Down

Kain

Kalavinka

Kirameki no Naka de

Kiss Me Good-Bye

La Vie en Rose

Lion

Lullaby III

Maria

Misshitsu

Motel 13

My Funny Valentine

Nocturne Rain Song

Passion

Sasayaki (the Sweet Strange Live Disc version)

Shanikusai -Carnival-

Umbrella

Victims of Love (the Climax Together live album version)

Cayce's Top Five Favorite B-T Albums

Climax Together Live Album (bet you didn't see that coming!)

Darker Than Darkness (but you saw that coming from a mile away!)

Memento Mori

One Life, One Death

Sexy Stream Liner

Six/Nine

Damn, that's six albums. And I didn't even have room for Mona Lisa Overdrive, which is a sin. But, really. Lists are stupid.

Not My House

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Nope, not my house.

(Not Imai's house, either.)

But pretty cool!

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The best Buck-Tick songs you've never heard...

...never heard, or just don't listen to enough! The sorts of songs you put in at karaoke and everyone goes, "...what? This song? I haven't heard it since it was released!" The sorts of songs Buck-Tick never even plays live (or has never played since the album tour). After posting the track list for the Best of For n00bs collection, I'm sure you're thinking, what Buck-Tick songs does Cayce suggest we listen to instead? These are them.

1. My Baby Japanese...it's the thematic sequel to "Sasayaki," but they have never once played it live, though the fans keep asking and asking.

2. Under the Moonlight...the only song Higuchi Yutaka ever wrote the lyrics to!

3. Kimi e...it should have been the theme song for Wolf's Rain. It probably inspired Wolf's Rain. (Along with "Rakuen.") I swear, the creator of Wolf's Rain is a flaming Buck-Tick fan. (And now you're asking me, what is Wolf's Rain and what is "Kimi e"?)

4. Embryo...it sounds like Bauhaus, and Sakurai got censored for using the word "vagina."

5. Foolish...tell me what album it's on, and I'll give you a cookie.

6. seraphim...you've only ever heard the title because it's on 13kai wa Gekkou. But I bet it's the track you always skip...unless you're just too lazy to bother!

7. Desperate Girl...Hoshino's Spanish-guitar riffs from the late 80's are not to be missed.

8. Stay Gold...wait, Buck-Tick have a song called Stay Gold?

9. Zero...the spoken-word thing is awesome! But if "awesome" isn't enough for you fangirls...the lyrics are dirty!

10. Trans...something about it reminds me of Galaxy Express 999.

11. Hearts...RIDICULOUS...ly....amazing

12. Death Wish...this song was unbelievably catchy and yet no one paid attention.

13. Lizard Skin no Shoujo...Imai used the words "spirited away," "mosquito netting," "capitalists," "distended," and "forest of hanging" all in one song, while Sakurai put a black scarf on his head and danced around like a fool, but all anyone remembered was him licking Imai's shoe in "Sasayaki."

14. The World is Yours...boring PV, but one of the darkest, most mature songs on the Aku no Hana album. If you didn't like it the first time, give it another try.

15. Hosoi Sen...for everyone who has a thing for male singers with really low voices

16. Paradise...has anyone besides me ever noticed how much this sounds like Depeche Mode?

17. Ghost...it was about vampire sex, and yet somehow it escaped being a fangirl favorite...!?

18. Monster...Monsters and cocaine, I feel so much closer to Lady Gaga already.

19. Voo Doo...it just came out and everyone has already forgotten it.

20. Motel 13...only the best song ever...that no one ever talks about!

Now I realize that by using the words "vagina" and "cocaine" in the same post, this is going to run afoul of internet censors. Judging by the large number of delighted little children at their concerts, Buck-Tick are perfectly family-friendly...but one couldn't call them exactly "clean" (you knowww what I mean...oh zing! If you didn't catch that reference get off my blog now! Just kidding.)

Best of Buck-Tick...for n00bs!

The band has been around for nearly 25 years. They have a discography of over 200 (yes, over 200, go count 'em!) songs to their name. With Razzle Dazzle, we are looking at their 18th studio album...and I'll wager that's more studio albums than some of you readers are years old...so why do people just keep asking for the same songs over and over? Not that they aren't all good songs...they're certainly all good songs and worthy of popularity. But if you are a new fan of the band and the songs below are pretty much the only songs you've heard, I strongly encourage you to sample some other songs as well.

Also, FYI, the Japanese list is very different from the overseas list, as you can see.

Best of Buck-Tick for Japanese n00bs

1. Aku no Hana

2. Iconoclasm

3. Baby, I Want You

4. Speed

5. Jupiter

6. Alice in Wonder Underground

7. Kodou

8. Muma -The Nightmare-

9. Uta

10. Romance

Best of Buck-Tick for Overseas n00bs

1. Romance

2. Dress

3. Cream Soda

4. Alice in Wonder Underground

5. Baby, I Want You

6. Snow White

7. Muma -The Nightmare-

8. Kodou

9. Long Distance Call

10. Kimi no Vanilla

Btw, not trying to offend anyone. Not saying that if you like these songs, that makes you a n00b (though it might! Bwahaha.) These lists have been compiled from data taken from many individuals; like all statistical trends they say nothing about any individual in particular.

Razzle Dazzle 'em

I notice there has been a lot of confusion, so I thought I'd talk a little bit about the origins of the name "Razzle Dazzle."

"Razzle Dazzle" is an English phrase, pronounced "RAZ-uhl DAZ-uhl" (for the non-native-English speaking fans out there who wondered about the pronunciation. The Japanese pronunciation is ラズルダズル.) It's more or less a string of nonsense words, but basically, it means something glittery and shiny that's so blinding you can't tell if it has any real substance or not. An artful deployment of visual opulence to enchant the eyes of viewers and draw them away from anything you don't want them to see. In Japanese, Imai used the phrase 「幻惑と眩惑」("genwaku to genwaku") to mean the same thing. It even has the repeated-syllable ring to it, props to Imai! The first "genwaku" means glamor or bewitchment. The second "genwaku" means dazzling or blinding. All in all, a very good translation.

The phrase "Razzle Dazzle" was used to describe, among other things, the so-called "dazzle camouflage" painted on the hulls of battleships during the first and second world wars.

However, more famously, and perhaps more appropriately,"Razzle Dazzle" is the name of a song from the American broadway musical "Chicago," which debuted on June 3rd, 1975, with music by John Kandeer, lyrics by Fred Ebb, and choreography by the legendary Bob Fosse (Fosse also contributed to the script-writing.) The broadway revival of the musical opened in 1996 and is still running currently, making Chicago Broadway's 6th longest-running show. It gained even more fame in 2002 when it was turned into a feature film starring Renee Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Richard Gere, Queen Latifah, and a whole lot of really awesome costumes. The musical is based on a play by crime journalist Maurine Dallas Watkins, who wrote the story based on real trials she covered for the Chicago Tribune.

The show is set in Chicago in the 1920's (during Prohibition) and features two beauties, Velma and Roxie, who are both sent to jail for murdering their unfaithful lovers (their motive being revenge, of course.) The two then compete viciously with each other for mass-media publicity that will enable them to be acquitted and get out of jail, with more than a little help from star lawyer Billy Flynn. "Razzle Dazzle" is the sung by Billy to Roxie on the eve of her trial. He encourages her to play it up in the courtroom for media attention, singing,

"Give em the old Razzle Dazzle

Razzle Dazzle 'em

Give 'em an act with lots of flash in it

And the reaction will be passionate

Give 'em the old Hocus Pocus

Bead and feather 'em

How can they see with sequins in their eyes?"

"Give em the old double whammy

Daze and dizzy 'em

Back since the days of old Methuselah

Everyone loves the big bamboozle-er

Give them the old three-ring circus

Stun and stagger 'em

When you're in trouble, go into your dance

Though you are stiffer than a girder

They'll let you get away with murder

Razzle Dazzle 'em

And you've got a romance"

But what are you waiting for? Go ahead and watch the video:

The design of "Chicago" overall has usually been a darkened vaudeville/burlesque/film noir-style vision, with greater or lesser amounts of black bowler hats, fishnet tights, feathers and sequins...in fact, not excessively far from the look Buck-Tick used in the costumes for the 13th Floor and Tenshi no Revolver tours. Not exactly glittery disco-pop.

Anyway, that's the Buck-Tick teachable moment for today.

寿記 05.08.10 Album

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Pretty soon, it's going to be time for us to decide the order of the tracks on the album.

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We've pretty much picked out the first and second tracks, but the third track? We're still thinking about it.

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We're got some catchy dance beats that make me smile

Disco beats that make me feel so nostalgic

Spacey and thrilling...mm maybe I should save this for later.

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The depths of serenity, and a whirlpool of rainbows...

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Just think of it as us using our genwaku (razzle), and our genwaku (dazzle).

[Same pronunciation, different kanji.]

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I mean, I'm really not talking very eloquently about this right now, but let me say I think it's going to be a pretty interesting, fun album.

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And, we decided the title.

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It's Razzle Dazzle!

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The album jacket is gonna be done by Aquirax Uno

That is to say, Uno Akira.

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And of you who don't know who he is, you should take advantage of this opportunity to familiarize yourself with his work.

He invites you into this amazing, wonderful world.

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I think you guys will enjoy the album.

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IMAI 22:00

寿記 05.08.10 rec 16

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And the recording continues!

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We're doing Sakurai's vocals now.

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Yes, the recording continues!

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I think this album may be even better than we imagined it being...

...I say this, as I'm only imagining the finished product (what a contradiction.)

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I'm really looking forward to the tour~~~

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IMAI 13:00

寿記 04.08.10 rec 15

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We had her do some vocals for one of the songs.

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A guest chorus.

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This is Miss Lucy, from the band Lazy Guns Brisky.

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She's cool.

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So fans, get excited.

IMAI 12:00

寿記 26.07.10 OFF

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Yesterday, after we were done in the studio, I went out for a drink with Yoko-chan at a familiar bar.

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This is the first time I've been off in such a long while!

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I'm just relaxing while reading people's reaction emails.

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And this story is just too funny, I have to tell it right now.

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In the morning, Yokoyama-kun gets on the train and is going home, feeling great.

Then he falls asleep, and when he wakes up, he's at the end of the line. Oh no, he has to go back! So he gets back on the train, but then he falls asleep and misses his stop again...

He had to take so many little detours halfway...

Ahahahahahah!

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Since years and years ago, our lovely synthesizer player has fallen into this tradition of always ending up in Takao.

That photo you sent me made me laugh, Yoko-kun.

The email woke me up and I actually started laughing out loud, while I was lying in bed.

It's been a long day, Yoko-kun.

IMAI13:48

Going home after a night of drinking on the morning train, falling asleep, missing your station and waking up in bumfuck nowhere is a classic experience of Tokyo living for seasoned barflies. (Takao is one of those nowhere stations at the end of the line.) There's even a word for it: "norisugoshi." My advice: if you're going to do it, make sure you're riding the Yamanote line. It runs in a circle, so you just go around and around, without getting anywhere. Also, the train fare doesn't get more expensive...though certain people like to take Yamanote-line naps to extremes and going around the circle 2, 3, 4 times before they wake up...

Some people choose to just go to sleep on the train platform instead, but I don't recommend this. The station attendants will wake you up and kick you out.

寿記 25.07.10 rec 14

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As we've been recording I realize that I've been updating this blog a lot more frequently.

Even though I've mostly been posting a bunch of short things, as if I'm just updating for the sake of updating.

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If I had to tell you why I've been doing that...

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Actually, I really don't know myself.

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Both my basement home studio and the real studio are going at full power right now, so I'm at a peak, with my mind and body as busy as can be, that's for sure...

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And, for some strange reason, when people have a lot of things they have to get done...

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"Lately I haven't had a chance to even eat a meal in peace!"

"And I'm also totally sleep deprived!"

"There's nothing else to do but write blog entries!"

That's how it gets.

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I know I sure get that way.

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When I have time to spare, I forget that this blog even exists...

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But when I'm too busy to do anything, I start updating all the time...

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"No news is good news?"

Like, "If he's not updating, he must be having fun?"

These phrases just pop into my head of their own accord, but I think I have some idea of what they might mean...

I'm sitting here by myself, finding it funny...

(I'm using this pv guitar synth for the first time in a while)

IMAI 00:00

Kuchizuke

For those of you who dearly missed Juusankai wa Gekkou.

And Sakurai's hair from the early 1990's.

And who love apples,

And have a fetish for balloons

From the director of Romance,

We bring you "Kuchizuke."

寿記 24.07.10 rec 13

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Recently, I finally realized something amazing.

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...what?! ...I haven't been drinking...

....are you kidding!?

..for more than a month!?

...no, no, no way...

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...but come to think of it...

..whaat?

...no, no, I can't believe this...

...I haven't drunk a drop...me, are you kidding!?

...this can't be true.

...this is terrible.

I haven't been drinking.

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Basically, I didn't realize it, but for over 30 days now, I've been completely sober.

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I did sort of think to myself, "hmm I haven't been drinking much lately..."

But for over a month?

...dammit, at this rate I'm going to get siiiiiiiick~~!!!

Drinking doesn't make me sick. It's the other way around.

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These past few weeks have been way too tight and stoic for me. I haven't had time to think about alcohol!

Poor me!

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If this is the case, I better write some good songs.

Make sure the songs I finish are reeeally sexy.

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All right, time to get ready to go.

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But this is really the first time.

I'd better be careful.

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This is the entrance to the bathrooms in the studio. It looks just like the entrance to a bathroom in a bar.

And I was standing there thinking..."this is making me think of something else for some reason..." but I didn't know why...

IMAI 18:00

寿記 24.07.10 rec 12

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Yeah, yeah, I've got a good feeling.

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When I listened to just the recording of my own guitar, it seemed a little empty...

But then came Yoko-chan's synth part.

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And then, Sakurai's vocals.

And of course, the chorus.

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Just one more, one more song...I think I had some plans for that one.

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Yokoyama-kun is editing like a madman.

IMAI 09:00

寿記 21.07.10 rec 11

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Today, I wrote a different guitar arrangement for one of the singles that's going on the album.

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The synthesizer is also different for the album version, so the song has quite a different look now. It's fun.

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It's gonna be great.

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IMAI 3:30

寿記 19.07.10 rec 10

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I used the SG.

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Time to sleep now!

IMAI 08:20

寿記 17.07.10 rec 9

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Today was a day full of reverb-y guitar.

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Next, it's time to move into lyrics-land.

IMAI 04:00

寿記 12.07.10 rec 8

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I've started recording my guitar part for various songs now.

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When I get home from the studio, I listen to the recording we've already finished, and just kind of...work with the ideas that pop into my head.

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Pretty soon, I'm going to start having dreams that I'm in the studio recording. It always happens when it's album season...I get the recording syndrome, waking or sleeping!

...but, in the dream, things never really go the way I want them to.

So annoying~~~!

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And furthermore, this time around our synthesizer player Yoko-chan says that he's got the same symptoms.

Take care, Yoko-chan.

IMAI 12:00

寿記 10.07.10 rec 7

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The rhythm recording is moving right along.

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Today, while we were playing a certain song, someone got way too over-excited

And dropped his headphones on the floor, and therefore had to stop playing...

Yes, that was Mr. Higuchi Yutaka.

(Yet another joke I laugh about every time I remember it)

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Anii played his best, as usual.

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....this is has got me really looking forward to the live shows.

IMAI 04:00

寿記 10.07.10 fanmail: "the Shiki opening theme"

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I got fanmail about the Shiki opening theme right away.

Thank you.

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The animation that was linked to the lyrics and rhythms.

It's really interesting.

It's great.

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I have to go back to the studio already...

IMAI 13:15

寿記 08.07.10 writing lyrics

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I'm going to mess around with some lyrics.

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Set something free and then isolate it.

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And put it together at the same time.

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IMAI 03:00

寿記 08.07.10 rec 6

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Yokoyama does the manipulating and synth.

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This is Yokoyama's "sanctuary" on a typical day.

Everyone wears shoes in here.

We just clunk right in.

I mean, we're coming to talk about the synth arrangements, but still.

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Yokoyama is a heavy smoker, so in here, the visibility is very poor.

It's sort of yellowish-colored.

...like...yeah, that's what it's like

Like sand colored.

Like, this guy came from the Gobi desert, or somewhere.

That's what it's like

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This time, we're having that Gobi desert fellow make us sounds that are coming close to electro-shift.

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Great sounds are flying all over the place.

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We'll have a meeting in three days or so.

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By the way, what I mean by Yoko-chan's "sanctuary":

-The synth area we make when we're in the studio recording

-Yoko-chan's own room

-A cellar

-A nest

-Any area where smoking is legal

IMAI 20:00

寿記 07.07.10 rec 5

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I did a check of my guitar arrangement in the studio.

Made sure that it really fit together tightly with the synthesizers and the rhythm loops, etc.

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This album.

Mmm~~!

I see something good coming!

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What?!

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A new Buck-Tick

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I see something good coming

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So, I've shut myself in the basement again...

IMAI 2:00

Razzle Dazzle (and all that jazz?)

Buck-Tick's 18th studio album, "Razzle Dazzle," is scheduled for release on October 13th. The cover will be illustrated by Japanese-underground-art-legend Uno Akira, otherwise known as Aquirax Uno, whose delicate, dreamlike, art nouveau-esque drawings depict scenes of the lovely, the erotic, and the grotesque (and also no doubt adorn Mr. Imai's walls.) The album will contain "Dokudanjou Beauty" and "Kuchizuke," along with 13 other tracks. The first-press edition will feature the album in the no-one's-heard-of-it-yet Blu-Spec CD format (like Blu-Ray, but for audio.) Don't worry, Blu-Spec is compatible with regular CD players. Is it rippable and hence pirateable? I don't know yet, you tell me. The format debuted in 2008, is the property of Sony, and appears to be a largely Japanese phenomenon at the moment. In addition to the Blu-Spec format, the first-press edition will include the requisite special packaging and a DVD extra with the PV for "Dokudanjou Beauty," an interview, and some other goodies (maybe, probably.)

If the Blue-Spec CD format doesn't happen to be pirateable, please, you pecuniarily endowed fans, buy the regular edition as well...because if it weren't for pirated CDs, none of y'all would know Buck-Tick even existed.

As for the regular edition, it appears to be just the regular CD. In a case. With a booklet, that might (if you're lucky) feature a cheesy, over-exposed picture of Sakurai in frills and a top hat. But then again, going by the title of the album and the 1920's art style we're looking at for the cover here, I'm secretly hoping Buck-Tick is going to Chicago the living $#!+ out of the unwary fanbase. Please guys, pray with me for fishnets, sequins, bowler hats, and (of course) smoking revolvers galore.