The pain in this performance is palpable. Kyo forces the listener and viewer to deal with the emotions present. It's a great song but it's so hard to listen to. I watched this performance on UA-cam for years and always thought it was an underrated masterpiece. It really pained me that most people wouldn't get to see it outside of die hard fans. but it's good to see it getting recognized again.
The Final at Wacken 2007. Shortly after this the mock self harm became real. From this era to around around 2008, Kyo became notorious for physically tearing himself apart on stage. That's why he's got so many tattoos now, most of them are covering scars. When they were on the Family Values tour he broke his own nose with the mic and had to dump a bucket of water over himself to wash the blood off, then started tearing the stage apart. Kyo has some deep, deep-seated emotional issues, playing Zakuro and Mushi at this show seemed to have pushed him over the edge for a long time, as they're both as far as we fans know, about his ex-fiance that left him for a bassist named Kisaki when they were in a band together. Kyo never got over it. After this he would regularly cut himself, fishhook himself and bash himself in the face with the mic on stage. Every night. He's still standoffish towards people, I don't think he ever really got over that betrayal.
True, but his worldview seems to have improved since Uroboros. At least, he has hope again (DSS's title literally translates to While I breathe, I hope), and it looks like he's having fun on stage again in the current live vids, but he still seems very standoffish towards people. I'm sure his depression stems from more than one place, but back then, it was mostly the Kisaski ordeal. Aside from a few songs here and there it wasn't until Uroboros where they started getting really world-conscious. They had quite a few about Japanese society being messed up, but not about the state of humanity in general, which is what most are about now.
Eh, he and Kisaki were still trading blows in interviews well into the 2000's. There's definitely resentment there. I kind of doubt Kyo cares anymore though. He seems like he lives in his own world, for better or worse.
Kyo never attributed any song to the incident. There was an interview where they asked him about the fiancee thing and his lyrics and it seemed like he discredited it to be linked to any song. Some fans like to put weight on the incident and take that as their own truth though, even though Kyo denied it. Plus, this song is in the point view of a woman.
I've been a fan of Dir En Grey for about 15 years. They're the only band that legitimately touches my soul. I really mean that. Kyo is an amazing artist and an amazing singer but this song alone (live) shows you their MUSIC is amazing!!! Holy hell, its amazing! I saw them live in LA last December and ... if you ever get the chance to watch this man perform, I highly suggest you do it. If you want to sob buckets, listen to " Aint afraid to die" live. Thats some amazing music.
Thank you so much for reacting to this! It’s sad that we had no translated version from the 5 Ugly KINGDOM live, that might have avoided this discussion. Yes, there was a period where he did a lot of self-harm on stage and I wish he didn’t. It’s always difficult to distinguish between an adding-to-the-show factor and real, raw, emotions which you just can’t control whether you are on stage or not. With Kyo we know from numerous interviews (and by taking a closer look at his body I see this confirmed) that he did not hurt himself off-stage. He stated in an interview once (years later) that he saves all his negative emotions up to unload on stage and especially during a very stressful period (they had just started doing a second world-tour in a row!) he sometimes felt like screaming wasn’t enough anymore. He found better ways to channel his feelings by now. I saw them 9 times live during this period and he didn’t hurt himself in every show and when he did it was during a single song. I don’t want to play his actions down (!) but I think they shouldn’t be exaggerated either. To many people self-harm is a reality and it is always ugly. But everyone who harms himself does so because he doesn’t want to kill himself. And by exaggerating actions from icons there is a danger that people don’t only copy that behavior (which is terrible enough) but believe they have to go further and further which has actually nothing to do with self-harm anymore but becomes a form of mass movement where people stimulate each other, which is far more dangerous. That said, it is wonderful to see that you are feeling the song in a similar way I do. There is something in the tunes which always makes me tear up. And that can be (a healthier) form of release as well. To me it’s their absolute masterpiece when it comes to convey the most devastating of emotions. Live or on CD. It grips you hard won’t let you go for a while. I totally get what you say about their ballads but they rarely play songs like this live. I guess they have to be in the right mood. When it comes to live performances their heavier songs are mind-blowingly amazing! (There are a few I don’t like particularly well but most transfer beautifully on stage) Sorry for the long comment…and to everyone who feels they must react to what I said: I respect all of you and your opinions on the subject! This is just mine and they might be equally right.
Night Light I totally agree with you on everything you said. I also dislike seeing him self-harm on stage but I understand his reasons for doing it. I remember there was a song that he did self-harm and fish-hooking and he told the audience to "look" and shouted "don't look away!" to them. I remember his eyes were so wide and there was a lot of blood... I guess he wanted to show how the emotional pain would effect a person to this extent. Thankfully, like you said, Kyo stated that he's grown from self-harming on stage and found other ways to express himself. And yeah, they don't play songs like Mushi or Zakuro recently. I kinda want them to play it, but I won't sulk even if they didn't. Those are pretty emotional songs to play live.
Andzero Tousei Kyo’s self-harm phase was a combination of real and staged. The chest scratching was definitely real, but the wrist cutting and any damage to his mouth and face were not. He would sneak blood capsules into his mouth while doing the fish hooking, and the fact that he always did it at the same moment in the same song proves it was all for show. I think a lot of that was also to stand out during the time when they were trying to break out in the West. Jonathan Davis invited DEG along for the Family Values Tour mostly based on Kyo’s stage presence. But I’m glad Kyo got away from all that. I much prefer him conveying his emotions in the way he moves and with the subtle inflections in his voice. I think Kyo stands out even more in Sukekiyo, especially with the newest album. On stage he is portraying a character, and he does so much with his face that surely goes unnoticed in a live setting, but when captured on video it really adds another layer to the music. I truly admire his devotion to his art.
Robert D'Amico There's a lot of debate about whether it's real or not. I respect your views on the matter though. What convinced me that it was real, was that there was a video where he self-harmed and blood was oozing from his arm. There's also live videos where he showed his hands to the audience and flickering his fingers right before putting it into his mouth for fish-hooking, so I wonder how a capsule could get in. And the blood was too much for a capsule to hold. He'd been doing it even before the band was touring the West, so I'm not convinced that he was doing it for show. In an interview, they asked if he was doing it for show and he said that he did it to express himself. Maybe it got more prominent during the West tour because he hated touring abroad, I'm sure it was a tough time for the band back then. Anyway, those are some of my reasons but I'd understand if you think otherwise. :)
Andzero Tousei Yeah, I guess part of it is I don’t want to believe Kyo was taking things to such extremes. “Kodoku ni Shisu...” was the song that Kyo would often do the fish hooking thing, and I believe he also mimicked wrist cutting during Fukai on the Vulgar tour. On the Vulgarism DVD, right before he starts cutting, there’s a close up of Kyo putting something in his mouth and sort of twisting it. Some say it was a razor, I sort of think he was breaking a blood capsule. Who knows? Regardless it was obvious that Kyo was suffering in a lot of ways.
The lines in ( ) where not sung, as he couldn't get the words out because he choked up. There is another live of this song (5 Ugly Kingdom?). In that live he manages to get all the words out, despite being in tears and sobbing between breaths. Recently, Kyo sang Mushi again, during the From Depression to Mode of "Kisou" live in 2017. This time Kyo kept it together and was able to sing the entire song clearly, but you can tell that even years later the song is still very difficult for him, as there were still moments Kyo looked and sounded like he might cry just like before. The word "Mushi" is Japanese for "insect", if that helps you understand the song's meaning
There is also an acoustic version recorded in 2007 on the [In Weal or Woe] DVD. He also sings every line in that one if I remember correctly. That one is worth checking out, quite similar to the acoustic recordings on [The Rose Trims Again].
Amazing reaction Baldman. I really the way Kyo put his soul on the songs, but to be honest, i'm really happy that he stopped hearting himself on the performances, i really am. See ya Baldman, till next song
It's always gut wrenching to watch this live because of the raw emotion, and how much it reaches out to me even if it doesn't mean to it's just indescribable. It reminds me of a place that I'm still even now trying my best to claw out of without anywhere to grab on to it really means a lot. Thank you, as always, for reacting and for being so open to all of us by sharing your stories and listening to ours as well as being open to this music in general please continue on taking the time for more Diru, Gazette, Sukekiyo, and many others
Thanks for this video. Love your reactions because I could relate to them, even though I don't really know about the technicalities of a song. There's just something in that song that pulls at my heart-strings and makes me tear up too. I think the instruments blend really well to create this kind if effect. Mushi was a song I never knew I needed. And for that, I'm thankful. Thanks for your hard work and I hope the person that reached out to you is okay.
I am so happy to have been able to follow your journey through the wonder that is Dir en grey, it is always amazing to see someone learn to appreciate something you love so dearly. I'm not a musician, just a music lover, and I don't have the words to describe my feelings about these songs, especially not in a foreign language (I'm Swedish). Therefore, it has been really great for me to hear someone who does have the "language" down express exactly how I feel about these songs, helping me put words to something I can't express myself. For that, I thank you. That being said, and considering the tracks you like by them, I am surprised you haven't reacted to Lotus yet. It's one of their iconic songs, and the symphonic version from the Dum Spiro Spero live is just breathtaking. I hope you'll give it a listen - I'm curious to see what you think: ua-cam.com/video/iCwZrE0uNhE/v-deo.html (edited to a link without Spanish subs)
Mushi, means insect in japanese Also, in the original track, the guitars play until the track ends Kyo got into the habit of cutting himself and stabbing himself with the mic for some timd and thank goodness he stopped. I like this live better ua-cam.com/video/rfJ9OkY1MsU/v-deo.html
You don't need to react to it (up to you) but the 2007 performance of Mushi is just as good if not better. It's not as "raw emotion" filled as this one but it's fully acoustic and beautiful. ua-cam.com/video/L2ywgGoZuMk/v-deo.html
The pain in this performance is palpable. Kyo forces the listener and viewer to deal with the emotions present. It's a great song but it's so hard to listen to. I watched this performance on UA-cam for years and always thought it was an underrated masterpiece. It really pained me that most people wouldn't get to see it outside of die hard fans. but it's good to see it getting recognized again.
The Final at Wacken 2007. Shortly after this the mock self harm became real. From this era to around around 2008, Kyo became notorious for physically tearing himself apart on stage. That's why he's got so many tattoos now, most of them are covering scars. When they were on the Family Values tour he broke his own nose with the mic and had to dump a bucket of water over himself to wash the blood off, then started tearing the stage apart. Kyo has some deep, deep-seated emotional issues, playing Zakuro and Mushi at this show seemed to have pushed him over the edge for a long time, as they're both as far as we fans know, about his ex-fiance that left him for a bassist named Kisaki when they were in a band together. Kyo never got over it. After this he would regularly cut himself, fishhook himself and bash himself in the face with the mic on stage. Every night. He's still standoffish towards people, I don't think he ever really got over that betrayal.
True, but his worldview seems to have improved since Uroboros. At least, he has hope again (DSS's title literally translates to While I breathe, I hope), and it looks like he's having fun on stage again in the current live vids, but he still seems very standoffish towards people. I'm sure his depression stems from more than one place, but back then, it was mostly the Kisaski ordeal. Aside from a few songs here and there it wasn't until Uroboros where they started getting really world-conscious. They had quite a few about Japanese society being messed up, but not about the state of humanity in general, which is what most are about now.
Yeah, Kyo clearly has some deep-seated issues, but many fans put way too much weight on the Kisaki story.
Eh, he and Kisaki were still trading blows in interviews well into the 2000's. There's definitely resentment there. I kind of doubt Kyo cares anymore though. He seems like he lives in his own world, for better or worse.
Kyo never attributed any song to the incident. There was an interview where they asked him about the fiancee thing and his lyrics and it seemed like he discredited it to be linked to any song. Some fans like to put weight on the incident and take that as their own truth though, even though Kyo denied it. Plus, this song is in the point view of a woman.
Cold Death 969 Embryo, Kiri to Mayu.. Indeed many more. XD
I've been a fan of Dir En Grey for about 15 years. They're the only band that legitimately touches my soul. I really mean that. Kyo is an amazing artist and an amazing singer but this song alone (live) shows you their MUSIC is amazing!!! Holy hell, its amazing! I saw them live in LA last December and ... if you ever get the chance to watch this man perform, I highly suggest you do it.
If you want to sob buckets, listen to " Aint afraid to die" live. Thats some amazing music.
I caught them in Houston last December. I've got a video up on the experience. It was outstanding. It was a very well assembled set list.
Thank you so much for reacting to this! It’s sad that we had no translated version from the 5 Ugly KINGDOM live, that might have avoided this discussion.
Yes, there was a period where he did a lot of self-harm on stage and I wish he didn’t. It’s always difficult to distinguish between an adding-to-the-show factor and real, raw, emotions which you just can’t control whether you are on stage or not. With Kyo we know from numerous interviews (and by taking a closer look at his body I see this confirmed) that he did not hurt himself off-stage. He stated in an interview once (years later) that he saves all his negative emotions up to unload on stage and especially during a very stressful period (they had just started doing a second world-tour in a row!) he sometimes felt like screaming wasn’t enough anymore. He found better ways to channel his feelings by now. I saw them 9 times live during this period and he didn’t hurt himself in every show and when he did it was during a single song. I don’t want to play his actions down (!) but I think they shouldn’t be exaggerated either. To many people self-harm is a reality and it is always ugly. But everyone who harms himself does so because he doesn’t want to kill himself. And by exaggerating actions from icons there is a danger that people don’t only copy that behavior (which is terrible enough) but believe they have to go further and further which has actually nothing to do with self-harm anymore but becomes a form of mass movement where people stimulate each other, which is far more dangerous.
That said, it is wonderful to see that you are feeling the song in a similar way I do. There is something in the tunes which always makes me tear up. And that can be (a healthier) form of release as well. To me it’s their absolute masterpiece when it comes to convey the most devastating of emotions. Live or on CD. It grips you hard won’t let you go for a while.
I totally get what you say about their ballads but they rarely play songs like this live. I guess they have to be in the right mood. When it comes to live performances their heavier songs are mind-blowingly amazing! (There are a few I don’t like particularly well but most transfer beautifully on stage)
Sorry for the long comment…and to everyone who feels they must react to what I said: I respect all of you and your opinions on the subject! This is just mine and they might be equally right.
Never apologize for a long comment. They are always welcome. We have so many passionate fans here, and I always enjoy the discussions. Cheers.
Night Light I totally agree with you on everything you said. I also dislike seeing him self-harm on stage but I understand his reasons for doing it. I remember there was a song that he did self-harm and fish-hooking and he told the audience to "look" and shouted "don't look away!" to them. I remember his eyes were so wide and there was a lot of blood... I guess he wanted to show how the emotional pain would effect a person to this extent. Thankfully, like you said, Kyo stated that he's grown from self-harming on stage and found other ways to express himself. And yeah, they don't play songs like Mushi or Zakuro recently. I kinda want them to play it, but I won't sulk even if they didn't. Those are pretty emotional songs to play live.
Andzero Tousei Kyo’s self-harm phase was a combination of real and staged. The chest scratching was definitely real, but the wrist cutting and any damage to his mouth and face were not. He would sneak blood capsules into his mouth while doing the fish hooking, and the fact that he always did it at the same moment in the same song proves it was all for show. I think a lot of that was also to stand out during the time when they were trying to break out in the West. Jonathan Davis invited DEG along for the Family Values Tour mostly based on Kyo’s stage presence. But I’m glad Kyo got away from all that. I much prefer him conveying his emotions in the way he moves and with the subtle inflections in his voice. I think Kyo stands out even more in Sukekiyo, especially with the newest album. On stage he is portraying a character, and he does so much with his face that surely goes unnoticed in a live setting, but when captured on video it really adds another layer to the music. I truly admire his devotion to his art.
Robert D'Amico There's a lot of debate about whether it's real or not. I respect your views on the matter though. What convinced me that it was real, was that there was a video where he self-harmed and blood was oozing from his arm. There's also live videos where he showed his hands to the audience and flickering his fingers right before putting it into his mouth for fish-hooking, so I wonder how a capsule could get in. And the blood was too much for a capsule to hold. He'd been doing it even before the band was touring the West, so I'm not convinced that he was doing it for show. In an interview, they asked if he was doing it for show and he said that he did it to express himself. Maybe it got more prominent during the West tour because he hated touring abroad, I'm sure it was a tough time for the band back then. Anyway, those are some of my reasons but I'd understand if you think otherwise. :)
Andzero Tousei Yeah, I guess part of it is I don’t want to believe Kyo was taking things to such extremes. “Kodoku ni Shisu...” was the song that Kyo would often do the fish hooking thing, and I believe he also mimicked wrist cutting during Fukai on the Vulgar tour. On the Vulgarism DVD, right before he starts cutting, there’s a close up of Kyo putting something in his mouth and sort of twisting it. Some say it was a razor, I sort of think he was breaking a blood capsule. Who knows? Regardless it was obvious that Kyo was suffering in a lot of ways.
That ending is really powerful. Don't matter how many times I see, it still giving me chills....another masterpiece
After 12 years this song still hits me hard. True Masterpiece.
The lines in ( ) where not sung, as he couldn't get the words out because he choked up. There is another live of this song (5 Ugly Kingdom?). In that live he manages to get all the words out, despite being in tears and sobbing between breaths. Recently, Kyo sang Mushi again, during the From Depression to Mode of "Kisou" live in 2017. This time Kyo kept it together and was able to sing the entire song clearly, but you can tell that even years later the song is still very difficult for him, as there were still moments Kyo looked and sounded like he might cry just like before. The word "Mushi" is Japanese for "insect", if that helps you understand the song's meaning
There is also an acoustic version recorded in 2007 on the [In Weal or Woe] DVD. He also sings every line in that one if I remember correctly. That one is worth checking out, quite similar to the acoustic recordings on [The Rose Trims Again].
This live performance is so heartbreaking, Mushi is probably their most emotional song.
I cant belive how well they can convay sadness pain an paint emotions to the listeners
Amazing reaction Baldman. I really the way Kyo put his soul on the songs, but to be honest, i'm really happy that he stopped hearting himself on the performances, i really am. See ya Baldman, till next song
It's always gut wrenching to watch this live because of the raw emotion, and how much it reaches out to me even if it doesn't mean to it's just indescribable. It reminds me of a place that I'm still even now trying my best to claw out of without anywhere to grab on to it really means a lot. Thank you, as always, for reacting and for being so open to all of us by sharing your stories and listening to ours as well as being open to this music in general please continue on taking the time for more Diru, Gazette, Sukekiyo, and many others
Thanks for this video. Love your reactions because I could relate to them, even though I don't really know about the technicalities of a song. There's just something in that song that pulls at my heart-strings and makes me tear up too. I think the instruments blend really well to create this kind if effect. Mushi was a song I never knew I needed. And for that, I'm thankful. Thanks for your hard work and I hope the person that reached out to you is okay.
best band in the fucking world OMG
The song Wake is another great powerful track filled with so many emotions and I hope you get to it someday
React to X Japan art of life live please :-V
Great reaction! My favourite pre-Uroboros track, incredibly emotional.
this song leads directly into ryuu/wake
I am so happy to have been able to follow your journey through the wonder that is Dir en grey, it is always amazing to see someone learn to appreciate something you love so dearly. I'm not a musician, just a music lover, and I don't have the words to describe my feelings about these songs, especially not in a foreign language (I'm Swedish). Therefore, it has been really great for me to hear someone who does have the "language" down express exactly how I feel about these songs, helping me put words to something I can't express myself. For that, I thank you. That being said, and considering the tracks you like by them, I am surprised you haven't reacted to Lotus yet. It's one of their iconic songs, and the symphonic version from the Dum Spiro Spero live is just breathtaking. I hope you'll give it a listen - I'm curious to see what you think: ua-cam.com/video/iCwZrE0uNhE/v-deo.html (edited to a link without Spanish subs)
Great.you should hear CONCEIVED SORROW is essentially DIR EN GREY
Mushi, means insect in japanese
Also, in the original track, the guitars play until the track ends
Kyo got into the habit of cutting himself and stabbing himself with the mic for some timd and thank goodness he stopped.
I like this live better
ua-cam.com/video/rfJ9OkY1MsU/v-deo.html
I have tinnitus also, I can't think of a day without listening to music or Dir En Grey though. I don't know what I'd do.
If you do dozing green please react to before construction version as well. I hope you like it
Dozing green please!!! Cheers..
You don't need to react to it (up to you) but the 2007 performance of Mushi is just as good if not better. It's not as "raw emotion" filled as this one but it's fully acoustic and beautiful.
ua-cam.com/video/L2ywgGoZuMk/v-deo.html
x japan - kurenai