Not even a broken neck will stop the X-Japan drummer!

Earlier this month, X-Japan took home the award for “Best International Band” at the Golden Gods Awards. While reading the names of the nominees, presenter Joey Belladonna of Anthrax stopped before reading “X-Japan” and said “You know this is a set-up, right?” Ouch.  Always one to take the high road, Yoshiki, who accepted the award, didn’t acknowledge the slight. Clearly, Mr. Belladonna didn’t believe they were quite metal enough to beat out the likes of Rammstein and Lacuna Coil, but that’s because he obviously doesn’t know how Yoshiki rolls. 

He's Got His Own Comic Book...with Stan Lee - In Image's Blood Red Dragon, Yoshiki didn’t get his powers from an itsy-bitsy spider, either; he got struck by lightning. He also doesn’t have time for regular ol’ groupies. His groupies just so happen to be the Maidens of the Dragon Temple, and, in addition to copious amounts of cleavage, they also wield swords and giant hammers. Did we mention it was co-created by Todd McFarlane and Stan Lee?

He's Fashion Savvy - Not only did Yoshiki produce the Asia Girls Explosion fashion show earlier this year, he also wrote the music for it and showcased his line of kimonos (aptly named “yoshikimono”). This wasn’t a small-time show - guests included A-listers like Marilyn Manson and Olivia Palermo.

He Rocked So Hard He Broke His Own Neck...and Kept Going! - Although the exact details of the injury are disputed (some say he actually broke it and others believe it was simply fractured) what’s clear is this: Yoshiki rocked out so hard, and so often, that his neck actually required major surgery in 2009. Although doctors have repeatedly told him he could end up paralyzed if he continues, he went on two major tours following the surgery. Why? Because he’s metal like that.

Credits: nerdistnews

Not too many people in L.A., no matter how famous they are, can say there is a Hello Kitty doll patterned after their likeness.
Yoshiki can.
Yoshikitty, as the plush character is called, was a bit of an accident. As drummer and spokesman for the world-renowned Japanese rock band X Japan, Yoshiki was doing a press tour in Asia. Just to liven up the press conferences, he put an X Japan T-shirt on a Hello Kitty doll as a "half-joke," he says. Sanrio, the toy company, caught wind of the incident and a proper collaboration developed.
In Japan, Yoshiki is a major rock star, the leader of the band that's often credited with launching the dramatic hard-rock movement known as visual kei. Here, though, X Japan is still very much a cult phenomenon. And for the past decade, Yoshiki has been living in L.A., anonymously. "I can go to the grocery store without thinking that someone is going to recognize me," he says.
Like the Yoshikitty, the musician's move to L.A. was an accident. "All the X Japan members came here. We were recording," Yoshiki explains. "We were booking so many different studios, like, four or five different studios, to finish our second album for Sony Records."
They were looking for a single studio that would suit all of their needs. Yoshiki stumbled across one that, he says, is the best in the world for drums. He tried to book session time but couldn't. So he bought the place.
"After we finished the album, everybody went [back] to Japan. I was, like, what am I going to do with this studio?" Yoshiki recalls. "Since I had a recording studio, I came back and started recording more. Then, obviously, I'm here, maybe I should buy a house. So I bought a house."
In early 2010, after disbanding and then getting back together, the band made a concerted effort to launch in the United States, playing Lollapalooza before embarking on their first U.S. tour, which began in Yoshiki's adopted hometown. "I was so happy, finally, I could play here in Los Angeles," he says.
That show, at the Wiltern, garnered a monumental response from the crowd — but Yoshiki felt they could have done better. "On a tour, the set list gets better and better every time we play," he says. "So, when we got to New York, we were semiperfect, but in the beginning there were so many things to figure out. ... Next time we play [L.A.], it's going to be semiperfect."
X Japan currently are preparing their first U.S. studio album and a world tour, while Yoshiki is collaborating on a new project with comic book legend Stan Lee. "He's making me a superhero," Yoshiki says. "I'm going to turn into a dragon."
Combine this with several high-profile fashion projects and one has to wonder if Yoshiki will be able to remain anonymous at the grocery store in L.A. much longer. As it stands, Yoshiki says he has been getting recognized more often near his home base.

"I don't hate it," he says, but, "I always have to ask: 'How do you know me?' "


Credits: laweekly