♪ (dramatic piano music) ♪
Yoshiki:
♪ (dissonant music) ♪
♪ (heavy metal music playing) ♪
(shouts indistinctly)
♪ (heavy metal music playing) ♪
♪ Walk through the light ♪
♪ To find your shadow ♪
♪ Till your god stole you from the edge ♪
♪ Sunk in the thought to feel the distance ♪
♪ Was it your secret? ♪
♪ Stop holding your fear ♪
♪ Let memory live and die alone ♪
♪ No need to be there ♪
♪ Let your desire scream ♪
♪ Till you feel alive ♪
♪ 'Cause you are beautiful ♪
♪ Your scars are beautiful ♪
♪ Like the Jade ♪
♪ You'll still shine ♪
♪ When you sink into the sea ♪
♪ Where the bleeding, scarlet jealousy ♪
♪ Carves away your belief ♪
♪ Now, now and forever I
♪ You'll be loved ♪
♪ Let your destiny ♪
♪ Lead your heart ♪
♪ My Jade ♪
(audience cheering)
(cheering and shouting)
(applause)
(woman laughs)
(women squealing)
Woman: (yelling)
Woman 2:
A very famous person.
Man: Hi. This is Yoshiki, from the band X Japan.
Yoshiki: Hi. This is Yoshiki, from the band X Japan.
Man: We are playing Madison Square Garden in New York.
Yoshiki: We are playing Madison Square Garden in New York.
Man: Saturday, October 11th.
Yoshiki: Saturday, October 11th.
DJ. 1: This is Sirius XM. Out cue.
One of the biggest bands in the world
finally taking America by storm is...
Is it X, or is it...
Yoshiki:
DJ. 1: X Japan.
And it's interesting that the band,
being so successful all over the world...
yet a lot of mainstream, Western,
English-speaking Americans
are right now just getting into the band.
Yoshiki:
- We are! - All: X!
- Man 2: We are! - All: X!
- Man: We are! - All: X!
Man: X Japan, everybody!
(cheers and applause)
DJ 2: You guys have sold over
30 million records, which is absolutely insane.
You guys have been huge since 1982.
I can't wait to see this concert.
Yoshiki:
Stan Lee: Yoshiki is a musical idol in Japan.
(women screaming)
He played both piano and trumpet and drums,
and I think there was nothing he couldn't do.
(man whoops)
Remember when I taught you how to speak Japanese?
Mm-hmm.
DJ 3: How would you describe your sound?
I know that people talk about you. They use the word "metal."
But I feel like it's more than that.
(laughing)
(speaking Japanese)
Woman 3: (speaking Japanese)
All: X!
Woman 4: (speaking Japanese)
- We are! - All: X!
Yoshiki: (shouting) X! Kill you!
♪ (heavy metal music playing) ♪
Hiroshi: (speaking Japanese)
Yuichi:
(singing)
(singing indistinctly)
- Reporter: (speaking Japanese) - Man 3:
Woman 5:
(singing indistinctly)
(people shouting)
Yoshiki: (shouting indistinctly)
- Yoshiki: We are! - All: X!
- We are! - All: X!
- Yoshiki: We are! - All: X!
Yoshiki:
(guitar playing)
Woman 6: Thank you. Bye.
All right. All done.
That is painful.
Yoshiki:
- Hello. - Yoshiki: Hi.
- How are you? - I'm fine.
Can you come up here for a second?
Yoshiki:
Doctor: Here.
Yoshiki:
On the right wrist.
- Left? - Left, here.
Hold on. It's in here.
- Yeah. - Okay.
I don't know how effective a shot here will be.
I really don't.
That might be helpful.
- In here? - Yeah.
Yoshiki:
- Doctor: Yeah. - Yoshiki: If it's not...
I mean, you could even play tonight.
But I kind of... I wanna give it a break.
It's so, like... it needs a break, you know?
(drums playing)
(bass playing)
Yoshiki:
(drums playing)
Man 4: I can hear you perfectly, Yoshiki.
Yoshiki: Okay, okay.
Man 4: So what does it mean
to you personally playing at Madison Square Garden?
Band member: (speaking Japanese)
- Man: Bye. - Bye-bye.
(phone line clicks)
Yoshiki:
♪ (somber music playing) ♪
Yoshiki:
Yeah.
♪ (sad music playing) ♪
♪ (piano music playing) ♪
Yoshiki:
♪ (piano music playing) ♪
Yoshiki:
(drums playing)
Yoshiki: My father was actually collecting a lot of swords.
♪ (mysterious music) ♪
♪ (piano music playing) ♪
Yoshiki:
Yeah.
(man chanting)
(bell dings)
(chanting continues)
Yoshiki:
♪ (mysterious music playing) ♪
(both speaking Japanese)
Woman:
(speaking indistinctly)
Yoshiki:
(speaking indistinctly)
(speaking Japanese)
(camera shutter clicks)
Naoshi: (speaking Japanese)
(laughing)
(speaking indistinctly)
Caren?
Which one? Which billboard.
That one?
DJ: It's very rare in my 30 years that I have
an opportunity to meet and talk for a few minutes
with someone who I've never met before in the rock business.
I know you have a long history,
a lot of diverse styles of music that you've done.
Give everybody the short version of your story.
Yoshiki:
♪ (heavy metal music playing) ♪
(singing indistinctly)
Yoshiki: Then...
DJ: What was the cause of the break up? Were you not getting along,
or was there changes in the musical climate in J...?
Oh, he was ill?
Yoshiki:
DJ: Well, it must feel great to have him back.
The singer that you say
was brainwashed... he came back to you, right?
He got straightened out, so to speak?
Yoshiki:
♪ I... ♪
♪ Wake from my dream ♪
♪ I can't find my way ♪
♪ Without you ♪
(guitar playing)
Come in?
- Man: Oh, wow. - Yeah.
Man: Day after the show, just go straight home?
Man: After the concert.
(speaking Japanese)
Mm-hmm.
Toshi: (speaking Japanese)
♪ (music playing) ♪
♪ Needles are piercing through my skin ♪
♪ It's no kind of part of a fairy tale ♪
♪ But you're so young ♪
Man: How long you been waiting?
It's about two hours now.
- Man: Here goes. And we're in. - Man 2: You made it.
- Man: Before... - (humming)
(Yoshiki humming)
♪ (heavy metal music playing) ♪
Yoshiki: Yeah!
Okay.
Naoshi: (speaking Japanese)
(chatting and laughing)
♪ (piano music playing) ♪
Naoshi: (speaking in Japanese)
Yoshiki:
(shouts in Japanese)
Toshi: (speaking in Japanese)
Taiji: (speaking in Japanese)
Yoshiki:
♪ (heavy metal music playing) ♪
Yoshiki:
♪ (pensive guitar music playing) ♪
♪ I couldn't look back ♪
♪ You'd gone away from me ♪
♪ I felt my heartaches ♪
♪ I was afraid ♪
♪ Of following you ♪
♪ When I had looked ♪
♪ At the shadows ♪
♪ On the wall ♪
♪ I start running into the night ♪
♪ To find the truth ♪
♪ In me ♪
(cheers and applause)
(shouting)
♪ (fast metal music playing) ♪
(cheers and applause)
Toshi: (speaking in Japanese)
Naoshi: (speaking in Japanese)
(audience shouting and cheering)
Yoshiki's mother: (speaking in Japanese)
♪ (piano music playing) ♪
Yoshiki's mother: (speaking in Japanese)
(cheers and applause)
♪ (dark piano music playing) ♪
♪ (ominous music playing) ♪
Yoshiki:
(laughs)
- Hey. - Man: Hey, Yoshiki.
How are you doing? Are you ready for Madison Square Garden?
Man: How is the band doing?
Boyd: Yeah. I think so.
Yoshiki:
Boyd: So they put you in the same category as, like...
Boyd: Like, Queensryche. Mastodon is awesome.
So that's a really cool list.
Man: What number was X, your band?
(car horns honking)
Uh-huh.
- This is, like... - (horn honks)
Man: Fucking jerk.
Man: Are you, like, a restless sleeper?
Yoshiki:
- Man: Do you dream? - Yoshiki: Yeah.
Man: What do you dream about?
Yoshiki:
(laughs softly)
Man: He was asking me why that is.
- Yoshiki: Yeah? - Man: Yeah.
Yoshiki: He was asking you?
Yeah.
Dr. Markinson: Make a fist.
We compare the non-symptomatic left side with the right side.
- Yoshiki: Okay. - Markinson: Okay?
So watch this.
So there's a dynamic element.
We make a fist where you're driving.
- Yoshiki: Right. - Markinson: The more forcefully
you do combinations, sticks plus this,
the more you drive this against cartilage.
So, it would be better to modify technique.
Everything should be as least effort as possible.
Improvisation... here it is. Watch. Very simple.
♪ (playing recorder) ♪
Markinson: And the secret of music, really,
at a certain age...
and I'm not trying to be your father...
is zero effort,
because if you get down to almost zero effort,
but you're still going and growing fast...
I see.
I know you can get out of this.
Yoshiki:
Less effort.
Almost go to zero effort,
and then the audience is even more mystified.
♪ (drums pounding) ♪
Yoshiki:
Man:
Pata:
(speaking Japanese)
Woman:
(sneezes)
(woman speaking Japanese)
(inaudible dialogue)
Yoshiki: (speaking in Japanese)
Sugizo:
- Yoshiki: - Sugizo:
Yoshiki:
Sugizo:
Woman: Ready?
♪ (glam metal playing) ♪
Sugizo: (speaking in Japanese)
Man 1:
Man 2:
Man 3:
Mayday: (speaking in Japanese)
(laughter)
Toshi:
(all shout in Japanese)
♪ (metal music playing) ♪
Toshi: Standing,
standing...
(Toshi shouting)
♪ (metal music playing) ♪
(Yoshiki screams)
♪ (heavy metal music playing) ♪
Yoshiki: (speaking in Japanese)
(singing)
(audience shouting)
Yoshiki:
(audience cheering)
Yoshiki:
Man: Why did he have to go?
Yoshiki:
Man: Why can't you talk about it even now?
It's, um...
♪ (music playing) ♪
Man: (speaking Japanese)
♪ Sha... shadow and I ♪
Hai.
♪ If I could fly from skyscrapers ♪
♪ I'd be flying to you ♪
♪ Baby, you'd be mine ♪
(singing indistinctly)
♪ Is it destiny ♪
♪ That we bleed ourselves ♪
♪ For love? ♪
♪ Or is it love ♪
♪ Making me feel ♪
♪ Like you're sucking ♪
♪ My blood? ♪
(both laugh)
(laughs)
♪ (piano music playing) ♪
♪ (rock music playing) ♪
♪ (man singing in Japanese over speakers) ♪
Yoshiki: (speaking in Japanese)
(humming)
Toshi: (speaking in Japanese)
Yoshiki:
Hide: (speaking in Japanese)
Hideo: (speaking Japanese)
Heath: (speaking in Japanese)
Sugizo: (speaking Japanese)
Toshi: (speaking in Japanese)
Yoshiki:
I was like... (imitates thumping)
Naoshi: (speaking Japanese)
♪ (heavy metal music playing) ♪
Yoshiki:
Man: For the band,
as they attempt to take their first step
toward international success.
Woman: Why is it that you think that a band with...
comes from a country that does not speak English natively
is going to succeed here?
It has never happened.
With the band working on their English,
and with Atlantic having the best promotion
and marketing people in the business,
we feel that we can overcome a lot of obstacles
and hopefully... hopefully sell many platinum albums in America.
(camera beeps, shutter clicks)
Yoshiki: (speaking Japanese)
Hi. Nice to meet you.
Gene: The language of rock and roll is English.
- Yoshiki, he's our good friend? - Woman: Yes.
Gene: And they demand certain rules,
which are unspoken,
because it's politically incorrect,
and it's unkind and all that stuff.
Gene: How do you break through that wall,
that silent, prejudiced wall?
By the way, I come from Israel. When I first came to America...
(in Israeli accent) I talked like this.
(normal voice) Nobody gave me the time of day.
Yoshiki: (speaking in Japanese)
Gene: If those guys were either born in America or England
and sang in English,
they might be the biggest band in the world.
♪ (holy music playing) ♪
♪ (dissonant piano chords play) ♪
Yoshiki:
Man: Stand by.
Yoshiki:
Oh.
♪ (music playing) ♪
♪ (dramatic piano music playing) ♪
Yoshiki:
♪ (music playing) ♪
Toshi: (speaking in Japanese)
♪ Desert rose ♪
♪ Why do you live alone? ♪
Toshi: (speaking in Japanese)
♪ All I can see is drowning ♪
♪ In cold gray ♪
Man:
Toshi: (speaking in Japanese)
If you're an artist...
because what you make is the explanation for you.
What you are is a question mark.
You should never explain your art.
You explain yourself with your art.
That's the reason you do art in the first place...
to exorcise your demons
and to exercise with your demons.
♪ (heavy metal music playing) ♪
Yoshiki: (shouting) Art of Life!
Yoshiki:
♪ Art of life ♪
♪ I try to stop myself ♪
♪ But my heart goes ♪
♪ To destroy the truth ♪
♪ Tell me why ♪
♪ I want the meaning ♪
♪ Of my life ♪
♪ Do I try to live? ♪
♪ Do I try to love ♪
♪ In my ♪
♪ Life? ♪
(cheers and applause)
Toshi: (speaking in Japanese)
♪ (piano music playing) ♪
(audience shouting)
♪ (dramatic music playing) ♪
(women sobbing)
Yoshiki:
(all crying)
Woman 1: (speaking Japanese)
Man: (speaking Japanese)
Reporter: (speaking Japanese)
Woman 3: (speaking Japanese)
(chattering and crying)
- Woman 3: (speaking Japanese) - Reporter: (speaking Japanese)
Yoshiki:
(crowd screaming excitedly)
Yoshiki:
(speaking indistinctly)
Hide: (speaking Japanese)
(laughing)
(laughter)
(woman chuckles)
Toshi: (speaking Japanese)
(cheers and applause)
♪ (ethereal metal music playing) ♪
(screaming)
♪ (singing in Japanese) ♪
Toshi: (speaking in Japanese)
(cheering)
Yoshiki:
(cheering continues)
Toshi: (speaking Japanese)
♪ (heavy metal music playing) ♪
(singing indistinctly)
(audience cheering)
Pata: (speaking in Japanese)
♪ (somber music playing) ♪
Yoshiki:
TV anchor: Downtown Tokyo today to mourn the suicide
of one of Japan's most adored rock stars.
Hideto Matsumoto, who had been lead guitarist
for the band X Japan,
killed himself on Saturday, leaving no explanation.
Authorities say Matsumoto's death
has already provoked one young fan,
a woman, to kill herself
and two others to attempt suicide.
(siren wails)
(whistle blows)
So...
You know...
(speaking in Japanese)
(crowd screaming)
(indistinct chatter)
Yoshiki: (speaking in Japanese)
♪ (sad music playing) ♪
- (crowd screaming) - (whistle blows)
(birds chirping)
Sugizo: (speaking in Japanese)
Yoshiki:
Yeah.
Narumi: (speaking in Japanese)
- (voices whispering) - (wind blowing)
♪ (dramatic orchestral music playing) ♪
Yoshiki:
♪ (music playing) ♪
(thunder crashes)
- Man 1: One. - Man 2: One.
- Man 1: Two. - Man 2: Two.
- Man 1: Three. - Man 2: Three.
- Man 1: Four. - Man 2: Four.
- Man 1: Five. - Man 2: Five.
- Man 1: Six... - Man 2: Six...
Yoshiki:
Man 2: Cut it.
♪ (piano playing) ♪
Woman: (speaking Japanese)
Yoshiki: (speaking in Japanese)
(rat squeaks)
♪ (somber music playing) ♪
- Man: Am I in your way? - Yoshiki: No.
- (man speaking Japanese) - (audience cheers)
(indistinct chatter)
Toshi: (speaking in Japanese)
♪ (motivational music playing) ♪
Yoshiki: (speaking in Japanese)
(camera shutters clicking)
- (drums playing) - (women shriek)
Yoshiki: (speaking in Japanese)
♪ (ethereal music playing) ♪
(indistinct chatter)
(women clamoring)
(engine revving)
(people shouting)
Toshi: (speaking in Japanese)
(woman shouting)
Toshi: (speaking in Japanese)
Man: (speaking in Japanese)
♪ (orchestral music playing) ♪
Yoshiki:
(turn signal clicking)
Yoshiki: (speaking in Japanese)
Toshi: (speaking Japanese)
Yoshiki:
Man: Get together. Whoa, whoa!
Nice ride!
Too bad you can't take it with you.
You can't take it with you! It stays behind!
The only thing you can take with you is Jesus, nothing else!
Yoshiki:
(Toshi laughs)
Toshi: That's funny.
Toshi: (speaking Japanese)
♪ (solemn piano music playing) ♪
One, two, three.
♪ (singing in Japanese) ♪
Yoshiki: (speaking in Japanese)
(clears throat)
♪ (continues singing) ♪
Yoshiki:
Yoshiki: (speaking in Japanese)
(Toshi laughs)
(both laugh)
Yoshiki: (speaking in Japanese)
Toshi: (speaking in Japanese)
Woman reporter:
Man reporter:
- Woman reporter: - Man reporter:
Yoshiki: (speaking in Japanese)
Both: (speaking in Japanese)
Yoshiki: (speaking Japanese)
Toshi: (speaking in Japanese)
Yoshiki: (speaking in Japanese)
Toshi: (speaking in Japanese)
Yoshiki:
You know?
♪ (heavy metal music playing) ♪
(crowd cheers)
I'm from China, and this band is my life.
Woman: X Japan, you guys are awesome.
I rode a bus for eight hours just to see you guys.
(crowd cheers)
It was the first band I got in concert with
when I was 12 years old. I'm 23 now.
Wes: Yoshiki is like, "X Japan is getting back together,
and I want you to come play guitar."
"Okay. Sounds weird. I'm in."
♪ Look to the light ♪
Different level of rock star.
It goes beyond the Stones,
Aerosmith, or Guns N' Roses.
Wes: This reunion was a big deal,
because it was the first time they were playing without Hide,
and it had been maybe a decade since they'd played together.
This is for Hide!
Woman 1: I had a friend of mine overseas
who killed himself after Hide died.
That's how I got turned on to the band.
It's changed my life.
My 75-year-old mother is in love with Toshi.
Woman 2: He's amazing. The last concert I was at,
believe it or not, was Elvis Presley.
- Man 1: We are! - All: X!
(shouting)
All: X!
Hide, te amo.
(all screaming)
When my grandfather died, the music definitely helped me
through that period.
With their music, even though a lot of it's not in English,
you feel liberated by their music.
You know, it heals. It really does.
- Man 2: We are! - All: X!
♪ (music playing) ♪
Hide: (speaking in Japanese)
Yoshiki: (speaking Japanese)
(drums playing)
(crowd cheering)
♪ I don't think so ♪
Man: Five minutes to show. Five minutes.
Toshi: (speaking in Japanese)
(groaning)
Man: Stand by, house lights.
Stand by, audio. Stand by, video.
Toshi: (speaking in Japanese)
(crowd cheering)
♪ (music playing) ♪
♪ (mysterious orchestral music playing) ♪
Yoshiki:
Sugizo: (speaking in Japanese)
Toshi: (speaking Japanese)
(crowd cheering)
Announcer: (echoing) Introducing... X Japan.
(bell dings)
♪ ("La Venus" playing) ♪
(crowd cheering)
♪ ("Born to Be Free" playing) ♪
♪ Cut the leash, fulfilling death ♪
♪ Try to hide and try not to die ♪
(crowd cheering)
♪ Into the shadow, the butterfly ♪
♪ Where your heart will be free to fly ♪
♪ Born to be free ♪
- ♪ Free forever ♪ - ♪ Born to be free ♪
- ♪ Now and forever ♪ - ♪ Nobody can steal ♪
♪ Our freedom ♪
♪ Our life away ♪
- ♪ We'll be forever ♪ - ♪ Born to be free ♪
♪ Free forever ♪
♪ We won't surrender ♪
♪ We'll be forever ♪
♪ Free ♪
♪ To love ♪
Toshi: We are!
(crowd screams) X!
We are!
We love you!
♪ (singing in Japanese) ♪
I didn't know how popular he was in Japan,
and there's a new song that I hadn't heard
until we actually did it, which is beautiful.
Really, really good.
If it were in a film,
it would be an Academy Award winner.
No doubt about it.
How he has created his whole life
is extremely different than other people.
It would've been very easy just to be a hot rock band,
you know, in Japan.
But Yoshiki is leading X.
He wants to see his band become as popular
in every country in the world as it is in Japan.
♪ (music playing) ♪
I'm a believer.
♪ ("Hero" playing) ♪
♪ Did I fail you, dear? ♪
♪ Like painless suicide ♪
♪ You buried the creed ♪
♪ Beneath blood-red roses ♪
♪ Had life S
♪ Life's just begun ♪
♪ I knew ♪
♪ Nothing could stay the same ♪
♪ But feeling ♪
♪ Can feeling last forever? ♪
♪ There's a hero ♪
♪ In you ♪
♪ Inside of you ♪
- ♪ Inside of you ♪ - ♪ Oh ♪
♪ Resolve the down ♪
♪ But I'm asking why I'm still here ♪
♪ Standing in the rain ♪
♪ They say there's a hero ♪
♪ In you ♪
Crowd: X! X! X!
♪ (I.V. playing) ♪
♪ I'm calling you, dear ♪
♪ Can't you see me standing right here? ♪
♪ Life's bleeding from fear ♪
♪ I will give it straight from my vein ♪
♪ I'm calling you, dear ♪
♪ Find the way ♪
♪ Can't you see me standing right here? ♪
♪ Feel my pain ♪
♪ Life's bleeding from fear ♪
♪ Find its place ♪
♪ I will give it straight from my vein ♪
(screaming)
Yoshiki: (screaming) We...
are...
X!
(cheers and applause)
(crowd chanting)