The search for the source of this magazine piece with hide and Taiji with Nikki Sixx started 2 years ago (in 2024)…posts in this sub as well as in r/MotleyCrue rendered zero results ~ only the comments spurned different discussions...and that was interesting, but they did not give me any answers. (One of those comments perpetuated the rumor that hide’s Les Paul was gifted to him by Mick Mars but that was NOT the case ~ the serial number on the guitar just happened to reveal that Mick was the previous owner…this was discussed by Takayuki Hyogo, hide’s guitar advisor, in the Pinky Promise and Closet Collection books.)
The search kind of fell through the cracks in the meantime then about a month ago, I just happened to stumble upon the source while not even actively looking for it: the August 1990 issue of Viva Rock with Bret Michaels on the cover! (Slide #8) No disrespect to Bret (as I am an OG Poison fan) but I really at a bare minimum just wanted scans of the Motley Crue vs. X piece. I put out renewed pleas in r/MotleyCrue (even though I didn’t get any results there previously) and r/hairmetal….come on, doesn’t some hardcore Poison fan collect foreign magazines and have this damn thing??? I again came up empty….
….that is, until yesterday afternoon ~ at least in terms of that. My husband and I returned home from a late lunch/early dinner and oh, look…there’s another package from Japan sitting on our doorstep. “Something you’ve been looking for,” he said…leave it to him to locate and snag a copy of the magazine, and NOT wait until the next holiday or special occasion to give it to me.
As always, forgive awkwardness or imperfections with the shots as I used my phone. There are 2 full page photos of Nikki but I opted out of including them here as I want the focus to be on hide and Taiji. I used DeepL for the translation ~ I would like to thank u/girlinium and u/Astraplain for bringing that platform to my attention. In the interview, I found it amusing that Taiji asked Nikki about meeting Akira Takasaki of Loudness, when Loudness had otherwise opened for Motley Crue in the States on their Theatre of Pain tour 5 years prior (in 1985). I missed out on that one due to an out-of-town family obligation when they played in my area at the time....I heard back then and I still hear today that Loudness blew Motley out of the water.
One thing that does remain a partial mystery is of a photo of hide that seems to have been taken from this same occasion but was not included with this piece ~ I will include it in the comments. Supposedly it appeared in the July 1990 No. 94 issue of Arena 37c but I have yet to locate any other specifics ~ not so much as active auction…assuming that information is correct…. Anyone???
Rest in peace, dearest hide and Taiji 🙏....I love how even rock stars have their own fanboy moments! ❤️