Guitar Wolf Talk ‘Beast Vibrator’, B-Grade Horror And Australian Tour

Guitar Wolf have been synonymous with Japanese rock ‘n’ roll for over 25 years now. The trio are notorious for turning it up to 11, with an epic career that’s seen them release 13 full-length studio albums, including their latest, Beast Vibrator. The guys are heading to Australia this month to tear it up live but they’re no strangers to our shores, having played some memorable gigs here in 2006 and 2011.

Lead singer, guitarist and founding member Seiji, aka Guitar Wolf, dropped us a line via a translator to tell us all about what exactly a beast vibrator is, why rock ‘n’ roll needs saving and what we can expect when the band bring their live show back to Oz.

Music Feeds: Hi, Seiji! Thanks for your time. Your new album Beast Vibrator has just come out. What exactly is a beast vibrator?

Seiji: I was walking in the street. I noticed everyone around me was looking down. They were walking as they were staring down at the phone. All the sudden, the anger came up inside of me and so the title popped up. Hey everybody, be wild. Get your wild instinct back. Shake your body like a beast. Be wild.

MF: And you’ve promised that Beast Vibrator will save rock ‘n’ roll. Why do you think rock ‘n’ roll needs saving?

S: The answer is almost the same for your question #1. Recently, you hear a lot of “healing music” in Japan. It’s great to be healed, but for music, too much “healing music’ is simply too much. Get your heart shaken, let us make cool R&R together with you.

MF: Have you got a favourite track on the new album?

S: Of course, all of them. But probably Mesopotamian Lonely might be the one, if I have to choose one. I had never thought Mesopotamian Civilization would be our song. Magma Nobunaga, too. Nobunaga is a famous feudal warload in Japan. I had never thought of making his song. I was surprised myself. The possibility of song writing is endless.



MF: You’ve brought your amazing live show down to Australia a few times now. Have you had any particularly memorable tour experiences Down Under?

S: Yes. It was a show on the New Year’s Eve in Melbourne about eight years ago. It was a scorching hot day. The temperature must have hit near 50c during the day. You had to walk very slowly, otherwise you were covered with sweat all over in seconds. At night, the venue was packed. We were seriously thought we would be dying from the heat. And I was.

According to the crew of the night, I passed away at some point in the later half of the show. When he tried to get me up, I wasn’t breathing. He threw cold water over me to wake me up. He told me this story later. I don’t remember at all as I was the one who became unconscious. That day was brutally hot.

MF: You’ve appeared in two B-grade science fiction horror movies, Wild Zero and Sore Losers. Are you big B-grade movie fans?

S: I like B-grade. Tons of silly ideas are killing me. We’ve been waiting for an offer from Hollywood for years to make a new movie but haven’t heard from them yet. What are they doing?

MF: And we’ve heard that you’re seeking a sponsor to make a sequel to Wild Zero – is that still in the works?

S: Yep, the director is looking for a sponsor. It seems not that easy to find one.

MF: You’ve been together for over 25 years now. How was your sound changed over the years?

S: We have more songs. They have given us variety in many ways and expanded our music. But R&R is our basics.



MF: And what has stayed constant over your career?

S: The stinking smell of the leather jacket. More shows, more stinky it gets. It never changes.

MF: You’ve just wrapped up a 20-date tour of the US with bands like Mudhoney and The Cosmic Psychos. What were those bands like to tour with?

S: We toured with The Coathangers, consisting of three girls. The Coathangers are great band. Their music is full of ideas. It was stimulating.



MF: And what can fans expect from the Aussie tour?

S: Sweat of the beasts.

Guitar Wolf ‘Tour Magma’ Australian Dates 2013



Thursday, 28th November


The Espy, St Kilda

Tix: http://www.oztix.com.au

Friday, 29th November

The Sqaure, Sydney

Tix: http://www.oztix.com.au

Saturday, 30th November (VENUE CHANGE)

The Public Bar, Melbourne

Tix: http://www.oztix.com.au

Sunday, 1st December

The Tote, Collingwood

Tix: http://www.oztix.com.au

Wednesday, 4th December

The Basement, Canberra

Tix: http://www.oztix.com.au

Friday, 6th December

Beetle Bar, Brisbane

Tix: http://www.oztix.com.au

Saturday, 7th December

Enigma Bar 3, Adelaide

Tix: http://www.moshtix.com.au

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