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Eve of Destiny © Haruhiko Ash 1997-2004.

Interview with EVE OF DESTINY for BATCAVE.SK

This interview was originally published on batcave.sk on October 2003. Many thanks for providing the original English version and granting permission to reproduce it here to Batcave and Poor Mary0.

BATCAVE.SK - Haruhiko, you have been moving inside the Japanese underground scene for more than 15 years. What has changed there from the beginning until these times?

HARUHIKO ASH - In the beginning of the 80s, after the punk movement, and influenced mostly from the UK hardcore punk or post punk scene, there was a post punk/new wave or even more avant-garde movement here in Japan. That was its heyday. It’s my belief that the Japanese independent scene was formed and established from this. I started my musical career in the very vortex of this scene, just as it was taking off. I remember at the time the scene had a lot of originality and was truly very exciting. Currently the scene has become too commercial and boring for me.

As for myself, although my music nature - or style - have always been evolving, my attitude has been the same since I was called a punk musician.

BATCAVE.SK - Your previous band The Zolge was really great in my opinion, and definitely influenced by the Punk rock legend The Lords of The New Church. As far as I know, you and Steve Bators, the leader of The Lords, were big friends. Could you tell me more about The Zolge and your friendship with Steve? Or maybe about your personal past in general?

HARUHIKO ASH - When The Zolge started they were called hard punk, but they actually had dark as well as hardcore influences. They contained many kinds of musical elements because I naturally listened to music from all genres since my early teens. But what actually made me start a band was the overwhelming influence the existence of punk had on me. I especially loved from UK bands The Damned and from US ones The Dead Boys.

Especially The Dead Boys… Stiv Bator’s existence had a larger and deeper impact on me. My life was definitely changed by him. The Lords of the New Church were the ultimate punk rock for me at the time. I met Stiv for the first time in the mid 80s when The Lords of the New Church came to Japan and then we would meet again in N.Y. when The Zolge went to play and he happened to also be there for the, temporary, reformation of The Dead Boys. Our friendship was unwavering from then on till he passed away.

He taught me many things, not only in relation to music, but also about various cultures of the world, art, religions, books that I should read and so many other things important to my being. And those things are my current mental support and nucleus of my mind. After he passed away his wife Carroll carried on in his stead… When The Zolge disbanded I was looked after by her and her mother and lived in Paris for several years among recollections and memorials of Stiv. His ashes are always in a pendant on my chest.

BATCAVE.SK - What happened with the other members of The Zolge?

HARUHIKO ASH - I don’t really know. I haven’t met them since the band disbanded, but they’re probably continuing their musical careers.

BATCAVE.SK - The name of your club Eve of the New Church sounds very close to The Lords of The New Church. Is it again because of your close relation to Steve Bators? Or another story? How do you see the future of this club?

HARUHIKO ASH - Yes it’s derived from Lords of the New Church. Although the club is paused for now it will be revived again in the near future. There are other plans too, like a compilation CD selected by club Eve N.C. and some other things coming from the outside…

BATCAVE.SK - Eve of Destiny have been playing for more than 4 years. Your music is known all around the underground world. However, there’s no official record until today. Is there any problem? Or a special plan?

HARUHIKO ASH - I’d like to know that myself. We’re looking into a European label but nothing is decided yet. We hope to release the first CD next year.

BATCAVE.SK - Are there any influences or inputs from the European dark scene, that influenced you personally, or your band? Do you have any other influences you submit in your music? Do you have any favourite writer, director or any other artist who has influenced your creation or maybe also your life or way of thinking?

HARUHIKO ASH - Yes there have been things from the European scene that have influenced our music. Moreover we are happy to be active in this scene now, and are enjoying this current state of things.

I like Bataille, Maupassant, Sade, Poe, T. Harris, A. Burgess and others, and as I mentioned earlier a lot of things in me are from what Stiv and Carroll Bator taught me.

BATCAVE.SK - What’s the main theme for your lyrics?

HARUHIKO ASH - Roughly speaking, they’re about my chaos. I have grown up completely now, but there are still many unsolved matters. But I love my chaos.

BATCAVE.SK - How looks the future Eve of Destiny like? Can you tell me more about your plans?

HARUHIKO ASH - We hope that EOD songs will be played on a regular basis at club parties around the world.

BATCAVE.SK - Where do you prefer to play: Japan, Europe, America or Australia? And how was your impression from playing here in Bratislava?

HARUHIKO ASH - All of the places where we’ve played we’ve enjoyed and we want to play there again. In Bratislava we heard after the gig that there were many people who had come to see us from Austria, Switzerland, Hungary and other European countries and that made us very happy. But when it comes to Bratislava it wasn’t just the venue and city which we enjoyed, it was also that the gig was organised by Mary0 and Batcave. That was of importance to us. But I forgot to take a picture with the organisers and I’m regretting that.

BATCAVE.SK - Közi left his previous band Malice Mizer. What was the reason? Has he influenced you too in some way?

HARUHIKO ASH -The real reason for doing that is probably within him. We started to work together just when Malice Mizer stopped activities. Közi was in my crew before he went on to Malice Mizer and had been influenced by me initially when he started 10 years ago. I trust him and have also been influenced by him. Nowadays I hand him a new song’s prototype from the start and he adds his ideas to it and we create the music together. It’s only now that Közi has been through 10 years with Malice Mizer that we can finally work together. If EOD’s activities help him in his personal career as well I will be very glad.