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Interviews // |
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"I think that Glück (joy) is a term that gets abused and desecrated"(Photos: Slavica) ??? Campino, why did you decide to christen the new album “Zurück zum Glück” (back to joy)? Campino: We opted for this motto because we think that it kind of describes the current situation in Germany. Everybody is afraid of what tomorrow might bring, afraid of the future. And everybody is trying to hold on to what he or she had yesterday, thinking back to happier times. We liked the idea of joy being something material, like a person that you can ring up and ask if it's alright for you to come by for an hour or two. After all, we had already been on our “Kreuzzug ins Glück” (crusade to luck) in the 90ies. Today we laugh about it and say, we must have missed the trend at the time. We even thought about issuing an add in the classifieds: “The Toten Hosen are looking for the trend. Please deliver it at the JKP office!” ??? If the slogan “back to joy” is meant ironically, what is your personal definition of joy, or luck? Campino: I think it always sounds rather banal if you talk about personal ideas of joy. It all ends up in hoping to stay healthy, really. Of course it's a great joy to me that I can live my life dedicating myself to what I am passionate about, but even that sounds kind of kitschy, doesn't it? (laughs) I think that Glück, the German term for joy or luck or happiness, is a term that is used too much for situations that are not appropriate, it gets kind of abused, desecrated, especially by the advertising world. Wherever you turn, you are stuffed with joy, happiness, being young and happy. There is apparently nothing more worthwhile than JOYFULNESS. And what is that supposed to be? ??? One thing that is striking about your lyrics for the new album is that you pose a lot of questions. Have you found any answers to them yet in the meantime?  Campino: I didn't realise this while I was writing the lyrics. Only now, after having spoken to a couple of journalists. But yes, I would write completely new lyrics now. These lyrics are always takes of a certain moment, expressing a certain emotional state. Most of the songs were written one and a half years ago. That was a very confusing time for me. We had just completed another tour, I didn't know what was coming next, so I thought to myself: get on the plane, fly to Australia, hire a jeep, drive to Ayers Rock and you will have an inspiration. So I went there – and nothing happened! I had loads of flies in my nose, in the corners of my mouth and in my ears and I had to admit to myself that I might as well have stayed in Flingern, my local district in Düsseldorf! I came home and had learned nothing on this journey, except that you can travel as far as you wish, if you have a problem, it won't be solved by covering miles after miles. ??? So when you wrote the lyrics, what kind of time was that? Campino: At the end of the day, it's not really important in what kind of mood or emotional state I was at the time, because every song has a grain of truth in it. But I start with one idea and then develop stories that usually have little, if anything, to do with the bit that I started from. But of course every story has its reason for being there. These are my, our songs only for as long as we play them in the rehearsal room. But once the CD is on its way to be produced, the tracks are released in the true sense of the word. And if someone out there listens to the songs and interprets them according to his or her own situation and experiences, then this has the same validity as my own interpretation. In that moment, it doesn't matter anymore why I wrote a certain song. ??? Lately, you filled out a questionnaire and under “What I like” you answered “psychotherapy sessions”. How often do you see your psychologist?  Campino: I haven't been for a long time, but it's something I can warmly recommend for everyone. These things are not quite accepted in Germany, everything concerning soul and spirit is still a little taboo here. For every runny nose, the people run to their doctor and let themselves be given a silly prescription, even though it doesn't really help. But if they have an emotional problem, something deep down in their soul, or a knot in their head, then most people think they have to get things sorted out all by themselves. If you seek help from a professional, you're thought of as being a softie. As a matter of fact, there are many people who are experts at helping you solve spiritual problems. We humans always tend to think we're so individual and unique but there are hundreds of thousands of people out there who suffer from the same problems. And they've all been to see this guy in his practice, and he has a certain experience, he knows our way of thinking. Even our dreams follow certain schemes and can be analysed through a certain system. If I have a big problem and there's a specialist, why not let myself be helped by him? After all, I don't want an amateur to muck around in my head. ??? Where does your interest for psychoanalysis originate? Campino: I've been interested in it since the times when I did my civil service in a hospital for the mentally deranged. I used to go to sessions once a week, of my on accord. There were sessions held for the students where patients would turn up and speak about their illnesses and medical records. They went up front and were questioned by a doctor, and I found it very fascinating. It always led me forward, kind of. The time I worked in that psychiatric hospital was great. ??? Was there a phase in the history of your band that you would identify as the most creative for yourself?  Campino: There are plenty of dark and grey moments, but one or the other bright light, too: when all of a sudden the sky opens up and you have good idea. Even if I say today that I wouldn't write the old songs the same way anymore today, they are still valid to me, because at the time I felt exactly that way. And you can't really figure out when you are writing a song that this one will be good. If that were possible, I would try to write good songs all of the time (laughs). ??? Was there ever a moment in the past 22 years when you realised that you were experiencing something special? Campino: I remember a session while recording the “Horrorschau” album. I sang the vocals for “Mehr davon” (more of it) and it was one of the few moments in my life where I managed a first take. The others were sitting next door, listening, and when I was finished, nobody said a word. Everybody kind of realised that we were experiencing a really good moment for ourselves. And this was one of the most emotional moments that I have ever experienced in a studio. Another song where I can remember the absolute quiet that ensued was when recording “Nur zu Besuch” (only visiting). This is also a moment I will never forget. ??? You said the other day that part of the Toten Hosen's right to still keep on existing lies in the fact that maybe you haven't written your best song yet, at least concerning the content.  Campino: That is what I'm hoping. If you look at writers, they set an example, they get better and more mellow the older they get, they manage to build up suspense instead of crashing their head against the wall. If we get to our physical limits one day, where we can't kick arse anymore they way we used to, well then I think at least we still have all possibilities to form our thoughts and seek our limits in that area. If I didn't hope that some bright moments are still awaiting us I would not want to go on anymore. We have to prevent a situation where we only administer ourselves. ??? It was recently alleged again that you are all “control freaks”. Is this impression correct? Campino: We don't have as much control over things as we would like to. You simply have to trust the people you work with. In the course of years, we have found many friends and people we can confide in, who try to handle things according to the way we would do it ourselves. The people out there often ignore that we also become targets very easily, for example when a daily paper called here and said: “We know that your partner is pregnant – what is your statement?”. I had half an hour to decide what I should do. I knew they would put it in the paper anyway, no matter if I reacted or if I kept quiet. But I didn't want them to break the news “exclusively” so we made a press release via dpa (German Press Agency). In the end some fans asked why I had to go around telling stuff about my private life. And on the other hand the same paper called again and threatened us because we had torpedoed their ‘breaking news' story. We would see what we got by not playing their game, they said. ??? So why do you let yourselves be closely observed at this very moment for the MTV show “Friss oder stirb?”  Campino: The thing with MTV is, it's not a container or 24-hour control situation. We let the cameramen get pretty close – but we know that we can always shout out “stop”. Otherwise we really wouldn't do this! And we accept the fact that we are not always shown looking our prime, that they show our weak sides and press the record button in situations that aren't really glorious for us. We do this to get an authentic picture for people, to show what can happen to a rock band in Germany. Of course there are still certain limits, but that goes without saying. ??? Breiti isn't too comfortable with the camera always being there, in fact it's a slight problem for him. How do you handle this? Campino: I think it's good to have someone in the band who kind of works like a brake in this field, because you tend to overdo things when you're euphoric about something. It starts a discussion that in the end can only lead to a positive outcome. I know that I was very naive about it at the beginning. I thought: we've already done theatre and radio, so now let's play a little with the camera. In the meantime I have realised that we are occupying ourselves with a medium of which we don't really know that much. ??? You said that you would watch a show like the one you're doing on MTV even if it were about another German band. What is the difference between the Hosen and other German bands?  Campino: I don't know because I never was in any other band – apart from ZK (laughs). I've heard that the structure within a band can be very different. For example, we share our complete income evenly. I haven't heard that from any other band yet. Even if I go to a TV talk show and get paid 1000 Euro, the money goes into the band's treasury. The same thing with author's rights and licences for certain tracks. It's just an example to show that we always make sure things are democratic and fair within the band. And every one has the same power to vote or veto. I assume that other bands might be more oriented on success and results. And I can still say about us that we are friends. I don't have a clue how the constellations are with, say, Die Ärzte or Die Fantastischen Vier. I have no idea. ??? The most important tool allowing you to do your thing is your own record label, JKP. You founded it in the 1990s in order not to have to depend on the big labels anymore. What function does JKP have today? Campino: Well, these days you don't really want to do anything the way the major labels do it, don't you? (laughs) We started to do those things relatively early with our record label that a modern label really ought to do these days. What I mean is, a record label has to do much more today than just those tasks you think of in the classical sense. It is most important here to organise things, to have it all connected under one roof, a little bit of classical record label, but also legal advice in various matters, a promotion tool, music editor, pool of ideas, and home base for various activities. It does not suffice to be the connecting link between band and production plant and to publish two or three flyers. There has to be another right of existence for a record label. It means thinking of other areas where you can be of service for the fans outside and for the bands that are signed to your label. ??? How does JKP differ from other labels?  Campino: The people who work at JKP eat our ideology in spoonfuls, in the lunch break. If someone calls offering a show or some activity, the secretary more or less already knows if we will do it or if we'll cancel, because she understands the way we think, our principles. This means that a lot of junk is sorted out that we don't even need to discuss. The most abstruse offers are handed in – from commercials to people wanting to engage us in local politics, like the communal elections for example. And you can't imagine how many football clubs have invited us to their festivities, just to hear us play “Bayern”. It's an amount that would make Uli Hoeneß' (manager of Bayern Munich football club) toe nails curl. ??? You said this year that by now more or less everybody must have made up his or her mind about your band. Do you manage to break one or the other stereotype when speaking to journalists? Campino: At the end of the day, it's like this: everything has already been said. Those journalists who are fed up with us won't even sit down at the same table with us. And I don't really want to spend my energy talking to people who don't want to listen. I love talking to people and could talk about music for hours. But a dialogue requires mutual interest and respect. If that isn't there, if the guy sits there simply because his boss has sent him, simply because he has to produce a given amount of lines, then it's just a waste of time. And that's the good thing about our TV show: we decide the topics ourselves, and even though it's a lot of work, it's also a wonderful chance to do all sorts of things, silly things, too. ??? Bands from the younger generation such as the Donots and Beatsteaks also appear on the MTV show. What did you feel when the Beatsteaks covered one of your songs during their show at “Rock am Ring”?  Campino: I don't care about the age of a band. I'm simply glad that there are other bands in Germany that do the kind of music that moves me, i.e., guitar rock. For example I also really like the latest album by Sportfreunde Stiller. When the Beatsteaks covered one of our songs it was a good moment for us, because it's also a way of showing your respect. I mean, no older band likes the feeling if some young guys come on stage and say, “we'll blast these old farts off the stage now.” In that case we would always have to prove ourselves, “listen up, you green kids, look what we are up to!” And that would be acting like you're going through puberty again (laughs). I have much more fun going to their dressing room in the afternoon and having a laugh together. We watch their performance, they watch ours, and afterwards we all go for a drink together. They are a different generation, but judging from the soul I guess we would have been in the same division if we had grown up at the same time. ??? Does this mean the time has come for opinion leaders not only to respect the Hosen, but to be able to think they are really cool? Campino: Don't ask me when it comes to the question whether we are fit to be judged cool or not. All I can say is think of AC/DC. First they were simply great, then they were out, ridiculed and laughable, and then things turned once more. They simply became cult in the end because they stuck to what they did for so many years. Today, they are beyond such criteria as good or bad. ??? With the birth of your son Lenn Julian you've had to move even more between Düsseldorf and Berlin. How do you keep the balance between band and family?  Campino: It's working quite well so far, because my partner and I both knew that we would have to go through tough times. But then, the record had been planned much longer than the child. And we knew we would have to face a rough surf. But if you feel confident with someone, if you trust each other and if both want to stick through it together, then you manage to ride it out easily. I'm absolutely looking forward to discovering everything with my son. Now that the little creature has arrived, I want to see how it develops and I want to enjoy the small details. Now I'm always happy to be coming home. ??? So where is your home at the moment? Campino: Home is where my partner and my son are! And it always hurts to go through the door and leave for a longer time, if we go on tour or travel somewhere. But on the other hand it's also a wonderful sort of pain, of a kind that I have never experienced before. I have never before walked out the door and experienced such a sting. But when I'm on the road, that is part of my life, too. I simply couldn't exist without always being out and about. Now I have both sides. And that's a definite plus in my life. No minus to see near or far. ??? Is the impression right that you have now reached a state of mind that makes you handle things in a much more relaxed way? Campino: Well, this is something for people to judge who have to deal with me a lot. I would be glad if it were like that, but I sometimes have the suspicion that it isn't. But it's an issue I would like to keep working on. I think it's good to run and fight until the 90th minute. That's what I expect when I watch football games. But when the 90 th minute is over you have the right to let go, and if you lost the game, you can yell, “shit!”, and then wipe your mouth and go on. And that's how I see things for my own life, too. At the end of the day, a donkey in China couldn't care less if people love the new album or not. Of course we always try our best, we all try hard, but it's not the centre of the universe. You need to put things into perspective every once in a while. Click here to read Part 2 of the Interview.
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