Yoshiki – Under The Sky – London film premiere and Q and A

X Japan fans in the know were thrilled to obtain exclusive tickets to the London premiere of the stunning directorial debut of Yoshiki ‘Under The Sky’ attended by the man himself with an added Q and A at the Odeon cinema Covent Garden.  For the very lucky there was an invite to an exclusive private reception afterwards at the Covent Garden Hotel.

The film itself is a mixture of high end hybrid performances of popular artists and Rockstars with classical elements in the open air, and intellectual thought provoking scenes that examine what it means to be human. Described as a global concert, performances were shot against skylines across the world, on spectacular stages, on top of skyscrapers, with breathtaking views. This was partly as everyone needed to be outside during the Pandemic and partly because it fits with the philosophy of the film that we need to enjoy every moment we can, alive “under the sky” before our time here ends and we will no longer be here. At the start of the film Yoshiki explains that, as he was very ill as a child, he never expected to live a long life, and having dealt with death and pain as both a child and adult with the loss of his father and two members of X Japan to suicide, he now lives in the present valuing every moment, taking nothing for granted. The message of the film is a positive one to never give up and make the best of the life you are given, from moment to moment, as nothing is promised. There is also the sub text that due to human mortality, art and music will outlive us all and benefit generations to come.

It is entirely possible to merely enjoy this film for the superbly arranged performances of popular songs performed in spectacular locations with passion and fervour which should appeal to both classical music fans and rock fans, whether you are watching the collaborative performances of Yoshiki with Sarah Brightman or The Scorpions, because the intensity and quality are kept to such a high standard throughout.

Our particular audience at TotalRock will especially enjoy the appearance of The Scorpions performing ‘Winds of Change’ from Hanover Germany. Yoshiki collaborated with them from New York on his transparent ice-crystal like grand piano to which he added striking electric guitar riffs accompanied by atmospheric orchaestral strings. I like to think that Yoshiki was most passionate for the Rock elements given his history as an old school Rocker after his years in the Japanese Glam Rock Band X Japan, but that is the bias I bring. He explains in the film that classical music was his first love, but after his father died, he discovered Rock as a way to express the difficult emotions of his childhood. He worked through those challenges with his work with X Japan.

Sugizo from X Japan appears in the film performing with great intensity on his electronic violin to ‘LA Venus’. As an introduction to his role in X Japan Yoshiki credited Sugizo with the reunion of the band and as the glue that keeps it together. When Yoshiki took to the drums his wild and intense drumming brought back memories of the X Japan glory days and, although the voices and talent in the film such as Sarah Brightman and Nicole Scherzinger were breathtaking, Yoshiki’s drums were probably the most thrilling part of the film for me. However the film is for everyone with artists such as St Vincent, SixTones, Hyde, Jane Zhang and The Chain Smokers providing international talent and something for every genre.

As the film ends the underlying philosophy of the film again emerged center stage as Yoshiki reminds people that the show is always for the fans and without them artists cannot exist. As well as scenes of Yoshiki interacting with his fans on Zoom in the Pandemic, there are particularly heartbreaking scenes where Yoshiki interacts with a husband who had lost his wife whom Yoshiki had comforted with a message before she died, clearly making her final moments better that they would have otherwise been for her in the circumstances. Her husband will be taking her ashes to a future Yoshiki concert, to which they had both decided to go before she passed. It is possible to conclude that life is fragile, but with courage we can live our best lives, leave memories and do things that impact other people and potentially the human race, enabling us to have a form of immortality which is precious in itself. Ultimately this was an original and engaging film, both of interest to music fans and of general human interest alike and holds the attention from the first moments to the very end.

The character of Yoshiki as an entertaining, talented, but modest man who possesses the courage to make his mark in this world and sees his art in the context of its place in the world and how it can positively impact others shines right through the film and continued into my experience of him in person at the Q and A and hotel reception.

He displayed an engaging sense of humour and ability to tell a hilarious story by describing how with his sky high hair in the X Japan days he had to enter cabs sideways (if he could get a cab amusing the audience by saying most cabs just sailed by and would not stop for the band in their Glam Rock days – a story I think every Rock fan can relate to).  Another punchline was that because he would play his drums until he collapsed one unintended consequence is that he cannot get insurance for love or money.

On a more serious note with the debate in society about social media’s negative effects he explained that with this film he wanted to show the beautiful and talented side of people. He also explained how music has personally helped him to navigate the challenges he has faced in his life. Giving details of how he is in almost constant pain with his nerve injuries, meaning that everything he touches feels like ice and he needs to use a very wide writing instrument as holding thin pens or pencils is difficult,  he nevertheless makes music regardless. (Remarkably he notes up his musical scores by hand, singing them in his head without needing to play the notes on an instrument to write the arrangements.) Even with such grave subject matter he managed to amuse reminding people that no one understands the effect of headbanging yet as it is so new. “Beethoven didn’t headbang right?”

With regard to the mixing of classical and rock he said he loves them almost equally and may well be playing drums on his forthcoming classical shows. He referred to his family’s traditional Kimono business which he has combined with Rock ‘n’ Roll themes and which have been chosen to be exhibited in Museums in Japan. He explained that he loves to preserve tradition, but also inject new life into it by breaking rules and doing something crazy to keep tradition dynamic and living. Referring to the death of his mother when he could not stop crying for three days, he confided that eventually was able to stop weeping by writing a piece of music for her ‘Requiem’ which will be performed during the planned classical world tour. Life is hard, but it is how you deal with it and look at situations that matters, meaning you can look at things in a positive or a negative light. Ultimately, my impression after hearing him speak was that he is a great role model and an inspiration as the triumph of human spirit over adversity.

The aftershow at the Covent Garden hotel felt like a rare and wonderful opportunity to have a salon with the maestro. There was an amazing cake illustrated with stills from the film and he was congratulated on the film and generally appreciated by all present. He was interested in views on the film and I got a chance to tell him that my favourite part was the collaboration with the Scorpions and the rockin electric guitar riffs and wild drum playing. I had an interesting chat with his personal assistant Riyoko about his plans for a fashion atelier in Paris. There are seemingly no end to this man’s energy and talents.

A stunning night which could simply be enjoyed on its face for its stellar performances ..  Or for those who like to think more deeply there was a rich opportunity to think about human existence and philosophy and to engage on a much deeper level. This reflects the film itself and for that reason it should be loved by many people, perhaps for many different reasons.

 

 

Dawn Osborne