Interview with MUCC in Germany

After a long wait, MUCC took Europe by storm with their tour F#CK THE PAST, F#CKT THE FUTURE. We got the opportunity to interview two of the members in Berlin, just a few hours before their energetic live show. Read to find out what the upcoming mini-album T.R.E.N.D.Y. - Paradise from 1997 - really is about and also when you can expect the band to return to Europe again.


Nice to meet you and welcome to Berlin! Could you please introduce yourselves to our readers?

SATOchi: SATOchi, drums.
YUKKE: YUKKE, bass.

Your tour is called F#UCK THE PAST F#CK THE FUTURE. Why is that?

YUKKE: The idea came from Tatsuro. In life, everything is really about the current moment. Not the past or the future, but this moment.

How would you describe your band right now?

YUKKE: Hmm... (hesitates) This time, we didn't release an album for this tour, and our next release is next month. So as a band, we are between the two albums, our past and future.

Is there something that inspires or fascinates you right now?

SATOchi: Do you mean music or daily life?

Both, please.

YUKKE: Being abroad is very exciting. Seeing new places, new people... When I'm in Japan, I just live my regular life, but here every moment is so important! And everything is so different from Japan, even the venues and backstages and catering are somehow much more rock 'n' roll. Even when we are just eating, it feels so rock 'n' roll. (laughs) That inspires me right now.

This tour has already taken you to Moscow, London, Paris and Essen. How has it been this far?

YUKKE: There are only two lives left, and this time the tour has gone by surprisingly smoothly! Without any problems or injuries or even lost luggage.
SATOchi: But Tatsuro always gets injured! He hurts himself on every tour here! (takes his studded shoe off and shows it to the interviewer) This time he stepped on this shoe, and as you can see there is metal on it. He was bleeding!

Ouch, that's not nice at all... But what about the lives, have you had fun?

SATOchi: Yeah, the shows have been really good. It's been fun.

Do you have a favourite place or live venue somewhere in Europe?

YUKKE: I personally like London.
SATOchi: Germany is my favourite. Beer! (laughs) And there's good food. Oh, and the water, it's good to my skin. (touches his face and smiles happily)

There are VIP tickets sold for this tour. What are your thoughts and feelings on the VIP meet & greets?

YUKKE: Usually we just meet fans outside the venues to take pictures with them and to give them autographs. And sometimes we've had signing sessions, but this time the VIP package is for this purpose. Meeting fans is always fun. It's so nice to see how happy it makes them!

Last year you released an album named THE END OF THE WORLD. Would you call the world's end the theme of the album, and what is your viewpoint on the apocalypse? And had you made a song about the apocalypse ten years ago, would it be different from what you did now?

YUKKE: It would have been impossible to do this ten years ago. We were much younger, and now we have grown so much... And we never had that idea then. Also our music was very dark and aggressive back then, so it was like every song was about the apocalypse.
SATOchi: The viewpoint on the album is pretty negative. If you read the lyrics, there are a lot of social problems and other negative subjects.
YUKKE: "World's end" is my favourite word. It's also a shop in London, and I got the idea to use it as a song title from there.

Oh, really?

YUKKE: Yes, that was the inspiration.

You also have a new mini-album coming out next month. Please tell us something about it!

SATOchi: This is our first ever concept album. We were thinking about it as a festival setlist. You know, festival sets are only about 30 or 40 minutes long, and we wanted to create an aggressive 40-minute festival setilist. So that's the theme.

And what was the process like?

YUKKE: This time we didn't have very much time, so the songwriting and recording schedule was quite tight. But especially our band leader Miya - who has been into bands like Korn and Limp Bizkit lately, so you will hear their essence on the album - had so much fun working on the album. We all enjoyed it very much.

You moved under Sony Music some years back. Has it changed the way you work?

YUKKE: Sony Music is very big, so there are more professionals working with us. There's more people, more opportunities to create, and they have a lot of contacts so they can introduce us to new producers... It just gives us more opportunities.

A question for you, YUKKE. You have directed some bonus material videos over the past few years. Can you reveal what your next project is?

YUKKE: (smiles brightly and holds his head) I always have ideas for new videos in my head! I like making them so much, it gives me the chance to be creative. I am planning a surprise... Please watch the bonus material!

Is there a special memory or story that you'd like to share from this tour or from a previous European tour?

SATOchi: I always just think about Tatsuro's injuries... Every time we come here he hurts himself! Those are bad memories.
YUKKE: Yeah, last time he hit his eye on my bass! (looks horrified)

Ouch! That must have hurt!

SATOchi: That was awful.
YUKKE: But we also have good memories. Even today the weather is so nice! (looks out of the window, smiling) We can do sunbathing... I'm just so happy now! Every day in Europe is a good memory.

I will come see your show tonight. What can I expect from the live?

SATOchi: Oh! (looks pleased) You can expect something very aggressive. That's what our lives are like. But also the changes... There are both aggressive and very calm moments, you will see.
YUKKE: And we are going to play something from the new mini-album.
SATOchi: You can also watch the audience. Some fans have been following us from the first tour. You might get some dance moves from them.

Lastly, do you have a message for our readers?

YUKKE: You were from Finland, right?

Yes, I am. But this interview is also for the German and English versions of our website.

YUKKE: (very excitedly) Alright. Well, we really wanted to come to Finland on this tour, but it didn't work out, unfortunately! But on our next tour we will definitely come to Finland again. I really, really like Finnish girls!

Very nice to hear that! (laughs) See you again when you come to Finland, then.

YUKKE & SATOchi: (laugh) Yes, let's meet again!
SATOchi: Our 20th anniversary is approaching, and we are planning to tour then. We are coming back, so please stay tuned and wait for us!

Thank you so much for the interview, and have a good time in Berlin!

YUKKE & SATOchi: (bow) Thank you, and you too, have fun!

JaME would like to thank MUCC and Gan-Shin for this interview!