Scans and source…. translation by purplehaze at Tokio Hotel America. Credit her if you use it, danke.
Tokio Hotel - Interview Mad in France
It is at the Zenith of Dijon, 2.5 hours before the concert on 11 March that ROCKMAG had a rendezvous to collect the 1st impressions of Tokio Hotel on their return to France. Once passed the service door (delivery entrance), we drive along the tour bus and trucks lined up along the huge building. All at the end of the driveway, across grids, fans queued in torrential rain… The female manager welcomes us and offers us coffee in a small dining room furnished with a table and a low large sofa. Through the open door, we see Bill and Tom at the catering. At the agreed time, Bill, Tom, Georg and Gustav arrive and settle in front of the tape recorder.
ROCKMAG: How was your mini-tour in Canadian and American February?
Bill: Very good! We are delighted because we did not think that our concerts would be sold out as quickly. We did not expect such a success from our first steps in North America (a new tour in the USA and Canada is scheduled in April and May).
What differences have you noticed between the American public and the French or German public?
Bill: Our American and Canadian fans speak much better English than we do, that’s what we mostly found!
Tom: In the United States and Canada, we played in smaller venues than in Europe. Nevertheless, we felt the same energy. The fans have even sung the lyrics in German. It was great.
The album Scream intended for the American market will it be identical to the English version which we are already familiar with?
Bill: No, there will be differences, some songs less and others more than in the previous version of Scream. Because we will add other songs that we recorded in English as 1000 Meere, for example.
How is your life on the road?
Tom: In general, we have 2 or 3 concerts in succession, then a day off during which we just sleep and eat. Finally, it’s on tour that we have as much free time: but on promotion however, we have no time for ourselves. Our last day off was in Luxembourg (March 8). So we ate and slept a lot (laughs)… Me, besides, I humped a lot (laughs), but apart from that, we do really nothing exciting between 2 concerts!
You do not go out?
Tom: No. We prefer to stay in our hotel rooms to sit and relax. When we go out, we can not walk on the streets as you see us there (it is 5 pm, and the group is already fully dressed and rouged ready for the stage). That forces us to dress up, wear hats or capuches to try to go unrecognized. And despite everything, there are always fans that recognize us and who want to take a picture, ask for autographs.
Do you get stage fright before a concert?
Bill: Absolutely. Of course, we have a long experience of many concerts and touring behind us. But the stage fright is still there, before every concert, regardless of the size of the venue or the country where we play. And I do not think that it could disappear over the years. We are always excited before a concert.
What do you do just before going on stage?
Gustav: I am listening to music.
Bill: I read and read again the lyrics; I review the course of the concert. It helps me to concentrate, I am terribly nervous, but the pressure drops off as soon as I am on stage, as I see the audience and that we start the first song: I immediately relax because everything works perfectly and runs very quickly.
Tom: I have no particular recipe against stage fright. Before the concerts, I am just excited and what the hell.
Georg: I do nothing special either. I am just excited, that’s it.
Tom: In fact, just before the concert, Georg made his “number two” in the backstage toilet. But it is not effective against his fright, after it he is still as excited until we climb on stage!
Georg: Exactly…
What is your best memory of touring in France?
Tom: The best, that’s the fan actions. As at Bercy the day before yesterday, when suddenly, the entire room took out sheets printed with the word DANKE. All these hands and all the same sheets, it was very impressive to see it from the stage!
Bill: Yes, that was really cool when 17000 people participate in the same action at the same time. These are moments like this that we keep in mind. In all the cities where we play, the audience does some surprises of this kind, different each time.
And worst memories of your tour?
Bill: Once on stage, I forgot the text a 2nd time, 1 couplet. For a split second, I felt a vague uncertainty… But like the whole crowd immediately returned to sing with me what I wanted, it has not had any impact, and ultimately I think that nobody has noticed!
Tom: A Rotterdam (March 4), Georg broke a string of his bass and nobody noticed: neither the public nor one of our team!
Georg: Because, as the professional that I am, I fully and immediately adapt my play, in order to circumvent the problem!
Tom: Anyway, as no one has noticed anything, we concluded that we could very well do without our bassist! Anyway, we still keep him, at least for the moment (laughs)!
Gustave has not made the “la ola” at the end of the concert in Bercy on March 9. And immediately, it was read on the Internet that he will leave the band at the end of the tour and will not participate in the next album, which would explain his bad mood on stage… Gustav: Each concert is different for me. Sometimes, I think of the “la ola”, and sometimes not. But I am never in a bad mood! On the contrary, I am basically always in a good mood!
Georg: That is perfectly true…
Bill: We are used to these kinds of rumours! As soon as one of us does a step without the other 3, it was said everywhere he had left the band and that it is the end of Tokio Hotel. These rumours are completely unfounded and we don’t think about separation. We have been together for so long now that nothing can separate us soon.
Do you plan something special for the concert at the Parc des Princes?
All together: Yes!
Tom: But we can not give you details. On the one hand it will be a surprise and secondly it is not yet fixed.
Bill: To find out, you have to come, that’s it!
You have shifted the date of a day… Tom: By mail and messages from our fans on the Internet, we learned that the date of June 20th was not convenient for those who pass examinations on that day. The reactions, criticisms, opinions of our fans are very important to us. So, we have postponed the concert at the Parc des Princes to the next day. For technical reasons, it was not necessarily obvious, but finally we were able to do so.
What are your plans after the 1000 Hotels tour?
Tom: The concert at the Parc des Princes will probably be the last one in France this year, because then we will be very busy. First, we are going to return to the United States for concerts and interviews. Afterwards, we want to make a “creative pause” to finalize new tracks on which we are working already. And most importantly, we want to enter as soon as possible in the studio to record our 3rd album, but no date has yet been set.
For the new album, do you continue to work with your 4 producers?
Tom: Our cooperation is very good, so we see no reason to change for the forthcoming album.
Bill: We are like a big family. We agree very well and we want to continue working together.
Tom: Everything continues for the band as in the past. Regarding the new album, nothing has yet been set. There may be differences in musical for example… But we do not know yet, so it is far too early to talk about it.
Gustav: The only thing we can say is that this will be a very good album!
Georg: This will be a very special album, the best of all time!
In the meantime, do you release a new single?
Bill: Heilig (stir around the coffee table…)
Bill: Ouch, I should not have said! It is a bit premature…
A new clip?
Tom: Impossible, we won’t have time.
after his operation on his vocal chords he had 16 days ago. the singer of the successful band Tokio Hotel is being escorted to his limousine from his Hamburg flat by two bodyguards. afterward, his driver is taking him to Berlin.
