Vor sehr allzu langer Zeit, gastierte die Orange County Legende IGNITE im hannoverschen Musikzentrum und mir wurde die Ehre zuteil, mich einmal mit einer der Bands zu unterhalten, die mich an die Hardcore Musik herangeführt haben. Ich bin mir vollends darüber im Klaren, dass dieses Konzert schon lange her ist. Es gibt Dinge, die passieren einfach und sind einem absolut unangenehm. Ich lümmelte also hinter der Absperrung vor dem Bus herum (man konnte die Bandmitglieder nicht auffinden so sagte man mir ich vermute es war eine Lüge, denn der Busfahrer berichtete mir später sie hätten im Bus geschlafen), während meine reizende Kollegin Janina das Glück hatte die gesamten Jungs von DEATH BY STEREO vor ihr Diktiergerät zu bekommen. Nach 2 ½ Stunden des ermüdenden Wartens (ich bin mit Janina und DBS Sänger Efrem Shulz zwischenzeitlich sogar am Bahnhof gewesen, um Knöchelbandagen für ihn zu besorgen), führte mich dann der Busfahrer in den Backstagebereich und ich hatte das Gefühl, dass dies nicht der Plan der Band war, die bis acht Uhr in der Frühe gesoffen hatten und eventuell versuchten, katherbedingt, dem Interview aus dem Wege zu gehen. Sänger Zoli konnte eh nichts sagen, denn wie man später beim Konzert hören konnte, war seine Stimme durch einen Virusinfekt stark angeschlagen. Somit saß ich dann mit einem etwas sauertöpfischen, aber nicht auffallend unhöflichen, Brett Rasmussen (Bassist bei IGNITE) im Schatten auf dem Boden und wir plauschten über dies und das, denn was soll man denn einer Band für neue und spannende Fragen stellen, die seit fast 15 Jahren auf nahezu dem gesamten Globus bekannt ist? Hier also das Exzerpt aus dem Gespräch mit dem Mann, der Millionen mit seiner Musik begeistert.
Let´s start with a typical question: How do you feel today?
BR: Great, this is our third or fourth sold out show in a row and it´s a great tour so far. It´s the best tour we´ve ever played in thirteen years of our career.
Do you choose the bands you go on tour with?
BR:Most of the time, yes. When we´re headlining, that means you go on tour with your friends. That´s cool!
Is that important?
BR: Don´t know, but sometimes it makes it easier. `though it´s still business. You don´t have to be best friends with everybody.
Is it important that the bands fit into the set?
BR: I think this one, with DBS fits better than with WITH HONOUR last year, because you don´t want to have the same kind of people on your show. It mixes the audience. That´s more interesting.
Right now, O.C. gets very popular in Germany throughout O.C. California or American Chopper or Monster Garage. What is it that makes O.C. so interesting and what does it mean to you?
BR: I live in Huntington Beach, the weather is nice and so are the people. You get all the vantages of southern California, but you don´t have to deal with L.A. It´s a metropolitan, always busy, but O.C. is more quiet, because it lays outside of all that. And at least, it´s home.
So you wouldn´t like to live in a bigger city?
BR: I would live in New York City or Chicago. I´m good with everything.
Are you this stereotype of a Californian guy grewing up surfing?
BR: No, never. Our guitar player is, but I´m not.
American bands, no matter what scene they are from, are very popular in Germany, because some say their music would be more individual.
BR: I don´t know why it is like that. My favourite bands come from the UK like OASIS or Scandinavian MILLENCOLIN. I really can´t tell you.
Do you get the opportunity to walk around and check out the places you´re playing at?
BR: Yeah, definitely. South America for example is so amazing. I really try to do so. Like taking my time off. You should do so...
Otherwise it would be wasted time?
BR: Oh yes, touring is so boring. You have like ten hours nothing to do just eating, sleeping and that´s pretty much it. It´s different today, because we all have our iPods with us, labtops and stuff like that. That makes touring easier, because you can stay connected to the world and your home.
When people think of you most of them probably think of you as the bass player of IGNITE. Does that sometimes affect you?
BR: Nope, like I said you don´t have to be best friends with everybody and get involved.
What´s your favourite IGNITE song?
BR: I don´t know but I really liked the acoustic show at a clothing shop in Berlin, yesterday. Like seven songs melo and a bit slowlier. That was one of my favourite shows ever.
Did you tape it?
BR: Somebody taped it. Maybe he´ll put it up at YouTube. I hope so.
How did the people react on the new stuff?
BR: I really think this is the best record I´ve ever done. Although, generally, the new one is not as good as the old stuff. We took a long time off to write the best record we could do, because if we put out a CD in 2003 and it would have been shit that would be the end of our career. You can´t afford something like this so there is always a big pressure on your shoulders and you must think about everything very carefully. You always have to keep on improving!
And people need to stay hungry for new material.
BR: Yeah, definitely. Some people do really forget that!
Do you have a favourite kind of crow to play in front of?
BR: No, some of the people who are working for us now recognized that we have a lot of girls in the audience. I think that doesn´t really matter, because I like everyone who comes out to a show and sings along. We don´t care about things like that. That would be mean.
I´ve heard Run in alotta different clubs. In Denmark, of course Germany, France and UK I bet you can hear that song being played everywhere. Do you sometimes forget that you have a smash hit all around the world?
BR: Yeah, we just seldom get to see this side of the story, but of course it feels good. Ah can I go to the bathroom?
Da ich mit meiner Ausbeute zufrieden war, entließ ich ihn ins Badezimmer und wir beendeten das Gespräch, was wirklich nicht so abgehackt war, wie es hier jetzt rüberkommen mag. Er war höflich und gab am Ende unseres Interviews ein großartiges Konzert.
