Another sensation from the Land of the Rising Sun, Polysics would be the end result if Devo and the B-52’s got together and had a Japanese baby.  The most fun band around gave us a call from the starting point of their US tour to talk about their world tour, being part of MySpace Music and the magic of Phoenix, Arizona.

Polysics

The Lady Miz Diva: Toisu! Toisu! Toisu!  Polysics, thank you for spending time with us at the start of your US tour.  Would you please introduce yourselves to our readers?

Hiro:  Hi, My name is Hiro, I’m the guitarist and vocalist.

Kayo:  Hi, I’m Kayo, I play keyboards.

Fumi:  Hi, I’m Fumi, bass player.

Yano:  Hi, I am Yano, the drummer.

LMD: The first time I heard of Polysics, was through MySpace. Can you tell us how Polysics became a part of MySpace music?

Hiro:  Tom {Anderson, MySpace creator} came to our concert which was January 2007 at the Knitting Factory in Los Angeles.  Tom heard about us through a mutual friend.  After the concert, Tom came backstage to see us and he was very excited and said “We would like to sign you guys,” so, we said “Sure. Of course!”

LMD:  Obviously Devo is a huge influence, but what are some of the other influences on Polysics sound?

Hiro:  The Ramones, the B-52’s, Talking Heads, Suicide and late 1970’s New Wave bands, we were influenced by them.

LMD: The band is too young to have heard that music when it was first out, I wonder what is was about western New Wave that the band likes?

Hiro:  As you know, I was really shocked when I {first} saw Devo and I loved them.  Ever since then I started looking back into the history of that music.  Besides American New Wave, I used to check into UK or German music from that era.  Also, some of the Japanese artists that I liked before, I liked back then and they liked these artists, that’s why I started looking back to history and discovered them more.  I felt that these artists from the late 70’s and 80’s New Wave bands, did something very original and they didn’t do anything to imitate somebody already current or somebody who already existed.  That was very new - it was literally New Wave to me, it was very Punk Rock to me.  And because of that they brought they brought that music back to the UK.  I feel like the Sex Pistols and Joy Division, they started that era in the UK, but I felt that American New Wave people did really original stuff that I’d never seen that before and it really inspired me and that’s the attraction I get from them.

LMD:  Do you ever think that with your visual image of the matching orange jumpsuits and looking like you’re Devo’s Japanese children, that people might associate your band too closely with them?

Hiro:  I don’t worry about it.  As you said, we’re like their children and Devo is like a big father to me.  Of course, we look like Devo with our jumpsuits, but if you listen to our music, it’s very different.  We have a different style.  And then why I love Devo so much is because of Devo’s mind or Devo’s theme or what they established was doing something different from others.  They stated they wanted to present different music that nobody heard of, and that mind is very important to us.  That’s why I’ve never worried about that.

LMD:  Hiro, I think many of our readers who’ve seen your show live or on video want to know what exactly do you eat?  How are you able to give such high energy performances night after night?

{All laugh}

Hiro:  I think it’s the best thing to eat something that you like.  I think it’s good to not worry about calories.

LMD:  I like that advice, Hiro!  I’m wondering what your songwriting process is like?  Does everyone write for their own instruments?

Hiro:  It depends on the songs.  Some songs I actually say, ‘I have this image for the bass’, or, ‘I have this image for the keyboard sound, this way and that way.’  Or sometimes I create some drum beats and I bring that to Yano.  Sometimes I do it that way, just bring the ideas or sometime I will bring just one guitar riff and I bring it to everybody and they make their own sound on each part.

LMD:  What is “moon language” and how did it begin?

Hiro:  When I was listening to Deep Purple back then, I would never see a lyrics sheet.  So when I listened to the music I didn’t see what they were saying, I just listened by ear.  I just felt the sound of {Deep Purple lead singer} Ian Gillan’s voice, or the way he sings or the atmosphere, so I just liked it.  And then I felt I wanted to make songs like that, with the voice as one of the instruments.  When I started making songs, my voice just came out naturally, like the voice was an instrument.  I wanted the audience to feel the same atmosphere from my voice that I got from Ian Gillan, that’s how that started.

LMD:  I’m usually so energised by Polysics music, I feel like I might be missing a message.  Am I?

Fumi:  The theme of Polysics or the core of Polysics, I think you received it.  You’re feeling it.

LMD:  Energy?

Fumi:  Yes!

LMD:  Was it always important for Polysics to play and distribute your music internationally?

Hiro:  Yes, very important!  Its not only just the Japanese market, I feel that like in the UK or in America, we want to make songs that many people can enjoy, so that’s why its very important to us.

LMD:  Is there a difference in the reaction that you get from American fans versus Japanese fans?

Hiro:  Yes, I see the differences between Japanese fans and American fans especially in the audiences at the concerts.  American fans know how to enjoy individually, and then even when other people are not cooperating with you but they know how to enjoy it themselves.  They don’t care what other people think.  But Japanese audiences are very different because they like to enjoy as a big group.  So they like to sing along, or they like to clap their hands at the same time, coordinated.  Also, they like to do choreographed hand-movements and stuff, so that’s a big difference?

LMD:  Are there any other artists Polysics would like to work with?

Hiro:  Devo!

{All laugh}

Hiro:  Actually, we had a concert together with them in Japan, so because of that; it would be really awesome to make a song together with them.

LMD:  Can Polysics picture playing any other type of music than the energetic sound they play now?

Hiro:  I would never imagine myself playing something other than what we’re playing now, but I feel that in the future…  Right now, {in}the current music scene if you don’t have a synthesizer - that wouldn’t be techno music.  That is kind of atmosphere you get, but I really don’t agree with it.  So, I felt that in the future I would love to be able to even playing an acoustic guitar that I still have a New Wave spirit.  I want people to think even though I’m playing acoustic guitar that I’m still playing techno music.  That’s what I want achieve in the future.

LMD: Besides playing in Asia, you’ve all toured the US and Europe.  Which are some of your favourite places that you’ve played internationally?

Kayo:  Spain.

Yano: Germany.

Fumi:  If I strictly think about the situation of the environment, like how many instruments I can bring and the sound and stuff, I have to pick Japan.

Hiro:  Phoenix, Arizona!  I don’t know why, but it’s only in Phoenix Arizona, that I get screaming girls.  Girls are screaming at me, so I feel like a pop star or something, so that’s why Phoenix, Arizona.

{All laugh}

LMD:  How do you wind down after one of your crazy shows?

Kayo:   When you step on the stage, it’s like a TV channel has tuned in, but when you’re done and then you take off the jumpsuit, everybody just can turn off right away.

LMD:  How do you choose the songs you play during a show?  Can you can change the set list or play different songs on the fly?

Hiro:  If it’s in Japan, because we’ve been performing as Polysics for 12 years and we also have a lot of releases in Japan, too, so we can change a certain way and usually the audience in Japan know about us, so we can think of some fun tricks or fun set lists.  But in the US, a lot of people are new to us, so we usually make one set list that makes it really easy to understand who we are.  That would be a base to us.

Kayo:  And also because the US is such a big country that if we travel to the next city and do exactly the same set list, the audience’s reaction is completely different.

Fumi:  But we would like to keep it fresh, too, so sometimes we change.   We put in some new songs to keep it fresh.  And sometimes we check the concert hall or live house and think ‘Oh, this song will fit this image,’ so sometimes we throw that in, too.  So, that’s how we decide our set list.

LMD:  I’d like to know what Polysics is doing once the north America tour is over and also what Polysics is doing in the future as a band?

Hiro:  Right after the North American tour, we’re going back to Japan and we have a Japan tour coming up.  For this tour, we’re going to hit much larger capacities than we’ve usually done, so we’ve very looking forward to it.  Also, we’re going to be making new songs, so we’re going to have some time for recording and making new songs.

For Polysics’ future, we would like to make a big hit single.  Then we can show it all over the world and then we would love to join in rock festival or music festival throughout the world.  I would like to show Polysics’ music all over the world.  I would like to change what everybody thinks of rock music.

LMD:  Lastly, can each Polysics member please give a message to our readers?

Fumi:  If you feel like we are interesting, check out our MySpace page where you can see our music videos and hear our music. You can keep up with what we are doing.  The best way to learn about us to come to the concert, so get your own CD, listen to us and come to the concert and you will feel it, we’re really fun.

Yano:  Dance crazy with my square beat.

{All laugh}

Hiro:  Toisu! is a new way to say hello.  This is Japan cool.  It’s a really hot saying in Japan, so I hope your readers can distribute Toisu! and make it boom!

Kayo:  Please listen to our album, We Ate the Machine.

~ The Lady Miz Diva

Oct 17^th, 2008

POLYSICS on tour!!! Click to go to their MySpace for details

NEW YORK:  Come see POLYSICS live on Halloween night at the Mercury Lounge. Go to http://www.mercuryloungenyc.com/ for tickets!

Special blessings to Mike Cubillos and the fine folks at Earshot Media for their fine arrangements and to Ai Aota for her wonderful translation.

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