Interview with K-suke

K-suke, the drummer of Vasalla. Vasalla celebrates their 35th anniversary this August and even today the band continues to lay down beats in multiple visual kei bands.
In this interview, his 48th birthday release “Taiko-do,” which contains tracks of his band history was mentioned and he talks about his dedication to music, the bonds with his bandmates, and the struggles he keeps hidden inside.
Despite being older, he devotes his life to music, he also mentioned “You never know when its my last time on stage so please come to meet and see me, while its still possible.“

■Self-Introduction

Part: Drums  
Birthday: July 30, 1972  
Hometown: Japan  
Blood Type: A  
Height: 165 cm  
Favorite Alcohol: I don’t really drink because I don’t really like the taste, but if I go out for a drink, it’s beer. 
Favorite Cigarettes: I don’t smoke.

■ Please briefly introduce the bands you currently belong to and any other music activities.

GRIM: A metal band with a demon concept, mainly active in Osaka.  
Zekkyou! Kaan: A metal band mainly active in Fukuoka. We just released our 1st CD “Ichi.”  
Kansai Akuchi (Kansai Anti-Feminism): A punk band where THE DEAD P☆P STARS’ drummer KENZI serves as vocalist. This is the Kansai version of the anti-feminism members. Currently on hiatus due to guitarist YAYOI’s equipment issues.  
Vasalla: A visual kei band celebrating its 35th anniversary this year. We currently do only 1–2 lives per year, but we plan to go on hiatus after the 35th anniversary live at Saitama Kaikan on August 15.

■ What is your favorite kanji and why?

“覇” (Ha / supremacy) – Because it just looks cool, doesn’t it?

■ If you have any favorite manga or anime, please tell us why you like them.

▼ Manga (Childhood)  
Ring ni Kakero  / Fuma no Kojiro / Kinnikuman  / Captain Tsubasa  / Dokaben  / Kotaro Makaritoru  
※Mostly Jump manga. I liked the themes of friendship, effort, and victory.

▼ Manga (As an Adult)  
Berserk  / ARMS  / GANTZ   / BASTARD!!  
※I like grotesque​ stuff with fantasy elements.

▼ Anime  
Fate series: I love the setting where heroes from throughout history gather to fight. For Stay Night, Archer’s true identity is especially great.  
The Eminence in Shadow: The ongoing misunderstandings are hilarious, and the protagonist’s overwhelming power is irresistible.  
Gundam: Of course, I also love the Gundam series.

■ What do you find most appealing about Kamen Rider?

The tragic aspect: They hide their identity to protect humanity, but if their identity is revealed, they might be treated like monsters and persecuted once peace arrives.  
Unlike Ultraman, they’re life-sized, so it feels like there might actually be human beings who can transform into Kamen Riders to fight evil organizations somewhere in real life without us knowing.  
Simply put, they just look really cool.

■ What are your favorite horror movies or horror stories?

Ones with perfectly foreshadowing like “SAW” and “CUBE.”  
Ones that are simply visually scary like “The Ring.”  
I also like splatter movies full of exploding madness.  
Stories involving religion are scary too.
I like village horror as well.

■ K-suke, please tell us your passionate feelings about Marie (44)-chan. What is it about Marie (44)-chan’s charm that makes you so obsessed with her idol activities?

First of all, her face is exactly my type.  
But there are plenty of girls with cute faces, right?  
The reason I support Marie-chan among them is because she tries incredibly hard.  
At that age, maintaining that visual is already amazing, but she sings, dances, does a huge number of lives per year, sometimes two shows in one day, and even goes from Tokyo to Osaka in a single day.  
While I myself are totally wrecked after just one live show. The next day I look like a wrinkly old man (thanks to the alcohol, though lol).

■ You’ve met Marie (44)-chan before, right? If so, please tell us about that time.

I usually talk to her at merchandise sales, but I’ve also met her several times at photo sessions and BAR events.  
She seems to have a refreshing, straightforward personality, but I felt she was very careful to treat every fan equally and attentively.

■ Please tell us about “Shacho-chan,”  Shun’s cat.

Even though she’s the “Shacho,” she comes over to greet you.
After you’ve done the greetings and some pets, she says “Keep it up!” and leaves.  
Then a while later she comes back again like “Are you keeping it up?” for more pets and so on. She’s a wonderful cat, looking after people.

■ About Shun; he’s your younger brother, right? You two are both wonderful musicians, and I’m sure you’re very proud of him. What do you really like about Shun?

He’s extremely stoic; both with music and with his appearance.  
Because he’s strict with himself, he also demands more from others. That’s the part I respect as a fellow musician.  
But if you ask what I *like* about him, it’s the moments when this guy, as the youngest brother, shows a little bit of his spoiled side.

■ Who is the artist that influenced you and became the trigger for starting music?

It wasn’t an artist; it was my older sister.

■ I see. So, your older sister was the one who got you started in music, but what led you to become interested in music?

My parents both played the mandolin (and I vaguely remember my grandmother played the shamisen), so music was always around me from a young age.

■ What made you choose to become a drummer?

Because I was already playing percussion instruments.

■ Do you have a favorite motto or words you hold dear?

“Equanimity” (平常心 – Heijoushin).

■ Do you speak any languages besides Japanese? If so, how confident are you?

I don’t speak any other languages.  
To be honest, I don’t even speak Japanese properly.

■ When was the moment in your life when you thought “Ah, I’m so happy”?

When Itano-sama and Marie-chan got to see me playing the drums.

■ Could you tell me more about when Itano-san saw you playing drums?

I once appeared on AKBINGO!, an AKB48 variety show, as part of a fake Seikima-II (a Seikima-II cover band). Itano-sama happened to be one of the regular studio members that day.

■ How did you first come to know Itano-sama, and what kind of person was she to you that you admired so much?

Around the time AKB was becoming more widely known, Itano-sama appeared as a semi-regular in Kamen Rider W. One day I saw an AKB poster in a convenience store and thought, “Oh, this is the cute girl from Kamen Rider!”. That was the beginning of my adornment.

After that, I realized how tough the group was — even someone as adorable as her and as skilled at dancing couldn’t easily become center position — yet she was still giving all her best. She was the first person whose life I genuinely wanted to support.

She’s my first “oshi” (favorite).
Not just someone I admire, but someone I really like.
She’s my ultimate oshi.

■ Is there anything in your life so far that you regret even a little?

That I gave up Vasalla.

■ What do you mean exactly with “I gave up”? It’s a very striking phrase. If you don’t mind, could you share a bit about the background or how you felt at the time?

I tried to reflect on my feelings at the time and tried to put them into words, but I couldn’t express them well. 
So, perhaps at some point, I guess that I lost sight of how to be a member of “Vasalla”. 

■Do you notice any differences in your feelings or sensations while performing based on the audience’s reaction?

Of course.  
We members are the ones playing, but the audience is what creates the live show.  
When we feel the audience’s heat and energy, we get heated up too. It creates a synergistic effect that makes the live show even better.

■Were there any particularly difficult things or hard-to-overcome events in your music career?

Especially with bands; you can’t do it alone, so there are things that can’t be solved just by individual effort.

■ I’ve heard that the old visual kei scene had a somewhat tense atmosphere. Was that actually the case?

If we’re talking about the ’90s, yes.  
You couldn’t survive with just good music… I’ll refrain from writing anything too specific.  
It was an intense era back then, but I also feel that the present has its own difficulties.

■ Is there any musician you’d like to meet or stand on stage with?

hide-san.

■Sadly hide-san passed away, but why would you like to stand on stage with him? 

Because he’s my ultimate favorite.
I seem to have a tendency to favor guitarists, I also love JAIL from Seikima-II,
Anyway, I’d like to fully absorb hide’s sensibility.

■ Have you ever been overseas? If so, where did you go? Were you surprised by any cultural differences?

I played in Korea.  
Even though it was our first time, the crowd got extremely hyped.  
What surprised me was that even the cutest girls would chug shochu in one go.

■ I know many artists from Kyushu, but sometimes when I hear the dialect in conversation, it sounds like a completely different language. Is there any favorite Kyushu dialect expression that people in Tokyo might find hard to understand?

A famous one is “Totto-to?”  ※
One I like is “Botekurikokasu.”※

※In Hakata dialect, “tottoto” means “to have taken (secured).” It’s a charming Fukuoka dialect word used when securing a seat, keeping something, or confirming something with someone.

※”Botekurikokasu” is a dialect mainly used in the Kyushu region (Fukuoka, Hakata dialect, etc.) and means “to beat someone to a pulp,” “to violently assault someone,” or “to knock someone out.”

■ Through your activities in various bands like “Vasella” “GRIM,” and “Zekkyou! KAAN,” what have you learned?

In a band, who you play with is more important than what kind of music you play.

■ Could you explain in more detail why it’s important?

Band members often spend more intense time together than even their own families.
And there’s no way anyone’s musical tastes will perfectly match yours, right?
So instead of chasing that impossible perfect match, I think it’s better to find members who value the time you spend together, and once you’ve matched with others, you can naturally discover the common musical tastes together. After all it’s important to be flexible and respectful to each other.

■ How have those experiences influenced your current creative activities and music life?

I’m able to enjoy music and continue to love it.

■ K-suke, what kind of drummer do you think is a “good drummer”? I’d like to hear your thoughts not just on technique, but also on expressiveness and how they interact with the band.

It’s a drummer who leads the band.  
They’re the starting point of the band’s groove, controlling the band’s rhythm, and making the other members feel comfortable playing, on top of that playing the drums that sing, including an outstanding performance.
Hmm…  
I want to play drums like that.
Well, I think the one who plays the loudest is the greatest (laughs).

■ I feel like recent visual kei songs have less of that classic “rock beat” feel. On the other hand, it might mean the music isn’t bound by the era. How do you feel about it, K-suke?

I don’t really listen to current visual kei, so I’m not sure, but I’ve felt for many years now that everyone is doing the same outfits, same makeup, and same kind of songs.  
There’s no such thing as a “visual kei music genre” in the first place, so people should just do whatever they like.  
I liked bands that were different and eccentric, and I started by imitating them, but my goal was always to digest it in my own way and turn it into originality.  
Nowadays it feels like everyone is just picking whatever is trendy and popular.

This might be different from the main point of the question, but that’s what I felt a few years ago.

■ Do you have any thoughts on why that classic style isn’t used much anymore?

As I said earlier, isn’t it because everyone is only making the same kind of music?

■ Among all the works you’ve been involved with, is there any particularly memorable one or one that received a big response? Please introduce it briefly.

My best-of album “Taikodou ~Tonsai the record~” was released to commemorate my 48th birthday.  
It contains re-recorded songs from Vasella and all the other bands I’ve been in.

■ Looking back on the Vasella era now, what kind of meaning does it hold for you?

My joy comes from giving form to what’s inside me, releasing it into the world, and having someone resonate with it.  
I’ve never tried to find any deeper meaning in it.

■ When you listen to your old works again, are there parts where you feel “My way of thinking has changed since then”?

When I was younger, I thought that playing weird drums and adding lots of embellishments was my style, but as I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to value the ensemble more.

■ Among the works you’ve produced, is there any you’re especially confident in or particularly proud of? Please tell us why.

As mentioned before, “Taikodou.”  
It contains half my life.

■ Is there any work that you, K-suke, really want people to listen to?

Again, “Taikodou.”  
Also Vasella’s “evolution,” and GRIM’s “Silent Forest” and “seven.”

■ When continuing band activities for a long time, what do you think is important for maintaining good relationships among members? There are many cases where small conflicts lead to departures or breakups. If there’s anything you’d like to tell the next generation of band members, please share.

Maintain appropriate distance.  
After all, you are all different.  
Your passion and enthusiasm levels won’t always be the same.  
Don’t force things.  
Each person should do their best at what they’re good at.  
Value your private life.  
Don’t fight over a girl.

■ The current visual kei scene feels quite different from the past in terms of distance with fans and activity style. For example, there are various opinions about paid 2-shot photos. How do you personally view the current scene?

Merchandise sales should change to keep up with the times, so if the band is okay with it, I think two-shot photos are fine.
It might be about the power dynamic or position between artist and audience; however, I do  but I feel uncomfortable with the idea of ​​trying to attract fans by flattering them.

■ When I came to Japan, I was very shocked to feel like I was a victim of something like “overcharging” at a bar run by visual kei band members. Has this kind of culture where band members charge fans high prices existed for a long time? Or do you think this “overcharging” style of business is a relatively recent phenomenon?

I’m not aware of anyone around me doing that kind of rip-off activity.  
It’s not exactly the same as business, but back in the day we used to charge fans high amounts for after-parties※.  
We’d split the cost of food and drink for the members and staff among the fans  
Since there was no SNS back then, fans would pay a lot of money to join the after-party just to connect with the members somehow.  
The members and staff didn’t pay, so for touring bands it actually helped cover food costs. 
 
Even if there are rip-off sales practices now, I don’t think it’s related to the past. I feel rip-off sales is more similar to “host clubs”※ that were troublesome in the past.

※After-parties: The amount of what fans had to pay differed from band to band and it was usually hold at cheap izakaya’s the band had a connection with. Until today, this actually still happens, but fans are often invited to “expensive rip-off bars”, So be careful. However especially the older generation bands, will drink at “venues, cheap izakaya’s or own bars, for normal prices”
※The host-clubs are still troublesome, even if there are “stricter rules”, clubs found ways to get across those new rules. Always be careful to drink at any bar who sell “champagne”

■ What are your goals or wishes for the future?

I want to keep doing music for the rest of my life.

■ Do you have a message for everyone who supports you?

I intend to continue making music as long as my body can move, but I’m already starting to experience various problems, and I don’t know how long I’ll be able to play the drums the way I want to.
And since a band can’t be done alone, I don’t know when any of us might suddenly be gone.  
We don’t know when the last live in the form we all hoped for will be.  
So when you have the chance to see us, please come and meet us as much as possible.  
To deliver even better stages to everyone, we can’t perform too frequently, but I’ll try to encounter you as much as I can.
Until the day we can no longer meet — Let’s meet as much as we can.