hide
Status:		Passed Away.. ;_;
Real Name:		Matsumoto Hideto
Birthdate:		December 14th, 1964
Date of Passing:		May 2nd, 1998
Bands:		Saver Tiger
		X & X Japan (lead guitar/compose)
		(solo)
		hide with Spread Beaver (vocal, guitar, compose)
		hide (with Zilch) (vocal, guitar, compose)
Insteresting Facts:		hide did a video (silent movie?) with Tusk from Zi:Kill called "Seth et Holth" which is extremely hard to find and very expensive. In it, he and Tusk are something like angels who came to Earth to try out pleasures... they end up stealing a lot of crosses and ... nevermind~ no spoilers. But it's really artisti and beautiful.
		"LEMONed I Scream" was done in honour of a band that hide really loved but weren't really that popular. His store is named "Lemoned" as well.
		hide's museum opened earlier this year.
		Among hide's friends: Luna Sea's Sugizo. In fact, hide "discovered" Luna Sea through Sugizo, which sent them to be signed with Extacy Records which led to the high status they have now.
		hide knew Marilyn Manson, but didn't like him. He said once that MM kept inviting him to his lives, but hide never wanted to go.

hide is a big favorite among fans because of his ever-present smile, his love for life, and even his perversion. They're all parts of him that makes everyone smile despite their grief. How can someone cry, missing him, watching him make silly faces at a radio jockey? When seeing in a picture nothing but his flaming pink hair and forehead sticking out of a barrel? He's still well loved and will always be remembered. Our hide.

It's hard to believe that hide was the oldest of everyone in X and later X Japan. He was always the goofy one, the one that would trot around like a pony and gesture (^.~) at the camera and audience. His addicting smile constantly pulled in Toshi to his antics: goofing off while Yoshiki was listening to a track they were recording ("This 'ta,' it sounds too opera-like." ~ then everythime Yoshiki played over the "ta", hide & Toshi would put their hands together and pretend to be opera singers), or making fun of the way Yoshiki swings his head when he drums during lives. (They even got the whole audience to swing their heads too!). He was the weird one whose "hide no heya" (hide's room) sometimes consisted of snakes, laughter, a throne, and some scary doctors-types. ("No way ouuuut..") He often helped Toshi as backup vocals, adding a naturally distorted voice to create a surreal and awesome feel. Yoshiki even let him compose sometimes. Songs like "Celebration" and "Joker" gave X and X Japan a cool and somewhat rough sound. Even though Yoshiki was supposed to be the spotlight, hide often blasted himself to that same position, standing out proudly with a goofy smile right next to Yoshiki's beauty.

Those qualities not only transferred themselves, but improved themselves, as well, in his solo work. He started soloing while X Japan was still together, and this started his transition into wearing probably the brightest colours he could find, matching at this time, his trademark flaming pink hair. hide as a solo artist quickly increased in popularity with every new single and album. Eventually, the name on his singles started to read "hide with Spread Beaver." Spread Beaver consisted of six members (not including hide), including D.I.E. (ex-keyboard of GLAY) and Kiyoshi (currently in Machine). Spread Beaver was a really outgoing band that fit perfectly with hide's style and music (like chasing each other in the studio live of "ever free"). But hide always really wanted to make it in America, so he came to Los Angeles and started recording with Zilch songs that were entirely in English. It's really amazing how good he was at slang, even though he's the only person I've ever seen that has used "fuckin' " as an adjective... hide even bought an apartment building in L.A. called "Versailles" shortly before his passing, and took us (well... everyone who was watching the video he was taping) on a tour of Melrose Avenue, relating various stores to "high society" and later on showing off a necklace he designed for a store called Necromance, which he takes us into.

But... even though everything seemed to be going really well for him.. despite his seeming happiness and new acquisitions, the world was still rocked and thrown into grief when his apparent suicide was announced. It seemed that hide, while drunk, had accidentally hung himself. Alcohol, something he really loved, ended up being something that hurt him. Our crazy, beautiful pink spider would never sing to us again. His public funeral was attended by thousands of distraught fans, male and female, many of whom had coloured their hair pink in honour of him. All of his many guitars were displayed under a big picture of his face, and when the former members of X Japan came to the front to play a song just for him, "Forever Love," that was the picture that Toshi sang to. But even though hide's body is now gone, we will always love and cherish his memory and spirit that lived so fluently.

As for myself, I started liking hide way after I saw him the first time. At first, it was just like, "Who the hell is this weirdo?" and set off to ignore him in favor of others who had caught my eye. (This first time watching J-rock -- a tape with an X live and Malice Mizer PVs...) Eventually, continuing to watch little bits of X lives over the period of a few months, I found out I really did like X... and hide. But he was still weird. And I kept that to myself. Finally, watching "Seth et Holth," my eyes were blasted open. The weird thing was... really beautiful. Secretly, I began to learn about him... and couldn't help loving him anymore. There was so much life in him! Even before loving Visual Kei/J-rock, I knew a little bit about X Japan, mainly that the guitarist had died... but it was always hard to believe, seeing the amount of passion in him. (Oddly enough, the first GLAY song I heard was their cover of "Misery," and the first Siam Shade song I heard was their cover for "Pink Spider." Both were sent to me randomly by a girl who was an anime fan and didn't know J-rock at all.) Now I truthfully love this little pink spider who never fails to impress me~ forever hide!

Taste~ (hide with Spread Beaver)

Misery