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Hide (musician)

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The correct title of this article is hide. It appears incorrectly here due to technical restrictions.
File:Hide 019.jpg
hide as seen near the end of his career, with his trademark pink hair

Hideto Matsumoto (松本 秀人 Matsumoto Hideto, December 13, 1964 - May 2, 1998), or hide (always spelled with lowercase h and pronounced hee-day), was a Visual kei Japanese rock musician. After achieving mega-stardom as a guitarist in the influential visual kei group X-Japan, hide also took part in the American collaboration Zilch. hide enjoyed additional (and considerable) success as a solo artist, in which he provided his own vocals in addition to songwriting and playing guitar. He also organized and creatively managed the group hide with Spread Beaver.

hide passed away on May 2nd, 1998. After a night of drinking, hide was found the next day strangled by a towel hanging from a doorknob. Although police declared his death to be suicide, friends and fans alike have openly disputed this claim. The hide museum in Yokosuka, Japan was posthumously constructed in hide’s honor. The museum features many of his costumes, guitars, and personal possessions. The hide museum has announced that it plans to close on September 25th, 2005.

File:Hide museum.jpg
hide museum

Musical Facts

In his late teens, hide led the controversial indie act Saver Tiger. In addition to supplying his guitar playing talent, hide also served as songwriter. Selections of Saver Tiger’s recordings have recently seen official release.

He followed his work with Saver Tiger with a decade as a songwriter and guitarist for the legendary X (later renamed X Japan to eliminate confusion with the Los Angeles punk band of the same name), with bandmates Yoshiki, Toshi, Pata, and Heath (Taiji played bass until 1992). X Japan released multiple albums, including Blue Blood, Jealousy, and DAHLIA, and numerous popular singles ['Kurenai', 'Tears', 'Forever Love'].

While in X Japan, hide simultaneously developed his solo career, releasing the albums "hide your face" and "Psyence". He wrote and performed all the music, and managed production and arrangement.

A collaboration with American band members developed into Zilch, for which hide wrote songs, played guitar, and provided vocals. Zilch released one album, 3.2.1., and an album of remixes, Bastard Eyes, containing mixes by well-known artists including Lords of Acid, Marilyn Manson, Ministry, and Nine Inch Nails. Although the plans never truly materialized, hide had hoped to bring Zilch to the American mainstream. However, one of their songs did see official American release on the soundtrack for 'Heavy Metal 2000'. An additional solo project known as hide with Spread Beaver released several singles and one posthumous album, Ja,Zoo, on which hide also wrote songs, played guitar, and sang.

A wide array of hide tribute records have been released in the years after his passing. Shortly after his death, a hide tribute album called Spirits was released, which included Luna Sea's version of 'Scanner', BUCK-TICK's version of 'Doubt', and Oblivion Dust's cover of 'Genkai Haretsu'. In March of 2000, an 18-track 'best of hide' was released called ~PSYCHOMMUNITY~. A plethora of other singles, compilations, and mix albums have continued to maintain hide’s presence in record stores across Japan and elsewhere in the world. 2004 saw the release of a “new” hide solo album, KING OF PSYBORG ROCK STAR, a blend of remixes, live recordings, and hide-only versions of X Japan songs.

General Facts

hide grew up in Yokosuka, Japan, near Tokyo (also home to the hide museum).

He was known by the nickname “Gibson” in primary school, because he was seldom not seen carrying around his first guitar (a Gibson), and would use it to play KISS songs (later cited by hide as a major influence on his music).

hide was a certified beautician. He attended cosmetology and fashion school, and was aspiring to become a hairstylist when Yoshiki asked him to join X Japan. hide became recognized in X Japan for his bizarre and impeccable fashion sensibilities, reflecting on his knowledge and eye for visual aesthetics.

In 1988, hide (along with the rest of X Japan) appeared in the American film 'Tokyo Pop', starring Carrie Hamilton (Carrie Fisher's daughter). hide was also in the movie Seth et Holth, which is known amongst fans for containing a decidedly tragic plot.

hide's "hide your face" album features a distinctive mask designed by H. R. Giger across the cover (the mask is also on display at the hide museum).

hide was also involved in various medical aid foundations, and was a marrow and blood donor. When a terminally ill girl wrote the Make a Wish Foundation that her last wish was to meet hide, he visited the young girl in the hospital. Not long after the visit, the girl began showing signs of improvement, and began recovering from her illness.

In the summer of 2000, the hide museum opened in Yokosuka, Japan. The museum displays a variety of hide’s personal items, as well as famous pieces such as his guitars, and clothing worn in concerts and music videos. The entire building is designed in the shape of one of hide’s guitars.

The title of one of hide’s songs about an abusive, unhealthy relationship, "Genkai Haretsu", is actually a phrase that he himself coined. It literally means "limiting explosion".

His song "Pink Spider" won the Japanese International Viewer's Choice Award at the MTV Video Music Awards in 1998.

Death

hide passed away on May 2, 1998. A girlfriend had rested hide down in bed after a night of drinking, but when she went to check on him an hour later, he was not in his room. hide was found hanged with a ripped towel in his bathroom apartment, the towel wrapped around (or tied) to the doorknob. He was barely alive when the ambulance arrived, and later died in the hospital. hide was only 33. Fans across Japan grieved his death, and four attempted suicide, two of them succeeding.

There is much debate as to the true nature of hide’s death. Some say it was an accidental death, explaining that he was drunk; hide left no suicide note. Others cite the suicide of INXS lead singer Michael Hutchence, who was reputed to have died from hanging in an attempt to gratify himself through autoerotic asphyxiation. hide was known for performing stunts in attempts to scare others, and some suspect his death to be a stunt gone horribly wrong. Taiji, who played in X Japan with hide for several years, offered a possible explanation for hide’s death in his book X no Sei to Shi: Uchuu wo Kaeru Tomo e. He explained that after performing shows, the band members would often tie towels around their shoulders and necks to relieve muscle stress. Taiji implies that hide had most likely tied a towel on in a manner as such (and one can subsequently assume that he had fallen against the door and was ultimately unable to free himself). Although many fans support Taiji’s suggestion, others have preferred to see hide’s death as a purposeful incident, not wanting to see hide’s death as an accident. These fans have speculated that his song 'Pink Spider' was a musical suicide note (‘Pink Spider’ was hide’s final single and music video released before his passing; it features a woman jumping off a building to her death).

hide’s funeral was held at the Buddhist temple, Tsukiji Hongan-ji, in Tsukiji, Tokyo on May 7th, 1998. Over 25,000 people attended. Streets were closed off, and police had to deploy boats, helicopters, 100 officers, and 170 security guards to the temple to control with the emotional crowd. By the end of day, 26 people had been hospitalized for various injuries.

hide's death and funeral was announced by CNN and other TV channels around the world, despite only being a household name within Japan.

The remaining members of X Japan performed 'Forever Love' at the funeral, and the band leader Yoshiki gave a speech. He was crying and shaking so hard that he was struggling to hold onto the paper he had written the speech on. Below is an excerpt: 

"I still can't believe it. His beautiful face is now sleeping. I've tried to wake him up again and again, but
still he sleeps...it was hide who always gave me good advice. Of course, he sometimes lost his way under various 
pressures -- but he always called me anyway. We talked about X, life, fans... sometimes he was like my elder
brother,  sometimes he was like a little brother... I think all his fans and friends are confused now... I myself  
cannot express my feelings in words."

hide was known to be upbeat, a joker and party-loving, adding to the confusions as to why such a person would choose to escape his problems through suicide.

See Also

Discography

Albums

  • hide your face (1994)
  1. PSYCHOMMUNITY
  2. DICE
  3. SCANNER
  4. EYES LOVE YOU (T.T VERSION)
  5. D.O.D (DRINK OR DIE)
  6. CRIME OF BREEN St.
  7. DOUBT (REMIX VERSION)
  8. A STORY
  9. FROZEN BUG '93 (DIGGERS VERSION)
  10. T.T. GROOVE
  11. BLUE SKY COMPLEX
  12. OBLAAT (REMIX VERSION)
  13. TELL ME
  14. HONEY BLADE
  15. 50% & 50% (CRYSTAL LAKE VERSION)
  16. PSYCHOMMUNITY EXIT
  1. PSYENCE
  2. ERASE
  3. Genkai Haretsu
  4. DAMAGE
  5. LEMONed I Scream (CHOCO-CHIP version)
  6. Hi-Ho
  7. FLAME
  8. BEAUTY & STUPID
  9. OEDO COWBOYS
  10. BACTERIA
  11. GOOD-BYE
  12. Cafe Le Psyence
  13. LASSIE (demo master version)
  14. POSE
  15. MISERY (remix version)
  16. ATOMIC M.O.M
  1. SPREAD BEAVER
  2. ROCKET DIVE
  3. LEATHER FACE
  4. PINK SPIDER
  5. DOUBT '97 (MIXED LEMONed JELLY MIX)
  6. FISH SCRATCH FEVER
  7. Ever free
  8. BREEDING
  9. HURRY GO ROUND
  10. PINK CLOUD ASSEMBLY
  1. Electric Cucumber
  2. Inside the Pervert Mound
  3. Sold Some Attitude
  4. Space Monkey Punks From japan
  5. Swampsnake
  6. What's up Mr. Jones?
  7. Hey Man So Long
  8. Psyche
  9. Fuctrack#6
  10. Doubt
  11. Pose
  12. Easy Jesus

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