| Announcement |
[Jul. 8th, 2007|08:10 am] |
As of today, this journal will no longer be updated with translations of SUGIZO's WILL. Instead, please visit SUGIZO's official MySpace for English translations of his blog.
For the time being, I plan to leave this journal up with past entries intact. Thank you to everyone who has been reading and commenting for the past few years!
Edit: Please also see the new English version of Sephirot. |
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| L.A.! |
[Jun. 7th, 2007|09:28 am] |
I’m writing this entry on a flight from L.A. to Tokyo. As usual, my stay in California was ridiculously busy. “J Rock Revolution,” a wonderful event featuring young, up-and-coming Japanese bands, was held May 25 and 26 at the Wiltern. I was there to participate in my new friend Miyavi’s performance. All of the bands, including Miyavi, were full of enthusiasm and originality. I’m sure you’ve all heard that Japanese music is enjoying some popularity in the Western world these days, and the energy of the local crowd (which made up 90% of the audience) was incredible.
All of the bands were one or two generations younger than me, which really made me feel like I have been doing this for a long time. On the other hand, I’ll never lose my energy and my motivation – there are still plenty of things to explore! It was somehow inspiring to remember what it felt like when I was first starting out. And Miyavi, as always, put on an amazing performance. He’s the perfect voice of a new, original generation. I got really into the performance, and maybe the quality suffered a bit…but we had a great time. It felt like the music was leading me to a whole new world. As I keep going on, I know that I’ll keep on learning (and re-learning).
Both days were full of energy and the event turned out to be a huge success. I was convinced that “J Rock Revolution” is something we should keep doing. Before my eyes, the barriers of nationality, language, politics, and ideals were being smashed by music. What I’ve been seeking for so long is finally approaching. I truly believe that music ignites dreams and connects the world. I can’t wait to see what happens. It took a lot to put this event together, and I want to express my respect towards the bands, the staff, the audience, and especially the man who masterminded the whole thing: YOSHIKI, my “older brother” for fifteen years now!
One more important thing was going on in L.A. that same weekend – the once-in-a-lifetime celebration of Star War’s 30th Anniversary, “STAR WARS CELEBRATION IV”! I’ve never attended a Star Wars event, and this time I was able to take part as a member of the press! It was amazing! The details will be run soon in my new column on Eigahiho.com. Sometimes it feels strange to me that I’ve been lucky enough to take a hobby and turn it into a job…but then, isn’t that what I’ve done with music too?
http://www.eigahiho.com/sugizo.html
Anyway, off I go!
SUGIZO |
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| stop-rokkasho One Year Anniversary |
[May. 23rd, 2007|11:22 am] |
It’s a bit late to talk about it now, but May 18 was the one-year anniversary of Ryuichi Sakamoto’s project that began with stop-rokkasho.org. Since last spring, I’ve been aware of the Rokkasho problem and have been concerned with what might happen, so I wanted to do something about it too. I truly believe that the Rokkasho Nuclear Fluel Reprocessing Plant is the most pressing environmental issue right now.
The anniversary event was sold out, which shows how many people are paying attention to the Rokkasho problem. I’m so happy to see this, and it brings me great courage. And of course, all of the people who participated in the event, starting with Professor Sakamoto, were amazing. Moichi Kuwahara, whose project SNAKEMAN SHOW I’ve loved since I was a child, was there as part of CLUB KING. The always-wonderful Masaki Takashi. Shinichi Tsuji. And I was especially moved by having three members of YMO there: Haruomi Hosono, Yukihiro Takahashi, and Peter Barakan. There were also all sorts of environmental activities I respect, including Hitomi Kamanaka, the director of “Rokkasho Rhapsody,” and Mika Obayashi, who is part of an institute for sustainable energy.
S.T.K. used our music to help create the event’s aura. I hardly deserved to be there in the midst of so many amazing people, but I did my best to put my feelings into sound. It was truly a high-quality event, permeated with important, beautiful consciousness and energy.
The Rokkasho movement has given rise to “more trees,” a limited liability company whose proceeds go towards mitigating the effects of deforestation. I think it’s a great thing to try to give back a little bit of what people’s comfortable lifestyles have stripped from nature. It makes sense to want to contribute, and we all should do what we can. I really want to make an effort to help this project grow strong.
A wonderful Rokkasho T-shirt had been added to CLUB KING’s “T-SHIRTS AS MEDIA” line. All sorts of creators and designers have given their time to design organic cotton T-shirts that espouse their own individual convictions. There are already over twenty versions of the shirt, all of them worth checking out, and all the proceeds go towards planting trees! Actually, I designed a Rokkasho shirt too. I hope everyone takes a look, since it’s a message I really feel is important: http://www.tshirtsasmedia.com/index.html
At any rate, I want to continue on with what is universally beautiful. I’m in a place filled with positive energy. I really believe that we can change, that people’s consciousness can evolve.
SUGIZO ♨ |
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| 4/27 |
[Apr. 27th, 2007|04:37 pm] |
I haven’t written in here in a really long time. I’ve been so unbelievably busy the past two months that it feels like, other than sleep, I haven’t had a single second to relax either my mind or body. Now that Earth Day is over, I’m finally able to draw a breath. In fact, I don’t think I’ve moved for two whole days!
Since the beginning of the year, I’ve been closeted in the studio working on songs for a new band. The other day I brought them to L.A. and stayed about a month, but I was so busy that I didn’t get to experience L.A. at all. But the daily commute between where I was staying and the studio was a healing time for me. The freeway there is surrounded by sand and cliffs. The sun blazes down on the landscape and the parched trees. Seeing the same scenery day after day was almost like a drug trip, but my body remembered the way. Speed and silence. It was rather pleasant (but I’m glad that I didn’t get in an accident). This trip was a study in contrasts – emerging from a studio where the sun never shines to asphalt so hot that it almost melts your tires.
The new band is coming along well. We have so much creativity to draw upon, and it’s great to be able to dive in with such great new friends. I have a really good feeling about this project. I also loved being able to work with some amazing vintage studio equipment. And my Mac is by my side the whole time – as long as I have it, I can go anywhere and still be connected. Of course, having so much email to sort through and reply to every day is kind of making me insane…
I returned to Tokyo to play at Nagisa. I was so happy to be invited back, and it was wonderful to perform with SHAG there. Our pet Shinpei Ruike joined in this time and added his own special brilliance. There were a lot of people there, and I heard that many were seeing SHAG for the first time. It was great to see so many people grooving along with us! It truly felt like we reached another dimension. I hope we can continue performing in that way, creating a momentary escape from the drudgery of everyday life. I don’t want to come back to the real world so stepping off the stage is almost a letdown. However, this time it wasn’t so bad because Sun Paulo, a totally amazing jam band, was next. Being so close to them was an honor and a taste of true bliss!
After Nagisa, I returned to Tokyo full of energy and went to Brighton, England to work on another project. I hadn’t been to England or Europe in five years, and Brighton is such an amazing place…at least, the parts of it I saw were. I spent almost all of my time in the studio. Even though I didn’t get to relax, it was still a great experience. Being in a studio in the middle of nature, feeling the breath of the earth and the trees, was really inspirational. Even with the voltage problems, England has the best sound in the world and is my favorite place to record. It feels somehow familiar to me.
Of course, I spent every day going back and forth to the studio. But Brighton is worlds away from the scorched scenery of California and I was really moved by the pastoral feeling. The greens and yellows and all the life around me were very healing. It felt like there were no barriers between me and the universe. All I had to do is offer up my skill and my body, and when I came back to myself, I realized that a beautiful sound had come to life. I didn’t have to think, to do anything…I almost ceased to exist.
But at the same time, working with such a high-level musical genius made every second a learning experience. My life these past few years has been filled with chances to learn (and re-learn). I’m on a long journey. I’m bothered by my own immaturity and my smallness, but also thankful that there is so much knowledge out there to find. I’m also truly thankful for the hospitality his family (and dog) showed me. They are such wonderful people, as close as true family. I returned to Japan full of sadness and convinced that I would love to live in Brighton some day.
After that was Earth Day. Because the Rokkasho-Mura Nuclear Fuel Reprocessing Plant is scheduled to begin operation this year, it’s a very important time and the event this year was understandably very focused on this issue. People who care about the environment (is there anybody who doesn’t?) are very concerned with Rokkasho.
There, S.T.K. performed in Tokyo’s spring sunshine. It was such a good flow that I didn’t even feel jet-lagged. I’m also happy that I got to take over the music at DIE-IN. The people crammed in there seemed to tap into the Earth’s positive energy, taking us up to the sky in a blissful tide of wishes and prayers that dissolved borders. I’ve participated the past few years, but it seemed this time that people’s consciousnesses were at a whole new level. That’s a beautiful thing. We don’t need anything useless anymore – useless effort, desire, egotism, impatience, useless money, energy, garbage…none of it is necessary.
Then it was back to the studio again. I keep thinking fondly of the sunsets and sea breezes in Santa Monica, seagulls crying over the green landscapes and old castles of Sussex. Where am I?
And finally, today is the most important day of the year to me – the eleventh anniversary of a truly precious day.
SUGIZO ♨ |
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| Best full-length documentary! |
[Feb. 27th, 2007|09:35 pm] |
It’s amazing – “An Inconvenient Truth” won an Academy Award! I’ll say it again: I respect Al Gore so much. Usually I don't care very much about the Academy Awards, but this time I was really excited. It feels like people are starting to wake up and take notice of what is important. A beautiful, true new wave is coming, and it fills me with hope.
I also heard that a lot of celebrities arrived at the venue in hybrid cars. I think that their values and sense of what is cool are undergoing a huge shift.
When you think about it, even if the results were unfair, it’s probably a good thing that Bush won the 2000 Presidential Election. Before light can come to the world again, we must face the darkest part of night. Only after letting go of all the filth around us can we move forward. I think that the Bush Administration will serve as the impetus for change.
Gore is such an amazing person. He is respected by people all over the world, and I bet that he would make huge strides if he ever became a world leader. I really hope that day comes.
Anyway, those of you who haven’t yet experienced “An Inconvenient Truth” should make a point to do so. It’s practically an obligation for all citizens of this planet.
I believe, without a doubt, that beautiful things are coming.
SUGIZO♨ |
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