INTERVIEW ~ Kenzi: November 11, 2008
Los Angeles, CA
We got a chance to sit down with Kenzi, vocalist and leader of Anti-Feminism, as he was visiting Los Angeles. It was an unplanned interview that turned out to be interesting nonetheless!
Why is the band called Anti-Feminism? Because you must have considered the English meaning of the title.
The word feminism, in Japan it's kind of translated wrong. They tend to do that a lot, like the Japanese and English counterparts. "Feminism" is usually used for people that are really too soft and too nice to the world. I originally meant it to be like "Don't be like that!" But later on I figured out what it meant in the English counterpart and I was like "Oh my gosh! I didn't mean it that way." It doesn't mean I'm against women. I kind of figured out why there's only men at these concerts. (laugh) It was a misunderstanding of the Japanese and English meanings.
Going off of that idea, anti-feminism brings up this idea of being really hard, and rock, kind of in your face. Were you a proponent of this whole idealogy before Anti-Feminism started?
Generally rock has kind of a hard image. And my concept was that the visual music these days is mostly about what girls like. It's a style kind of thing. But when I was young I was against that. I was always into rock. Rock itself is about going against the rules. And we all go through that stage (laugh). To me, my band and my music, my whole concept is different from people who want to be accepted by others. It's my way of letting things out. I don't really care about music. I don't really care about songs. I'm looking for areas to let out my esteem and power.
How many tattoos do you have and what do each of them mean?
I have a tribal tattoo and two of my previous band members who passed away, their names are on my arm. I love stars so I have one star, and a butterfly. I wanted either a lizard or a butterfly and I was like "Oh well the lizard's kind of hard" so I just went with the butterfly. I also have a Japanese character for madness. I have a dragon. It's done in the Japanese traditional way of tattoo. And it has somewhat of a Yakuza like pattern. I believe the Japanese traditional tattoos you don't get bored of so easily. The foreign tattoos, these tattoos are… Not the way they do it but the pattern itself. After awhile you get kind of bored of it. But the Japanese traditional tattoos kind of become part of me. And I don't really grow out of it.
You've said in the past that the Sex Pistols had an influence on you. What was it about them, what they had, that drew you to them so much?
The band itself, I felt close to them because they themselves, it's not like they're good singers but it sounded to me like they were trying to let out the way I let out myself through music. So I felt close to them because of that. Supposedly they were struggling getting accepted by the world too and since they were fighting against that, I felt that similar energy going into me and I felt close to them. A lot of times I don't really understand the other Japanese vocalist bands, because they say "Oh you should try getting better at singing" and I'm like "Well that's not the reason why I'm doing this. I have this total conceptual difference with you guys."
Do you get an adrenaline rush when you're on stage?
Yes, but in my case, it's more like I feel great after the concert when I'm having drinks with my friends and with the band guys saying "Yeah!" That's when it's really, really fun for me. Doing something with the band together is the whole conception and singing and providing music to people. I do respect other people doing their thing, it's just that I feel very different from them.
What is the worst stage injury you've gotten?
The worst one I remember was at a New Year's Eve live. I was on the stage and I was hitting the drums and I went "OK Happy New Year" and I dove into the fans. Somehow, somewhere I managed to hit my head. I was bleeding. I had like five stiches on my forehead and then I also broke my arm. But I didn't know and I was still playing the drums! And then later on after the show I had another show at a different place, but then on the way I was like "Hey it kinda hurts lets go to the hospital" and I found out it was broken. But I'm constantly breaking something and always getting stitches so I can't really remember which one was the worst. A lot of band people, they're regulars at instrument shops, but me, I'm a regular at hospitals. (laughs) Because everytime I have a show I always have to go to the hospital in that town so I have like stacks and stacks of hospital cards.
(stunned) How is that you can keep inflicting all this pain on yourself?
I'm pretty much numb to pain but the only time it's really, really painful is when I go home and take a shower after shows. That's when it hurts the most but generally I'm numb to the pain.
I saw a picture of you and Kamijo and you were wearing Hizaki's dress. You looked very feminine. How do you feel about that aspect of visual kei, men dressing as women and so forth.
In my younger days I used to do that as well. I think it's OK. It's fun to do it's just that it takes a real, real long time to do it. Lets say, it takes about an hour and a half to prepare for my show. For a show like that, like with cross dressing involved, it takes three or four hours to prepare and you've got to have a lot of energy in order to do that. I really respect to that. As for that photo, it was like a joke. Kamijo wanted to wear one of my outfits. So I was like "Oh well then, let me wear that." (laughs) Even if the other band members thought it was Hizaki wearing the dress but it was actually me. (laughs) I think it's a fun world and it's all OK. But I'm a no make-up, blood kind of guy so I wouldn't do it... But it's a very fun world.
interview by Sarah; photo copyright Kenzi
Thank you to Kenzi for taking the time to answer our questions; thanks to CURE for making this interview possible.
links
Anti Feminism Official Website
