After fighting a flu from the pits of hell for the past few months, I am finally back with a new interview! This time I had the honor of interviewing Naohiro from CLOSE! CLOSE were one of my first VK bands I was strongly into in high school, so this was a thrill. We discuss the highs of being in the VK major bubble of the late 90s, as well as his various indies projects, and his work today, including CLOSE’s surprise reunion in 2021, 20 years after its initial split!
6 Likes
Just put up another interview I did. This one was a spur-of-the-moment interview with Tadafumi Okamoto (岡本唯史), somewhat known today (more-so over in Japan) for being in the popular 2000s softkei band Spiral free, as well as being in the bands The ROMEO and SIXX with Psycho le Cemu frontman Daishi Kajinaga (梶永大士). I’ve been trying to find a way to contact him, and finally lucked out! This was a pretty straightforward one, although I will say his final words at the end were one of the most thoughtful and sincere things I’ve ever heard in this series. Really cool guy. Check it out!
4 Likes
Thank you for your continuous updates, I enjoyed reading the new interviews!
Thanks man! Yeah, I try to put em up when I can. A lot of dudes reeeeally don’t like talking about their past I guess lol. But once in a while, I get some takers! Still have some being answered still a year later lol.
I found this yesterday I didn’t have time to sit through the whole thing but this is really great. I appreciate your hard work 
Some people don’t like the past. Maybe some bad memories involved and all that unfortunately. Hopefully some information can be found by other means. I wish those people the best 
Added another interview with Kazz, vocalist of one of the most popular softkei bands of the 2000s, STRAIGHT! It’s a bit shorter but pretty sweet nonetheless. Check it out!!
2 Likes
Coming up tonight, I finally scored an interview with probably the biggest person I’ve interviewed yet in the VK scene. A true pioneer! I’m legit excited lol. It’ll be posted later tonight, so stay tuned!
4 Likes
Just posted an interview with a true VK veteran: Tezya! Being a fixture in the underground music scene for over 4 decades now, he’s seen and experienced quite a lot. Check out the amazing story of his first band PINOCCHIO, which he formed with a pre-LUNA SEA Shinya (真矢) and SUGIZO, how he hooked up with the members of D’ERLANGER and LADIES ROOM to join FiX, and what he’s up to now. Lots of great stuff in this one. It was a total honor!
6 Likes
Just added an interview with Kagekiyo Sasaki (佐々木景清), vocalist of one of my personal favorite softkei bands OCTPASS and who was in the moderately popular mid 2000s group Far East Eclipse. Check out the surprisingly cut-throat history of OCTPASS and lots of interesting stories behind someone with a surprisingly rich history. Lots of fascinating tidbits!
6 Likes
Put up another interview I just did with bassist Kenji Mikagami (小川謙司), who is somewhat known for his short run in the cult band Crystal Eye’s and his stint in XYXX. Check out the rundown of his history, including clarification behind one of the biggest “what happened” mysteries of 2010s VK with his extremely short lived band ASHURRY, which had members of Brigade Of Spider (later known as bastard), 73shiki (七三式) and PlatinA Forest!
4 Likes
#030: Yoshifumi Fukui (福井祥史)
Famous bands: Strawberry Fields, VINYL
- It has recently come out that your first band was called WONDROUS. What can you tell me about it?
- WONDOROUS was a band I formed in the first year of high school. I originally joined as a guitarist and vocalist, and while I wanted to originally be a lead player, there was another guy who joined who was better at it and had been playing since middle school, so I became the backing guitarist. Soon after we started, I realized I couldn’t sing and play guitar at the same time, so I would become the vocalist only. We mainly did cover songs of 44MAGNUM and LOUDNESS, but we would soon start doing originals as well, and appeared on some local radio stations. But we were mainly just, like, a school festival kind of band.
- In the summer of 1984, you would join D’ERLANGER as DIZZY. What was the process like in joining, and why did you choose the name DIZZY?
- In the summer of my third year of high school, while I was playing with a band called One Drops (ワンドラス), I was approached to join D’ERLANGER. The drummer at the time, SHI-DO, was a middle school classmate of mine, so when D’ERLANGER were first starting out, I would attend their lives, and when the original vocalist (Kaoru Miyahara, 宮平薫) left, I was asked to join, but I first turned it out down because I was already active in One Drops (ワンドラス). But over some time, they wore me down and I joined. As for the name DIZZY, I got it from (trumpeter) Dizzy Gillespie, and I picked it because I thought it sounded cool.
(Yoshifumi, during his time in D’ERLANGER)
- In 1988, after about 4 years, you left D’ERLANGER. Why?
- During that time, D’ERLANGER was going through a serious change in musical direction, and the rest of the members decided they wanted to get a new singer, which led to my departure.
- Some time later, you would form Strawberry Fields, a band that was distinctly much more mellow than D’ERLANGER, with a sound that seemed to have drawn more influence from the new wave bands at the time, and the beat rock sound that was popularized by BOOWY. What was the story behind the formation of Strawberry Fields?
- I started out by looking for musicians to play with who had similar music tastes to me at the time, and one of the first guys I played with was HEATH (later in X). After a few sessions, the first true lineup was formed by the time of the first Strawberry Fields album “DANCERAMA”. And while we all had roots in hard rock and heavy metal, there was a definite influence at the time from the new wave bands at the time, like BOOWY and PERSONZ. I think there was also a bit of influence from punk bands like The Toy Dolls and Ramones as well for Strawberry Fields.
- About a year after Strawberry Fields officially kickstarted activities, they had became one of the most popular bands in the early underground visual kei scene, and you already helped birth the movement during your time with D’ERLANGER. How did you feel about the official birthing of visual kei around the time Strawberry Fields started, and how warmly it seemed to embrace Strawberry Fields?
- Yeah, before I knew it, visual kei was officially a thing, and I felt like I was definitely a part of it. I didn’t feel any resentment towards it or anything, and I think it was great how much the movement grew, and I was glad that Strawberry Fields was so warmly received.
(Strawberry Fields, with Yoshifumi on the upper left)
- In 1990, Strawberry Fields went major and signed to the label Pioneer LDC, a label that hardly signed any visual bands before or since. What made you guys decide to go with Pioneer LDC, and how strong of an impact did the label have on the band?
- We decided to go with Pioneer LDC based on how well they treated us. Pioneer LDC was a cutting edge laserdisc company at the time, so they were able to give us an advantage with the laserdisc technology at the time, and they would also start a label called SHIV, which was basically our exclusive label. Personally speaking, I longed to be a part of a major label, and when it actually happened, I viewed it like that was the real starting point for Strawberry Fields and my own life, and sort of lost focus on what was important in life for a bit.
- In 1992, Strawberry Fields would release its second full length album “ALIBI”, an album that is one of my personal all time favorite visual kei albums. It would have a far darker and more aggressive tone than the rest of the Strawberry Fields discography. What inspired the band to go in this direction?
- At the time, (guitarist) Lezyna was becoming more fond of heavier and darker kind of rock, and since many of his songs in particular were used on “ALIBI”, that’s the form the album took.
- In 1993, Strawberry Fields would unfortunately disband. Why?
- Personally, i think it was because we didn’t really know where to go musically. We were arrogant and young at the time, and greatly overestimated our own individual ideas. Basically, we were all clouded in delusions, and we just went our own ways.
- Over the last several years, many bands from the same first generation of visual kei have reunited after decades apart. Even though it’s been over 30 years, could you possibly see any hope in Strawberry Fields reuniting?
- I would love to. (Sidenote: YESSSSS!!! God, I hope that happens lol).
- Some years later, you would form the duo VINYL with former Kuroyume (黒夢) guitarist Shin Suzuki (鈴木新). How did the band start, and how did you guys decide on the name VINYL?
- Shin had been a Strawberry Fields roadie, so that’s how I first met him. We would eventually start a 44MAGNUM cover band called 44 GALACTICA MAGNUM (44ギャラクティカマグナム), and afterwards, he would approach me to start a new band: VINYL. As for how the name came about, I don’t know. It just practically came from the sky (lol).
- VINYL would soon catch the ear of hide himself, and you guys would then sign to hide’s label LEMONed. What was the relationship between VINYL and hide like? And how did VINYL grow as a band while with LEMONed?
- Both of us had known hide for quite some time at that point. With Strawberry Fields, there was talk of releasing “DANCERAMA” under EXTASY. And hide said that if VINYL was going to make music in the future, that he wanted us to join LEMONed.
- In 1997, VINYL went major and signed to the label NU TAURUS, a sublabel of Polygram. How did VINYL’s experience with NU TAURUS compare to the time with LEMONed?
- There were talks of continuing on with LEMONed and actually releasing material with the label, but things didn’t work out for several reasons, and VINYL would then leave LEMONed. After a bit, Shin would make arrangements with NU TAURUS, and VINYL were then signed to the label.
- On New Year’s Eve 1999, VINYL would disband. Why?
- Well, we never viewed it as an official breakup, but more like a hiatus. I decided to quit music as I felt it was becoming harder to do as a job.
- After VINYL, you would indeed retire from visual kei and music in general. Why exactly?
- I was satisfied on a personal level with the music that we did as VINYL, but I soon also got the realization that our kind of music wasn’t exactly going to sell well.
- In 2017, you would participate in a recording for sukekiyo, a project known worldwide as the project of DIR EN GREY vocalist Kyo (京). How did the process go of you ending up on a song of sukekiyo?
- One day, I got a call from Kyo from D’ERLANGER, and he told me that Kyo (京) from DIR EN GREY wanted to get in touch with me, and we exchanged contact info, and Kyo (京) would tell me through an email that when he was younger, he attended a Strawberry Fields live and asked if I would be interested in doing a song with sukekiyo, and I did it.
- Soon afterwards, you would start your first group in years, S.A.S.F. How did this group come about, and since it seems to be on an indefinite hiatus, do you see a future for the group?
- S.A.S.F. started out as a one-time session group for an event by Paul from 44MAGNUM. The live went really well so we decided to become a band and did several more lives. I think that sometime in the future, we’ll be back.
- After S.A.S.F., you seemed to return to your respective retirement, but in 2024, made a surprise return with D’IZZYGER, which would be your first actual visual project since VINYL as S.A.S.F. were not a visual project. So far, D’IZZYGER has only performed one live. Do you see a future for the project?
- No, I think that was a one-time performance.
- It has been reported that VINYL has been revived. What are the plans for the group?
- Yes, VINYL has been revived, but at the moment, it’s only for one show.
- What are your future plans as a musician?
- I plan on participating in a session live performance, held by Kenzi (from Kamaitachi (かまいたち) and THE DEAD POP STARS). It will be in October at the Loft PlusOne West venue.
- Thank you very much for your time! Is there anything else you would like to say?
- Thank you for your time.
(Yoshifumi today, as a part of the VINYL revival)
#031: Donni
Famous bands: Acid Bell, loco hermanos
- What first got you interested in visual kei?
- When I first started, the term “visual kei” wasn’t really used yet, so we were just “makeup” bands. I was eventually a roadie for YOUTHQUAKE, and really wanted to try out visual kei.
- Your first two bands were REPTERIA and sonic pop goes nowhere. What can you tell me about them?
- REPTERIA was a band that existed before visual kei really was a thing, and was a “makeup” band, while sonic pop goes nowhere was, I think, my first band that was officially called “visual”. After all of these years, I still listen to songs from those eras, and I think they were really good.
(Donni as a member of sonic pop goes nowhere, when he went by the alias of Daisuke)
- How did you first meet the guys from Gilles de Rais and form Acid Bell?
- I heard that (guitarist) Jack and (bassist) Dee were going to start a new band, and were looking for a vocalist. I was later introduced to them through a mutual friend, Hiroki, bassist of media youth, and we tested the waters by doing a few cover songs. It ended up going really good, so we decided right then to form Acid Bell.
- How does it feel knowing that Acid Bell’s only album, “SPEAK?”, is widely regarded as a visual kei masterpiece today?
- I feel really honored, especially because I wrote most of the melodies on that album.
(Acid Bell, with Donni, still known as Daisuke, on the bottom right)
- While Acid Bell seemed to be a softkei band, your next band, superbrunch, would dive head first in that direction. What inspired you to go in that direction?
- I don’t think it was a conscious effort or anything like that at the time, but upon reflection, I think I wanted superbrunch to have a more “masculine” style.
- You were briefly in the visual session band DOVERMAN. What was your experience like in that band? What made you decide to leave?
- The concept of DOVERMAN was to have a revolving door lineup, with a new lineup with every CD. The core of the band (Gizzelle, Kenichi and Gaz) were all awesome, talented musicians, so from that aspect, it was a pleasant experience. The song I did with them, “DRIVE ME AWAY”, which was composed by the late Gaz, is now a memorial song of sorts and something I will never forget.
- Your next band, Matsudo Rocks, was highly inspired by pop punk, both musically as well as visually. What influenced you to go more towards this direction?
- Matsudo Rocks was not a normal, democratic band, and I instead was the primary songwriter, and played and did whatever I thought would be good, but me and the other bandmates were all close to each other. When I think back as to what influenced me, I think I was trying to do something similar to Good Charlotte.
- Starting with IDOL☆FREAKY, you seemed to have retired from the visual kei scene. Was that intentional? And if so, why did you retire?
- I never intended to fully retire from visual kei, and rather, I feel like the audience can decide whether a band in my career fits the criteria or not.
- What are your future plans as a musician?
- Sometime, I would like to form a heavy metal band!
- Thank you very much for your time. Is there anything else you would like to say?
- Thank you for supporting me over a long period! May God bless you all! Rock on!
14 Likes
Just had the honor and privilege of interviewing Yoshifumi Fukui (福井祥史), who was in VINYL, D’ERLANGER and, one of my all time favorite VK bands, Strawberry Fields! Seriously, this interview was… such a thrill. Soooo many memories listening and jamming to Strawberry Fields, it was surreal to finally talk to a member. Check out the insight to a true VK veteran, his stories about his interactions with the godfather of VK hide, the sadly toxic end to such an amazing band as Strawberry Fields, and how he ended up collaborating with Kyo (京) and sukekiyo!
11 Likes
Just put up a new interview with one of my few VK buddies Donni, who is known most to hardcore overseas VK fans as the frontman for Acid Bell, a band that still gets constant praise. Check out some interesting perspectives from a long-running veteran in the scene!
4 Likes