Sex, Lies & More Rumours

Much has been made of Hideki’s adventures in the world of love. It is true he has been married several times, most ending in a bitter divorce, not to mention several children of varying ethnicity, yet he told me that each union, in the end, taught him more about himself than any work of balloon art ever could.

His first wife was Maggie, a talent agent who discovered Hideki tying his balloons on Robson Street in downtown Vancouver. He still speaks of her with fondness.

“She was my first love, and she taught me to believe in myself and my art, which is a lot more than my parents ever gave me.”

He said these words with obvious bitterness. When I asked him when the last time was that he’d spoken with his parents, he replied, “It has been so long I cannot even remember. Of course, when I became famous and rich, they tried to get a hold of me, but I did not bother to call them back. What is done is done.” Such is part of Hideki’s character: quick to forget but not to forgive, very much in keeping with many of the temperamental, misunderstood artistes I have personally known.