Interview with Balzac

[MaxSchreck]

While browsing the net in search of things Balzac-related, I came across an interview which had been done with the band during their 2007 Germany Tour with MUCC. The girls from Daisuki-Online were so kind to let me translate and post it for you. Enjoy!

The Japanese band Balzac may be marked as horror punk band but the four band members are creepy or dark only on stage! Wearing skeleton suits they strongly remind of their original role models, the American band “The Misfits”. But not only have there been changes within the band since Balzac’s foundation in 1992 – the music as well as the guys’ clothes have changed. By now the famous band, which has already collaborated with Bela B. and Rodrigo Gonzales of Die Ärzte, has taken their third fashion label to the Japanese market, acting not only as designers but also as models! *rrr*

During their Germany tour with MUCC we met the guys for a personal and ultra funny interview!

D: Hirosuke founded Balzac in 1992. What made you found a cover band of the American band “The Misfits”? Was it for a lark or did you really want to become famous this way?
H: I am the only member who has been with Balzac since its foundation. The others came to the band little by little and more or less accidentally. Akio used to be a fan of Balzac and then somehow ended up in the band. ^_^ And when we lost our then drummer in 2000 we only asked Takayuki to step in at the drums because we were friends anyway. This has turned into a couple of years by now.

Your range of impressive merchandise is astonishing! From collector toys to buttons to t-shirt, everything’s available. And you even founded three fashion labels (Shocker, Balzac and Dementia)! What gave you the idea for this?
It started really simple. We already created our stage outfits with the skeleton print! And the fans increasingly asked for the same clothes. This reached the level where fans wanted to have basically everything we were wearing. As a logic consequence we founded the labels.
Do you also wear your brands in private?
Yes! The shirt Atsushi is wearing right now has also been designed by us. The only shirts we are not wearing in everyday life are the skeleton shirts. They’d call for too much attention^_^

What is your impression of the German audience so far?
For us it is comparatively difficult to communicate with the German audience because we don’t speak any German! We can only judge by their behavior if they like our performance. If the audience calms down for example and no longer participates actively, we know that we have to come up with something! This all takes place on the emotional level.

Do you know any foreign languages at all?
No, not at all! But that’s rather the norm in Japan. We speak a couple of words in English, but that’s not sufficient to communicate.

„When fans call, we pick up the phone!”
In 2004 you performed in Germany for the first time and immediately caught the attention of the German band “Die Ärzte”. Now this has progressed so far that you started a project with the drummer of Die Ärzte, Bela B. , where you covered two of his songs and he covered two of yours. How did this come about?
We had never before heard anything about Die Ärzte and therefore didn’t know how popular and famous they are in Germany. Bela B. was having fun in the first row of our first German show and was head-banging heavily. Then he started talking to us and one thing led to another…^_^
Didn’t you have any problems with the German language which the cover versions demanded you to use?
Yes, and not too little! We had the text first translated into Kanji and then did our best to pronounce it as good as possible. But in the beginning we thought it was English – until we were enlightened someday…^_^

How long did it take until you were no longer compared to The Misfits and you had established yourself as individual and successful band?
In the first years we were ourselves still in search of an orientation. Naturally, we were then still compared to The Misfits, and in doing so were most of the times labelled “clones/copy cats”. Our second album changed the critics’ opinion because they realized that we were indeed heading into a direction of our own and were having an own style. In 1997 we even performed with The Misfits in Japan which was an extreme honour for us! And even the last whiners realized that we are not a cheap competitor but are simply Balzac – without comparisons or competitiveness. In the US we also have the same label as The Misfits.

How close are you to your fan club „Balzac Fiendish Club“?
In the beginning the club had been founded basically for our friends and acquaintances. We are still actively working for the club! Even when we are on tour abroad, our Canadian translator forwards the most important information and news as quickly as possible. Via our homepage our fans are therefore always up to date. And when we’re at home and not on tour or in the studio, we occasionally also man the phones at the head office and answer the fans’ questions.
Do the fans know then that at that moment they might be speaking to a real Balzac member?
Nope! And that’s why it is always so much fun for us!

In the past months did you have some time for yourselves or have you been always on the road?
In the past years we have been basically always on the road. One time we had been touring the US by bus for 30 days and only saw the bus and the venues. Touring can be pretty tough sometimes.
What are you doing to pass the time when you’re on the road for such a long time?
We sleep, read or eat.

Your show is about to begin in about an hour and you’re sitting here rather calmly. Does it only look like this or are you really not excited at all?
We are no longer excited. After 40 shows it decreases…
The fans waiting outside for the doors to open are probably more excited than you are! ^_^
Thank you very much for the conversation!

©Daisuki Team http://www.daisuki-online.de/web/Interview_Balzac
Translation: ©MaxSchreck

[MaddogExplosive]

Thaaaaaaaaaaank you.

[greg]

Thanks. That was a fun read.

[dr. death]

Thanks!

[josh disfuntion]

cool, thanx for the interview! it's funny they thought Bela B was speaking English!! i had them sign my jumpsuit, the only english Hirasuke said to me was " mine is signed by Glen Danzig"!

[MaddogExplosive]

cool, thanx for the interview! it's funny they thought Bela B was speaking English!! i had them sign my jumpsuit, the only english Hirasuke said to me was " mine is signed by Glen Danzig"!

Haha that is so SO awesome!

[Blodnatt13]

Weird, that must be something I would really like to see, I wonder what Glenn thought of the "Japanese guy"

Thanks for the translation!

[Prayforthewolf]

This is a nice interview. =) I like this part:

Your show is about to begin in about an hour and you’re sitting here rather calmly. Does it only look like this or are you really not excited at all?
We are no longer excited. After 40 shows it decreases…
The fans waiting outside for the doors to open are probably more excited than you are! ^_^
Thank you very much for the conversation!

Haha! =D

i had them sign my jumpsuit, the only english Hirasuke said to me was " mine is signed by Glen Danzig"!

Aww, that's cute. I like hearing Hirosuke, whenever he says something in English. It's just... Really cute. lol! ^^; He sounds cute.

I wonder what Glenn thought of the "Japanese guy"

Probably thought the same thing "He's cute." Hahaha! =D Even Danzig thought that... =P

[cyberann]

The only shirts we are not wearing in everyday life are the skeleton shirts. They’d call for too much attention ^_^

Classic. ^___^

[josh disfuntion]

after he told me that, i noticed it in some live shows! like on the archives dvd. goddamn....i can't wait for them to come back to america!