Sho Ayanokoji’s Encounters with True Stars☆ and Tough Guys — A Serialized Memoir

Laughing and crying at TAKURO’s superb karaoke

TAKURO-san is like everyone’s big brother. Back in the day, whenever we finished a tour, he’d say, “Let me host a thank-you party,” and invite our band members over. And at one of those parties I got into a fight with one of my members. He told such a ridiculously stupid lie that I couldn’t forgive him and ended up punching him. At TAKURO-san’s house.

That was probably the first time I’d ever been chewed out so badly by TAKURO-san. He said, “Come with me,” took me to another room, and scolded me calmly—but sternly and solemnly. Even when I protested, “He’s the one who was wrong,” he cut me off with, “Even so, how dare you hit a bandmate,” and just kept on at me. In the end, I was the one who started crying (laughs). This was more than 20 years ago, though.

Honestly, I’m not an emotional guy by nature. I just give off that vibe. In my private life, I’m the type who doesn’t depend on family, friends, or romantic relationships. If anything, I sometimes feel uneasy thinking, “Man, I’m kind of shallow.”

No matter what someone says to me, I’m not the type to get all teary or hurt. But when TAKURO-san scolds me, that’s the one time I completely lose it and go, “No, no, that’s not it!!” He’s absolutely unyielding on one point: “Anyone who can’t cherish their fans and their bandmates has no right to call themselves a rock ’n’ roller!” From my perspective, I was thinking, “I said that because I care about them!”—but still.

I treasure the words he said to me back then to this day. And yet TAKURO-san is gentle. He doesn’t indulge in that kind of heroism where you lecture someone in front of everyone and feel good about it. Taking me to another room—that’s kindness, isn’t it? He values everyone’s pride. He has absolutely no desire to be number one or to seize the initiative.

I remember thinking, This must be what a true king is like. As for me, I see myself as an absolute leader—but even today, the dance team talks back to me (laughs). Like, “Boss, that’s not what you said the other day!”

A song that even Kishidan fans probably wouldn’t sing

Looking back now, there were so many times when I was desperately trying to become like TAKURO-san.

Come to think of it, when we first held “Kishidan Banpaku” in 2003, I planned a post-event trip. It started with the staff saying things like, “It’d be nice if we could all go to a hot spring together,” and I suddenly resolved, “Alright! I’ll cover everything—let’s do it!” I got really fired up. I figured about 100 people would come, so I reserved an entire hot spring inn and chartered two large buses.

At the drinking party, everyone was saying, “I’m in!”—but when it came time to actually make it happen the manager told me, “The costume staff and maybe three others said they want to go, but all the other staff have work at different sites, so they can’t.”
“What?”
Then the manager herself said, “I can’t go either.”
“What?”

In the end, none of the members went either. That was when it finally hit me: “Was this just my self-centered idea?” I was hurt, and I got pretty depressed.

Then TAKURO-san heard about it and contacted me, saying,

“Ayanojo, I hear you’re planning something fun. Mind if I join?”

I was really embarrassed—but also really happy.

Once that happened, people were like, “TAKURO-san is coming too!?” and in the end, about 15 of us went to the hot springs. Maybe he wanted to cheer me up, because TAKURO-san took the lead and sang karaoke. He sang an insanely intense song—one that even Kishidan fans probably wouldn’t sing—while dancing his heart out at full throttle.

I laughed and cried at the same time. I thought to myself, “I really need to pay more attention to the people around me and be more considerate.” It hit me deeply—that things turned out this way because I hadn’t done that. And yet TAKURO-san is the kind of person who won’t abandon someone like that. He’s someone who still watches over even a guy like me.

What can you do when a friend is struggling? When a friend is riding high, you can leave them alone. But when someone’s clearly not doing so great, TAKURO-san is the one who comes running before anyone else. And it’s someone in that position—the king of the rock world—who does that. Of course, he’s not helping just me. I’m sure there are an incredible number of people who proudly say, “I’m TAKURO’s best friend.” And, for the record, I think so too (laughs).

The paid FRIDAY subscription features the complete text of Episodes 1 through 5 of “The Real Stars and Tough Guys Sho Ayanokoji Met in the Entertainment World: Tales of Brotherhood,” along with newly drawn illustrations by Sho Ayanokoji.

He talks exhaustively about behind-the-scenes stories, including the awe-inspiring presence of the two titans of gift-giving, his marriage to Seri Iwahori—who played matchmaker—the day he was saved by TAKURO Jr., the explosive TERU pose in Hakodate, and once again realizing GLAY’s greatness through their Tokyo Dome co-headlining show with LUNA SEA.