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Matsumoto Hideto was better known as "hide" (pron "hi-deh" -- and never spelled with a capital "h," as i found out late in the game ^^), X Japan's lead guitarist. He never suffered a dull moment in his career, seeming to always have fresh ideas for everything.

He formed garage bands wherever he went. One was the American garage band Zilch. In Japan, he had a band called Spread Beaver. At the breakup of Spread Beaver, its members pursued solo careers, or else performed for big-name bands like Oblivion Dust and Glay. Spread Beaver was never able to release the album they had begun to record with him.

hide was among the most "glam" of the members of X Japan, sporting dyed pink hair and thick layers of makeup, as well as a "come over here and say that to my face" look. Ironically, this image was only half of the legend.

His family and friends fondly remember him as a quiet, warm-hearted person who was always ready to listen to others' troubles. Fans remembered him as a people-friendly guy who reached out to the sad and suffering. People who had played with him remember him as a serious leader who could nonetheless clown around with the best of them outside work hours.

~ oOo ~

hide and Yoshiki worked well together and separately. Yoshiki had said they were good friends, but I am not sure how they saw each other professionally. hide may have formed his own bands and been a leader, but he better fit into the category of "free-spirited follower." His interests were diverse, and his talent desperately needed focus.

* back to X Japan *