Friday, December 16, 2005

lalalalalalalala...... i was really freakin' pissed about something 7th hour yesterday, but i don't think i'll talk about that right now. oh, yeah, DeathT-2, you wanted to read my report on Gackt. Well, here it is...read if ya feel like it. Who is Gackt? Most Americans wouldn’t know the answer to this question, nor would I expect them to. About a year ago, I wouldn’t have known either. Gackt is actually a famous person, but he’s not from the U.S. Nor is he from this continent. Gackt is from Japan. Camui M.S. Gackt is his full name, although he is usually referred to simply as Gackt. Because of the way Japanese is written, a Japanese speaker would pronounce his name “Gakuto.” This is only his stage name, however, and his real name is unknown. But the name doesn’t really tell much about the man. What does Gackt do for a living, and why is he famous? To put it quite simply, Gackt sings. It’s hard to decide whether to classify him as rock or pop, since his music is a little bit of both and then some. Gackt began his singing career when he joined the band Malice Mizer as the lead vocalist. The band’s music had always leaned heavily towards rock, although when Gackt joined their music began to have a more romantic feel. A strong classical influence can also be heard in their songs which gave them a unique sound. However, Gackt only stayed with them for a few years, and in 1998 he left and began his solo career. His first single was titled Mizerable and his debut album was Mars. An interesting thing to note about his work is that even though he is Japanese, many of his songs have English names, and may even include English lyrics. However, the English lyrics may not always be understandable, or even grammatically correct. A prime example of the latter is his song Another World. There are two lines of English lyrics in this song: “You can see another world” and “You don’t need another words.” While the English is easily heard and understood, I had search for the lyrics on the internet to make sure I was hearing him right. I was; he really does say, “You don’t need another words.” Even so, Gackt’s English has improved, both in pronunciation and grammar, and the English version of December Love Song doesn’t have any such obvious errors and for the most part is easy to understand. Gackt’s music covers a wide variety of styles, from the slow ballad Hoshi no Suna to the upbeat Another World. Nine Spiral is darkly rock, and 4th can be summed up best as “weird.” His lyrics cover a wide spectrum too, although most deal with either the sad or the other side of love. A few of his songs are quite risqué, such as the blatantly obvious and almost explicit Vanilla. A few others are quite cryptic in meaning and leave themselves open to interpretation. The fact that he’s a singer makes one of Gackt’s best assets his wide vocal range. He can sing with a low, rich bass sound, while still being able to hit some notes that would be high for most men. Although, most of his songs are in the middle range. Singing isn’t the only thing Gackt does, though. He writes and composes most of his songs himself, and also knows how a play several different instruments, including the piano. He was also the co-writer and co-star of the movie Moonchild. While the movie wasn’t the best thing since sliced cheese, most who’ve seen it agree that it wasn’t half bad. Another place Gackt will be making an appearance is in the upcoming Final Fantasy game, Dirge of Cerebus. He will be singing a theme song and is supplying the voice and movements for one of the characters. While Gackt may be only known to a few in the U.S., he is immensely popular in Japan. His celebrity status is such that he is often seen in TV shows or commercials. There are even credit cards with his picture on them. Just like any other singer, there are those who like him, and those who don’t. I am definitely one of those who like him. anyways...after I read it in class yesterday, I realized I never made it really clear that Gackt sings in Japanese. oh well, at least i remember to double space between sentences this time...... only 5 days of school left (including today) until Christmas Break!!!! (And you can call it whatever the heck you want, but I'm gonna call it Christmas Break. Always.) Attack of the Squirrel!!!!! anyways...on wednesday I ended up getting out at 12:45 anyways, so even if school wasn't cancelled it was all good. especially since i have the classes I like in the morning anyways.... Oh! Look! SHINY!!!!!! *runs off*

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