Quote:
Alright then, first off; thanks for taking the time out of your busy schedule to do this interview! I see you’ve been doing a few tour dates; releasing a few EP’s… what else have you been up to since the release of GlaubeLiebeTod?
Dero: We shot 3 videos for the last 3 singles of the current album and wrote and produced some exclusive b-side tracks for those singles. Now we’re busy with the best of which will come out at the end of this year. we also do some exclusive tracks for that release. After that we will work on the live DVD which will come out at the beginning of next year.
You’re releasing a; and I quote: “complete-everything-plus-the-kitchen-sink fan packet”. What should fans expect?
Dero: There will be a complete video-collection of all our videos and making-of’s and of course the best-of album which will contain the best songs of our nine albums. of course there shall also be some interviews and rare material and the best of-remixes on it.
Are there any North American tours planned for GlaubeLiebeTod?
Dero: Unfortunately it’s not very easy for us to find a proper deal in the u.s. and as long as we haven’t got one it doesn’t make much sense to tour in the states. we would like to come back to the U.S. very much after some gigs in 1993. It was great to play in America. i will never forget the concert in the legendary limelight rock’n’roll church in Manhattan...awesome!!!
The latest release features an English version of “God is a Popstar”… Do you feel like you’ve compromised any meaning of the song with the transition & what brought on the impulse to make an English version?
Dero: I’m totally fine with the English translation. It’s nearly the 1:1-translaton of the original German lyrics. Meaning wise and phonetically it’s a great English version. Of course we wanted to open more markets in the world for us with this version and there are a lot of countries indeed who became aware of us because of this version. We’re very happy about the fact that now much more countries all over the world are spreading the oomph!virus!
Back to the old news about Echo boycotting the band and them kicking Oomph! off the award show… You stated (and I quote):
“We in the West demand on the one hand a more relaxed attitude toward critical views from followers of other religions. On the other hand, right here and right now in our own country we’re confronted with a posture that contradicts this completely...”, what do we need to cease this contradiction?
Dero: I’m absolutely pro separation of state and religion. We Germans consider our society secularized but you can see and feel a more and more puritanic upcoming group within policy and media. I fear that the only answer of the western countries to the Islamic fundamentalism is a radicalization of their own Christian belief. That will of course make the problems even bigger...
The single “Die Schlinge” received quite a bit of praise, including, a featured band, its own EP, a music video and now the “Making Of” the music video. Was this all planned or did it all come as quite a surprise?
Dero: It was pretty clear that the video would be kind of like a modern western as we chose this song for the third single. The classical theme of ennio morricone that we transformed into an oomph!song implicates horses, guns, torches and jailhouses. We’re very happy that Apocalyptica took part in this song with their great celli-work. We talked with them about a collaboration some times at several festivals and with this song we all were more than fine.
What happened in your life that inspired the amazing single “Das letzte Steichholz”?
Dero: I don’t like to talk about the bad parts of my childhood very much. I write about it. That’s my own special therapy...
The [:SITD:] remix for “Das letzte Steichholz” was unexpected but very welcome. Do you keep in touch with the ebm/electronica/darkwave scene?
Dero: Of course we try to never lose our roots while always try to change and renew. electronical remixes of our songs are always very welcome.
You’ve worked with Nina Hagen, Sonja, Apocalyptica… is there anyone else in particular out there that you’d like to work with?
Dero: There are too many excellent singers/songwriters we would like to work with just to mention a few. As long as it’s not too close to our own music it’s always a challenge to work with other artists.
Was the naming the band Oomph! and the band members Dero, Crap & Flux more of a marketing strategy at the time?
Dero: We got our nicknames when we were teenagers and they’ve become our new names over the years. it wasn’t a strategy at all it simply happened that way...i still like the name of our band very much. It’s unique, special, strange and powerful the same time. It’s either an eye- as an earcatcher!
What is your philosophy?
Dero: Oomph! is like the universe: it’s all about constant change...
What do you think a society would be like if everyone was agnostic?
Dero: As boring as it was if everyone would be a believer or an atheist. I like the variety of life...
Can you share with us any memorable tour experiences?
Dero: After a gig in Dresden i forgot the exit from stage...so the light went on and i was still on stage searching for the way to get off stage...everybody in the audience was pretty amused but i just wanted to die immediately... wink
How has it been working out with your current label “Gun Records”?
Dero: It was the perfect choice to sign with gun after a pretty disappointing phase for us with virgin records. No one did suspect a success like that after 15 years of band history...it’s simply great!!!
What can you tell us about your childhood?
Dero: I grew up in a working class family in Wolfsburg which is an industrial town where the Volkswagen is manufactured. Pretty soon I felt that music is the perfect way for me to reflect my emotions. I searched for other musicians who also wanted to combine the electronical side and the hardrock-aspects of the 80ies and i met crap and flux in 1989 at a small independent festival in Wolfsburg. Oomph! was born...
Was music a therapy back then as much as it is now?
Dero: It always has been a therapy...
What is your definition of art?
Dero: Life is art.
Where is your sanctuary?
Dero: Is there sanctuary at all...???
When it comes to the composition of a song, what comes first? Music or lyrics… or is it a collaborative effort?
Dero: Sometimes the lyrics are the impulse, the next time it’s the other way round.
Who are your favorite poets?
Dero: brecht, nietzsche, benn, jandl, trakl, rilke...I’m pretty much into expressive lyrics...but i also like modern poems very much. anne sexton, for example, is one of my favorite writers.
Have you been able to live off your music successfully?
Dero: Since 1996 we’re happy to life off our music. Before that I had several jobs: a waiter, deejay or at a porn video store.
Who was the most inspirational person in your life?
Dero: There are too many just to mention one.
Does anyone in the band have any education background?
Dero: Crap and Flux did learn and finish something serious. I never did. I began to study German and English and psychology but i quit because of the music
Out of curiosity: how many languages can you speak?
Dero: I speak English and French a bit.
That’s about it for now, thanks again Dero!
Dero: thanx, grtx
Dero: We shot 3 videos for the last 3 singles of the current album and wrote and produced some exclusive b-side tracks for those singles. Now we’re busy with the best of which will come out at the end of this year. we also do some exclusive tracks for that release. After that we will work on the live DVD which will come out at the beginning of next year.
You’re releasing a; and I quote: “complete-everything-plus-the-kitchen-sink fan packet”. What should fans expect?
Dero: There will be a complete video-collection of all our videos and making-of’s and of course the best-of album which will contain the best songs of our nine albums. of course there shall also be some interviews and rare material and the best of-remixes on it.
Are there any North American tours planned for GlaubeLiebeTod?
Dero: Unfortunately it’s not very easy for us to find a proper deal in the u.s. and as long as we haven’t got one it doesn’t make much sense to tour in the states. we would like to come back to the U.S. very much after some gigs in 1993. It was great to play in America. i will never forget the concert in the legendary limelight rock’n’roll church in Manhattan...awesome!!!
The latest release features an English version of “God is a Popstar”… Do you feel like you’ve compromised any meaning of the song with the transition & what brought on the impulse to make an English version?
Dero: I’m totally fine with the English translation. It’s nearly the 1:1-translaton of the original German lyrics. Meaning wise and phonetically it’s a great English version. Of course we wanted to open more markets in the world for us with this version and there are a lot of countries indeed who became aware of us because of this version. We’re very happy about the fact that now much more countries all over the world are spreading the oomph!virus!
Back to the old news about Echo boycotting the band and them kicking Oomph! off the award show… You stated (and I quote):
“We in the West demand on the one hand a more relaxed attitude toward critical views from followers of other religions. On the other hand, right here and right now in our own country we’re confronted with a posture that contradicts this completely...”, what do we need to cease this contradiction?
Dero: I’m absolutely pro separation of state and religion. We Germans consider our society secularized but you can see and feel a more and more puritanic upcoming group within policy and media. I fear that the only answer of the western countries to the Islamic fundamentalism is a radicalization of their own Christian belief. That will of course make the problems even bigger...
The single “Die Schlinge” received quite a bit of praise, including, a featured band, its own EP, a music video and now the “Making Of” the music video. Was this all planned or did it all come as quite a surprise?
Dero: It was pretty clear that the video would be kind of like a modern western as we chose this song for the third single. The classical theme of ennio morricone that we transformed into an oomph!song implicates horses, guns, torches and jailhouses. We’re very happy that Apocalyptica took part in this song with their great celli-work. We talked with them about a collaboration some times at several festivals and with this song we all were more than fine.
What happened in your life that inspired the amazing single “Das letzte Steichholz”?
Dero: I don’t like to talk about the bad parts of my childhood very much. I write about it. That’s my own special therapy...
The [:SITD:] remix for “Das letzte Steichholz” was unexpected but very welcome. Do you keep in touch with the ebm/electronica/darkwave scene?
Dero: Of course we try to never lose our roots while always try to change and renew. electronical remixes of our songs are always very welcome.
You’ve worked with Nina Hagen, Sonja, Apocalyptica… is there anyone else in particular out there that you’d like to work with?
Dero: There are too many excellent singers/songwriters we would like to work with just to mention a few. As long as it’s not too close to our own music it’s always a challenge to work with other artists.
Was the naming the band Oomph! and the band members Dero, Crap & Flux more of a marketing strategy at the time?
Dero: We got our nicknames when we were teenagers and they’ve become our new names over the years. it wasn’t a strategy at all it simply happened that way...i still like the name of our band very much. It’s unique, special, strange and powerful the same time. It’s either an eye- as an earcatcher!
What is your philosophy?
Dero: Oomph! is like the universe: it’s all about constant change...
What do you think a society would be like if everyone was agnostic?
Dero: As boring as it was if everyone would be a believer or an atheist. I like the variety of life...
Can you share with us any memorable tour experiences?
Dero: After a gig in Dresden i forgot the exit from stage...so the light went on and i was still on stage searching for the way to get off stage...everybody in the audience was pretty amused but i just wanted to die immediately... wink
How has it been working out with your current label “Gun Records”?
Dero: It was the perfect choice to sign with gun after a pretty disappointing phase for us with virgin records. No one did suspect a success like that after 15 years of band history...it’s simply great!!!
What can you tell us about your childhood?
Dero: I grew up in a working class family in Wolfsburg which is an industrial town where the Volkswagen is manufactured. Pretty soon I felt that music is the perfect way for me to reflect my emotions. I searched for other musicians who also wanted to combine the electronical side and the hardrock-aspects of the 80ies and i met crap and flux in 1989 at a small independent festival in Wolfsburg. Oomph! was born...
Was music a therapy back then as much as it is now?
Dero: It always has been a therapy...
What is your definition of art?
Dero: Life is art.
Where is your sanctuary?
Dero: Is there sanctuary at all...???
When it comes to the composition of a song, what comes first? Music or lyrics… or is it a collaborative effort?
Dero: Sometimes the lyrics are the impulse, the next time it’s the other way round.
Who are your favorite poets?
Dero: brecht, nietzsche, benn, jandl, trakl, rilke...I’m pretty much into expressive lyrics...but i also like modern poems very much. anne sexton, for example, is one of my favorite writers.
Have you been able to live off your music successfully?
Dero: Since 1996 we’re happy to life off our music. Before that I had several jobs: a waiter, deejay or at a porn video store.
Who was the most inspirational person in your life?
Dero: There are too many just to mention one.
Does anyone in the band have any education background?
Dero: Crap and Flux did learn and finish something serious. I never did. I began to study German and English and psychology but i quit because of the music
Out of curiosity: how many languages can you speak?
Dero: I speak English and French a bit.
That’s about it for now, thanks again Dero!
Dero: thanx, grtx
I'll post the original source soon. I lost the link. sweatdrop
Learn something new? wink
