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The band Tokio Hotel about their concert in Israel, beautiful women and a generation, for whom history doesn’t play a big role anymore
A conference room in the Ritz Carlton on the Potsdamer platz in Berlin. A couch, a couple of chairs. On a low table jars with gummibears (sweets). Bill is seated in the right side of the couch, holding a pillow in front of his belly, the black polished nails burried in the pillow. To his right , on a chair, is his twinbrother Tom. Losely laid back, wide legged, the dreads falling over his chest. To the left sits Gustav, with cap, he wouldnt say a single word the entire time. Next to him Georg, long straight hair, with 20, being the oldest in the band. To greet us they all stand up, introduce themselves, shake hands. Georg offers some drinks, gets some water and coffee. It’s the fifth interview today. They ask what time it is. Shortly after 3 pm. Time fo breakfast, says Tom.
You travel all around the world at the moment and now you are in Germany fo a couple of days. Are you happy to be here again?
Georg: Its a home match
Bill: Ordinary environment, ordinary faces, we know everything very well. We always get into surprising situations abroad. Here in Germany we can relax a bit more, because we are here so often. Besides we are sometimes in a country only for 2 or three days, we have a ridiculously tight timetable, thats why its also very chaotic sometimes. It’s alsways a very special feeling being here again.
The 6th of October you will play in Israel, in Tel Aviv. How did that come about?
Tom: It really happened the same way it has happened in every country we have visited so far. In France, Poland, Demnmark of whatever. We already had fans everywhere , before we visited those countries, even before we released songs. Everything gets exchanged over the internet. To tell you the truth, we have only just learned through the action from the Israelian fans, that these fans exist. We already had fanclubs in France, 5 months before we even released anything there. In the case of Israel, the fans started an action . They collected about 5000 autographs, I think, making a wish that we would come to their country one day. Only because of that we learned that our song Monsoon was already being played on the radio over there. We never knew that!
You CD’s are released in German and in the mean time also in English. Which version can they listen to in Israel?
Tom: I think it is the English one.
Bill: But because of the intenet it is actually a mix of both. In countries where we have released English CD’s, the people are also listening to a lot of german. In France for example.
Tom: In Finland they listen to us in German. We have released an English album there, so that the people can choose. In case they are not interested in the German language, they still have the possibility to understand our lyrics.
Bill: People understanding our lyrics is important for us. For us its more than a nice tune to dance to.
Music to us is always about feelings (emotions). Because of that, I have been writing lyrics for a long time already, its very important to me that the people can understand what we are singing about.
How did you find out about the signed petition (autographs action) by the Israelian fans?
Bill: People wrote about it on the internet. It also reached our record company and our management. There was this giant paper with autographs. So many people writing: Come and visit us and play a gig ! We thought, wow, that’s not possible!
Tom: we were rather surprised.. I mean, Israel, we have never been there before. For us, as a German band, to play there is something special.
Bill: We didnt know anyone was interested in us over there.
You are the first German band to reach the number one postion in the Israelian charts.
Tom: A few weeks after we had received this giant paper with autographs, we were also on the cover of an Israelian Rock magazine.
Another thing that no German band before you has ever achieved.
Tom: Yeah thats was a cool thing to happen. And now its like this: we have no idea what to expect.
Bill: We have talked to our promoter, meaning our booking agent. He also thought it was awesome. He said: lets try this. He also had no idea what to expect there, because he has never organized a thing like this in Israel before. So it was very strange for him as well.
We have then decided altogether to go for it.
I guess it’s also the first time an ambassador plays a part in organizing a rock concert?
Georg: That’s right. The fans have send the autographs to the Isaelian ambassador in Germany. He passed it on.
Tom: The ambassador invited us and told us that we were very welcome . We have accepted the invitation.
Part 2 (by rescued)
What goes through your head, when you think of Israel?
Tom: I am relatively open minded about it. It’s not like if we expect certain things to happen in certain countries. Israel, what would it be like to play over there?. Before now we have never even thought about it.
Bill: Because we have seen so many counties, we now know that cliches are never true anyway.
In many countries the people always ask us: Ah you are from Germany, you must drink a lot of beer and eat Bratwurst (sausages), don’t you? We always think, okay we don’t do that at all. All these cliches are totally stupid.
But something has to spring to mind about Israel. A picture, a feeling.
Georg: I have a warm picture in mind anyway.
Bill: It will be hot for sure, it’s Open Air, isn’t it?
Tom; Yes, thats right, its Open Air for sure. Warm, yes, apart from that I don’t really have an idea about it.
Bill: I heard that Tel Aviv is a really nice city.
Tom: True, we know a couple of people that have already been theree.. They told us that it is very nice there, for sure and I have heard that there are also very beautiful…
Georg: very beautiful women.
Tom: That’s why we are looking forward to the gig in every aspect .
Georg: We will take some time to form an idea ..
About the women?
Bill: about Israel.
Tom: When we travel by plane it’s always a bit complicated, but we have a little bit of time to have a look around. I am already looking forward to that.
How much time do you have?
Tom; I think we have half the day off, before the concert. The next day we will fly to Amsterdam for our next gig.
Bill is now seated on (top of ) the back of the couch. When he talks he waves his arms about in the air. We have to add to that, that Bill has very thin arms.
On the lower inside part of the left arm he has a tattoe stating : Freiheit 89. There might be people that think that this is a reference to the fall of the Berlin wall. After all the four bandmembers do come from Magdeburg.
But the tattoe is just a reminder of Bill’s year of birth.
Nothing more.
It is the same way with Israel.
For the first time a German band plays such a big gig in Israel. In the county of the victims.
Ticketsales are going well, says the booking agent.
Apparently the Israelian youth has no problems in cheering on a German band.
Doesn’t history really play any role anymore in the year 2007?
Is it that simple?
Young german people and young Israelian people, seperated from one another by history and now reunited by music?
Tell me, apart from the heat and the beauty , do you have any associations with Israel?
Bill: Apart from that, I have no notion about it, we are all very open minded where that is concerned. Like we said already.
In Israel and Germany they consider this gig to be an extraordinary thing. It’s almost a political issue. Why is that, do you think?
Tom: First of all its highly unlikely for a German band to play a gig in Israel.
Bill; You don’t know what you’re getting into. How will things work out when you are doing concerts over there? Can you play really cool Open Airs, are there some cool venue to play?
Translation part 3 (by rescued)
Tom: There are some American acts that have performed over there, but we are the first ones coming from Germany that will do a big gig there, that’s for sure.
But it will certainly go well. We have found a very good Open Air location, I think it will be good.
Bill: I am excited. I am anxious to meet the fans. I am so looking forward to that. It will be so cool.
Tom: There are so many thing we have to worry about. How will we get our backline to Tel Avic now? This is also a matter of costs. Our backline has to go to Amsterdam the next day. We have found out that its not that hard after all. You can easliy get some amplifiers delivered in Tel Aviv. It’s not a problem at all.
Bill: Something I never knew before is that the people are so into music. I really didnt have any idea what kind of music they listen to over there. Here in Germany we don’t get any of their music.
Israel-Germany, that is a special issue (story). Does it play a part for you?
Bill; mmm, mmm
Tom: Well for us, .. we don’t really think about that.
Bill: We dont make such a big issue out of it. We are just immensly looking forward to it, its a great honour for us to go there. But very often they write about us being a messenger of something. We wouldnt describe ourselves like that. Like messengers promoting the German language or, I don’t know what. It all sounds so intense. We dont see ourselves like that. We make music, the people are interested in us because of that, and that is simply a very cool feeling.
Tom: We were very happy to have received the invitation from the embassy.
That in itself shows that this concert is out of the ordinary.
Bill: And we owe it all to our fans.
Tom: For them the only way to reach us was through the embassy.
Bill: I am just imagining, that some German teenagers would like to see a Israelian band. I wouldnt have a clue how to make it happen.
Georg: I wouldn’t know if the German embassy would send the autographs over.
Maybe the whole Third Nation and Holocaust issue is so far from the minds of these 18-years old boys , that they dont even remotely think about it when they travel to Israel. Maybe we, the mid-thirtiers, are the last people who look at this country with prejudice. Maybe Bill and Tom and the others have accomplished what we have never been able to do. That they as young German people can simply look forward to their trip to Israel. Without feeling any guilt.
Or are they just ignorant and naive?
Sorry, but we have to ask you one more time. The Third Nation, the Holocaust-does that play any part in this at all?
Bill: Well of course we are aware of it. But we are also from a completley different generation. I think our fans over there will also be very young. They will be all the same age as we are. We have a emotional bond through the music. That’s what it will be all about. The concert will not be burdened with what happened in the past.
Tom: I believe noone will have a political background on their mind, or something like that. For us its a concert, a very exciting concert. We are very welcome in Israel, and for our fans history doesn’t play any part in it.
You left school really early, and had, or still have, private teachers (school). Did you get to work on the Nazi-period in history class?
All: Yes of course.
The prosecution of Jews, the Holocaust, the second Wold War- are those themes that move you?
Bill: I believe that is a theme(subject) for everyone,. For all young people. You learn a little about it in school, partly also from your grandparents. Of course there are very touching stories amongst those. There are times in history class, when you are sitting there and just can’t believe it. What has happened in those days, what difficult times were that… You can’t understand certain parts of that. When you wake up today and you take a look around. The freedom we have. Everything we are allowed to do. It is very hard to imagine what it was like in the past .Its already very shocking to hear about it during your education. But I think that like most people from our age, we live in the present.
Tranlation part 4 (by Izzybizzy )
TOM: and more forward-looking too.
Do you remember a fate from the history lesson which touched you heart?
BILL: I think it would be foolish to limit it on one thing.
GEORG: A fate from all this time? This dreadful, horrible time limit on this thing would not be right.
TOM: There have been really many morbid things. Not all of it known completely.
BILL: My grandparents sometimes sit there and tell. My grandfather has a shiver in his leg. There are so many things.
TOM: when we go to other countries, the people have sometimes completely wrong imaginations. They sometimes ask: How are the things for you now, you are from the east (Germany).
BILL: Are you able to eat bananas? Such questions they ask. Really. Or if we are allowed to travel in and out. They sometimes even don’t know that it’s no problem anymore.
TOM: The people sometimes say: tell some anecdotes from the DDR. How it was to live at the east (Germany)? Hey Bill and I were born in 1989, the year when the wall (which divided Germany) fell. For us it always has been one Germany.
You have played big concerts in Russia and Poland and there you are very high at the charts too. Have you been asked at these countries about the German history?
ALL: No, really not.
BILL: In Poland there was really nothing and in Russia too. It’s everywhere just about the music.
TOM: all the people welcomed us very warmly, from all people.
In the meantime you played at the half of Europe’s countries, in front of thousands of fans. You are every few days at a new city. Which memories get stuck? What impressed you the most?
BILL: I was thrilled by many cities. I really liked Moscow.
GEORG: unbelievable beautiful
BILL: I would never expect that. First it was shocking. You drive very long from the airport to the city center. First everything is grey and simple, poor neighborhoods. And then suddenly…
GEORG: suddenly everything is gold.
BILL: It’s like a border. The difference between rich and poor is blatant. That’s sad too. But at the center Moscow is a gorgeous city.
TOM: Sometimes we are asked what we would change at a country. That is always had to answer to. We go to a country, for one, two days and see just good things. Thousands of fans, a great hall, everything is nice.
BILL: and then we make party. At Moscow you can go out really good, we went to a restaurant where you can see the whole city. These are cool experiences. And we just went to Rome, there we had a day off. It was insanity to see it all, too. When I think about that we went to all this countries before for holidays and now all the fans scream for you.
TOM: That’s blatant!
At Paris you had a gig at this summer for the French national holiday under the Eiffel Tower. In front of 500 000 people.
BILL: You have to imagine, at this day all, all, all the people from Paris come to the street. Everywhere at the city is entertainment. In front of the stage there were boxes in several rows, the street along. You weren’t able to see the end of the crowd. You are singing and the whole city hears you. That’s unbelievable.
TOM: You think you have a huge flat screen in front of you, so many people, it can’t be true.
GEORG: We played three songs and it was really surreal.
Now they adore. Bill and Georg mostly. Moscow, Paris, must be great. They look like they could talk forever of their concerts. A mobile phone rings. Gustav the only one of the band who hasn’t said anything but just listened gets a bit red. He excuses and doesn’t take the call. He fells silent again. One of the two PR-assistants, who listened during the interview at the background, comes to the table. “Last question” she says. She looks stiff. She stays at the table.
Can you say what it means to you, to be German? Does it have any meaning for you?
BILL: A meaning? Of course there is a connection, we feel home here, we grew up here.
TOM: maybe we will have a apartment at another country, but I couldn’t imagine to move away from Germany completely.
BILL: That’s every time like this, you have seen so much beauty, but you come here and that’s it.
GEORG: It’s the feeling of home.
BILL: You never forget that our career started here. Here we had our first TV-show; here we shot our first video. Here are all the origins.
Of course you are asked at other countries what typical for our country is. Typical German. What do you say then?
BILL: We never answer these questions.
GEORG: First we take away all the stereotypes. Not all drink beer, not all eat “Weißwurst” (Bavarian veal sausage)
BILL: Especially in Berlin are so many different cultures, how should you describe it with a sentence. Many people say too, we should describe our band with three words. You can’t do it neither with a band nor with a country. You have to have seen it. You have to been there. You have to feel it. Then you can speak about it.
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