GOD PAMPHLET
AOI abrasion
Interview
Aoi: Isn't DIVISION an album with 2 CDs with different concepts? It was divided in two: one part with really strong electro elements and the other one in which you can find the new form of the GazettE until today. It was necessary to gather these two parts during lives but if we think about the bond it has with TOXIC, isn't it all much easier? Even when preparing the setlist, there's the feeling that you can combine the songs without much difficulties. From the beginning the GazettE was a band that crated various kind of music and we showed different faces during lives. Since we didn't begin the tour yet, I don't know but I think lives won't divert from the actual the GazettE image till the extreme.
Interviewer: I can't wait to see the lives! The hard tune used in DIVISION, while exploiting electro elements, gives a feeling that it can create a different atmosphere than before.
Aoi: When we were interviewed about DIVISION, words like electro or dustup came out, I couldn't fully understand the meaning… so I thought that since it's out of my competence, it would be better to hand it to Uruha and Ruki. However, facing lives, I thought it could be impossible if I didn't know at least a bit of what kind of things they are. So I did some researches and unexpectedly it was interesting. *laugh*. Starting from this, I'm recently having fun dabbling with the synthesizer. That's why I'm really busy. Because I've to both play guitar and dabble with the synthesizer. *laugh* I've just started recently with that, I'm still in that phase in which I look everywhere for buying equipments and stuff.
Interviewer: What you are doing now, could it be aimed to the future more than the next tour?
Aoi: Let's say it's now in my view of things. There's nothing better for me than understanding it too. In the end, the synthesizer is an electronic sound that goes 'pi-' or 'bu-' [1], adding them you create sounds and that's interesting. If I've to say it I think it would be good to exploit all of this during our next tour. Creating a SE using the synthesizer, playing it between the main part of the live and the encore. But I think I won't be in time for that. I've got the idea too late. *laugh* Even if it's not possible for this tour, I think I'll do it soon.
Interviewer: You are full of good will as always. Speaking of stage set [2], gimmick, etc.. which kind of things were conceived?
Aoi: I think it will be a pattern in which images will flow using LED. I don't know yet which kind of images but they could be things to awake the imagination. Ruki is taking care of that this time too. Moreover, since the staff said that the nature and quality of the images are better than TOXIC, I'd like you to look forward to it.
Interviewer: I can't wait! Speaking of the pamphlet of this tour, it's important that you are using photos in which the DIVISION concept is expressed from each member.
Aoi: The suggestion to do this kind of photos came from Ruki. Even doing only one point of view of the concept with all members would be fine but this suggestion points to put in motion our mind. Since it could be a good opportunity to show the way of being of each of us, I thought "why not?".
Interviewer: While DIVISION artwork has a form that express the concept as a whole, looking at the pamphlet photos you can understand how DIVISION is perceived from each member. For this reason, I think fans will be extremely happy.
Aoi: Just like that, since you will be able to see the personal part of each member. Our photos are.. how to say.. really forward, extremely ambiguous and staff told me "what do you want to do?" Since that, from when the suggestion came out to the photoshoot not much time passed, I thought I could simply express the first thing I had inside myself. These photos were taken basing on this. The theme is "tearing the skin off" and from the point in which the epidermis is ripped, you can see the inside of the body.
Interviewer: I thought that maybe you were representing (from the divided form of DIVISION) the nature of the two faces: the outer face (the exterior part) and the inner face (the interior part).
Aoi: It's not like that. the GazettE keeps changing, doesn't it? Among all of this, since I work in this band I feel that you can't always remain the same. While the band goes by, don't you have to change skin more than once? I think that probably while doing this, evolving is necessary. I wanted to express this not in a grotesque way, not with blood, but I turned on a mechanic feeling. That's why I lacerated the skin of a man in the flesh, not to say "I'm a machine". I'm introducing the image of 'changing skin' in my own way.
Interviewer: The part where the skin is lifted.. is it some special make up?
Aoi: Exactly. Even if I say it's a special make up, they were just some kind of pleats attached to the skin. *laugh* The make up staff took them already shaped so since they had to just attach them, it didn't take much time. The photoshoot too was fast. As a whole, about two hours. I thought that it could take a whole day but I was lucky to finish so soon. *laugh* It's awful keeping the tension during a long photoshoot. I thought "doing a solo photoshoot is the best!" *laugh* When we took photos, the designer told me to kind of scratch the part where the skin was torn. However, I wanted to convey that the skin was torn not that I lacerated it myself. In the end, we took that kind of photos too. Since we were in the middle of producing I thought to express my opinion. *laugh*
Interviewer: I look forward to the fulfillment of the photos! Heading towards the tour, what are thinking privately? Aoi: Inside of me, a part from the huge respect of being a part of this band, there's the desire to show myself even more. I think that realizing this is an advantage for the band too. However, doing this during lives is hard. Especially in the tour for this album. Because if you don't move along as in program on a certain level, there will be negative consequences. For this reason, I don't know how it will end. In this note, the goal of this tour could maybe be to blow away all mistakes? *laugh*
Interviewer: But.. do you make so many mistakes?
Aoi: I do.*laugh* I don't want you to misunderstand. The mistakes I talk about are not just elementary things like doing a chord wrong. For example. When I go and see lives of young bands, it happens that exhibitions do not fit together [3] and members run far and wide until they are dead tired and I say "where are you going in such a hurry?" *laugh* Maybe you are busy jumping while playing a song with a fast tempo or showing yourself. However, doesn't it lead to mistakes too? These kind of exhibitions.. I think they lead to mistake from the point of view of the whole song.
Interviewer: It's a weak point without any doubts.
Aoi: Since they are less evident than chord mistakes maybe there are lot of listeners who don't realize that but these mistakes are worse. The mistakes I talk about are the shades of the picking, the precision in the ensemble, a pleasing groove, etc.. it's a topic of this level and I don't want you to mistake it with elementary mistakes. However even if I say that, in the previous tour I didn't play the guitar solo, I turned around! *laugh* But I said sorry lot of time for that. *laugh*
Interviewer: It's true. *laugh* I speak with lots of artists and I can divide them between people who make mistakes but they don't care about it and people who's tension crashes.
Aoi: In my case the tension falls down. That's why it's dangerous for me to make a mistake. I arrived to the point of thinking that it was a shame. I don't care if it's one or two times but if it keeps going on I sag. I think "I can't really play today" and I can't have fun during the live.
Interviewer: In these moments, even if it's not like this for sure, don't you have the feeling that people in the first row are laughing at you?
Aoi: Just like that. *laugh* That's why I can't look at fans. *laugh* Even if I don't care in the exact moment I do a mistake, while time passes I think "I made a mistake before!" and from that moment I sag. *laugh* Moreover, during fan club tours, fans and band are close and this is good but in the next tour I want to 'leave' the fans. I don't do it egoistically, I want to show this attitude. In this condition doing a mile a minute mistakes is different. Now, I'm in a phase of constant preparation. *laugh*
Interviewer: It's wrong playing straight, still in order to prevent the mistakes, isn't it?
Aoi: Exactly. After doing a mistake-less exhibition I want to make a good impression too. Speaking for visual key, isn't the standing and way of showing themselves of hardcore bands hectic? That's why some bands mess up with the exhibition but there are anyway people with a good play. I want to point at that. the GazettE messed up too in the past, there were parts connected in a natural way but you couldn't say that they were harmonized in a clear way. *laugh* Since fans are maturing with the band, fans who give lot of importance to the listening and not only to have fun and go wild are increasing. That's why I seriously read fan letters, etc.. and when things that are not good are pointed out I think "ah, sorry.." *laugh* It's hard but I'd like for both parts [4] to have fun. And I think that from now I've to desire this even more with this awareness.
Interviewer: It's really admirable that you are pointing that high even now! Among DIVISION songs, if you have to name a song you have fun playing and, on the contrary, a song that makes you feel the pressure, which would they be?
Aoi: I think that each song gives a kind of satisfaction while playing it so I'm impatient. In an interview I said that I made my part of guitar really simple.. but when I looked back at it, I thought I was doing my utmost. Moreover, when I make new songs for the first time, I'm always unsure during the rehearsal but this time I made them well combined. Who knows if they'll convey a good feeling. There's not a particular song that makes me feel the pressure. For Kago no Sanagi acoustic part, I've the feeling that I can do it in some way, unexpectedly I think I can play it. I practiced and I think it's good. *laugh* It's really true that practicing is very important, it's not a fib. Recently, I practice a lot with the guitar playing not only our songs. Yesterday, we started the rehearsals and I felt that this way of practicing is giving its fruits. Until that moment, since I played alone, I didn't realized that but when I play with the band I can fully understand that.
Interviewer: This is the proof that if you gain experience and practice, you make progress. Moreover, the fact that you are not against playing the acoustic guitar during lives is a strong point of the GazettE.
Aoi: Really? I don't know that. However, I can understand why lot of guitarists don't want to play the acoustic. But I want to play as soon as I can Kago no Sanagi. Maybe the song during which I feel more the pressure is Yoin. Probably because, during the live, when it slows down I've to play my solo. *laugh* I wonder why I played the solo in that song. *laugh* It would be better playing it in a fast song. *laugh*
[1] We think he meant high and low sounds.
[2] Everything related to the stage: lights, screens, images on the screen etc.
[3] We think he meant that members are not harmonized together.
[4] Band and fans.
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