X Japan於1982年成軍出道，在日本富裕到似是繁華無止境的八十年代間，他們初期據說是完全不被日本演藝界接受的，並且被樂評譏為“垃圾樂隊”而拒斥於主流之外。那個時候他們的妝扮比現在的模樣更讓視覺爆點（現在已經恢復到正常藝人的樣子──對我這個後知後覺的歌迷來說實在是太可惜的一件事），要是讓咱們的鄉親父老看到，很可能會毫不保留地相信是批日本來的妖怪吧，就是妖野到那種程度，大概連老妖級的glam rock教父大衛寶爺也要嘆為觀止。
歷經時光激流沖刷，曾經遭受主流踐踏蔑視的X現在已經是日本國寶級的天團了，團長Yoshiki甚至受邀在日本第二度主辦的2005年度萬國博覽會上負責指揮一個百人交響樂團（其時X Japan已經解散，不過Yoshiki畢竟是一個全能型的音樂天才，仍能以獨立之姿橫跨搖滾與古典），作為開幕禮的獻樂。
youtube上他們演奏〈Art of Life〉這首搖滾交響詩篇的全首組曲，必須分成5個時段才能完整呈現出來。然而我還是喜歡在一片闇寂中閉上眼睛傾聽MP3裡傳出那首歌的感覺，也許演唱會的視效太過於華麗了，讓人分神於樂手如同入魔的表演上，而且由於樂曲的時程太長，必須分成5節來放，聆聽的情緒總是被一再打斷。
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUhwNWzdIAc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wq3nr-njPow
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoSOteq6Vsw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pvn2xy-WnmY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yx_06NHall8
而Yoshiki寫的〈Art of Life〉即使不是一首讓人出神諦聽的搖滾史詩，光以文字來看，也會是一首讓人陷入迷惘思域的詩篇吧，我每次聽到主音Toshi以他金屬般冷冽且高亢的嗓音唱到 I believe in the madness called " Now " ／Past and future prison my heart ／Time is blind……就覺得整個人被凍結在時間凍原快要窒息一樣。
「I believe in the madness called NOW.」
多麼美的一個句子。
美得地球也要停頓下來。
美得剎那止息。
而往往在一個呼吸之間，現在，就永遠地過去了。
〈ART of LIFE〉 by YOSHIKI of X JAPAN
Desert Rose
Why do you live alone
If you are sad
I'll make you leave this life
Are you white, blue or bloody red
All I can see is drowning in cold gray sand
The winds of time
You knock me to the ground
I'm dying of thirst
I wanna run away
I don't know how to set me free to live
My mind cries out feeling pain
I've been roaming to find myself
How long have I been feeling endless hurt
Falling down, rain flows into my heart
In the pain I'm waiting for you
Can't go back
No place to go back to
Life is lost. Flowers fall
If it's all dream
Now wake me up
If it's all real
Just kill me
I'm making the wall inside my heart
I don't wanna let my emotions get out
It scares me to look at the world
Don't want to find myself lost in your eyes
I tried to drown my past in gray
I never wanna feel more pain
Run away from you without saying any words
What I don't wanna lose is love
Through my eyes
Time goes by like tears
My emotion's losing the color of life
Kill my heart
Release all my pain
I'm shouting out loud
Insanity takes hold over me
Turning away from the wall
Nothing I can see
The scream deep inside
reflecting another person in my heart
He calls me from within
"All existence you see before you
must be wipe out:
Dream, Reality, Memories
and Yourself."
I begin to lose control of myself
My lust is so blind, destroys my mind
Nobody can stop my turning to madness
No matter how you try to hold me in your heart
Why do you wanna raise these walls
I don't know the meaning of hatred
My brain gets blown away hearing words of lies
I only want to hold your love
Stab the doll filled with hate
Wash yourself with their blood
Drive into the raging current of time
Swing your murderous weapon into the belly
"the earth"
Shout and start creating confusion
Shed your blood for preasure
I believe in the madness called " Now "
Past and future prison my heart
Time is blind
But I wanna trace my heart
On the wall of time, over pain in my heart
Art of life
Insane blade stabbing dreams
Try to break all truth now
But I can't heal this broken heart in pain
Cannot start to live. Cannot end my life
Keep on crying
Close my eyes
Time breath I can hear
All love and sadness melt in my heart
Dry my tears
Wipe my bloody face
I wanna feel me living my life outside my wall
You can't draw a picture of yesterday , so
You're painting your heart with your blood
You can't say "No"
Only turning the wheel of time
with a rope around your neck
You build a wall of morality and take a breath
from between the bricks
You make up imaginary enemies and are chased by them
You're trying to commit suicide
You're satisfied with your prologue
Now you're painting your first chapter black
You are putting the scraps of life together
and trying to make an asylum for yourself
You're hitting a bell at the edge of the stage
and
You are trying to kill me
I believe in the madness called " Now "
Time goes flowing, breaking my heart
Wanna live
Can't let my heart kill myself
Still I haven't found what I'm looking for
Art of life Art of life
I try to stop myself
But my heart goes to destroy the truth
Tell me why
I want the meaning of my life
Do I try to live? Do I try to love
in my dream
I am breaking the wall inside my heart
I just wanna let my emotions get out
Nobody can stop
I'm running to freedom
No matter how you try to hold me in your world
Like a doll carried by the flow of time
I sacrificed the present moment for the future
I was in chains of memory half-blinded
Losing my heart, walking in the sea of dream
Close my eyes
Rose breathes I can hear
All love and sadness melt in my heart
Dry my tears
Wipe my bloody face
I wanna feel me living my life outside my wall
Dreams can make me mad
I can't leave my dream
I can't stop myself
Don't know what I am
What lies are truth
What truth are lies
Art of life Art of life
An Eternal Bleeding heart
You never wanna breathe your last
Wanna live
Can't let my heart kill myself
Still I am feeling for
A Rose is breathing love
in my life
