When I was in high school, I got into anime. You know, Japanese cartoons, yadda yadda yadda. I bought a movie called X, which is a movie about the end of the world. I loved it, and since these were the days of Napster, one day I decided to type in X/1999. I found out that the song at the end of the movie was by a band called X Japan. I really liked their 80's metal tone, and so I looked into them.
Thus, my ultimate fandom was born.
I lived and breathed metal, after that moment. Specifically metal like X Japan represented. To like X Japan, you've got to be a fan of screeching 80's vocals, thrash guitars, and big hair. I love all of these things, which is why I decided to start a band to begin with. Here's a good example of X Japan. It's called "Kurenai", which means "crimson". Back when I first heard them, I'll admit, I hated Toshi's vocals. After a few CDs... man. I had the BIGGEST crush on him.
X Japan faced a horribly tragedy. Toshi got married and apparently joined a cult. His wife had him leave the band, which broke it apart. hide, their charismatic lead guitarist, went on to join hide with Spread Beaver. They were more punk. A few months into it, hide was found dead in his hotel room. He'd apparently hung himself from a doorknob with a towel (IDKWTF). Anyhow, by the time I was into X, they weren't really popular anymore. My world was shattered. That is, until I saw Saw IV in the theatre, and after it came out on video... I discovered that X Japan had re-joined, and that they did the end song at the end of Saw IV!! And they got NO publicity for it! They weren't even on the soundtrack!! I was heartbroken because had I known this, I would have GEEKED THE FUCK OUT at that movie theatre. This is the song, and the video. I cry like a bitch whenever I see it because, if you watch, you'll see lots of references to hide. From his lone unused guitar, to pictures of him, to the fact that they're singing a song called "FOUR", for Saw IV.. and there are FOUR of them...
Anyhow, I wrote this because I brought home a CD and it happened to contain all of the X Japan CDs I downloaded back in the days of Napster. And don't gimme shit for downloading, because if it weren't for Napster, I never would have discovered X Japan. And since then, they have received more than enough money from me to cover their CDs.
I now await patiently when someday they perform in a reasonable place. Apparently they canceled their show in Paris (only one listed, besides the two they had in Japan) because Yoshiki (drummer and piano) had hand surgery.
Someday I'll see them, though. Someday. Yes
2 comments:
Apparently X is the Japanese version of Poison...at least in their look. The whole boys that look like girls during the closing days of hair metal.
Not that I'm not a fan of the hair band era. In fact I dig it in a cheesey way.
They were the very first band in Japan to do this look and they made it famous. From them came Japanese "Visual Kei". I think Yoshiki (the blonde) is the only one who stuck with the feminine look, tho'.
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