—COMPLETED INTERVIEWS—
Aiji Solo interview Rock & Read 46 Part I & Part II
Maya x Tatsurou Rock & Read 45 Part I & Part II
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In an interview for the second time in about three years in this magazine, you’ve made it onto the cover and front pages this time. Congratulations.
Ryutaro: I’m grateful for this opportunity, really. Thanks again, this is really thrilling.
Aiji: Is it ok to have a pair of middle-aged men on the cover (laughs)? Originally, another artist had been planned, but we’re substitutes, right!?
No, that’s not true. This time we wanted to have a conversation between 2 close people for the enjoyment of our readers, so this plan came up, a rare visual of this unique combination.
Aiji: I see. Honestly, we’ve done this particular pairing, in another magazine. But, actually it wasn’t a long interview like this one, in that other interview we just had a safe conversation (laughs). This time if you want to do an interview with us we want to cross the line. Because it’s so common to only do a surface conversation, no one wants to read that kind of interview, right?
Ryutaro: Well, we wouldn’t insult each other, would we?
Aiji: Well, that is true (laughs).
By the way, this conversation will be guided by the questions our readers on Twitter asked. This time we’ll be combining those with our own questions. First, they asked the same questions a lot like “What did you do and what did you think about Thailand?”
Aiji: When I look back, all we did was drink. What we did there wasn’t any different than what we do in Tokyo (laughs).
Ryutaro: Yeah, that’s true (laughs).
Aiji: The difference was that we were together from the time we woke up.
Ryutaro: We were in the same room.
A suite?
Aiji: Yes. The room was really big, with mACKaz and NomNom, there was 4 of us staying in that room. Perhaps I should say, the 4 of us were drinking (laughs). If I think about objectively we were wasting time. We only spent one day sight-seeing. But, we had fun.
Ryutaro: Huh? But we went sight-seeing 2 days.
Aiji: You mean the weekend market? Does that count as sight-seeing? You just started saying “I want pajamas!” So we just stopped by.
Thai pajamas are a special product.
Ryutaro: I wanted to go to the antique and silk area, so we went. But, market area was wider than I thought. If you want look around the whole place it’ll take about half a day. Naturally, it was really packed with people, so it was really hot. Aiji wanted leave after an hour (laughs).
So you started whining like you were waiting on your girlfriend shopping for clothes.
Aiji: No, no. 1 hour was more than enough time there. But we were there 2 hours, I think.
Ryutaro: At that time, mACKAz and NomNom were looking for an exotic animal corner, right?
Aiji: What? Why didn’t they take me too?
Ryutaro: Because you didn’t want to go anywhere, you wanted to go back (laughs). I tried to go with mACKAz and NomNom later when they were looking at the market map, “I guess it should be around there…” In the end, we couldn’t go. But we probably only saw part of the market.
Aiji: Seriously? I think we saw half of it (laughs).
Did you buy the pajamas?
Ryutaro: I didn’t buy them.
Aiji: We went all the way there in that heat and you didn’t buy it! (smiles bitterly).
Ryutaro: Because there was nothing I wanted. At any rate, the market big and had a lot of things, it was amazing. I’ve been there one time before, and that time it was really exciting. This time also, I was overwhelmed. We only saw a small part (laughs).
Why did you go to Thailand this time?
Ryutaro: No particular reason. Everyone had been there, and we liked it.
Aiji: Yeah, no particular reason. Additionally, our mutual friend, YUMI, who was the vocalist for D-occiA, is now managing a clothing factory in China and Thailand. YUMI’s one reasons we go to Thailand.
Factory managing, that’s amazing. That’s completely different from being in a band, YUMI is very successful.
Ryutaro: We used to be in a lot of band battles against D-occiA. But, at that time I was hanging with other members, so Aiji recently reintroduced me to him. We also talked and we were like, “That brings back so many memories.” Aiji and I decided that we’d go somewhere every year. “This year lets to go to Thailand and see YUMI-chan.” Is what we were discussing.
Aiji: Before that, we were discussing if we should go to Bali. Before, I used skip the major locales.
Ryutaro: Last year, we went to Guam and you had a lot of fun (laughs).
Aiji: That’s right (laughs). So, we were looking at neighboring countries where we’d only have to fly 6 or 7 hours to get there.
Previous, Mr. Ryutaro said “Every year we go somewhere.” When did that start?
Ryutaro: That…was last year, when we went to Guam (laughs).
Aiji: Only men traveling is good, right? (laughs). Why don’t we make it an annual event?
Ryutaro: Let’s go while we can is what we said.
Aiji: Right.
Ryutaro: Members of the same band going on tour overseas is easier than members of a different band going on a trip as friends, right?
Your schedules don’t line up.
Ryutaro: So while we can go, let’s go once a year! Is what we came to.
Aiji: But…if we’re doing a trip yearly, then this trip ends this year. No?
Ryutaro: What? Why??
Aiji: Because, the first year I planned the trip, this year NomNom planned the trip, next year it’s your turn to plan, but that’s impossible. It’ll if you plan it.
Ryutaro: Me planning the trip isn’t good idea (laughs). I think it would better if you didn’t let me plan the trip. Instead I’ll just give ideas of where to go.
Aiji: Ok, ok. So, if you want to put in a little more (monetarily) for the next big trip, I’ll plan it.
Ryutaro: Oh, so lunch on me (laughs).
Well then, let’s course correct. So going back to last year when you went to Guam, what did you do there?
Aiji: In Guam we went to the beach and hung out. And we went dolphin watching, it was very top notch.
Ryutaro: That boat was good. The boat went to the open sea, at firs the sea was kind of rough the waves were going “Do~ong” against boat, but was we got out farther it got calm. It was too fun. It was funny as we were so excited two of us were like “Uhaaaaa!!” the whole time, we laughed till we cried (laughs).
Aiji: We were like “Here they come!” While we were shouting and crying (laughs). We went tip of the boat and we were like “This is the best!”
You were like the female visual kei fans (laughs).
Ryutaro: We were like fan girls, but NomNom and KenKen were the opposite. They were seasick, so they were lying down in the back of the boat.
That’s the contrast, very surreal.
Ryutaro: Additionally, NomNom, who is the manipulator for LM.C, and KenKen, from my band, used to be in the same band.
Aiji: NomNom was in the support band for KenKen’s band. Right, I just remembered. Originally, when we were talking going on a trip we brought because they knew each other.
Ryutaro: Oh right…because that we invited them to go with us.
Aiji: Well…that time we just went dolphin watching for sightseeing. I think we spent the rest of the time drink in the room.
Ryutaro: If we’re drinking the room, we don’t have to think about going home, we can just drink until we collapse. Without even thinking, we drank for a long time.
Which one of you is the stronger drinker?
Aiji: There’s not a big difference. But, he’s an unexpectedly bad drunk.
Ryutaro: Really? That’s not true.
Aiji: Basically, there is no difference between drunk Ryutaro and sober Ryutaro. But when he goes over the limit, he’s suddenly like, “Everybody drink more!”
Ryutaro: Did that happen? On the other hand, Aiji becomes crazy hyper when drunk. Back in Thailand, when you were getting hyper, NomNom, mACKaz, and I were saying with our eyes, “This is gonna be a problem.” (laughs)
Aiji: Also, if I don’t have to worry about going home I can’t help being hyper. (laughs)
So if I can put it together nicely, you have fun drinking because you’re all close. Can we say that? (laughs)
Ryutaro: I guess we can put it that way (laughs).
Since when have the two of you gotten along? Even on Twitter, people were asking that question. It’s a bit late to be asking this now, but can you tell us more about relationship?
Ryutaro: Originally, Pura and Aiji used to be in the same band, and would frequently battle our band. But, time we just knew each other but we hadn’t talked directly.
So simply put, you guys were just acquaintances.
Ryutaro: However, after several years Pura became part of the agency Aiji was in, LUNASEA was the senior band there. I thought, “I’ve come to a great a place!” But I was a little scared too.* [TN: This is not stated directly but implied in the Japanese.]
I remember even now, at SWEET TRANCE ’98, you band, Plastic Tree, performed as a guest.
Ryutaro: So it was exactly at the after party of that event. At that time I wanted to make friends with anyone. I remembered that Aiji and others were there. That’s when we talked for the first time.
Aiji: It’s amazing that you remember that so well.
At that time, do you remember what you talked about?
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Part Two: http://smbeech.tumblr.com/post/131170624233/aiji-lmc-x-ryutaro-arimura-plastic-tree-shoxx
I Love You, LM.C Interview 