the fool: Crazy Frogs Hunting the World

On the occasion of their recent European tour, the fool lent us their time for a series of questions and answers. The three men have strengthened their image of crazy rockers during their performance at the Jap-Ro Festival in Bonn and Utrecht, the Netherlands. The trio have taken a liking to Europe and have thus returned this time for a full European tour. During the interview, we asked Gunji, TACA, and Goo about the past of the band, their experiences in Europe and we also got a glimpse of their first album, released on 20th October.


Hello, can you please introduce yourselves?

Gunji: Hello, my name is Gunji. I’m the vocalist for the fool... umm... wait a moment, please. (He turns desperately to face Goo and TACA) Something I usually say? Umm...“I am a very gentlemanly Japanese!” Musically, I’ve been influenced by rock, punk heavy metal, grunge and electro. Some examples of these groups are: The Prodigy, The Chemical Brothers, NOFX, Green Day… But I also like Japanese groups, like BOOM BOOM SATELLITES, GOING STEADY, X JAPAN and LUNA SEA.

TACA: Hello, I’m TACA, the guitarist of the fool. My passion is photography. Taking photographs of beautiful, urban or industrial places… for instance, special places... I like the Double Cheeseburger from McDonald's, but without bacon! (laughs) I could eat there everyday. I like to listen to BOOM BOOM SATELLITES and I like hide from X JAPAN. I love Japanese rock! GLAY, L'arc~en~ciel and LUNA SEA are more favourites. (He discusses further, but quickly with Gunji) Ah! Also, we like dieS, from Dai! They really resemble a visual kei group but are a little different.

Gunji: Rock! Loud! Emotional!

TACA: It’s really cool, but difficult to explain. We’re good friends; I really respect him.

Gunji: I think you guys would like him.

Goo: I’m Goo, and I’m the other guitarist for the fool. I enjoy coffee and chocolate — and J-pop! (laughter) For example, Nakashima Mika or EXILE. My main influence is LUNA SEA, in particular SUGIZO.

Gunji: He’s a little shy... He’s my older brother, did you know? There’s a strong bond between us. It’s not something that we hide. I think that it’s something great.

TACA: I was… how to say... it’s a sort of appreciation for each other. A little like an assistant. And at the time, Gunji was also a really cool guitarist.

Gunji: Yes, I WAS. (laughs)

TACA: I adore him. (laughs) I respect him. For me, he’s like a senpai.

Gunji: We’ve known each other for a long time and we understand each other well. I also fully trust Goo because he’s my brother. And so, the fool is a team. We do well together; deep and friendly feelings unite us. I absolutely wanted to be the leader of the group, or more accurately, be at the centre of the stage. But as a guitarist, it was difficult in my previous bands. I wanted to make music that I like, crazy music, or something. Then three years ago, I called TACA and we started to work on the image of the group, the music and now, well… we’re here. That’s our story. I think the most important thing in a rock group is communication, friendship and trust. That’s why the fool is the team for me.

You played with Luzmelt in Bonn on 31st July, as part of the Jap-Ro Festivals and then also on the 1st of August in Utrecht. The concert in Bonn was your first performance overseas. What were your experiences at these two concerts?

Gunji: The concert in Bonn was part of my dreams. I was completely nervous, so much so that I was almost sick right before the concert. I really had a stomach-ache! But when I went on stage and people shouted my name, I was extremely happy. I gave it my all for the fans. I sang louder than usual. Although at the second concert in Utrecht... it’s a little difficult to compare the two. Somehow this is not possible. But after the two concerts, I felt the same: happy and grateful.

What was the most powerful song performed live in Europe?

All: Go motherfucker!

Gunji: When we announced the song, fans reacted in an extreme manner. They knew the song.

What was most significant for you at the two concerts overseas?

Gunji: We gained a lot of experience — that’s a definite. We love music and we believe music knows no boundaries. We want fans of the J-rock world to tell us how they feel when they hear our music. We test it. The average Japanese person is very reserved, but here you can experiment more and we overcome things more easily by seeing the reactions. We learnt plenty about performance, creativity and consistency. During this tour, we wanted to realize our dream and with that realization, we can become stronger together. When we get back to Japan, we will be stronger. This new European tour will be our second chance. At concerts in both Bonn and Utrecht, I was strongly influenced; the pleasure was immense. This sense of excitement and happiness, that feeling, and the fans… all this, I enjoy it even more; this time in bigger and more different places. Plus, I like the European fans and they love us too, don’t they? (laughs) So I don’t feel any fear or tension. We want to hold exciting concerts, make our music in Europe and have fun on stage alongside the fans.

Your first album, Crazy frogs around the world was released on October 20. Can you tell us some thoughts about each song?

Pussy dance

Gunji: I composed that song for fans who love sex. (laughs) Just kidding! The music helps you relieve frustration. I like pussy. (laughs) Sorry, it's a joke.

For you

Gunji: This song shows our love for our fans. I made it out of gratitude for our fans. Don’t you think it has a sweet melody? I think, this song is true love!

GAZA field

Goo: GAZA field expresses the feelings of a journalist taking a photograph in the battlefield. We hate war, so we made GAZA field. I made the arrangement difficult in order to express anger and sadness against war.

Go motherfucker

Gunji: Don't you think that this song has a strange title? (laughs) But! This is a song of encouragement. I wanted to convey a message along the lines of "a fool who is forging on strongly in life" with this song. A feeling just like “Go motherfucker!” I'm not a motherfucker. (laughs) I’m a gentleman, aren’t I?

download

TACA: This song has a solid and cool digital rock tune. I'm good at the techniques used in the approach and arrangement of this song. You can "download" this tune to your body, and when you complete the "installation," you raise your fist. Now, you are ready. You must rock to your heart's content!

Ring～kyozetsu, hen’i to nari～

TACA: When I arranged this tune, I had the theme of overwhelming feelings in mind. It’s the only song that takes a different approach from the pleasant music the fool currently embodies. You must entrust your body to the dark and heavy sounds...

Dragon Cell Carnival

Goo: Dragon Cell Carnival comes from the word “cell.” A cell, an instinct, a human being. The bouncy rhythm and sexy lyrics spice up the stimulating music.

GOD BLESS YOU

Goo: GOD BLESS YOU has a direct message I wanted to express: that we should not fear life that is blessed by God. The arrangement was very electronic; the singing was equally admirable. The guitar and bass were aggressive and loud. I like the lyrics of this song.

Reckless fighter

Gunji: I like words to be reckless. Therefore, I wanted to make a song that was good for words to be reckless. I made this song for this album. It is the newest song of the fool, yeah.

Mindjack

Gunji: Don’t you think this song is really the best? It’s my favourite becuse it's crazy, cool and has high tension! When I made this, I was influenced by trance and psychedelic music. I like techno, trance and psychedelic music. Though, I don’t think any other song of the fool would drive you crazy like this. (laughs)

Crazy's crew

TACA: Crazy's crew is a song that bonds us with the fans. We call our fans “Crazy's crew.” The song is the Lethal Weapon that we play at the most important of concerts. Become a member of “Crazy's crew,” be absorbed in the song and dance like crazy to the music.

GETTING UNITED-Remix-

TACA: A new version of this is on our second maxi-single. I gave it an eletro-techno-pop touch but retained the original dance-rock flavour. The vocals at the end give it a strange final touch. Please appreciate the peculiarity of the fool always.


JaME would like to thank the fool, Starwave Records and Astan for their cooperation.