Gackt

While every nation has its pop icons, Japan is no exception. Frequently bordering on the bizarre to the kitsch, Japan has produced individuals both real and 2D who represent the trends in pop culture. But there is one person who has successfully blurred the lines between what is real, what is illusion and what is style.

Camui Gackt claims to be a 400 year old Frenchman who makes his home in a castle in Kyoto. The truth is, no one really knows how old Gackt is but what they do know is he is an enigma which has generated a massive cult following, earning him practically an industry unto himself. Gackt is involved in music, movies, anime and even videogames and is personally vested in each of these media.

The facts as they are known: Gackt is an enormously popular J-rock musician who can play six musical instruments, mix his own albums and is responsible for the PR behind his work. He speaks four foreign languages including English. He says he is blue eyed but wears colored contact lenses with a special polarized tint because he is sensitive to light. He is emphatic he is not gay but his stage acts and his personal associations with the likes of Hide and Yuma bely a heavily homosexual inclination. This only fans the yaoi flames. I said flame. That was funny.

Anyway. On one level, Gackt is the master of self-promotion. He involves himself in a variety of projects, much like product placement when you think about it. But the man himself doesn't say much. And when he does talk, its often contradictory and colorful. Soft spoken, given to monosyllabic utterances in a bass monotone, he will grudgingly give up answers to interview questions, like "I like the taste of the sea." The question, dude, was "what was it like working with Yuma and can you elaborate on the rumors of a relationship?" In the middle of a quiz show, Gackt stepped off the podium and lay down on the center of the stage for no apparent reason. After a few moments, he quickly sat up and returned to his place. He refused to comment when pestered by the game show host. Regardless of his odd antics, he is a beautiful male specimen with gargantuan intelligence. I'm soft spoken and say odd shit sometimes but so far I got nothing on this guy.

Whoever Gackt is, he represents an ideal that many Japanese feel is impossible: independent, individualistic and capable of mastering his own destiny (even if it is a fake one created by his own rich imagination). He is also incredibly good at what he does, be it music or film. You have not truly experienced the weird side of Japanese innovation until you have seen this guy at work.