ROCK TOUCH - 19/08

We met B, T, G and G between their two concerts at Bercy, last March. Always radiant, they gave us their impressions of the 1000 Hotels Tour.
So, guys, how are you?
B: It’s always good for us. We’re living our dream! France is always very special for us.
T: We’ re quite tired, but we’re really happy to be here.
Why are you tired? Did you party yesterday after the concert?
B: No, we don’t party at all at the moment. We have to withstand the stress of the tour, so we avoid excesses. However, we go to bed quite late.
T: Yeah, after the concerts, for example, we have a bite to eat and stay awake until three or four in the morning. We have a slightly different life, compared to others.
You have a concert tonight. It’s in 14 hours, but the fans are already outside, queuing. Is it always like that?
B: No, we’re not at all used to that, especially since it’s so cold outside. I don’t know how they do it, but I take off my hat to them. It’s surreal, to think that we filled Bercy twice in a row…
T: We think it’s amazing. We are stressed and excited at the same time for what is happening to us.
Many fans say that they prefer it when you sing in German rather than English… Do you take that under consideration?
B: Of course, we listen to what they tell us. By the way, yesterday we did the entire concert in German. And tonight as well! We adapt to the countries and cities we play in. For example, in Brussels the entire show was in English. And sometimes we do a mix of both. Obviously this means more work for me, because I have to remember the lyrics in two different languages.
T: But also for us, we must play in two languages! You can’t really see it, so you can’t believe it… (laughter)

[I skip the next question – it’s about where they have played or should play in France]

Bill, has your memory ever gone blank on stage?
B: No!
Ge: Are you joking? Don’t you remember the last time in Zenith, in Paris?
B: Yes, it’s true… I repeated the first part of a song twice. But oh, well… When you do 40 concerts in a row, it’s possible to make a few small mistakes sometimes.
T: No, I ‘ve never made a mistake! And don’t make a fuss. If you go blank, you only have to let the audience sing!
Are you already thinking about Parc des Princes on 21 June?
B: Of course, we think about it constantly. It’s going to be a huge deal. We are very happy. It’s a huge honour for us. We are welcomed like knights (?) every time we come here.
Do you have any surprises planned for the stage?
T: Sure. We are preparing a few things at the moment, but we can’t reveal anything. All I can say is that it will be a special evening for us as well as the fans. It will be awesome!
There are talks of your new album. Do you think that your fans will wait for you?
B: I try not to think of that. We are not a hundred percent sure, but when there is too much pressure, you can’t work properly.
T: It would be no use to try to work quickly just because of fear. What we want is to take our time to offer the public a really good album. Every single song must really please us.
B: Anyway, we had a lot more pressure when we launched our second album. The first was a huge hit and we had to prove that we were capable of confirming this success. With the third one we are much more relaxed.
When you went to the US, did you have the impression that you had already acquired an audience?
T: No, not really. Some fans waited for us at the airport. They knew our songs by heart. But we had to prove ourselves anyway. We did small concerts in clubs for about 1000 people. The venues were full, so we were proud. It was, in a way, a new beginning, like when we first came to France. At the time we were well known in Germany but we had to prove ourselves here.
Would you be capable of completely disappearing from the media for 6 months?
B: To tell you the truth, yes. That would be nice. We tried that in Germany, before launching the 2nd album. For 3 months we gave no interviews. But that didn’t work out well. The magazines were full of articles about us. The worst thing was that we had not uttered a single word of what the journalists wrote.
T: Wherever you are, there is always a paparazzi around to tell stories… Even if the album doesn’t come out soon, the media will find ways to talk about us. For example, they will look into our personal lives. Anyway, when someone is on the media in many countries, things get reproduced. It’s really difficult to disappear completely and to rest.
Can you tell us about you last holidays in the Maldives?
B: We did nothing for two weeks. It was perfect for us, but too brief. As you saw in the magazines, our schedule only included laziness for the entire day. We swam, sunbathed…
T: And you see, for 2 weeks we gave no interviews, but the magazines still talked about us!
Are you thinking of changing your look for the launching of the next album?
B: The look is about how one feels, it doesn’t depend on an album. We will see, according to our frame of mind at that moment.
T: Who knows, maybe Georg will have a new hairdo for P des P… or maybe he’ll go naked!
What do you think about those who criticize your fans?
B: Those are the jealous ones: honestly, our fans are amazing. They are the best fans anyone can have in the world. Maybe I would be a little jealous if I didn’t have fans like that. But that’s no reason to attack them!
Do you have time to be interested in the current music industry, despite your limited free time?
B: To tell you the truth, we’re not exactly up to date at the moment. Each one has been listening to the same music for more than 6 years.
T: I like Apologise a lot, but I think I knew them before they made it to the top. Marketing doesn’t interest us much. We listen to what we like.
Do you do a lot of downloading?
B: Yes, but legal. We are the first to fight for the protection of music. It’s important.
T: Anyway, I download, because I don’t have time to go to the stores. Personally, when I like an artist, I like to have the CD with the booklet.

INFO : bill-thotel.piczo.com