Tags
Autobiography, Biography, Book Review, Hideto Takarai, Hyde, japan, Japanese, Japanese Rock, Jrock, L'Arc~en~Ciel, music, Musician, Nonfiction, Rock, The Hyde, VAMPS, 寶井 秀人
First Impressions: For the past few years, I have been an ardent fan of the Japanese rock musician Hyde, vocalist of the bands L’Arc~en~Ciel and VAMPS. The Hyde is his autobiography, his way of removing the veil of secrecy from his life in his tell-all autobiography. Even though I couldn’t read it in its original language, I decided to order a copy anyway and find unofficial English and Spanish translations online.
Summary
Hideto Takarai known as Hyde, is one of Japan’s most famous singers. Born in Wakayama in 1969, in the early nineties Hyde rose to fame as the vocalist of the band L’Arc~en~Ciel. L’Arc~en~Ciel continues to be one of Japan’s most famous bands, garnering a worldwide fanbase. In 2012, L’Arc~en~Ciel was the first Japanese band to headline Madison Square Garden in New York. This unique autobiography, The Hyde, explores Hyde’s life from A-Z, including his childhood memories, the indie days of L’Arc~en~Ciel, and his evolution as a person and artist.
The Review
From what I read, this book was supposed to expose ground-breaking secrets that Hyde himself had kept hidden for all these years. I didn’t find that the book revealed any secrets that I didn’t already know. It might be because I ended up reading translations of this book a few years after the initial publication of The Hyde. By the time I read The Hyde, I had already known that his real name is Continue reading
