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Eve of Destiny © Haruhiko Ash 1997-2004.

Paulo Gotoh interview with Haruhiko Ash

This interview was done by Paulo Gotoh in 1999 and published on the Sepia Zene website. It is placed here for added information and inside look at Haruhiko Ash's world. Please take note that it was translated from its original Portuguese with the help of Darklady and further edited by Amasanin. The original interview can be found here.

Background Of Haruhiko Ash

Haruhiko Ash, an important figure in the Japanese gothic culture, started in a punk band called The Zolge, which in the late 80s got to play in CBGB, a club situated in NY. After they disbanded, he worked successfully in different areas as writer, fashion model, organizer of events, both in Paris and Tokyo, and working in the Japanese gothic club, Eve the New Church, in Tokyo.

He started "Eve of Destiny", included in the Black Bible by Cleopatra Records (1998), and now he’s getting ready for his live appearance in the 8th Wave-Gotik Treffen Festival, in Leipzig, Germany (May of 1999).

The interview took place in "Paranoia Café", in Roppongi, Tokyo. After forgiving me for the delay (it was a rainy day and the traffic did not help) and a short conversation, I bound the recorder. Here is the interview with the body and soul of Eve of Destiny.

P-Could you tell us how Eve Of Destiny started?
H-When I left my previous band (The Zolge) I wanted to do something without a group, so I started a solo project recording alone. Eve of Destiny is not the name of the band itself, but it happened to be included in the Black Bible of Cleopatra Records and I chose that name just for the occasion.

P-Basically, which are the members of EOD?
H-It hasn’t got permanent members, because you can call EOD what I touch, but there are some members from other bands who help me in Tokyo and London.

P-Which are you influences?
H-My main influence is Stiv Bator, vocal of the "Dead Boys" and his solo project, "Lords Of The New Church", his music, his behaviour and his lifestyle. I’ve got in my pendant a piece of bone of him.

P-Of him? How did you get it?
H-I knew Stiv for a long time, so now I have a good relationship with Caroline, his widow. When I was in Paris, I went to Caroline’s house and she gave me this piece of bone.

P-How was "Desperado" chosen for the Black Bible, by Cleopatra?
H-When Switchblade Symphony came to Japan, to promote their album, I organized a reception for them and there I talked with the director of the label. I wasn’t planning to approach foreign labels, but it happened that I had a demo-tape and I gave the copy to him. Later, when he went back to the United States, they planned to publish a compilation and asked if I would be interested in participating on the B.B. Then I gave them a demo-tape with about five songs and "Desperado" was chosen.

P-You are an active figure in the Japanese gothic scene. Tell us about how it started, groups, your role in the whole scene…
H-In the beginning of the ‘80s there was a movement in England which also came to Japan. There were a lot of bands inspired by the English scene, and at that time, it had a big influence here too, but most of the groups became pop-groups or they disappeared. It was a short movement. Now I find that there is no gothic scene in Japan. People of Cleopatra and from all around the world often ask the same question: "What can you find in the Japanese scene". I find that such a thing doesn’t exist. Perhaps you have seen bands who seem goth-groups, but they are just visual groups, they don’t sound as goth-bands. Probably The Zolge influenced these visual groups.

P-When I went to Harajuku, in Tokyo, for the first time I saw a group of girls with a very good visual look and thought: "There are Goths here!l", later I discovered that they were fans of one of these visual groups.
H-They may know The Zolge, but they don’t know anything about club Eve the New Church or about Eve Of Destiny. Everybody gets confused about this.

P-How did the invitation for the Wave-Gotik-Treffen festival happen?
H-I have a site on the internet about ETNC and me. Once one of the staff of the festival got it touch with me to promote it here, around Japan. As they hadn’t chosen all the bands which should play, I sent them a demo-tape with "Desperado". Then they invited me to participate this year, I had just a little time to decide. I really would be happy if they had invited me because they liked the music, but it was probably for being in the compilation of Cleopatra.

P-Do you think that the being included in the B.B. helped to be invited?
H-Certainly, because before the B.B. nobody knew me and now I am known in the goth scene.

P-Which are your expectations and what are you preparing for the festival?
H-As EOD isn’t a band (just me) I hadn’t planned to have concerts anywhere, not even here, in Japan, but it happened that I was invited to the festival. I have an appointment to play live and I am composing and recording more songs, as I do not have many recorded.

P-This festival will be the first live appearance of EOD?
H-Yes, it will be the first show of EOD in the world, and my first solo appearance, since The Zolge.

P-It’s a great first step!
H-I had enough luck, because my first work (B.B.) was next to groups such as Bauhaus and Fields of the Nephilim, now my first show will be with Siouxsie Sioux (The Creatures) and Sex Gang Children, in the festival.

P-Tell us about your famous friends, such as "Switchblade Symphony"…
H-The most important friend I’ve had, as I have already said, was Stiv Bator, his influence was vital for me. I became good friends with S.S. when they came here. They are very friendly and legal Californians, they were seated here (Paranoia Cafe) posing for a magazine. I also know the members of the Damned, Razed In Black and Patricia Morrison, apart from some punk bands that I met when I was in The Zolge.

P-Club Eve the New Church is sponsored by the Cleopatra, how does this sponsorship work and what is your relationship with the label?
H-Everything started when S.S. came here, and found the recording staff , the sponsorship comes from the CDs they send, there’s no economical sponsorship. There isn’t any written contract between Cleopatra and me or  club ETNC, but in the future I will launch something through them; this does not mean that they sponsor club ETNC.

P-In Brazil there's a scene which survives in the underground culture - what is your advice for them?
H-Well, I know some punk and hardcore groups from Brazil... I don't know how I could advise them because, as you know, we don’t have a scene n Japan. People of all over the world know me because of the internet, but they don’t know any other Japanese gothic bands, and find that EOD is the only gothic band here. The situation is not different from the one in Brazil, so I cannot give any advice. Of course, a compilation of Brazilian bands would be excellent. I became interested in the Brazilian scene after finding out about it.

P-Do you know Chako? (another Japanese artist in the B.B.), have you any contact with her?
H-I know her, but even so I don’t know nothing about her. Most of the people in Japan don’t know her.

P-Do you know if there are any other groups of this style in the south of the country, in cities such as Osaka or Nagoya?
H-This is a small country... (laughs) I don’t think they exist, but there are Japanese visual groups which are called "gothic". But if that’s gothic, then I don’t want to be in a gothic band.

P-I will be covering the festival and I am anxious to see your show. Good luck!
H-Thank you.