This fall, LUNA SEA, X-JAPAN guitarist SUGIZO (50) traveled to refugee camps in Iraq and Jordan.
Since the Great East Japan Earthquake, he has been volunteering in various disaster-stricken areas around the world. "It helps me look back on my previous life," sugizo says, "I had a terrible life before. If I had done so, I think I would have been out of this world a long time ago. ”
■ Travel to refugee camps in Iraq and Jordan
This fall, SUGIZO began his journey to the Middle East. For about two weeks from late September, he went to refugee camps in Iraq and Jordan to interact with local refugees through the individual "COSMIC DANCE QUARTET, CDQ" campaign and the "BABAGANOUJ" (group of three) campaign designed specifically for the camp.
"There were also children in the show, and some of them would run to the stage and try to take a picture with me next to me. For them there is no concept of enjoying music at all. But the musical revolution that our younger generation once pursued, especially the rock music that was popular in the 60s and 70s, had its unbridled enthusiasm that could make the audience cheer. ”
Sugizo, a member of luna SEA and X JAPAN rock band, has been showing great interest in refugee issues since 20 years ago. It can be said that he is one of the few guitarists in Japan who pays attention to refugee issues.
"Around 2010, I started working with unHCR (Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) staff, and with their help, I made my first visit to the Azlaq and Vitaly refugee camps in Jordan in early 2016. I wanted to visit in my own name, but they suddenly sent me a request saying, "It's better to go and play for them in the past," and I accepted their request. So I took a violin that the local people had prepared for me and played it in the simplest way in the refugee camp in Azlac, which was not yet electrified. This was the beginning of 'BABAGANOUJ'.
On stage, I witnessed the people on the stage who were almost crazy twisting and singing at will, and the atmosphere was far beyond my imagination. ”
"Muslim women danced to the music, singing, clapping, dancing. While I may be exaggerating to say this, I think this is a way for them to vent their daily painful lives, and these feelings seem to be on the verge of erupting. Both I and them should have been aware of this in that instant. ”
"In 2018, I went to a Palestinian refugee camp. And this year I came again to refugee camps in Iraq and Jordan with crowdfunded funds. In order to achieve the kind of effect of live performance, we brought as much equipment as possible from Japan and installed and disassembled it ourselves. ”
"There are no assistants, no image designers, no hairstyles and no makeup. If something goes wrong, respond one by one on a case-by-case basis. "That's where we were.
According to the venue environment, the "CDQ" performs live performances ranging from 30 to 70 minutes under the theme of "Hi Flip the Whole Audience". Accompanied by strong musical dances, the members of BABAGANOUJ will join us in the acoustics part, playing music unique to the Middle East, or SUGIZO's songs "The Voyage Home" full of affection for refugees.
< h1 toutiao-origin="h5" > local playing live SUGIZO and local residents</h1>
"Every country and race has its own unique BPM (rhythm). Palestinians' electric voices are slightly slower than the average song, but this year the Kurds are obsessively immersed in the song. I also learned a lot about music. ”
In addition to live performances, SUGIZO also donates money to refugees. He donated all the money from the suits his daughter used to wear and the art she sold to local refugees. SUGIZO laughs and says, "I often see people wearing LUNA SEA T-shirts in refugee camps and towns. "SUGIZO has been in contact with a refugee family in Iraq since its last visit.
<h1 toutiao-origin="h5" > SUGIZO and refugee camp families</h1>
Not only donations, live performances, but also volunteers are unpaid, so SUGIZO has no financial benefit at all. He calls such volunteer activities "an interest that derives value and competence in day-to-day work."
"I used to call this activity 'life's work', but now that I think about it, it's not a career or a job, but a 'lifelong hobby.'" In 2011, when I first started volunteering, I was already in the heart and decided to deliver by myself. ”
■ Act as an on-site commander for disaster relief volunteers
Shortly after the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, SUGIZO rushed to the disaster-stricken areas of the Northeast to volunteer. I didn't go as an artist, I was a volunteer when I put on my overalls, and all I could see was the devastation of the earthquake.
"Shortly after the earthquake, I immediately realized, 'Now I can't do anything with music,' 'all I can do now is rip the dirt apart.'" So I asked people who had been involved in environmental protection activities to provide me with a small boat, and they also handed me a team of ishinomaki city volunteers, during which I had not bathed for more than 10 days in my life, and we volunteered together near Onagawa, Yuteng, and Okawa Elementary School. In total, I worked for more than 20 days. ”
Since then, whenever a disaster strikes, I feel that "my body instinctively drives to the disaster site." In Masuda, one of the areas affected by the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake, in Makoto Town, Okarashiki City, Okayama Prefecture, which was hit by heavy rains in August last year, and Iwaki in Fukushima Prefecture, which suffered heavy losses due to Typhoon 19 in November this year, even if the work arrangement is tight, I will squeeze out time to go to the disaster areas to do my part.
"As a result of the experience gained in the 3.11 earthquake and the comprehensive damage caused by the flood, the relief skills we have summarized are instructive for responding to all other disasters. Unfortunately, over the past 8 years, various disasters have been caused in various parts of Japan, but on the other hand, through disaster relief, we have accumulated more experience and continuously improved our disaster relief skills. Last year, in Asamicho I was appointed field commander-in-chief, and based on age and physique, I assigned tasks to about 40 inexperienced volunteers from all over the country and guided them in disaster relief activities. If I hadn't gone to the disaster site, I would never have known what I could do, which is really incredible. The essential of volunteering is 'never be reckless'. Many first-time volunteers always carry large quantities of things or go into dangerous areas. At this time, I have to tell them to 'only do what is within your ability' and 'it will be much easier for two people to carry things that are difficult to carry and share by four people together, don't be too strong'. In the beginning, everyone was a blank piece of paper. I would certainly welcome more people to join the volunteer team. Ten years ago, I was also a volunteer white, but now I am an expert in this team. If I'm desperate in the music world, I can still eat as a disaster commander (laughs). ”
"Of course, from a musician's point of view, it is true that the affected people can be encouraged through live performances or condolence activities, but I am not well-known enough." Not to mention the children, my grandparents' generation didn't know me. So if it's a member of Janis or an athlete coming to the condolence campaign, it makes sense, but if I come here, I'm afraid it's just self-satisfaction. Therefore, it is better to directly participate in the rescue activities in the disaster area, and my conscience will be better than this. So I came to the disaster area with the words 'I want to help as much as I can' and 'I want to be braver'. Although in the end I was inspired by the people in the disaster areas. ”
Two years ago, I started giving concerts at my own expense to children in orphanages and students in vocational schools.
"Sure enough, music can bring energy, so I thought that even if it was only for a moment, I wanted them to feel the charm of music. Encounters are based on fate and timing, and I am often asked the question 'Why Syria?' ''Why are those kids like this?'' These are just a connection and cannot be said to be fate. Whether it is people in the affected areas or children in orphanages, I want to do my best to help them, but this is not realistic. So I want to do my best to deepen the bond with the people I meet. ”
■ "The birth of my daughter has transformed my life dramatically"
You pay attention to your surroundings and think about others. This is a truth that SUGIZO has only understood after many years, and he said that he did not think so before.
"I used to live a very bad life. I have a hot temper and argue with people; I fall on the side of the road when I'm drunk; I hate socializing with people, and I refuse to have any connection with others. If I were to remain in this state, I think I would be either in prison or on drugs, or long gone. ”
The great transformation that made me was the birth of my daughter, who was 26 years old.
"My daughter is so endearing. As she grew up, I loved not only her, but children her age, and even children around the world. It was then that I learned about the current state of life for children in the camp. I have been lonely since I was a child, and it was the birth of my daughter that made me face my heart for the first time, and I no longer felt lonely. No one could soothe my heart since then. ”
Sugizo was born into a musical family from an early age, to parents who were members of the Tokyo Symphony Society, and he has been practicing the violin since he was 3 years old.
"My mother and my grandmother were at odds, and the two were always arguing, sometimes even fighting together. My father was my demonic teacher, and I was afraid of him. I had to spend two or three hours practicing every day, and if I made the same mistake 3 times, he would hit me. I was in tears while playing the violin. In fact, my hobbies are archaeology and astronomy, and because of my special interests, I don't have a common topic in school and my classmates. Such a life is dark. 'If your fingertips hurt, you don't have to play the piano', so I often deliberately injure my fingertips in physical education class. ”
"When I was a teenager, my parents divorced, and I lived with my mother."
"I remember not being cared for by my parents and never hearing me say things like 'I like you,' 'you matter,' or 'I love you.'" Even though I practiced the violin relentlessly every day, I didn't get praise from my father. In the romantic classical world, these were taken for granted, but they could not have been possible in the Showa era. But if I were a parent, I would never treat my children the way my parents did. Because they are a negative teaching material. If I had realized the joy of the violin earlier and not given up halfway, my violin level would have been higher than I am now.
I found the joy of music in rock and roll. Probably as a teenager, I was so shocked by the fun of YMO and RC that I started wandering the world of music, listening to various genres of music, such as hardcore punk, New Wave, and jazz. In 1992, I made my debut as a member of the LUNA SEA with my teenage playmates. ”
"To be honest, from the first album to the third album, I didn't listen to it in its entirety, because I couldn't face the work at that time. I'm a big fan of "what adults say". I regret not having a recording engineer in the band at the time. Over time, the classic music of the past has been sought after, but unfortunately, the music quality of the early LUNA SEA was not high. ”
"In the early days of the band' activities, we were also known as the 'Visual Band' and the 'Makeup Band' because we wore strange costumes, long hair that soared into the sky, and our makeup was also unusual."
"The visual department is a discriminatory term for me. To this day, I still feel sick if someone laughs at our makeup at an early event. Influenced by artists like David Bowie and JAPAN, I think there's no doubt about putting on makeup on stage. But it can't be said that boy makeup is the kind of "visual man". No one told me at the time that the quality of our band's music didn't convey to them the visuals we wanted to depict. ''
"I was very arrogant when I was younger, so I confidently replied in the interview that 'we are undervalued', and it is a shame to think about it now. However, I am still full of confidence in the works and concerts that began in the late 90s and have recently been introduced. Because I am very strict with my own music creation, I am not satisfied with the status quo. So I've always been working hard and challenging myself with the idea of 'the next must be the most perfect work'. ”
■ Once had nothing: no money, no place to live, no friends
X JAPAN was founded when HIDE (real name Hideto Matsumoto) composed a piece of music in a small room. Sadly, HIDE died suddenly in 1998 (X at the time) at the age of 33.
For LUNA SEA and SUGIZO, HIDE is their great benefactor, and it can be said that without HIDE there would be no LUNA SEA and SUGIZO. In 2009, SUGIZO officially became a member of X JAPAN.
<h1 toutiao-origin="h5">HIDE</h1>
HIDE is very good at taking care of people, but he doesn't like to be alone and always wants to be with whom. In the early days of X JAPAN, YOSHIKI (the leader and founder of the Japanese orchestra X JAPAN) took pains to present X JAPAN objectively to the public, and we deservedly led the group. ”
"YOSHIKI is like the modern Peter Pan living in the rock world."
"Although he has done some unprecedented things, in my opinion, he is probably the only one who makes music with a pure mentality." He's excellent, Yoshiki is a man with a unique view of aesthetics, and Hide is a man who doesn't like common sense. In fact, Hide is also very accomplished in popular music, and he originally wanted to carry out personal activities. What if Hide was still alive? I think he's definitely going to do a lot of interesting things. ”
<h1 toutiao-origin="h5" > YOSHIKI– the leader and founder of the Japanese band X JAPAN</h1>
Sugizo recalls that his time in his twenties was as intense as being in the "Sengoku Period."
"I'm in my twenties, fleshy and young. The sense of competition and the sense of winning and losing are very strong. I had a strong desire to be at the top of the music world. All my performances paved the way for winning. It wasn't until I met my later team members that I realized I had met a fierce rival. If I'm at the top of the music scene, I'm going to have a concert at budokan and a concert at the Tokyo Dome, and I want to get everyone's approval. When we were 25 or 26 years old, some adults who didn't know came to flatter us. Because I have been denied since I was a child, I always do things with a strong will to let myself be recognized no matter what I do. In a sense, it's superpunk. ”
Since then, SUGIZO has been in a dilemma. In 2000, LUNA SEA announced the termination of its activities. In 2003, SUGIZO found his employees heavily indebted. Without knowing it, SUGIZO, as a joint and several guarantor, was suddenly saddled with a huge debt.
"I had no place to live, no money and no friends. Because my career at that time was also hit hard, many friends left me. At that time, I really tasted the cold, warmth and cold of the world. In this situation, I still did not give up music. I still persevered in the path of music, and then the situation gradually improved. ”
■ "I live and die without regrets"
Now, for SUGIZO, LUNA SEA and X JAPAN are a "place where he's always been a teenager."
"LUNA SEA is a good friend who has been with me since I was a teenager. At LUNA SEA I can fully release my admiration for cool rock bands. To me, it is my precious treasure. At LUNA SEA, the 5 of us have watched each other grow from teenagers to adults together, and when we spoke to the world together, we were in our 20s, but our previous feelings have never changed. LUNA SEA is a band that has deposited our voice and cohesion for more than 30 years, it is incomparable, and the band that suddenly appears around it cannot be compared with it. Because we are a group of "old boys" who have gone through more than 30 years.
"I'm the oldest in Luna SEA and I'm the youngest at X JAPAN. At X JAPAN I have a big brother I can rely on, and at Luna SEA, when I'm in trouble, the little brother will help me out. This makes me feel very at ease. Everyone has different personalities and strengths, and in the process of getting along, these characteristics gradually merge together, and finally become a coordinated band, which is the unique mystery of the band. No matter which band you are, you have music that is unique to your band. We are an irreplaceable family, they are a group of irreplaceable business partners. ”
In addition to his solo recitals, SUGIZO also walks with the two bands and actively participates in volunteer activities. As soon as he had time, he would post 'I think it's worth sharing' on SNS, YouTube's SugizoTube video channel, and sometimes even upload food reports. SUGIZO has been constantly challenging itself, and SUGIZO, who has been busy all day, replied decisively: "I have no regrets in life and death."
"I lost everything at one point, half of my body is dead. Now my life is like a bonus. This is by no means pessimism about life, and even if I die now, I feel that my life is dead without regrets. I'm alive only because if I die it would be a cause of trouble and sadness to the band members, my family, and others. A lot of people think that work is hard, life is hard, but you have to think that there are many children who don't want to leave this world but are suffering from incurable diseases. A lot of people are more unfortunate than us. Now in the battlefield or in the disaster area, many innocent people have lost their lives. Although everyone has heard the cocoon, you should always be grateful for the "living" thing and spend your life with gratitude. If someone important around you leaves this world before you do, it's a blow to either of you, but they'll be there waiting for you when they go to that world. But if your life is a mess and you even want to end your life, I don't think they're going to be happy for you. “
"I still have wishes. I want to adopt a child. So right now I'm working on the issue of adopting children, and I think one day I'll adopt a child from Japan or a child from a refugee camp overseas. I want to make better music before I die, and even when I am dying, I have to stand on stage and play my residual heat. What can a person accomplish in his lifetime? Maybe you think, 'Is that all there is to it?' I was disappointed! I may also think ,'This is not bad', anyway, I am looking forward to that moment! ”
※ SUGIZO (Sugihara sound)
SUGIZO is a Japanese male music producer and singer-songwriter, and currently works as a guitarist and string player for two orchestras, LUNA SEA and X JAPAN. His real name was Yasuhiro Sugihara, who changed his name twice; the first time it was changed to Sugihara Yu, and now sugihara is a sound. Born in 1969 in Kanagawa, Japan, he appeared in 1992 as a composer, guitarist and violinist at LUNA SEA. In 1997, he began to perform solo activities. In 2009, he officially joined X JAPAN. On December 18, LUNA SEA's latest album, CROSS, was released. The nationwide tour began in February 2020. It is called "スギちゃん" by fans. （SUGIZO OFFICIAL：https://sugizo.com/top.html）
This article was compiled by Japan
First published on the Japan Connect website
https://www.517japan.com/viewnews-111105.html
Translation: Card Cake, Editor: Orange Cat
- Ends -