Location: Anime Central 2005
Date: May 14, 2005
Interviewers: Shuja, Nizam
What inspiration do you draw for your music?
There are many great musicians that they get inspiration from, so I get inspiration from them. For lyrics, I get inspiration form movies and comics, and daily instinct would be my inspiration.
A lot of metal bands have started in Japan first to get huge and go then returned to America to get popularity. What do you thin about this?
We’re just simply envious of them.
Did you ever think that your music would be ever so popular here in America and with the anime fans?
It was totally unexpected. We were very surprised.
You have been making music since 1989, how did you get started?
Originally the band started with four members, the guy who is not here right now is the guy who started to gather the pillows at the beginning and after we were formed he just left but we remained and were not tight at the time. But we grew together into what we are now.
How long have you been playing your particular instruments?
Drums (24 years) Singer (20 years) Guitar (since 16, 20-some years)
What has happened to you since the publicity of FLCL? And how did your music and FLCL come together?
I especially noted that we had met new people since we did the project. I thought to go abroad outside of Japan would be totally out of imagination had it not been for FLCL. The new opportunity to meet people outside of Japan opened the new window for us. Of course, we get the good chunks of money.
How does America compare to Japan?
There are not many people with dark hair colors. It’s so rare to do concerts abroad, it seems that many people are interested in us to see something new that they are not used to. For instance, this is the first time we did a press session. Please be gentle with us.
What do the pillows do offstage?
There’s no time for off stage. I’m always thinking about The Pillows, I’m the greatest fan of the pillows, I’m always there.
How did the band get the name ‘The Pillows’?
When we decided first to get together to decide the name of the band, we gathered at the guitarist’s home. There was an England band that was on the Cherry Red Label called ‘Pillows and Players’, and their logo seemed to be very cool so we decided to get their name from it. Pillows just look good to us, we didn’t know what it meant at the time.
One of the most famous songs was shooting star, how did you create that song?
I wrote that song prior to watching FLCL. From the director, we were told, we were requested, that he wanted a much slower song similar to our single ‘one night’, something slower than that, but it came out different. At the time writing shootings star, it was my favorite, even though it was diff than what was requested, I submitted it and he liked it so much, he just changed the ending.
A lot of people define music differently. How do you define music, and what does music mean to you?
I like me, when I’m playing/doing music, as a musician. Had it not been for music, we’re all, I’ll say, no good people. [Drummer.,Guitarist] We all agree, no good.
What kind of anime do you like?
Evangelion, Tom & Jerry.
Besides and us and Japan, where else have you played?
London, twice, 7yrs ago, we are not popular at all there, there was no FLCL back then, there were only 30 people there [at the concert].
Rock is seen by many people as a young person’s deal, and your not young. Why still rock after twenty years old?
My parents always say the same thing. We all make our lives much better by doing this, we can’t do anything better than this. We are not aware of our own age usually. We’ll quit when rolling stones separate [joking].
Do you have any plans of doing releases in English?
Maybe … thinking about it, can’t say. For the melody and instruments, music has no boundaries, but the lyrics are another story, it’s going to be a little difficult. Even if everyone is Japanese, not everyone who is Japanese can speak the Japanese lyrics, to write them in English is totally different. Just because I start to learn English, doesn’t make it able for me to write in English. I wonder how any people understood my MC on stage in English [during concert], I have difficulty pronouncing ‘R’.
If you were able to translate [the songs], would you? Do you feel it would loose something form music, lines or style?
I could not deny it that strongly, however probably we wouldn’t. I normally start with melody lines, and then on the music I put my words on top of it. So it will be very different if it was translated, however if I recall it right, I do write several already in English.
Can you describe your guitar picking style?
Ever since I saw cheap trick doing it, I started copying them [joking].
What did you do before become rock stars?
Are we rock stars yet? [joking] . Before I was being professional, to sustain life, I was in the printing industry [singer]. No, this isn’t a joke; this is my latest printing [pointing to shirts].
As you gain popularity, do you plans in going into other t-shirts?
Ever since the beginning, all of our tour t-shirts of pillows, it’s already there, of course I can’t print all of them out all my own.
Have you guys done anything fun since you’ve been in Chicago?
I haven’t moved a step outside this hotel [singer], but the other two went to the baseball game. They came to cheer for Japanese baseball player [Tadhito] Iguchi, he made a triple.
What was it like to hear your music over the US on national television networks?
That was great news, it’s the first I’ve heard of it, I didn’t now FLCL was on the air, its great!
Are there any future plans with any series in the near future for doing theme songs?
No, not at the moment.
Will you start touring anime conventions?
At the moment, we are not thinking, we never thought about it, in Japan we have pretty busy schedule making t-shirts [laughter].
During your stay in America, how do you like the food? Is there something here that you found interesting? Or possibly something that tasted bad?
Most anything that you have here we do have it in Japan. However the big difference is the amount. So much more larger in proportion.
Does the P with the ! In FLCL stand for the pillows in FLCL?
I’m just hoping and wishing that it’s our P, we were hoping but we never got a chance to talk with the director about it directly. But I’m sure.
How much time in the studio you put in for making a final album?
As a band, we think ourselves we are very quick we do our work very precisely, most of the time within a month. Of course there are long prep times before recording in a studio, that takes a long time, we take a lot of effort.
Jap culture is getting more popular in America, how is it in Japan?
We don’t particular think its equal exchange, Japanese [culture] is dominated by American culture. Japanese culture isn’t particularly huge in America, maybe a katana. As if people on the street say “konichiwa” to me all the time. I was surprised so many people knew Japanese vocabularies.
What artist or musician form America do you like to listen to?
Recently, the strokes [singer]. Weezer [guitarist]. We really listen to many bands and musicians from the US, nothing in particular. Jimi Hendrix [guitarist].
Have you guys seen an increase in Japanese bands in America?
To be honest, those bands you mentioned are not popular in Japan, that’s why they are here, I’m sure we are more popular than them.
What is your favorite Weezer Song?
Can’t think of the title, from the green album, one called photograph [singer]. Buddy holly [guitarist].
