Hideto Matsumoto: His Memory Lives and His Fanbase Grows Stronger

An unforgettable baby boy was born December 13th of 1964, raised in an era that changed the Japanese music industry forever. His stage name, hide, is almost always said with the utmost respect among fans and musicians alike, and both his music and memorabilia still sell as if he was alive today. Fans of hide span across all generations, from the teenagers of the 80’s that are now adults, to their children and grandchildren, to international fans that have never even been to Japan before or seen a show performed by him.

The internet is a wonderful thing, and with Hideto’s music easily findable through most any search engine, his fan base has about tripled since his tragic death on May 2nd, 1998. The most fascinating thing about his followers is that they don’t just respect him as a musician; they deeply respect him as a human being. It’s remarkable that more than ten years after his death, memorials for Hideto are held every year across the globe, some as big as memorial concerts, some as small backyard bonfires held in honor of him. Almost every fan and friend that is asked about hide would say that he was a kind, caring, unique and one-of-a-kind individual that made a huge impact on not only the music industry, but on all of his fans, families and friends lives.

International fans are so intrigued by this man that they have translated nearly any interview they could discover into their own language, as well as most if not all of his songs. The interviews bring a more personal light to him, allowing us to see what kind of person he was backstage, away from the spotlights and stage costumes. Officially taken down from the internet because of Geocities crashing but definitely existing at one time was a blog-type webpage named Hide’s Voice; entries were officially translated to English and organized by month. Hideto’s voice was truly spoken in these personal entries where he persuaded against judging only by physical appearance, told us what his favorite music was at the time, and told us about small, daily things that some might have considered insignificant when they were written.

The last, somewhat surreal entry was dated only a short while before his death, leaving the reader wondering, ‘What next?’ There’s energy and brightness to Hideto that makes it seem impossible he could be gone; the joy, sadness and intensity captured in photos, concerts, and interviews still feels fresh. More than ten years later, it’s still hard to believe he isn’t sitting in his apartment in Tokyo, eating odd combinations of food at once and searching the internet for his own fan-sites while listening to Nine Inch Nails’ earliest releases. The time when Hideto Matsumoto will be forgotten is unclear, as fans pass down their love of him to their children, creating another ten years of adoration and fascination.


People also view

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *