I personally believe that G nurtured this philosophy throughout his long career in the cut-throat music industry, one of the most fierce and competitive arenas.
(1) This probably sounds rather strange if you’re not very familiar with the samurai rules and etiquette, but commoners (peasants, etc.) had to immediately give way to samurai by kneeling down with their foreheads touching the ground if they ever encountered samurai anywhere, or else face terrible consequences including death by sword on the spot.
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14. Danger is the greatest entertainment.
I know this [concept] is rejected by many. But I love going to dangerous places. For example, when I go to places labeled “areas you should avoid” in Globe Trotter [a guide book for tourists], I can’t get enough of the intensity I feel there. It makes me feel alive.
When I first came to Tokyo, I saw up close a Chinese guy running with a Dragon Blade in Shinjuku, and I got chills with excitement thinking “What an intense city this is!”. That’s why I still go to Shinjuku occasionally. I guess I like how the air feels there.
I always think life lacking in intensity is unhealthy. Because it creates people who take peace for granted. The scariest thing is for all kinds of things to become mundane. A lukewarm, blind notion that nothing [bad] will ever happen. Some people say “That could never happen.” But it’s actually the opposite. The important perception [you should hone] is “Could something happen?!”.
People who drive cars but never have an accident nor make others feel nervous [about their driving] possess an exceptionally superb ability to detect dangers. People with a poor danger detecting ability will cause accidents even after they’ve been told “Be careful!”. You have to be able to drive while effortlessly imagining various things unexpectedly coming out of corners here and there, and with the ability to manage any crisis at any moment.
The same can be said about life. You need to be prepared for many [possibilities] just in case they happen in the future. And if, by any chance, something actually happened, you’d be able to cope with it if you had predicted it and made necessary preparations. But if you’re not prepared, you’d be shocked, saying “Oh, no!”. And while you’re rattled in a panic, everything’s all over before you can even do anything about it.
That’s why it’s necessary to have a sense of tension on a habitual basis.
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15. The ultimate pleasures exist in the ultimate.
We all love things that feel good and fun, don’t we? But I often feel that people have fun only halfway. For example, people are only halfway dedicated to romance, sex, etc., and it’s a shame. More than anything, I choose to live an interesting life. I pursue (things) thoroughly, I have deep desires, and my feelings are intense. My meter’s always swung all the way to its full capacity.
It’s fun to live a life with its meter at its max. If you find something that feels good to you, you should pursue it. You’ll then come to see many things that others don’t see. This can be said about any kind of interest. If you pursue it and go as far as you can with it, you’ll realize for the first time that there are new ways to enjoy it. That’s what it means to get serious. That’s what I mean when I say “Act like you mean it!” Be earnest in [your relationships] with fun, work, women, and/or men. Be serious about love, or whatever it is.
People possess rationality that says “This is what it’s supposed to be!” somewhere in their heads. We come with a limiter. Japanese cars are interesting. They’re equipped with a limiter, which suppresses engine output in order to prevent further acceleration once the speed reaches about 180 – 190km/h [112 - 118mph]. It’s the rationality at work. But European cars don’t have a limiter because of the areas, like the autobahn, where you can drive really fast. There, a fast car can go at speeds as high as 280km/h – 300km/h [174 - 183mph]. When you enter this world of beyond, you start to see scenery that you normally can’t see. That world is really frightening. You have to be cautious. And yet, it’s often an invaluable experience, an experience that you wouldn’t trade for anything.
This is why I want all of you to really mean business. For example, there are many of you out there that are saying “Life isn’t fun…” or “I have no goal“, right? It’s not fun because you’re not really engaged in it. Your limiters are installed at really low levels. They only let you go at 30km/h [19mph]. So uncool. Live your life like you mean it. When you do, an amazing world that you’ve never experienced before will definitely be waiting for you.
THINK:
16. S is someone who can give imagination to M. M is someone who can expand the given imagination on their own.
What does S stand for? People are quick to associate S with sadist, and M with masochist. Not me. [To me,] S is for Sun and M is for Moon. Isn’t this a cool interpretation?
S is someone who feels joy in making others shine. M is someone capable of shining with the light shed on them by S.
In sum, the difference is in the ability to feel pleasure by being there*. I think this is the true relationship between S and M.
This relationship is also seen in society. People who can make other people shine by shedding light on them are S. People who can feel their own existences and joy by having light shed on them are M. That’s the S and M relationship, the relationship between the sun and the moon.
I wonder which one of them you can be.
Translator’s Note: *I’ve read this line over and over but can’t quite figure out if the subject of “being there” and “feeling pleasure” is just S, or S for “being there” and M for “feeling pleasure”. In Japanese sentences, subjects are omitted all the time when they should be clear enough from the context, but not in this case I’m afraid. *flicks G* =___=
If anyone can figure this out, let me know! =P
I remember him saying something like, when people say “Thank you” to him with genuine smiles, that’s when he feels absolute joy, it makes him feel like it’s OK for him to exist in this world. I thought this was very touching. He sounded so human, honest, and even a bit fragile. And I think this is really the fundamental reason, desire, or driving force, that keeps him going, at full speed, in his mission to shed light on us through his life and art. You know, to help us shine. But anyway, this comment and this entry make it sound like he thinks he’s an S and not an M, although he has been famously quoted as saying “I want to be your moon”. ^^; But I believe this is actually a different context, and the two shouldn’t be confused with each other.
My Note: This is just a little extra info from moi and a big clear up for me from amaia (thank you xD;). Although S&M is usually referenced to the sexual connotation of the word sadomasochism, in Japan they use the term in the non-sexual way as well. Someone who’s “S” likes to be the person in charge, giving orders while someone who is “M” prefers to follow orders. So whenever GACKT’s staff say he’s do-S (or Super S) they usually mean this meaning of S&M, not the other one lol.
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17. I don’t like fools but I like ultra-fools. I don’t like people who are halfway-clever, but I like people who are very smart.
Just think about this: “A ranking of people most likely to succeed.” Most people will probably come up with this ranking: from the bottom, “super-ultra fool”, “average fool”, “average-smart person”, and then “ultra-smart person”. But my opinion is totally different. [My ranking] is, from the bottom, “average-smart person”, and then “average fool”, and then “ultra-smart person”, and then the highest ranking goes to “super-ultra fool”.
The word “fool” may cause misunderstandings, so I guess I’ll just say “fool (バカ baka) = utsuke (うつけ)”. So, my ranking is: “halfway smart”, “utsuke”, “super smart”, and then “ultra utsuke” at the top.
The reason is this. When a “utsuke” is told to do something, he fundamentally doesn’t think about what he’s been told to do. When told to do something, someone who is “halfway smart” would respond by asking “Why [do I have to]?” It’s not the matter of “Why?”. “Why?” isn’t necessary. He should just go ahead and do it, and then figure [out the why] himself. And yet, he’ll ask “Why?” and feels as if he’s done a job by just asking “why”. This is the most uncool type. “Halfway-smart”, that’s the type least likely to succeed.
Next up is “utsuke”. These people will do what they’re told to do, and they can’t figure out the significance of what they’re doing. But because they are “utsuke” after all, they’ll stop and think in the middle [of the job], like “Hm? Maybe this isn’t right…” And this slows them down.
When a “super-smart” person is told to do something, he’ll find the significance of the job right away. And he’ll do it.
But the one who is the quickest is “ultra-utsuke”. When told to do something, he doesn’t think at all. Because he reacts right away without thinking, he’s faster than any smart guy. And he doesn’t doubt a thing.
The meter of an “ultra-utsuke” is always swung all the way to the maximum. No doubt can exist there. Nobody can emulate him. It’s like, if asked by others “Why don’t you doubt anything?”, he’d answer “What do you mean why?” (LOL*). He’s a fool, through and through. It’s an old saying, but there’s really a fine line between genius and fool. I think [ultra-utsuke] is the true genius. A person who is beyond ‘fool’ is ‘genius’. So, it’s best to be an “ultra-utsuke”, but if you can’t be an “ultra-utsuke”, let’s at least be “super smart”.
What I’m trying to say is this. Even the super-smart guys are only the second best. You can’t beat someone who’s beyond. So, if you can’t go beyond, let’s at least be “super smart”. You might think it’s really difficult to be super smart, but it’s still only the second best.
It’s not easy to become the highest-ranking “ultra-utsuke”. You can’t be one, even if you wanted to. They’re like heroes we all adore. If it’s hard to be “ultra-utsuke”, let’s at least be super smart, shall we?
Translator’s Note: Well, that’s what the man thinks. 9__9
Utsuke うつけ was difficult to translate, so I just transliterated it. But the Chinese character (虚け) used for it suggests “hollow (head)” ^^;, so it could be translated into all sorts of English equivalents including fool, idiot, dumb, airhead, thickhead, etc., etc., etc…. It’s a word not very frequently used anymore, but people still know what it means at least. I think it’s become a relatively lighthearted and whimsical word than other equivalents, such as baka, aho, manuke, etc. ^^
Something tells me G fits somewhere between “super smart” and “ultra-utsuke”. XDDDD
Can you think of any ultra-utsuke among RL people around you or celebrities???
*My Note: Just as a general FYI, the LOL indicates that GACKT was laughing in the text, not that the translator was laughing at this point n.n;
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18. The moon, although it also radiates light, is different from the Sun. It gently lights up the way for those who lost their ways. If there is a person that influences someone, then that person is not a Sun-like existence, but a moon-like existence, for that someone.
Since a long time ago, I’ve thought that a person who is influential to others is perhaps not someone who is like the Sun, but someone like the moon.
The Sun can illuminate you with intense light and make you think “It’s so bright!”. But there is no intention there to help you find your own way.
But the moon is an existence that gently illuminates a dark path to show you just a little bit of the path you should take. Of course, you’ll need to have the will to walk on that path alone, and you’ll be anxious about moving forward. But in that gentle moonlight, there exist warmth and kindness that save you from the anxiety. These are the things that make people grow.
The Sun can be likened to someone too overwhelming. The moon is someone who guides you by being near you. So, the presence of an influential person is not like that of the Sun, but of the moon.
The Sun lights up everything too much. It makes everything visible. Then you’ll stop searching [for your way] on your own. His presence is too powerful.
But the moon will help you in the darkness of fear. And yet, the truth is that you are only believing that you’re being assisted. It only gives you a small sense of security enough for you to walk on your own feet. It gives you the chance to do so.
Despite their common action of radiating light, the two are completely different. This is actually an important point pertaining to education. If a method of education resembles the Sun, it cannot help people grow. If everything one needs is placed on the desk for him in advance, he’ll stop growing. But if A-san is trying to do something but can’t decide which path to take, you quickly reaching out to her right at the moment, just like the moon, will help her move forward on her own.
[That's why] people feel a different sense of appreciation for [the moon]. Isn’t this what educators are supposed to be?
Translator’s Note: So, this is another Sun and Moon analogy. However, I believe the difference here is in the fact that, whereas he talked about the Sun and Moon as the giver and receiver, he is talking about both of the Sun and Moon as givers in this entry. He is talking about different kinds (Sun and Moon) of givers. So, read this entry with that in mind, and don’t get mixed up with the analogy of the last S and M entry. ^_~
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19. It’s not that “Luck is also part of your ability.” [Instead,] it’s “Luck is your ability.” People are not equal.
People are not all equal. In what are we unequal? Many people come up with the wrong answer to this. People are given equal abilities and talents to dream, so we’re all equal up to that point.
But it takes an ability to take actions toward realizing a dream, and the result generated by someone depends on his ability to take actions. In other words, inequality is born out of [the individual differences] in our abilities to take actions. Since our raw abilities are different, we can never be all equal. Because our abilities to take actions are different.
People say “Luck is also part of your ability”, but everybody underestimates luck too much (LOL*). Luck is not something that’ll be brought to you if you just wait. As the Chinese character [luck = 運 (carry, deliver)] suggests, it’s actually something to be carried. For example, let’s assume that a book said “Today’s Horoscope: You will meet someone wonderful.” You could believe it and just keep waiting inside your house all day, or you could go to town as soon as you read it and try to start conversations where there are a lot of people. The probabilities of meeting someone wonderful would be overwhelmingly different [between the two scenarios]. A person who waits in the house thinks that luck is something that comes to him. Luck is not something that will come to you. It’s a special item that you can use for the first time once you’ve gone to the [relevant] location.
Luck is a funny thing. You may think of it as something invisible, but that’s not true, either. It’s actually right there in your hands, or attached to you inside your body. And only when you take it to the place where it should be used and then take an action while using it, it illuminates softly at that moment. Sometimes, even the people surrounding the luck can feel it the moment it’s activated.
You see, luck is something to be used together with your feet. Anyone who just keeps on waiting is already unlucky.
Translator’s Note: I really like the way he calls luck a “special item 特殊アイテム”, which is a terminology often seen in video games, and how he describes it. XD
*My Note: Just as a general FYI, the LOL indicates that GACKT was laughing in the text, not that the translator was laughing at this point n.n;
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20. “He/she understands” is just [a notion that comes from] dependence. It’s all over once you forget the desire to “communicate your feelings to the other person”.
I often hear this among couples. Some people automatically assume “[My partner] understands me” just because “We’ve dated a long time” or “He/she loves me” or “I love him/her”. But this is the beginning of the end in the first place.
Many people, different minds. We all have completely different ideas and living environments. We were all born in different locations at different times, were raised by different parents, and have different friends, as well. Since so many different people are living and interacting with one another like that, we need to start from the notion that we don’t really know the feelings of one another.
“He/she understands me” is [a notion] that comes from complete dependence and utter self-interest.
You need to always have the desire to communicate your feelings to the other person.
A relationship of trust is supposed to be built from that. The word trust (信頼) is, quite literally, made up of “believing (信) and relying on(頼)” the other person. A relationship of trust starts from one’s attitude that says “I want him/her to understand me.”
You’ll also fail if you apply your past experiences to [new relationships], thinking that [the experiences] should apply to everyone. Measuring your partner based on your past experiences is most uncool. You’ll certainly fail if you date people that way. It may work out sometimes if you’re lucky, but most of the time it won’t.
Past experiences often make you blind to the truth. If you think you understand [your partner], that’s already the first step toward making a mistake.
“I think I know” is an accident waiting to happen. It’s akin to “probably driving (だろう運転)*“. The “probably driving” of the romance version. You assume “The [traffic light] ahead is green, probably” or “Nobody will dash out [to the road], probably”.
You assume “That spot must feel good, probably.” (LOL*) This “probably driving” of love is so dangerous….,ahhhhhh, watch out.
In love, “maybe driving (かもしれない運転)” is important. For example, you think to yourself “This may be the spot that feels good.” (LOL*)
Translator’s Note: *Japanese people came up with the name だろう運転 to refer to the way of driving vehicles where the drivers just assume nothing unusual will happen on the road, and to warn the drivers that this is a dangerous way to drive.
The Japanese like naming various things like this. One example is the recent Dasu Dasu Usagi, named by The Man, who truly knows how to be cute in a deadly way.
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21. Don’t be drunk with your worrying self. If you’re serious about dealing with a problem, then cling onto it
There are many people who like to worry. I guess they enjoy worrying. It must be like a hobby to them. I don’t have time [for worries] because I have too much fun to experience. So…don’t come to me for consultation!
If you’re really looking for a solution, I’ll do anything I can do to help. But sometimes people just enjoy worrying, and want me to share with them that [worrying] time.
These people aren’t looking for answers at all. Without even looking for answers, they’d say “You know, I’m really wondering what I should do”, and if I ask “What do you want to do?”, they’d say “I’m thinking I’d do this and that.” So, I say “Then why don’t you?”, and then they’d say “Yeah, but….there’s also this option, you know…” And if I say “Then why don’t you try that instead?”, they’d say “Yeah, but……” It’s like “What the heck do you want to do?!” There’s no intention to solve any problem.
When you listen to the problems people have, there are usually not that many options to choose from. Some people continue worrying and wondering between two options or so, and are satisfied by [just worrying and wondering]. They’re so troublesome, and I really hate people like that.
It seems like girls in particular tend to “like worrying”. It’s not so much that they like the act of worrying itself, but they’re in love with their worried selves. And there are also quite a few people who confuse the act of worrying with being in love. It’s like “worrying” = “fulfilled”, and “love” = “woes”. They’re like unbelievable occult groups.
If you’re serious about dealing with a problem, then really cling onto it. If your concerns are really valid, you should be able to come up with solutions.
But if you’re not really serious about your worries or trying to come up with any solutions, those pseudo-worries will only keep accumulating. You’ll just observe the worries as more and more of them accumulate, and that’s how you measure the fullness of your romantic relationships.
Simply uncool. [People like that] are occult groups of love, for sure. (LOL*)
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22. I’m sensitive to my connections with people. [I'd choose] 10 friends over many acquaintances. [I'd choose] 1 close friend over 10 friends.
I was really antisocial during Malice Mizer days. I didn’t try to communicate with other people at all, and didn’t even make friends. But after I went solo, I changed my attitude a little. I realized [my old ways] were no good.
Before I became a solo artist, I used to think “We’re musicians, so we don’t need to communicate!!”, but I realized that was a huge excuse.
It’s like, if [a potter] said “We just need to be turning our potter’s wheels, so we don’t need to be able to communicate very well with people”, you’d want to ask them “Then, you say it’s OK to just keep making those teacups of yours? But how are you going to make a living without selling them to people?” Things ultimately don’t go well unless you have good communication skills.
I also didn’t want people to think I wasn’t enthusiastic about work just because I sucked at communication, and I realized for the first time that [the lack of communication] was a negative factor for myself. This is the reason why I’m very perceptive about my relationships with people now.
When I realized I needed to make friends and broadened my network of friends, many people started gathering around me, and I made many friends. At the same time, I really felt a sense of shallowness. I think it’s risky to blindly believe that a friend you just made is a good person. It’s impossible to know who’s really good unless you make many friends and pick [a few] from among them, because there are many people who are just nice on the surface. Also, you absolutely can’t tell [whether someone is nice] unless you take your time with them. This is true not just about people but about everything else. Let’s take a personal computer, for example. If someone says “This computer is incredible!” even though he’s only ever had that one computer, then what he says is just his assumption and he doesn’t truly know whether it’s good or not. You can be aware of advantages only after using many computers. The same thing can be said about cars. You’ll be able to recognize great things about a car only after riding many other cars. This [principle] applies to everything.
Unless you meet many people and go through various experiences, you couldn’t know what the real deals are. We should meet many people, interact with them, and then make our choices. And then we should maintain the friendships with those that we chose with a long-term perspective in mind. The thirties are still times for experiences. In this regard, you’ll only find your true friends after you’ve turned 40.
It’s not that I just want to make more friends. I’m hoping that I’ll end up having a family that’s akin to “Seven Samurai” left in the end.
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23. “I can sing well” alone doesn’t cut it. The stage doesn’t shine without the extra factor.
Although such a trend is already a thing of the past, there was a period of time where it seemed like anybody who could sing karaoke decently well could be a professional singer. A lot of people were pushed forward like that to be singers, and then most of them disappeared. You know what, there are a ton of good singers in the world. But there’s hardly anybody who’d come to see the stage [=concert] of a mere good singer.
People come to see the stage to see, not whether [the performer] can sing well or not, but another factor that the performer radiates. They come to the stage to receive something from the stage, something from the artist. That’s why people go through the trouble of coming from far away, even from overseas. But back then, there were many who became singers but didn’t realize this fact, so a ton of people became singers, and a ton of them disappeared one after another…
This is the difference between “someone who’s just good at singing” and “a professional singer”.
What I want to say is that this is akin to saying “good-looking doesn’t mean popular”. If good-looking people are automatically popular, then it will be automatically decided who’ll be the winners or losers in life from the beginning, just like in the seniority system. But people who are popular only because of their good looks are also easily forgotten. If you enter a room and people said “That guy’s good-looking, isn’t he?” about you, then you can only go downward from there. I feel sorry for that guy. It’s nothing but tragic.
I want you to take a look at our dancer, Kazuya. He’s in the bottom picture. When people glance at him for the first time, they think “What’s wrong with him?” So, from here, [Kazuya] can only go upward. And he rises powerfully from the very bottom. And then he always gets a beautiful girl in the end and leaves with her. This is truly amazing.
This means that good looks are not the deciding factor for girls and guys to fall in love with each other in the end, and it also means that whether someone can sing well or not is not the factor that attracts people. When you focus on the appearances and exterior, the relationships born out of that can only be skin deep.
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24. I don’t like origami. People who fold origami would hand [the folded origami] to you, saying “Here you go”, you know? I don’t want that.
Origami has a significance in its creative process and to the person making it, and there’s actually not that much meaning to the finished origami. I’m not interested in them, either.
Origami is meaningful, interesting, fun, and challenging during the process of making it, and if I’m just handed a folded origami, all I could say is “So, what do you want me to do with it!?” It’s like, you’ve surely enjoyed folding it, but what do you want me to do with it from here?
The same can be said about the fundamentals of the creative process. When we create a stage, I persistently tell everybody, over and over, “Never masturbate on the stage”. Masturbating on stage is an act that causes [the excitement] to conclude, or fade away, only within the performers on stage; an act that involves no effort of delivering the excitement to the audience; an act that tells the audience to just keep watching if they want to and just feel whatever they may or may not from it. What do we need to do on stage? We are, first and foremost, in the position to entertain our audience. In other words, we’re not the ones to enjoy [the performance]. We are the professionals to entertain.
If someone handed me a piece of unfolded origami and said “You fold it like this and this, and then you’ll get this in the end. Now, you try!”, then I’ll do my very best folding it. But if I’m given origami that already has been folded, what am I supposed to do with it? Origami is for the person who folds it. If folded origami is used as a material to surprise other people just for a second, then that’s fine. But if you toss finished origami in my hand, you’ll get “So what?” from me. That’s the basic idea of the creative process; it’s the same as the fundamental concept of entertainment.
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