It's so awesome to see this forum still up. I know with how the internet's changed, communities like these are becoming more rare. Either way, it hurt to hear that The Pillows had disbanded. I'm lucky to have seen them twice in the US over the years. But never once in Japan. The goal was to see them live in Japan this year. Sometimes life doesn't play out like the way you'd like. Oh well. I'm still thankful for the impact they left on me and I still listen to them to this day. I wouldn't have picked up guitar if it weren't for them. I wouldn't have developed a love of music if it weren't for them. I hope Sawao feels better and can continue living with the knowledge that his band impacted so many people worldwide.

Hi everyone! It's so touching to read all of your messages. It's honestly kind of a thrill to see these old names I recognize from back in the day.

A part of me is sad that the thing that seemed to be inexhaustible, the pillows discography and their energy for touring, wound up having a real ending to it. And not exactly the one you dream about, with the farewell tour, the third encore and final bow, the "DO YOU REMEMBER THE PILLOWS" final BluRay release. That catharsis is missing.

But mostly I feel like all of what the pillows were (and I'm including this community) represents so much more than any fan of a rock band could have asked for. A gigantic discography we categorize in Movements, career-defining live DVDs, multiple anniversary blowout concerts, [i]two cover contests[/i], the "How to Play Hybrid Rainbow" tutorials that I'm sure sold a fair share of Squier Stratocasters. A career packed with touring and several trips to the States, which made so many concert dreams come true, and then come true again. And again.

The biggest treasure of course, is the music itself. The thousands of plays racked up on my old CD player, various mp3 players, scrobbled to my Last.Fm account, and now tracked by Spotify. Calling the pillows my favorite band completely misses the impact they had on how I hear music, what I expect out of music, what I know it can do. When I hear Last Dinosaur I am taken [i]off of my feet[/i], I am speedrunning Sonic in first-person. If music can sound like She is Perfect, so utterly sweet, the exact sound of swooning over your crush, why shouldn't it? Hybrid Rainbow feels like being pulled under a tidal wave and then becoming part of it as it demolishes a coastline. The songs make still me feel like that today, just as it did on the shitty little earbuds that came with the iPod.

They had such an indelible run that 10, 15, 20 years later, talking about pillows classics with folks in Discord, while not a fresh topic of conversation, still feels invigorating, still feels "important" somehow. Like some sort of subcultural ritual. [i]Hell yeah man, Ninny *does* rule. Does Trip Dancer make the top five for you? When was the last time you listened to Kanojo wa Sister? I think you're due.[/i] Some of us can admit to having gone a while sometime since we last listened to the band, but reminiscing about the pillows, trying to make a claim about a song being underrated, streaming a live DVD, it always has this feeling of being relevant. The love for the band is always there, and it's important to remember the things you love.

But in the same way I can't imagine music without the pillows, I can't imagine my life without Instant Music. As one of those "I saw the internet go to shit firsthand" millennials, I'm so thankful for this place. I made real friends on IM. I developed my taste in music here, I embarrassed myself here, I keyboard warriored my little heart out. In the technological shift over to Discord, algorithms, and the internet feeling like it's just five apps, I think of this forum as something precious that I got to be a part of and share my life with.

When the music and the real-life IMers collided in the US tours and anniversary shows, I can't tell you how happy that made me. Marekenshin and I going to a show in Kyoto, and the pillows indulging his "Tonight" request. Getting recognized by (IM's own) Sawao Yamanaka(tm) in Portland and then sweating through our t-shirts in the Crystal Ballroom with Orochi, yaro, Lostman, disco, and AWPJudy. Meeting up with Terra in Tokyo and the larger group later on for the 30th anniversary show? Surreal! #yokohomies for life. Brye and ThankYouMyTwilight/Chop are two of the sweetest, warmest people I have ever met. What is it about the Bay Area Busters? I hope we'll all find reasons to keep running into each other, even if the pillows aren't touring anymore.

It's hard to know how to end this little tribute, it feels like there's so much more that can be said about the band and about the community here. I'll just say, no matter what happens in life, no matter how many more decades I'll be able to listen to and air-guitar Blues Drive Monster for, I am glad I got to listen to the pillows.

Thank you Sawao, Shin, Manabe, and every bassist who deserved more recognition than just "guest musician" - especially Jun.

Sad to seem them go, but I’m thankful for the impact they had on my life. This band was never just a phase. We have a theme song! :dizzy life:

Sayonara Pillows...

When I heard the news it didn’t hit me at first. I had gone years wondering and hoping that the pillows announce their retirement during one of the anniversary shows I was fortunate to attend. I think that maybe I just wanted to be a part of the final show somehow. It’s no surprise that like many old pillows heads, I’ve grown apart from their new works and recent albums. Every now and then tho they would have an absolute banger track sandwiched between forgettable ones. It just didn't hit the same and that makes me sad because this band means so damn much to me. Its nostalgic typing this in the old IM forum interface. Like I've gone back in time to when I was a teenager burning to share how this music made me feel! I hope you don't mind if I went down memory lane for a little bit. This jaded old bag of bones is hoping to reminisce on the Good Dreams and give thanks.

Like many who discovered the pillows at an early age back in 2001, I too discovered their music through FLCL. I was only 11 years old at the time and knew very little about the music world. With the help of my older cousin Jam, he was able to burn me the OST’s on a CD where I soon devoured each track on my CD player. No matter what time of day, you’d find me locked in with oversized headphones, the people around would hear me blasting Japanese rock from the mid 90’s at full volume. Singing along to words in a language I didn't understand. I was HOOKED. It wasn’t long until I convinced my parents to take me to San Francisco’s Japantown to hunt for their albums. Located in the heart of the city, I found an unassuming mom and pop record shop. Inside were shelves filled with hundreds of Japanese artists and bands from the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s. I struck moon gold! The store had in stock some of what I would soon find out to be some of the pillows greatest works. Albums like Runners High, Happy Bivouac, Little Busters and TYMT. It was impossible to pick just one. My parents would only let me buy one CD because at the time they had cost over $50 (and it was 2003 so that shit was expensive!). The very first purchase I made as a true fan of the band ended up being Happy Bivouac. The old man that rang me up was delighted and amused that a kid like me liked the pillows. I felt almost proud to tell him I was a big fan and told him I was happy to find he had so many of their albums in stock. I would make these excursions to the record shop once or twice a year. The albums I was able to purchase from that little old record shop became my most cherished and prized possessions.

During that time, I came across the pillows unofficial fan site ‘instant music’. This is where EVERYTHING changed. Here I was thinking I was alone in my love for this obscure Japanese rock band and to my surprise I found tons of die hard fans dedicated to learning more about the bands history, translating their music and sharing guitar tabs so that others can learn how to play the songs we all fell in love with. I found my community and the rest, my friends is history... The time I spent on this forum helped shape me just as much as the music did. Over the years, I made friends who would become long distance pen pals of sorts. For some of you younger GenZ busters, before the age of the smart phone, there was a short period of time where news was delivered slowly through the grapevine of the internet. I remember logging into the forum right after school to catch up on any pillows related news like when their next album was going to be released! Mostly, I spent hours learning to play their songs on the guitar, driving my family crazy in the process.

I never dreamed of seeing them live... until it finally happened in 2008. I had just turned 18 and my parents finally approved of me going to the pillows SF show at Slim's on the condition I had my friends dad chaperone us. You never forget your first pillows show. Because they were so unknown in the States, I got to see them up close in a tiny venue. I got to meet the band, get pictures and their autographs even. I met Mare at that show! It was such a lovely surprise to meet one of the moderators I had spent so much time getting to know on the forum. With each passing year, another album release would stir up a wake up frenzy in the forums and all of us would share which tracks were the best. Looking back at those years, when I Turn Back it brings a Smile to my face. I am so grateful and fortunate to have discovered the band when I had.

Meeting friends at shows was also such a trip (dancer)! It was great to finally put a face to the forum name. I've met some of the loveliest and kindest folks because of this band. People like GR, Terra, Chris, Thomas, Mafu and his brother Cody, Tomoyuki, Bebop, Yaro, MikeD, LastDino, Ishan, Anton, Juan, Andrew, and so many others! Looking back at it all, it’s surreal the way everything fell into place. What seemed almost impossible to imagine back then, seeing them play live or attend the prestigious anniversary shows, are now heartwarming memories with old friends.

That ended up being the greatest gift this band could have given. Through the connective tissue of the music, a community was able to thrive. This forum became a movement in of itself, transcending language barriers and even borders. Music has always been a universal language. I’m so grateful to have discovered the pillows. The music and the community I grew up with helped to shape me into the person I am today. Even if the band is no more, the music will live on forever and so will the bonds of friendship made on this little internet forum I first logged into decades ago.

Thank you Busters!

~Brye <3

I've written and scrapped my farewell post several times. How do you put into words something that has had such a profound impact on your life? In the end, I decided to keep it short.

the pillows have been with me for most of my life, always offering encouragement and strength. They've shaped me in many ways, including fostering my love for music, Japan, and more. They've always given me something to look forward to, and I've made many lasting friendships. I think that’s what I’ll miss most.

I’ll continue to follow and enjoy the solo works of the members—Sawaoband, Nine Miles, and anything else. It doesn't feel like "it's over" in that sense. Of course, I'll always have their music, which is timeless.

All I can say is that I am incredibly grateful. Thank you, the pillows!