In early March we were honored again to meet POLYSICS for another interview during their U.S. International P tour.
SFB: We hear that you just arrived this morning from Japan. You must be tired. How was your flight to San Francisco?
Hayashi: I'm not tired at all! Yeah! I'm VERY VERY EXCITED TO BE HERE!
SFB: What time did you get here?
Hayashi: We got here around 8am this morning. I was up for only two hours, so I was surprised how close Japan and US are!
Kayo: ...and Fumi was sleeping all the way-Ha ha ha!
SFB: Well, Welcome to San Francisco! We missed your show at the Bottom of the Hill last year because we thought you were headlining.
What do you think of your SF audience and SF itself? Is there any thing that you remember?
Hayashi: One thing we can say is that SF fans are suited for polysics! Whenever we visit SF, They always give us a warm welcome.
We can see that everyone is enjoying themselves at our show.
We come frequently to SF so, there are lot's of people who knew about us-our shows have a good vibe because of them!
Kayo: This is the first place we came for recording, so we feel special about this city. We also released a record from Asian Man's Record label
(asianmanrecords.com) which is based the Bay Area. So, our music tends to be played around here. I love the atmosphere of San Francisco.
POLYSICS: We love San Francisco!
SFB: Is there any particular message or concept about your 2004 US tour?
POLYSICS: We want our long time fans and new fans to be at our shows. We want to show our new phase to the audience...something different from the past - a new challenge!
SFB: Tell us about your new DVD. Did you all help with the direction and coming up with ideas? How did you meet the video crew?
Hayashi: This DVD is special, totally different from the last one.
The Video crew lives in the Bay Area. They knew us from before and they came to a music festival called "Summer Sonic"
in Aug of 2003 in Japan. They came as the video crew for "DEVO". When they saw our show they just loved us! They begged us to let them do something-"Please please please!"
We said okay, go ahead. We gave them artistic freedom and they did everything. They shot, edited and even designed the package!
It came out pretty cool...Way cool! Check it out!
SFB: You guys are playing a few shows in the Southwest on this tour. Is there any reason you are focusing on that Area?
Hayashi: We planned to play at "First Live". So, if we are going in that direction, we would love to play in places where we never
played before. This is our second time to play at this music festival.
We had a gig in year 2000 as a part of Sony's "Japan ShowCase".
SFB: How do you usually make music?
Hayashi: First: I usually bring the basic material. Second: all the members arrange their part or discuss things together.
Fumi writes lyrics for the songs that she sings. It's so funny that each of us arrange and bring stuff so that it really becomes
polysics music.
SFB: Could you tell us little bit about your music background and how polysics was formed?
Hayashi: I was playing music in a Techno Rock Band named Mizuno Minchi(Water grinded). But my band all quit
because they wanted to go to Universities, etc. All I really wanted to do was make music so..I kept playing in the band.
And for Polysics the influence of DEVO is so huge! Of course, I listen to all the Techno Rock in Japan. But always come back to DEVO!!
SFB: When was the first time that you heard DEVO?
Hayashi: Hmmm...thats a good question. I think that was high school?
SFB: Did you think you were going to be a professional musician from the beginning?
Hayashi Oh no, I have never thought that way, I have been playing guitar since the 4 or 5th grade.
Then I encountered Techno Rock, I started fooling around with a synthesizer, and programming, sampling etc...I just thought,
"it'd be so much fun to play in a band".
SFb: So, are you pretty surprised by the success you have acheived?
Fumi: I wasn't surprised because I joined the band much later-but Hayashi-kun might have beeen surprised a bit.
Hayashi: It is more accurate to say that It didn't feel real to me more than being suprised.
Yeah, so that was the beginning and we have lot's of thing to do as Polysicis still. We are still developing our music day bay day!
Fumi: I met them at an after-party, I was playing guitar for my other band, but they asked me to play
bass guitar as a guest...and Somehow, I became an official member now!
SFB: Oh, so you were stolen by POLYSICS!
Kayo: I have been playing piano ever since I was young. I went to the same high school as Hayashi.
His original Keyboard member quit the band after graduating high school.
Since I play piano Hayashi asked me if I might be interested in playing synthesizer for them.
I had been to their shows and it seemed like very much fun to play with them.
I did not have any experience using the synthesizer at that point. so, it was a little challenging.
In the beginning, for example, I had to learn to manipulate sounds by the knobs while playing keyboard.
Hayashi: She was a very normal girl!(laughter)
SFB: Were there any changes for Polysics after you signed with a major label like SONY?
Hayashi: Let's see...for the most part we have had the freedom to do anything we want, except a few details.
We gained more benefits since signing with Sony than we had before. For example we get to spend a lot more time making our albums.
Sony is really supportive..yeah.
SFB: I heard that you have an event called "Seven days to Die!" coming up at Club Que in Tokyo. Could you tell us more about it?
Hayashi: We will release our best album in May, so we will have shows related to that. We have been talking about
ideas for our shows. Something exciting you know. When we play music as Polysics, we are always thinking about event ideas
that will be fun. I want people to think: "Hey, you guys are doing something really exciting."
SFB: So, you're going to play seven days straight until you die?
Hayashi Ha ha ha. No, No. Since we have released six albums in Japan, we figured we can play each day from one CD to another.
So, that adds up 6 days right? The last day is a big secret for now. I want to surprise our audience!
Also, Club Que is a place that means a lot to us. We've being playing there a lot since starting this band. From the time when we didn't
have an audience. Before we could say, that we were an "Indies" band. So, Club Que is our home ground.
It's a really nice place! I often go there to get drunk too!
SFB: Is there any message for the fans?
Fumi: No matter what, I want you to come to our live shows. Don't just listen to our CD's!
Hayashi We love you so come to our shows!
SFB: Do you prefer live shows or being in the studio recording?
Fumi: Hmm, It's two totally different things, but I put more of my feeling into the live shows.
It really excites and inspires us a lot!
Hayashi: I like the studio more.
Fumi: He just loves to go to the studio to touch the knobs on the equipment!(laughter).
SFB: Yeah! We can tell by the nature of your music how much you like being in the studio! It sounds so complex you know.
Hayashi I'm such a maniac or geek!(laughter). You know, Polysics is about invention more than experimentation. Rock'n Roll
itself was an invention!
SFB: So you mean, you want to create a new music movement or your own genre?
Hayashi: Yeah, more like our own genre. We want to be heard by people around the world. We are Polysics! Yeah!
An interview with POLYSICS
by Keita Yonezawa & Keith Martin
