09-19-2009, 02:26 PM
So something got me thinking just a bit ago and so I decided to make a topic about it. I was wondering, how many fans actually have the word "VAMPS" firmly implanted into their brain? Seriously.
Now, I know you'll probably be all, "OF COURSE WE DO, WE LOVE VAMPS!" But what I mean is, what do you think of when you think of VAMPS? When I watch a YouTube video of VAMPS or something, I'll see almost every comment say "I love HYDE" (I won't lie; this includes most of my comments) and then there will be an occasional fan girl that shouts, "OMG FUK U, SHOUT 4 K.A.Z 2!" Not really because the fan actually cares about K.A.Z, but to sound like a better fan.
Since I can't speak for everyone, I can only list my own flaws. One of those being that even though it's been a little over a year now, I'm still not used to the name "VAMPS." Whenever I look for a song by them, I still have an impulse to accidentally type "HYDE - song title" for example "HYDE - EVANESCENT." It's not that I don't like VAMPS or care about the fact that it is a different unit, it's just that I've grown so accustomed to typing "HYDE" that I don't think of VAMPS.
Going back to the aforementioned YouTube comments, almost every YouTube comment shouts "OMG I love HYDE" and only the angry fan girls seem to actually mention K.A.Z, mostly just to sound like they're a more extreme fan of the band. Honestly, most of them probably wouldn't know until a year later if K.A.Z officially left. Again, I admit. I do the same thing myself. But it's not because I don't love K.A.Z, but because I'm not used to him. Although I knew his name, I rarely paid attention to him prior to 2008, and not much of a surprise: Neither did anyone else. Thinking about it, I only remember ONE comment regarding K.A.Z -ever- prior to 2008. It was something along the effects of "I love HYDE's guitarist, K.A.Z" or something like that.
Again, I can't speak for everyone, but I think it's an easy guess that people have not yet grown use to the name "VAMPS." For the longest time, we've just thought of K.A.Z as a support musician, and even today he acts like he still is. So it's hard for fans to adjust to remembering his very existence.
To me, HYDE solo and VAMPS feel like one in the same, even if they are regarded as a different unit altogether. They both provide the same feel for me and um... well... it's the same band =x - I mean, it would be like if L'Arc~en~Ciel decided to start a new band with a completely different name, but with the same members on the same instruments and performing the same type of music as well as old music. It would still be L'Arc, but not with that name, in my opinion (lawl, omg get the reference? - The Zombies?). So in turn, VAMPS and HYDE's solo work to me are like the same thing because it has the same composers. And because of that, it's even harder for me to remember -VAMPS- instead of just HYDE. That's not to say I want them to dramatically change so I can get used to it, but it contributes to the similarities.
Another thing is that while K.A.Z is also amazing, we were touched by HYDE -before- being touched by K.A.Z. HYDE is a hero to me. I'm not going to go too much into my private life, but before I got into any L'Arc side project, I was a fanboy of L'Arc for pretty much no reason. I acknowledged HYDE's solo work, but I didn't find it as appealing as L'Arc. It wasn't until a dramatic turn of events happened and I randomly found JESUS CHRIST on YouTube that HYDE officially became my favorite musician and idol. If HYDE has taught me anything over the years it's that music has the amazing power to mend the hearts of not only the listener, but even the COMPOSER (remember HYDE crying during JESUS CHRIST on the VAMPS LIVE 2008 DVD? D: ). Thanks to HYDE, I've dug up my long discarded dream of being a musician. So I've had a longer and more close relationship, in a metaphorical sense of course, with HYDE than K.A.Z. It's not to say K.A.Z couldn't do it. I mean, he -has- done it. He wrote fucking SWEET DREAMS. Granted HYDE wrote the lyrics as he does with all the songs, but K.A.Z still wrote the song. But HYDE seems to have seniority in this instance.
So, yes, before I continue to write this novel, I was wondering what your outlook on this matter was? Are you any better than the terrible VAMPS fans that sometimes forget that K.A.Z and the name "VAMPS" even exist? Suggestions as to how we can help resolve this matter are also welcome.
Now, I know you'll probably be all, "OF COURSE WE DO, WE LOVE VAMPS!" But what I mean is, what do you think of when you think of VAMPS? When I watch a YouTube video of VAMPS or something, I'll see almost every comment say "I love HYDE" (I won't lie; this includes most of my comments) and then there will be an occasional fan girl that shouts, "OMG FUK U, SHOUT 4 K.A.Z 2!" Not really because the fan actually cares about K.A.Z, but to sound like a better fan.
Since I can't speak for everyone, I can only list my own flaws. One of those being that even though it's been a little over a year now, I'm still not used to the name "VAMPS." Whenever I look for a song by them, I still have an impulse to accidentally type "HYDE - song title" for example "HYDE - EVANESCENT." It's not that I don't like VAMPS or care about the fact that it is a different unit, it's just that I've grown so accustomed to typing "HYDE" that I don't think of VAMPS.
Going back to the aforementioned YouTube comments, almost every YouTube comment shouts "OMG I love HYDE" and only the angry fan girls seem to actually mention K.A.Z, mostly just to sound like they're a more extreme fan of the band. Honestly, most of them probably wouldn't know until a year later if K.A.Z officially left. Again, I admit. I do the same thing myself. But it's not because I don't love K.A.Z, but because I'm not used to him. Although I knew his name, I rarely paid attention to him prior to 2008, and not much of a surprise: Neither did anyone else. Thinking about it, I only remember ONE comment regarding K.A.Z -ever- prior to 2008. It was something along the effects of "I love HYDE's guitarist, K.A.Z" or something like that.
Again, I can't speak for everyone, but I think it's an easy guess that people have not yet grown use to the name "VAMPS." For the longest time, we've just thought of K.A.Z as a support musician, and even today he acts like he still is. So it's hard for fans to adjust to remembering his very existence.
To me, HYDE solo and VAMPS feel like one in the same, even if they are regarded as a different unit altogether. They both provide the same feel for me and um... well... it's the same band =x - I mean, it would be like if L'Arc~en~Ciel decided to start a new band with a completely different name, but with the same members on the same instruments and performing the same type of music as well as old music. It would still be L'Arc, but not with that name, in my opinion (lawl, omg get the reference? - The Zombies?). So in turn, VAMPS and HYDE's solo work to me are like the same thing because it has the same composers. And because of that, it's even harder for me to remember -VAMPS- instead of just HYDE. That's not to say I want them to dramatically change so I can get used to it, but it contributes to the similarities.
Another thing is that while K.A.Z is also amazing, we were touched by HYDE -before- being touched by K.A.Z. HYDE is a hero to me. I'm not going to go too much into my private life, but before I got into any L'Arc side project, I was a fanboy of L'Arc for pretty much no reason. I acknowledged HYDE's solo work, but I didn't find it as appealing as L'Arc. It wasn't until a dramatic turn of events happened and I randomly found JESUS CHRIST on YouTube that HYDE officially became my favorite musician and idol. If HYDE has taught me anything over the years it's that music has the amazing power to mend the hearts of not only the listener, but even the COMPOSER (remember HYDE crying during JESUS CHRIST on the VAMPS LIVE 2008 DVD? D: ). Thanks to HYDE, I've dug up my long discarded dream of being a musician. So I've had a longer and more close relationship, in a metaphorical sense of course, with HYDE than K.A.Z. It's not to say K.A.Z couldn't do it. I mean, he -has- done it. He wrote fucking SWEET DREAMS. Granted HYDE wrote the lyrics as he does with all the songs, but K.A.Z still wrote the song. But HYDE seems to have seniority in this instance.
So, yes, before I continue to write this novel, I was wondering what your outlook on this matter was? Are you any better than the terrible VAMPS fans that sometimes forget that K.A.Z and the name "VAMPS" even exist? Suggestions as to how we can help resolve this matter are also welcome.