INTERVIEW WITH GIRUGAMESH @ JAXX IN SPRINGFIELD, VA (4/27/11)

JRR: How are you guys?

Everyone: (everyone laughs) Good, good.

JRR: If everyone could please introduce yourselves and tell what position you play.

Satoshi: I’m Satoshi on vocals.
ShuU: I’m ShuU on bass.
Nii: I’m Nii on guitar, thank you.
Яyo: Яyo on drums.

JRR: What was the first instrument you’ve ever played, and how old were you?

Яyo: Junior high school, first year, drums.
Nii: In junior high third year, I picked up bass, but quit very quickly. (laughs)
ShuU: I started playing acoustic guitar in junior high school.
Satoshi: When I was in junior high, I played classical guitar first.

JRR: How did girugamesh form together as a band?

ShuU: When Nii and I were high school students — we grew up together — we decided to make a band. Later on in high school, we asked Яyo and Satoshi to join us and in 2004 girugamesh was officially formed.

JRR: You have been playing together as girugamesh for many years now. In what ways do you think you have grown — together as a band or individually — and how has it affected the music you write?

ShuU: Maybe everyone became stronger working with equipment? (Laughs.) What I mean is, we’ve become a lot more knowledgeable and efficient in the sense of working with equipment that’s related with the band.
Satoshi: We’ve started to have more persistence with the direction or the lighting for lives and we’ve become more knowledgeable in that field also.

JRR: What is the songwriting and recording process like in Japan, or more specifically, for girugamesh?

Яyo: Everyone writes songs, but I’m the main composer. I’m good at using Protools, so I do all the arranging, mixing and editing. Then everyone comes together and plays in the studio.

JRR: Has a song ever come to you when you were in an awkward situation?

ShuU: Songs come to me when I’m humming or a lot of the time when I’m driving or taking a shower.

JRR: girugamesh has come to America in the past for Jrock Revolution and Sakura Con, but this is your first real tour in the U.S. How has the experience been so far?

Яyo: Everyday there are cute fangirls waiting for us at the venues (everyone laughs). Regardless what country we go to, there are always fans waiting for us. That really surprised me. It made me very happy to see so many fans waiting in line for us.

JRR: Were you able to do any sightseeing in the cities you’ve stopped in?

Яyo: We have a very tight schedule so … (Everyone laughs.)
Satoshi: Only the Statue of Liberty. (Everyone laughs again.)

JRR: Have you been practicing English while on tour?

Яyo: Oh, yeah! (Everyone laughs.)
ShuU: Everyone’s been practicing a little and doing their best.

JRR: What words or phrases have you learned? Your favorite word?

Яyo: …BURP. DERP. (everyone laughs)
Satoshi: What’s popular for me right now is… No calorie, no life. (chuckles)
ShuU: For me… Boobs. Boobs.
Nii: Did I have something? I’m the worst at English (laughs), but I’m trying hard at learning it right now.

JRR: Today’s live is the last show on the tour. Are you planning to do anything different to commemorate it?

Satoshi: Nothing really special. As for plans, we want to tour each city equally and have the same theme for all the shows.

JRR: Would you like to come back to the U.S.? If so, what cities would you like to go to?

Everyone: Of course!
ShuU: Next huh …
Яyo: I wonder where.
[Translator whispers “L.A.” to them and ShuU says “cause your house is closer!”]
Satoshi: We want to start from the East Coast and tour across country to the West Coast.

JRR: If you could tour with another Japanese band here, who would it be?

ShuU: I want to tour with Maximum the Hormone. (Laughs.)
Яyo: I want to tour with a popular band.
Nii: I want to tour with B’z, my favorite band whom I respect.
Satoshi: Hmm … a band I’m friend’s with …
ShuU: What about MUCC?
Satoshi: Oh, yeah, MUCC would be good, wouldn’t it? (Everyone agrees and laughs.)
ShuU and Nii: We would have a lot of fun touring with MUCC, wouldn’t we?
(Everyone laughs again.)
Satoshi: Yeah, MUCC would be fun to tour with.
Яyo: YUKKE will be gay tonight. (laughs)

JRR: Thank you so much for coming to the U.S. and sharing your music and talent with us. Is there a message you would like to give to the fans here?

Satoshi: We want to come back and work hard to provide support and hope for everyone so please keep on supporting us.
ShuU: This tour is just the first step, so we want to make it so we can come back year after year.
Nii: This time the tour was very short. I want us to have a longer tour and have a good time with our fans.
Яyo: We will be back! And … We love the United States!