Interview thingy
Feb. 18th, 2010 07:54 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
koori_nekoRemind me to stop translating things. My head hurts now. Steal this and I will be seriously pissed off.
"Glitter, vanity, destructivity, and action."
Deathstars is something of a secret in Sweden but have sold 100 000 records in Europe. The band is now releasing their third album and NWT met up with the vocalist Andreas Bergh in hometown Karlstad.
Andreas Bergh grew up in Karlstad and Hammarö. The last few years have been rootless, with touring and repeated relocations between London and Stockholm. He is the vocalist of Deathstars, a band of huge fame abroad, but with less following at home. Now the band is releasing their third album "Night Electric Night", which is partially recorded in New York.
- The lyrics on this album derives from the kind of life we have been living lately. Cities at night. The dark side of night life, depraved situations is after all the fuel for a lot of musicians, says Andreas Bergh.
The first impression of him when he greets you - almost shy, from behind his bangs - is very hard to link to his stage persona, when he calls himself Whiplasher Bernadotte. The contrast is striking and one of the characteristics of the band's visual and musical image. It is an excess, Larger Than Life. As far from everyday realism as possible.
- We're a rockband with a past of extreme metal. We mix the graveyard with Sunset Strip, kind of. Kiss and Mötley Crüe with Death metal. But we have been inspired by things like Samantha Fox as well. It's important that we are illoyal to genres, says Andreas Bergh when asked to describe the band.
Almost all your songs contain the words Death or God, often both. Why?
- There's no religion in the music, in that respect. It's about values. We want to show the ultimate conflict, the one between black and white. Death and life.
Andreas Bergh writes the lyrics around the song drafts the guitarist Emil sends him. That is the way they have always worked, no matter the band formation. In the past, tapes were being sent around, sometimes from Gothenburg and Strömstad, now it is digital files that are being sent - often between New York and London.
- We started playing together in '92 and we have always worked this way. It might be more sophisticated now, but the bottom line is the same. We're a band that never go to rehearsal before recordings. We rehears everything after the recordings instead. The tour will start in a few weeks so it's time to begin rehearsing the songs from the album. *laughs*
How big are Deathstars really?
- Hard to say, but our last record sold maybe 100 000 copies. Now we are trying to sign for a big company in USA, before this it's only been in Europe.
England holds your biggest audience?
- Yes. We have won some major awards over there and been on the cover of several magazines. Channel 4 contacted us about a TV show they will be producing, a TV-documentary about rockbands and their fans and groupies. First there are bands like Doors and Led Zeppelin, and then they want us in the last episode. Deathstars are huge in England. There we are placed at the VIP tables, next to both Tony Iommi and Nikki Sixx.
What do you say to Nikki Sixx?
- Cheers! *laughs* (A/N: as in toasting) Nah, it's something really special about ending up in these kind of situations. It's a very different kind of reality. When we were on tour with Korn you'd have breakfast with Carmen Electra, but it's not really special while your caught up in it.
How is it to meet your idols?
- I was DJing at a party at the Playboy Mansion a while back. It was a party for KISS. I was standing surrounded by bunnies, drinking champagne and playing KISS songs. But when KISS arrived they didn't want to hear their own songs, so I had to change. Gene and Paul cam towards me to say hi, but I just turned and walked away.
Why?
- They're like my gods. They're not supposed to be people like you and me. I didn't want to diminish their star status.
Do you have dedicated fans?
- Deathstars is like a movement. A lot of people travel along the tour and put on make up glitter. They can be from Venezuela and Paris. It is amazing. That movement is just as alive as the band. We are high commanders for a small army. Like a miniature Kiss Army.
Why is the visual aspect so important to you?
- We want the music to feel large. Larger Than Life! It has to have glitter, vanity, destructivity, and action. And darkness, of course.
Visually, you are similar to Marilyn Manson. Has he been an inspiration?
- No. We have looked like this, like we got 44 degrees of fever, since we started out. And we haven't really changed since his debut. I would say that he looks a bit like us. *laughs*
What is your view on the Swedish music industry, as a Swedish musician with better success abroad?
- You need to play planned out magazine-rock for it to work in Sweden. Estetically minimalistic and just right. We want to make the tacky tasteful. That is very politically incorrect, music wise, in Sweden. Everything has to be soo cool all the time, it gets to be a bit strained.
How big is the coming tour going to be?
- Maybe a hundred venues. Thirty or so festivals this Summer, then USA and perhaps South America. Gigs are booked as we go along.
Do you enjoy being on the road?
- Touring is always at maximum speed. I don't think I can take being older than 40. *laughs* It's very little quality time, but being on stage makes up for it. People showing up is the affirmation of what you did in the studio and in your own room.
You have a few dates booked in Sweden. A bit unusual?
- Yeah, feels a little odd. It's going to be damn fun with club gigs. When it comes down to it, we're a band that likes sweety gigs. Though we do it with feathers and glitter.
---------
Facts (A/N: little box thing on the side.)
Bergh says this about...
.... his stage name.
- It's from a Kiss song. Love It Loud.
...the name Deathstars.
- Deathstars is ironic considering our past, but mostly a play on the thought of childstars, moviestars, pornstars - there should be Deathstars as well.
...last years tour with Korn.
- The best, the funniest tour we have ever been on. Relaxed atmosphere. We played for perhaps 10 000 people per night, like big hockey stadiums. In Sweden you get maybe small arenas, like Hovet or Scandinavium.
Andreas Bergh has rediscovered Karlstad and Hammarö. "I have been so into Karlstad, it's so peaceful and calm here. I'm even starting to consider moving back here."
here's a link to the original
"Glitter, vanity, destructivity, and action."
Deathstars is something of a secret in Sweden but have sold 100 000 records in Europe. The band is now releasing their third album and NWT met up with the vocalist Andreas Bergh in hometown Karlstad.
Andreas Bergh grew up in Karlstad and Hammarö. The last few years have been rootless, with touring and repeated relocations between London and Stockholm. He is the vocalist of Deathstars, a band of huge fame abroad, but with less following at home. Now the band is releasing their third album "Night Electric Night", which is partially recorded in New York.
- The lyrics on this album derives from the kind of life we have been living lately. Cities at night. The dark side of night life, depraved situations is after all the fuel for a lot of musicians, says Andreas Bergh.
The first impression of him when he greets you - almost shy, from behind his bangs - is very hard to link to his stage persona, when he calls himself Whiplasher Bernadotte. The contrast is striking and one of the characteristics of the band's visual and musical image. It is an excess, Larger Than Life. As far from everyday realism as possible.
- We're a rockband with a past of extreme metal. We mix the graveyard with Sunset Strip, kind of. Kiss and Mötley Crüe with Death metal. But we have been inspired by things like Samantha Fox as well. It's important that we are illoyal to genres, says Andreas Bergh when asked to describe the band.
Almost all your songs contain the words Death or God, often both. Why?
- There's no religion in the music, in that respect. It's about values. We want to show the ultimate conflict, the one between black and white. Death and life.
Andreas Bergh writes the lyrics around the song drafts the guitarist Emil sends him. That is the way they have always worked, no matter the band formation. In the past, tapes were being sent around, sometimes from Gothenburg and Strömstad, now it is digital files that are being sent - often between New York and London.
- We started playing together in '92 and we have always worked this way. It might be more sophisticated now, but the bottom line is the same. We're a band that never go to rehearsal before recordings. We rehears everything after the recordings instead. The tour will start in a few weeks so it's time to begin rehearsing the songs from the album. *laughs*
How big are Deathstars really?
- Hard to say, but our last record sold maybe 100 000 copies. Now we are trying to sign for a big company in USA, before this it's only been in Europe.
England holds your biggest audience?
- Yes. We have won some major awards over there and been on the cover of several magazines. Channel 4 contacted us about a TV show they will be producing, a TV-documentary about rockbands and their fans and groupies. First there are bands like Doors and Led Zeppelin, and then they want us in the last episode. Deathstars are huge in England. There we are placed at the VIP tables, next to both Tony Iommi and Nikki Sixx.
What do you say to Nikki Sixx?
- Cheers! *laughs* (A/N: as in toasting) Nah, it's something really special about ending up in these kind of situations. It's a very different kind of reality. When we were on tour with Korn you'd have breakfast with Carmen Electra, but it's not really special while your caught up in it.
How is it to meet your idols?
- I was DJing at a party at the Playboy Mansion a while back. It was a party for KISS. I was standing surrounded by bunnies, drinking champagne and playing KISS songs. But when KISS arrived they didn't want to hear their own songs, so I had to change. Gene and Paul cam towards me to say hi, but I just turned and walked away.
Why?
- They're like my gods. They're not supposed to be people like you and me. I didn't want to diminish their star status.
Do you have dedicated fans?
- Deathstars is like a movement. A lot of people travel along the tour and put on make up glitter. They can be from Venezuela and Paris. It is amazing. That movement is just as alive as the band. We are high commanders for a small army. Like a miniature Kiss Army.
Why is the visual aspect so important to you?
- We want the music to feel large. Larger Than Life! It has to have glitter, vanity, destructivity, and action. And darkness, of course.
Visually, you are similar to Marilyn Manson. Has he been an inspiration?
- No. We have looked like this, like we got 44 degrees of fever, since we started out. And we haven't really changed since his debut. I would say that he looks a bit like us. *laughs*
What is your view on the Swedish music industry, as a Swedish musician with better success abroad?
- You need to play planned out magazine-rock for it to work in Sweden. Estetically minimalistic and just right. We want to make the tacky tasteful. That is very politically incorrect, music wise, in Sweden. Everything has to be soo cool all the time, it gets to be a bit strained.
How big is the coming tour going to be?
- Maybe a hundred venues. Thirty or so festivals this Summer, then USA and perhaps South America. Gigs are booked as we go along.
Do you enjoy being on the road?
- Touring is always at maximum speed. I don't think I can take being older than 40. *laughs* It's very little quality time, but being on stage makes up for it. People showing up is the affirmation of what you did in the studio and in your own room.
You have a few dates booked in Sweden. A bit unusual?
- Yeah, feels a little odd. It's going to be damn fun with club gigs. When it comes down to it, we're a band that likes sweety gigs. Though we do it with feathers and glitter.
---------
Facts (A/N: little box thing on the side.)
Bergh says this about...
.... his stage name.
- It's from a Kiss song. Love It Loud.
...the name Deathstars.
- Deathstars is ironic considering our past, but mostly a play on the thought of childstars, moviestars, pornstars - there should be Deathstars as well.
...last years tour with Korn.
- The best, the funniest tour we have ever been on. Relaxed atmosphere. We played for perhaps 10 000 people per night, like big hockey stadiums. In Sweden you get maybe small arenas, like Hovet or Scandinavium.
Andreas Bergh has rediscovered Karlstad and Hammarö. "I have been so into Karlstad, it's so peaceful and calm here. I'm even starting to consider moving back here."
here's a link to the original
