Yoshiki

Yoshiki Hayashi (born November 20, 1965) was born in Chiba, Japan. He was trained in classical piano from a very early age, and groomed other musical abilities as well.

Upon traumatically discovering his father dead from suicide at age ten, Yoshiki threw himself completely into his music. He took up playing the drums to focus his anger and pain. A great fan of Western bands, particularly KISS, as a teenager Yoshiki came to enlist boyhood friend Toshi as a member of his rock group X, later to be known as X Japan. A handful of other members came and went, but the lineup finally emerged with Yoshiki on drums and piano, Toshi on vocals, hide on guitar, "Pata"" on guitar, and Taiji on bass. Yoshiki's mother sold her business to promote the band, whose music was too angry and aggressive for an existing label to support, and Extasy Records was founded. Over the years, X's intense visual image softened, and with the replacement of bassist Taiji by "Heath" in 1992, X became X Japan. X Japan finally disbanded in 1997, having literally left the stage as Japan's most influential and imitated band ever.

Nevertheless, Yoshiki's story continued. Even during the throes of X Japan's wild popularity, he managed to scout out and promote other Japanese rock bands of notable worth (e.g. Luna Sea, Dir en grey); therefore, with the role of "musician" so suddenly retired, Yoshiki was able to focus and hone his efforts as a producer. After the sudden death of hide in 1998, Yoshiki fell into a great depression, and vowed never to play the drums again. He considered a memorial concert for hide to be done in 2002, but cancelled due to it being too 'commerical'. However, 2002 found Yoshiki at work once more, this time on a private project called "Violet UK". "Violet UK" is claimed to be released on the 22th of September, 2005. 22th of September was the day when X Japan disbanded. Since that time he has collaborated with other famous musicians (George Harrison of The Beatles and Roger Taylor of Queen, for example) and expressed his creativity through various avenues. Yoshiki is currently a member of globe. He has shook hands with Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi during campaign season, who claims to be a huge fan of the now disbanded X Japan.

Fans of Yoshiki may remember him most from his heavy visual days with X Japan, when his extreme personal style and effeminate dress was almost a literal representation of the Japanese bishounen aesthetic. He was then an enigmatic man who was just as easily a demon tearing up his drums as a gentle, living doll seated before a crystal piano; and while nowadays Yoshiki prefers to stand behind the curtains as a sophisticated businessman, he is no less busy in the music industry, and spends his time between Tokyo, Japan, and Los Angeles, California.

Yoshiki

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