(02-08-2012, 04:52 PM)Tokio Wrote: Yeah, I'm impatient to read the entire thing. Because of the language barrier I pretty much never know what hyde is saying in interviews and on tv, unless someone subs it, but I think he is not very serious in tv interviews and stuff.

I'm surprised and happy that in the book he is very serious and really talking about his life, not just dropping hints or being vague.

That, and it's really interesting to see why he decided to keep his personal information private, most specifically his age. I actually have to agree with what he says. There's more to a celebrity than their age, but the media in general, rather Japanese or American, seem to be very ambitious about the age of someone. Case in point, shows like American Idol typically have an age limit of 25. (Do correct if I'm wrong as I'm not exactly an expert on the show)

To me, that's just horrible. It implies that people can only be idolized if they're young and attractive. That's not to say I don't believe there is beauty in youth, but I don't believe it's the sole defining factor. Many male singers, for example, don't reach the peak of their vocal range until their approximately 40. Like, remember the 2005/2006 era, or even VAMPS LIVE 2009? Pretty much middle-aged, but HYDE's voice sounded better than it did when he was 20. Deep, baritone, a very natural sort of vibrato. It came as a little bit of a disappointment when the 2010 performances were leaked and I saw that this sort of performance didn't stay. Anyway, it's a little resentful to people of all ages to think that a news story like "Young, hot female performer sales millions with overwhelmingly negative reception" is more likely to garner attention than "Middle age musician releases song that is actually enjoyed by the masses."

So thank you, HYDE, for putting what I've had to say for the longest time into words!