HIDE Hideto Matsumoto (hide X Japan) =Life Of A Shooting Star =: Hideto Matsumoto, Life of a shooting star...

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Hideto Hide Matsumoto

The Legend Was Born
(1964–1984) Hideto Matsumoto was born in St Joseph's Hospital, Midorigaoka, Yokosuk

a, on December 13, 1964.

He entered kindergarten in 1968, studying English for three years, followed by an enrollment in Yokosuka Tokiwa Junior High School.

During high school, young Hideto was overweight (80 KG, which is approximately 176 lbs~twice the weight of other classmates). He was constantly mocked because of his heaviness. He was first exposed to rock and roll music at the age of fifteen, through the album Alive! by Kiss.

His first guitar was a (used) Gibson bought by his grandmother in 1968. His first electric guitar, a Gibson Les Paul Deluxe was his highest possession. He carried it with him almost everywhere, so he received the nickname "Gibson" by fellow classmates.

In high school, a friend let him borrow a couple tapes and hide became infatuated with the American rock band, "KISS." hide's first band, Saver Tiger, was greatly influenced by them. No albums were released during the short time Saver Tiger was together; they disbanded after several arguments.

However, recently 2 albums have been released of hide's high school music.On March 11, 1980, Matsumoto graduated from Tokiwa Junior High School. He then entered Zushi Kaisei Senior High School in Zushi, Kanagawa, where he entered the school's brass band as a club activity.

He quit the band after a short time because he was assigned the clarinet while he wanted to play the trumpet. After this, he concentrated on guitar and in 1981 formed the band Saber Tiger. A year after their founding, they started playing shows at live houses in Yokosuka, such as Rock City.

In April 1983 he started attending cosmetology and fashion school at the Hollywood Beauty Salon in present-day Roppongi Hills, from which he graduated in 1984. Later that year he took a nationwide examination and successfully obtained a beautician license.

In July 1985 Saber Tiger released their self-titled EP, which included two songs, "Double Cross" and "Gold Digger". In November, the band contributed the song "Vampire" to the Heavy Metal Force III sampler, which also included songs by X and Jewel. 

Years later, Jewel's guitarist Kiyoshi would join hide's solo band.In 1986 the group changed its name to Saber Tiger to avoid confusion with a similarly named band from Sapporo (see Saber Tiger) but soon enough the band was fraught with problems an
broke up. Their first appearance with the new name was on the sampler Devil Must Be Driven out with Devil, with their songs "Dead Angle" and "Emergency Express".

They continued to perform in live houses and night clubs such as Meguro Rokumeikan, Omiya Freaks and Meguro Live Station. Until January 28, 1987, when hide became tired of changing

membersand decided to end the band (vocalist Kyo and drummer Tetsu would both go on to D'erlanger) and he was also the member of a band called Dementia. Around the same time hide was invited to join X.

X Japan (1987–1997) It was Yoshiki's decission to invite HIDE to be a member of his new band as guitar player, that decission seemed to be a land mark in both HIDE and his friend Yoshiki's career as X and began their rise to become living rock legends.

X Japan was the project band started by two high school best friends, Toshi (vocals) and Yoshiki (piano, keyboards, drums). At first, there was only one guitarist (named Pata) but Yoshiki wanted a different sound and so he hired HIDE.

HIDE joined X Japan (then called X, presumably changed to X Japan because of the existence of two other bands with the same name) in 1987. Hide infused X with incredible energy and showmanship.

Yoshiki was supposed to be the main character of X, but soon (and almost despite himself) hide became just as popular. Through the years, apart from performing hide was also responsible for creating great hits .

HIDE became the band's lead guitarist and occasional songwriter, composing songs like "Celebration", "Joker" and the single "Scars". HIDE wasn't only the lead guitar but one of the major creative members of X Japan from 1987 until 1997. He is co-credited, often, with Yoshiki for beginning 

Visual Kei as an artistic movement, and while working with Yoshiki, encouraged him to sign the band Luna Sea to Extasy Records, which eventually led to their own success as a popular band. He was also primary A&R for Extasy alongside Yoshiki during its days as the biggest Visual label, and arguably The Man Behind the Manfor much of Yoshiki's own work both with visuals and writing for

X Japan and with developing the growing label and Visual scene. Writing songs such as "Joker," "Love Replica," "Miscast," "Celebration," and "Drain," he soon branched out into an enormously successful solo career that 

encompassed 1993 to 1998. Shortly after the release of the album Art of Life, the members of X Japan took a break, to start solo projects. Around that time, the group also dropped most of its original visual kei aesthetics,

the exception being Matsumoto, who would still perform in wildly colorful outfits and with his trademark pink hair. HIDE tended to prefer Hard Rock and Heavy Metal to ballads, notably being on record as saying Endless Rain was the only X ballad he truly liked to perform.In his solo career, he would do everything from jazz to Electronic Music to pop to Heavy Metal to gothic industrial,

 often combining said styles wildly in songs or albums. He was one of the first true cyberpunk musicians, his promotional videos and live solo act, hide with Spread Beaver, would often incorporate cyberpunk or technological themes, and he defined his solo style as "digital kei." He would, near the end of his life, try to break into the American music industry with the band Zilch, which released one album featuring his works posthumously.

Being a former hairdresser and stylist, hide was one of the most truly visual members of X Japan, continuing to appear with his trademark red-spectrum color hair, unique clothes and guitars, andBadass stage presence well into when the rest of the band had traded shocking

attire for more traditional expensive rocker styles. With his solo career, he became one of the founding artists of the Eroguro Kei subgenre of Visual along with Kuroyume, and is even argued to have had somewhat of a hand in Oshare Kei's development with In Motion and his love for bright colors (though this is very muchplayed up by Hiroshi Matsumoto in an attempt to cash in on Oshare).They tried releasing their album "Jealousy" in America, but found that not many people were fond of Visual Kei bands. Even without any American released, X Japan found success everywhere. Despite his success with X Japan, hide started solo projects such as "hide with Spread Beaver (whom he had huge success with)," "Zilch," and a solo career.
Solo Career

Around 1993 hide began to branch out from his role in X and release his own solo music whenever he wasn't occupied with duties as a member of X.

 His first solo album was called "hide your face," in which hide did the vocals and played almost every instrument. . As a result, hide became incredibly popular with the Japan. A second album, Psyence, was released in 1996, also followed by a tour, Psyence a Go Go. After X Japan disbanded in 1997, hide formally titled his solo project "Hide with Spread Beaver".

He also formed a second band, named Zilch in 1996, which, apart from him and Spread Beaver programmer and percussionist I.N.A. was composed of American and British artists, such as Joey Castillo (formerly in Danzig and currently in Queens of the Stone Age) and Paul Raven (of Killing Joke and Ministry). anese public. There was also a rumor among many X Japan and hide fans that he was married, had a son at 22, and finally divorced.

However, no one knows for sure since it was a subject hide did not like to discuss.

hide's main focus was "Zilch," a band which consisted of all American members, and most of the song lyrics were in English. hide sang for the band and planned of bringing them to America before his death. One of their songs, "Inside the Pervert Mound," made it onto an American various artist album called

"Heavy Metal 2000." The only album that Zilch managed to released was called "3.2.1" and one later called "Bastard Eyes," which had several remixes by artists such as Marilyn Manson (hide was good friends with him), Ministry, Lord of Acid, and Nine Inch Nails.

Many X-Japan fans loved hide's new look

as both a guitar player and vocalist. X-Japan disbanded in spring of 1997 after Toshi (vocals) quit because of "artistic and religious reasons." While X-Japan had been together, Toshi had married and joined a cult with his wife. "Dahlia," which was released in 1996,

 would be the last album X-Japan would ever produce while being together, however, Yoshiki had planned to bring X-Japan back together in 2000.

Meanwhile, hide continued with his solo career. He was involved with many young musicians to get them on their feet with the public. One of hide's best characteristics was his involvement with sick people. He donated blood and bone marrow (blood type AB) and was involved with Leukemia patients and AIDS charity projects.

He once visited a girl with a terminal illness who wrote to the "Make a Wish" Foundation. Her wish was to meet hide. After she met him, she began to recover rapidly, and hide kept in contact with her through many letters. Once he died, her condition began to deteriorate.

Through his solo work Hide really proved that he was not restricted by the typical X Japan sound.

In fact he would become an entirely different artist when on his own. Once Hide put himself in a situation where he had complete creative control and freedom, you really could see what an extremely talented artist he really was. Being the guitarist of a heavy metal band would lead you to think that his music would be pretty predictable, but not so.

Hide has an exceptionally eclectic ear for music. His music is a mixed bag of every style of modern music you can think of. For some songs like Beauty & Stupid he has a style reminscent of Los Angeles rock. Songs like Eyes Love You or Misery has a feel of late 70's glam rock. Other songs like Bacteria, Doubt and Squeeze it! have an industrial style. He has many funky fun-filled punk-rock songs such as Lassie, Ever Free and Hi Ho.

 Songs like Tell Me, Goodbye or Flame has a soft crooning rock style that treads the line between rock and pop. There's speed rock in songs like Dice and 50-50. And then there's just good ol' fun rock in songs like Rocket Dive, Gekai Haretsu and Pink Spider. Some song styles even defy categorization as they are unique to Hide. Each song is filled with creative use of sounds and instrumentation that give the music a very textured feel. HIDE was featured on the sampler Dance 2 Noise 004, with the

song "Frozen Bug", which he recorded with Inoran and J of Luna Sea, under the band name M*A*S*S. He also starred in an art film titled Seth et Holth, along with Tusk of Zi:Kill.In 1994, hide recorded and released his first solo album, Hide Your Face. In addition to all vocals and song writing, he played most of the guitars and bass on some of the tracks. The cover art was based on a mask designed by Swiss artist H. R. Giger.[5] 

The album's musical style differed significantly from the speed metal anthems and power ballads of X Japan, leaning more towards alternative rock. Matsumoto then went on the "Hide Our Psychommunity Tour", for which a live band was hired that would later become part of his primary project, hide with Spread Beaver.

Songwriting & Cosmetic Appearence

At the outset of his solo career, hide experimented with instrumentations very different from what he usually had access to in X Japan. The song "Psychommunity", for example, has four guitar tracks and employs a full string section.

As another example, his song "Blue Sky Complex" features guitars in drop C tuning, a trumpet section, and an organ.

The title track of his second album Psyence is a big band/jazz composition with full brass, other songs on the

record explore genres such as reggae, industrial rock and glam rock, with varying uses of guitar effects.

Instruments and song writing are less experimental on the Ja, Zoo album, most songs featuring a fairly conventional instrumentation of two guitars, bass, drums, and keyboards.

Traditional piano and violins do, however, make an appearance. Not even two songs have the same style and I guess that's what I like best about Hide. With nearly every recording artist I've ever heard, there's a certain commonality in all of their songs. So you can only listen to so much before becoming bored. But with Hide you never get bored since every song has a fresh and innovative sound.

Not only in composing, but in performance his singing and guitar playing are infinitely wide ranging in style. Every song has noticeably different guitar playing skills. Hide is one of the greatest guitarists I've ever known and could make any band a success with his guitar skill alone. But it's his voice that is the most noticeable thing in all his music. Hide has a surprisingly versatile singing voice. So much so that in every song he sings, he sounds like a totally different person. He can sing in a high or low voice equally well.

Hide can have a scratchy, metallic voice, a melodic voice, a fluctuating funky voice, or whatever else the song might require. Often his singing is just plain weird, yet still quite cool. Hide could have easily been the vocalist of X Japan. In fact I feel his singing is

infinitely better than X Japan's lead singer Toshi, but Hide made it apparent that he prefered a less frontal position in the band. Besides, Toshi's voice is more suited to X Japan's brand of music. Hide had been the vocalist, X Japan would have been a very different band.

Hide's ever-changing, always exciting use of visual elements made him one of the biggest influences on the visual kei movement.

I have no doubt that visual kei would not be as popular today as it has become if it weren't for Hide. Also if it weren't for Hide, hard rock may have not been as well relieved in Japan. In the early days of X Japan, Japanese music was overrun by squeaky clean bubblegum pop music. But the influence of X Japan with hide playing a big part helped create a real market for good solid rock music.

Through his solo work, Hide was able to expand upon the appreciation for hard rock that he helped create, and open up people's minds to new forms of rock music that did not have to follow a trend.

LEMONeD
Brand and Style

In 1994,Around the time of Hide's second solo album Psyence was released on September 2, also followed by a tour, "Psyence a Go Go".

After X Japan disbanded in 1997, HIDE oversaw the production of the first release on his own label Lemoned (founded in 1989), an EP from the band Zeppet Store. In the same year, hide recorded and released his first solo album, Hide Your Face.He began his own production company titled "LEMONed".

The company was aimed at helping up and coming bands and promoting Hide fandom all over the world. From the time leading up to the break-up of X Japan to the early part of 1998, Hide had been going in totally new directions with his band "hide with Spread Beaver". Spread Beaver (...ahem) was Hide's back up band for the last few years and it is only recently that they became involved enough to share the billing with Hide. Spread Beaver is is an interesting band on its own composed of 6 very funny and unusual members who are more than worthy of sharing the spotlight with the pink-headed one himself. In addition to songwriting, he played most of the guitars and bass on some of the tracks, and provided all lead vocals.

The cover art was based on a mask designed by Swiss artist H. R. Giger.

The album's musical style differed significantly from the speed metal anthems and power ballads of X Japan, leaning more towards alternative rock. Matsumoto then went on the Hide our Psychommunity Tour, for which the live band was hired that would later become part of his primary project,

Hide with Spread Beaver Their style is on the skater punk side of visual and so is the music. The music of Hide with Spread Beaver is what rock should be, a lot of fun. It's a form of punk rock that has Hide's genius for mixing music genres. But before the band could reach its full potential, Hide died. The band had only released their first single "Rocket Dive" by that time and already they were without their vocalist/guitarist/leader. 

Under LEMONed, hide also lead another band called Zilch. Zilch was an American-based industrial heavy metal band with Hide as the lead singer and

guitarist and three other established American rock musicians. Although Hide had lived in America a few times and played some small gigs, Zilch would be Hide's first really big step to break into the American music scene.

But with Hide's death, that possibility is no more. However, shortly after Hide's death, they started to release the remaining singles and videos of hide with Spread Beaver. Songs like Pink Spider and Ever free dominated the charts, selling like gang-busters for a very long time. Then a few months later with the release of the albums for hide with Spread Beaver

"Ja Zoo" and the Zilch album "3.2.1." they sold even better with both albums making incredible sales. Hide was already incredibly popular and if anything, his death made him even more popular. At 34 Hide had become a legend in the Japanese music world and yet it seemed that his greatest contributions to music were yet to come.

However with his senseless death, we will never know what could have been. It is partly because of this that his awesome fashion sense, his exciting guitar playing and his enigmatic personality will be missed even more. I know I miss him daily. When I listen to his songs, even a year after his death, I feel a simultaneous sense of awe and sadness. His songs are so full of life that you listen and disbelieve that he's no longer with us.

Maybe his spirit is still living with us in his music. I like to think so. - Hide died before he and Spread Beaver had enough songs to complete their first album. So for a few of the songs such as the last single "Hurry Go Round" or the songs "Fish Scratch Fever" and "Pink Cloud Assembly"

were re-mixed from raw unfinished demos. I hear that with Hurry Go Round specifically member I.N.A. combined incomplete tracks from a few songs and put them together digitally to make a single song. Then hide's voice from demo recordings was added to complete the song.

This album really opened my eyes to what Hide was capable of. Listening to this CD is like being a kid in a candy store. Such a wonderful variety of cool stuff all in one place. Amusing punk songs like Genkai Haretsu, Lassie and Hi Ho. Cool L.A. rock songs like Beauty & Stupid.Poignant rock ballads like Flame and Good Bye. Fun tracks like the title track Psyence which is an instrumental piece that perfectly emulates those theme songs of 60's spy shows andLEMONed

I Scream, a weird little ditty which can't quite be explained in words. There's hard drivin' fusion metal songs like Pose and Bacteria. Typical Hide songs like Erase andDamage. And who could forget Misery which is a modern rock song with a touch of that old hair metal sound that Hide has always had a predisposition for. All of this with a really cutting-edge sound that, like his previous album, mixed a bit of old and new rock styles with many extra touches of sound sampling. With 16 tracks this album gives you a lot for your bucks. Just like everything he did, hide really liked to gave his fans value.

Track list

1. Dice (midi sample)
2. Misery
3. Beauty & Stupid (midi sample)
4. Pink Spider (midi sample)
5. Hi Ho
6. Rocket Dive (midi sample)
7. Doubt
8. Goodbye
9. Genkai Haretsu
10. Honey Blade (midi sample)
11. Space Monkey Punks From Japan
12. Pose
13. Ever Free
14. Fish Scratch Fever
15. Eyes Love You
16. Bacteria
17. D.O.D. (Drink Or Die)
18. Oblaat
19. Flame
20. Breeding
21. Hurry Go Round
22. 50% & 50%
23. Scanner
24. Leather Face
25. Tell Me

hide Links

credits to:

hide with Spread Beaver (Official Site)
Ever Free - hide memorial
Kurenai - Tribute to Hide
TEAM V-S: In Memory of Hideto Matsumoto
Ever Free - Hide
Quentin's Place : Hide
[Hide] visual.pkc
A Souvenir

Have you ever heard about Mugongeki Poetry ?

無言激 - Mugongeki Poetry

無言激(Mugongeki) is hide's photobook, published in 1992.04.5.

Some words about the title.The word 'mugongeki' when written '無言劇', means 'pantomime'. However, the book's title is written '無言激'.The kanji '激' isused to describe violence, anger, fierceness or intensity. In this case a possible reading of the title might be 'Silent Rage'.  The concept was born from HIDE's countless nightmares, and is so twisting and disturbing that something need to be done! As help or explanation or I might say both, the photo-book build on chapters contained short kind of poems for which I will write the translation for you to be able to understand more the deep meaning of the photo shooting sessions.

 Prologue

I swim in your twin seas
Toy with me
Dancing, I am a single thread
A woven, entwined, fraying, ambiguous being
Let me swim in your twin seas...
Even if I should become food for the fish

Chapter1

The Sadist's Depression

 I only feel good beyond these walls
I cily...smooth
I want to trust everything to you
Don't leave this place...
I only fear release
In freedom, in emptiness is a universal cruelty
Don't go out into that kind of place...
Stay in here just as you are...
Snug in a silk cocoon
Let me abandon myself to sleep...
Aa...I only feel good beyond these walls..

Chapter2

Death Dance *

Without a moment's hesitation
We now become one single body
Are beauty and the art of bearing fruit put to the test by the cycles of life?**
Influenced by the specter of evil passions
I degenerate into a follower of pleasure
Vomiting "life" I reflect upon myself
Forgive me Moon...forgive this body that's dying without your sustenance
Forgive me Earth...forgive this dying body you bore
Was blossoming the reason my body was infatuated...
Was the blossom's fall the reason for the profuse bloom?
I am breaking...
I am running dry...
Only my body can make me beautiful

* Phonetically the title reads as "maiko", that is a geisha apprentice. However, the kenji used give it a different meaning.
** Cycles of life, endless cycles of death and rebirth, transmigration of the soul.

Chapter3

Folk Belief in the Buddha

 I grant nothing
And demand nothing
Expecting nothing
You have no faith
Hearing nothing
I give no warnings
Without rules to follow
You have no reverence
I am within myself
You are within yourself
Pray

Chapter4

Twins

 Painand fatigue
Are only passing
Are like a casual fling
My anguish is lasting
Until now we had been allowed to coexist
Is it normal to suffer?
Is normality abnormal?
...this is my opportunity
I am not certain who to call on for a farewell
Him, inside of me?
Me, inside of him?
It truly makes no difference
We are friends now
Our house that we shared
Our alternate everlasting emotions
I will miss, my condolences
Pain and fatigue
Now are past flings

Chapter5/6

Into The Backstage/On Stage

Chapter7

Self-centered Still Life

There is no compromise
The carving with embossed features
Wished to blend in
A product of its surroundings

Chapter8

Purification

Required minimal emotions
Love that saturates me
Uncontrollable desires
How unnecessary they are
Function is of value
Only the daily submission of coiled pipes
And simple thought
Memories seem mountains of scrap
That I will dispose of
This day becomes perfection
My flesh was purified
In its entirety...but no more...

Chapter9

The Key

 This is the place I lost
It is the place I found
The place I had neither seen
Nor been to
Again I have come here
To part with this place?
To discover it?

As I said it before and is well known by HIDE's fans most of his work ideas came from his deepest nightmares which he used as source of inspiration to create his unique masterpieces. Today we will talk about the movie Seth Et Holt, in which HIDE starred along side TUSK. HIDE had always been passionate about the Egyptian mythology and he's been empathising with Seth the God of Darkness and twin brother of Horus the God of light sometimes represented as a Hawk.

HIDE felt connected with Seth in a certain way so he wrote a futuristic script of an epic tale depicting the existence of two creatures of light/angels born from the purity of Athon ( Egyptian God representing the solar disc )

 
The plot

In the dimesion/world of Athum there once lived two perfect creatures by the names of Seth and Holth. Seth was gentle, kind, and anxious one, his curiosity and thirst for knowledge was what caries him away in his existence; Holth was strong, determined, and bold he was ready to take any challenge and was always firm in his beliefs .

They lived in peace in the sphere of Athum for eternity, since there is no time, nor age, nor decay in this world. Athum is the supreme being who creates everything, and the two perfect creatures are detaained in that world for eternity. The angels Seth and Holth lived there undisturbed forever.

They made love by their eyes, tasting their tears, they spoke to each other by their blood. They slept in Athum’s womb not knowing of any evil, plight or fear. No worry, no pain ever harmed them… and they could have gone on like this forever, if not one day bold Holth had started to ask questions…

questions about other worlds, other beings, questions about life and death.

He confronted Athum demanding to tell him the secret of creation and the meaning of life, Athon was upset of Holt's insubordination so he decides to banish him into the world of humans but Seth defended Holt enraging Athon even more so both of them instead for an answer,

the angels Seth and Holth were banished to planet Earth, thrown into the harshness of light, noise and madness. They woke up from their eternal dream to find themselves reborn to a world full of questions, hectic and evil.Not knowing what to do, only trying to get home again, home to Athum, the womb,

the mother of it all, home to peace, where the waters are flowing uphill and

where time has no meaning.

Despair and madness.

Rage and sadness.

Tell me, gentle Seth... tell me the meaning of it all, tell me the meaning

of human life and strain...

"Somewhere in this void there must be the key to all our questions.

We have been thrown deep... so deep into this place...

Let time and everything like it disappear into nothingness.

A maze full of transity and no one to console us.

People who don't believe in anything anymore and go more crazy by the hour.

Oh please tell us someone what we want to know!

Give us the solutions!

Give us Eternity!

While time is flying by we can only utilize this world's strongest weapon... love...

But cruelty has come to our lives, the lights from this world will die... now!"

They have soon been hunted down by humans who did not understand their nature, nor ever loved, ever felt the purity of true feelings, so Seth and Holth were sacrificed and murdered by the humans to honor the same God Athon from which's womb they've descended from. Seeing their plight in the human world Athum who as any creator cared a lot for his perfect creatures pitied them and allowed them to

return home, but home was not the same anymore. The two Angels weren't perfect creations anymore. They had seen too much, heard too much, felt too much in the human world and their love started to

wither beneath the Roth of lies. They lost their innocence and their faith, they could ignore the questions no longer.Why? Tell me why?

But Athum could not answer and so Athum, the womb that creates everything and taketh everything, turned back to nothingness...

for eternity

for life

forever

And slowly they started to feel guilt regarding their own feelings who painfully devoured one to another

Is a sweet/sad love story in a way, almost like a inner comflict of feelings depicting one whole's existence.

Did HIDE wanted to let us "peak" inside his soul and mind, or this is a sensless footage ? I guess this is up to you to decide. you can find the movie in YouTube if you are lucky, if not write me a com and leave me your email and I will send it to you if interested to see it.

Personal Life

hide had a younger brother named Hiroshi, who can be seen in the DVD His Invincible Deluge Evidence.

Hiroshi was his chauffeur and manager until his last days. He took hide's ashes with him to throw them in the Santa Monica Bay, along with a bottle of wine. Hiroshi had a son whom, during the "Hide Our Psychommunity Tour", hide would bring on stage and sing to. Hiroshi is part of hide's management company Head wax Organization, he also appears on Ja, Zoo reading an excerpt on

"Pink Cloud Assembly".
During a TV interview on May 1, 1998 (one day before his death), he said he had a girlfriend . Reports say that hide was with a girl at the time of his death, who may or may not have been this girlfriend. It is said that the woman was Mayuko Kishi, one of HIDE's fans with which the artist had formed a deep bond years before while miss Mayuko Kishi was ill and in a very poorly state in one hospital where the star had meet her during a campaign project of fighting against Cancer and blood diseases.

He was beloved son of his parents in spied of having admitted in public his BI-sexuality he was equally loved and worshipped by fans. Till the moment of his death he was in a continuous ascension, musical and creative sides of his lives were the most important for him.

We might argue tones of reasons why HIDE end up his life, it was part murder part suicide one thing is for sure he was not the only guilty one to blame for the tragically event, there was not one but a hundred reasons unknown to his fans and even to his closest friends/band members, reasons that he kept locked in his soul and mind, reasons who ate him inside out just like a spider would devour a butterfly. Actually I think that Pink Spider is nothing more than a metaphor, it was HIDE's way to tell us what's going on ,

how his dual personality was tormenting him and how the inner HIDE was trying to emerge from the abyss of his soul into the light enchaining and possessing his free spirit.   

Farewell Pink Spider...Hideto Matsumoto died on May 2, 1998. After a night out drinking, he was found hanged with a towel tied to a doorknob in his Tokyo Metropolitan area Koukuna-nasanuno house . Friends and family were in disbelief that hide would ever want to kill himself. Hiroshi, HIDE's brother, had driven him home after drinking.

HIDE was drinking in celebration after a prank he had pulled, which was very common for him to do.It is said that HIDE reached home by 6 am, his girlfriend confronted him, as many couples they used to have quarrels from time to time

usually starting with “what have you done to yourself again” ? Ending up with a promise that will never happen again, for the sake of a new beginning in two. Sick to see how he's tearing apart for lack of self confidence she leaves the flat to

“take some air” as in a private confession said to a close one. As the woman who lived with HIDE ( Mayuko Kishi ) returns to the flat with a friend little after 1 hour later on willing to give their relationship one more chance.

The two women start chatting but his girlfriend becomes anxious since she calls on HIDE and he doesn't reply, she goes searching for him and soon a macabre discovery is made. HIDE was hanging unconscious with a bath towel

wrap around his neck and tied on the bathroom's door knob. At the time of being discovered hanging, HIDE was wearing a running shirt and trunks. The towel used in the suicide was ripped in half lengthwise with the top and the bottom ends tied together hooked onto the bedroom door.

Hes body was found in a sitting position hanging from the the towel around his neck. In totally shock the woman calls 119 round 7:30 am.

Round 8 am the ambulance finally arrives, the situation is tensioned the paramedics are trying to do everything to resuscitate HIDE who was unconscious, he is taken into ambulatory care and rushed toward the hospital.

As we know the first 9 minutes since mechanical asphyxia are the most vitals in between 3-5 minutes you might got a chance in a 100 to survive between 4-7 the blood stop fuelling the brain with oxygen and blood minute 8 there's nothing you can do anymore,

minute 9 you're dead...unless...GOD intervention...Well...GOD turned the face from us that day. That's all I can say with sadness...
8:30 am in the ambulance, on the way to hospital, after being resuscitated without no chance of revival, Matsumoto Hideto has definitely lost the battle with life.

The medical team did all they could although they knew it was hopeless. Little before 9 am while arriving at the hospital, HIDE is pronounced DEAD, a medical and police report is issued, then the news of HIDE's death hits the media, his family and friends...even those who disbelieve in him...

There was no suicide note to indicate the clue of why HIDE would do such harm to himself and his loved ones. The body was claimed by 6 pm later on in the day by his younger brother and parents. HIDE was planning to release "Pink Spider" on the 13th of May 1998 and "EVER FREE" on the 27 of same month. For promotional work, he had returned from L.A. just a month before on the 27^th of April. On May 1st, he taped a segment for the Fuji TV Music Program "Rocket Punch!" (Monday nights at 11 p.m. -scheduled to air on the 11^th of May 1998 as HIDE tribute post-mortem).

This was his last work. Also, his radio program "hide no All Night Nippon-R" began on April 10 was still being broadcast. Until now, his broadcasts were taped in Los Angeles.

His next broadcast was to take place in-studio. The director of the show said "There was no indication about this happening. It's quite a shock." Some claims that it was an accident. hide had a great career behind

him and there was no reason for him to commit suicide. It was no secret that hide had problems handling alcohol and he had been out drinking that night. Those who believe it was an accident often refer to the fact that it’s a common practice for guitarists to stretch their back muscles and this was a technique commonly used by the X-Japan members during their touring days.

Taiji Sawada, former bassist in X-Japan (and who’s not longer with us either), believed that HIDE’s intoxicated state made him fall asleep and hence accidentally strangled himself to death. Zilch bassist Paul Raven commented that hide was "under a lot of stress", due to recording schedule for the Ja, Zoo album.

He went on to question the ultimate degree of hide's involvement in the finished record, stating that only three songs had been completed before he died.

Ja, Zoo was released in November of the same year with the artist listed as not just "hide" but as "hide with Spread Beaver", making it the only original studio album to bear the "hide with Spread Beaver" handle. Zilch's debut album 3.2.1. was also released and the group continued to perform and record for several years.

While they never achieved mainstream success in the United States one of their songs was included on the soundtrack for Heavy Metal 2000. The fans all around the world are mourning, there are bad messages, that some commit suicide because they are desperate.

3 fans of HIDE chose to end their life in the same manner as the star they died in copycat suicides. Yoshiki, Toshi, Heath and Pata implore to the fans not to do this. Please don't do anything that hurts hides family and friends because they have a hard time to come.

To hear from the death of the young people hit them hard and made their loss even more bitter. hide loved his fans, your are the most important now, his keepsake of him depends on you, from all of us. We appeal not to despair and to keep hide all together in our memory, like he was, because he will live in every heart that is devoted to him, in every eye that saw him with love.

Funeral services of Matsumoto-HIDE-san were be held on the 7^th of May at 1 p.m., at the Chikuji Hongan Temple in Central Chikuji. The chief mourner was Mitsuru-kun. Between 25.000-50,000 fans reportedly showed up for the funeral. HIDE's funeral in Tsukiji Hongan-ji and the precession of mourners and fans had been stretching a kilometer from the temple.

12,000 actually attended the wake. 26 people were hospitalized as many fans fainted and a few others attempted to commit suicide. After the wake, 3 people died by suicide. It was a very sad time, but the purpose of this page is not a memorial.

Rather than his death, I'd like to focus on the life of this great man. He gave so much to Japanese music and it's that that I wish to talk about. Yes he died, but he left one hell of a legacy. , nearly 60 were hospitalized and about 200 received medical treatment in first aid tents. HIDE was only 33 years old when he left us.

He always seemed to be the most grounded member of X Japan and with a flourishing career and so much to live for, it baffles fans such as me as to why it would come to such a thing.

 The Pink Spider was gone. But not in our hearts.

The single "Pink Spider" was released, entering the Oricon charts at number one. The song would also receive that year's MTV Video Music Award in the category "Japan Viewers Choice". Sales were also strong for the follow-up single "Ever Free", while those of a single released previous to his death "Rocket Dive" would also see a substantial increase.

American Journalist Neil Strauss commented on the trend saying that: "In just a few weeks, pop culture in Japan had gone from mourning hide's death to consuming it." Popular interpretation of the lyrics to hide's "Pink Spider", which he had performed on the day prior to his death, fuelled speculation of a premeditated suicide, because of clear autobiographical elements, and the song's theme of escape from the vicissitudes of life.

HIDE's band tried to go on without him for a while tough that did not help at all to the extent of band separation, shortly after Hide's death, they started to release the remaining singles and videos of hide with Spread Beaver. Songs like Pink Spider and Ever free dominated the charts, selling like gang busters for a very long time.

Then a few months later with the release of the albums for hide with Spread Beaver "Ja Zoo" and the Zilch album "3.2.1." they sold even better with both albums making incredible sales. Hide was already incredibly popular and if anything, his death made him even more popular. Ja, Zoo was released in November of the same year with the artist listed as not just "Hide" but as "Hide with Spread Beaver", making it the only original studio album to bear the "Hide with Spread Beaver" handle. The Zilch debut album 3.2.1.

was also released and the group continued to perform and record for several years. While they never achieved mainstream success in the United States one of their songs was included on the soundtrack for Heavy Metal 2000. Hide started to sell more than ever, Japan transformed him in an “immortal idol” 

Was this a way to say GOODBYE to us HIDE ?
You crazy, beautiful...STUPID ?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_... Pink Spider , the song performed by Hide just days before his sudden death here are the lyrics...

PINK SPIDER English translated Lyrics

You are surrounded by threads of lies,

thought that this little world is everything,

and you hurt everything that is coming close to you.

You thought that the sky is a rectangle web.

"So that's all... after all that's just it"

You said... and this is a lie as well...

Considering your gaudy pattern sad

a bird from Paradise, who rarely speaks, came talking to you

"Get yourself the wings of a butterfly and come here,

here everything is as you imagined"

Pink Spider "Would like to go"

Pink Spider "Would like to get wings"

Not listening to the caught butterfly's plead for his life

you stare at the sky

"I didn"t hurt you because I hate you,

it"s just that I have no wings"

This sky... it"s just too high

"You can use my wings, spider.

But they wouldn't help you reach your heaven
You will notice sooner or later how hard it is to go on flying.

That you know nothing...that all your life
You have only flown in the palm of someone's hand

And this thing you called freedom..."

These lend wings, they don't fly as they should.

So you'll crush to the ground with the heals over your heand.

Pink Spider "It's over"

Pink Spider "Although seeing the sky"

Pink Spider "I Fail"

Pink Spider "I would like to grow wings"

The birds heading south can be seen just a little

over there in the sky.

"Let's fly once more, cutting this thread..."

Fly with one's own power...

If (I) could pass this cloud over there..."

Pink Spider The sky is calling

Pink Spider Pink Spider

A pink cloud is floating across the sky.

Lyrics by HIDE

So far my translation, please also note that the words

cloud and spider both read "kumo" in Japanese... especially in the

last sentence it is of course on intention not clear whether Hide chan

means the spider or the cloud...

These verses are very sophisticated... did you notice all four speakers?

We have the narrator that is most puzzling and complicated of all

then the spider, the butterfly and the bird from Paradise...

So much in just a few lines...

If you ask me this song is ingenious...

PINK SPIDER japanese (Romanji) lyrics

Kimi wa uso no ito harimegurashi
Chiisana sekai subete dato omotteta
Chikazuku mono wa nan demo kizutsukete
Kimi wa sora ga shikaku ito omotteta
“kore ga subete… douse konna mon darou”
Kimi wa itta… sore mo uso sa…
Kebakebashii kimi no moyou ga sabishisou de
Gokuraku chou ga mezurashiku hanashi kaketa
“chou no hane itadaite kocchi koi yo”
“mukou dewa omoitoori sa”
Pink Spider “ikitai naa”
Pink Spider “tsubasa ga hoshii…”
Toraeta chou no inochi koi kikazu
Kimi wa sora wo niramu
“kizutsuketa no wa nikui kara jya nai
Boku ni wa hane ga naku
Ano sora ga takasugita kara…”
“watashi no tsubasa wo tsukau ga ii wa, Spider.
Tobitsuzukeru tsurasa wo shiranai anata mo,
Itsuka kigatsuku koto deshou.
Jibun ga dareka no te no naka de shika tonde inakatta koto ni.
Soshite, sore wo jiyuu nante yondeita koto ni mo….”
Karimono no tsubasa dewa umaku tobezu
Massakasama tsuirakushite yuku
Pink Spider “mou dame da”
Pink Spider “sora wa mieru noni…”
Pink Spider “shippai daa”
Pink Spider “tsubasa ga hoshii…”
Wazukani mieta ano sora no mukou
Toritachi wa minami e
“mou ichido tobou kono ito kirisaki
Mizukara no jetto de
Ano kumo ga toorisugitara…”
Pink Spider sora wa yondeiru
Pink Spider Pink Spider
Momoiro no kumo ga sora wo nagareru…

AT THE FUNNERAL , MEMORIES WITH HIDETO

Yoshiki’s speech:

“I’m very shocked to hear about his death.

I still can’t believe what has happened. Right now, he’s sleeping with a beautiful face. I tried to wake him up many times, but he’s still sleeping. Between the five of us, hide was the one who kept his calm and thought out things. Even though I was the leader, he was the calm one who gave me good advice when I was being short tempered and emotional. Of course with all that pressure, he too almost lost his identity. But during those hard times, he’d always give me a call. We would talk about X, music, friends, life, fans, almost anything. He was like a big brother to me and sometimes like a young brother too. W

e’d drink together and sometimes fight. But the next day, he’d come to me and say, “Yoshiki, have I done something last night? I’m sorry, I don’t remember a thing.” But this time, he didn’t say anything back to me… sleeping. To all fans and friends, you must all be confused. I also cannot express this sadness in words, but we must understand and accept this painful reality. Everyone please watch over his eternal sleep warmly.”

X Japan performed Forever Love at Hideto’s funeral http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1..

Pata : Talk to about hide

"In the old days, the place HIDE lived was nearby. We went home together, set up meetings with our guitars and somehow ended up becoming close.

In those days we were always together. We always drank together at a nearby bar.

He's a very stand-up guy. When he doesn't put in gasoline, that's positive thinking, right? (laugh). Basically, in our band, I wonder if he's the closest to a normal person. There's an intense difference in just AB types when they're very normal and when they aren't (laugh). He's a bit more of the musical type too.

Such as the devotion he has to the end, I don't get that sort of thing at all. I think it's the type you encounter in the hard rock genre.

He's the type of person who is attentive towards other people. But, occasionally he's inattentive (laugh). Basically, I think he's kind to others. Well, I would say he's a very amusing and interesting human."

Credit : X WonderLand.Net

After his speech, Yoshiki withdrew from the public. It was only that he some time after when he has re-emerged with his new band, on July 20, 2000 two years after hide’s death, by the prime minister of Japan, Koizumi Junichiro, established a memorial museum for hide. where many of his guitars, clothes, car and albums he listened to are on display.

"Violet UK."

The museum was made in the shape of a guitar. "Pink Spider," the last song he released before his untimely death (also suspected to be a musical suicide letter) in 1998, won an MTV Japanese International Viewer Choice Music Award.

Yoshiki went into a deep depression and many years of mourning for his closest best friend and soul mate, and some fans feared he'll have committed suicide at the thought of being faced with a world without him. We are grateful to God he haven't done such a reckless act. We all know vague the relation between them two, but nobody can be sure of anything,many theories regarding the nature of their connection were and still are debated. Let's not lack respect to both their names, tough...shall we ?

He was a big X-Japan-fan himself! .

It remained open, past its original three year plan, for five years before closing its doors on September 25, 2005. As with many other late musicians, re-issues, compilations and previously unreleased portions of Matsumoto's work continue to be published, the most recent being several singles, re-released on May 2, 2007, the ninth anniversary of the artist's death. HIDE museum is that place

HIDE was laid to rest in Yokosuka Miura, Japan but the grave is empty, nothing more than a monument of sorrow where his family, friends and fans all over the world can from time to time to light an insence stick in HIDE's living memory. Hide'S ashes were thrown in the ocean of hide's beloved city of Los Angeles by his brother, Hiroshi. After his death, a museum went up in Yokosuka,

Ja, Zoo was released in November of the same year with the artist listed as not just "Hide" but as "Hide with Spread Beaver", making it the only original studio album to bear the "Hide with Spread Beaver" handle. The Zilch debut album 3.2.1. was also released and the group continued to perform and record for several years. While they never achieved mainstream success in the United States one of their songs was included on the soundtrack for Heavy Metal 2000.

On May 1, 1999, a tribute album was released, titled Tribute Spirits. It features covers of Hide songs by several bands (such as Buck-Tick, Luna Sea and Oblivion Dust) and solo artists.

Those are few examples of news from the newspapers of 1998 regarding HIDE's death

Mainichishinbun [popular newspaper]

"X Japan" 's former guitarist Hide-san found in his home !

On the 2nd around 7:30 am, a former member of the popular rock group that broke up at the end of last year, guitarist Hide-san (age 33), real name Matsumoto Hideto, was discovered by the woman he lived with in his Tokyo Metropolitan area Koukunanasanuno house hung.

She called 119 [same as 911 in USA; emergency number]. He was confirmed dead before 9 am while being transported to the hospital. There was no posthumous writings (suicide note?); a police headquarter officer said it looked like suicide. As to the investigation, on the same day around 6 am, Matsumoto-san was sent home with his younger brother (age 30).As they had been considerably drunk, the woman he had lived with put him to bed on his 12

tatami mats in his room; at 7:30 am when she went to check on him, Matsumono had wreathed a towel on the side of the door knob, it appeared like he was hung with shirimochi (?) and this is how she found him hung. He was in his underwear. The towel was cut into two, both ends being tied together into a cord.

Matsumoto-san came from Kanagawa Prefecture Oushu City. In 1987, he became guitarist of the former group "X JAPAN." After the separation December of last year, "X JAPAN" was organized into 2 bands, it had many fans.

And they had also participated in the Marrow Bank Organization. Matsumoto released a solo single in January "ROCKET DIVE" that sold 600000 records; and in this month, he was to release 2 singles. The album recording was scheduled to begin in 3 days.

As Matsumoto-san was affiliated with the record company "Universal Victor", company employees would energetically come to work to assist him. One company employee bewilderingly said "I haven't heard anything of dying about breathing difficulties. He was doing okay, but it does seem to be suicide." The single will be released at planned. A company official of the music company "Head Wax Organization" stated "I don't know about the circumstances of his death. Nothing comes to my mind."

Funeral services of Matsumoto-san will be held on the 7th at 1 p.m., at the Chikuji Hongan Temple in Central Chikuji. The chief mourner is Mitsuru-kun.

In August of '96, Matsumoto-san registered for a bone marrow transplant donor from a sick fan girl who he slept with; the fan understood and gave him her cooperation. Living in Wakayama Prefecture, he got to know this girl at the end of '95. The girl came to visit Matsumoto-san at a concert; what was known as "Peripheral Nerve Regenerative Disorder,"

there were only 20 people with a serious case of this disease in the world. After this, Matsumoto-san continued to phone and write her, he thought that a bone marrow transplant was close at hand, and he decided to register it.

When he registered for the donor at the Nichiseki Central Blood Center in the Tokyo Metropolitan area Juukokuku, authorized personal drew blood from him and examined it; a donor card on his left arm shyly read "Because words can't express it well, there are only actions" and "Good luck to all of the children with cancer" was also the message.

News from Asahi Newspaper.
On May 2nd 7:30 am, the popular band "X-Japan" former member, Hide, aka Matsumoto Hideto (33), was found hung himself in his mansion home's bedroom in Minamiazabu, Minato-ku in Tokyo by his family.

Matsumoto-san was tranfer to the hospital immediately, but was annouced dead on 9:00 am. The police are now investigating the motive of his suicide.

According to the investigation, they've found Matsumoto was hanging by the neck from a towel hanging from the room's doorknob. Matsumoto san just went home the same day on 6:30 in the morning, he was supposed to go to bed, after one hour, his family notice something strange. They did not find any good bye letter.

Matsumoto played guitar in "X-Japan" who're disbanded last year. Also he has been very active in AIDS charity projects.

May 4th, 1998--Japanese Daily Sun (Nikkan Sun)

Hide commits suicide by hanging! On May 2, at approximately 7 a.m., former guitarist of the now disbanded X-Japan hide (age 33, real name Matsumoto Hideto) committed suicide by hanging by the neck.

No suicide note was found. hide had recently returned to Japan from a trip to L.A. last month, to begin promotional work for his next single. He was energetically working before this mysterious suicide occured.

It was a sudden suicide when caused many people to wonder "Why?"

According to the police, hide was dropped off at his Tokyo Minami-Azabu (Noah's Ark) mansion (apartment) by this younger brother (age 30) at approximately 6:30 a.m., drunk when arriving home, it was thought he went to sleep.

At about 7:30 a.m., a woman living in the apartment with hide, worried, went to check on him when she discovered him uncouscious, hanging by the neck on his bedroom door. She immediately dialed 119 (911 in Japan) and he was taken to a nearby hospital. He was pronounced dead at 8:52 a.m.

At the time of death, hide was wearing a running shirt and trunks. The towel used in the suicide was ripped in half lengthwise with the top and the bottom ends tied together hooked onto the bedroom door.

His body was found in a sitting position hanging from the the towel around his neck. The woman who discovered him and her friend were in another room. There was no suicide note. The body was claimed by later in the day by his younger brother and parents.

hide was planning to release "Pink Spider" on the 13th and "EVER FREE" on the 27 of this month. For promotional work, he had returned from L.A. just last month on the 27th. On May 1st, he taped a segment for the Fuji TV Music Program "Rocket Punch!" (Monday nights at 11 p.m. - scheduled to air on the 11th). This was his last work.

After he participated in X-Japan's last concert at Tokyo Dome last year and the Kohaku Uta Gassen, his solo project "hide with Spread Beaver" had a great start with the single "Rocket Dive" which debut at Number 4 on the Oricon music charts. His album which was scheduled for release in June was delayed until September, and he was planning a national tour during the summer, his musical career was looking good.

Also, his radio program "hide no All Night Nippon-R" began on April 10 was still being broadcast.

Until now, his broadcasts were taped in Los Angeles. His next broadcast was to take place in-studio. The director of the show said "There was no indication about this happening. It's quite a shock."

Everything was looking good for hide. His production office said "His work is doing well. I can't think of anything that would cause him to kill himself." He may have a problem that he couldn't discuss with anyone, possibly dealing with work, or maybe problems with women. We can only wonder what happened in that hour between the time he came home and when he killed himself.

Hide's Death Impact Over Fans May 7^th 1998

If any of the information is repeated, it is because they are from different newspapers, or magazines.

TOKYO - Tens of thousands of young fans shut down central Tokyo today in an extraordinary outpouring of grief for a rock guitarist who hanged himself. Hideto Matsumoto, 33, who was lead guitarist for the popular but now-defunct rock band X Japan, hanged himself in his Tokyo apartment on Saturday.

The group, which broke up after a final concert on New Year's Eve, was known for its wild hair, heavy makeup and dedication to social causes.

Some of the mourners had their hair dyed blue, orange, yellow or green. Many were clutching bouquets of white flowers or Buddhist rosary beads and dressed in black, while others sobbed into handkerchiefs.

Helicopters buzzed over Honganji Temple, where services were held.

TV networks went live as ambulances carted away dozens of people overcome by emotion and the 82-degree heat.

Matsumoto had a solo tour planned for the summer.

"I can't believe he's dead," said Mayumi Meguro, a 21-year-old part-time worker who took today off for the services.

The crowd, estimated at between 20,000 and 50,000 people, stretched almost a mile along the streets under a blazing sun. Some had camped out in front of the temple gates for several days.Alarmed by the response, Matsumoto's old band mates have urged mourning fans to stay calm.They have reason to be fearful.A 14-year-old girl was declared dead today after hanging herself Monday night at her home in Tokyo using a towel tied around her neck, the same method Matsumoto used.

Another girl jumped from a bridge Monday night but survived, and yesterday a 19-year-old woman who attended the wake was taken to the emergency room after she cut her wrist with a paper knife.

If precedent holds, more attempts could follow.

Matsumoto's death was only the latest in a series of high-profile suicides that have dominated Japanese headlines in recent weeks - chiefly of businessmen and bureaucrats linked to a government scandal.

A rash of suicides followed the death of singer Yutaka Ozaki in 1992, and some parents standing in line with their children for today's service said they were apprehensive.

"I am here to make sure my daughter comes home afterward," said Kazuko Ishiwata. "I am worried about her, even though she has said she wouldn't do anything like that."

credits : http://www.angelfire.com/band/xjapannomiko/hidearticles.html

JAPANESE ROCKER'S DEATH BRINGS FEAR OF FAN
SUICIDES

[THIRD Edition] Times - Picayune New Orleans, La. May 8, 1998

TOKYO - Thousands of weeping youngsters, many with their hair dyed pink like their idol's, swarmed to a Tokyo Buddhist temple on Thursday to mourn a rock star who committed suicide. One distraught fan killed herself and at least two others tried to.

Hideto "Hide" Matsumoto, was the lead guitarist for X-Japan, one of Japan's most popular rock bands. He hanged himself Saturday with a towel hooked to a doorknob.

Suicide can be considered honorable in Japan, but Matsumoto left no clue as to why he killed himself. His group disbanded last September, but Matsumoto, 33, had already embarked on a fairly successful solo career.

"I can't believe he's dead," said Mayumi Meguro, a 21-year-old part-time worker who took the day off for the service. She stood in line with throngs of teens and young people - many in black.

Some screamed, "Hide," in shrill, frantic voices when his body left Tsukiji Honganji temple in a hearse. Others collapsed on the street and sobbed. Police helicopters buzzed above as some 50,000 people gathered at the temple.

By late Thursday, some 170 people were treated at an emergency aid station set up at the temple, while 50 were rushed to a hospital, overcome by emotion and the 82-degree heat, the fire department said.

"Good-bye, Hide," said a headline in the national newspaper Mainichi.High-profile suicides have dominated headlines in Japan recently - businessmen and bureaucrats linked to a government scandal or financial difficulties.

The Japanese media usually take a sympathetic view on suicides. They include reports on the deaths of company executives as well as teen-agers who kill themselves after being bullied by peers or failing college entrance exams.

Matsumoto's former band mates urged calm.

A 14-year-old girl was pronounced dead Thursday after hanging herself Monday night at her Tokyo home using a towel.

Another girl jumped from a bridge Monday but survived. On Wednesday, a 19-year-old woman who attended the wake was taken to the emergency room after she cut her wrist with a paper knife.

Such suicides and suicide attempts are not uncommon. Nearly 40 Japanese youngsters committed suicide in 1986 after an 18-year-old popular singer jumped to her death from a Tokyo office building.

Standing in line with her daughter for the rocker's funeral, Kazuko Ishiwata acknowledged she was apprehensive.

"I am here to make sure my daughter comes home," she said.

Photos: 1. A fan of popular rocker Hideto "Hide" Matsumoto yells out his name as others cry after seeing his hearse drive past in Tokyo on Thursday;

2.

An altar to Matsumoto includes his portrati and electric guitars in the Tsukiji Honganji temple Thousands in Japan mourn rock star /Guitarist's hanging death inspires suicide, two attempts by fans

[3 STAR Edition] Houston Chronicle Houston, Tex. May 8, 1998

credits : http://www.angelfire.com/band/xjapannomiko/hidearticles.html

Copyright 1998 Nationwide New Pty Limited The Weekley Australian 

DATE: May 9th 1998, Saturday

HEADLINE: Fans join idol in death

For fans of a gleam-rock idol whose image was largely visual and deep-skin, the thousands of Japanese girls and women mourning the suicide of X Japan guitarist Hide, 33, are taking his words and actions seriously.

credits : http://pink_spider1.tripod.com/id13.html

*******I find this article very offensive! This is not the first time an Australian News Paper has written an offensive article about Jrock *******

The suicide toll among teen fans rose to three yesterday, with another two killed on the way to joining the 45,000 mourners at his funeral in Tokyo.

The self-appointed wild boy of what was otherwise a group of fairly sober young men, who knew a great deal about mascara and hair dye, hanged himself with a towel in his Tokyo apartment a week ago. Hide, real name Hideto Matsumoto, joined X Japan in 1987. A showy cross between Kiss and Culture Club, the band sold millions of albums without ever threatening to rewrite music history. "Someone I spoke to in Japan said it's like Lady Di dying, but that's not right," Sydney-based Japanese rock expert Rick Tanaka said yesterday."It's not even a Michael Hutchins.

They're more like (1980's teen sensation) Pseudo Echo or the Screaming Jets."Amid reports of copycat suicides and scenes of young girls charging at Hide's hearse,, slightly older Japanese are asking: who is he anyway? Hide, while the showiest in the bad, wrote few of the songs.

The appeal for the young girls comes from the band's romantic side: pretty boys dressed up to sing love songs that were used in cosmetic ads on television. But, behind the facade, where was a dark side. Teh 1993 album cover for Art of Life shows Hide in perfect stage make-up, with the left side of his face deformed.

The band's catch-cry was Psychedelic Violence: Crime of Visual Shock. In the end, though, Hide will be remembered more for his fans and his looks than for his deeds. Until his death, sales were disappointing. Now everything with an X or Hide in the title is selling out.

Copyright 1998 Mainichi Daily News Mainichi Daily News

DATE: May 10, 1998 

HEADLINE: HAIWAI

Fifteen thousand teen-age girls brought him flowers. They formed three lines a kilometre long in frond of the Honganji Temple in Tsukiji, Tokyo. One girl in the crown cut her wrist; a 14-year-old went into a coma after trying to hang herself at home. Thus was former X Japan guitarist Hideto Matusmoto laid to rest on Thursday. He was 33."Don't say 'former X Japan,'" Hide admonished a rock journalist shortly after the band's break-up in December. The journalist, Says Josei Seven (5/12), was puzzled.

credits : http://pink_spider1.tripod.com/id13.html

Why not? he asked. And Hide explained: " I"m still X Japan. I haven't taken down the sign yet. I'll always be X Japan."When a rock band has been around 15 years, as this one was, "always" comes to seem the right word. Friends agree that something went out of Matusmoto after the final concert last New Year's Eve. "X Japan was everything to him," a musician friend tell Josei Seven. "He was more attached to the group than anyone. He was the one who tried hardest to keep to together."He failed and went his own way--with stellar results, says Focus (5/13). His first solo single wrecked up 500,000 sales. Two more releases were planned this month. A national concert tour was scheduled for the summer.

There are not the prospects of which rock n' roll suicides are ordinarily made. He was know throughout his careers as a good drinker, but, with the band gone, his drinking changed. "He would knock back bourbon after bourbon, mumbling about his mission in life being over," a drinking buddy tells Josei Seven. "He seemed consumed by a feeling of futility."On the night of May1, the weekly ways, he recorded a performance of Fuji-TV's Rocket Punch and then, "as usual," went out and drank till dawn. His younger brother, a member of his staff, drove him home and put him to bed. An hour or so later, around 6:30a.m.,

his live-in girlfriend hear a strange noise and came running. She found him hanging by a towel from a doorknob. He was rushed to hospital, and pronounced head at 8:52 a.m. In the absence of any suicide note, that's as much as we may ever know of the death of Hideto Matusmoto.

"No matter how much I think about it," a rock journalist who knew him tells Focus, "it makes no sense to me. It had never occurred to me that he was the sort of person to take his own life." 

Copyright 1998 Mainichi Daily News Mainichi Daily News

DATE: May 11, 1998 

HEADLINE: New songs by late X Japan star to go on sale Two new songs preformed by Hideto Matsumoto, commonly known as hide, a guitarist with the now defunct rock group X Japan who committed suicide on May 2, will be put on sale sooner than previously planned, officials at Universal Vector Inc. said.

credits : http://pink_spider1.tripod.com/id13.html
Copyright 1998 Mainichi Daily News Mainichi Daily News

Hide had an exclusive contract with Universal Victor and formed a new band called Hide with Spread Beaver after X Japan broke up last December. The songs "Pink Spider" and "Ever Free," will go on sale separately as single CDs on May 13, and 27, respectively. Hide was working on his band's new songs until the day before his death. A previous work of the band, "Rocket Dive," sold about 500,000 copies. Campaign officials said they had a duty to introduce the works they completed with Hide without any changes. 

*****Another short part about hide*****

Copyright 1998 Billboard Publication, Inc. Billboard

DATE: May 15, 1998 

Hideto Matsumoto, 33, of an apparent suicide by hanging, May 2 in Tokyo, Matsumoto, who went by the name Hide, was guitarist in X Japan the best known of Japan's "visual-kei" glam-rock bands, which broke up formally Dec 31, 1997. Hide had formed a new band, Spread Beaver, and recently scored a hit, "Rocket Dive," on Universal Vector.

credits : http://pink_spider1.tripod.com/id13.html


Copyright 1998 Billboard Publication, Inc. Billboard

DATE: May 16, 1998 

Former X Japan lead guitarist Hide, 33, died on morning of May 2 in an apparent suicide. Hide, who's real name was Hideto Matusmoto, was found hanging in his tokyo condominium and was rushed to a nearby hospital but died shortly after his arrival, according to police.

Hide, like the other member of X Japan, hand maintained and active solo career in the past few years, recently scoring a hit single, "Rocket Dive," with his band Spread Beaver on the Universal Victor lable. X Japan, the best-known of Japan's visual-kei glam-rock bands, formally broke up after holding a farewell concert Dec. 31, 1997 at Tokyo Dome.

credits :http://pink_spider1.tripod.com/id13.html

Asiaweek, May 22, 1998 Asia week

DATE: May 22, 1998 

HEADLINE: ISOLATED IN THEIR GRIEF 

May 7 was the hottest day of the year in Tokyo, with temperatures soaring to an unseasonably 27.6 degrees Celsius.

****This next article is kinda strange. It's about the top tax paying celebrities in Japan. There's a quick little blurb about hide...and his tax paying >_<;; *****

credits : http://pink_spider1.tripod.com/id13.html

Despite this, some 50,000 teenagers solemnly filed out of subway exits to line kilometers of side-walk near the Ginza business district. Many brought flowers--the cloying scent lingering in the station for hours after. Some of the youngsters wore their hair dyed red, blond, or light brown and nearly everybody dressed in black for mourning.

The throng had come to say goodbye to their scarlett dressed rock idol, Matusmoto Hideto.  Matusmoto, 33, died in the early hours of May 2nd. After a night's drinking, he was found hanged by a towel tied to a doorknob in his apartment in the swish Minami Azabu district of Tokyo. His death--still unexplained and the subject of much speculation-- touched an exposed nerve in Japan, once again revealing the chasm between the country's young and their parents. Better known as "hide" (pronounced hee-day, and with a small h) Matsumoto played lead guitar with the now-defunct rock group X Japan -- a five member band which had a passionate following among teenagers, but which most adults had never even heard of.

In a country where conformity is everything, X Japan were different. Their style was Visual Rock -- an in your face attitude the combined flamboyant dressing and an angry sound that rejected teh cookie-cutter principles of Japanese society. The group, which sold millions of albums, broke up with a farewell concert at the Tokyo Dome on the last day of last year.

Hide was not the band's leader, but he was in some ways it's spiritual centre. He wrote few of the group's numbers, but his compositions often set the tone of alienation and frustration for which X Japan was revered. Often more level-headed than the others, he was known as the calm member of the group --though he was apparently a heavy drinker and sometimes given to angry outbursts.

If he went too far, say fellow band members, he would normally make peace the next day by saying he could remember nothing. Hide's death produced scents of grief and hysteria not witnessed for a music star since the war. As the hearse with his body passed through the streets of Tokyo, fans several deep at the raodside called out "Sayonara!" Their wailing mingled with the sirens of ambulances scurring back and forth along the route to pick up the dozens who fainted. Nearly 60 had to be taken to hospital and some 200 received medical treatment in makeshift first-aid tents.No one disputes the hide died by his own hands, but many believe it was somehow accidental.

In the days of the media coverage that followed hide death, commentators and doctors suggested alcohol was to blame. The pointed out that there was no suicide note. Not only that, hide was beginning to to shape a career as a solo artist. His Rocket Dive album sold nearly half a million copies, and two singles, "Pink Spider" and "Ever Free," were scheduled for release this month. A major tour of Japanese cities was also being planned. " I believe that hide's death was an accident," said X Japan leader Hayashi Yoshiki at a hastily called press conference the night before the funeral. Sensing the worst, he appealed to the guitarist's fans: "Please do not follow him. Do not commit suicide.

Please see him off to heaven warmly."It was not to be. Within days of the rockers death, three girls killed themselves in copycat suicides. The first victim, aged 15, was found hanging in her bedroom -- described as virtually a shrine to hide-- in Chofu. She died in hospital May 7. That same day, a 14-year-old killed herself in Hiroshima and a 17-year-old died in a hotel room in Oshire. Two other girls tried unsuccessfully to take their own lives. One, wearing an orange shirt emblazoned with the rocker's name, jumped off a bridge near Tokyo, and the other cut her wrists at a Tokyo funeral wake for the musician. With the grieving still going on , more deaths are feared.

The anguish over hide comes in the wake of growing official concern over suicides and violent crimes by Japanese schoolchildren. Latest statistics show that nearly one death in seven involving youngsters between the ages of 15 and 19 is by suicide. The number rises to about one in four for those between 20 and 24. In a recent study, a Tokyo psychiatrist, Dr. Sekiya Tohru, noted a sharp increase in depression among young Japanese teens. "There is a craving-to-die syndrome," he said. "Sufferers are scared to die, but they are reluctant to live. Such a mood is spreading in society.

"Disc Jockey Yanai Maki things many fans saw in hide the rebel society would not allow them to be. The hostess of one of the most popular radio shows in the Tokyo area, she says: "Often with no one they can trust at school or at home, they identified with someone like hide.

"A Tearful Kojima Tsuneo was among those on the street the day Matsumoto was laid to rest. "I survived my toughest times because of hide," the 16-year-old schoolboy said. "He gave me courage." Hisano Yumi, 15, was outside Matsumoto's parents' house, waiting for his ashed to arrive. Clutching a bouquet of white lilies, she said: "This is a very important day for me -- a day for me to thank him for helping me continue my life." 

Copyright 1998 The Yomiuri Shimbun The Daily Yomiuri

May 26 1998

HEADLINE: Musician pays 1.17bil. yen in taxes. 

... X Japan's hide paid 37.5 mil yen.

Pop singer Hideto Matusmoto known as "hide," whose suicide on May 2 stroke dead young fans, was 10th on the list for entertainers among Kanagawa Prefecture taxpayers, sources said.

credits : http://pink_spider1.tripod.com/id13.html

The singer in the defunct rock group X JAPAN paid 37.54million yen in income tax, the most he had ever pain, on an estimated income of 87 million yen. He was a resident of Yokusuka. 

ISOLATED IN THEIR GRIEF 2

The death of rock star Matsumoto Hideto
has exposed the schisms in Japanese life

By Alexandra A. Seno and Murakami Mutsuko / TOKYO

MAY 7 WAS THE hottest day of the year in Tokyo, with temperatures soaring to an unseasonal 27.6 degrees Celsius. Despite this, some 50,000 teenagers solemnly filed out of subway exits to line kilometres of side-walk near the Ginza business district.

Many brought flowers - the cloying scent lingering in the station for hours after. Some of the youngsters wore their hair dyed red, blond or light brown and nearly everybody dressed in black for mourning. The throng had come to say goodbye to their scarlet-dressed rock idol, Matsumoto Hideto.

Matsumoto, 33, died in the early hours of May 2. After a night's drinking, he was found hanged by a towel tied to a doorknob in his apartment in the swish Minami Azabu district of Tokyo. His death - still unexplained and the subject of much speculation - touched an exposed nerve in Japan, once again revealing the chasm between the country's young and their parents.

Better known as "hide" (pronounced hee-day, and with a small h), Matsumoto played lead guitar with the now-defunct rock group X Japan - a five-member band that had a passionate following among teenagers, but which most adults had never even heard of. In a country where conformity is everything, X Japan were different. Their style was Visual Rock - an in-your-face attitude that combined flamboyant dressing and an angry sound that rejected the cookie-cutter principles of Japanese society. The group, which sold millions of albums, broke up with a farewell concert at the Tokyo Dome on the last day of last year.

Hide was not the band's leader, but he was in some ways its spiritual center. He wrote few of the group's numbers, but his compositions often set the tone of alienation and frustration for which X Japan was revered. Often more level-headed than the others, he was known as the calm member of the group - though he was apparently a heavy drinker and sometimes given to angry outbursts. If he went too far, say fellow band members, he would normally make peace the next day by saying he could remember nothing.

Hide's death produced scenes of grief and hysteria not witnessed for a music star since the war. As the hearse with his body passed through the streets of Tokyo, fans several deep at the roadside called out "Sayonara!"

Their wailing mingled with the sirens of ambulances scurrying back and forth along the route to pick up the dozens who fainted. Nearly 60 had to be taken to hospital and some 200 received medical treatment in make-shift first-aid tents.

No one disputes that hide died by his own hand, but many believe it was somehow accidental. In the days of media coverage that followed his death, commentators and doctors suggested alcohol was to blame. They pointed out that there was no suicide note. Not only that, hide was beginning to shape a career as a solo artist. His Rocket Dive album sold nearly half a million copies, and two singles, "Pink Spider" and "Ever Free," were scheduled for release this month.

A major tour of Japanese cities was also being planned. "I believe hide's death was an accident," said X Japan leader Hayashi Yoshiki at a hastily called press conference the night before the funeral. Sensing the worst, he appealed to the guitarist's fans: "Please do not follow him. Do not commit suicide. Please see him off to heaven warmly."

It was not to be. Within days of the rocker's death, three girls killed themselves in copycat suicides. The first victim, aged 15, was found hanging in her bedroom - described as virtually a shrine to hide - in Chofu. She died in hospital May 7.

That same day, a 14-year-old killed herself in Hiroshima and a 17-year-old died in a hotel room in Osaka. Two other girls tried unsuccessfully to take their own lives. One, wearing an orange shirt emblazoned with the rocker's name, jumped off a bridge near Tokyo, and the other cut her wrists at a Tokyo funeral wake for the musician. With the grieving still going on, more deaths are feared.

The anguish over hide comes in the wake of growing official concern over suicides and violent crimes by Japanese schoolchildren. Latest statistics show that nearly one death in seven involving youngsters between the ages 15 and 19 is by suicide. The number rises to about one in four for those between 20 and 24.

In a recent study, a Tokyo psychiatrist, Dr. Sekiya Tohru, noted a sharp increase in depression among young Japanese. "There is a craving-to-die syndrome," he said. "Sufferers are scared to die, but they are reluctant to live. Such a mood is spreading in society."

Disc jockey Yanai Maki thinks many fans saw in hide the rebel society would not allow them to be. The hostess of one of the most popular radio shows in the Tokyo area, she says: "Often with no one they can trust at school or at home, they identified with someone like hide."

A tearful Kojima Tsuneo was among those on the street the day Matsumoto was laid to rest. "I survived my toughest times because of hide," the 16-year-old schoolboy said. "He gave me courage."

Hisano Yumi, 15, was outside Matsumoto's parents' house, waiting for his ashes to arrive. Clutching a bouquet of white lilies, she said: "This is a very important day for me - a day for me to thank him for helping me continue my life.

X-Japan Rock Essay, Research PaperCredits: http://mybestessays.com/x-japan-rock-essay-research-paper-hideto-matsumoto.html

Hideto Matsumoto ~hide~

33 years

1964.12.19-1998.5.2

100,000 people gathered in front of hide’s house on May 2nd. “His sudden death suprised me. I still can’t believe it. He now sleeps with an beautiful face. I tried waking him up, but, he still lays still,” says Yoshiki, the leader of hide’s earlier band, X-Japan.

On May 2nd, he was found dead. It was an accidental suicide when he was massaging his neck with an rope. He was carried to the hospital unconscious but announced dead same day 8:52pm.

Too bad that he died. He surely was revolutionary in the Japanese Rock(JOCK) scene. One of the best guitarist, approved by many rock listeners around the world. His activity starting in Japan, spread to Europe to Los Angeles. In Japan, he started out as the Saber Tigers when he was 15(1979). He used to be a fat and shy kid, but rock has changed him into a more free and bright kid. Rock was everything to him. Later on, he joined with Yoshiki(leader, drums),

Toshi(vocal), Pata(guitar), and heath(guitar) to form X-Japan in 1988. This band was a big hit in Japan, and this was the first major step(in main stream) for hide. This band broke up in 97. While in X-Japan hide started his solo activity in 93. His first single was Eyes Love You(93/8/5). This was a pop-rock song which I don’t like but this was chosen as MTV Best Video Award Japan. This spread his face through out the world and won him recognition. Then he had his first solo album, HIDE YOUR FACE, it was amazing. It included brass rock, funk, industrial, country and grunge(I don’t know spelling). This album showed his talents in various music genre.

In January 28, 1998 hide made a band called hide with Spread Beaver. This band was hide plus I.N.A(Co-producer/programming), Chirolyn(BASS), Satoshi(drums), D.I.E(keyboard), Pata, Kiyoshi, and Kaz(guitar). Their first single ROCKET DIVE was the first song of hide’s I heard. I saw it on TV and his performance was just amazing. The pink background, matched with his pink hair and the band members tied to ropes and jumping up and down was plain “IMPACT.” I was instantly absorbed. I started listening to X-Japan CDs my mother had and I really liked them. I bought his 2nd solo album, PSYENCE.

This album, again, included many music genre and this made me certain I was going to buy more of his CDs. And there my researching started.

Back to hide’s world wide activity. His music was highly approved in Europe and many people supported/admired him there. In Europe, he made his 4th band, ZILCH in 1998 around March, right before his death. This band included Ray McVeigh(guitar+vocal), Paul Raven(bass) and Joey Castillo(drums). This band started by translating and remixing hide’s song he made with his other bands.

I think this band is one of the Top 3 best band in the world, too bad they’re over. From America, Charlie Clouser from Nine Inch Nails helped remixing, and others were mostly Europeans.

Also, Marilyn Manson was too an hide fan. Manson dyed his hair pink because of hide’s influence. I think this shows hide had real skills and it was approved by people from many countries.

Credits : http://mybestessays.com/x-japan-rock-essay-research-paper-hideto-matsumoto.html


The New York Times Magazine 

THE POP LIFE; End of a Life, End of an Era

By Neil Strauss

Published: June 18, 1998

Correction Appended

TOKYO— ''And jumping into the No. 1 spot this week,'' announced Hiroshi Morita from the studios of NHK radio here last week, ''is 'Pink Spider' by Hide.

As you may already know, Hide is the former guitarist of the group X Japan who shocked his fans by committing suicide recently.''

The studio began to buzz with murmuring. ''His record company says it was an accident,'' said one engineer, as those around him laughed. ''The label also says it's sticking with Hide's original release plan,'' said another.

There was more laughter.

At news stands, Hide's face graces the cover of almost every music magazine; in shopping districts, outfits like his sell for several hundred dollars; on television, his videos are repeated as often as commercials, and in record stores his singles are everywhere. Below ''Pink Spider'' in the Japanese Top 10 was a previous Hide single, ''Rocket Dive,'' and this week ''Pink Spider'' was knocked out of the No. 1 slot by another single, ''Stay Free,'' also by Hide.

In just a few weeks, pop culture in Japan had gone from mourning Hide's death to consuming it.

Hide (pronounced Hee-DAY) was the intensely charismatic guitarist in X Japan, one of the country's first and most successful independent-label rock acts (though the band later signed with a major label) and the first Japanese rock band to sell out the 50,000-seat Tokyo Dome. Since it formed in the mid-1980's, X Japan went from playing loud, fast thrash-metal to stadium-shaking pop ballads, in the process pioneering its own genre, a Japanese equivalent of glam rock known as ''visual kei.''

For visual kei bands, outrageous, usually androgynous looks

-- gobs of makeup, hair dyed and sprayed in ways that made Mohawks look conservative, and a small fortune spent on leather and jewelry -- were as important as music (or, in many cases after X, more important than music). When X members followed in the steps of American hard-rock bands like Metallica and cut their hair in the 90's, thousands of Japanese girls wept openly in the streets.

X actually signed with Atlantic Records in the United States, but the band never released an album at home. It broke up late last year, and Hide began to emerge from the shadow of the band's most popular member, the drummer Yoshiki (who released a classical album with the Beatles' producer George Martin and the London Philharmonic Orchestra).

With a blossoming solo career, everything seemed to be going well for Hide until May 2, when he was found dead in his apartment, a towel looped around his neck and tied to the bathroom doorknob. Within a week, five teen-age Japanese girls had tried to kill themselves while playing X music or wearing X merchandise. Three succeeded.

At his funeral, 50,000 young fans mobbed the streets. By the day's end, some 60 of them were taken to hospitals, and nearly 200 received medical treatment in first-aid tents after passing out or injuring themselves.

(One girl tried to slit her wrists with a plastic knife.) ''Please do not follow him,'' urged the surviving members of X. ''Do not commit suicide. Send him off to heaven warmly.''

Bryan Burton-Lewis, a radio- and video-show host who toured with Hide as a disk jockey, said the funeral was the most crowded ever for a postwar Japanese musician, which was surprising considering that hardly anyone over 30 knew who he was. ''The wake was sad,'' he remembered. ''I was sitting in there for two hours, and all you heard outside was kids screaming from the bottom of their stomachs. They sounded like demons. In Japan, the image that we have of the X audience is rural kids going through a rebellion phase. They put their life into being X fans: they dress like it, they breathe it, they all talk about how he gave them something to live for.

''A lot of what Hide did was grotesque. He's talked about suicide in his records for five years. But the fans who followed him always knew there was a Hide behind that who was a very solid character. He was very outspoken about freedom and doing what you want, and he took on a fan who had a rare bone marrow disease as a personal crusade.''

While the authorities decided that Hide killed himself, his friends and former band members said they felt certain it was not suicide, despite the dark lyrics of some X and Hide songs. Most remembered Hide as a character who would go out of control when he was drunk, often getting himself into some sort of trouble and then claiming not to remember a thing the next day. His death in this strange circumstance, they said, was a drunken accident.

''I saw him a few days before he passed away, and I had no indication from him that anything was wrong other than that he was exhausted,'' said Paul Raven, an English musician who played bass in Killing Joke and Prong. Mr. Raven recently formed an industrial hard-rock band with Hide called Zilch. Its debut album will be released in Japan on July 23 and features former members of Nine Inch Nails and the Cult.

''He was under a lot of pressure to finish his solo record,'' Mr. Raven continued. ''He had three songs completed the day before he died, and now mysteriously a full album is coming out nine days before ours.''

In some ways, Hide was reminiscent of Kurt Cobain of Nirvana, although Hide had a less bleak world view. Hide, like Cobain, said he felt like a marginal alternative-minded figure trapped in the image of a pop star. He despised the music business and wanted to change it; he represented a generation of fans who felt alienated, and his death represented the end of a genre.

''To a certain extent, Hide's death means the end of an era,'' said Steve McClure, Tokyo bureau chief for Billboard, the music-industry magazine. ''X were the first generation of visual kei bands, but the novelty has worn off. For the next generation of bands, it's like: 'That's it. The torch has been passed to us.' ''

Photo: An altar decorated in tribute to the Japanese pop star Hide, whose death was officially called suicide. (Associated Press)

Correction: June 27, 1998, Saturday The Pop Life column on June 17 about the continuing popularity of the Japanese rock star Hide, who died on May 2, misstated the title of his most recent No. 1 single. It is ''Ever Free,'' not ''Stay Free.''

credits : http://www.nytimes.com/1998/06/18/arts/the-pop-life-end-of-a-life-end-of-an-era.html

A World Witout HIDE's smile 

The remaining members of X Japan had reunited and recorded a new song, titled "I.V.". It contains a previously unused guitar track by Hide.

On July 8, 2007 Yoshiki Hayashi announced to be in talks with several musicians regarding a Hide tribute concert set for 2008, in order to commemorate the tenth anniversary of his former bandmate's passing. The Hide Memorial Summit was held on May 3 and May 4, 2008 at the Ajinomoto Stadium, where X Japan, as well as many other bands, performed.

Hide's image (taken from footage of the Art of Life performance at the Tokyo Dome in 1993) played alongside X Japan during their performance of "Art of Life". This was made possible by the use of Musion Eyeliner hologram technology.

X Japan, as well as many other bands, performed. Hide's image (taken from footage of the Art of Life performance at the本間清司, Honma Kiyoshi?) – guitar Kazuhito "Kaz" Iwaike (岩池一仁 Iwaike Kazuhito) – guitar Hiroshi "Chirolyn" Watanabe (渡邊紘士 Watanabe Hiroshi) – bass Daijiro "D.I.E." Nozawa (野澤大二郎 Nozawa Daijiro) – keyboards Satoshi "Joe" Miyawaki (宮脇知史 Miyawaki Satoshi) – drums Kazuhiko "I.N.A." Inada (稲田和彦 Inada Kazuhiko) – percussion, programming Toshiya "Ran" Matsukawa (松川敏也 Matsukawa Toshiya) - guitar (1993–1994) X Japan guitarist Tomoaki "Pata" Ishizuka also made several live appearances with the band. Solo/with Spread Beaver Albums Hide Your Face (February 23, 1994) Psyence (September 2, 1996) Ja, Zoo (November 21, 1998)

Singles "Eyes Love You" (August 5, 1993) "50% & 50%" (August 5, 1993) "Dice" (January 21, 1994) "Tell Me" (March 24, 1994) "Misery" (June 24, 1996) "Beauty & Stupid" (August 12, 1996) "Hi-Ho"/"Good Bye" (December 18, 1996) "Rocket Dive" (January 28, 1998) "Pink Spider" (May 13, 1998) "Ever Free" (May 27, 1998) "Hurry Go Round" (October 21, 1998) "Tell Me" (re-recording, January 19, 2000)

"In Motion" (July 10, 2002) Live albums Psyence a Go Go (March 19, 2008) Hide Our Psychommunity (April 23, 2008) Compilations Tune Up (June 21, 1997) Tribute Spirits (May 1, 1999) Best: Psychommunity (March 2, 2000) Psy Clone (May 22, 2002) Singles - Junk Story (July 24, 2002) King of Psyborg Rock Star (April 28, 2004) We Love hide ~The Best in The World~ (April 29, 2009) With X Japan · (1987-1997)

Posthumous

On May 1, 1999, a tribute album was released, titled Tribute Spirits. It features covers of hide's songs by several bands (such as Buck-Tick,Luna Sea and Oblivion Dust) and solo artists. The album was released to coincide with the anniversary of hide's last-ever live appearance, which included "Pink Spider", on May 1, 1998. This song was covered on Tribute Spirits by the hard-rock group Siam Shade.

A hide museum was opened in his hometown of Yokosuka on July 20, 2000. It remained open, past its original three year plan, for five years, before closing its doors on September 25, 2005.

The remaining members of X Japan recently reunited and recorded a new song, titled "I.V.". It contains a previously unused guitar track by hide. X Japan performed at the Tokyo Dome on March 28, 2008, during the performance of "Art Of Life"

hide's image (taken from footage of the "Art of Life" performance at the Tokyo Dome in 1993) played alongside the band. This was made possible by the use of Musion Eyeliner hologram technology.

As far back as July 8, 2007, Yoshiki Hayashi announced to be in talks with several musicians regarding a hide tribute concert set for 2008, in order to commemorate the tenth anniversary of his former band mate's passing.

The "hide memorial summit" was held on May 3 and 4, 2008 atAjinomoto Stadium, where X Japan, Versailles, Dir en grey, D'espairsRay and many others performed, bands such as Luna Sea and Phantasmagoria even reunited for one day to perform. hide with Spread Beaver also performed, using studio and live recordings for hide's vocals.

There are still tribute shows held every year, where bands perform on hide's birthday and on the anniversary of his passing.

As with many other late musicians, re-issues, remixes, compilations and previously unreleased portions of Matsumoto's work continue to be published. The most recent being "The Devolution Project", a release of his original eleven singles on picture disc vinyl, throughout 2010.

As a prof that Hide’s legacy is intact and untainted Hide Museum had opened it’s gates again in the same year 2013, 8 years after the super star’s tragically death . First opened in hide’s birthplace, Yokosuka, from the years 2000 to 2005, “hide MUSEUM” which drew 450,000 people will be revived in two cities, Tokyo and Osaka . lots of bands had performed Hide’s songs as tribute to the artist’s musical career and life stile . Was the first late musician to be made into a Projected Man / Virtual

Ghost in live stage performance as opposed to video alone (where Nat King Cole was the first) in X Japan's shows in 2008 and 2009, predating the more commonly known Tupac Shakur Coachella performance. HIDE's music is now the center piece of a Rock Opera produced by his brother and other musicians. It is called "Pink Spider'' .

HIDE's band members during Solo Career and Posthumous Tributes

Band Members

• hide solo works: Pata, Kiyoshi, D.I.E., Chirolyn, Ran, I.N.A., Joe, KAZ Iwaike
• Zilch: Ray McVeigh, Paul Raven, Joe Castillo, I.N.A.

Studio Albums

• Hide Your Face (February 23, 1994)
• Psyence (September 2, 1996)
• Ja, Zoo (November 21, 1998) with Spread Beaver (posthumous release)
• 3.2.1. (July 23, 1998) with Zilch (posthumous release)

Singles

• "Eyes Love You" (August 5, 1993)
• "50% & 50%" (August 5, 1993)
• "Dice" (January 21, 1994)
• "Tell Me" (March 24, 1994)
• "Misery" (June 24, 1996)
• "Beauty & Stupid" (August 12, 1996)
• "Hi-Ho"/"Good Bye" (December 18, 1996)
• "Rocket Dive" (January 28, 1998)
• "Pink Spider" (May 13, 1998) (posthumous release)
• "Ever Free" (May 27, 1998) (posthumous release)
• "Hurry Go Round" (October 21, 1998) (posthumous release)
• "Tell Me" (re-recording, January 19, 2000) (posthumous release)
• "In Motion" (July 10, 2002) (posthumous release)

Notable Live Albums

• "Psyence a Go Go"
• "Hide Our Psychommunity"

Compilations

• Tune Up (June 21, 1997)
• Tribute Spirits - covers of his work by contemporary artists (May 1, 1999)
• Best: Psychommunity (March 2, 2000)
• Alivest (Video live clips)
• Ugly Pink Machine I and II (More video live clips)
• PsyClone (May 22, 2002)
• Singles - Junk Story (July 24, 2002)
• King of Psyborg Rock Star (April 28, 2004)
• We Love hide ~The Best in The World~ (April 29, 2009)
• Tribute Spirits II, III (2012)
• Tribute Spirits IV, V (2013)
• 
  Tribute Spirits V, VI, VII (2013)

  • HIDE's Nature And Way Of Thinking
    
    Psychoanalisis
    Credits: Hideto Matsumoto (Music) - TV Tropes

  tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Music/HidetoMatsumoto

  
  

  I will write now as an annalist not as an HIDE fan, I might sound harsh in some parts and I APOLOGIESE for that, I do not mean to stain his memory, I only want to understand more his way of being and thinking. I f HIDE was alive and would have read this article we would might have screamed to each other even we've might have throw some fists around...

  

  but in the end I think he'll agree...
  
  Abduction Is Love: Genkai Haretsu's PV seems to be playing the trope straight, but is actually subverting it - the love is the selfish need of the predator.
  

  • Accidental Hero: In at least two ways. In the first, he and his music tapped into the hopelessness and ennui of especially rural or "outsider" young Japanese of The '90s in such a powerful way that he became a "spokesperson in effect" for the angst and suffering hidden behind the "ganbare" mask of Japan.
    
    In the second, a young fan suffering from a blood disorder, Mayuko Kishi, happened to meet with him and they formed a deep connection, to the point where hide seemed to see her as the daughter he never had and, on finding out he couldn't donate blood or bone marrow for her,
    
    became a strong advocate and financial donor for blood cancers and similar disorders, as well as bringing her on stage at his shows, helping her family financially, and visiting her regularly.
    
  • Accidental Murder: His suicide/accident can be argued to be this (in the involuntary manslaughter/criminal negligence sense) as well as suicide/accident, from known fact.
    
    
    
  • The Alcoholic: Alcoholism defined his life especially after 1990 or so, sometimes his works, and was part of why he died.
  • Alcohol-Induced Idiocy: Being The Alcoholic invoked this trope too often for hide, the final time being his death. Being drunk led him into repeatedly engaging in the Bar Brawl and other seemingly pointless physical aggression and assaults,
    
    at least one major accident with pyrotechnics, a fall that left him with a broken leg and skull fracture, at least one car accident, and alcohol poisoning itself on at least one occasion prior to his death,
    
    and he committed suicide either accidentally during a drunken sex act, or intentionally when so drunk and high he was pushed beyond his emotional limits.
    
    • His song Drink Or Die!!!! is about Alcohol-Induced Idiocy with a subtext of Drowning My Sorrows, and is actually one of his saddest songs in retrospect, despite being a "happy" song when it was created.
      
      
      
  • Angel Unaware: Some of hide's fandom actually thinks he was this. He himself would have probably laughed at the idea or been embarrassed at such though, and those fans are often seen as weird, too willing to give his bad behavior a pass, and Fan Dumb.
    
     
    
    • Ironically enough, that attitude would actually confirm eligibility for being a Bodhisattva in some Buddhist views of the Mahayana strain, as humility and sincerity are often considered higher virtues than sexual morality or abstinence from alcohol in those views (which could possibly make this trope very applicable to him),
      
      unlike Theravada Buddhist belief where they are equivalent virtues, and someone who is not celibate and an alcoholic would be seen as utterly incapable of becoming a Bodhisattva without several cycles of reincarnation free of sexual vice and drunkenness.
      
      
      
  • Anger Born of Worry: There was this back and forth between hide and his friends.
    • Most prominently between him and Yoshiki, to the point of eventually undermining their relationship, because he and Yoshiki were both The Alcoholic and out of control, but at the time, Yoshiki had less severe mental health problems in general and yet little knowledge of mental illness or how he could
      
      actually help hide, and things only got worse from there.
      
    • Pata, Sugizo, J, Taiji, and pretty much all of hide's other close friends near the end of his life 1996-98 all suspected something was horribly wrong, and would later mention this at various points, that hide seemed almost terrified of being alone, that his drinking was worsening by the day, and that he was emotionally falling apart - yet if they acted or said anything,
      
      hide would become angry and deny that anything was wrong, which only made matters worse.
      
    • Hiroshi Matsumoto claimed that he and hide fought a lot at the end of hide's life. That said, whether this was actually this (as he claims it to be) or over financial issues and hide seeking new management is very much in question.
      
      
      
  • Angrish: "Doubt." Much of the song is arguably screamed in Angrish.
  • Annoying Younger Sibling ? : Hiroshi was occasionally seen as such by hide in life, and large sections of the fandom pretty much began to treat him as such after the events of 2008-10 and theKoda Kumi cover.
  • Anyone Can Die: One reason hide's death made such an impression and was such a shock.
    
    He seemed to be the least emotionally damaged ex-member of X at the time, had a public face that appeared lively and interested in life, and even seemed to be planning for the future in an interview he did the day before he died.
    
  • Apathetic Citizens: Oblaat is in part a furious and snarky (and prophetic, see below) denunciation of apathetic citizens, as is Bacteria. 
    
    Doubt is aimed at apathetic, corrupt, and lazy leaders and politicians.
    
  • Artistic Stimulation: hide was a heavy drinker, possibly an alcoholic, though no one really knows "why" outside of speculation, and this inspired his solo songs Drink Or Die and Lemoned I Scream among others. There is also a video clip where he's obviously enjoying some good weed. There are rumors of his using/abusing other substances, but these are best not discussed online unless profe provided and I don't have such profe.
    
    
    
  • Attention Whore: Out of necessity, and why this trope isn't necessarily bad. That said, he hated being one, and "felt trapped in the body of a pop star" after his Breakup Breakout and career ascendancy.
    
    
    
  • Attractive Bent-Gender: One of the earliest examples in Visual Kei, and the other one making up the more "androgynous" part of 87-92 X Japan (along with Yoshiki), in contrast to the more masculine Taiji, Toshi, and Pata.
    
    
    
  • Audience Participation Song: Audience participation LIVE. hide's lives often involved a great deal of audience participation and interaction, and the audience at memorial events will often sing along to his songs.
  • Alternative Metal/Avant-Garde Metal: 
    
    One of the early pioneers, when both genres were pretty much Unbuilt Tropes. Zilch is a rather bizarre mix of the former with Nu Metal and Industrial Metal.
    
  • Ax-Crazy: A common theme in hide's photoshoots (there's even one of him as Chucky, and one of him as the main character of A Clockwork Orange) and occasionally in his lyrics.
    
    
    
  • The Band Minus the Face: Zilch tried to go on after hide's death, to rather limited success. Spread Beaver occasionally reunites for memorial shows and such. Arguably, X Japan's reunion is this, since hide was one of the three Faces Of The Band (the other two being Yoshiki and Toshi)
  • Bar Brawl: hide, along with Taiji and Yoshiki, were the biggest troublemakers
    
    in regard to the fighting and damage that X Japan caused in its earlier days. If running around a hotel fighting with the desk people for no reason at all can be considered under this trope...
    
  • Berserk Button: Lots and lots of things, and anything once hide had consumed enough alcohol.
  • Bishōnen / Biseinen :
    
    Often crossing into true androgynous better than even David Bowie, his inspiration for androgyny.
    
  • Bi the Way: hide seemed to think "all sex is good sex." The song 50% & 50% is arguably a direct reference to coming out as bisexual.
  • Beggar With A Signboard: Done in the Misery PV, with the song title and with lyrics of the song in English.
  • Be Yourself: The overarching Arc Words and message of hide's work and life - be yourself, even at the cost it may take.
    
    The songs Pose and Pink Spider are explicitly about this, and Ever Free is a semi-deconstruction that reconstructs itself.
    
  • Breakup Breakout: hide became most famous after leaving Yokosuka Saber Tiger and joining X Japan, and his career only improved more when he went solo from X Japan to his own career.
    
    
    
  • Breakup Song: Hey Man So Long, is a breakup song directed toward another man with whom the singer was in a relationship. It's even sprouted three Epileptic Trees: that the song was about X Japan in general and the band's breakup, that the song was about Toshi's having left for Home of Heart and his bitter take on
    
    that, or that the song was about him and Yoshiki having broken up. No one knows if any of the above are true and what the song was about, though.
    
  • Bury Me Not on the Lone Prairie: While hide has a grave in Japan and his funeral was held at the Hongan-Ji temple, his ashes were scattered off the Santa Monica Pier and Marina Del Rey Pier inLos Angeles.
    
    
    
  • Camera Abuse: One of hide's favorite stage tricks. Probably the crowning example would be in the video footage of the Chi to Bara/Rose and Blood tour with X Japan where he took a signature Burny Fernandes guitar to an expensive stage camera combining this trope, Rockers Smash Guitars, and Trash the Set all in less than five minutes.
    
    The monetary cost was probably over US $10,000.
    
  • Careful with That Axe: "DOUBT/Tell Me." Epic metal screaming in that performance of "Doubt." Also, on backing vocals for "Sadistic Desire" with X.
  • Cassandra Truth / Junkie Prophet: People who knew hide around 1997-1998 mentioned that he insisted on telling them a story about a nightmare he often had.
    
    About a massive earthquake, followed by a nuclear disaster. The song Oblaat also is a stinging prediction of a society of Apathetic Citizens under constant surveillance judging each other for the stupidest points while ignoring their own apathy and imprisonment.
    
  • Cast Full of Pretty Boys: Spread Beaver, hide's solo band, back in The '90s. Of course there was hide, but Pata, Chirolyn, Die, Ran, Kiyoshi, and Joe all also fit the description.
    
    
    
  • Cerebus Syndrome: Zigzagged. hide's work was some of the darkest of X Japan including Sadistic Desire and Joker and Love Replica. At the beginning of his solo career, his stuff seemed like it was taking a lighter turn somewhat with Tell Me and kept the slightly lighter musical tone but exploited Lyrical Dissonance
    
     as the lyrics got even more dark and serious for the most part (aside from the Oshare In Motion, which is so much an outlier that some fans question if he even wrote it), and then played straight with Zilch, as his work with Zilch/his later solo works all increased both in musical and lyrical hardness and darkness.
    
    
    
  • Cloud cuckoolander: From mental illness including Bipolar 1 and bulimia and addiction to alcohol and possibly methamphetamine, yet somehow, it didn't affect his abilities as an artist too negatively.
  • Cluster F-Bomb: Like Yoshiki, a walking Cluster F-Bomb, with a few musical examples.
  • Cool Car: The Fifties finned Cadillac with a few mods for The '90s. It was a large enough car to do inside shots for the Ever Free PV with several members of Spread Beaver in the backseat, had his vanity license plate, and comparisons to the Batmobile have been drawn.
    
    It was even built strongly enough to be driven in reverse uphill into a tree and not be destroyed in the resulting accident with no severe injuries to anyone inside.
    
  • Cool Shades: His yellow wraparounds. Rather unique to say the least.
  • Cover Version: hide has done work on many covers, but the two most notable are "Ace of Spades" done at one of the Extasy Summits, and "New Rose" at one of his solo lives. "New Rose" is notably Covered
    
    Up since hide's version is likely the second most known to the version done byGuns N' Roses. "Light My Fire" by The Doors is also somewhat notable.
    
  • Creepy Cockroach: See Eek, a Mouse!! below - hide was terrified of roaches.
  • Cyberpunk and Post-Cyberpunk
  • Dead Artists Are Better: Sadly so in hide's case. This is probably because of the rise of Visual Kei as well as the internet.
    
    Many western v-kei fans are curious and many v-kei artists have performed at the hide memorial summit. they look into who he is and instant popularity. With that said, had he lived he would have probably been as influential as Kurt Cobain, John Lennon or Elvis. It's obvious the Japanese viewed him that way.
    
  • Disability Superpower: Bipolar 1 was this for him in that had he not been bipolar he likely wouldn't have conceived of some of the Mind Screw nightmarish lyrics he did (which actually made for incredible music),
    
    likely would not have even considered half of his onstage antics and his public persona, and more. The "outsider looking in"/"uncontrollable emotions" view it gave him arguably fueled much of his work.
    
    
    
  • Dramatic Shattering: Combined with Rockers Smash Guitars and Camera Abuse, see above. A common trope in his videos and in his life - he was almost if not more famous for breaking stuff than Yoshiki.
  • Drunk Driver: See the incident listed under Cool Car above - that crash was how hide lost his
    
    California driver's license (which it was amazing that he ever had in the first place), though it was never really known whether it was hide or Pata who was the drunk driver that time, as everyone fled and both claimed to have been driving.
    
  • The Drunken Sailor: Obviously not one himself, but in hide's days in Yokosuka Saber Tiger, he would allegedly get into bar fights with drunken sailors
    
    (which, due to Yokosuka being a US Navy base, were often in quite plentiful supply) on occasion.
    
  • Drunken Song: Drink Or Die was often this, in contrast to hide's usual rule of waiting until getting off stage to drink.
  • Doomed Supermarket Display: There's one in the Misery PV. Which gets a shopping cart crashed into it and hide sitting in the middle of the debris eating some of it.
    
    
    
  • Double Entendre: From hide's solo career, the song Rocket Dive. The Performance Video is about space flight and in a "spaceship." The lyrics can be about finding hope in life or, to the over analyst, bipolar mania. They're actually about neither... a look at the cover will tell you what the song is actually about.
    • hide's work in general heavily relies on wordplay, double-entendre, and the like. As a result, many translations of his lyrics can be slightly confused.
      
      
      
  • Driven to Suicide: Misery, Goodbye, Oblaat, and arguably Pink Spider, though the "suicide" in it is symbolic for jumping into a new life. As for hide in Real Life, there's a few theories that claim that he was driven to intentional suicide.
    
    
    
  • Drowning My Sorrows: See Artistic Stimulation, above.
  • Drunken Master: Not as much of one as Pata, but very close - it's often impossible to tell his level of intoxication onstage watching him perform unless he makes a major mistake, and that's a rare occurrence.
  • Drunken Song: DRINK OR DIE!!!!
  • Dude, She's Like, in a Coma!: Genkai Haretsu PV's ending involves this and/or I Love the Dead. Despite the light musical sound, the PV makes it one of hide's creepiest songs.
    
    
    
  • Easily Forgiven: Massive popularity and then Never Speak Ill of the Dead led to this for him, along with the unfortunate fact that few people took his alcoholism, his dangerous or violent actions under the influence, or his mental illnesses seriously at the time.
    
    
    
  • Eek, a Mouse!!: hide was terrified of cockroaches. One time, he was with Yoshiki in a hotel room and saw one, which led to both screaming and running around until Tetsu from Lordi.5 (or Yoshiki, in another common telling of the story, or Taiji, in another) killed the roach.
  • Elvis Lives / He's Just Hiding: Some vociferous and heavily in-denial fans subscribe to a Conspiracy Theory that claims hide didn't really die and is still alive somewhere. This sounds familiar...
    
    
    
  • Epic Rocking: hide's guitar parts in "Art of Life" and "Rose of Pain" with X Japan, and for almost all of his solo music, though "Oblaat," "Junk Story," and "Dice" are all some of the best examples. "Dice's" vocals are especially epic for the rapid-fire delivery and breakdown. His vocal parts on theStab Me In The Back live version also qualify.
    
    
    
  • Erotic Asphyxiation: There is a common theory that his "suicide" was not intentional, but was actually this. Whether it was or was not, this is a good place to add the warning: never, ever, ever, EVER do this alone or drunk.
  • Everyone Knew Already: That hide had feelings for Yoshiki. ( really ??? )
  • Finger Gun: Used in the "Death Hollywood" remix/live of Eyes Love You.: hide mimes a gun with his fingers, wildly aiming around the stage to the sound of FX gunshots, until finally pointing it at himself and falling to the sound of the last gunshot.
    
    
    
  • Flame War: Discussing hide's death and the circumstances of it has led to more than one raging flame war, to the point that it's almost considered Internet Backdraft especially when participated in by newbies or people in places where not everyone will agree on what is stated.
    • Also, whether hide or Toshi was Yoshiki's true love created possibly the biggest flame war of X Japan fandom's Ship-to-Ship Combat. It makes me LMFAO especially if invoked with claiming hide killed himself to punish Toshi or Yoshiki.
      
      
      
  • Formerly Fat: One of the more sad examples of this trope. All of his family seems to be overweight to some degree (as exemplified in his brother, who is well over 200 pounds at this point), and he was mercilessly abused/teased in school for being a fat child and fat teen. As he hit his late teens, he discovered alcohol, bulimia, and possibly amphetamines. His weight dropped, he joined his first bands Dementia and Yokosuka Svber Tiger,
    
    and from then on felt that he had to maintain perfect thinness to keep the new life as something other than a target of abuse, and even when he had gotten to the point that no one would have cared had he gained weight again, his eating disorders and alcoholism had taken on a life of their own. It could even be argued that he was a "delayed bullycide"
    
    as in, someone so emotionally damaged from the childhood abuse and mockery that he resorted to the behaviors that would in part later on lead to his death.
    
  • Franchise Zombie: LEMONED, Lemoned Plant, and the entire hide "estate" or "empire."
    
    
    
  • Freakiness Shame: hide is widely admired as one of the most absolutely beautiful paragons of Visual Kei by almost anyone in the scene on a basis of appearance and style if nothing else (trolls and anti-fans aside), and yet viewed himself as ugly and disgustingly fat, partially due to a severe eating disorder and childhood abuse and bullying.
  • Freaky Fashion, Mild Mind: Zigzagged. Sometimes hide could be far crazier and scarier than anything done on stage or that hide dressed like
    
    (when drunk and fighting for no reason but to fight, as in the hotel anecdote) and yet was the Team Mom for X Japan almost as soon as joining the band, one of the more calming influences in Yoshiki's life, often tried to help other band men as much as he hurt them in fights (and once actually avoided a fight that Yoshiki had picked and became close friends with Tomoyasu Hotei of Boowy as a result) and did some incredible charity work, specifically reaching out to sick and injured children.
    
    
    
  • Frivolous Lawsuit: Was in part the subject of one well after his death. In 2010, hide's brother Hiroshi sued Yoshiki over the use of hide's image in X Japan. The case was met with the judicial-language version of Flat "What." and promptly thrown out of court.
    
    
  • Gaia's Lament: Bacteria and Damage in part, as both called out the destruction of the earth and natural environments carelessly produced by human violence and human greed among the other reasons Humans Are Bastards.
    
    
    
  • Genre Roulette
  • Getting Crap Past the Radar: The Dice live on TV was groundbreakingly NSFW.
  • Greatest Hits Album: more than one. People are beginning to complain about the abundance of these.
  • Grief Song: "Hurry Go Round" can be seen as a grief song, of hide grieving his mood changes.
  • Guide Dang It: Understanding some of hide's lyrics or expressions, or the meaning in some of his songs or Performance Videos.
    
    
    
  • Hair-Trigger Temper: hide was nearly legendary for just how hair-trigger his temper was especially when drinking or consuming other substances, and often over the most ridiculous of reasons.
  • Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Pata, also with Sugizo and J.
  • Hologram: How INA accomplished bringing him back to "life" for several X Japan concerts in 2008 and 2009 - he created a hologram consisting of footage of hide playing guitar to various songs, speaking, and otherwise acting on stage to create a very natural looking reconstruction of him.
    
    
    
  • Hot-Blooded: hide could often get very angry very fast, as a result of bipolar, alcohol, and possibly drugs. He got into arguments and fights quite often as a result.
  • Humans Are Bastards: A VERY frequent theme in hide's work. Genkai Haretsu, Eyes Love You,and Blue Sky Complex center around protagonists or the concept that humans are rapists/will happily take advantage of other humans. Junk Story was inspired by a molested child's diary entries. 
    
    Oblaat was aimed at Apathetic Citizens who still found time to judge each other over petty issues living under constant surveillance, Damage, Bacteria and Doubt are all denunciations of politicians and leaders and similar, combined with Gaia's Lament and War Is Hell, and in Bacteria,humans are the bacteria killing the world.
    
    
    
  • I Do Not Drink Wine: A literal non-superhuman version of the trope, combined with Artistic License – Pharmacology. In the Arena 37 C interview where he (perhaps unintentionally) revealed the severe extent of his alcoholism, he mentioned that he didn't like to drink wine because he believed it had a worse effect on him than other alcohol.
  • Ignored Confession: There were a few of these, in everything from things in his art two things he mentioned in interviews to his actions - and had one of them gotten more attention, he might still be alive.
    •  1st) andProbably the biggest was the a forementioned Arena 37 C interview in 1994. He checked off almost every point on the Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test in describing his drinking habits and what they did to his life, and yet at the time, no one saw fit to tell him that he was an alcoholic.
      
      
      
    • 2nd) , His obsessive focus on death/suicide/suicidal feelings in his lyrics and promotional videos - even though he almost always subverted or inverted the trope or treated it in a Black Comedysense, it was obvious he was severely troubled in that nearly almost anything that wasn't written for him by someone else had these themes.
      
      Goodbye and Pink Spider especially are aGut Punch in how Harsher in Hindsight they are.
      
    • The equal obsession with abandonment and betrayal he developed in his later writing and the outright bitterness of it - especially in the Zilch songs he wrote - can come across also. Especially with that his last words alive, on seeing Hiroshi for the last time before retreating to his room, were reported to be "and you, too?"
      
      
      
  • Indecipherable Lyrics: Much of "Doubt," "Bacteria," and "Fish Scratch Fever." "Dice" is a little better, but the rapid-fire delivery pretty much necessitates having the lyrics there too. "Lemoned I Scream" is entirely in English, but good luck understanding it through the megaphone and fuzz filter.
  • Intercourse with You: Many of hide's songs, whether it's the main theme of the song or the "B plot" of it, though hide's takes on the theme were often nightmarish and twisted.
    
    
    
    • Sadistic Desire (about Murderers Are Rapists, from the murderer/rapist's perspective) andJoker (about mitsu) were the most famous from his X Japan days.
    • Eyes Love You and Genkai Haretsu reference Date Rape and drugged sex/sex as manipulation/loveless sex, perhaps as metaphors for the music industry/Hollywood.
      
      
      
    • Beauty And Stupid seems to be about one-sided love during sex/sexual manipulation.
    • Hi-Ho is about sex with prostitutes and sex as a prostitute, both of the ordinary and mitsu/host varieties.
    • Natural Born Onanist is a celebration of masturbation.
      
      
      
    • Doubt and Bacteria reference political sex scandals and sex as a loveless act of mindless reproduction respectively.
    • Rocket Dive is a long series of Double Entendre about mutually satisfying sex (and possibly gay sex depending on who you ask/who's translating).
      
      
      
    • Electric Cucumber and Leatherface/Inside The Pervert Mound and Fuctrack #6 are all about BDSM and various aspects of it.
    • Psyche references the sexual element of the titular mythos somewhat graphically.
  • Large Ham: hide could definitely have his ham moments.
    
    
    
  • Lyrical Dissonance: Hurry Go Round and Goodbye seem like quiet, slow songs. Both are ruminations on mental illness and death and reincarnation (Hurry Go Round about bipolar mood swings, Goodbye about death and suicide) Hi-Ho sounds like a cute proto-Oshare romp but the title itself is a pun referring to what the song is actually about: prostitution, both of the usual andmitsu varieties.
    
     Eyes Love You sounds like it's about love but it's actually about predation and being burned out with a possible subtext of Date Rape, and Genkai Haretsu which sounds like an upbeat summer rock song, is about Date Rape and necrophilia.
    
  • Lunatic Loophole: Played straight almost too many times to count in Real Life: he survived alcohol poisoning on repeated occasions, almost lighting himself on fire in a pyrotechnic stunt gone wrong, being in a rather large number of fights despite being short and scary skinny,
    
    sustaining a skull fracture and leg injuries in a fall, a car wreck, and that's just what's known about. Sadly, also subverted in Real Life in a horrific way.
    
  • Manic Pixie Dream Girl: The rare male version. That said, as he said in at least two interviews, he *wanted* to be a combination of Manic Pixie Dream Girl and The Lad-ette if he could have. Whether this means he was actually bigender or simply perverted is unknown.
    
    
    
  • Matter of Life and Death
  • Meaningful Name: hide = the concealment of his true self and his vulnerabilities and problems at an absolute surface level, with their only being able to be discerned with more scrutiny and/or personal knowledge.
  • Metal Scream: Backing vocals for Vanishing Vision and live "Sadistic Desire." The Doubt/TELL ME performance in his solo career, and any performance of Doubt.
  • The Mentally Disturbed: hide may have suffered from bulimia and alcoholism according to various sources. Whether it's Word of Dante or Wild Mass Guessing, some fans also say he suffered from Axis 1 bipolar disorder.
    
    
    
  • Mohs Scale of Lyrical Hardness: His credited works with X Japan were three 7 (Joker,Celebration, and Love Replica) two 8 (Miscast, and Drain) and one 9 (Sadistic Desire) His solo works could be anywhere from a 0-1 (Oedo Cowboys and Psyence) to a solid 9 (Bacteria, Doubt,Genkai Haretsu) and he hit 10-11 with some of his Zilch work (Sold Some Attitude, Fucktrack #6).
    
    Average is around an 8-9, for his love of Intercourse with You and some fairly twisted takes on it and for the generally dark themes.
    
  • Mohs Scale of Rock and Metal Hardness: Usually averages out around a 6-7 for his X Japan work, a 4-6 with some occasional drops to 1-2 and occasional bounces all the way up to 9 for his solo work with Spread Beaver, and 4-9 for his work with Zilch.
    
    See Lyrical Dissonance and the above though - even the songs where he's slower and that can't be classified as "metal" by any means are often fairly dark and deal with some deep and troubling issues - and when he goes to harder metal, the lyrics follow
    
    (his metal songs are all 8-9 on the lyrics scale above)
    
  • Motor Mouth: YES. So very yes. Enough that it might make one wonder how he can be so speedy... *cough*
  • The Musical combined with Rock Opera: his songs have now become a part of one, called "Pink Spider."
  • Musical Pastiche: "Rocket Dive" was written as a tribute to his idol Ace Frehley, and borrows Frehley's guitar intro to "Rocket Ride".
    
    
    
  • My Nayme Is: It's spelled hide and pronounced hee-day in reference to his solo career. Do not capitalize it there, even if That Other Wiki does. In regard to his X Japan career, on the other hand, it is pronounced the same way but written in ALL CAPS as HIDE.
    
    
    
  • Neoclassical Punk Zydeco Rockabilly
  • Never Speak Ill of the Dead: Played straight AND averted like hell. Internet Backdraft tends to happen when extreme partisans of playing this straight and of averting it end up in the same location. One side will deny things that hide actually did on stage, and the other will post accusations that are patent falsehoods just to "look cool" or out of Shipping related rage.
    
    
    
  • Noodle Incident: Quite a few, almost always due to Alcohol-Induced Idiocy, and his death itself was one.
  • Ode to Intoxication: Drink Or Die!!! is definitely this, as well as Drowning My Sorrows, Drunken Song, and much Harsher in Hindsight. Lemoned I Scream is this for either alcohol or hallucinogens or both. Sold Some Attitude is so much of a deconstruction of the idea (bitterly referencing either mania or amphetamine psychosis) that it is arguably an Ode To Sobriety.
    
    
    
  • Off the Wagon: Subverted. To argue that hide ever was *on* the wagon is laughable.
  • Our Ghosts Are Different: The hologram in 2008-09 X concerts could be considered a constructed variant of this. Could be played straight also, if you believe some of the stories from some fans who claim to have seen/channeled/otherwise met hide's soul somehow. Of course they/we couldall be batshit. Or maybe they/we aren't.
  • Parental Incest: Blue Sky Complex is a deconstruction of this and lolicon, from the perspective of the abuser.
  • Pastiche: "Lemoned I Scream" sounds an awful lot like The Smashing Pumpkins, both musically and lyrically.
    
    
    
  • Performance Video: While the technology of the time dates some of hide's performance videos, almost all are very unique and very artistic. The art of the video actually creates its own scene, its own comparison piece to the song for almost all of the songs that have a Performance Video. Especially interesting are "Misery," "Eyes Love You," "Genkai Haretsu," and "Bacteria."
    
    
    
  • Persona Non Grata: Banned from more than a few bars and hotels.
  • Precision F-Strike: The lyrics to "Celebration" and "Doubt" are specifically awesome examples of a Precision F-Strike.
    
    
    
  • Projected Man: One of the most successful and scarily Uncanny Valley (even to Yoshiki, to whom this was so much so that he personally ended the practice) examples ever in regard to the hologram. He was the first musician to have a believable holographic form onstage, this having been accomplished in 2008, long before Tupac Shakur at Coachella.
    
    
    
  • Protest Song:
    • Bacteria is Humans Are Bastards / humanity is a bacteria on the planet + War Is Hell.
    • Doubt is a protest of political corruption likening politicians and leaders to groupies and prostitutes.
    • Oblaat is a protest of The '90s Japanese society and its desire to "look the other way" and to ignore problems and sweep issues under the rug.
  • Rant-Inducing Slight: Anything could be this for hide depending on his alcohol consumption.
    
    
    
  • Refuge in Audacity: This quote on the Refuge in Audacity article sums up hide's career and life:
    "This isn't Getting Crap Past The Radar. This is crashing the crap through the front doors and out the back doors of the radar installation in an armoured car with sunglasses-wearing flaming skull decals on every flat surface and a Hieronymus Bosch reproduction on the door, hood-mounted machine guns blazing, Motörhead blasting on the jury-rigged PA system, the tires leaving tracks painting sex and violence on the floor and walls and one arm hanging out of the window making a rude hand gesture."
    
    
    
  • Religion Rant Song: "Easy Jesus" with Zilch.
  • Rule of Drama: Invoked it by dying.
  • Sanity Slippage: Arguably, his life from 1997 onward. The pressures of his solo career, his alleged drug use catching up to him, the pain of the band that had made him famous and his friendships from said band breaking up, and his increased need for alcohol all pointed to hide's being in somewhat of a downward spiral toward the end.
    
    
    
  • Sanity Slippage Song: "Drain" for X Japan, and solo: "Doubt," "Hurry Go Round," "Genkai Haretsu," "Breeding", "Lemoned I Scream," "Drink or Die," and "Sold Some Attitude"
  • Secret Relationship: Though one that becomes more of Everybody Knew Already over time. hide and Yoshiki. (soul mates)
  • Self-Harm: See Formerly Fat above - hide suffered from bulimia.
    
    
    
  • Sex, Drugs and Rock & Roll: Quite possible. Quite arguable. And that is all we shall say about that.
  • Shout-Out: The target of quite a few, including a NSFW manga featuring the Yokosuka Pink Spiders, possible partial inspiration for Shuichi Shindou of Gravitation, and a partial one (along with Nikki Sixx of Mötley Crüe or, in the Japanese version, Slash of Guns N' Roses ) in Chrono Cross http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9hcWoltq-c.
    
    
    
    • Of course, the reason for this being the amount of influence hide had on Visual Kei and in rock music in Japan in general. Anything related to Visual Kei or similar genres, or written/made/produced by someone who is Japanese and was/is into 90s Visual Kei,
      
      has a high likelihood of a hide Shout-Out somewhere - much like the James Dean and Elvis Presley Shout Outs that appear in some US media.
      
  • Smoking Is Cool: hide was a rather notorious tobacco addict, who once posted a blog whining about not being able to smoke indoors in California, and who would occasionally even smoke while performing. He provided quite the free advertising for his preferred brand, too.
    
    
    
  • Stylistic Suck: Some of hide's P Vs are either this, No Budget, or both - a good example being the contrast between Genkai Haretsu and Eyes Love You, which may seem dated but are competitive with anything else filmed in the early to mid 1990s, and Misery and Oblaat, which have far less of a "polished" look.
    
    
    
  • Team Mom: Despite his issues, he was, according to everyone else, this for X Japan while he lived.
  • Too Much Information: How he died. If someone tells you "it was an accident," asking "why" may very well lead to this trope being invoked.
  • Trickster: Often seen as sympathetic to the Egyptian mythological deity Set/Seth due to his role as such in the art film "Seth et Holth" and due to a few photo shoots on this same theme.
    
    
    
  • The Tyson Zone: When he actually entered it and with what particular incident out of all of them is somewhat in doubt, but he definitely did - and it was part of why he was able to do half of the stuff he did without any severe negative consequences imposed from the outside.
  • Unstoppable Rage: Often as a result of consuming alcohol, and directed at some of the oddest targets. Being a hotel desk clerk was not safe when you had hide staying there...
  • War Is Hell: The Bacteria PV.
  • Virtual Ghost: Overlapping with Projected Man and Hologram above, he was likely the first of these to be created in Real Life, although he still had to be animated by another human being using composites of his moves and syncing footage used for the hologram to the songs everyone else was playing.
    
    
    
  • Vitriolic Best Buds: Yoshiki and hide could be a type of this.
  • Vulgar Humour:
    • The "Dice" live with the squirming nude men and women in cages and "Natural Born Onanist" from his solo lives, the lyrics to "Doubt," the live (and the album cover and possible meaning) of "Rocket Dive," "Fuctrack #6" with Zilch...
    • Which has led to some (hopefully) unintentional creepiness, when fans go overboard, especially on exposing their kids to his stuff way too early. For example, the Youtube video of the 3 year old singing "Rocket Dive." Do not look it up - there is not enough Brain Bleach in the world.

  • Credits: Hideto Matsumoto (Music) - TV Tropes

  tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Music/HidetoMatsumoto

  HIDE VIDEOGRAPHY
    

  
  

  Seth & Holth

  

  
  
  

  hide chan's first solo project together with Tusk from Zi:Kill

  very strange, very nice, very weird video...

  a "must see" for every hide chan fan! I did a special page on Seth and Holth! Go and find out!!!

  

  
  

  
  

  A Souvenier

  Nothing of the secret track is mentioned anywhere, not on the cover, not in the DVD menu,

  but if you play the DVD up to the very very end you get a very nice surprise:

  hide and L7 in Oblaat!

  Wow... before I saw the track, I didn't even know that hide chan did "Oblaat" with the

  two girls from L7! I thought they had only done "Doubt". But on the same place, on top of

  this refinery roof, hide chan does "Oblaat" with L7 and Ina chan. Some of the footage has

  actually been used for the "Doubt" video, but there are many scenes that have

  never been released before.

  Thanks for releasing that!

  

  
  
  

  including the promotion videos of "Eyes Love You" and "Dice"

  as well as "Oblaat" and "Doubt" together with the girls from L7

  hide our psychommunity Reel 1 and 2

  hide chan's first solo tour on video including back stage shots...

  

  
  
  

  X-mas present 1994

  

  
  
  

  the last day of the Psychommunity tour at Kawasaki Club Citta

  delievered in a metal can that you could only open with a

  canopener and then inside red slime plus the video! (laugh)...

  

  Lemoned!

  Film the Psychommunity Reel 1

  Also this secret track is very nice... (and again announced nowhere and you have to wait for

  the very end of the DVD):

  Remember the "Tell Me" video clip on "7 clips"?

  What you see in this secret track is the shooting of this video (or at least parts of it) in Kawaguchi

  Lilia Hall. A camera follows hide chan all around during the whole song. You see some of the

  footage in the finished "Tell Me" clip of course but not all of it. Some of the scenes have

  never been released before.

  

  
  

  Film the Psychommunity Reel 2

  The secret tracks on this DVD are not THAT secret. You can find them in the menu.

  Remember "Oblaat" on this video?

  The screen gets partitioned into four and you see four versions of Oblaat at the same time.

  Two times Yokhama Arena on different dates, one version from Yoyogi and one "on tour".

  Now in the DVD you have the option to see each of these four versions on the full screen plus

  the partitioned one. That means you can see "Oblaat" five times on this DVD.

  I was surprised what a difference it makes to see the four versions on full screen,

  there are many details you miss when you see the partitioned version.

  
  

  Lemoned is born!

  

  
  

  Lemoned video with Zeppet Store and Trees Of Life etc.

  from hide chan the video includes the PV's of

  "Bacteria" and "Genkai Haretsu"

  

  
  
  
  Ugly Pink Machine file 1 and 2

  

  
  

  hide chan's second solo tour "Psyence A GoGo"

  File 1 contains full concert at Yoyogi

  File 2 contains backstage and tour documentary. Ugly Pink Machine File 2 contains a secret track too. The secret track on this DVD is the "terebi time" of the last Psyence a GoGo

  live in Yoyogi on the 20th of October 1996.

  

  
  

  
  

  Seven Clips

  This DVD contains no secret track, but has an additional track on it nevertheless which is

  the video clip of "Hurry Go Round" (whatever one may think of this video).

  Ugly Pink Machine File 1

  TV time!!!! The secret track is what hide chan called "terebi time".

  During the Psyence a GoGo tour hide chan presented the "terebi time" to the fans during the show.

  He showed anecdotes of happenings backstage that were shot on video to the audience.

  These happenings are what makes up most of the Ugly Pink Machine File 2,

  (like when Chirolyn, more or less naked, closes himself out of his hotel room)

  but it's very nice to see hide chan on stage as the announcer of the "terebi time" and to hear

  his comments to the backstage happenings.

  The "terebi time" on this DVD is taken from the live in Yoyogi on the 19th of October 1996.

  .

  

  
  
  

  includes "Tell Me", "Bacteria", "Genkai Haretsu",

  "Misery", "Beauty&Stupid", "Hi-Ho" and

  "Good-Bye"There is nothing much special about this video except for the fact that it contains all video clips ever released.

  one special feature of the video is though that it also contains TV commercial clips advertising for hide chan's albums, singles or videos that were aired in Japanese TV. Even though this DVD was released in the "DVD age" like on "Alivest" there is a secret track on it,

  more or less the sequel of the Alivest secret track:

  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  Hi-Ho dressing room version

  (however I like to call it the obento (Japanese lunchbox) version).

  During Psyence a GoGo tour you see hide chan and the other band members in the dressing

  room having lunch boxes (obento) and they play with their food and hide chan sings hi-ho! (laugh)...

  As with the Shinkansen version you unfortunately don't hear the original sound again but only the

  studio recording of Hi-Ho while watching hide chan sing with rice stuffed into his mouth!

  Damn I would have liked to hear what that sounds like!

  Hope I told you something you didn't know yet with this portray of the secret DVD tracks  

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Mix Lemoned Jelly

  

  
  
  

  What the fxxk is Lemoned???? (laugh)

  besides from solving this question it includes

  the "Indian Summer" Lemoned event on the 8th of September 1996
  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  X-mas present 1997

  

  
  
  

  brought to you in a big plastic box so that you have snow in

  your room when you open it! (laugh)

  Green and Red package both showing scenes from the

  all nite club event Mix Lemoned Jelly on the 26th of August 1997

  
   

  No comment but tears...
  
  

  A Story

  
  
  

  Video about the making of Rocket Dive, Pink Spider and Ever Free Promotion Videos
  
  

  Alivest

  

  Now this is a very nice video. 1.000.000 cuts hide!

  It contains all songs hide chan ever performed live on stage in special cut version.

  That means that you don't even get a glimpse of the other hide band members,

  but that you see nothing but hide chan for two and a half hours!

  Tengoku (paradise) video for every hide chan fan! 

  Even though the Alivest DVD was released in the "DVD age" there is a secret track on it.

  Hi-Ho Shinkansen (bullet train) version!

  hide chan rides on the Shinkansen during the Psyence a GoGo tour from one concert city to the

  next and terribly bored has nothing better to do than to sing Hi-Ho (laugh).

  Unfortunately you do not hear the sound from inside the train but a playback of the actual

  Hi-Ho recording. Probably the noise of the train was too loud anyway! (laugh).

  
  

  
  
  == TOREKI ==

  
  That's "Japanese" for Trading Cards (with a looong "a" at the end)...

  I forgot when the hide chan trading cards were published first.
  I think it's already more than two years ago.
  There are 126 in total (I don't have all of them... I wish I did).
  All photography was done by Hideo Kanno.
  .
  There are 81 regular cards that come in groups of 9 cards each.
  Each group represents one "theme".
  
  
  
  
  
  For example: group 1 consists of photography from 1993.
  (X memorial photo album (Tokyo Dome 1993)). Group 2 is from a certain "Rock-Inf" magazine from 1996 and so forth...
  On the backside of the cards are group-wise photos mostly from hide chan's video clips.
  
  
  
  For example on the backside of the regular cards group 1 photos there are
  9 scenes from the "Tell Me" video clip.
  .
  Then there are 27 parallel cards, they come in 3 groups of 9. The first of these groups is not really "parallel", it's photos from the 1996 "Psyence A GoGo" tour pamphlet and "Psyence" album booklet.
  The 2nd and 3rd groups of the parallel cards are duplicas of the the regular card groups 5 and 8,
  however with "silver" inlays (they glitter in contrast to the regular cards).
  .
  Finally there are 18 special cards (2 groups of 9).
  Group 1 is photography from the famous Mugongeki of 1992
  and group 2 is photography from the UV magazine No. 12 or 16 (I always mix them up)
  
  
  
  with hide chan on the cover (it's the UV where hide chan sits on a toilet
  wearing the orange "super freak" outfit...
  .
  But not so much talking: Here they are (at least a few of them)
  Special Cards group 1 - Mugongeki photography...
  Backside: more scenes from Mugongeki and if you have all cards and put them together they become a hide chan puzzle from the mugongeki where hide chan is dressed like a buddhist priest in gold
  
  .
  
  .
  Special cards group 2 - the toilet...
  
  
  
  Backside: Backstage and live photography from the Psyence A GoGo Tour
  Regular cards group 1 - Photography from X Memorial Photoalbum 1993
  Backside: Scenes from "Tell Me" Video Clip
  
  
  
  Regular cards group 2 - from Rock-Inf (for the release of Psyence Album)
  Backside: Scenes from "Genkai Haretsu" Video Clip (color version)
  
  
  
  Regular cards group 3 - from UV (the one I mix up the toilet session thing with all the time)
  Backside: Scenes from "Bacteria" video clip
  
  
  
  Regular cards group 4 - Photography from hide - official calendar 1996
  Backside: Scenes from "Misery" video clip
  
  
  
  .
  Regular cards group 5 - Photography from hide - official calendar 1997
  Backside: Scenes from "Pink Spider" video clip
  
  
  
  Regular cards group 6 - Photography from hide - official calendar 1996
  Backside: more photography from hide - official calendar 1996
  Because it's so nice, here is the backside of one of the regular cards group 6, good old number 69...
  chou kakkou Ja zo, hide chan!
  
   
  
  Regular cards group 7 - Photography from X - official calendar 1997
  Backside: Now the backside of this group is special, it's a puzzel again and if you have all 9 of them they make up three more hide chan photos from the same calendar shooting session
  
  
  
  Regular cards group 8 - Photography from hide -official calender 1998 (movie posters)
  Backside: Scenes from "Rocket Dive" video clip
  
  
  
  .
  Regular cards group 9 - Photography from hide - official calender 1998 (the non-movie poster photos)
  Backside: Scenes from "Ever Free" video clip
  
  
  
  .
  Group 1 of the parallel cards - Photography from "Psyence" album booklet and
  "Psyence A GoGo" tour pamphlet.
  Backside: Scenes from "Beauty & Stupid" video clip
  
  
  
  Group 2 of the parallel cards as mentioned before is the same group 5 of the regular and the group 3 of the parallel cards is the same as group 8 of the regular cards.
  
  
  
  JOKER!
  Sorry for the long silence... work is keeping me hell of busy... tears...
  But! Here is finally a new side!
  The X-trump you can see below was sold as tour goods for the "Violence in Jealousy" tour 1991 with hide chan as the joker, Yo-chan as the queen (of course),
  Taiji as the king, Toshi as the ace and Pata chan as the jake.
  
  
  
  It's Joker time! (laugh)
  .
  And here are some more trading cards!
  The trading cards you see below are pretty rare stuff I believe. These X trading cards were sold only during the X Film Gig Standing Special 2 Days on the 20th and 21st of April 2002.
  
  
  
  After the live they were available for a short time via mail order service of tour goods. But now I don't think you can buy them anywhere anymore...
  There are 108 cards in total coming along in 12 pairs of 9 cards. The last 9 cards (number 100 till 108) are "special cards" = they are especially coated and glitter a little.
  The cards are sorted by time. That means that the first 9 cards have the oldest member photos.
  The photos are apparently all taken from the archives of the X-Fan Club.
  Since there was only a short period of time where you could buy the stuff and since it's also a question of money I don't have all cards by far.
  
  There are even tatami mats in the Tokyo Dome backstage!.
  Hope you enjoyed these X trading cards examples.
  Forever X
  Forever hide chan
  
  LET'S TALK ABOUT HIDE's FIRST BAND
  
  Yokosuka Saver Tiger
  
  
  1982.7 - 1987.3
  
  
  
  
  
  
  	I	II	III	IV	V	VI
  Guitar	hide	hide	hide	hide	hide	hide
  Vocal	Michael	Takk	Rolly	Rolly	KYO	KYO
  Guitar	Nick	Nick	Nick	REM	REM	REM
  Bass	Tetsu	Tetsu	JAM	JAM	Toki	Toki
  Drums	Ken	Ken	Ken	Ken	Kill with Power	TETSU
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Saver Tiger,
  
  
  
  
  hide chan's first band, had quite a lot of member
  change during its history
  as you can see in the above table.
  Furstrated by all the member change hide chan gave up in the beginning of 1987
  only to become X member later.
  Saver Tiger's songs were only recorded on Omnibus albums (as far as I know) like:
  Heavy Metal Force III (Vampire)
  Hold Up Omnibus (Dead Angel and Emergency Express)
  Videos
  
  
  (as far as I know):
  Saver Tiger live at Kaiyukan 1.31.86 (Rolly on Vocal)
  Saver Tiger live at Kaiyukan 12.29.86 (KYO on Vocal)
  Saver Tiger Song List
  (if any of you know any more Saver Tiger songs please let me know!)
  If not indicated otherwise the songs were composed by hide
  1) We Fuck Your Brain
  2) Fractured Mirror
  3) Emergency Express
  4) Princess in the Dark
  5) Vampire
  6) Gold Digger
  7) Dead Angel
  8) Dirty Lips
  9) Double Cross
  10) Sadistic Desire (Sadistic Emotion)
  11) Salucofagos (REM) (instrumental)
  12) 19 (REM)
  13) Motherof Jason (REM) (instrumental)
  14) Spady Madick (REM and hide)
  The tracks can be found in live versions on the albums: Origin of hide - Yokosuka Saver Tiger Vol. 1 + 2
  
  
• 
  
  
  
  Yoshiki Remembers HIDE with LOVE 1
  
  It has been a year already.
  Ever since that day, I've been thinking about those countless memories I've shared with hide.
  
  I thought about them, remembered them, and talked to hide about them. At that time, these precious memories will make me ache whenever I think about them. However, maybe it's because of the one year time, I find these things so warm in my memories. Talking and sharing about these things involving hide with his fans, a year ago, I'd never had thought it was possible.
  
  I'm still a little confused right now, and as of here, I'll pick those happy memories. I'll think and try to tell everyone at the same time. The first time I talked to hide, it was when he was still in Saber Tiger. His band and X made this mix CD together, that was the first time I played drums for hide. Before that, I've seen a couple of hide's perfomances, and thought 'What unbelievable performance that was.' However, when we talked for the first time, I've only thought: 'His face looks totally different from when he was on stage.' *laughs*
  
  
  
  However, we only communicated to the minimum. The real talk started when X had a performance, and he came. It was in some staircase, he said, "I'm hide from Saber Tiger." I was shocked, and said: "Eh? really?" His face was different once again. *laughs*
  
  
  
  However, when did we become really close? I really don't remember. We became close friends unknowingly, and then, we started hanging out often. The first time hide and I performed together, I think it was probably on 'Explosion', at that time, I used to put fire in a pot. One day, the fire was too big, and the place was too small. All the audiences went out for safety, my face, hide's face, everyone's face was all black afterwards.
  
  
  
  There are many mysteries revolving hide. One mystery that still remains today is: for some unknown reason, hide would not like anyone see his top naked. When we were backstage, we usually hung out together, so how could we not see the top part? But, really, I've seen the bottom half, but really have never seen the top half. *laughs* He's always changing secretively in a corner somewhere. "hide, do you have chest hair?"
  
  
  
  Even though we were joking, but in a live, when Toshi would say 'take it off', hide would never take it off. He'd always say 'take it off', but he'd never do so himself. He really does follow his own rules.
  
  Even when we went swimming, he still has to wear a shirt. That scene is really weird and somewhat suspicious.
  
  Talking about swimming, hide nearly drowned in my swimming pool at my LA house. *laughs*
  
  
  
  hide was drunk and three roddy (some dude) into my swimming pool, and then, I threw hide into the swimming pool. My pool is actually quite deep.
  
  And then, he would scream "I can't reach the bottom... I can't swim anymore..." and swim at the same time.
  .... it was not really swimming, more like drowning...
  
  
  
  Oh yes, also our 'food fight'.
  hide always thought that if we go to a really expensive, high class restaurant, then everything'll taste good there. The most important part is, his taste buds are a bit off. Whose taste bud is actually correct?
  
  There was once a magazine that used this question and went into a 'argument' state. hide's reasons was: if you mix together all these tasty food, then there'd be no reason for them not to taste good! Even if it was kidney and tofu mixed together, which are in no relevance to each other, he'd still say it tastes good.
  I say "That's really strange."
  
  For example, I like to eat pudding and sea urchin, but they definitely wouldn't taste good mixed together. No matter how tasty the food is, if you eat it with something that doesn't have any relevance to eachother, it won't taste good.
  
  
  
  Ah, but, after hide's drunk, he wouldn't know what he'd be eating, he'll just eat everything and anything. So... in the end, we don't know if hide is good at drinking or bad at drinking. I think he wasn't that good. He would get drunk easily and then start destroying. But, I'm the only one that could stop hide. I'd always get our manager's call, "Yoshiki, hide is going crazy again, please come over."
  
  
  
  Then, I'd go over to where hide's drinking. "hide-chan."
  He would respond really quickly.
  "Hai?" And then he'd stop and ask me. "Ah, what did I do?"
  
  Not only is his taste bad, but his eyes are bad too, he always said 'I can't drive in the night.'
  
  When we were in X, hide and I were the only ones that could drive. When we were still Indies, hide and I took our turns driving. But, he can't drive at night! But... when we're travelling from place to place, it's usually at night. Therefore, it was always me that drove, and we used to argue much over this topic. *laughs*
  
  
  
  And then, there was this period of time where hide was crazy about 'hat'. I don't remember which concert, but after the live, we got back to our hotel, and the fire alarm went off.
  
  "What happened?" When I ran outside, hide was holding the fire extinguisher and yelling "My hat is missing!"
  
  After that, I cared for hide's hat like I would for a musical instrument. Before a live, I'd ask "hide, is your hat with you?"
  When we were in Shibuya once, I asked him, "Where is your hat?"
  "It's here. Oh yeah, let's make a song about hats." And then he started singing "My hat, it's like this and like that..." and walked on at the same time. Strange person.
  
  That's right, there're endless things we could talk about. But if we continue like this, even a month wouldn't be enough. But, out of everything, the most vivid memories are still the ones that hide and me, and the members and the fans all shared. The memories are too beautiful, that's why it's even sadder. But, they gave the me today, the strength to live on every single day. To those fans that created all these memories with us, and of course hide as well...
  Thank you, really, thank you.
  
  
  Credit : ThanX for English translation Seiichiyamagai
  (c) hide.strawberry-candy.net
  http://japan-x.ucoz.ru/publ/87-1-0-289
  
  
  Guitar Battle
  
  
  

  The following interview is taken in exerpts from the magazine Gigs, Jan 1992.

  It's a guitar related interview battle between hide chan and Pata chan

  translated by Iguana, photos from Gigs Jan. 92

  

  Credits to : Iguana/Kurenai

  i - Interview guy

  h - hide

  p - Pata

  i: By now we got used to the image. hide uses Fernandes Mocking Bird and Pata Gibson Les Paul.

  p: That's right...

  h: But the first guitar I ever had was a Gibson Les Paul.

  p: Unforgivable! Absolutely unforgivable!

  

  h: The first guitar I ever had was a Gibson Les Paul Delux in natural wood, I was about 15, I guess.

  i: What!? A Gibson? With 15?!

  h: yeah!

  p: (laughing) Unforgivable! Absolutely!

  h: Yeah... I became sort of famous in town among young musicians. That guy has a Gibson! It was as if I had been driving a Lamborgini...

  

  p: Wow... that means you practiced the scale with a Gibson, didn't you?

  h: Yes... I coulnd't play a bit. I had bought it because I thought I wanted to learn how to play. I practiced in low cord all the time. I had not even an idea what a high cord was.

  p: (laughing) Unforgivable!

  

  h: Isn't it! I bought it at the American air base, it was used of course and rather cheap. But I actually had no idea what exactly I had bought there.And I exchanged it for another one pretty quickly.

  i: Goodness... And Pata's first Guitar was a Stratt (I'm not sure about the real name, in Japanese it reads Sutorato)

  

  p: Yes, the cheapest model.

  i: Ah, that's better, for a beginner that's an appropriate instrument.

  p: Damn right! And it was really the cheapest around!

  h: (laughing)

  i: I guess hearing that, the guitar kids reading that will feel safe again! hide's story is just too far a distance.

  

  h: (laughing) Like 300 meters ahead of the rest!

  p: (laughing)

  i: So when you even started with a Gibson Les Paul, how come you changed to Mockingbird?

  h: Well, at that time back then I was a big BowWow fan and the two BowWow guitarists used B.C. Rich.

  

  i: That's right... that's about 10 years ago now, right?

  h: I was quite a freak then and went to a lot of their concerts. And just that time Fernandes had a sales of Eagle and

  Mockingbird. The guy in the instrument shop also said they were damn good and if you connect them to a booster your ears drop off (laugh). I had no idea what a booster was, but anyway I felt the urge to buy that thing. (laugh) Well and ever since then I use the Mockingbird. I still have my first one, I repaired it lots of times.

  

  i: But at that time the most famous ones were Les Paul and Stratt and the Mockingbird was not very popular.

  h: Yeah, whenever someone asks me I always say, Mockingbird is the best! To make a little promotion for that guitar so that it doesn't end up in the store rooms not getting used by anyone! (laugh).

  

  i: Back then the B.C. Rich and its copies were also pretty expensive, right?

  h: Yes, I also own only one real B.C.Rich.

  p: Ah, that one...

  h: Yes, that's the real one.

  i: What?

  h: I used it on stage all the time, it's a little greenish, but I painted it. I painted it so much that you can't read the maker's name anymore, but it's a real B.C. Rich. I painted it all up to the head so nobody can find out the maker anymore.

  

  i: Well but nowadays, thanks to your influence the Mokcingbird has a big revival.

  h: Yes, I'm quite happy about that. But during recording I also lend Pata's Les Paul from time to time (looking at Pata)

  That one has a nice balance, doesn't it?

   p: Oh yes, it has.

  

  h: However when I play while seated I always slide backwards somehow.

  p: Of course you do, that's normal (laugh).

  h: You get smaller and smaller when you play it while seated, crouching all over.

  p: I just can't play the Mockingbird, that thing has a strange body. You just can't play it, it's terrible!

  

  h: I think I'm looking cool with a Les Paul... however I'm the only one who thinks that.Everybody says I look awful with a Les Paul in my hands.

  p: (laughing)

  h: But a Stratt really doesn't fit me, I think.

  i: The question is who decides whether it looks cool or not.

  

  p: (to hide) Well, you DO look awful with anything but a Mockingbird.

  h: That's just because you've never seen me with any other!

  i: We were able to confirm that fact when X recently played a balad on Music Station and you (=hide) were playing an accoustic guitar... it really looked awful.

  

  p and h: (big laugh)

  h: Stop it! Stop it! That's not fair! Everybody says I look awful with anything but a Mockingbird and slowly I start to believe it! That's not nice (laugh)!

   Translator's comment: I just love the way Pata is teasing hide chan...

  

  
  credits : http://iguana_matsumoto.tripod.com/guitarbattle.html

  
  
  Extasy Summit
  
  

  There were two Extasy Summits, 1991 and 1992 both held at Nippon Budokan in Tokyo. (In 1992 Extasy Summit was a little bigger and they did a concert in Osaka as well). X had gathered various visual-kei bands to celebrate Rock'n Roll.

  

  Many of the bands remained infamous and never made it beyond Indies level, and many of the bands don't exist anymore today, however most remarkably X "discovered" Luna Sea that later became one of the most popular visual rock bands as we all know. Another famous band that participated in the Extasy Summit was however of course the Tokyo Yankees.
  

  

  
  

  The motto for the Extasy summits was: "Muteki" which means something like unequaled.

  The "Muteki" band is all Extasy Summit members performing "Anarchy in the UK" by Sex Pistols

  For both Extasy summits videos were released.

  1991: Muteki wo kaite Extasy wo yomu (It writes "unequaled" and reads Extasy)

  Video set list:

  1)  Opening

  2)  Tokyo Yankees

  3)  Tokyo Yankees with hide and Pata

  4)  Virus

  5)  Luna Sea

  6)  Toshi with J'taime Hyakutaro

  7)  Yoshiki and Issay

  8)  hide, Pata, Taiji, Yoshiki and Toshi with Power Chorus

  9)  Muteki Band

  1992: Mina ha mumei datta kedo, muteki datta (they were all infamous but all unequaled)

  

  
  

  Video Set List:

  1)  Opening

  2)  Luna Sea

  3)  Deep

  4)  Media Youth

  5)  The Zolge

  6)  Tokyo Yankees

  7)  Tokyo Yankees with hide, Pata and Yoshiki

  8)  Screaming Mad George

  9)  Gilles De Rais

  10)  Zi:Kill

  11)  X

  12)  Muteki Band (God Save the Queen and Anarchy in the UK)

  Media Youth was Kiyoshi's band (before they disbanded and Kiyoshi joined hide's band) and with Tusk from Zi:Kill hide chan did the Set and Holth video a year later. Screaming Mad George did the styling for the Jealousy Album and had a bar in Roppongi, Tokyo called "Paranoia Cafe" where hide chan had a few drinks sometimes.

  

  
  

  The Photos are taken from the magazine Arena 37, January 1993

  pose 2 Tokyo gang versus Yokosuka Gang
  Muteki
  Pata, hide chan and Yoshiki backstage
  .

  Sugizo and hide chan

  .

  mina mumei datta kedo, muteki datta

  
  

  

  Zilch - Electric Cucumber doll.

  

  New Year doll.

  

  Guitar Heroes magazine doll.

  
  credits : http://iguana_matsumoto.tripod.com/xtasy.htm
  

  HIDE TOUR GOODIES
  

  

  Guitar Heroes magazine doll.

  
  
  and here comes the second part of hide chan goodies that were released in Japan.

  Again all the goodies were only available as trophies from Ufo-catchers

  (Who's in charge here!? The claw! The claw! (From "Toy Story")), but luckily some

  shops in Harajuku sell (sold) the stuff as well.
  

  

  1994 hide your face doll.

  
  

  
  

  .

  The Figures:
  

  

  Zilch - fuct doll.

  The five following figures were released all together. They are each about 10 cm tall,

  very detailed and absolutely nice.

  

  
  
  

  The Guitar Keyholders:

  Below you find an example for the guitar keyholders. I don't know actually how many

  different guitar keyholders there are, maybe 10 or even 12 or so. I don't have them all.

  

  
  

  The "yellow heart" guitar keyholder seems to be the most popular one. I saw it in one shop in

  Harajuku selling for 4000 Yen! The keyholders are about 7 cm long and very detailed

  as you can see. The pick has original pick size.

  
  Goodies!!

  Part 1

  Hi folks, here comes the first part of the hide chan goodies collection of goodies that came out

  in Japan over the past, let's say, two years or so.

  Hope you enjoy, more is to come later!

  

  
  

  .

  Part 1: Dolls!

  The first three hide chan dolls that were released in Japan you can see on the "watchout" page

  of my HPas far as I can remember, but here comes the big rest!

  

  
  

  By now there are five series of dolls, always three dolls per series, which sums up

  to 15 dolls in total. All of the 15 dolls are about 15 cm in size.

  And all of them are not for sale in Japan (except (luckily) for some shops in Harajuku)

  but you had to hunt for them at the Ufo-Catchers the time they came out!
  

  

  Good-Bye doll

  .

  Second Series

  
  Pose - Dahlia Tour Final 1996 Tokyo Dome doll.

  

  
  Zilch - Electric Cucumber doll.
  Good-Bye doll
  Third Series
  Zilch - fuct doll.
  1994 hide your face doll.
  Doubt 1997 doll
  

  .

  Of the first series (on "watchout" page) and of the third series,

  so called "DX" series were released. The dolls look the same, but with the

  difference that they are about 30 cm tall.
  

  

  Doubt 1997 doll

  .

  Santa Claus doll.
  New Year doll.
  Cyber-Christmas doll with rucksack.

  

  

  
  

  .

  

  Of the Christmas and New Year dolls of 2001 already at Christmas and New Year 2000 hide museum Lemoned shop (and only hide museum Lemoned shop) sold a "special edition" of the Christmas doll wearing Santa Claus outfit (there the doll smiles though) and the adorable New Year doll with hide chan in kimono and hakama.

  They are about 50 cm big and really great.
  

  

  Santa Claus doll.

  .

  Fifth Series
  Shoxx ? doll. (Sorry, forgot which photo session, i.e. which magazine this outfit is from)

  .

  
  

  

  Pose - Dahlia Tour Final 1996 Tokyo Dome doll.

  Guitar Heroes magazine doll.
  
  
  http://iguana_matsumoto.tripod.com/goodies1.html

  

  Shoxx  doll.
  
  
  

  Lyrics Pose - Hide
  

  
  

  Romaji

  POSE
  Lyrics & music: hide
  
  Kami nomizo shiru kyou no imi
  Kinouni kasaneru
  Kowaretakutemo kowasenu
  Atama kakaeteru
  
  I know umaku yarusa shizumanai ohisama
  Kyou aru kotoni kansha shite ishi wo tsumiageru Why?
  
  Katsute no kenja no osekkyou wa inuni kuwasechae
  Nazoru michinado nainosa kokowa doko demo nai
  
  Imi nai tokoroni kemuri tate tada wameki chirase
  Sugaru mono nado nanimo nai onoreni hairikome
  
  (Everythin' POSE)
  
  Everybody wants to be somebody sokoni imi wa nai
  Everybody needs to be somebody dokoni imi wa aru?
  
  (Everythin' POSE)
  
  Kami no mizoshiru kyou no imi
  Asuni takushitemo
  0101 itsumademo
  Senro wa tsuzukuka?
  
  I know umakuyarusa jounetsu no POSE de
  YABAku narya KARA tojichimae
  Tezukuri no SHELTER
  
  (Everythin' POSE)
  
  
  

  •  English Translation

    POSE
    Lyrics & music: hide
    
    Only God knows the meaning of today
    Colliding with yesterday
    Even if they want to break its impossible
    It's mind aching
    
    I know I'll do it good, Mr. Never-setting Sun
    Be thankful for this day and pile up the stones Why?
    
    As for the old philosopher's lecture, let the dogs eat it
    There's no path to follow This is nowhere
    
    Building up smoke where there is no fire Just whining out loud
    There's nothing to depend on Go into yourself
    
    (Everything POSE)
    
    Everybody wants to be somebody There's no meaning there
    Everybody wants to be somebody Then where is there meaning?
    
    (Everything POSE)
    
    Only God knows the meaning of today
    Even if you entrust it to tomorrow
    0101 Would the railroad continue on
    for ever and ever?
    
    I know I'll do it good with the POSE of passion
    If it gets nasty go back into your shell
    Your handmade shelter
    
    (Everything POSE)
    Romanian Translation  by M.A.K
    
    POSE  ( FATADA)
    
    Versuri & Aranjament Muzical , HIDE

  Numai Dumnezeu stie sensul zilei de azi
  Ciocnindu-se cu ziua de ieri,
  Chiar voind sa ma eliberez e imposibil,
  E bataie de cap
  Stiu ca-l voi face bine Dl, Niciodata Soare-Apune
  Fii recunoscator pentru aceasta zii si aduna pietrele
  DE CE ?
  
  In ceea ce priveste invatzatura batranului Filozof
  S-o manace cainii,
  Nu este nici o cale de urmat, aici este nicaieri
  Facand fum acolo unde nu e foc, plangandu-te cu voce tare
  Nu exista nimic de care sa depinzi, retrage-te in tine
  
  ( Totul e FATADA)
  
  Toti vor sa fie "cineva", in asta nu e nici un sens
  Toti vor sa fie "cineva" atunci care e rostul lor ?( Totul e FATADA)
  Numai Dumnezeu stie sensul zilei de aziChiar daca te increzi in ziua de manine
  

  0101 Oare ar merge ca pe roate la nesfarsit ? 
  Stiu ca ma voi descurca mimand pasiunea 
  Daca devine problematic 
  Retrage-te in carapacea ce ti-e adapst creat de tine insuti
  
  ( Totul e FATADA)