A buster documentary sounds like a cool idea and a great way to show appreciation during the 25th anniversary. (I'm hoping for another cover contest as well, but I won't hold my breath on that.)
We should totally do it! As for questions, I think stuff like "why are the pillows important to you?" would generate interesting responses.

[quote="Lesser_Hamster"]I'd say favorite song/album would be good.[/quote]

I'd actually argue against this. It's a great thing to talk about with us, but I don't think that discussion is really all that heartwarming for the pillows members themselves.
I remember during...maybe the last pillows US tour, a roadie with the camera came up to me and asked me what my favorite pillows song is. I said something like "God, that's an impossible question. Maybe some of their older stuff, like Patricia or Kanojo wa Kyou." It's a true statement, but now I feel bad about it. Sawao always trots out the same, tired "My favorite pillows song is our newest material" - that's for marketing. But no artist wants to hear "You peaked loooong ago."

I think it'd be a major downer to hear a bunch of pillows fans reminiscing about the "golden era" of the pillows. What we'd want to focus more on is what the pillows mean for us, that we can take away from the whole experience of being Mega Busters. How the pillows inspired us to pick up guitar, play music, get into new music, really embrace the whole "music has no border/race/timeless" thing, make new friends, etc.

"I've never bought an album, but... you did inspire me to buy a Blues Driver."

I'll brainstorm a roadmap of questions this weekend.

Does everyone here have access to a webcam? I'd prefer to take actual video filmed from a DSLR or camcorder to preserve quality. I'd do my submission like that.

[quote="GoldenRhino"][quote="Lesser_Hamster"]I'd say favorite song/album would be good.[/quote]

I'd actually argue against this. It's a great thing to talk about with us, but I don't think that discussion is really all that heartwarming for the pillows members themselves.
I remember during...maybe the last pillows US tour, a roadie with the camera came up to me and asked me what my favorite pillows song is. I said something like "God, that's an impossible question. Maybe some of their older stuff, like Patricia or Kanojo wa Kyou." It's a true statement, but now I feel bad about it. Sawao always trots out the same, tired "My favorite pillows song is our newest material" - that's for marketing. But no artist wants to hear "You peaked loooong ago."

I think it'd be a major downer to hear a bunch of pillows fans reminiscing about the "golden era" of the pillows. What we'd want to focus more on is what the pillows mean for us, that we can take away from the whole experience of being Mega Busters. How the pillows inspired us to pick up guitar, play music, get into new music, really embrace the whole "music has no border/race/timeless" thing, make new friends, etc.[/quote]

I don't disagree with you, I suppose. A better question might be something along the lines of "which song/album do you feel a special connection to and why?" though even this runs the risk of bruising Sawao's fragile ego. Because let's face it; no one here would be willing to partake in this project solely because of the pillows albums released in the past decade. There wouldn't be a project or dedicated fanbase to begin with if solely for those albums, I don't imagine. It's that earlier, magnificent stuff that hooked us to begin with. Our continued support is based largely on morbid curiosity and some sense of loyalty founded on the work they used to do (I don't speak for everyone, of course. I know some people are really into their newer stuff, and that's fine). Let's face it; no one on this forum picked up a guitar and started a band after hearing "Your Order" or "Tabasco Disco", though.

I agree with you that a discussion of their older stuff might prove a downer in some regards, but hey, the truth hurts. We're only fans because of that stuff. I don't mean that we should use this as an opportunity to fap all over Kool Spice or assassinate Sawao's character, but do we avoid the elephant in the room because we might hurt Sawao's feelings? That's a good question, and I'm not really sure. If I were in his shoes, I might feel flattered that foreign fans were so appreciative of my back catalog; but maybe he wouldn't see it that way.

TL;DR: Can we really have a good discussion about what the band means to us without discussing the material we've found most inspirational? Maybe, but it seems to me a little disingenuous.

You can say whatever you want, but I'd advise against recording a monologue about how the new stuff is shit and the old stuff is sex. That's all I'm gonna say about that.

I doubt anyone is going to bash the new stuff, but I see no harm in mentioning it in passing while focusing mainly on old stuff. Saying stuff like "I can't wait for future releases" or "I'm excited to see what else they have to offer" can also mediate after saying lots of stuff about the past. But to be perfectly honest, after a 25 year career, there's no way we can't not focus on the past, the majority of their works were in the past. I'm not usually the hater, but the majority of people one here who have problems with the new stuff has only started in the last 5 years or so. That is only a small portion of their discography. It's like a review or something, you say something good, then drop where they need improvement, then end with something good. Though of course we wouldn't say bluntly "this new shit sucks," or anything negative period, what I'm trying to say (though I realize now I'm just rambling) is that there are ways to talk about how great the past was without being hurtful.

I'm not at all advocating that we turn this into a bitch-fest of any sort. I'd never, in a video intended for the band, bash any of their songs-- even if they are, in reality, dogshit.

I think it should be easy to stay positive even if you are jaded about newer material. Just don't talk about what you don't like. The moments that you think fondly of can't all be from that brief period where we: A, saw FLCL, and B, discovered/downloaded everything from slsk. Certainly you can recall something much more exciting than that, more personalized recollections than that. I remember when I bought my first pillows cd, it was Good Dreams, and I remember getting a phone call from my dad, who was visiting uncle Fred. I told him that the cd came, and I played Good Dreams and held the phone up to it so he could hear it for a bit. I remember seeing them at The Knitting Factory NYC in 2006, and when we pulled in front of the venue, Shinichiro walked across the street right in front of our truck. If you've bought the concert dvds or special merch from the busters shop, the simple fact that you have done so is worth mentioning. There's plenty to talk about.

And of course, the "I liked music before, but the pillows really got me into music and seeking out new artists" could easily find it's way into the conversation. For members who submitted entries to the video contest, you've already got some stock footage that could play while you are talking. And for the musicians on here, why not play a song as well?

How about a collage of people showing off their favorite albums and songs in a creative way? In between interview segments, a song could play (again, maybe a guitar cover of Bye Bye Sweet Pain or something) and fan submitted photos and brief video clips could play.

Why don't you guys just say nice things about the band like lol you don't have to get all meta and shit

I'd say it would be a good idea to have people talk about 'how did the pillows changed your life" or something cheesy like that.
TO kind of let the pillows now that they have fans outside japan.

If we were to ask 'how did you find out about the pillows' A huge population would say 'it's because of FLCL!"

So that wouldn't be a good question to ask them.

Maybe even show videos of a few items they own of the pillows.

Then we can all meet up at a huge park and hold up a picture of busterkun like they do in football games or something. We gotta wow the pillows!
Even though they haven't been active for a while.

Plus, dude, I was joking about me linking your stuff to people on facbeook.
You said no t to and I did and I was hoping you'd get mad or go off on me or something.
Sadly you didn't.

Sounds awesome!
I'm in. The only Dutch pillows fan around, haha.
I'll say something like... I will come over to Japan, just to see you playing live at your 25th anniversary...
We need more international fans...like Raid

[quote="GoldenRhino"][quote="Lesser_Hamster"]I'd say favorite song/album would be good.[/quote]

I'd actually argue against this. It's a great thing to talk about with us, but I don't think that discussion is really all that heartwarming for the pillows members themselves.
I remember during...maybe the last pillows US tour, a roadie with the camera came up to me and asked me what my favorite pillows song is. I said something like "God, that's an impossible question. Maybe some of their older stuff, like Patricia or Kanojo wa Kyou." It's a true statement, but now I feel bad about it. Sawao always trots out the same, tired "My favorite pillows song is our newest material" - that's for marketing. But no artist wants to hear "You peaked loooong ago."

I think it'd be a major downer to hear a bunch of pillows fans reminiscing about the "golden era" of the pillows. What we'd want to focus more on is what the pillows mean for us, that we can take away from the whole experience of being Mega Busters. How the pillows inspired us to pick up guitar, play music, get into new music, really embrace the whole "music has no border/race/timeless" thing, make new friends, etc.[/quote]

I agree with GR. I feel like more universal questions should be the focus like, "What sets them apart from other artists?" or "What is it about their music that drove you to become such a loyal fan?" shit that woud get them to smile and feel good about their career as a whole.

Ok guys, does this cover everything, in your opinion? Sorry, I have to ask the standard questions - how did you discover them, and what are your favorite songs/albums. It's a must

Required: State name and location
1. How did you first come across the pillows?
2. What is your favorite song(s)/album(s)?
3. What sets their music apart from other bands you listen to?
4. Why does the language barrier not play a factor when listening to the band, or does it?
4. Have you seen them live? Any favorite live experience?
5. What has attributed to the longevity of their carrier, IYO?
6. How has social media/the internet played a role in your discovery of the band, and social groups inspired by the band?
7. Any personal anecdotes, inspirations, memories derived from listening to the band.

In favorite songs / albums.
I'd say just say

"top 3 /5 favorite songs / albums."

I'd say top 3, but you could do top 5 of each.

You wouldn't want a video of someone saying "ugh which songs do I like? " then they start naming a couple and in the end are all "You know what? ilike all of them"

or some stupid bullshit like that.
And when they pick their top 3-5 you'll still hear a "Ugh, my top 3/5? That's a tough one, umm let me think"

DUDE! SERIOUSLY YOU HAVE TIME TO THINK ABOUT IT NOW! DON"T FUCKING THINK ABOUT IT WHILE YOU"RE RECORDING YOUR VIDEO!