Текст интервьюWhat’s Up, Docs?
Mark Bell
WE ARE X: YOSHIKI & STEPHEN KIJAK
Yoshiki, X Japan Leader & Drummer, Tackles Tragedy & Legacy In this Sundance & SxSW Winning Doc
Stephen Kijak has artistically constructed cinematic experiences for megamusicians The Rolling Stones, the soon to be Vegas resident Backstreet Boys, and experimental music influencers Scott Walker and Jaco Pistorius – so it’s no surprise that uber-producer John Battsek [Searching for Sugarman, The Tillman Story, Restrepo] came to Kijak to capture X Japan’s embattled leader Yoshiki as his band strives for attention in the United States.
Rock-gods in Japan, X filled the region’s card as hair-metal heroes during the ‘80s, and like their western contemporaries transitioned to glam-band ballads. Their five albums have sold more than 30 million copies. Writer Mark Bell sat down with the rockstar and rock-doc director at the AFCI/Beyond Cinema Studio at Sundance 2016 (where the film picked up an award for Best Editing) – here’s an excerpt of their conversation:
Stephen Kijak: When I discovered that the slogan of the band in the early days, was “psychedelic violence crime of visual shock,” I knew I needed to do the film... I’m really glad I did.
Beyond Cinema: Yoshiki, how did that work for you? Obviously, a band that has been around for thirty years, and as massive as X Japan, has to be really careful about who it lets tell its story.
Yoshiki: Well, I met John Battsek the producer through my agent, WME. Then he introduced me to Stephen. I think he’s the one to do this film. Just the vibe.
Stephen: It was a vibe thing. It was a vibe … I like the fact that I didn’t really know the band, because then I could discover it with my audience. There’s a fan-base, but then you also want the uninitiated to discover it with you, so they kind of ride along with my perspective of figuring out what this whole X thing is about.
There is a massive amount of archival material. Was that a blessing or a curse when you got started?
Stephen: It actually was a blessing. I love archive. What always inhibits me is when people don’t document things, or you just can’t find things. There’s cameras behind here, always following him. He’s very well documented, you can see he was very smart, early on, in making sure that everything’s filmed - stacks and stacks of tapes from interviews [of Yoshiki] relaxing in his dressing room, thirty camera shoots of every single concert. It was overwhelming but in a great way…It really builds the world of X Japan in the way I don’t think you otherwise could have done if they didn’t have that material.
Yoshiki: You find David Lynch?
Stephen: We found David Lynch…There are just all these tapes that say “Yoshiki.” So I pop it in. It’s twenty tapes of you being directed by David Lynch in the 90’s. Yoshi’s in a desert, there’s fire, lightning going off then David. Naked on a beach and David Lynch directing him. These kinds of discoveries just blew my mind.
At one point, Stan Lee-
Stephen: They did a comic book together—
Yoshiki: Yes, they’re doing comic… still doing. It’s intense.
Stephen: It’s a comic called “Blood Red Dragon” in which Stan Lee turns Yoshiki here, into a superhero.
Which I think is very apropos - as you see in the film, the overarching theme is that there’s a real sense of vulnerability, but also strength. As a filmmaker, what went into crafting that balance?
Stephen: We had almost no pre-production. We really jumped into this. As I would dive into the archive and find things, it was a constant evolution. The balance was really important because that’s kind of what their music is. They balance really heavy and really beautiful. There are always those dichotomies within, not only [Yoshiki’s] life story, but embodied in the music itself. That had to also be expressed in the film – in the way we balance the narrative, the visuals, and the music.
Yoshiki, When you’re looking at this and you’re seeing how you’re being presented in the film, what are the feelings going through you?
Yoshiki: Well, we had premiere yesterday. I cried ten times during the 90 minutes. It was very painful, because we had dark, sad stories, memories, but we wanted to make this film -- I think Stephen did an amazing job. Yeah, even though in our past was really dark, this film’s going to try to give us bright future.
Stephen: Because that’s all you see with the fans… There’s a healing power to the music. It sounds cheesy, but it’s really true. When you interview the fans over and over again. People who have had their own tragedies relate to it, and the music has helped them through… they’re not just fans, it’s almost like they’re disciples and they’ve somehow been cleansed or saved by the music. That is something we wanted to express as well. [To Yoshiki] Music saved you, you had a childhood wrapped with tragedy, you’ve lost your father, and all that stuff goes into the music. I think it really communicates to the fans, so we really wanted to get that across.
What I heard in the albums I listened to, I think it was “Blue Blood” and “Jealousy,” was so much other music. I’m hearing so many different bands - Dream Theater’s there…then you’ve got Metallica..It gets hard to not draw parallels. Have they come up to you and said, “You’re a big influence on us?”
Yoshiki: Well, I started being a classical pianist, I started learning classical first. Then I found Kiss, then eventually Led Zeppelin, David Bowie. Because I didn’t know the rule that there just used to be Hard Rock or New Wave or whatever. We just combined everything. Yeah, listening to David Bowie, listening to Iron Maiden, Metallica at the same time. I love Metallica, just mix up everything. Twenty years ago, first time we came here, the US and other people told me, “You got to decide a genre. Either you go hard or soft. You can’t mix that. That doesn’t work in United States.” Really? Why would we listen to that?
That’s a very frustrating thing to hear, because one of the beautiful things about exploring and discovering these albums was having that journey, and kind of stopping, and going wait, “Am I on the same album?” It’s a great feeling to have.
Yoshiki: Thank you, yeah.
In the film, you said there are certain things you didn’t touch on. There was obviously exchange about Taiji that was not going to go any further. What was it like revisiting a lot of these things and trying to get some of these stories out of the band members?
Stephen: Well, Yoshiki and I conducted three, four, maybe five interviews. As time progressed, we got to know each other more and more, and he’s a great interview subject. I think the Taiji [leaving the band] secret is the biggest one we couldn’t crack, but that’s fine. We don’t have to expose everything all the time. There can be ambiguity and mystery.
Toshi was surprisingly very frank and honest about his troubled years, having been brainwashed and abused by a cult. That is not an easy thing to talk about. There was a lot of trust between us. I would just say that the other members are just very quiet. Sugizo, who is the new guitar player, is a very poetic, eloquent man and you go then to Pata and Heath, the bass player and another guitar player, and they’re just very quiet and shy…
Yoshiki: Everything was very organic. We didn’t really plant something. Just having everything organic.
If X Japan’s impact is never huge in the US, does that really matter at this point? Thirty years, huge arenas, the music is incredible. Does it really matter if the crossover finally happens?
Yoshiki: Good question. I don’t know. Why am I doing music? “What’s the reason?” I think I may have to say, in a very selfish way, for me to survive. That’s the main reason...
Beyond Cinema Issue11 - 2016
Права на международные продажи фильма WeAreX теперь принадлежат компании Mongrel International.
14 мая 2016 в Каннах состоится мировая премьера.
14 мая 2016 в Каннах состоится мировая премьера.
Cannes: Mongrel to sell Japanese rock doc 'We Are X'
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