INTERVISTE/ARTICOLI

Ameblo.jp: Interview to Mark Opening of GACKT's Ameblo

Interview to Mark Opening of GACKT's Ameblo「My blog isn't aimed at the general public」

GACKT’s new album 『LAST MOON』 will be released on April 27, and goes in hand with the LAST VISUALIVE「Saigo no Tsuki -LAST MOON-」.
Soon after that, we will welcome the end of the “MOON PROJECT”, which unfolded over previously released albums, stage plays, movies, and concerts.

◆ What is the “MOON PROJECT”?

In 2001, I started filming for the story of「Requiem et Reminiscence」, which had the theme of 「the repose of souls and rebirth」, but when I thought of making a sequel to that, the story of「MOON SAGA」 came to me with a bang.

「Requiem et Reminiscence」, is a VISUALIVE, which is neither a musical, nor a stage play, nor a rock concert. It is expressed with music and film and performance and expression and performers, it is a form of expression that has not been done by anyone else until now.
It started with the idea that if I used this to express 「MOON SAGA」, I could possibly create something new and interesting.

「MOON SAGA」has the theme of 「those who are guided by the light of the moon」, so the cornerstone of it is that it’s a vampire story.
In essence my story expresses a human’s fragility, foolishness, tenderness, and the meaning of existence through beings that aren’t human.
Actually, if we depicted that through humans, it becomes a vividly cheesy story.

Digging into it, the story spans from 500 AD until around the year 2040, so because it becomes a really long story, I thought, wouldn’t it be interesting to start it off through a movie, and so I made the movie 「MOON CHILD」.
Since this movie covers the time from 2014 to 2040, from there 「DIABOLOS」, 「Jogen no Tsuki」, 「Kagen no Tsuki」 and the other lives that follow will go further and further back in time, delving deep into the story.

As we slowly travel back in time, we will end up in the surprising revelation that the origin of the vampire is actually what we refer to as the 「Japan’s Oni (demons)」.
The exact time setting of Yoshitsune’s era is from the Heian period to the Kamakura period so, it is during the era when people are still cohabiting with Mononoke.
In that era exists the Mononofu who are hybrids that possess the blood of both humans and Mononoke, and these beings have special abilities unlike humans along with better cooperative abilities than Mononoke.
In other words, they are like the Heian era version of「HEROES」.
And what was made with that as the focus is the stage play「Yoshitsune Hiden」.

What is consistent throughout「RR」, 「DIABOLOS」, 「Jogen no Tsuki」, 「Kagen no Tsuki」, 「Yoshitsune Hiden」and「Saigo no Tsuki -LAST MOON-」is the theme of 「why people make the same mistakes」. That is the MOON PROJECT.

◆「I do what no one else can」

GACKT-san shared an interesting and deep story on the subject of the MOON PROJECT.
After talking about that, with some amusement, he gave a lesson on calmly analysing how you’re viewed by those around you.

On this topic, those around me will say to me 「(You’re ) eccentric」.
But you see, I always think 「In the first place I am eccentric」(laughs).
My name has reached the public, and everyone probably knows about me through the media but, it’s just something that happened by chance, and the music and artworks and expression that I’ve always done, have all always been that of a maniac’s.
By chance, this has reached a lot of people in this way so they will say 「It’s hard to understand」, but I think that my worldview is best conveyed to only the original core people.

But, because of that, I can say that 「I do what no one else can」.
Normally, those making music have no need to do something like this at all.
The reason why, is aside from needing a lot of money, it doesn’t fit in on a commercial basis.
For an artwork like this, to me, it’s something that you create just because you want to.
In fact, when we started with filming the videos, I was shocked by how much budget it required (laughs).
We had a discussion in the office but, I had the will of wanting to make this no matter what, and the desire of wanting to establish something that no one else had. Because I thought that this is my lifework, and that I will do this even if I had to pay out of my own pocket, production continued.
I figured that the money can be earned from elsewhere anyway.
It was the creative impulse that made me move and want to follow through with it even if I had to force it.

I was a completely useless human being until I was around 20.
I was negative, and kept wondering why am I alive, and I was extremely cold.
But after encountering a certain someone, my outlook on life changed completely.
At that time, I decided, that I would leave behind a testament to having been born.
At that time, the only thing I had in my hands was music.
And that’s why I am here now.

◆Ameba Blog finally started!

GACKT-san has finally started a blog on Ameblo some days ago.
Since the past, a large number of GACKT-san’s remarks became internet news and also caught a lot of attention but, what does GACKT-san think about his own blog?

I should say this beforehand to the Ameblo readers but,「My blog isn’t aimed at the general public」(laughs).
I try my best and choose words that are easily understandable for everyone but, because I’m an exceptionally eccentric human being, I think there are times when the things I say can’t be understood.
Please give me a break, pardon me (laughs).
I said this earlier as well but, I don’t think that types like me are meant to be spread out in the world in the first place (laughs).

People tend to say to me「Why do you do that?」or「Why do you think like that?」, and everyone who starts to read my blog from here on may think that as well but, I just have my own way of living that I follow.
I just don’t want to have regrets when I die.
For the sake of living without regrets, if I were faced with the choice of whether or not to do something, I have no choice but to answer that I’ll do it.
And, in terms of how to do it, if I had to choose between methods A, B, or C, without a doubt I’d choose the most difficult method.
Because that’s been decided, I don’t have to worry.

People are all moving within the same 24 hours.
We’re all moving in the same frame.
When you think about, who are the ones who have tons of ways to use this same limited amount of time that we have, and who are the ones who obtain more things, it is the ones who pick the tough choices.

That’s why, my concept of time is different from other’s.
Even if I live the same one year as others, the progresses made on the inside is much faster.
That’s why, my mental age is definitely around 180 years old already. I’m already like a nice grandpa (laughs).

Source: ameblo.jp

Translation: GACKT ITALIA Team

Translation © GACKT ITALIA

by SaiKaiAngel