Relay Interviews [Squeeze Spirits] : 4ge x Towa
Relay: 4ge x Towa : Part 1 [translator's notes in brackets [] ]
'Objective Fatima / Subjective Fatima'
Squeeze Spirits (SS): The both of you provide an objective and a subjective side in Fatima, but what were your impressions of the band Fatima before you joined it?
4ge: I hadn't seen them perform (laughs).
SS: What!? You hadn't had any contact with them or anything?
4ge: Not really. Ah, well, I knew of their name and I knew that they existed, and somehow I knew of what type of band they were but ...
Towa: I had seen them. Me and 4ge had been in the same band before Fatima, right? And after that band broke up ... what was it, a week after?
4ge: That's right.
Towa: A week after 4ge was already doing his first live with Fatima. I remember going to see that live with some previous bandmates of mine.
4ge: I really hadn't seen them live before performing with them. I had rehearsal with them but ... And then, after that I heard some of their stuff through a recorded tape (laughs).
SS: That's sort of a complicated way of getting to know about the band (laughs).
4ge: Yeah (laughs). That's why I had no idea what Fatima was like live until I had entered the band.
SS: And so when they extended the invitation to you, saying, "Would you like to join Fatima?" what did you think?
4ge: Oh no, it wasn't asked in such a nice way or anything. I really didn't have much of a choice insofar as joining (laughs).
SS: If they didn't ask if you'd like to, was the feeling moreso like 'Of course you'll join!' then?
4ge: Within Fatima it was more like, 'Well, 4ge's in!' At least, that's along the lines that I was told.
Towa: ahahahah!!!! (huge laugh)
4ge: And so at that time, even on that day of the first live it was being decided (laughs).
SS: And then by the time you'd noticed anything you were already in Fatima? (laughs)
4ge: Yeah. I really didn't have much of a choice (laughs).
SS: That must have been tough ....
4ge: Ah, well, I had been in the studio once with them. And at that time it seemed that Fatima was really into doing a lot of various things, and so I wondered if I could do a lot of different things if I were to join.
SS: Do you feel like that part of Fatima really fascinated you?
4ge: Yes. There wasn't a feeling of, 'oh, we can't do it this way.' I love that feeling of freedom (laughs).
SS: And so you thought you'd give it a shot.
4ge: Ah, nah, the decision of my joining was really settled by everyone else around me. So I didn't have much time to think that I'd just try it out (small laugh).
Towa: ahahahahah!! (huge laugh)
4ge: Basically I was feeling like I'd either join Fatima, or go back to Nagano (laughs).
SS: Yes (small laugh). And how about your situation Towa?
Towa: For me it was completely different! For me, the experience was a little bit more harsh (laughs). .... First off, 4ge-kun told me that Fatima's drummer had left and so, I just thought, 'Oh, is that so...' At that time I was still in a band. But after seeing 4ge's first live, I also went to one of Fatima's oneman's. Of course I still feel like this, but at that time, I thought Fatima was such a different band, and that there wasn't another one like it. The way they moved on stage, and just their musicianship was great, and I just thought they were so cool. And then 4ge-kun asked me if I'd like to go to the studio with them, and so I did. That's pretty much how it started.
SS: And as a result of going to the studio, did you want to join Fatima?
Towa: Well I'd seen quite a few of their lives. And just watching their lives at those times, their appeal kept growing on me. Then, right about that time, there formed a gap between what I was doing with the band I was in, and what I actually wanted to be doing. And so each time I saw Fatima, I just kept getting more attracted to what they were doing. So by the time I was invited to the studio, I already had my heart set on joining Fatima. But at that time it seemed like they had a lot of potential drummers applying. Somehow I thought there had to be hundreds applying (« that's a lie). And out of all of those hundreds, Lay-kun somehow chose me.
SS: So it was sort of like an audition, wasn't it?
Towa: That's right, an audition for Fatima's new drummer (laughs).
4ge: Of course (laughs).
Towa: Hey, afterwards I found out that there actually were quite a few people applying. And at that audition I had just enough spirit expressing that I really wanted to join Fatima, and so I think it's because of that that I'm just barely able to be here.
SS: It can't be that you're only just barely able to be in the band (laughs).
4ge: ahahahahah (laughs).
Towa: No, it really was very close (laughs).
4ge: You really loved Fatima even before entering, didn't you?
Towa: I did (laughs).
4ge: Yeah, I think you said, "I love Fatima, love it, and I really want to be around Sanaka-kun" (laughs).
Towa: Right, right, right, it was like that (laughs). ..... But besides that, a big reason for me wanting to join was that because 4ge-kun was there too.
SS: And so after entering did you think that you could add a certain element to Fatima?
Towa: For me (as far as on the stage) I want to make sure people know that it's not just the four people in front of me. For example, how the four are moving on the stage is backed up by my support as a drummer. I really wanted to add this sense of the drums being enchanting as well.
SS: You can't lose to the strong presence of the four in front of you, right?
Towa: That's right.
Mizuha: .... Do you want to come up to the front [of the stage] with us? (laughs)
Lay: .... The sprout should be plucked early.
Everyone: (huge laugh)
SS: Oh that again ... (small laugh).
Towa: Well, I added "energy" and "vitality" then! (laughs)
Lay & Mizuha: ....... (bothered smile)
Towa: And then, "enthusiasm!"
Mizuha: You've got spirit, so you can't lose!!!
Everyone: (huge laugh)
SS: The presence of the both of you [ Lay & Mizuha ] is slightly intimidating (small laugh)
Towa: They really do gang up on others together (laughs).
SS: Aaah... (small laugh) .... How about you, 4ge-san?
4ge: With lives I think that I've fairly changed in how I perform. As far as the music, I thought that I really wanted to bring an interesting sound to it. It's not just about, 'Oh, I made this song myself,' but I believe it's moreso, 'I've added a new element to this song that I created.' And I think it will be that way in the future as well. But I thought it'd be great if I could continue steadily making music.
SS: When you entered Fatima, was there anything that surprised you about the band?
4ge: In the band, not really but ... On an individual level, when I first met Lay-kun he was very scary (laughs).
Lay: ahahahahahhaa!! (laughs)
SS: Just what kind of impression do you give off to people when you first meet them, Lay-san!?
Lay: Well ..... I feel like I'm a pretty friendly person ... (laughs).
Towa: (looks to 4ge) I know what you mean!!!
SS: And from over there, Towa-san agrees (laughs).
4ge: It was a little scary .... I thought he was extremely strict and scary, intimidating in that aspect. But after I entered, it wasn't like that at all. Ahh, he's nice, a little strict .... but.... not ... scary (laughs).
SS: No matter what, it just seems like Lay-san has this 'scariness' about him (laughs).
4ge: Ah, no, he's really not scary at all. It's just that when I first met him, it was like, 'Can I not joke around with this guy?' You know, it's like one of those people that you question if they even shit.
Everyone: (huge laugh)
Lay: And I thought that you didn't shit (laughs).
Towa: It's the same with both of you!
Everyone: (huge laugh)
SS: It does seem plausible (laughs).
4ge: Ahh, as it turns out my expectations weren't quite right (laughs), and the environment always feels great and easy to work with. In any case, my first impression of Lay-kun was completely off (laughs).
SS: Yes (small laugh). How about you, Towa-san?
Towa: Hmm .... something that surprised me. A lot of small things have surprised me I think. On stage there have been quite a few surprises, and I've had to adapt myself to the situation, and play it by ear. But most of the surprises have been good ones. ... And also, hermits are a good thing (laughs). (« reference to a band interview)
SS: So for the both of you the surprises have been good ones, huh.
Towa: Well as far as what I said, the surprises have been both good and bad (small laugh).
SS: Is that so? (small laugh) So 4ge-san, you told us that your first impression of Lay was completely off, but what about in regards to the other members?
4ge: Hmm ... Well everyone is different. But as time passes, you always come to see new sides of people as expected. Though there hasn't been anything extremely surprising.
SS: Towa-san is stressing that over there as well (laughs).
Lay: Ah, me again (small laugh).
Towa: I feel that Mizuha-kun and Sanaka-kun really haven't changed from my image that I had of them. And I knew 4ge-kun from way before.....
4ge: Aah! But my very first impression of Towa was horrible!
Towa: That's not right! When me and 4ge-kun first met, I really got a bad feeling from 4ge-kun!
SS: Who's telling the truth now? (laughs)
Towa: No, really we're both telling the truth (laughs). I gave off a bad impression, but 4ge-kun also had this bad atmosphere around him.
4ge: Well it's not because of anything I did on purpose (bad humor or mood) (laughs).
Towa: Yeah. That's just how 4ge-kun is, I didn't know he was so curt.
4ge: When I first rehearsed with Towa in the band we were in before Fatima, I don't know how many times he asked me, 'What's wrong with you?' And I'm the type of person who can't take too much of that, so after about the third or fourth time, I think I got pretty pissed off (laughs). And so it was like I answered with, "No, I'm not mad (answered in anger)" (laughs).
Towa: I asked so many times! (laughs)
4ge: Yes (laughs).
SS: Well if someone keeps asking if you're mad, you eventually get mad (laughs).
Towa: Probably (laughs). I did ask it a little too much. But he wouldn't meet me in the eye, and he really wouldn't talk to me (laughs). That's why I asked. But actually, that's just how 4ge-kun is.
SS: I see. There's no way that the two of you thought that you would be in the same bands together for so long, right?
