X Freaks Forum

The band => General chat => Topic started by: WeekEnder on January 05, 2020, 03:55:03 PM

Title: X Japan : On the verge of destruction, AGAIN
Post by: WeekEnder on January 05, 2020, 03:55:03 PM
Ya'll know that X is being ridiculously inactive and all members are refraining from talking about the band from a while, which is ofc SKETCHY AF. The decade-delayed album aside, most of us know that there was some internal mess within members, especially Toshi since 2018 which allegedly is delaying X activity. This claim is further concreted by the fact that he basically unfollowed or removed any X related things from his social media and his personal website. This is concerning af so i rambled around and talk to some people over there in japan and they made some crazy claims,  and everyone is telling me the same story so yep...it is kinda uh..idk, credible?

Basically according to them the main culprit behind the mess is Toshi. The BS started when Toshi allegedly demanded more money to perform in Lunatic Fest 2018 and in the end X couldnt perform. This supposedly pissed Pata off and he got into a argument with Toshi, Yoshiki somehow stopped the fight and they continued to perform in later shows like 3days Makuhari Messe and Dream festival 2018, supposedly high tension between bandmembers resulted in visible bad enviroment on stage during these performances.

Pata, still pissed after Toshi's comments on the Red Swan incident got into argument with Toshi again supposedly and this time when Yoshiki tried to break it up, Toshi got very mad at yoshiki. Yoshiki again somehow managed to get them together mid 2019 but Toshi allegedly demanded a break to record-release and promote his new album I AM A SINGER 2. This pretty much climaxed the mess and Pata refused to perform or even talk to Toshi again and Yoshiki low-key got mad, so Toshi noped the fuck out of anything related by X japan. (Pata follows every X member on social media except Toshi, Toshi never replies to birthday wishes or wishes anything with other X members and never took pics with them after these incidents, which according to those who told me these rumors, is a credible proof)

Of course theres no way to confirm these, but being a sensible Xfreak it was my duty to report the rumors here.


Anyways its depressing af :(
Title: Re: X Japan : On the verge of destruction, AGAIN
Post by: Kasumi on January 05, 2020, 05:38:17 PM
I don't know what but something is off about this band. Maybe it's just time to say goodbye already.

I cannot imagine Toshi and Pata to be fighting to be honest. And that there is nothing X-related on Toshis social media anymore isn't proof for anything imo. And not taking pictures with other X members? Well I guess that means Sugizo isn't part of X anymore?  ;)
https://www.instagram.com/p/B6msD0Cn-kr/
Social Media can't proof these things. It's just a facade and I wouldn't believe anything that fans speculate because of it. Noone of us knows 100% what is happening.

But still sad to see this band break apart for whatever reason there might be.
Title: Re: X Japan : On the verge of destruction, AGAIN
Post by: WeekEnder on January 05, 2020, 06:05:58 PM
I don't know what but something is off about this band. Maybe it's just time to say goodbye already.

I cannot imagine Toshi and Pata to be fighting to be honest. And that there is nothing X-related on Toshis social media anymore isn't proof for anything imo. And not taking pictures with other X members? Well I guess that means Sugizo isn't part of X anymore?  ;)
https://www.instagram.com/p/B6msD0Cn-kr/
Social Media can't proof these things. It's just a facade and I wouldn't believe anything that fans speculate because of it. Noone of us knows 100% what is happening.

But still sad to see this band break apart for whatever reason there might be.


I personally don't give a damn about the rumor. But the silence is scaring me :-\
Title: Re: X Japan : On the verge of destruction, AGAIN
Post by: Joker on January 05, 2020, 06:28:34 PM
Well I guess that means Sugizo isn't part of X anymore?  ;)

On the caption for this picture, Toshi just mentions #lunasea.

I don't think the issue is only "Toshi wanted more money". The rumours may be partly correct, but I think isn't as simple as "Pata and Toshi went into a fight". There is something quite deeper going on. The way Yoshiki handled Red Swan shows there is something else happening...
Title: Re: X Japan : On the verge of destruction, AGAIN
Post by: axlroseX on January 06, 2020, 03:44:21 AM
Its pretty clear something bad happened. That explains why Yoshiki said the album was done but couldnt be released.

Whatever it is, it's a very dissapointing ending. Especially after the optimism presented at the end of "We Are X", it's very sad fhe reunion basically limped on crutches for 10 years and then fizzled out with a complete whimper. The Red Swan incident is utterly bizarre, and its possible it was in response to something as opposed to a misguided decision out of nowhere. It seems Yoshiki was testing the waters to see if Hyde could replace Toshi.

I hope they reconcile to salvage their personal relationships, and can do a final tour and release the album. It would let the band end with some dignity. If not, its sadly fitting and symbolic that their last show was played to an empty arena.
Title: Re: X Japan : On the verge of destruction, AGAIN
Post by: OmniaDei on January 06, 2020, 07:33:49 AM
Yea I also felt Yoshiki's IG and live comments were really weird. For me personally, if they could address this issue to fans more honestly and be frank about the fact that X is probably not gonna get together for a long time (again), it probably wouldn't have felt as bad, but it's the lack of information and not knowing what is happening that's the really scary part.

And also if this rumor is true though, at least it answers one age old question I had, which what things can actually manage to piss off Pata besides soba and Giants losing. Toshi must have pissed him off real hard cuz to my knowledge I never knew Pata could seriously get mad at anyone.
Title: Re: X Japan : On the verge of destruction, AGAIN
Post by: nb on January 06, 2020, 07:47:54 AM
And also if this rumor is true though, at least it answers one age old question I had, which what things can actually manage to piss off Pata besides soba and Giants losing. Toshi must have pissed him off real hard cuz to my knowledge I never knew Pata could seriously get mad at anyone.

Imho it sounds really fishy.

If it wouldn't include PATA it sounds very legit, but with him? Idk... something is off... But maybe I'm wrong... Who knows?


EDIT:
I checked Toshis Twitter profile. He never mentioned there anything about his X Japan activities. So he hadn't removed anything. ( https://web.archive.org/web/20181011081729/https:/twitter.com/toshlofficial )
Title: Re: X Japan : On the verge of destruction, AGAIN
Post by: WeekEnder on January 06, 2020, 12:01:02 PM
seems legit. I will go through his insta and other stuff and see if theres something fishy
Title: Re: X Japan : On the verge of destruction, AGAIN
Post by: Joker on January 06, 2020, 06:00:04 PM
EDIT:
I checked Toshis Twitter profile. He never mentioned there anything about his X Japan activities. So he hadn't removed anything. ( https://web.archive.org/web/20181011081729/https:/twitter.com/toshlofficial )

Your link is from 2018/10. After all this mess.
His last posts mentioning X are pictures from Coachella on his Instagram.

And I follow his social accounts since they started, I clearly remember X was mentioned many times. Like his Instagram before the empty concerts (http://web.archive.org/web/20180923070825/https://www.instagram.com/toshl_officia/). Like the benefits for his fanclub (before (https://i.imgur.com/J9kWkoA.jpg) and after (https://i.imgur.com/gHOzZqG.jpg) the empty concerts).
Title: Re: X Japan : On the verge of destruction, AGAIN
Post by: magucathy on January 07, 2020, 08:59:22 PM
I don't know what to believe.
For sure something fishy has happened.
If Toshi wants more money.... won't it be better to release the album sooner when the people still want to buy it?
Title: Re: X Japan : On the verge of destruction, AGAIN
Post by: Kasumi on January 09, 2020, 02:23:54 PM

If Toshi wants more money.... won't it be better to release the album sooner when the people still want to buy it?
Yes, most definetly. But Yoshiki seems to not even want to talk about that album anymore.

If I were in this band I would be pissed off. So it doesn't really surprise that X is destroying itself again.
Title: Re: X Japan : On the verge of destruction, AGAIN
Post by: BLUE_BLOOD on January 10, 2020, 02:00:07 PM
Yoshiki created this mess himself. He should have never promised/announced a new album to begin with.
Title: Re: X Japan : On the verge of destruction, AGAIN
Post by: treex on January 11, 2020, 12:54:24 AM
As a relatively new fan, I find this discussion interesting.

From what I understand, Yoshiki controls X Japan, he owns it, right? And the other band members are hired as needed?

It's not surprising that the money issue would come up at some point. The others get a salary, Yoshiki gets everything else. Sadly, that's not really a "band". So if they release a new album as X Japan... do they share the profits or does Yoshiki get everything? Surely, this has come up.
Title: Re: X Japan : On the verge of destruction, AGAIN
Post by: OmniaDei on January 12, 2020, 05:12:00 AM
As a relatively new fan, I find this discussion interesting.

From what I understand, Yoshiki controls X Japan, he owns it, right? And the other band members are hired as needed?

It's not surprising that the money issue would come up at some point. The others get a salary, Yoshiki gets everything else. Sadly, that's not really a "band". So if they release a new album as X Japan... do they share the profits or does Yoshiki get everything? Surely, this has come up.

Not 100% sure on that. The business side of X has always been confusing AF. Prior to their break-out they did have an old management company and each member had shares of it, but after breakup it was closed down and Yoshiki transferred all X rights and debts to a new company, which then pays the copyright to other members. Last time I checked, this is currently his own agency (but not sure how much ownership he has over it). I think the whole confusing business side was at least partially the reason behind all the Headwax, Nexstar, Heath lawsuits (as far as I heard).There were quite a few shady people involved with X management back in those days, but once Yoshiki gets rid of them, I'm not sure whether the staff he replaces them with are all that capable either I feel like? But again, not 100% sure on that, hopefully there might be some fan who actually knows about corporate or copyright law LOOL

Title: Re: X Japan : On the verge of destruction, AGAIN
Post by: Joker on January 12, 2020, 01:31:55 PM
As a relatively new fan, I find this discussion interesting.

From what I understand, Yoshiki controls X Japan, he owns it, right? And the other band members are hired as needed?

It's not surprising that the money issue would come up at some point. The others get a salary, Yoshiki gets everything else. Sadly, that's not really a "band". So if they release a new album as X Japan... do they share the profits or does Yoshiki get everything? Surely, this has come up.

Not 100% sure on that. The business side of X has always been confusing AF. Prior to their break-out they did have an old management company and each member had shares of it, but after breakup it was closed down and Yoshiki transferred all X rights and debts to a new company, which then pays the copyright to other members. Last time I checked, this is currently his own agency (but not sure how much ownership he has over it). I think the whole confusing business side was at least partially the reason behind all the Headwax, Nexstar, Heath lawsuits (as far as I heard).There were quite a few shady people involved with X management back in those days, but once Yoshiki gets rid of them, I'm not sure whether the staff he replaces them with are all that capable either I feel like? But again, not 100% sure on that, hopefully there might be some fan who actually knows about corporate or copyright law LOOL



Exactly.

This came up after the Headwax lawsuit. They exposed how X businesses worked.
Basically they created a management company, called Excess 24, on which each member had their shares (even Yoshiki having more than the others). It worked like this until 2008, according to Headwax statement. Basically after the first reunion concerts, all the bands' rights were transferred to Japan Music Agency (JMA), Yoshiki's office. And since then the members are hired by JMA, they don't have any part of the band anymore.

Yoshiki tried to centralize everything on himself, not only the management.

I won't extend myself, but my replies to an older thread (https://www.x-freaks.com/forum/index.php?topic=7567.0) I show what I think is wrong with X. And is basically how Yoshiki handles everything awfully.
Title: Re: X Japan : On the verge of destruction, AGAIN
Post by: OmniaDei on January 12, 2020, 07:32:03 PM
Exactly.

This came up after the Headwax lawsuit. They exposed how X businesses worked.
Basically they created a management company, called Excess 24, on which each member had their shares (even Yoshiki having more than the others). It worked like this until 2008, according to Headwax statement. Basically after the first reunion concerts, all the bands' rights were transferred to Japan Music Agency (JMA), Yoshiki's office. And since then the members are hired by JMA, they don't have any part of the band anymore.

Yoshiki tried to centralize everything on himself, not only the management.

I won't extend myself, but my replies to an older thread (https://www.x-freaks.com/forum/index.php?topic=7567.0) I show what I think is wrong with X. And is basically how Yoshiki handles everything awfully.

The version I read that's translated from 2ch (yeah, 2ch, so take it with a grain of salt) goes something like this: an Excess 24 manager (not "Takeda" from Toshi's biography, but another one after him) persuaded GLAY to break away from Yoshiki's label around the time when X JAPAN was breaking up. Yoshiki then was facing a situation where he still had the debts from X JAPAN in Excess 24 but was not making any profits in the short-term, so some other shady guy came up to Y and promised to take care of the debt in exchange for X copyright, and that's how Japan Music Agency and all the confusing business side came about (and that's around 2000, not 2008 when the band reunited). According to this version, the pressure for reunion came after GLAY was problems with this manager, so that manager had to bank on an X reunion to get money. Around this time he was involved with NEXSTAR, but at least at one point he was also involved with Headwax (I think as a board member), and in 1998 he was even the official organizer for hide's funeral, so he definitely did have something to do with the lawsuits.

This version doesn't completely check out because "Takeda" did not feature in that story, but it does explain why GLAY wasn't on speaking terms with Yoshiki for years and suddenly got friendly to him again around the time of X reunion. Also this was translated years back when the lawsuits were still going on, so I'm not sure whether Yoshiki has completely got rid of these guys yet (probably yes), or replaced them with capable managers (probably not).
Title: Re: X Japan : On the verge of destruction, AGAIN
Post by: Joker on January 12, 2020, 10:26:45 PM
Exactly.

This came up after the Headwax lawsuit. They exposed how X businesses worked.
Basically they created a management company, called Excess 24, on which each member had their shares (even Yoshiki having more than the others). It worked like this until 2008, according to Headwax statement. Basically after the first reunion concerts, all the bands' rights were transferred to Japan Music Agency (JMA), Yoshiki's office. And since then the members are hired by JMA, they don't have any part of the band anymore.

Yoshiki tried to centralize everything on himself, not only the management.

I won't extend myself, but my replies to an older thread (https://www.x-freaks.com/forum/index.php?topic=7567.0) I show what I think is wrong with X. And is basically how Yoshiki handles everything awfully.

The version I read that's translated from 2ch (yeah, 2ch, so take it with a grain of salt) goes something like this: an Excess 24 manager (not "Takeda" from Toshi's biography, but another one after him) persuaded GLAY to break away from Yoshiki's label around the time when X JAPAN was breaking up. Yoshiki then was facing a situation where he still had the debts from X JAPAN in Excess 24 but was not making any profits in the short-term, so some other shady guy came up to Y and promised to take care of the debt in exchange for X copyright, and that's how Japan Music Agency and all the confusing business side came about (and that's around 2000, not 2008 when the band reunited). According to this version, the pressure for reunion came after GLAY was problems with this manager, so that manager had to bank on an X reunion to get money. Around this time he was involved with NEXSTAR, but at least at one point he was also involved with Headwax (I think as a board member), and in 1998 he was even the official organizer for hide's funeral, so he definitely did have something to do with the lawsuits.

This version doesn't completely check out because "Takeda" did not feature in that story, but it does explain why GLAY wasn't on speaking terms with Yoshiki for years and suddenly got friendly to him again around the time of X reunion. Also this was translated years back when the lawsuits were still going on, so I'm not sure whether Yoshiki has completely got rid of these guys yet (probably yes), or replaced them with capable managers (probably not).


This actually makes sense, even with some holes.
But the manager could approach Yoshiki to get X copyright, but to do it, all the members (which were actually Pata, Heath, Hiroshi managind hide's part and Masaya managing Toshi's part) should agreed, as they all had their shares. How did he convince all of them? Mostly Hiroshi and Masaya, which I think would be the most difficult to deal.
Title: Re: X Japan : On the verge of destruction, AGAIN
Post by: OmniaDei on January 12, 2020, 11:19:41 PM

This actually makes sense, even with some holes.
But the manager could approach Yoshiki to get X copyright, but to do it, all the members (which were actually Pata, Heath, Hiroshi managind hide's part and Masaya managing Toshi's part) should agreed, as they all had their shares. How did he convince all of them? Mostly Hiroshi and Masaya, which I think would be the most difficult to deal.

I don't remember Toshi's autobiography that well, but I think there was a time around X Japan's breakup when his second brother was still managing his personal agency, and was fighting with Moritani? If the copyright change did occur in this time frame, I don't think HOH had enough control yet to raise any objections. Also another thing from his book, when the "Takeda" issue happened, Toshi had to return some of his Excess 24 shares as a form of apology. Not sure how much he returned, but this probably had something to do with how much say he has in X management.

As for Hiroshi, there are conspiracy theories that suggested he might have been manipulated by this ex-manager (again, that manager was close enough with Hiroshi to be the official funeral organizer for hide, was once involved with Headwax). He was suing Yoshiki and Japan Music Agency, but left Nexstar out of it (if I remember correctly). Another thing from that 2ch story I forgot to mention was that, this manager was also head of the X Japan production management committee which was created around the reunion in partnership with all members' agencies, but allegedly after all the money laundering and deficits that went down, the existing 4 members all decided to go around/break away from this committee. This might have eventually led to all the disorganization later on too?

PS. Heath's fight with his agency also somehow featured in this story, but wasn't explained very clearly.
 
Title: Re: X Japan : On the verge of destruction, AGAIN
Post by: Joker on January 13, 2020, 01:33:52 AM

This actually makes sense, even with some holes.
But the manager could approach Yoshiki to get X copyright, but to do it, all the members (which were actually Pata, Heath, Hiroshi managind hide's part and Masaya managing Toshi's part) should agreed, as they all had their shares. How did he convince all of them? Mostly Hiroshi and Masaya, which I think would be the most difficult to deal.

I don't remember Toshi's autobiography that well, but I think there was a time around X Japan's breakup when his second brother was still managing his personal agency, and was fighting with Moritani? If the copyright change did occur in this time frame, I don't think HOH had enough control yet to raise any objections. Also another thing from his book, when the "Takeda" issue happened, Toshi had to return some of his Excess 24 shares as a form of apology. Not sure how much he returned, but this probably had something to do with how much say he has in X management.

As for Hiroshi, there are conspiracy theories that suggested he might have been manipulated by this ex-manager (again, that manager was close enough with Hiroshi to be the official funeral organizer for hide, was once involved with Headwax). He was suing Yoshiki and Japan Music Agency, but left Nexstar out of it (if I remember correctly). Another thing from that 2ch story I forgot to mention was that, this manager was also head of the X Japan production management committee which was created around the reunion in partnership with all members' agencies, but allegedly after all the money laundering and deficits that went down, the existing 4 members all decided to go around/break away from this committee. This might have eventually led to all the disorganization later on too?

PS. Heath's fight with his agency also somehow featured in this story, but wasn't explained very clearly.
 

IIRC, Toshi's management agency (Toshi Office) was led by his brother. Toshi then transferred everything to HoH and his brother sued him trying to get back. On Toshi's biography he says that even the money he received from X went directly to Masaya, and the company Toshi Office was transferred to a building owned by HoH which he didn't even know where was located.
Title: Re: X Japan : On the verge of destruction, AGAIN
Post by: treex on January 13, 2020, 09:40:12 AM
So, apparently Yoshiki stated in his New Year's message that X Japan would not be active in 2020. That supposedly a number of contract issues with members and management issues have to be resolved before X Japan can resume.

Note that I say apparently and supposedly since I am using Google Translate to read some blogs and messages from people who were discussing it. So I could be totally wrong, as Google Translate isn't great with Japanese. But it makes sense from what we know. Note that I'm not sure if he said the second part about the contract and management issues, they could have been speculating that part.
Title: Re: X Japan : On the verge of destruction, AGAIN
Post by: nb on January 13, 2020, 10:14:22 AM
So, apparently Yoshiki stated in his New Year's message that X Japan would not be active in 2020. That supposedly a number of contract issues with members and management issues have to be resolved before X Japan can resume.

this is a bummer :(

Note that I say apparently and supposedly since I am using Google Translate to read some blogs and messages from people who were discussing it. So I could be totally wrong, as Google Translate isn't great with Japanese. But it makes sense from what we know. Note that I'm not sure if he said the second part about the contract and management issues, they could have been speculating that part.

A couple of our members are quite fluent in Japanese. Maybe you want to give us some links, so we can reread it? :)
Title: Re: X Japan : On the verge of destruction, AGAIN
Post by: TaijiSawada on January 18, 2020, 11:49:11 AM
So, apparently Yoshiki stated in his New Year's message that X Japan would not be active in 2020. That supposedly a number of contract issues with members and management issues have to be resolved before X Japan can resume.


Yoshiki's message was this https://www.instagram.com/p/B6vb9cTAIeM/ but he doesn't mention any hiatus for the band. The strangest thing IMO is his "I felt alone" while apologizing for missing the (supposed, I know) deadline for X's new album.

I don't think he's doing well at all...
Title: Re: X Japan : On the verge of destruction, AGAIN
Post by: Joker on January 18, 2020, 12:40:24 PM
So, apparently Yoshiki stated in his New Year's message that X Japan would not be active in 2020. That supposedly a number of contract issues with members and management issues have to be resolved before X Japan can resume.


Yoshiki's message was this https://www.instagram.com/p/B6vb9cTAIeM/ but he doesn't mention any hiatus for the band. The strangest thing IMO is his "I felt alone" while apologizing for missing the (supposed, I know) deadline for X's new album.

I don't think he's doing well at all...

He said it in a live on Youtube, on January 2nd.
Title: Re: X Japan : On the verge of destruction, AGAIN
Post by: TaijiSawada on January 19, 2020, 06:01:22 AM
I see. So we can legitimately conclude that because of all Yoshiki's side projects (plus the YouTube documentary that debuts on March, that will become the center of endless promotional activities) we won't see the album for at least another 2 years. Surprise, who would have thought ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Title: Re: X Japan : On the verge of destruction, AGAIN
Post by: magucathy on January 19, 2020, 09:49:49 PM
Actually I don't think we will see the album at all.  >:(
Title: Re: X Japan : On the verge of destruction, AGAIN
Post by: nb on January 19, 2020, 11:07:57 PM
Actually I don't think we will see the album at all.  >:(

ack. I doubt we will see it eventually
Title: Re: X Japan : On the verge of destruction, AGAIN
Post by: TaijiSawada on January 20, 2020, 07:21:00 AM
Maybe we really need to get our hands on this:

https://www.instagram.com/p/zhpDQZL9B6/

it's funny how major music releases get leaked at any time, but X's album looks like is sheltered in a nuclear bunker or something. I wouldn't be surprised if the master CD is owned by Yoshiki only, without any copies elsewhere.
Title: Re: X Japan : On the verge of destruction, AGAIN
Post by: nb on January 20, 2020, 10:00:49 AM
He once said, he lost the key for his zip file...
Title: Re: X Japan : On the verge of destruction, AGAIN
Post by: TaijiSawada on January 20, 2020, 04:19:39 PM
He once said, he lost the key for his zip file...

maybe even more than that  :( I just stumbled upon this https://www.news-postseven.com/archives/20200118_1526434.html and uh, it's bad news according to Google Translator.

at least now we know why we have to endure such a long delay.
Title: Re: X Japan : On the verge of destruction, AGAIN
Post by: WeekEnder on January 20, 2020, 05:12:27 PM
The stuff in this article is ditto of what i told y'all in discord. See, the members are no longer members. They are just instrumentalists who are hired for shows now, and now they are not even joining in back. X is pretty much dead. I appreciate that Yoshiki decleared not to expect anything from X for a while.
Title: Re: X Japan : On the verge of destruction, AGAIN
Post by: treex on January 20, 2020, 10:04:22 PM
Sounds like people haven't been paid... "unpaid money from the music publishers" hmmm. I wonder who wasn't paid?
Title: Re: X Japan : On the verge of destruction, AGAIN
Post by: TaijiSawada on January 21, 2020, 05:17:21 AM
it can be summed up this way... 1) Yoshiki is so uncertain and shaky about the new release (be it perfectionism or the fear of not being able to keep up with people's expectations) that he deliberately chose to keep this album hidden from the rest of humanity forever. 2) Other X's members are tired of this endless tug-of-war and eventually ditched the whole project and they're willing to appear on stage only when it's needed as independent musicians. That also would explain why Yoshiki follows the other members but some of them don't follow him back (Pata being a giant example for that, pun intended).
Title: Re: X Japan : On the verge of destruction, AGAIN
Post by: nb on January 21, 2020, 08:05:30 AM
it can be summed up this way... 1) Yoshiki is so uncertain and shaky about the new release (be it perfectionism or the fear of not being able to keep up with people's expectations) that he deliberately chose to keep this album hidden from the rest of humanity forever. 2) Other X's members are tired of this endless tug-of-war and eventually ditched the whole project and they're willing to appear on stage only when it's needed as independent musicians. That also would explain why Yoshiki follows the other members but some of them don't follow him back (Pata being a giant example for that, pun intended).

Your point two unfortunately is wrong.
Title: Re: X Japan : On the verge of destruction, AGAIN
Post by: WeekEnder on January 26, 2020, 02:37:17 PM
Since Yoshiki literally owns everything and will grab the majority of the total income, i think it kinda describes the contract wars
Title: Re: X Japan : On the verge of destruction, AGAIN
Post by: TaijiSawada on January 26, 2020, 04:42:18 PM
I'm still thinking about that interview where Yoshiki mentions the difficulties of selling rock music to a new generation of Western listeners who are clearly more hooked to electronic tunes and "hit singles" on Spotify/whatever waiting for the right moment to release that "infamous" new album. Well, put the album out for free (It's been already recorded, so the bulk of money that was needed in the whole process is already gone)  and then compensate with the huge cash returns you get from commercials and fashion shows, I'd say  ;D

Yeah, better keep on dreaming than simply waiting...
Title: Re: X Japan : On the verge of destruction, AGAIN
Post by: treex on January 26, 2020, 11:31:27 PM
Yoshiki, Heath and Pata are doing a live stream *together* this week...  they will take questions.  :o
Title: Re: X Japan : On the verge of destruction, AGAIN
Post by: TaijiSawada on January 27, 2020, 05:12:34 AM
Yoshiki, Heath and Pata are doing a live stream *together* this week...  they will take questions.  :o

I'd like to ask Pata why he only follows on Instagram the Yomiuri Giants but not Yoshiki, Toshi, Sugizo, Heath...  :D
Title: Re: X Japan : On the verge of destruction, AGAIN
Post by: Joker on February 01, 2020, 09:30:20 PM
Yoshiki, Heath and Pata are doing a live stream *together* this week...  they will take questions.  :o

I'd like to ask Pata why he only follows on Instagram the Yomiuri Giants but not Yoshiki, Toshi, Sugizo, Heath...  :D

Heath doesn't have any social media account.

On Twitter Pata follows Yoshiki and Sugizo, but not Toshi.
Title: Re: X Japan : On the verge of destruction, AGAIN
Post by: OmniaDei on February 02, 2020, 03:06:57 AM
Yoshiki, Heath and Pata are doing a live stream *together* this week...  they will take questions.  :o

I'd like to ask Pata why he only follows on Instagram the Yomiuri Giants but not Yoshiki, Toshi, Sugizo, Heath...  :D

Heath doesn't have any social media account.

On Twitter Pata follows Yoshiki and Sugizo, but not Toshi.

Interestingly Pata follows Cutt, who's kinda been Toshi's sidekick for a long time, but not Toshi.
On that note, Cutt also hasn't been seen interacting with Toshi for a while now. Not sure whether this also has to do with Toshi's contract issue.
Title: Re: X Japan : On the verge of destruction, AGAIN
Post by: TaijiSawada on February 02, 2020, 05:18:33 AM
Yoshiki, Heath and Pata are doing a live stream *together* this week...  they will take questions.  :o

I'd like to ask Pata why he only follows on Instagram the Yomiuri Giants but not Yoshiki, Toshi, Sugizo, Heath...  :D

Heath doesn't have any social media account.

On Twitter Pata follows Yoshiki and Sugizo, but not Toshi.

yup, it just seemed strange to me that... Yoshiki follows every member on IG. Sugizo only follows Toshi. Toshi follows Sugizo and Yoshiki, as you said Pata only follows the Giants without a care for the other members  :D

not to mention that for a band that wants to become more popular in the West, translating Instagram posts from Japanese to English would be appropriate, but only Yoshiki does that.
Title: Re: X Japan : On the verge of destruction, AGAIN
Post by: treex on February 02, 2020, 08:06:51 AM
Did anyone check out the stream of Yoshiki/Pata/Heath? Did they mention the band status or Toshi at all?

On Twitter someone posted a picture of their recent visit to the X Japan exhibit at Madame Tussauds and Toshi was not in it. A bit weird.
Title: Re: X Japan : On the verge of destruction, AGAIN
Post by: TaijiSawada on February 02, 2020, 08:55:44 AM
Yoshiki just posted a picture on Instagram... "I think I'm still Yoshiki from X Japan" is the caption. Quite odd if X is still a band... Does he need reassurance from himself (and worldwide fans)?  :(

"On the verge of destruction, again" confirmed again (sorry for being redundant)
Title: Re: X Japan : On the verge of destruction, AGAIN
Post by: OmniaDei on February 03, 2020, 03:38:07 AM
Did anyone check out the stream of Yoshiki/Pata/Heath? Did they mention the band status or Toshi at all?

On Twitter someone posted a picture of their recent visit to the X Japan exhibit at Madame Tussauds and Toshi was not in it. A bit weird.

They actually mentioned all X members. Toshi was mentioned quite a few times, but mostly in the same old stories that Yoshiki tells from time to time. Pata actually referred to him as  Deyama-kun when they were talking about how Toshi was in charge of X's accounting during the indies days. Also if you watch the subtitle translations for Toshi's fancy studio tour,  Toshi explicitly mentioned how he wasn't in Madame Tussauds because of contract reasons. The Madame Tussauds thing happened quite a few years ago, so maybe it was during the time when he was still fighting for his rights with HOH?

Also in terms of band status, nothing much was said. Basically the same "ah being in the band is really nice, maybe I should release the album some time".


Title: Re: X Japan : On the verge of destruction, AGAIN
Post by: TaijiSawada on February 03, 2020, 06:06:34 AM
Lol, really maybe  :D About Toshi... It wouldn't surprise me if he doesn't take part to Yoshiki's promo tours that basically only involve self-celebration. He wants to sing, obviously, not to hang pictures in museums or polishing wax statues.
Title: Re: X Japan : On the verge of destruction, AGAIN
Post by: nb on February 04, 2020, 12:29:31 PM
Did anyone check out the stream of Yoshiki/Pata/Heath? Did they mention the band status or Toshi at all?

xou may can write me via PM about it  ;)
Title: Re: X Japan : On the verge of destruction, AGAIN
Post by: Kiiroi on February 05, 2020, 09:47:57 PM
I listened to X JAPAN for the first time in 2005... I remember wanting them to be active again so bad, then 2007 came and I was so excited to finally see them alive again! Waiting for the new album, and waiting, and waiting...

I joined this forum in 2008, and I held hope until 2011, which was the last time I logged in. Then today I checked this forum again and read this post... not surprised at all.
I still listen to their songs, and follow them on social media in case they release a new song (the album is a lost case), but I'm hopeless.

I just want them to release the damn album so I can move on.
Title: Re: X Japan : On the verge of destruction, AGAIN
Post by: TaijiSawada on February 06, 2020, 06:06:46 AM
The only thing Yoshiki seems to care about nowadays is classical music performances and doing commercials. We won't see the album unless pop-rock / rock music becomes mainstream again (and I would still have doubts about the release)
Title: Re: X Japan : On the verge of destruction, AGAIN
Post by: nb on February 06, 2020, 09:43:48 AM
The only thing Yoshiki seems to care about nowadays is classical music performances and doing commercials. We won't see the album unless pop-rock / rock music becomes mainstream again (and I would still have doubts about the release)

I agree on the classical thing, but I have to say, I doubt he wont release because rock is not mainstream anymore. In the last 10 years there were a bunch of reasons why he couldn't release it. Sometimes he lost his passphrase for the zip file, another time it was bcs of contracts, sometimes he said, he wasn't in the mood or Pata was etc etc ...
Title: Re: X Japan : On the verge of destruction, AGAIN
Post by: WeekEnder on February 10, 2020, 09:13:02 AM
current situation says that heath and pata are ready.  While sugizo and toshi are simply ignoring everything
Title: Re: X Japan : On the verge of destruction, AGAIN
Post by: nb on February 10, 2020, 09:15:55 AM
Well,

maybe Sugizo and Toshi are sick of waiting for Yo being in the right mood. I mean, these two guys have a real career.

Sorry for the harsh words... :-\
Title: Re: X Japan : On the verge of destruction, AGAIN
Post by: TaijiSawada on February 10, 2020, 09:34:21 AM
Toshi has been literally unstoppable about his music and side projects after his recover, it's fair to assume that he doesn't like being strung along by Yoshiki anymore...

however, knowing that Yoshiki can be manipulative, I often wonder why he doesn't recruit another singer for the time being...
Title: Re: X Japan : On the verge of destruction, AGAIN
Post by: Pocho on February 12, 2020, 08:17:06 PM
A new singer wouldnt work in X. the magic would be gone. To bad Yoshiki is the boss. Really sucks for anyone into to this band. Its sad it ended this way. Next time we will get news is when they disband again... Rest in Peace X
Title: Re: X Japan : On the verge of destruction, AGAIN
Post by: treex on February 13, 2020, 12:03:16 AM
The time to recruit a new singer was 1998-2007... he had plenty of time, what was he doing?... that ship has sailed and it seems Toshi has moved on.
Title: Re: X Japan : On the verge of destruction, AGAIN
Post by: TaijiSawada on February 13, 2020, 05:11:01 AM
it obviously wouldn't be the same without Toshi, but let's remember that we already lost 2 key members of the band before... To Yoshiki everything right now seems a business, so the question seemed legit to me
Title: Re: X Japan : On the verge of destruction, AGAIN
Post by: Pocho on February 15, 2020, 05:37:11 PM
it obviously wouldn't be the same without Toshi, but let's remember that we already lost 2 key members of the band before... To Yoshiki everything right now seems a business, so the question seemed legit to me

Sure the loss of Taji and hide changed things alot concerning song writing. But Toshi have always been a part of x. You have had a shitload of persons in the band besides Toshi and Yoshiki. Toshi and Yoshiki is X. Separating thoose 2 would surely kill the band forever.  But who am i kidding. The spoiled brat Yoshiki has already fucked everything up.
Title: Re: X Japan : On the verge of destruction, AGAIN
Post by: nb on February 15, 2020, 05:51:00 PM
I have to say, it's really true what you say Pocho. Sadly  :-\
Title: Re: X Japan : On the verge of destruction, AGAIN
Post by: magucathy on February 15, 2020, 10:37:29 PM
I am in the zone where I don't really care what is going to happen to X anymore.
Title: Re: X Japan : On the verge of destruction, AGAIN
Post by: TaijiSawada on February 16, 2020, 06:13:44 AM
it obviously wouldn't be the same without Toshi, but let's remember that we already lost 2 key members of the band before... To Yoshiki everything right now seems a business, so the question seemed legit to me

Sure the loss of Taji and hide changed things alot concerning song writing. But Toshi have always been a part of x. You have had a shitload of persons in the band besides Toshi and Yoshiki. Toshi and Yoshiki is X. Separating thoose 2 would surely kill the band forever.  But who am i kidding. The spoiled brat Yoshiki has already fucked everything up.

yup. That just goes to show how leadership in a band should be evenly distributed to avoid future disasters. Even if Yoshiki realized his mistakes about the management, who would he reach out to? I mean, he's basically alone.
Title: Re: X Japan : On the verge of destruction, AGAIN
Post by: treex on February 16, 2020, 07:53:10 AM
Indeed... and when one member exerts creative or business control of a band or whose ego gets out of control, this pretty much always breeds resentment among other members. It's been the reason many bands have broken up. On the other end of the spectrum, an example would be U2, which has always shared profits equally... even though you could certainly argue that some members contribute more than others to its success. Each member still gets equal $.
Title: Re: X Japan : On the verge of destruction, AGAIN
Post by: WeekEnder on February 16, 2020, 04:10:13 PM
Harsh truth. The thing is that before 2010s toshi wasnt in good shape and all, thus he played along yoshiki and didnt question is total negative iq decisions. But Toshi now has a kickass solo career, so i think its right to say he just said fuck off to yoshiki and went in his own way.
Title: Re: X Japan : On the verge of destruction, AGAIN
Post by: TaijiSawada on February 17, 2020, 05:12:02 AM
the only thing that could keep the hype up is trying to picture in our own mind how will Yoshiki annouce the break up of X. What careful choice of words will be picked up from the magic hat?
Title: Re: X Japan : On the verge of destruction, AGAIN
Post by: WeekEnder on February 17, 2020, 08:40:52 PM
a bunch of overly honey dripping EnGRiSh words ofc
Title: Re: X Japan : On the verge of destruction, AGAIN
Post by: nb on February 22, 2020, 08:43:29 AM
"I'm sorry... I wish I could talk about it.... I can't...."
Title: Re: X Japan : On the verge of destruction, AGAIN
Post by: StarWarsArtist on February 22, 2020, 12:23:27 PM
Is it possible there's some type of NDA in place? I never realized how difficult it was to deal with speaking to people about a subject until I signed one myself.
Title: Re: X Japan : On the verge of destruction, AGAIN
Post by: TaijiSawada on February 22, 2020, 03:37:37 PM
Is it possible there's some type of NDA in place? I never realized how difficult it was to deal with speaking to people about a subject until I signed one myself.

it might very well be. After all, everybody who's involved in the band management never made a single piece of information about its status slip out of their mouths besides Yoshiki himself... Talking about being secretive  :-X
Title: Re: X Japan : On the verge of destruction, AGAIN
Post by: WeekEnder on February 23, 2020, 08:01:58 PM
I mean X technically doesn't have "members". They are legally just musicians hired to play a bunch of lives for a certain amount of time and to appear for tv shows and stuff. It's just Yoshiki and he owns literally everything and he has the right to do anything about X himself alone, so I think others don't talk because they don't have the right to talk.
Title: Re: X Japan : On the verge of destruction, AGAIN
Post by: TaijiSawada on February 24, 2020, 09:41:08 AM
on the other hand, trying to read Yoshiki's mind is quite difficult. Nobody really knows what he's up to. Take a look at this: https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/01/28/business/x-japan-yoshiki-eyes-cloud/
what's this for? Is his next step turning X into a computer firm?  :D
Title: Re: X Japan : On the verge of destruction, AGAIN
Post by: BLUE_BLOOD on February 26, 2020, 11:47:09 AM
Do Japanese fans still buy Yoshiki's lies/nonsense? I'm curious.

Also, why doesn't Yoshiki simply release old stuff to stay relevant? :-X

There's still so much fantastic X material that has never been officially released:
- Kyoto Sports Valley '88
- Nagoya Rock Wave '90
- Rose & Blood Tour '90
- X with Orchestra '91
- Violence in Jealousy Tour '91
- On the Verge of Destruction -3 Days- '92

I just don't understand Yoshiki's logic.
Title: Re: X Japan : On the verge of destruction, AGAIN
Post by: WeekEnder on February 26, 2020, 04:11:57 PM
was watching junk story last night. Saw how hide was so adamant on giving other staff members and spread beavers same footing as him, like travelling in same car,train living in same hotel, being super close to them and allowing them (actually even asking them) to play in front of him or do anything on stage. Remember, that was just a BACKING LIVE BAND.

And heres our Yoshiki, doing the exact ditto opposite even though it was supposed to be a normal band
Title: Re: X Japan : On the verge of destruction, AGAIN
Post by: OmniaDei on February 26, 2020, 09:10:28 PM
Do Japanese fans still buy Yoshiki's lies/nonsense? I'm curious.

Also, why doesn't Yoshiki simply release old stuff to stay relevant? :-X

There's still so much fantastic X material that has never been officially released:
- Kyoto Sports Valley '88
- Nagoya Rock Wave '90
- Rose & Blood Tour '90
- X with Orchestra '91
- Violence in Jealousy Tour '91
- On the Verge of Destruction -3 Days- '92

I just don't understand Yoshiki's logic.

My guess is that the fans who decide to leave probably have mostly left already. People who stay probably just really don't care how much longer they have to wait.

Also in terms of releasing the old lives, i personally really would like to see more releases too, especially X with Orchestra and Rose and Blood. However, it's also true that he's very strict with editing the live footage (for example it took him like several years to release on the Verge of Destruction, and did he ever release any official live recordings post-reunion?), and realistically he probably just doesn't have the time. I personally just hope that if for example NHK does a documentary or something related to X Japan, hopefully some fans can just pressure them into signing something with Yoshiki and release some X with Orchestra footage on their end..

 
Title: Re: X Japan : On the verge of destruction, AGAIN
Post by: Hyunkel on February 26, 2020, 09:16:51 PM
Do Japanese fans still buy Yoshiki's lies/nonsense? I'm curious.

Also, why doesn't Yoshiki simply release old stuff to stay relevant? :-X

There's still so much fantastic X material that has never been officially released:
- Kyoto Sports Valley '88
- Nagoya Rock Wave '90
- Rose & Blood Tour '90
- X with Orchestra '91
- Violence in Jealousy Tour '91
- On the Verge of Destruction -3 Days- '92

I just don't understand Yoshiki's logic.

On the same subject, consiering how big is X Japan, I'm always baffled how their CDs are nowhere to be found.
I mean, if Blue blood and Jealousy weren't not rereleased in 2007 (I think ?), there'd be none of the album available at a normal price (even in Japan).
Title: Re: X Japan : On the verge of destruction, AGAIN
Post by: TaijiSawada on February 27, 2020, 05:56:36 AM
Do Japanese fans still buy Yoshiki's lies/nonsense? I'm curious.


indeed they do.   :-\ Just take a look at his Instagram / Twitter profiles. There's a literal flood of heart emojis for every thing he says

I think that they're partially responsible for this situation. And by "partially" I mean like 80-90%  >:(
Title: Re: X Japan : On the verge of destruction, AGAIN
Post by: treex on February 27, 2020, 09:40:20 AM
Yes, it's endless hearts and emojis and sparkle pictures. The pictures with sparkles just get to me... I mean, this is boy band stuff and you can tell these are women in their 40's/50's. Seriously, wtf???

I think yesterday's tweet about "The memory of XJAPAN #NoAudienceLive revives.. Someday we will return for our fans.", the picture he chose perfectly exemplifies what he thinks X Japan is.... himself.
Title: Re: X Japan : On the verge of destruction, AGAIN
Post by: BLUE_BLOOD on February 27, 2020, 10:56:24 AM
Do Japanese fans still buy Yoshiki's lies/nonsense? I'm curious.


indeed they do.   :-\ Just take a look at his Instagram / Twitter profiles. There's a literal flood of heart emojis for every thing he says

I think that they're partially responsible for this situation. And by "partially" I mean like 80-90%  >:(

I don't have Twitter or Instagram but I noticed that some fans are trolling Yoshiki about the new album on his Facebook profile. It seems people are getting fed up his antics. Is there any X Japan news at all this year? New releases? New Tour? Anything?
Title: Re: X Japan : On the verge of destruction, AGAIN
Post by: TaijiSawada on February 27, 2020, 12:26:13 PM

 Is there any X Japan news at all this year? New releases? New Tour? Anything?

uhh... http://www.xjapan.com/Tour.html  :(

it's also highly improbable that they'll plan something for the upcoming Spring, given the fact that because of the coronavirus the whole planet fell into a state of panic.

also, Yoshiki has partnered up with YouTube for a new documentary about himself (who would have thought) and I bet he'll spend the whole of 2020 promoting whatever he's doing. It's all about the leader, right?
Title: Re: X Japan : On the verge of destruction, AGAIN
Post by: nb on February 27, 2020, 12:35:55 PM

it's also highly improbable that they'll plan something for the upcoming Spring, given the fact that because of the coronavirus the whole planet fell into a state of panic.

The fact that Yoshiki put the brand "X Japan" on hiatus has nothing to do with the Corona Virus.


On the same subject, consiering how big is X Japan, I'm always baffled how their CDs are nowhere to be found.
I mean, if Blue blood and Jealousy weren't not rereleased in 2007 (I think ?), there'd be none of the album available at a normal price (even in Japan).

X Japan isn't that big anymore. It's like the Scorpions in Germany. Everybody (30+) knows them but nobody really cares. And if they play live (what they actually do sometimes) they sell out stadiums.
Title: Re: X Japan : On the verge of destruction, AGAIN
Post by: TaijiSawada on February 27, 2020, 01:18:16 PM

The fact that Yoshiki put the brand "X Japan" on hiatus has nothing to do with the Corona Virus.


yup, just saying that a lot of bands have canceled their tour dates because of the CV (ironically, Yoshiki talked about this a couple of days ago https://www.instagram.com/p/B9B9fYegj1w/) and even if X wanted to tour again breaking the hiatus they wouldn't be able to do so because of the emergency
Title: Re: X Japan : On the verge of destruction, AGAIN
Post by: WeekEnder on February 27, 2020, 02:36:52 PM
Did some digging here and there. X getting together is highly unlikely tbh. Signs say that Toshi is mad about the contract system, the red swan incident , lunatic fest incident and the whole "Yoshiki is X and he is everything" system. If all of these aren't resolved they won't get back together
Title: Re: X Japan : On the verge of destruction, AGAIN
Post by: Kasumi on February 27, 2020, 02:42:29 PM
Did some digging here and there. X getting together is highly unlikely tbh. Signs say that Toshi is mad about the contract system, the red swan incident , lunatic fest incident and the whole "Yoshiki is X and he is everything" system. If all of these aren't resolved they won't get back together
Sounds bad. If that's true they're never getting back together.

Also... Yoshiki wrote on Twitter:
Quote
The memory of XJapan #NoAudienceLive revives.. Someday we will return for our fans.

Makes me wonder what he thinks how many comebacks a band this old can have...
Title: Re: X Japan : On the verge of destruction, AGAIN
Post by: TaijiSawada on February 27, 2020, 03:54:08 PM
so we can all agree about the most optimistic scenario: they'll do (another) Last Live and then they will disband (again).

worst scenario (maybe the realistic one)... In a couple of decades, Yoshiki will probably find the strength to reveal that he deluded everybody on purpose
Title: Re: X Japan : On the verge of destruction, AGAIN
Post by: WeekEnder on February 28, 2020, 03:38:46 PM
In conclusion X ended in the most shameful way possible. Their last concert was a No audience one lmao. Fucking hell imagine if they stayed super active from 2007 to 2019 and then do a press conference and say "hey we are a bit too old to play Speed metal and we don't really want to play slow ass shit and defame the X's legacy so we will end it with love and pride". That would have been a totally respectable way to end a saga.


Yoshiki you failed us :-\
Title: Re: X Japan : On the verge of destruction, AGAIN
Post by: TaijiSawada on February 28, 2020, 05:20:36 PM
that album really became a crutch to walk on for him, something that will cherish forever because nobody will listen to it. Probably he thinks: "this is all who I am, X are my major accomplishment in life" and he doesn't want to let go, almost like after that album his career will be voided because they're all start to get old and they'll have to retire from the scene.
When he says that it's not the right time to release the album, it means that it's not the right time for him.

he reminds me of this TED talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arj7oStGLkU

and all of the weird explanations he gave in this interview https://www.barks.jp/news/?id=1000163252 convince me further that it's also a psychological issue.
Title: Re: X Japan : On the verge of destruction, AGAIN
Post by: nb on February 28, 2020, 08:47:08 PM
👍
Title: Re: X Japan : On the verge of destruction, AGAIN
Post by: WeekEnder on March 01, 2020, 04:58:13 PM
tbh fuck it. The matters got worse after the corona outbreak, no chance of a live performance anyways.
Title: Re: X Japan : On the verge of destruction, AGAIN
Post by: TaijiSawada on March 01, 2020, 06:36:23 PM
tbh fuck it. The matters got worse after the corona outbreak, no chance of a live performance anyways.

Yoshiki spent the past 2 days writing apologies on Twitter about his canceled shows asking for forgiveness, lol. This has seriously become a circus