The Poem of June ──
Interview with Hoshino Hidehiko
Ongaku to Hito
July 2021
Text＝Kanemitsu Hifumi
Photos＝Sasahara Kiyoaki＿L Management
On his 55th June
Every year, our magazine will have an interview with this person in his birthday month of June without fail. The fans of BUCK-TICK have probably come to see this interview conducted by Ongaku to Hito with Hoshino Hidehiko as their seasonal Haiku of June. And this year, for the 21st iteration, we took a boat ride on Senzoku Pond (lol).
We had an idyllic time there, but the world has not changed; the COVID-19 pandemic continues and things are no different than one year ago. The interview was also done remotely. I suppose the words from this man who hasn’t changed throughout the past 21 years feel reassuring precisely because we’re In such a time when we can see the exit right there but just can’t seem to reach it. BUCK-TICK is also slowly but surely starting to move off with the upcoming Blu-ray and DVD release of last year’s film concert and a re-edited version of the stream that was broadcast on 21 September. Adding on, they are also planning a live stream concert with an approach unlike anything they’ve ever done before. Hope is the promise of something in the future. That is something I can feel from this interview despite its usual leisurely vibe. Until the day we cross the big milestone, this annual event will continue on.
Before we know it, everyone is dealing with stress and worry. I think we should figure out how we can turn it into something positive
ーー Continuing our trend from last year, we’re having this interview remotely again…… (Dog barking) Sorry. My dog is responding (lol).
Hoshino (H): You have a dog? Show me, show me!
ーー (Brings it to the PC) Look, this is Hide-san～.
H: Ah, how cu～te. Chihuahua?
ーー Long-coat Chihuahua.
H: Me too, probably some time after last year’s interview. I got one. A Chihuahua and Poodle mix.
ーー Ah, really? Will we make it a tradition to have Mr Editor-in-Chief name the dogs of the Hoshino household?
H: I’ll have to politely decline (lol). It already has a name anyway.
ーー Do you go on walks?
H: It’s a toy breed, so just a bit. Around the park behind my house. But it’s therapeutic.
ーー Alright, then. It’s the day of our annual check-in with Hoshino-san but due to COVID-19 sticking around longer than we expected, we had to abort last year’s plan for an overseas shoot.
H: I didn’t believe it was going to happen anyway (lol). But the weather’s good, and it was nice to go outside. And it’s been a while since I got on a boat.
ーー To think you’d refuse the swan boat……
H: Isn’t that of course (lol).
ーー Hahahahaha. Anyway, even though you managed to produce an album and release it in the past year, you had to stop our tour and turn it into a film concert format, and the only in-person live concert you could hold was our annual Nippon Budokan show at reduced capacity. The type of activities you can do as a band has changed.
H: That’s true. We had this interview at home, remotely, like this too, but neither of us expected that it’d still be the same a year later, right? Because back then, I think we more or less had the idea that things would probably go back to normal by the next year.
ーー It’s just been dragging on, hasn’t it? Since we were spending so much time at home last year, did you do any decluttering?
H: I’ve done all the decluttering I can do, there’s nothing else I can throw away (lol). But although I assume everyone experiences some level of stress and worry, it seems like we’re all getting used to it. Before we know it, we’re already dealing with it. And I think the real challenge here is figuring out how we can turn it into something positive.
ーー What exactly did you do?
H: I tried to take care of my body as much as I could. And I also barely drank any alcohol.
ーー Hide-san stopped drinking!
H: Besides, there’s nowhere to drink outside anyway. No one’s asking me out either, and after filming our streams and the Budokan performance, we definitely can’t hold an afterparty so I went straight home.
ーー And you’re being mindful of your health.
H: Yeah. I’ve gone running everyday, and today, I went to the dentist. When I feel uneasy about something with my body, It’s easy to get carried away by that and let the anxiousness grow. I guess I’m careful because I don’t want that to happen. In the past, I used to drink without thinking as if I’m bathing in alcohol so I’ll probably have to pay my dues soon anyway.
ーー Then, what do you do at home?
H: I’d only compose something on occasion. Apart from that, I guess it’s prep work for streaming. What else is there to do?
ーー Don’t ask me (lol).
H: Watching TV is depressing. Sometimes I watch movies on Netflix, or I’ll just leave some music from a subscription service playing in the living room.
It would be nice we’d come to live in a world that understands that live concerts are something that everyone needs for their hearts and minds
ーー Any music you’re particularly into recently?
H: I don’t think I’ve got any like that. I kind of prefer listening to smooth music rather than heavy music, so I’d put on playlists like “Western pop to listen to in spring” and the sort (lol). That’s what I’ve got playing all the time.
ーー Hahahahaha. I never expected such pedestrianism from one of BUCK-TICK’s guitarists!
H: I’ll be cooking lunch or something while picking something like that depending on the mood.
ーー As expected of a guitarist with a chef licence.
H: Although, it’s lunch so I’d often default to pasta or noodles.
ーー Let’s rent a kitchen studio and do some cooking next year.
H: What happened to going overseas for a shoot (lol).
ーー Ah, right (lol). Where would you like to visit the most overseas?
H: You know…… The…… What was it (lol).
ーー This happens a lot in your 50s (wry laugh).
H: Ah, Insta. Insta, Insta!
ーー Ahahahahaha!
H: I often see videos of overseas resorts on Insta. And videos that bring you around World Heritage Sites. We can’t go now, so it’s nice to watch those. And dog videos too (lol).
ーー Hahahaha. Don’t you have somewhere specific you want to visit?
H: Oh, right. Last year, before the state of emergency declaration, I went to Miyako Island¹. It’s super nice there. We stayed in a villa instead of a hotel. We frolicked on the beach and before we knew it, a day had come and gone (lol). I’d like to go there again. I recommend it.
ーー I assume you’ve been watching more music events through streaming too.
H: That’s right. Friends send a lot of them to me so I guess I do watch quite a bit. Recently, I’ve been watching the concert streams that were produced by each individual member of GLAY too. And I also got an email from (Kawamura) Ryu-chan² and watched the concert that he held at home. I get to watch these kinds of shows by people who I hadn’t otherwise seen performing before, so I guess I can’t deny that it’s certainly convenient (lol).
ーー Well, it’s become easy to get access to watch.
H: But in the end, I find myself thinking again that it’s definitely not the same as the concerts that we’re familiar with. I ultimately still want to create and experience that atmosphere. That’s why, with our announcement of the upcoming autumn tour, I’m hoping that we can hold a proper ABRACADABRA concert and let the audience experience a live concert.
ーー It’s been a year since its release, but you want to wrap things up properly with an album tour.
H: Yeah, I definitely feel that we have to. Otherwise, it’ll feel like we can’t move on to the next thing. Because our flow has always been to produce an album, go on tour, feel the response, then decide on what we’re doing next.
ーー So, BUCK-TICK will be putting last year’s ABRACADABRA LIVE ON THE NET and TOUR2020 ABRACADABRA ON SCREEN together and releasing them as a Blu-ray/DVD,
H: That’s right. When we did that last year, it was partly because it was the only option for us, but also, we went into it with the intention of producing a very good show on video. And as a result, we felt that we managed to create something really great. I did say earlier that the best option of all would be to give our audience a live concert experience, but it turned out to have such a high degree of perfection and presence, that we’d like people to watch it at home too. Because that could very well be stage footage that can only come into existence in this era.
ーー That’s true. Also, tell us more about the second phase of your live stream concert.
H: Right. That one is a little bit thematic. There aren’t any new songs, and we thought we could just try switching up the set list for the stream, so initially, we were talking about making it an unplugged session. From there, the discussion developed and we thought it’d be boring if that’s all we did, so I guess we decided to add other elements. I think this will turn out to be a little unlike anything we’ve done thus far.
ーー That’s something else to look forward to. We don’t know how things will go, but it would be nice if you could carry out band activities properly this year.
H: It sure would. We had an in-person live concert last year at Budokan, but along those lines, right? I don’t know what it’ll be like this year, but it’s still a question as to whether or not we can hold a live concert in a shared space with our audience, so. But I’d like to, though.
ーー And let’s hope that next year, we’ll be able to properly check on how much we’ve both aged like this while chatting on a Southern island.
H: I’ll wait for that chance without getting my hopes up. Also, I’m turning 55 this year, alright? Don’t get that wrong (lol). Come to think of it, I’ve started wondering “How old am I again?” ever since I crossed the age of 50.
ーー That, I’m very familiar with (lol). Oh, right… If we round that off you’d hit the next milestone (60).
H: Don’t say that (lol). It’s got a ring to it, doesn’t it? 55 years old.
ーー Well, shall we have you wear the red birthday vest 5 years later for this interview?
H: Anii (Yagami Toll / drums) is the one who should doing that first (lol). It’s next year [for him], right?
ーー Oh, yeah! Then I guess you’ll be busy with Anii’s birthday plans next year.
H: We definitely want to give him a good celebration. Now, I just really want concerts. I really hope we’ll be able to turn this autumn through year-end’s tour into reality. But this is really one of those things that aren’t entirely in our control no matter how much we say we want to do it…… It would be nice if we’d come to live in a world that understands that live concerts are something that everyone needs for their hearts and minds and will let everyone enjoy it.
ーー I’m looking forward to new songs too.
H: We’re taking our time with that, though. Maybe you could listen to it one of these days.
ーー Oh!
H: Anyway, look forward to it (lol).
ーー I will. Say hi to your puppy for me.
H: Got it…… Ah, shall I bring it along for next year’s shoot (lol)?
ーー Good idea!
H: I thought of bringing it with me this time too, but I realised we’ll be getting in a boat and during that time, someone will have to look after it for me…… so I decided against it (lol).
ーー Come together next year!
H: I’ll think about it (lol).
Notes:
¹ In Okinawa.
² The name stated was (河村)隆ちゃん. I’m assuming this is likely Luna Sea’s Ryuichi. I’m not sure what was held in early or mid 2021 that could have been the concert Hide watched though.
AFTERSHOW
2021.05.15 Hoshino Hidehiko BUCK-TICK
Hide-san casually appeared at the Senzoku Pond boat ramps on the day of a national holiday. The very first thing he said with a grin was, “I don’t really want the swan.” It was as if he saw right through us (lol). He got into a row boat with the photographer and had the photoshoot with just the two of them present. It’s a mystery as to what the surrounding families might be thinking about seeing these two good-looking middle-aged (sorry) men boarding a boat together with all smiles, but Hide-san looked like he enjoyed himself from start to end. We’ll try our luck again at the swan boats with Yuta next month (seriously⁉).
Translation: Yoshiyuki
Images: hoeshinos