UV vol 5 (Oct, 1997)
Is there something all the members of Malice Mizer like, movies or hobbies or something like that?
Mana: Probably not.
Gackt: I don�t think so. We�re completely different, all of us. Both in our movies and music. For example, Mana likes horror.
Mana: Umm�saying horror isn�t good. It�s "horrorish."
- So no slasher flicks?
Gackt: He likes B-grade stuff.
Mana: Strange movies.
- Like Frankenstein or Dracula?
Mana: Yeah, I like things like that�if you say horror it�s horribly restrictive.
- And sixties movies?
Mana: I like those!
Gackt: And Kozi watches movies I wouldn�t watch.
- Like what?
Kozi: I guess I like it when the details are hard to grasp. More than the story, the imagery�s interesting, and after they�re over you go, �what the heck?� I also like suspense flicks.
Gackt: And those kind of people�ve got together and are making the image and sound for Malice. So it�s not like anyone�s color�s really strong, and we�ve made a mixed Malice.
- When I saw �Bel Aire de l�image� I thought you were similar to some extent. But you say it�s not so. If I can, I�d like to hear from each of you what kind of influences you�ve received. First, Mana, how about you?
Mana: You mean my dress?
- Female clothing, it seems like deep down you like that kind of fashion. Is that right?
Mana: Nah, I like manly stuff.
- Oh, really? Well, why are you dressed like a woman?
Mana: It�s to express myself in Malice, since I really like Mohawks and stuff like that. That�s the kind of person I am. I like manly styles a bunch.
- So maybe if you weren�t in Malice you�d have a Mohawk?
Mana: I think I would.
- So the clothes and make-up and hair, where�d they all come from then?
Mana: Basically I�m not being influenced by rock. For me, I�m not inspired by it. That doesn�t mean not at all, but I�m not getting anything from this and that. When I first started the band I had that kind of influence, but now...
- So, maybe you like middle age art?
Mana: I like anything from then!
- Is there anything in particular?
Mana: If I say music, classical. That�s from long ago. As for composers, I like Bach, and my favorite�s �Chamboro.� I listen to it now too.
- And Kami, what do you like.
Kami: Um, melons, and stuff�? (laughs)
- �well, that�s good, but�
Kami: Ummmmm�there�re lots of things, but more than saying I like anything especially, I like a lot of things a little bit. Somehow I think I�m influenced by stuff from nature maybe? And it has nothing to do with Malice, but I like the history of countries at war.
- like from the Sendashinchou time? *something like that*
Kami: It�s from here and there�I don�t think it�s good to limit it to a certain ruling family. When we toured in Kyoto I went to see the San Juu San Kandou!...and the thousand soldiers, they were all lined up. I was moved by how each of their faces was different, hm�
- I see. And Kozi?
Kozi: Well, I like melons too (laughs)
- �..
Kozi: I like the western art galleries in France. Not the proper ones, but I like pictures and drawing too�the pictures I like, they�re not just pretty; I like grotesque sketchy ones. I really like stuff like Beardsley, and for French artists, their concepts are really weird somehow. I�m into that kind of sensitivity. I like Dali too
�This time, when we were in France I went to see the Dali museum by myself.
- You say you went by yourself, but were you in a place where you could do that so simply?
Kozi: I got there asking people along the way.
- You�re a challenger, huh.
Kozi: I dunno about that. But it was cool! Even getting there was interesting.
- Right now you�re dressed like a clown, but is there a reason why?
Kozi: Like I said, I�m made up, but it�s not just to be pretty, it�s a little grotesque too�aren�t Beardsley�s drawings like that?
- Well, depending on the pictures there are some pretty grotesque ones.
Kozi: I thought maybe I�d be a clown with that part. I can do lots with it. I�m not really thinking I�m gonna be a clown from now on, but right now I�m trying it out, and that�s this.
- And Yuuki?
Yuuki: There isn�t really anything that�s influencing me now. But I feel kinda like it was from pictures and music. I liked pictures and drawing since I was young. Now it�s like, �how far can I go in expressing myself with just one pencil?�
- And in the future you�re not thinking of heading in that direction?
Yuuki: I haven�t thought I want to make a living from it, but I always thought I�d like to keep doing it. And�I like old buildings, antique furniture. I said that because I thought it�s connected to Malice Mizer. For painters I like Kurimuto.
- Somehow it seems like everybody has things they like, as you said. How about Gackt?
Gackt: For me it�s not this and that; things that I find exhalting�I like. I like things that can calm that feeling of exhaltation. Like, I like dangerous things�and exciting things too. Isn�t the feeling excited amazing? That would mean I�m enchanted with things that make people go on living. And the me obsessed like that, when I meet up with something that excites me I get really moved. That feeling that I�ve been excited, I calm down in a moment and can become quiet. At the instant I met with whatever, the feeling�s intolerably good.
- So it�s not specific things, but whatever can give you that instant that�s good?
Gackt: Anything�ll do.
- Can you include love in that?
Gackt: Of course you can. Before we were talking about pictures, but I suck at using color, so I like drawing with just a pencil. I was a person who did a lot of pictures and metal carvings, and had a lot of picture books. My house was amazingly Spartan, and I couldn�t watch anything but NHK. �If I hafta watch stuff like this it�s better to look at picture books!� I thought, and maybe I spent a lot of time looking at them. I hate being told what to do by other people, and I was the kind to go and do the things I was interested in so�like, if it�s a movie I find exciting, I�ll go see it however many times. I watch videos however many times too.
- Like how many times and what movie?
Gackt: �Jurassic Park.� The first time I went to see it, I thought it was great! If I had time I would go, and I saw the screen play I don�t know how many times. After that, I like action movies, and Jackie Chan�
- Nothing about the image, huh.
Gackt: I�ll watch anything but horror. It�s not a lot, but I�ve seen backdraft around 30 times. I�ve seen �Project A� and �Spartan X� mostly over 200 times.
- This time at first I thought I�d hear from everyone that they didn�t have any special likes or interests. Malice Mizer is the point that brings you together then it sounds like.
Gackt: What about curry�?
Mana: Curry might bring us together.
Gackt: Yeah, that�s it.
- Up to now Malice�s had a European feel to it, but do you think you�ll continue that way from now on?
Gackt: "You can't really say it's just that! It's not just Europe, the theme. There's a stage concept every time. We base everything on that theme, and we search for things we have to do and go with them.
- So of course Europe, but China too, anywhere's ok?
Gackt: "If you think "I'll do it," you can do it, right?"
- seems like a Chinese dress would suit you Mana.
Mana: "We wear kimono sometimes. And we wear Japanese military uniforms sometimes...we're challenging things with near future clothes too; it's not like we're paying particular attention to Europe."