Fake lock stars' starting point!?
*** translator's notes are in [ ] brackets
Mizuha & 4ge
SHOXX: So to start off, tell us about what got you into playing the guitar?
4ge: When I was little, there was always a guitar around. My dad was a jazz drummer, and his guitarist friend would always come over to hang out.
SHOXX: So music was pretty much a part of your normal life, huh?
4ge: It was. But I didn't get interested in playing an instrument till around high school. It was around that time that a lot of people around me were making bands. So I thought I might as well give it a try. And since I was pretty familiar with guitars, I decided to try them out.
SHOXX: And when did you seriously begin playing?
4ge: Just recently (Laughs). After I entered Fatima, being a guitarist became interesting (Laughs).
SHOXX: How about you, Mizuha-kun?
Mizuha: Well, in my family my parents .... run a public bathhouse.
SHOXX: I thought you were going to say that your parents were superstars (Laughs).
Mizuha: (Laughs). It was at the end of my second year in middle school, I think, when playing the keyboard was really popular. There were a lot of guys doing it.
SHOXX: Komuro Tetsuya's influence?
Mizuha: Yes it was. I thought I must do that! But I thought that the guitar was cooler than the keyboard. I could stand out, I thought. And I wanted to buy a cheap guitar from one of those music magazines.
SHOXX: And when did you become serious about playing the guitar?
Mizuha: Just recently (Laughs).
SHOXX: (Laughs). How did the two of you meet?
Mizuha: We had done a battle of the bands, and when we started talking, the topic somehow changed to Fatima (Laughs).
SHOXX: What were your impressions of each other?
Mizuha: He seemed both mature and stand offish.
4ge: That's because I only liked my band then (Laughs). Mizuha (at the time of the interview) is the member that is the most honest and sincere out of everyone. He has that humanism about him (Laughs). But at that time, he was a very warm person.
SHOXX: And now?
Mizuha: I'm hyper, right (Laughs)?
4ge: Our similar trigger point is a reciprocal smile.
Mizuha: But you didn't smile in regards to what I had said. Definitely interesting (Laughs). I'm always looking for that reciprocal smile (Laughs).
4ge: I'm not smiling because Mizuha constantly tries to return the smile no matter how many times (Laughs). He's a reciprocal smile maniac, which is subtly different from the other members (Laughs).
SHOXX: How about your play side?
Mizuha: My performance style is fundamentally different.
4ge: For example, I can't really pound out 16 beats and 8 beats, or play a beserk arpeggio sound. But I'm not sure if that's his specialty either (Laughs).
Mizuha: I like it how 4ge can weird out your normal musical scale.
4ge: Before recording, if you come to my place, it's like training camp.
Mizuha: If I went to 4ge's house .... what would we do?
4ge: Watch DVDs more or less. Like "All About Guitar Solos."
Mizuha: I don't think I could spend my time doing just that!
SHOXX: What's important when the two of you are together?
Mizuha: It's not really so much deciding what we want to do with the guitar. We work together really well. It's like if he liked a certain part of a meal, I'd let him eat it (Laughs).
SHOXX: But on stage, you two seem to be completely different. Mizuha-kun seems to be very passionate.
4ge: He's emotional (Laughs) !!
Mizuha: But I think that I'm really cool, even if I do smile (Laughs).
SHOXX: 4ge-kun seems like he takes things at his own pace.
Mizuha: He's normally very quiet. Though he behaves very LL* (Laughs).
* Possibly a reference to the rapper LL Cool J
4ge: I am very LL, aren't I? (Laughs)
SHOXX: And your guys' relationship?
4ge: Old ladies in the same neighborhood. "Can I borrow some soy sauce?" --- That kind of feeling.
SHOXX: (Laughs) In your guys' perspectives, what is Fatima?
Mizuha: For me, this band has a very broad atmosphere. Suddenly it's one thing, then it's another.
SHOXX: It's been a little more than a year since you joined, hasn't it 4ge-kun?
4ge: It feels like doing club activities. It was like I entered a club, when I entered Fatima. The members always meet together, and all are dedicated to participating in national events. It's just an important part of your life.
SHOXX: Will Fatima always be like that for you?
4ge: Perhaps. But television is also a very important part of my life (Laughs).
