Fatima: Light and Dark Back To Back
*** translator's notes are in [ ] brackets
Organized by Fatima, the Beautiful Freaks #8 Event will be an unusual 2 days, 9.18 and 9.19 at Takadanobaba AREA. This time, both days will be a separation of what's light and dark. How about we discuss this event, and discover both the light and dark of Fatima members, as well as precious stories from their childhoods.
SHOXX: Today, I would like to explore the light and dark parts inside of everyone. First off, did everyone have a light childhood? Or was it otherwise...?
Sanaka: My childhood was very very light. Because I was a complete show-off, so I always played the lead role in both my kindergarten play group and my elementary school drama group.
SHOXX: Did you self proclaim your role as the lead?
Sanaka: Yes. I was always noisily yelling such; I was the type that bothered teachers (Laughs).
Mizuha: For myself, when it was time for school lunch, I would suck down the yakisoba. Within the next minute, I had my second helping. I could also drink gyuunyuu no ikki fast. (Proud). I make use of that experience even now. Anyways, I was an active kid, always outside playing soccer, dorokei, and during lunchtime, I would play kusogaki.
4ge: I was the dark head of student council during elementary school.
Mizuha: No way!
SHOXX: Did you also self proclaim your role, 4ge-kun?
4ge: Yes. When hijiki appeared in school lunches, it was always in the form of bread. I campaigned for it to be rice instead.
SHOXX: So were you able to fulfill this promise?
4ge: Eventually, the bread was changed... It was dark, but the feeling was exhilirating (excited).
Towa: Mine was dark. I was really ill. Even though it was a serious matter, no one really knew too much about this area. I was always in a 100 percent oxygen filled sterile room, having heart massages, things like that.
Sanaka: Are you serious?
Towa: I had asthma, and was in the hospital till I was 3, so I have no memory of being home during that time. I've heard from my parents that when it became so painful, and I was giving off a whistling sound, that they would drive me to be hospitalized.
Mizuha: You had to have some sort of energy/force being hospitalized so much...
Towa: In order to cure my asthma, I tried swimming at the pool, and tried taking part in sports. Being outside took great effort, but since then I've become a much more sociable person. My childhood had started dark, but it changed into something light.
Lay: For myself, my elementary school years were light, as I was an active kid. I was one of the boys on the youth baseball team. But I did also like to be by myself at home. I was a kid on a good path, but then during junior high and high school, I steadily became a dark child... When I was a high school student, I was already at the peak of my Emotional Dark Ages, thinking "it would be better if we all didn't exist."
Sanaka: Ahahaha!
SHOXX: What was the cause of your change?
Sanaka: Ozaki Yutaka!
Lay: I had run off with a stolen bike (‹—a lie). When you get older, you just realize things about the world; it's horrible.
SHOXX: For those who lived light childhoods, what happened after? Did you experience a transformation like Lay-kun?
Mizuha: I've never really wanted to show the darker things to people, even though I'm the type to turn off the lights and work out in the dark (Laughs) It's always light ouside.
SHOXX: So you were the kid that never cried in front of people.
Mizuha: No, I cried. (Laughs) I just didn't like showing it.
4ge: I've always been dark.
Lay: Maybe it's because you were an only child.
Sanaka: Being able to play by yourself is something to be proud of.
4ge: I was always doing things by myself.
SHOXX: What things?
Towa: What were you doing exactly ... (Laughs)
Sanaka: In regards to myself, there were repeatedly light and dark times. During my childhood, I thought there were invisible people around.
Lay: That's insane.
Sanaka: There were always invisible people around. Everywhere I went, they were around. But I never had a chance to see them.
Towa: That's a little worrisome.
Sanaka: Whenever I was separated from my parents, I knew they were following me everywhere. It was scary, and I always hid my toys, thinking that they would take them from me.
Lay: (roar of laughter)
Sanaka: But there were some good invisible people. One was even my friend.
SHOXX: Oh my god... you didn't try and reach them when no one was around?
Sanaka: I did, but I yelled from inside my heart. I did make contact.
Lay: I think that's cute because you were a kid.
SHOXX: Yeah, can you make contact now?
Sanaka: Right now, there's no one around (Laughs).
SHOXX: 4ge-kun, you seem to know what we're talking about right now. Did you have friends while playing by yourself?
4ge: Yes. But they were half-human aliens. They pretended to be human, but they weren't really.
SHOXX: In regards to being half-human, are there any aliens in any of the members present?
4ge: There is. There is someone who is the definition of such, sitting across from me (says this, while looking at Lay)
Lay: But I'm British.
4ge: You are greatly mistaken (all members agree!)
SHOXX: (Laughs) Now that we're done talking about everyone's childhood, let's talk about how you all are now.
Lay: Having come to terms with what's in this world, I've been able to do many things. I don't really consider the negative things because I face forward positively. When I was a High School student, I had a very narrow outlook, so I thought like that as well. As years passed, I've come to think that there are different people living. I think that's why I like visual kei.
SHOXX: How does this connect?
Lay: Well aren't lyrics and things like that dark? ... The other day, a drunk American solider in Iraq caused the shooting of a zoo's tiger. The tiger died soon after. When I heard this, I wondered if it would be better if human beings weren't alive. These kinds of thoughts came to me easily. Is humanity kind?... I remember thinking about things like that.
SHOXX: I've had similar thoughts, like humanity is destroying the earth. What do you think Mizuha-kun?
Mizuha: I guess I'm an extreme positive guy (laughs). But there must be something that creates negative thinkers. Probably because of this year (laughs). More than in the past, it's become more apparent. When you're young, you don't care what people say. But as you learn of various truths, you begin to feel different. This is what I've been experiencing too much of.
SHOXX: It's the unexpectedness of being an adult.
Mizuha: Nah, it's being an adolescent.
SHOXX: Ah, then you're saying it underlies adolescence.
Mizuha: Hahah ....
Sanaka: Fundamentally, everything that is true is negative. I can't think of a somewhat good way to do anything.
SHOXX: So rather than "it's become this way," it's more of a "once this fails, what the hell are we going to do?" feeling?
Sanaka: Something like that
Towa: I'm the same as Sanaka. In the past, I didn't really have friends, but now even a single word from a friend can cause pain, and can even be domineering. As a result, I have yet to become a completely facing forward positive person.
SHOXX: Has any member said something that's hurt you?
Towa: All of them. Always forcing positive sayings like "You have to hang in there!" But when I get home, I end up crying.
Mizuha: There's no need to cry though, just hang in there.
Towa: See, in my house, I've got four sandbags with each member's head shots taped on (all members laugh) When they piss me off, I take it out on those sandbags. (all members laugh yet again)
SHOXX: And whose do you hit the most?
Towa: That's easy, Sanaka. I've used his a lot, a little more than three times.
Sanaka: ahahahah!
SHOXX: Well, everyone seems to not have just light or dark; everyone holds a balance of both
Lay: Seems like that, huh? And even though it's fun when you're around other people, being by yourself is just as important. I create music when I'm alone. Because light and dark is everywhere, each is a part of songs, In regards to my style, I like to create music that is both.
Sanaka: Everything for me is about escaping from reality.
SHOXX: What about the band?
Sanaka: The band doesn't have one reality; outside of the band, I don't really like to face reality. Therefore all of my activities are about escaping reality.
SHOXX: At lives?
Sanaka: I want to show all fans an unrealistic stage, and when I stand on stage, I want all of them to try and escape reality. The only time I put a lot of facing this pathetic existence is into my singing and lyrics.
SHOXX: And so, for November, there will be the live series of "Count down to premium night ~ Our seven day war." What do you have to say of that?
Sanaka: It all builds up to 11.22 (4ge's Birthday) which is the premium night. The seven days of lives, each of those days, fans will learn hints of how to participate in the premium. Even if you can't go to all the lives, there is an information network , so please communicate among fans, so you can learn how to participate.
SHOXX: 4gekun, you seem to be playing the lead role.
4ge: Yes. This year I wanted my own day, so come and have fun.
Sanaka: This is for 4ge and fans, let's make this a special night, so I hope you're looking forward to it.
