Relay Interviews [Squeeze Spirits] : Sanaka x Lay
Relay: Sanaka X Lay : Part 2 [translator's notes in brackets [] ]
'Until the core of Fatima can be made.'
Sanaka: 'You say that and everything is lost!' it seems like (laughs). 'It's not like that!' There isn't any meaning to it (laughs). Saying that, what's the meaning to 'shoobie dooba'? It's the same type of thing (small smile).
(everyone laughs)
SS: It's just a difficult thing to communicate, huh?
Lay: And because of that. . . I'm fairly disappointed (sad). It's painful.
Sanaka: (small smile)
Lay: Because I have confidence in it.
SS: That's for sure!
Lay: Right. That may be true but with something like that, that we really want to communicate, and we can't, . . . it's just sad.
SS: 'Dandadida' is the only thing that gets attention . . .
Lay: 'It shouldn't be that way! There are places that are way deeper!' At least, I think (small smile).
Sanaka: There really are places that are deeper in meaning . . .
SS: I see (small smile).
Lay: But . . . Probably because of the fact that I'm in a band, I think I prefer bands with two or more people over a band with just one person. I really love rockstar bands, and so probably from way back, I've thought that the 'golden ticket' would be with more than one person.
Sanaka: Like Futai-san and Koorimuro-san (laughs).
Lay: Right right right (laughs). I'm aspiring for that type of thing.
SS: And, are the both of you close to that?
Sanaka & Lay: Yes, that's what we want to happen (laughs).
Lay: It'd be best if I was 'Number 2.' You'd suddenly see me, and I'd be the person who's slightly next to and behind the main person. And so if you say it's a group thing, I like black. Not red, black is great! (laughs).
SS: Well, it's necessary to have a person who's talent is red, and so it's great that you happened to meet Sanaka-san.
Lay: Right, right, really. Red is extremely important, isn't it? When I'm watching a band, I don't really like it when I don't really see a difference in the performance between red and black. So that's probably why when you're watching someone perform who's not particularly popular, like Koorimuro-san and Futai-san, I think you'd notice Koorimuro-san first. He would just seem really cool. To look at something and be thinking it's great is really important, honestly. It's definitely better to have something nice to look at, over something horrible. And so I think Sanaka is someone who's highly capable of that [looking good] (laughs).
SS: 'Capable?' (laughs). Well then, Sanaka-san, has there been an especially difficult song for you?
Sanaka: Hmm. . . Basically, there's been a lot of songs here and there where I've been like, 'this is really difficult' (laughs).
SS: There has been no straight pitch? (laughs).
Sanaka: Aa, I think so? I think that the recent ballad [Shizumu Taion] was an extremely straight pitch. But really, there's been a huge number of songs where I'm like, 'What am I supposed to do with this . . . (worries).'
Lay: (laughs)
SS: And, do you both largely listen to different sorts of music?
Sanaka: There is a difference [in what we listen to]. I really don't listen to Western music that much.
Lay: But I feel that lately you've been listening to some.
Sanaka: Yes. Lately I've looked at Space Shower and so have been listening to some a little bit.
Lay: Mm, but, isn't that a good thing? I think so at least. I feel that if we listened to the same kind of music, we wouldn't be throwing pitches at varying speeds. Of course, there's probably bands in which that's a good thing. I feel that for the majority, a listener who's into the so-called popular music, wants to listen to something that's easy to listen to. And I feel that that's one of Sanaka's strong points. Because of this, sometimes there's pitches with a change of speed and sometimes there's not . . . Lately, I've really wanted to throw straight pitches. It's difficult to understand though. I feel that most of the songs we've made have been pitches with varying speeds, but when I listen to the music that we've made it seems as though it was really a straight pitch.
SS: While at first glance it might seem like it was a straight pitch, as soon as you really look at it you get the feeling that it wasn't such a straight pitch at all.
Lay: Right, something like that.
Sanaka: But only the people who understand it will really understand it (laughs).
Lay: Yeah (laughs). But I think that's for the best. . . I really love bands, and when there's people in the band that you really like, there will always be good songs coming out of it. There's musicians, composers and people yearning to be this out there. I want to give that kind of feeling to the next generation of musicians. There's a feeling of wanting to make something that wouldn't bore them. Because children will soon be succeeding you in music and various other things in life.
Sanaka: That's extremely important to me as well. I think the members feel that way as well, and to make something like that is extremely important to everyone. If we didn't feel that way, we'd just be making normal songs.
Lay: Right, right.
Sanaka: I think that's one of the meanings behind doing such a daring band. It's a part of thinking like, 'we're a band so we have to be like this.' Isn't that the reason for having a backup band? If five members in a band are each there only to make one thing by themselves, isn't it some kind of a burden? So, it's different from a popular band in that it's necessary for each member to have their own kind of expression. In popular songs, it's good for the backup band to build up with the singer's voice. It's okay for these popular songs to think mostly about the singer's melody rising, but it's not that way for a band. Especially in daring songs for it not to rise, and maybe to have another part of the song insist on being heard. I think that's important. Isn't that pretty cool? It's important for each member to feel this way as well.
Lay: That's where we usually throw a pitch with a change of speed that appears to be a straight pitch.
Sanaka: Yeah, that's the place.
SS: And if a listener can hear it, they'd understand.
Lay: Right. And so the ideal would be for the music to be not only fun to play, but also good to listen to. And if you think that way, you'll probably think that the composition is really good. That's something I want as well.
SS: It's extremely difficult, but I think it has to be that way. Okay, time for the next question. Excepting music as your art, do you two share the same interests in something else, like movies?
Sanaka & Lay: Hmm . . .
Sanaka: Well, there's places where our interests overlap as well. When you use both areas, they will certainly overlap, but there's some places where they are fairly different as well.
Lay: Regarding the various sides, isn't it important to have these places as well? It's the same with my interest in music . . .
Sanaka: Yeah. It's the same with movies, and it's basically the same with anything. It's best to have them meet up, but not to meet up exceedingly so.
Lay: That's really important. The places where our senses meet up . . . The places where you know what the other person wants to say. If there wasn't that kind of common sensibility, it'd be pretty difficult to do a band.
Sanaka: Very difficult.
Lay: It's really essential to have the sense to know when something will be cool and when something won't be so cool.
SS: That's something that you really can't explain in words, isn't it?
Lay: That's just simply a problem of senses.
Sanaka: And in that area, I think the both of us have an understanding of senses.
Lay: Yes, yes, that's large with us.
Sanaka: For example, when watching movies, it's easy to tell if he'd like the movie or not. I know what sort of movie would suit him and such (laughs).
SS: That's an amazing thing.
Lay: Right. But I think there's probably areas where we're a long ways away from meeting up.
Sanaka: Because I don't understand our connection with things that are really shallow.
SS: And so with your personalities, there's places where you overlap and then places where you're opposite?
Sanaka: Yes, exactly right.
SS: While we're talking about this, it's been that Sanaka-san is extremely negative, while Lay-san is extremely positive. But is it really to this extreme?
Sanaka & Lay: It really is that way (laughs).
Sanaka: I'm extremely conversative (laughs).
Lay: But I think it's good that there are places where the lyrics aren't so positive. If the lyrics were too positive, I think they wouldn't really sound like reality (laughs).
SS: And again the reality side of things comes out (small smile).
Lay: Yes, because we're realistic (laughs). It's like, the world isn't so nice! (laughs).
Sanaka: I really hate lyrics like that (small smile). The lyrics that gloss over things. It's especially bad with love songs, how much everything is glossed over.
SS: This common sense idea is something that the both of you share, isn't it?
Lay: We do both share that idea.
SS: For example, when the other person is thinking, do you ever think 'I'm jealous of how he can think?'
Lay: Hmm . . . I don't get jealous of how he thinks. That's something that the person has inside of them after all, but I don't ignore it. He's opposite from me, but I don't think that's a bad thing at all.
Sanaka: Yes.
Lay: When we think differently, different opinions come out.
Sanaka: That does happen. For example, with the band, I've thought things like, 'this is definitely the correct way to do things.' But then, aren't the members each doing something different from that? This can especially happen with me and Lay, doing the exact opposite from each other. Then we talk to each other about it, and find out that there is also another possible way of doings things.
Lay: It's because of this that we can be very indecisive.
(everyone laughs)
SS: You have to come to an agreement on your views (laughs).
Lay: Right, we both know what we want to say (laughs).
Sanaka: There's times when we're both like, 'It can be done this way, but it can also be done this way!' (laughs).
Lay: And then once again we're left worrying about what we should do (small smile).
Sanaka: But then when we're able to compromise, we normally come up with a plan that overlaps both of us and say, 'Ah, this is great!' (laughs).
SS: You're able to find a break in your deadlock (laughs).
Sanaka: Yeah (laughs). Those are usually the very best plans, at least I think (laughs).
Lay: Ahahahaha (laughs). This isn't a one man band, and so deciding on everything can become quite a problem.
SS: If you were doing a one man band, it'd become something like what we were last talking about with a 'wonderful band of just one person.'
Sanaka: Yes.
Lay: But I don't really think that's such a bad thing? For example, "X" has a lot of charisma, and so he probably sells a lot. It's just that with us . . . As far as how a band should be done, it's probably closer to LUNA SEA than to "X."
SS: Ah, like the feeling of a pentagon.
Lay: Yes, right, right. I feel that that's better . . . Though, I don't think it's necessary to always have a pentagon. Though I think that with how a band works, that's how it should be done. The five of us each have a different personality. And that's definitely how the music comes.
SS: And that way, with each of your strong points, you can complement each other.
Sanaka & Lay: That's right.
SS: And so, do you feel like there's parts of you that have changed since the both of you met?
Sanaka: In what way I wonder? (laughs)
Lay: Compared to the past though, I feel that you've widened your taste in music.
Sanaka: That's true, I've changed in that way.
Lay: Much more in the way of lyrics and melody . . . I think.
