TERU, the vocalist of rock band "GLAY", appeared on Tetsuko Kuroyanagi's long-running talk show "Tetsuko's Room" (TV Asahi) broadcast on April 25th. He talked about his love for his hometown, Hakodate, and his obsession with drawing.
It's been 30 years since their debut, but they've been returning to Hakodate more and more. Now in their 40s, they've rediscovered the greatness of Hakodate, and built a studio there seven years ago. They record all their songs there, and this is their fifth album. Fans have told them how great it is to hear GLAY in Hakodate, so they thought they should write their songs there too. They wanted to be able to sing while looking at the scenery of Hakodate, so they built a studio with many glass windows. The view is great, as Mount Hakodate is behind it.
The staff also stay at the studio, and everyone looks forward to eating breakfast, which is mainly made by the mother. One member, TAKURO, lives nearby, but he says the studio is so popular that he makes the effort to come there just to eat breakfast.
"In the morning, I go shopping and buy lots of eggplants and fish eggs at the morning market, and when I do, people call out to me and say, "Teru, you're back!" Every time I return, I have more interactions with the people of Hakodate, so I'm thinking about living in Hakodate eventually," he says.
What interests me the most right now is painting. During the COVID-19 pandemic, I couldn't make music, so I decided to take up painting, which was originally a hobby, seriously, and started painting on my 50th birthday. "I also like Hokusai," he said. "Singing is an explosive process of moving forward and delivering it to everyone, but painting is like a conversation with myself, with myself. Yesterday, I painted for 12 hours straight," he said. "I'm painting the scenery of Hakodate, and I'm thinking about my parents, and how I used to walk here with them," he said, revealing that he paints while facing himself.
